other side and stood on the top of an hill afar q That his person might be out of their reach and yet his Voice might be heard which in a clear Air and in the silence of the Night might be heard at a great distance off a great space being between them 14 And David cried to the people and to Abner the son of Ner saying Answerest thou not Abner Then Abner answered and said Who art thou that criest to the king r Or with or beside the king i. e. So near to him so as to disturb the King 15 And David said to Abner Art not thou ‡ Heb. a man a valiant man and who is like to thee s For Courage and Conduct and therefore thy fault herein is the greater in Israel Wherefore then hast thou not kept thy lord the king for there came one of the peoplâ—… in to destroy the king thy lord 16 This thing is not good t i. e. It is very bad a great Crime A Figure called Meiosis as Prov. 18. 5. and 19. 2. that thou hast done as the LORD liveth ye are ‡ Heb. sons of death worthy to die because ye have not kept your master the LORD 's anointed And now see where the kings spear is and the cruse of water that was at his bolster 17 And Saul knew Davids voice and said Is this thy voice my son u As thou wast my Son by Marriage so thou hast expressed the care and affection of a Son to me now a second time David and David said It is my voice my lord O king 18 And he said Wherefore doth my lord pursue thus after his Servant for what have I done or what evil is in mine hand 19 Now therefore I pray thee let my lord the king hear the words of his servant If the LORD have stirred thee up against me x If the Lord hath by the evil Spirit which he hath sent or by his secret Providence directed thy Rage against me for the Punishment of thine or my Sins let him ‡ Heb. smell accept an offering y Let us offer up a Sacrifice to God to appease his Wrath against us but if they be the children of men z Who by their crafty insinuations and calumnies have incensed thee against me He sheweth his Prudence and Revereâ—…ce and Meekness that he Accuseth not the King but translateth the fault wholly upon his Evil Ministers as the Israelites do in like Case Exod. 5. 16. cursed be they before the LORD for they have 〈◊〉 me out this day from ‡ Heb. cleaving abiding in the inâ—…eritance of the LORD From the Land which God hath given to his People for their Inheritance and where he hath Established his Presence and Worship saying Go serve other gods a This was the Language of their Actions For by driving him from Gods Land and the place of his Worship into Foreign and Idolatrous Lands they exposed him to the peril of being either ensnared by their Counsels or Examples or forced by their threats and power to worship Idols 20 Now therefore let not my blood fall to the earth b Do not attempt to spill my Innocent Blood like water upon the ground before the face of the LORD c Remember if thou doest it God the Judge of all men seeth it and will avenge it of thee though I will not avenge my self for the king of Israel is come out to seek * Chap. 24. 14. a flea c Remember if thou doest it God the Judge of all men seeth it and will avenge it of thee though I will not avenge my self as when one doth hunt a partridg in the mountains d Hard to be taken and not worth catching a mean and contemptible person d Where his advantage doth no way compensate his Labour 21 ¶ Then said Saul I have sinned Return my son David for I will no more do thee harm because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day behold I have played the fool and have erred exceedingly e He not oneâ—…y â—…onfesseth but aggravateth his fauit because his Conscience was fully convinced though his Heart was not changed 22 And David answered and said Behold the kings spear and let one of the young men come over and fetch it 23 The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness f â—… desire that God would deal no otherwise with me than I have 〈◊〉 with 〈◊〉 for the LORD delivered thee into my hand to day but I would not stretch â—…ourth mine hand against the LORDS anointed 24 And behold as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes so â—…et my life be much set by in the eyes of the LORD and let him deliver me out of all tribulation 25 Then Saul said to David Blessed be thou my son David thou shalt both ‡ Heb. in doing thou shalt do Dan. 11. 28 32. do great things and also shalt still prevail So David went on his way g Knowing Saul's unstable and deceitful Heart he would noâ—… trust to any of his Professions or Promises but kept out of his reaâ—…h and Saul returned to his place CHAP. XXVII AND David said in his heart I shall now †perish ‡ 〈◊〉 be conâ—…umed one day by the hand of Saul a I see by this late experience his restless and implacable hatred against me and how little heed is to be given to all his pretences of Repentance or Friendship there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines b But this was certainly a very great mistake and fault in David for 1. This proceeded from gross distrust of God's Promise and Providence and that after such repeated demonstrations of Gods peculiar Carâ—… over him which gave him cause to conclude quite contrary to what is here said 2. He forsakes the place where God had settled him Chap. 22. 5. and given him both assurance and experience of his Protection there 3. He voluntarily runs upon that Rock which he cursed his Enemies for throwing him upon Chap. 26. 19. and upon many 〈◊〉 Snares and Dangers as the following History will shew and withal deprives the people of the Lord of those succours which he might have given them in case of a Battel But it pleased God to leave David to himself in this as well as in other particulars that these might be sensible demonstrations of the Infirmities of the best Men and of the necessity of Gods grace and daily direction and assistance and of the freeness and riches of God's Mercy in passing by such great Offences And besides God hereby designed to accomplish his own Counsel to withdraw David from the Israelites that Saul and they might fall by the hand of the Philistines without any reproach or inconvenience to David whom God had put into a safe place and Saâ—…l
a The next day but one after the feast of Tabernacles which begun on the 14th day and ended on the 22 day Levit. 23. for their consciences having then been fully awakened by the law read to them and their hearts being full of grief for their great sins which they were not allowed to express in that time of publick joy and triumph now when that was past they resume their former thoughts and passions and recalling their sins to mind set apart a day for solemn fasting and humiliation the children of Israel were assembled with fasting and with sackcloths and with earth upon them 2 And * Ezra 1â—… 11. Chap. 13. â—…0 the seed of Israel separated themselves from all †Heb. 〈◊〉 of a 〈◊〉 strangers b From all familiar and unnecessary society with the heathens and particularly from those strange Women whom some of them had married For though Ezra had done this formerly Ezra 10. as far as he had knowledge of the persons faulty and power to redress their faults yet it seems there were some criminals who were either without his knowledge or out of his power or these were some new delinquents that since that time had fallen into the same errour and shewed the truth of their repentance by the forsaking of their beloved sins and dearest relations See again Nehe. 13. 3. and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers c Which they confess partly as one cause of their present sufferings and partly because they by their practises had justified their fathers sins and made them their own 3 And they stood up in their places and read in the book of the law d So as they did before giving them the sense of what they read of which see on ch 8. 7 8. of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day e To wit for three hours for there were accounted 12 hours in their day Iohn 11. 9. Probably they began after the morning sacrifice at which divers religious people used to be present but now they were all assembled together upon this great occasion and they continued their work from that time till the evening sacrifice with which they closed the work of the day and another fourth part they confessed f Both Gods mercies as appears from the matter of the following prayer and their own sins as is expressed v. 2. this day being chiefly set apart for that work and worshipped the LORD their God g Partly by the acknowledgment and adoration of his wonderful mercy in forgiving their sins and saving them from the deserved judgments which they either felt or feared and giving them his law and the knowledge thereof and partly by imploring his further grace and mercy to them 4 Then stood up upon the ‖ Or 〈◊〉 stairs of the Levites h Or upon the scaffold c. i. e. Upon such stairs or rather scaffolds or pulpits as the Levites used to stand upon when they taught the people But you must not think that all the persons here named stood in one place and uttered the following words together which would have caused great confusion in their speeches by which means but few of the people could have distinctly heard or understood them but that they stood upon several pulpits each of them either teaching of that part of the Congregation which was allotted to him or praying or blessing God with them Jeshua and Bani Kadmiel Shebaniah Bunni Sherebiah Bani and Chenani and cried with a loud voice i Thereby testifying their deep sense of their sins and miseries and their servent and importunate desire of Gods mercy unto the LORD their God 5 Then the Levites Jeshua and Kadmiel Bani Hashabniah Sherebiah Hodijah Shebaniah and Pethahiah said k All the following words Either therefore they all used the same words being composed and agreed upon by Ezra and themselves or they all prayed in the same manner and to the same purpose having agreed among themselves concerning the matter of their confessions and prayers And these are the words which one of them used and it is implied that the rest of their prayers were of the same nature stand up and bless the LORD your God for ever and ever l From day to day as long as you live and to all eternity and blessed be thy glorious name which is exalted above all blessing and praise 6 Thou even thou art LORD alone * Gen. 1. 1. thou hast made heaven the * Deut. 10. 14. heaven of heavens with all their host the earth and all things that are therein the seas and all that is therein and thou preservest them all and * Gen. 2. 1. the host of heaven m Either 1. The stars which after their manner worship and praise God as all the creatures do after their manner of which see Psal. 148. or rather 2. The Angels who are so called as 1 King 22. 19. Luke 2. 13. who do worship God truly and properly And it is most usual and reasonable to understand all words properly where there is no need of a figurative interpretation And if this were understood of metaphorical and objective worshipping of God there seems to be no reason to appropriate that to the host of Heaven to wit the stars seeing the hosts of sea and earth do in that sense worship God no less than the stars do namely in giving Angels and men matter and occasion of worshipping and praising of God worshippeth thee 7 Thou art the LORD the God who didst choose * Gen. 11. 〈◊〉 12. 1. Abram n Out of the midst of all his nation and family When thou didst pass by and neglect the rest of them suffering them to walk on in their idolatrous and destructive courses thou didst chuse and single out him to serve and glorify thee to be Father of all the faithful the progenitor of the Messias and the person in whom not we only but all nations should be blessed and to enjoy thee to all eternity and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees and gavest him the name of * Gen. 17. â—… Abraham 8 And foundest his heart * Gen. 15. â—… faithful before thee o When thou madest that admirable trial of his faith and obedience in requiring him to offer up his onely son Isaac thou didst find out and discover his faithfulness which was well known to thee before and also was wrought in him by thy grace and madest a * Gen. 12. 7 15. 18. 17. 7 8. covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanite the Hittite the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Jebusite and the Girgashite to give it I say to his seed and hast performed thy words for thou art righteous 9 * 〈◊〉 2. 25. 〈◊〉 And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Aegypt and heardest their cry by the Red sea 10 And * 〈◊〉
place Deut. 4. 15 16. or to worship me by as it is apparent that the Israelites afterwards did intend to worship Jehovah in the golden Calf and therefore Aaron calls the feast of the Calf a feast to Iehovah Exod. 32. 5. and that with the approbation of the people whom he then complyed with and durst not resist gods o i. e. Idols or images to whom you may give the name and worship of Gods of silver p And consequently not of any other materials as wood or stone It is a Synecdoche neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold 24 An Altar of earth thou shalt make unto me q For thy present use or whilest thou art in the wilderness This he commanded partly that they might easily and readily erect an altar upon all occasions which it might be hard for them to do there of better materials partly to mind them how much more God regarded the inward holiness than the outward pomp of their devotions partly because God would make a conspicuous difference between them and idolaters who used much cost and curiosity about their Altars partly that the Altars might after they left them fall down and moulder away and not remain as lasting monuments which might be afterward abused to Idolatry by any persons that came thither partly because they were uncertain of their stay any where except at Sinai and therefore must raise such Altars as they could suddenly do But this command onely concerned their wilderness-state for there were better and more durable Altars in the Tabernacle and Temple and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt-offerings and thy peace-offerings * Lev. 1. 2. thy sheep and thine oxen in all places r Therefore there is no need of building any stately Altar in a certain place as if my presence were fixed there and not to be enjoyed elsewhere where I record my Name s Or cause my name to be remembred by you i. e. Not in every place which you shall invent but in all such places as I shall appoint for the remembrance or celebration of my name or for the service of my Majesty whether it be in the wilderness and in divers parts thereof or in the Tabernacle and Temple I will come unto thee and I will bless thee 25 And * Deut. 27. â—… Josh. 8. 31. if thou wilt make me an Altar of stone t Which in those rocky parts might be as easie for them to make as one of earth thou shalt not †Heb. build â—…em with hewâ—…ng build it of hewen stone u Which would require both time and cost and art The reasons of this precept are in part the same with the former ver 24. for if thou lift up thy tool upon it thou hast polluted it x By thy disobedience to my express command now given and howsoever they think to gratifie me by this curiosity I shall not look upon it as a sacred thing by which the sacrifices offered on it shall be sanctified but as a prophane thing which will defile them So little doth God value or approve the inventions of men in his worship how colourable soever they be 26 Neither shalt thou go up by steps y He seems to mean the steps of Ladders or others of the same nature which could suddenly be made and were proper for their present condition where there was danger of the following inconvenience For afterwards God appointed an Altar ten cubits high 2. Chron. 4. 1. Though some conceive they weâ—…t not up to that by steps but by an insensible ascent upon the ground raised by degrees for that purpose But if the Priests did go up to it by steps God provided against the indecency here mentioned by prescribing linnen breeches to them in that service unto mine Altar that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon z For these linnen breeches were not yet appointed and the manner then and there was for men to wear long coats or gowns like women God would remove all appearance or occasion of immodesty especially in sacred persons and things and the rather to shew his detestation of that impudence and filthiness which was very usual in some of the solemnities and worships of the heathen CHAP. XXI 1 NOW these are the Judgments a 〈◊〉 the judicial Laws by which thou and the Judges before mentioned shall govern thy self and the people in civil and criminal causes which thou shalt * chap. 24. 3 4. set before them 2 * Deut. 15. 12. If thou buy an Hebrew servant b Of which practise see Ier. 34. 14. This was allowed in two cases 1. when a man for his crimes was condemned by the Judges to be sold. Of which see Exod. 22. 3. 2 King 4. 1. Mat. 18. 25. 2. when a man pressed by great poverty sold himself or his children Of which see Lev. 25. 39 40. six years he shall serve and in the seventh year c Which is to be numbred either 1. from the last Sabbatical year or year of release which came every seventh year and then the sence of the place is not that he shall always serve six full years but that he shall never serve longer and that his service shall last onely till that year comes Or rather 2. from the beginning of his service for 1. it were a very improper speech to say be shall serve six years of one who possibly entred into his service but a month before the year of release 2. In the law of the Sabbatical year there is no mention of the release of servants as there is of other things Lev. 25. Deut. 15. and in the year of Iubilee when servants are to be released it is expressed so as Lev. 25. 54 55. he shall go out free for nothing 3 If he came in †Heb. with his â—…dy by himself d i. e. With his own person onely not with a wife as the opposite branch sheweth he shall go out by himself if he were married then his wife shall go out with him 4 If his master have given him a wife and she have born him sons or daughters the wife and her children shall be her masters e That being a true rule and approved both by Scripture and by heathen Authors that the birth follows the belly Gen. 21. 10. Gal. 4. 24 25. and he that owns the tree hath right to all its fruit and he shall go out by himself f Quest. How was this separation of man and wife agreeable with the first institution of marriage by which that bond is made indissoluble Ans. 1. That bond was not necessarily dissolved by this law both because the separation was at the mans choice who might have stayed there if he so pleased and because the distinction of their habitations might consist with the right and use of matrimony which the master also would probably permit for his own advantage Ans. 2. God might
These be thy gods O Israel which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt 9 And the LORD said unto Moses * chap. 33. 3 Deut. 9. 13. Isa. 48. 4. I have seen this people and behold it is a stiff-necked people u Untractable wilful and stubborn incorrigible by my judgements ungovernable by mine or by any laws A metaphor from those beasts that will not bend their necks to receive the yoke or bridle 10 Now therefore let me alone x Do not hinder me by thy prayers which I see thou art now about to make on their behalf that my wrath may wax hot against them and that I may consume them and * Num. 14. 1â—… I will make of thee y To come out of thy loins a great nation 11 * Deut. 9. 18. Ps. 106. 23. And Moses besought †Heb. thâ—… 〈◊〉 of the Lord. the LORD his God z Emphatically so called q. d. Moses had not lost his interest in God though Israel had and said LORD why doth thy wrath wax hot a So hot as to consume them utterly For though he saw reason enough why God should be angry with them yet he humbly expostulates with God whether it would be for his honour utterly to destroy them Or this is a petition delivered in form of an interrogation or expostulation as Mat. 8. 29. compare with Luk. 8. 28. against thy people b An ingenious retortion q. d. They are not my people as thou calledst them ver 7. but thy people which he proves in the following words which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand 12 * Num. 14. 13. Deut. 9. 28. and 32. 27. Wherefore should the Egyptians speak and say For mischief did he bring them out to slay them in the mountains c i. e. In or at mount Sinai the plural number for the singular or in this mountainous desert and to consume them from the face of the earth Turn from thy fierce wrath and repent of this evil against thy people 13 Remember Abraham Isaac and Israel thy servants to whom thou swarest by thy own self and saidst unto them * Gen. 12. 7. 13. 15. 15. 18. 26. 4. 28. 13 48. 16. I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed and they shall inherit it for ever 14 And the LORD repented d i. e. Changed his sentence See on Gen. 6. 6. of the evil which he thought to do unto his people 15 And Moses turned and went down from the mount and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand the tables were written on both their sides e Not in the inside and outside which is unusual and unnecessary but in the inside onely some of the ten Commands being written on the right hand and others on the left not for any mystery but onely for conveniency of writing on the one side and on the other side were they written 16 And the * chap. 31. 18. tables were the work of God and the writing was the writing of God graven upon the tables 17 And when Joshua f Who had waited all this while upon the middle of the hill for Moses his return and so neither knew what the people had done nor heard what God had said to Moses heard the noise of the people as they shouted he said unto Moses There is a noise of war in the camp 18 And he said It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery g Heb. of a cry of strength i. e. of strong men or of the stronger and victorious party who use to express themselves with triumphant shouts neither is it the voice of them that cry for †Heb. weaknesâ—… being overcome h Heb. of a cry of weakness i. e. of weak and wounded and vanquished men who use to break forth into doleful cries but the noise of them that sing do I hear 19 And it came to pass assoon as he came nigh unto the camp that he saw the calf and the dancing and Moses anger waxed hot and he cast the tables out of his hands and brake them i Not through rash anger but by Divine instinct partly to punish their Idolatry with so great a loss and partly to shew that the covenant made between God and them so much to their advantage which was contained in those tables was by their sin broken and now of none effect and not to be renewed but by bitter repentance beneath the mount 20 * Deut. 9. 21. And he took the calf which they had made and burnt it in the fire and ground it to powder k Melted it either into one great mass or rather into divers little fragments which afterwards by a file or other instruments he by the help of many others might soon ground to powder or dust of gold and strawed it upon the water l Upon the brook which came out of the rock Horeb Exod. 17. 6. and made the children of Israel m Not all which would require long time but some in the name of the rest and most probably either the chief promoters of this idolatrous design or the chief rulers of the people who should by their power and authority have restrained the people from this wickedness to drink of it n Of the water into which that dust was cast partly to make them ashamed of their madness in worshipping a God which now must be drunk and cast out into the draught and partly to fill them with terrour and dreadful expectation of some ill effect or curse of God to come upon them either by this draught or by other means 21 And Moses said unto Aaron What did this people unto thee o What injury or mischief had they done to thee which thou didst so severely revenge that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them p The sin of the people is charged upon Aaron both because he did not resist and suppress their wicked suggestion ver 1. by his counsel and by the authority which Moses had left in his hand which he should have done even with the hazard of his life as the Rabbins say that Hur did whom they report to have been slain by the people whilest he disswaded them from their attempt and because he did not promote and direct and manage their enterprize ver 4 5. 22 And Aaron said Let not the anger of my lord wax hot thou knowest the people that they are set on mischief q Heb. are in evil i. e. are altogether wicked addicted to or bent upon wickedness so that it was impossible for me to stop or divert their course 23 For they said unto me Make us gods which shall go before us for as for this Moses the
said to stand there because they are said to have entred into covenant with God because their Parents did so in their nâ—…me and for their use when the LORD said unto me Gather me the people together and I will make them hear my words that they may learn to fear me all the dayes that they shall live upon the earth and that they may teach their children 11 And ye came near and stood under the mountain and the * Exod. 19. 18. mountain burnt with fire unto the †Heb. heart midst of heaven h Flaming up into the air which is oft called Heaven and the midst or the heart of it is not onely that which is strictly and properly the middle part but that which is within it though but a little way in which sense places or persons or things are said to be in the heart of the Sea Exod. 15. 8. Prov. 23. 34. Ezek. 28. 2. and Christ in the heart of the Earth Matth. 12. 40. with darkness clouds and thick darkness 12 And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire ye heard the voice of the words but saw no similitude i i. e. No resemblance or representation of God whereby either his essence or properties or actions were represented such as were usual among the heathens †Heb. save a 〈◊〉 onely ye heard a voice 13 And he declared unto you his covenant which he commanded you to perform even * Exod. 34. 28. ten commandments and * Exod. 24. 12. he wrote them upon two tables of stone 14 And * Exod. 21. 1. the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments k i. e. The ceremonial and judicial Laws which are here distinguished from the moral or the Ten Commandements ver 13. that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it 15 Take ye therefore good heed unto your selves l By which caution he insinuates mans great proneness to the worship of images God who in other places and times did appear in a similitude in the fashion of a man now in this most solemn appearance when he comes to give eternal Laws for the regulation and direction of the Israelites in the worship of God and in their duty to men he purposely avoids all such representations to shew that he abhors all Worship of images or of himself by images of what kind soever as it here follows ver 16 17 18 19 because he is the invisible God and cannot be represented by any visible image See Isa. 40. 18. Act. 17. â—…9 for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb m out of the midst of the fire 16 Lest ye corrupt your selves n i. e. Corrupt your minds with mean and carnal thoughts of God Or corrupt your ways or courses by worshipping God in a corrupt manner or by falling into Idolatry and * Exod 24. 5. make you a graven image o To wit for worship or for the representation of God as it is explained ver 19. for otherwise it was not simply unlawful to draw the picture or make a figure of a man or a beast the similitude of any figure the likeness of male or female 17 The likeness of any beast p Whereby the Heathen nations did represent and worship God some by an Ox some by a Goat or an Hen or a Serpent or a Fish c. that is on the earth the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air 18 The likeness * Rom. 1. 23 of any thing that creepeth on the ground the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth 19 And lest thou * Chap. 17. 3. Joâ—… 31. 27. lift up thine eyes unto heaven and when thou seest the sun and the moon and the stars even * Gen. 2. 1. all the host of heaven shouldest be driven to worship them q i. e. Strongly enclined and in a manner constrained partly by the glory of these heavenly bodies which may seem to be made for higher purposes than to inlighten this lump of earth partly from that natural propension which is in men to Idolatry Or shouldest be driven or thrust to wit out of the way of the Lord as it is more fully expressed Deut. 13. 5. or be seduced or led aside as silly sheep easily are and worship them Or shouldest be cast down or throw down thy self and worship them i. e. Worship them by falling down before them and serve them which the LORD thy God hath ‖ Or 〈◊〉 divided unto all nations r Which are not Gods but Creatures made not for the worship but for the use of men yea of the meanest and most barbarous people under Heaven and therefore cannot without great absurdity be worshipped especially by you who are so much advanced above other Nations in Wisdome and Knowledge and in this that you are my peculiar people under the whole heaven 20 But the LORD hath taken you and * 1 King 8. 51. Jer. 11. 4. brought you forth out of the iron furnace s i. e. The furnace wherein Iron and other Metals are melted to which Egypt is fitly compared not only for the Torment and Misery which they there indured but also because they were throughly tried and purged thereby as Metals are by the fire even out of Egypt to be unto him a people of inheritance t His peculiar possession from generation to generation See Exod. 19. 5. Deut. 7. 6. Tit. 2. 14. And therefore for you to forsake God and worship Idols will be not only wickedness and madness but most abominable ingratitude as ye are this day 21 Furthermore * Num 20. 1â—… the LORD was angry with me for your sakes and sware that I should not go over Jordan and that I should not go in unto that good land which the LORD thy God giveth thee t God hath granted you the favour which he denyed to me which greatly increaseth your obligation to God for an inheritance 22 But I must die in this land I must not go over Jordan but ye shall go over and possess that good land 23 Take heed unto your selves lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God which he made with you and make you a graven image or the likeness of any thing * Exod. 20. 4 5. which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee u Or commanded thee to wit not to do which is easily understood by comparing this place with Exod. 20. 4 5. and with Gen. 3. 11. where this phrase is fully expressed See more on Levit. 4. 2. Deut. 3. 37. 24 For the * Chap. 9. â—… Isa. 33. 14. Heb. 12. 2â—… LORD thy God is a consuming fire x A just and terrible God who notwithstanding his special relation to thee will severely punish and destroy
proceed from design and deliberation are accompanied with malice and wilfulness and contempt and followed with obstinacy impenitency and incorrigibleness So that they carry themselves not like my children and people as they seem to be and profess to be but like mine enemies they are a perverse and crooked generation m Not onely some few of them but the whole body or generation of them are perverse i. e. froward and untractable and crooked i. e. irregular and disorderly not agreeing with the straight and righteous nature of God and of his law Compare Isa. 42. 16. 6 Do ye thus requite the LORD O foolish people and unwise is not he thy father that hath bought thee n That hath redeemed and rescued thee from Egyptian bondage Hath he not made thee o i. e. Advanced thee as that word is used 1 Sam. 12. 6. Esth. 6. 6. Psal. 95. 6. 149. 2. Isa. 43. 7. Made thee not onely in a general and common way by Creation or production but in a peculiar manner by adoption or making thee his peculiar people and children and established thee p i. e. Renewed and confirmed his grace and favour to thee and not taken it away from thee which thou hast oft provoked him to do 7 Remember the dayes †Heb. of eternity Isa. 63. 11. Mic. 5. 2. of old q i. e. The history and events of antient dayes or former ages and thou wilst find that I had a respect unto thee not onely in Abrahams time but long before it Compare Ier. 2. 20. consider the years of †Heb. generation generation many generations ask thy father and he will shew thee thy elders and they will tell thee 8 When the most High * Zech. 9. 2 Act. 17. 26. divided to the nations their inheritance r When God by his providence did allot the several parts of the world to several people which was done Gen. 10. and 11. See Deut. 2. 5 9. Amos 9. 7. Act. 17. 26 27. when he separated the sons of Adam s i. e. Divided them in their languages and habitations according to their families he set the bounds of the †Heb. peoples people according to the number of the children of Israel t i. e. He disposed of the several lands and limits of the people so as he did reserve a convenient and sufficient place for the great numbers of the people of Israel whom he designed to make as numerous as the stars of heaven And therefore he so guided the hearts of several people that the posterity of Canaan which was accursed of God Gen. 9. 25 26 27. and devoted to ruine should be seated in that country which God intended for the children of Israel that so when their iniquities were ripe and Gods time came they might be rooted out and the Israelites might come in their stead 9 For the * Exod. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 LORDS portion is his people u It is no wonder God had so great a regard to this people for he chose them out of all mankind to be his peculiar portion and treasure Jacob is the †〈◊〉 lot of his inheritance 10 He found him x Not by chance but as it were looking out and seeking for him he met with him there He did indeed manifest himself to him in Egypt but it was in the wilderness at Sinai where he found God and God found him in an eminent manner and revealed his mind and will to him and entred into covenant with him and imparted himself and his grace and blessing to him that being the place appointed even in Egypt for God and Israel to meet together Exod. 3. 12. By this word he also signifies both their lost condition in themselves and that their recovery was not from themselves but onely from God who sought and found them out by his grace * chap. 8. 15 Jer. â—… 6. in a desert land y In a place destitute of all the necessaries and comforts of life which also was a type of that desolate and comfortless condition in which all men are before the grace of God finds them out See Cant. 3. 6. and 8. 5. Ezek. 16. 4. Hos. 9. 15. and 13. 10. and in the wast howling wilderness z Where in stead of the voices of men is nothing heard but the howlings and yellings and scrietches of ravenous birds and beasts See Isa. 43. 20. Mich. 1. 8. he ‖ Or campâ—… him about led him about a He conducted them from place to place by his cloudy pillar and providence See Exod. 13. 18 c. Or he compassed him about by his provident care over him watching over him and preserving him on every side Compare Psal. 32. 7. he instructed him he * Psal. 17. 8. Zech. 2. 8. kept him as the apple of his eye b As men use to keep the apple of their eye i. e. with singular care and diligence this being as most tender so a most useful part Compare Psal. 17. 8. Prov. 7. 2. Zech. 2. 8. 11 * Exod. 19 â—… chap. 1. 31. Isa. 31. 5. As an eagle stirreth up her nest c i. e. Her young ones in the nest by a common Metonymy which she by her cry and motion provoketh to flie by her example fluttereth over her young spreadeth abroad her wings d taketh them beareth them on her wings e Or as on her wings i. e. gently and tenderly and safely too as if she carried them not in her claws for fear of hurting them but upon her wings So it is onely an Ellipsis of the particle as which is frequent as hath been shewed Though some say the eagle doth usually carry her young ones upon her wings 12 So the LORD alone did lead him f i. e. When they were shut up in Egypt as in their nest whence they durst not venture to fly nor stir he taught and incouraged and enabled them to flie out and free themselves from that bondage and brought them into a state of liberty and safety he dealt tenderly with them bearing with their infirmities keeping them from all harms and there was * Isa. 43. 12. no strange God with him g To wit to assist him in that work or to deliver them The more unworthy they in giving to Idols a share in that worship and service which they owe to God onely 13 He made him ride on the high places of the earth h i. e. To conquer their strongest holds which oft-times are in the mountains and their cities fenced with walls of greatest height and strength Deut. 1. 28. and 2. 36. and 33. 29. Isa. 58. 14. To ride upon in Scripture phrase is to subdue or conquer as Psal. 45. 4. and 66. 12. Rev. 6. 2. and 19. 11 14. that he might eat the increase of the fields and he made him to suck * Psal. 81. 1â—… honey out of the rock i
jurisdiction Heb. 〈◊〉 cities whatsoever plague a That chiefly signifies an extraordinary Judgment sent from God whatsoever sickness there be 38 What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man or by all thy people Israel which shall know every man the plague of his own heart b i. e. Either 1. His Sin which may be called the plague of his heart in opposition to the other Plagues here mentioned which Afflict onely the Body or outward Man So the sence is Who by their Afflictions are brought to a true and serious sence of their worse and inward Plague of their Sins which are most fitly called the plague of the heart because that is both the Principal Seat of Sin and the Fountain from whence all Actual Sins flow Matt. 15. 19. Or rather 2. His Affliction for so this is Explained in the parallel-place 2 Chron. 6. 29. which is the more considerable because that Book was written after this to Explain what was dark or deubtful and to supply what was lacking in this when every one shall know his own sore and his own grief which is not unfitly called the plague of his heart because it was that Plague which his Heart was most Afflicted with which pained him at the very heart as the Phrase is Ier. 4. 19. comp Psal. 55. 4. which caused him most vexation or grief which is a Passion of the Heart and so the sence is Who shall know i. e. be duly and deeply sensible of his Affliction and the hand of God in it and his Sin as the Cause of it for Words of Knowledge in Scripture do very frequently note such a kind of Knowledge as affects and changeth the Heart and reforms the whole course of a Man's Life for which cause men of ungodly Lives are frequently said in Scripture not to know God or Christ or his Word c. And therefore â—…o man knows his sore in a Scripture-sence but he who hears the rod who turneth unto him that smiteth him and sincerely seeketh to the Lord for Relief and spread forth his hands towards this house 39 Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place and forgive and do and give to every man according to his ways c According to his Repentance or Impenitency I pray with more hope and confidence because I do not desire that thou wouldst deliver such as are insensible of thy Judgments and their Sin but onely those who truly know the Plague of their own Heart in manner before explained whose heart thou knowest d Thou knowest who are truly Penitent and who are not and therefore the granting of my Request will be no dishonour to thy Government nor injury to thy Holy Nature for thou even thou onely knowest the hearts of all the children of men 40 That * Psal. 130. 4. they may fear thee e That when thou hast first smitten them and then so eminently delivered them and that in answer to their Prayer they may hereby be taught to fear Thee and thy Justice and thy Goodness all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers 41 Moreover concerning a stranger that is not of thy people Israel but cometh out of a far countrey for thy Names sake f This may note either 1. The end of his coming that he may Worship and Glorifie thy Name or rather 2. The motive or occasion of his Coming which was the fame of God's Greatness and Power and Kindness to his People as the following words Explain it 42 For they shall hear of thy great Name and of thy strong hand and of thy stretched out arm when he shall come and pray towards this house 43 Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place and do according to all that the stranger calleth to thee for g To wit Agreeable to thy Will and Word for he would not have them heard if they had Prayed for any thing dishonourable to God or destructive to his People It is observable That his prayer for the Strangers is more large and comprehensive than for the Israelites that thereby he might both shew his Publick-spiritedness and encourage Strangers to the Worship of the True God that all people of the earth may know thy Name to fear thee as do thy people Israel h Whereby we see how sincerely and heartily the ancient and godly Iews desired the Conversion of the Gentiles whereas the latter and degenerate Iews in the days of Christ and of the Apostles did Envy Oppose it and fret at it and that they may know that ‡ Heb. thy â—…ame is called 〈◊〉 this house this house which I have builded is called by thy Name i i. e. Is owned not onely by us but by thy self as thy House the onely place in the World to which thou wilt vouchsafe thy Presence and Protection and wherein thou wiltst â—…e Publickly and Solemnly Served 44 ¶ If thy people go out to battel against their enemy whithersoever thou shalt send them k i. e. In a Just Cause and by thy Warrant or Commission Whereby he implies That it was unlawful for them to undertake any War meerly for their own Glory or Lust or to enlarge their Empire beyond its due bounds and that they could not with safe Conscience pray to God for his Blessing upon such a War and shall pray unto the LORD l Whereby he instructs them That they should not trust either to the Strength or Justice of their Arms but onely to God's Help and Blessing which they were to pray for ‡ 〈◊〉 the way of the city toward the city which thou hast chosen m To wit for thy Dwelling-place and the Seat of thy Temple and toward the house that I have built for thy Name n For to it they were to turn their Faces in Prayer partly thereby to profess themselves to be the Worshippers of the True God in opposition to Idols and that they sought help from him and from no other and partly to strengthen Faith in God's Promises and Covenant the Tables whereof were contained in that House 45 Then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication and maintain their ‖ Or right Heb. judgment cause o Declare the Justice of their Cause by giving them the Victory 46 If they sin against thee * 2 Chron. 6. â—…6 Prov. 20. 9. Eccles. 7. 20. 〈◊〉 3. 2 for there is no man that sinneth not p The Universal Corruption of Man's whole Race and Nature makes me presage that they will fall into Sins and withal makes me to hope that thou wiltst not be severe to deal with them as their Sins deserve and thou be angry with them and deliver them to the enemy so that they carry them away captives unto the * Joâ—… 1. 8 10. Lev. 26. 34 â—…4 Deut. 28. 〈◊〉 64 land of the enemy far or near 47 Yet if they shall ‡ Heb. bring back to
First A command and then the last clause is an exception from that Law Deut. 20. 19. which being delivered by a Prophet might be obeyed And if this command seem severe it must be considered that the Moabites were a very wicked people perfidious cruel implacable Enemies to Gods People upon all occasions and now in a state of Rebellion Or rather Secondly A prediction of their success that they should have so full and compleat a Victory that they should be able to do all which is here expressed and stop all wells of water and ‡ Heb. grieve make useless mar every good piece of land with stones 20 And it came to pass in the morning when the meat-offering was offered g i. e. The morning-Sacrifice of which Exod. 29. 39 40. which doubtless was attended with the Solemn prayers of Gods People as the Evening-Sacrifice unquestionably was Act. 3. 1. there being the same reason for substance for both times At this time Elisha joyned his Prayers with the Prayers of Gods People especially those at Ierusalem as he had done at a like time 1 King 18. 29. aad this time God chose to answer his and their Prayers and to work this Miracle that thereby he might determine the controversie between the Israelites and Iews about the place and manner of worship and give a publick Testimony from Heaven for the Iews and against the Israelites that behold there came water h Miraculously produced out of some Rock or Vein of the Earth by the way of Edom i From those parts which were towards Edom. and the countrey was filled with water 21 ¶ And when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them they ‡ Heb. were cried together gathered all that were able to ‡ Heb. gird himself with a girdle put on armour k Heb. to gird on a girdle i. e. a Military Girdle to which the Sword was fastened 2 Sam. 20. 8. 1 King 2. 5. and upward and stood in the border l Or in that border to wit of their Countrey which was towards Edom which way they understood the Kings came Here they stood probably to defend the passages into their Countrey 22 And they rose up early in the morning and the sun shone upon the water and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood n Because of the morning-Sun which meeting with the Vapours that arose from the Earth and shining through them upon the Water gave it a reddish tincture God also so ordered things that their sences and fancies were disturbed or the Air so disposed that it might seem of this Colour And they might more easily mistake this for Blood because they knew that that ground was generally dry and without any trenches or streams of Water now especially in this dry season there being no noise of Wind and Rain v. 17. And they might justly think that the three Kings being divided in their Religion and Interests and discontented for want of Water might fall into dissentions and heats and mutual slaughters of which they had a late example 2 Chron. 20. 22 23. 23 And they said This is blood the kings are surely ‡ Heb. destroyed slain and they have smitten one another now therefore Moab to the spoil n They were so highly confident that they send no Scouts but March thither with their whole Army and that in great disorder Wherein there was also a Divine hand strengthning them in their mistakes and hardening them to their destruction 24 And when they came to the camp of Israel the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites so that they fled before them but ‖ Or they smoâ—…e in it even smiting they went forward smiting the Moabites even in their countrey o They pursued them to their own Countrey and entred it with and after them the passes which before the Moabites defended being now open for them 25 And they beat down the cities and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone p The Stones which happily had been with great care and pains pickt out of the Land and laid in heaps after the manner they dispersed again and slew the people who should have cleansed them again and filled it and they stopped all the wells of water and felled all the good trees ‡ Heb. until he leâ—…t the stones thereof in Kir-haraseth onely in Kirharaseth q Which was the Royal and strongest City of the Moabites Isa. 16. 7 11. into which the remnant of the Moabites were gathered where also their King was with them left they the stones thereof r The Walls and Buildings of this City onely were left other Cities and in a manner their whole Countrey being utterly destroyed howbeit the slingers s Either First Such as slung small Stones against those that stood upon the Wall to desend it Or rather Secondly Such as slung great Stones against the Walls to break them down according to the manner of those times went about it and smote it t i. e. Made breaches in the Walls by which they might enter into the City and take it 26 ¶ And when the king of Moab saw that the battel was too sore for him he took with him seven hundred men that drew swords to break through even unto the king of Edom u That being unable to defend the City longer he might make an escape which he chose to do on the King of Edom's quarter because he thought either that his was the weakest side or that he would more willingly suffer him to escape because he was not so hearty in the War as the rest but onely forced to it and he might hereafter have some occasion of the King of Moab to joyn with him as before he had 2 Chron. 20. 22. but they could not 27 Then he took his eldest son x Either First the King of Edom's Son whom in his eruption he took and then Sacrificed Compare Amos 2. 1. But First That place speaks of the king not of the kings son and of the burning of his bones not of the offering of a living man for a Burnt-Offering Secondly This would not have made the besiegers to raise their siege but to have followed it more warmly to revenge so barbarous an action Thirdly The following clause that should have reigned in his stead agrees not so well to the Edomites whose King was onely Iehoshaphat's Vice-Roy and therefore his Son had no right to succeed him as it doth to the Moabites whose King was revolted from Israel and intended to keep that Kingdom to himself and Children Or rather Secondly His own Son whom he Sacrificed partly to obtain the favour of his God according to the manner of the Phoenicians and other people in grievous and publick Calamities whereof we have manifest testimonies both in Scripture as Ps. 106. 37. Ezek. 20. 31. and in
expect a cure and recover the leper 12 Are not ‡ Heb. Amana Abana and Pharpar rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel May I not wash in them and be clean a Is there not as great a vertue in them to this purpose But he should have considered that the Cure was not to be wrought by the Water but by the Power of God who might use what means and methods of Cure he pleased So he turned and went away in a rage 13 And his servants came near and spake unto him and said My father b Or our father So they call him both to shew their Reverence and Affection to him and to mitigate his exasperated mâ—…nd if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing wouldest thou not have done it how much rather then when he saith to thee Wash and be clean 14 Then went he down and dipped himself seven times in Jordan according to the saying of the man of God and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child c i. e. Fresh and pure free from the least mixture or mark of the Disease and * Luk. 4. 27. he was clean 15 ¶ And he returned to the man of God d To give him thanks and a recompence for his great kindness he and all his company and came and stood before him and he said Behold now I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel e By this wonderful work I am fully convinced that the God of Israel is the onely True God and that other gods are but impotent Idols now therefore I pray thee take a blessing f A thankful acknowledgment See on Gen. 33. 11. of thy servant 16 But he said As the LORD liveth before whom I stand I will receive none and he urged him to take it but he refused g Not that he thought it simply unlawful to receive Gifts or Presents which he did receive from others chap. 4. 42. but because of the special circumstances of the present case this being much for the Honour of the True God and Religion that the Syrians should see the generons Piety and Charity and Kindness of his Ministers and Servants and how much they despised all that Worldly wealth and glory which the Priests or Prophets of the Gentiles so greedily sought after and that hereby Naaman might be much confirmed in that Good Religion which he had embraced and others might be brought to a love and liking of it 17 And Naaman said Shall there not then I pray thee â—…e given to thy servant two mules burden of earth h Wherewith I may make an Altar of Earth as was usual Exod. 20. 24. He desires the Earth of this Land because he thought it more holy and acceptable to God and proper for his Service or because he would by this Token profess and declare his conjunction with the Israelites in the Worship of God and constantly put himself in mind of his great Obligations to that God from whose Land this was taken And though he might freely have taken this Earth without asking any leave yet he rather desires it from the Prophets Gift as believing that he who had put so great a Vertue into the Waters of Israel could put as much into the Earth of Israel and make it as useful and beneficial to him in a better way And these thoughts though extravagant and groundless yet were excusable in an Heathen and a Novice who was not yet thoroughly instructed in the True Religion for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt-offering nor sacrifice unto other gods but unto the LORD 18 In this thing the LORD ‖ Or be favourable to So Gr. pardon thy servant that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon i A Syrian Idol called here by the LXX Remman and Act. 7. 43. Remphan to worship there and he leaneth on my hand k Or arm as that word sometimes signifies both in Scripture and other Authors or shoulder Upon which the King leaned either for state or for support Compare chap. 7. 2. and I bow my self in the house of Rimmon when I bow down my self in the house of Rimmon l Not in honour to the Idol which I do here and shall there openly renounce but onely in compliance with the Kings infirmity and conveniency who cannot well bow if I stand upright the LORD pardon thy servant in this thing m Because there seemed to be an appearance of Evil in this action though done with an honest mind he desires the Prophets Prayers that God would not charge it upon him as Idolatry nor be displeased with him for that practise 19 And he said unto him Go in peace n These words may contain an answer Either First To his last Petition v 18. and so the sense may be this Be not too solicitous about this matter Go and the Peace or Blessing of God go along with thee So the Prophet both Prays to God to bless and direct him in this and all other things and intimates that God would do so Or Secondly To the former v. 17. trouble not thy self about any of our Earth but go to thy own Land and I with thee from God and doubt not but God will give thee peace i. e. his favour and other blessings which are oft contained in this word if thou dost persist in this Religion which thou hast now received Or rather this is onely a farewel salutation wherewith the Prophet dismisseth him without any further answer to his requests or instruction about his doubt which he forbore by the motion of Gods Spirit which sometimes gives and sometimes denies instructions to persons or people as he thinks fit See Act. 16. 6 7. And the Prophet by the Spirits direction might forbear to give him particular answers partly because these matters were not of such importance as to concern the Essence or Foundation of Religion and partly because he was yet but a Novice and not able to bear all truths which was for a time the condition of the Apostles Ioh. 16. 12. nor fit to be pressed to the practise of the hardest Duties which Christ himself thought not convenient for his Disciples Matth. 9. 14 15 16 17. And therefore he at present accepts of his profession of the True and his renunciation of the false Religion and of this declaration that what he did in the Temple of Rimmon should not now be as he had formerly intended and practised it a religious action towards the Idol but onely a civil respect to his Master And what was necessary for him to know further about the Lawfulness or Sinfulness of that action the Prophet might take another and a more convenient time to inform him So he departed from him ‡ Heb. a little piece of ground a little way 20 ¶ But Gehazi the servant of Elisha the man of God said
Iudg. 21. and because God foresaw that they would be faithful to the House of David in the division of the Tribes and therefore he would not have them diminished And Ioab presumed to leave these two Tribes unnumbred because he had specious Pretences for it for Levi because they were no Warriours and the Kings Command reached onely to those that drew sword as appears from v. 5. And for Benjamin because they being so small a Tribe and bordering upon Ierusalem their Chief City might easily be numbred afterward for the kings word was abominable to Joab 7 †Heb. and it was evil in the eyes of the LORD concernning this thing And God was displeased with this thing d Because this was done without any colour of necessity and out of meer Curiosity and Oftentation and carnal Confidence as Davids own Conscience told him which therefore smote him as it is related 2 Sam. 24. 10. therefore he smote Israel e Which is particularly related in the following verses 8 And David said unto God * 2 Sam. 24. 10. I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing * 2 Sam. 12. 13. but now I beseech thee do away the iniquity of thy servant for I have done very foolishly 9 And the LORD spake unto Gad Davids seer saying 10 Go and tell David saying Thus saith the LORD I †Heb. stretch out offer thee three things chuse thee one of them that I may do it unto thee 11 So Gad came to David and said unto him Thus saith the LORD †Heb. take to thee chuse thee 12 Either three years famine or three months to be destroyed before thy foes while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee or else three days the sword of the LORD even the pestilence in the land and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel Now therefore advise thy self what word I shall bring again to him that sent me 13 And David said unto Gad I am in a great strait let me fall now into the hand of the LORD for very ‖ Or many great are his mercies but let me not fall into the hand of man 14 So the LORD sent pestilence upon Israel and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men 15 And God sent an * 2 Sam. 24. 16. angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it and as he was destroying the LORD beheld and he repented him of the evil and said to the angel that destroyed It is enough stay now thine hand And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshing-floor of ‖ Or Araâ—…nah 2 Sam. 24. 18. Ornan the Jebusite 16 And David lift up his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD stand between the earth and the heaven having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem then David and the elders of Israel who were clothed in sackcloth f i. e. In mourning Garments humbling themselves before God for their Sins and deprecating his Wrath against the People fell upon their faces 17 And David said unto God Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbred even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed but as for these sheep what have they done let thine hand I pray thee O LORD my God be on me and on my fathers house but not on thy people that they should be plagued 18 Then †Heb. an angel the * 2 Chr. 3. 1. angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David that David should go up and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite 19 And David went up at the saying of Gad which he spake in the name of the LORD 20 ‖ Or when Orâ—…nan turned back and saw the angel then he and his four sons with him hid themselves And Ornan turned back and saw the angel and his four sons with him hid themselves g Or And Ornan turned back i. e. turned his face from the Angel for or when for the Hebrew vau is frequently used both those ways he saw the angel and so did his four sons with him hiding themselves partly because of the Glory and Majesty in which the Angel appeared which mens weak and sinful natures are not able to bear and partly from the fear of Gods Vengeance which was at this time riding circuit in the Land and now seemed to be coming to their Family Now Ornan was threshing wheat 21 And as David came to Ornan Ornan looked and saw David and went out of the threshing-floor and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground 22 Then David said to Ornan †Heb. give Grant me the place of this threshing-floor that I may build an altar therein unto the LORD thou shalt grant it me for the full price that the plague may be stayed from the people 23 And Ornan said unto David Take it to thee and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes â—…o I give thee the oxen also for burnt-offerings and the threshing-instruments for wood and the wheat for the meat-offering I give it all 24 And king David said to Ornan Nay but I will verily buy it for the full price for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD nor offer burnt-offerings without cost 25 So * 2 Sam. 24. 24. David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight 26 And David built there an altar unto the LORD and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings and called upon the LORD and he answered him from heaven by fire h Heb. by fire sent from Heaven which was the sign of Gods Acceptance See Levit. 9. 24. 1 King 18. 24 38. 2 Chron. 7. 1. upon the altar of burnt offering 27 And the LORD commanded the angel and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof 28 At that time when David saw that the LORD had answered him in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite then he sacrificed there i When he perceived that his Sacrifice there offered was acceptable to God he proceeded to offer more Sacrifices in that place and did not go to Gibeon as otherwise he should have done 29 For the tabernacle of the LORD which Moses made in the wilderness and the altar of the burnt-offering were at that season in the high place at * 1 King 3. 4. Ch. 16. 39. 2 Chr. 1. 3. Gibeon 30 But David could not k i. e. Durst not go before it l i. e. Before the Tabernacle where the Altar stood to enquire of God m Heb. to seek God i. e. humbly to beg his Favour by Prayer and Sacrifice for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the LORD n i. e. When he saw the Angel stand with his drawn Sword over Ierusalem as is related above v. 15 16. he durst not go away thence to Gibeon
the men that made this building i. e. who were the chief undertakers and encouragers of this work For although the Hebrew particle mah rendred what seems always to be used interrogatively yet the Chaldee particle man here rendred what is used otherwise as is manifest from Dan. 4. 17. unto them after this manner What are the names of the men †Chal. that build this building that make this building 5 But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews that they could not cause them to cease f Because God over-ruled their Hearts and Hands that they did not hinder them by force as they could have done till the matter came to Darius and then they returned answer by letter concerning this matter 6 The copy of the letter that Tatnai governour on this side the river and Shethar-boznai and his companions the Apharsachites g A People so called sent hither as a Colony As for the other people mentioned chap. 4. 9. they seem to have had a greater Power with Rehum and Shimshai than with these new Officers who made choice of other companions which were on this side the river h Whereby they are distinguished from those of their Brethren who yet continued in their native Countrey beyond the River and were not transplanted hither sent unto Darius the king 7 They sent a letter unto him †Chal. in the midst whereof wherein was written thus Unto Darius the king all peace 8 Be it known unto the king that we went into the province of Judea to the house of the great God i Whom the Jews account the great God the God of Gods esteeming all others to be but little and false gods which is built with †Chal. stones of rolling great stones and timber is laid in the walls and this work goeth fast on and prospereth in their hands 9 Then asked we those elders and said unto them thus who commanded you to build this house and to make up these walls 10 We asked their names also to certifie thee that we might write the names of the men that were the chief of them 11 And they returned us answer saying We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth and build the house that was built many years ago which a great king of Israel built * 1 Kin. 6. 1. and set up 12 But after that our fathers had provoked the God of heaven unto wrath he gave them into the hand of * 2 Kin. 24. 2. 25. 8. Nebuchad-nezzar the king of Babylon the Chaldean who destroyed this house and carried the people away into Babylon 13 But in the first year of * Ch. 1. 1. Cyrus the king of Babylon the same king Cyrus made a decree to build this house of God 14 And * Ch. 1. â—… â—… 6. 5. the vessels also of gold and silver of the house of God which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought them into the temple of Babylon those did Cyrus the king take out of the temple of Babylon and they were delivered unto one whose name was Sheshbazzar whom he had made ‖ Or 〈◊〉 governour 15 And said unto him Take these vessels go carry them into the temple that is in Jerusalem and let the house of God be built in his place 16 Then came the same Sheshbazzar and laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem And since that time even until now k Allowing for some interruptions hath it been in building and yet it is not finished 17 Now therefore if it seem good to the king let there be search made in the kings treasure-house which is there at Babylon whether it be so that a decree was made of Cyrus the king to build this house of God at Jerusalem and let the king send his pleasure to us concerning this matter CHAP. VI. 1 THen Darius the king made a decree a Either 1. To search the Rolls Or rather 2. To permit and promote the building of the Temple And so the following words may be rendred after search was made c. the Hebrew particle vau being oft so used as hath been noted before and search was made in the house of the †Chal. 〈◊〉 rolls where the treasures †Chal. 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 were laid up in Babylon b Either 1. In the Kingdom or Empire of Babylon which he now possessed Or rather 2. In the City of Babylon where search was first made supposing that this Edict which was made presently after Cyrus had taken Babylon was kept there but not finding it there they searched in Ackmetha and found it there 2 And there was found c Here the Kings answer may seem to begin and this following account he sends to them and after that lays down his commands at ‖ Or 〈◊〉 or iâ—… 〈◊〉 Achmetha d The Royal City of the Medes and Persians in the palace that is in the province of the Medes a roll and therein was a record thus written 3 In the first year of Cyrus the king the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem Let the house be built the place where they offered Sacrifices and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid the height thereof threescore cubits and the breadth thereof threescore cubits e He did not command them to make it so large for he left the ordering of the proportions of the Building to their skill and choice but he restrained them that they should make it no larger lest they should hereafter make use of it to other purposes against himself But those proportions differ much from those of Solomon's Temple which was but Thirty Cubits high only the porch was 120 Cubits high and but 20 Cubits in breadth Either therefore Solomons Cubits were sacred Cubits which were larger than the other and these were but common Cubits Or the 60 Cubits of heighth are meant only of the Porch which he would not have to be so high and magnificent as that of Solomons was lest they should be puffed up with it and by degrees arrive at their former heighth and insolence And the word rendred breadth may be and is by some rendred more generally the extension or amplitude or the length of it it being improbable that the King should give orders about the breadth and none about the length of it 4 With three rows of great stones and a row of new timber f As Solomon's Temple was built 1 Kin. 6. 36. Whereof Darius was informed by some of the Jews who also desired that it might be done in this manner and let the expences be given out of the kings house 5 And also let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which is at Jerusalem and brought unto Babylon be restored g To
from all my fears 5. They k The humble v. 2. Or they fear him v. 7. when they were in Distress Or it is an indefinite Expression looked unto him l Either 1. Unto the Lord expressed v. 4. i. e. They sought and expected Help from him Or rather 2. Unto this poâ—…r Man as it follows v. 6. or unto David So he speaks of himself in the third Person which is usual So the Sence is when I was delivered v. 4. men looked upon me with wonder and Astonishment as one saved in a prodigious manner and ‖ Or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unto him 〈◊〉 31. 16. were lightned m i. e. Comforted and encouraged by my Example But these and the foregoing Words are by the antient Interpreters read Imperatively as an Exhortation to others to whom he oft addresseth his Speech as v. 3 8 9 11. Look unto him with an Eye of Faith and Prayer and â—…e ye inlightned i. e. Take Comfort in the Expectation of Mercy from him And then the last Words they render thus and your Heb. their But the Change of Persons is very frequent in this Book Fear shall not be ashamed and their faces were not ashamed n They were not disappointed of their Hope but found Relief as I did 6. This poor man o i. e. David of whom they that looked c. v. 5. spake these Words cryed and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles 7. The Angel p i. e. The Angels the singular number being put for the plural as it is Psal. 78. 45. and 105. 33. 40. for it is both improper and unusual to ascribe encamping and that round about all good Men to one created Angel And we find many Angels employed in this Work Gen. 32. 1 2. 2 Kings 6. 1â—… of the LORD * â—…ech 9. 8. c 〈◊〉 32. 1 〈◊〉 Kin 6. 17. encampeth round about them q Guardeth them from Dangers on every side to which work they are appointed by God Heb. 1. 14. that fear him and delivereth them 8. O * 〈◊〉 2. 3. tast r i. e. Consider it seriously and thoroughly and affectionately make tryal of it by your own and others Experiences This is opposed to those sleight and vanishing Thoughts which men have of it and see that the LORD is good s i. e. Merciful and Gracious to wit to all his people * 〈◊〉 2. 12. blessed is the man that trusteth in him 9. O fear the LORD t i. e. Reverence and serve him and trust in him for Fear is Commonly put for all the parts of God's Worship ye his Saints for there is no want to them that fear him 10. * 〈◊〉 10 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The young lyons u Either 1. Properly See Iob 4. 11. Or 2. Metaphorically so called the great Potentates of the Earth who are oft so called as Ier. 2. 15. Ezek. 38. 13. Nah. 2. 1â—… do lack and suffer hunger but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing x Which is necessary and truly good for them all Circumstances Considered of which God alone is a competent Judge And therefore although God doth usually take a special Care to supply the wants of good Men and hath oft done it by extraordinary ways when ordinary have failed yet sometimes he knows and it is certainly true that Wants and Crosses are more needful and useful to them than Bread and in such Cases it is a greater mercy of God to deny them supplies than to grant them 11. Come ye children y Whom I love as mine own Children and who own me as your Civil Father your Prince see 2 Kings 5. 13. and as your spiritual Father a Prophet for the Disciples of the Prophets were called their Sons 2 Kings 2. 3. hearken unto me I will teach you the fear of the LORD z i. e The true and principal way of Worshipping and serving God with his Acceptation and to your own Salvation 12. * â—… Pet. 3. 10. What man is he that desireth a To wit seriously and in good earnest so as to be willing to use any indeavours which shall be prescribed to him For otherwise the question were needless for there is no man but desires it at least Coldly and Faintly life b A long and happy Life begun in this World and continued for ever in the next And thus Life is oft used as Psal. 16. 11. and 30. 5. and loveth many days that he may see good c Heb. Loveth days to see i. e. In which he may see i. e. Enjoy Good to wit Prosperity or Happiness 13. Keep thy tongue from evil d From all manner of evil speaking from all opprobrious injurious false and deceitful Speeches Which though men Commonly use to ease and gratifie their own Minds or to Compass their Designs do frequently fall upon their own Heads by provoking both God and Men against them and thy lips from speaking guile e Or guileful Words contrary to thy Intentions and with a purpose of deceiving men by them 14. * Psal. 37. 27 Depart from evil f i. e. From all sin and especially from all wicked and injurious Acts and practises against thy Neighbour and do good g Be ready to perform all good and friendly Offices to all Men as thou hast Opportunity * Heb. 12. 14. seek peace h Study by all means possible to live peaceably and quietly with all Men avoiding Grudges Debates Dissensions Strifes and Enmities and pursue it i Do not only embrace it gladly when it is offered but follow hard aâ—…r â—…t when it seems to flee away from thee and use all possible indeavours by fair Words by Condescensions and by the Mediation or Assistance of others to recover it and to Compose all Differences which may arise between thee and others It is here observable that whereas he said he would Teach them the Fear of the Lord v. 11. the Lessons he teacheth them v. 13 14 are only such as concern Men. Not that he meant to exclude Duties of piety towards God which he every where enjoyneth and presseth as most necessary but only to Teach us what is oft inclucared both in the Old and New Testament that sincere Religion towards God is always accompanied with a Conscientious discharge of our Duties to men and to Convince the Hypocritical Iraelites and particularly his Adversaries that so long as it was their daily Course and Practise to speak and Act all manner of Evil against him and other good Men all their pretences to Religion were but vain 15. * Job 36. 7 Psal. 33. 18. 1 Pet. 3. 1â—… The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous k This is added to prove his last Assertion to wit that the practice of these Duties v. 13 14. is the true and best and indeed the only way to see that good proposed and
he was extolled d i. e. Praised by me To wit for answering my Prayers with my tongue 18 If * Prov. 28. 9. 〈◊〉 1. 15. 〈◊〉 9. 31. 〈◊〉 .. 4. 3. I †〈◊〉 see regard e Heb. If I have or had seen or looked upon to wit with approbation and affection as Iob 31. 26. Hab. 1. 13. Men look upon what they like and turn away their Face from what they loath or hate iniquity f Any sin whatsoever and especially Idolatry which is oft expressed by this Word to which the Israelites were very prone and to which they had most powerful Temptations from the Examples and Counsels and Promises and Threats of the Idolaters in whose Land and Power they had been And so this is a Purgation of themselves from that Crime somewhat like that Psal. 44. 20 21. and in general from those gross and Reigning sins whereof they had been guilty formerly in my heart g If my Heart was false to God and did cleave to Idols or to any Wickedness although I might for some prudential Reasons forbear the gross and outward Acts. Compare Psal. 44. 17 18. If I had been guilty of that Hypocrisie wherewith mine Enemies charged me and had been a secret Favourer of Wickedness when I pretended great Piety Or If I did not Cry unto God with my Heart but onely howled for Corn and Wine c. and whilst I cryed to God with my Tongue my Heart was set upon sin or I desired onely that which I resolved in mine Heart to spend upon my Lusts. the LORD will not hear me h Or Would not have heard me as divers learned Interpreters translate it the Future being put Potentially as is usual among the Hebrews For God heareth not sinners Ioh. 9. 31. nor Hypocrites Iob 27. 8 9. Prov. 15. 29. 19 But verily God hath heard me i Which is a publick Vindication and a divine Testimony of my Integrity against all my false Accusers he hath attended to the voyce of my prayer 20 Blessed be God which hath not turned away k Or rejected or removed to wit from his sight and Audience but hath received and granted it my prayer nor his mercy l Though he had now ascribed his own Innocency and sincere Piety yet he imputeth not God's hearing of his Prayers to that but solely unto God's Grace and Mercy from me PSAL. LXVII To the chief musician on Neginoth a Psalm or Song This Psalm contains a Prayer for the Church of Israel as also for the Gentile-World whose Conversion he Prophetically describes 1 GOd be merciful unto us a Thy People of Israel and bless us and * Psal. 4. 6. caus his face to shine †Heb. with 〈◊〉 upon us b As thou hast hid thy Face and Favour from us so now do thou manifest it to us For the Phrase see Numb 6. 25 26. Psal. 31. 16. Selah 2 That thy way may be known upon earth c Nor do we desire this Mercy onely for our Comfort but also for the Advancement of thy Glory and the Propagation of the true Religion among all Nations who by the Contemplation of thy Gracious and wonderful Works to and for us will be induced to Love and serve thee and to list themselves among thy People By God's way he understands Either 1. That way wherein God Walks or the manner of his dealing with his People how Gracious and bountiful a Master thou art to all thy Servants Or rather 2. That way wherein God requires Men to walk the way of Gods Precepts the way of Truth or the true Religion as the way or ways of the Lord are frequently taken Gen. 18. 19. Iudg. 2. 22. Psal. 18. 21. and 119. 1. Act. 18. 25. 26 c. the same which in the next Clause is called his Saving Health Heb. Salvation and both together signifie the way of Salvation which the Psalmist desires may be known among all Nations which was expected by the Antient and ungodly Iews at the coming of the Messias who is called the way Ioh. 14. 6. and God's Salvation Luk. 2. 30. And so the Sence of the place is this deal so graciously with thy People Israel that thereby the Gentile-World may at last be allured to joyn themselves with them and to embrace their Religion and Messias according to that famous Prophecy Zech. 8. 23. In those days ten Men out of all Nations shall take hold of the skirt of a Iew saying We will go with you for we have heard that God is with you thy saving health among all nations 3 Let the people praise thee O God let all the people praise thee d O hasten that time when all the Gentiles shall forsake their dumb Idols and serve and Praise thee the Living God as they will have abundant cause to do 4 O let the nations be glad and sing for joy e For thy Transcendent Mercy to them in rescuing them from the Vanities and damnable Errors of their Fathers and in bringing them to the knowledge of the true God and of eternal Life for thou shalt judg f i. e. Rule and govern them as it is explained in the next Clause and as this Phrase is used the people righteously g Which is the great Commendation of any Government and the greatest Argument and Encouragement to the Gentiles to put themselves under it the rather Because they had found the Misery of Living under the unrighteous and Tyrannical Government of the Devil and of their Idolatrous and heathenish Rulers and †Heb. Lead govern h Heb. lead To wit gently as a Shepherd doth his Sheep and not rule them with Rigour as other Lords had done the nations upon earth Selah 5 Let the people praise thee O God let all the people praise thee 6 * Psal. 85. 12. Then shall the earth yield her increase i When the People of the Earth shall be Converted to the Worship and Service of the true God God will take away his Curse from the Earth and cause it to yield them abundance of all sorts of Fruits Under which one Blessing Promised under the Law to them that obey God all other Blessings both Temporal and Spiritual are Comprehended as is very usual in the Old Testament and God even our own God k He who is Israel's God in a peculiar manner by that everlasting Covenant which he hath made with us shall bless us 7 God shall bless us and all the ends of the earth shall fear him PSAL. LXVIII To the chief musician a Psalm or Song of David The occasion of this Psalm seems to have been David's Translation of the Ark to Zion which was managed with great Solemnity and Devoâ—…ion and Celebrated with some Psalms and this among the rest For the first Words are the very same which Moses appointed for such occasions Namb. 10. 35. and the following Verses pursue the same Matter with
people of Israel whom therefore he desires God to rebuke and humble that he may acknowledge the true God which is foretold that he shall do v. 31. As for this enigmatical designation of this King that is agreeable enough both to the usage of the Prophets in such cases and to the rulers of prudence and upon the same accounts the Prophet 〈◊〉 threatning destruction against 〈◊〉 calls it enigmatically 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 25 26. and 51. 41. and S. Paul calls Nero the Lion 2 Tiâ—… 4. 17. But then this one King being eminent in his kind is by an usual 〈◊〉 put for all of them which were enemies to God's people the multitude of the bulls n By which he doubtless understands men of War as the following words expound it the great and potent and fiâ—…rce and furious Adversaries of God and of his Church as this word is used Psal. 22. 12. Isa. 34. 7. And consequently the calves must be their people or Soldiers depending upon them and joining with them in these acts of hostility against thine Israel with the calves of the people till every one submit himself with pieces of silver o This he adds as a limitation of his request Rebuke them O Lord not to utter destruction but onely till they be humbled and submit themselves and in token thereof bring pieces of silver for presents as was foretold v. 29. For 〈◊〉 himself it is in the Hebrew cast 〈◊〉 down or offers himself to be trod upon But because this supplement may seem too large and not necessary the words are and may be rendred otherwise that tread upon or walk proudly in or with fragments or pieces of silver wherewith eminent Captains used to adorn themselves and their very horses And to this belongs to the bulls and calves whose pride and wealth and power is described in this manner ‖ Or â—…e 〈◊〉 scatter thou p Heb. He hath scattered i. e. He will certainly scatter according to the Prophetical Style So this may contain an answer or his assurance of an answer to his prayer I prayed Rebuke the company c. and God hath heard my prayer and I doubt not will rebuke or scatter them the people that delight in war q That without any necessity or provocation and merely out of a love to mischief and spoil make war upon others and upon us particularly Now that thou hast given thy people rest and settled the Ark in its place O Lord rebuke all our mâ—…licious and bloody enemies and give us assured peace that we may worship the Lord without disturbance And withal David may seem to utter this for his own vindication It is true O Lord I have been a mâ—…n of War and therefore have lost the honour of building the Temple and am now forced to lodge the Ark in a mean Tabernacle which I have erected for it But this thou knowest that I have not undertaken any of my wars out of wantonness or ambition or love to war and mischief but onely by constraint and necessity for the just defence of my self and of thy people and therefore do not lay my wars to my charge 31 Princes shall come out of Egypt Ethiopia r He names onely these as the great and Ancient Enemies of God and of his People and as a most wicked and Idolatrous and Incorrigible sort of Men see Ier. 13. 23. Avos 9. 7. but by them he Synecdochically understands all other Nations and People of the like Character shall soon stretch out her hands unto God s Either in way of humble Supplicaâ—…ion and Submission begging Mercy of him Or to offer up the presents expressed v. 19. But this Prophecy as also the next Verse Evidently belongs to the times of the Messiah when the Gentiles were to be brought in to the knowledge and Worship of the true God with the Thoughts and Hopes whereof David oft Comforteth himself in that Confined and Afflicted state of the Church in his time 32 Sing unto God ye kingdoms of the earth t Not onely Epypt and Ethiopia but other Kingdoms and Nations also who shall partake of the same Grace with them O sing praises unto the Lord Selah 33 To him * Psal. 18. 10. aâ—…d 104. 3. that rideth upon the heavens u Upon the highest Heavens as Deut. 10. 14. his truest and best Sanctuary By which Expressions he prevents all mean and Carnal Conceptions of God as if he were confined to the Ark or Tabernacle and lifteth up the Minds both of Iews and Gentiâ—…es to Heaven and representeth God as dwelling there in infinite Glory and Majesty and from thence looking down upon all the Inhabitants of the Earth and Ruâ—…ing them by his Almighty Power and therefore most fit to be owned and received by all Kings and Kingdoms as their Lord and Governour which were of old x i. e. From the very beginning of the World whereas the Ark was onely some hundreds years Old Or which are everlasting for this Hebrew word Answers to Olam which looks not onely backward to time past but forward to the Future of which this Word is by divers understood Deut. 33. 15. This is also opposed to the Condition of the Ark and Tabernacle and Temple all which as David by the Spirit of Prophecy well knew would be abolished and dissolved lo he doth †Heb. give send out his voyce and that a mighty voyce y By which he understands Either 1. The Thunder called God's 〈◊〉 Psal. 29. â—… and elsewhere Or rather 2. His Word to wit the Gospel published by Christ and by his Apostles assisted by the holy Spirit sent from Heaven which might well be called God's Voyce and that a mighty Voyce because it produced such great and wonderful Effects as are here above mentioned in converting all the Kings and Kingdoms of the Earth 34 Ascribe ye strength unto God z Acknowledge that he is mighty and able to do whatsoever he pleaseth for his People or against his and their Enemies his excellency a His excellent Power and Goodness is over Israel b Dwels among them and is employed for them as occasion requires He is indeed the universal Lord of the whole Heaven and Earth but in a special and excellent manner he is the God of Israel and his strength is in the ‖ Or Heavens clouds c Or in the Heavens He hath two dwellings and Thrones the one in his Church and People and the other in Heaven See Isa. 57. 15. 35 O God thou art terrible d Or Venerable deservedly to be both Reverenced and Feared out of thy holy places e Or Sanctuaries He useth the plural Number Either 1. Of the Sanctuary in Zion because the Tabernacle and Temple consisted of three Parts the Court the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies Or rather 2. With respect to that twoâ—…old Sanctuary here mentioned one in Zion and the other in Heaven And out
like sparks of Fire of the bow the shield and the sword h Both offensive and defensive Weapons so as they could neither hurt God's People nor save themselves from Ruin and the battel i The force and fury of the Battle and all the Power of the Army which was put in Battel-Array Selah 4 Thou k O God To whom he directeth his Speech here as also v. 6 7 8. art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey l Either 1. Than the greatest Kings and Empires of the Earth which in Prophetical Writings are oft Compared to Mountains as Psal. 46. 2 3. Isa. 41. 15. Ier. 51. 25. Hab. 3. 6. And they are called Mountains of prey because then they generally were Established by Tyranny and maintained by preying upon their own Subjects or other inferior Kingdoms Or 2. Which amounts to the same thing than the most powerful Enemies of thy People upon whom they used and now desired and expected to prey Such Persons being oft expressed by the name of Mountains as Psal. 144. 5. â—…eth 4. 7. c. 5 The stout hearted are spoiled m Of all that Glory and Advantage which they either had already gotten or further expected from the Success of their present expedition which they promised to themselves They became a prey to those upon whom they hoped to prey they have slept their sleep n Even a perpetual sleep as Ier. 51. 39. 57. or the 〈◊〉 of Death Psal. 13. 3. called their sleep Emphatically as being peculâ—…ar to them and such like Men and not that sleep which is common to the good and bad Their Death he seems to call 〈◊〉 Because they were slain in the Night when they had Composed themselves to rest and sleep and so passed insensibly from one sleep to another For it is thought by many that this Psalm was Composed upon the occasion of that prodigious slaughter of the Assyrians in Iudah 2 Kings 19. 35. and none of the men of might have found their hands o They had no more strength in or use of their hands against the destroying Angel than they who have no hands 6 At thy rebuke O God of Jacob both the chariot and horse p The men who Rode upon and â—…ought from Chariots and Horses who fight with most Advantage and usually have most Courage and much more unable were their Footmen to resist or avoid the stroke are cast into a dead sleep 7 Thou even thou art to be feared and who may stand in thy sight q To wit to Contend with thee Standing is here opposed to flight or falling before the Enemy See Iâ—…sh 7. 12. Dan. 8. 4. when once thou art angry 8 * Psal. 46. 6 Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven r Thou didst execute Judgment upon thine Enemies by an Angel sent from Heaven which is said to be heard Either because that was accompanied with terrible Thunders and Earthquakes which was not unusual in the descent of an Angel as Mat. 28. 2. and elsewhere Or because the same of it was quickly spread abroad in the Land and in the World the earth feared and was still s The effect of this Terrible Judgement was that the rest of the World were afraid to invade or disturb the Land and People of Israel and chose rather to sit still in their own Territories 9 When God arose to judgment t When God who for a season had sat still began to bestir and shew himself against his Enemies Or After God had risen c. Or Because God did arise c. to save all the meek of the earth u To save all the godly Persons who are oft called Meek ones as hath been noted again and again in Israel for whose sakes God wrought this great Deliverance which reached to all the People of the Land Selah 10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee x The blasphemous Speeches and furious Attempts of thine Enemies shall serve thy Glory and cause thy People and others to Praise and magnifie thee for that admirable Wisdom and Power and Faithfulness and Goodness which thou shalt discover upon that occasion the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain y Thou shalt prevent and disappoint the succeeding malicious Designs of thine Enemies who will meditate Revenge for those shameful and Terrible overthrows Or the râ—…der of wrath thou shalt gird thy self with i. e. Put it on as an Ornament which the Girdle was thou shalt adorn thy self with it as a Conqueror doth with the spoils of his Enemies 11 Vow z Vow a Sacrifice of Thanksgiving Either at this time for this wonderful Deliverance Or hereafter in all your Future straits and Troubles let this Experience encourage you to make such Vows to God with Confidence of Success and pay a But when God hath accepted your Vows and given you the desired Deliverance forget not to pay your Vows unto the LORD your God let all that be round about him b Either 1. All the Tribes of Israel who have the Benefit of this Mercy Or rather 2. All the neighbouring Nations on every side to whom the same of this mighty work of God shall come I advise them for the Future if they love themselves to cease from all Hostilities against God or his People and to submit themselves to the God of Israel bring presents †Heb. to the fear Gen. 31. 42. 53 unto him that ought to be feared c Whom though they do not love yet they see and feel that they have great reason to Fear and to seek his Favour 12 He shall cut off d As men do their Grapes in time of Vintage as the Hebrew Verb implies to wit suddenly violently and irresistibly This is all which they shall get by opposing him and therefore it is their Wisdom to bring Presents to him the spirit e Either 1. Their Courage Or rather 2. Their Breath and Life as he did in the Assyrian Army of princes he is terrible to the Kings of the earth PSAL. LXXVII The ARGUMENT This Psalm was Composed upon the occasion of some sore and long Calamity of God's People Either the Babylonish Captivity or some other To the chief musician †Heb. upon Psal. 62. to Jeduthun a Psalm ‖ Or for Asaph of Asaph a Either that Asaph who lived and Prophecied in David's time Or one of his Successors long after him called as was usual by his Progenitors name 1 I Cried unto God with my voyce even unto God with my voyce and he gave ear unto me b This Verse seems to contain the sum of the whole Psalm consisting of two parts to wit his earnest Cry to God in his deep distress and God's gracious return to his Prayers by supporting him under them and giving him assurance of a good issue out of them of both which he speaks more distinctly and particularly of
53. 2. and partly because Christ who is the truth Iohn 14. 6. and a minister of the circumcision i. e. of the circumcised or of the Jews for the truth of God to confirm the promises made unto the fathers was born upon the earth of a Virgin 's Womb. and righteousness shall look down from heaven u Even God's Justice which was offended with men shall then be satisfied and shall through Christ look down upon sinful men with a reconciled and smiling countenance 12 Yea the LORD shall give that which is good x i. e. All that is good in it self and for us all spiritual and temporal Blessings and * Pal. 67. 6. our land shall yield her increase 13 * Psal. 89. 14. Righteousness shall go before him y As his Harbenger or Attendant He shall work and fullfill all righteousness he shall glorifie and satisfie the righteousness of God and shall advance the practice of righteousness and holiness among men and shall set †Heb. hir steps iâ—… tâ—…e way or 〈◊〉 steps in tâ—…e way So Gr. us in the way of his steps z i. e. shall cause us to walk in those righteous ways wherein he walketh and which he hath prescribed to us But this us is not in the Hebrew and may seem too liberal a supplement And the words may be and are by almost all other Interpreters rendred otherwise He i. e. God shall set which may note his stability and constancy in so doing it to wit righteousness last mentioned in the way of his steps i. e. in the way wherein he walketh So the sence of this last Clause is the same for substance with the former as is very usual in this Book righteousness in that Clause goes before him and in this it goes along with him PSAL. LXXXVI ‖ Or a prayer being a Psalm of David A Prayer of David a When he was in some deep distress either from Saul or by Absalom or upon some other occasion 1 BOw down thine ear O LORD hear me for I am poor and needy b Forsaken and persecuted by men and utterly unable to save my self and therefore a very proper objects or thy power and goodness to work upon 2 Preserve my soul for I am ‖ Or one whom 〈◊〉 savourest holy c Sanctified in some measure by thy Grace and sincerely devoted to thy service This David speaks not in a way of vain ostentation but partly as a powerful argument to move God to hear his prayers because he was one of that sort of men to whom God had engaged himself by his Promise and Covenant and partly by way of just and necessary vindication of himself from the censures of his Enemies who represented him to the world as a gross dissembler and secretly a very wicked man concerning which he here makes a solemn appeal to God desiring audience and help from God upon no other terms than upon this supposition that he was an holy man Which by the way savoureth of no more arrogancy than when he elsewhere professeth his great love to and longing after God his sincere obedience to all God's commands and his hatred of every false way and the like O thou my God d By thy Covenant and my own choice save thy servant that trusteth in thee e Whereby thou seemest obliged in honour and by promise to help me 3 Be merciful unto me O Lord for I cry unto thee ‖ Or all the day daily 4 Rejoyce the soul of thy servant for unto thee O LORD do I lift up my soul f The expression notes servent desire joyned with hope oâ—… expectation as appears by comparing Dâ—…uter 24. 15. Ier. 22. 27. 5 * Verse 1â—… Joel 2. 13. For thou LORD art good and ready to forgive g Herewith he relieveth himself under the sence of his guilt whereby he had brought his present calamities upon himself and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee k. h To wit in truth as it is explained Psal. 145. 18. or with an upright heart for if a man regard iniquity in his heart God will not hear him Psal. 66. 18. 6 Give ear O LORD unto my prayer and attend to the voice of my supplications i He repeats and multiplies his requests both to ease his own troubled mind and to prevail with God who is well pleased with his peoples importunity in prayer See Luke 18. 1 c. 7 * Psal. 50. 15. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee for thou wilt answer mee k Whereof I have assurance both from the beâ—…ignity of thy hature and from the truth and certainty of thy promises and from my own and others experiences in former times 8 Among the gods there is none like unto thee l Either for power or readiness to hear and answer prayers I am not now calling upon a deaf and impotent Idol for then I might cry my heart out and all in vain as they did 1 King 18. 26 c. but upon the Almighty and most Gracious God O Lord * Exod. 15. 1â—… Deut. 3. 24. Psal. 89. â—… neither are there any works like unto thy works 9 All Nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee O LORD and shall glorifie thy name m So true is that which I have now said of thee Verse 8. that the time is coming when all the Nations of the Earth shall acknowledge it and forsaking their impotent Idols shall worship thee alone Which being a Work of thy Power and Grace clearâ—… proves that no God is like to thee and no works like thine And those words whom thou hast made are added to prevent or remove Objections concerning the insuperable difficulty and incredibility of this work The God saith he that made them can easily convince and convert them to himself 10 For thou art great and * Psal. 72. 18 and 77. 14. dost wondrous things n This is added as a reason either why the Nations should own the true God because they should see his wonderful Works or why that great Work Verse 9. was not incredible but should certainly be accomplished * Deut. 6. 4. and 32. 39. Isa. 37. 16. and 44. 6. Mark 12. 29. 1 Cor. 8. 4. Eph. 4. 6 thou art God alone o And all the Idols of the Heathen are no gods but vanities as the Gentiles themselves shall see and acknowledge 11 * Psal. 25. 4. and 119. 33. and 143 8. Teach me thy way p Wherein thou wouldst have me to walk As thou hast taught me by thy word so also by thy spirit enlighten my mind that I may clearly discern thy will and my duty in all Conditions and Circumstances O LORD I will walk in thy truth q In the way of thy Precepts which are true and right in all things as he saith Psal. 119.
the Courts of his House But under this one part of worship he comprehends the whole of worship of God and he speaks of the worship of the New Testament under the expressions of legal worship as the Prophets elsewhere do as Mal. 1. 11. and elsewhere 9 O worship the LORD * Psal. 110. 3. ‖ Or in the glorious sanctuary in the beauty of holiness m Either in the holy place which he shall appoint to that end or clothed with all those holy Ornaments those gifts and graces which are necessary and required in Gods worship fear before him all the earth 10 Say among the heathen n You converted Gentiles declare this to those who yet remain in the darkness of Heathenism that * Psal. 93. 1. 97. 1. the LORD reigneth o That God hath now set up his Throne and Kingdom in the World the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved p And as that Kingdom shall never be destroyed but shall stand for ever as is said Dan. 2. 44. so the Nations of the World shall by the means of it enjoy an established and lasting peace which is every where mentioned as one of the blessings which the Messiah shall give to the World as Psal 72. 3 7. Isa. 9. 6 7. and 66. 12. Miâ—… 5. 5. Zech. 9. 10. he shall judge the people righteously q He shall not abuse his invincible power and established dominion to the oppression of his people as other Princes frequently do but shall govern them by the rules of justice and equity which is the onely foundation of a true and solid peace See Isa. 32. 17. 11 Let the heavens rejoyce and let the earth be glad r It is a figure called Prosopopoeia whereby he signifies the great felicity of those times which shall be such that even those liveless Creatures would testify their joy and thankfulness for it if they were in a capacity so to do * Psal. 98. â—… let the sea roar and the fulness thereof 12 Let the field be joyful and all that is therein then shall all the trees of the wood rejoyce 13 Before the LORD s At the presence and approach of their Lord and Maker for he cometh for he cometh to judge the earth t To take to himself that power and authority which belongs to him to set up his Throne and Dominion among all the Nations of the Earth * Rev. 19. 11. he shall judge the world with righteousness and the people with his truth u Or in his faithfulness i. e. so as he hath promised to do He will certainly and abundantly fulfil all Gods promises made to his people PSAL. XCVII This Psalm seems to have both the same Author and the same scope with the former And although the Psalmist might take occasion to pen it from those signal manifestations of Gods power and righteousness on his behalf and against his enemies yet he had a further aim in it even at the coming of the Messias which he here describes And whereas there are two comings of Christ plainly distinguished in the New Testament these are but confusedly mentioned in the Old Testament and the Prophets sometimes speak of his first coming in words and phrases which seem more properly to agree to the second as Mal. 3. 1 2. 4. 1 2. But whatsoever the Psalmist designed or understood this is certain that the Holy Ghost meant the last clause of v. 7. of Christ as is affirmed Heb. 1. 6. and therefore it is more than probable that all the rest of the Psalm is to be understood of him and of his coming and kingdom 1 THE LORD reigneth a See on Psal. 96. 10. let the earth rejoyce let the †Heb. many or great Isles multitude of Isles b The Gentile Nations as this word being used Isai. 42. 4. is expounded Matth. 12. 21. even those which are most remote from Iudaea then the onely seat of Gods people and worship from which they were divided by the Sea or to which they usually went by Sea such places being commonly called Isles in Scripture as Gen. 10. 5. Isai. 11. 11. 66. 19. Which being mentioned because there might be some doubt about them it is sufficiently implied that those Countries which were nearer to them should unquestionably partake of the same priviledge be glad thereof 2 Clouds and darkness are round about him c A dark cloud doth encompass him Wherein he seems to allude to that dark Cloud in which God did antiently so often manifest his presence for the comfort of his Saints and for the terror and punishment of evil-doers The design of these words is to describe either 1. the depth and unsearchableness of Gods judgments Or 2. the obscurity of Christs coming that the Divine Majesty did vail himself with flesh and came not with that outward splendour which the Jews expected Or rather 3. the terror of his presence and coming to his Enemies of which he manifestly speaks in the following Verses and of which the Prophets frequently speak when they make mention of his coming as Ioel 2. 31 22. Mal. 4. 1. * Psal. 89. 14. righteousness and judgment d i. e. Righteous judgment or righteousness in judgment are the ‖ Or establishment or place habitation e Or the foundation or establishment for the throne is established and the Hebrew Verb there is the same from whence this word here comes by righteousness Prov. 16. 12. All his Decrees and Administrations are grounded upon and managed with righteousness of his throne 3 A fire goeth before him and burneth up his enemies round about f This fire and lightning and Earthquake and the sad effects of them mentioned here and v. 4 5. signify those dreadful judgments of God which should be inflicted upon the Jews and others for their refusal and contempt of the Messias which was foretold in the Old Testament and accomplished in the New Testament 4 * Psal. 77. 48. His lightnings enlightened the world g This phrase signifies not so much illumination as terrour and judgments as appears both from the following words and from the constant use of the phrase in that sence as Psal. 18. 14. and 144. 6. c. the earth saw and trembled 5 * Micah 1. 4. Nah. 1. 5. The hills h The strongest and loftiest parts of the Earth Whereby he may understand the great Potentates of the World who set themselves against the Messias melted like wax at the presence of the LORD at the presence of the LORD of the whole earth i Whose Dominion shall not then be confined to Canaan as now in a manner it is but shall be enlarged over the whole Earth 6 * Psal. 19. 1. â—… 50. 6. The heavens k Either 1. the thunders and lightnings and tempests sent from Heaven to plead his righteous cause
City and Empire of Babylon by Cyrus for their manifold and great Sins and in order to the Deliverance of his People which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see 2 * Chap. 18. 3. Lift ye up a banner c To gather Soldiers together for this Expedition upon the high mountain d Whence it may be discerned at a considerable distance Withal he seems to intimate that their Enemies should come from the Mountainous Country of Media exalt the voice unto them e To the Medes who are named below v. 17. shake the hand f Becken to them with your Hand that they may come to this Service that they may go into the gates of the nobles g That they may go and fight against Babylon and take it and so enter into the Palaces of the King and of his Princes and spoil them at their pleasure which the Medes and Persians did The manner of Expression implies how easily and expeditiously they did their Work that like Caesar they might say they onely came and saw and overcame 3 I have commanded my ‖ Or prepared ones Jer. 6. 4. sanctified ones h The Medes and Persians fitly so called because they were solemnly designed and set apart by God for his own Service and for this holy Work of executing his just Vengeance upon them I have also called my mighty ones i Those whom I have made Mighty for this Work for mine anger even them that rejoyce in my highness k Or as others render it in my glory materially considered to wit in the doing of that Work which tends much to the Advancement of my Glory in destroying of the Babylonian Empire For otherwise the Medes had no regard to God nor to his Glory but onely to their own carnal Ends. 4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains †Heb. the likeness of like as of a great people a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms and nations l The Medes and Persians and other Nations which served under them in this War of which see Ier. 25. 14. 27. 7. 50. 41. gathered together the LORD of hosts mustereth the host of the battel 5 They come from a far Country from the end of heaven m From the ends of the Earth under Heaven as Mat. 24. 30. Which is not to be understood strictly and properly but popularly and hyperbolically as such Expressions are commonly used in Sacred and Profane Authors And yet in some respects this might be truly said of Persia which on the South-side was bounded by the Main Ocean as for the same reason Sheba a Part of Arabia is called the uttermost parts of earth Mat. 12. 42. even the LORD and the weapons of his indignation n The Medes and Persians who were but a Rod in God's Hand and the Instruments of his Anger as was said of the Assyrian Isa. 10. 5. to destroy the whole land o To wit of Babylon of which he is now speaking 6 Howl ye for the day of the LORD is at hand * Job 31. 23. Joel 1. 15. it shall come as a destruction p Or rather a destruction or devastation shall come as the LXX and Vulgar Latin render it For this was not as a destruction but was a Destruction indeed And the Particle as is seldom used to express not the likeness but the reality of the thing as Ioh. 1. 14. and oft elsewhere from the Almighty q Who fighteth for your Adversaries and against you and therefore your Destruction is unavoidable 7 Therefore shall all hands ‖ Or fall down be faint and every mans heart shall melt 8 And they shall be afraid pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them they shall be in pain as a woman that travelleth they shall †Heb. wonder be amazed †Heb. every man at his neighbour one at another r To see so populous and impregnable a City as Babylon was so easily and unexpectedly taken their faces shall be as †Heb. faces of the flames flames s Heb. faces of flame either pale with Fear or inflamed with Rage and Torment as men in misery frequently are Some render it the faces of Lehabim a People descending from Mizraim Gen 10. 13. 1 Chron. 1. 11. i. e. black with pain as men use to be of which see Iâ—…el 2. 6. Nah. 2. 10. 9 Behold the day of the LORD cometh cruel both with wrath and fierce anger t Divers Words are heaped together to signifie the extremity of his Anger to lay the land desolate and he shall destroy the sinners thereof u The Inhabitants of that City who were guilty of so much Idolatry and Cruelty and all sorts of Luxury out of it 10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations x Which consist of many Stars and therefore give a greater light thereof shall not give their light the sun shall be * Ezek. 32. 7. Joel 2. 31. 3. 15. Mat. 24. 29. Mar. 13. 24. Luk. 21. 25. darkned y Either 1. properly and really by an Eclipse for Prodigies in Heaven do sometimes go before or accompany great and publick Calamities upon Earth or 2. figuratively and in appearance All things shall look darkly and dismally men shall have no comfort nor hope See the like Descriptions of a most calamitous State Isa. 5. 30. 34. 4. Ioel 2. 10 31 c. in his going forth z As soon as he riseth when he is most welcom to men and giveth them hopes of a pleasant Day As soon as they have any appearance or hope of amendment they shall be instantly disappointed and the moon shall not cause her light to shine 11 And I will †Heb. visit evil upon the world and upon the wicked their iniquity punish the world a The Babylonish Empire which is called the world as the Roman Empire afterward was Luk. 2. 1. because it was extended to a great part of the World and because it was vastly populous and Babylon it self looked more like a World than one City for their evil and the wicked for their iniquity and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible b Of them who formerly were very terrible for their great Power and Cruelty 12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir c The City and Nation shall be so depopulated that few men shall be left in it 13 Therefore I will shake the heavens and the earth shall remove out of her place d A Poetical and Prophetical Description of great Horrours and Confusions as if Heaven and Earth were about to meet together in ‖ Or through the wrath of the LORD of hosts and in the day of his fierce anger 14 And it e To wit Babylon shall be as the
Calamity shall be universal without any respect or distinction of Persons or Ranks of Men the Priests themselves having been Partakers of the Peoples Sins shall also partake with them in their Plagues as with the servant so with his master as with the maid so with her mistress * Ezek. 7. 1â—… 13. as with the buyer so with the seller e The Purchaser of Lands shall have no more left than he who hath sold all his Patrimony and all Persons shall be made equal in Beggary and Slavery as with the lender so with the borrower as with the taker of usury so with the giver of usury to him 3 The land shall be utterly emptied and utterly spoiled for the LORD hath spoken this word 4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away the world f From this Word some infer That this Prophecy concerns not onely the Land of Iudaea but also the neighbouring Countries But if the proper Signification of that Word be urged this Prophecy must be extended to all the Parts of the World which these Learned men will not allow And the world both in Scripture and other Authors is oft used Synechdochically for that which is in truth but a small part of it at least in comparison with the Whole as it is not onely of the Roman Empire as Luk. 2. 1. Act. 11. 28. but also of Babylon Isa. 13. 11. and which cometh nearer to the point of this very Land of Iudaea as Ioh. 12. 19. 18. 20. and elsewhere And therefore it may well be so understood here especially when this Word world is explained by those other Words the earth and the land which the very next Verse sheweth to be meant of Israel or Iudaea as we shall there discover languisheth and fadeth away †Heb. the heighth of the people the haughty people g Not onely Common People who use to be of low Spirits but the High and Lofty ones who use to be stout in their Words and Carriages towards me and to deride my Threatnings of the earth do languish 5 * Gen. 3. 17. The earth also h Heb. And the land or this land for here is an emphatical Article in the Hebrew Text. is defiled under the inhabitants thereof i By the Wickedness of its People of which see Levit. 18. 25 27 Numb 35. 33. c. because they have transgressed the laws k The Laws of God revealed to them and pressed upon them in a singular manner called simply the laws as the Word of God is oft-times called the word by way of eminency changed the ordinance l God's Ordinances concerning his Worship and Service the Singular being put collectively for the Plural broken the everlasting covenant m The Covenant made between God and Abraham and all his Posterity renewed with the Israelites at Sinai which was everlasting both on God's part who upon the Conditions therein expressed engaged himself to be a God to them and to their Seed for ever and on Israels part who were obliged thereby to constant and perpetual Obedience through all Generations All these Clauses clearly prove that the earth or land which this Prophecy concerns is no other than the Land of Israel and Iudah 6 Therefore hath the curse n The Curse of God threatned to Transgressours Deut. 28. 15. c. and 29. 20. and imprecated by and upon themselves if they should not persist in their Obedience to God Deut. 2â—… 26. and elsewhere devoured the earth and they that dwell therein are desolate therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned o Are consum'd by the Wrath of God which is commonly compared to Fire and few men left 7 * Chap. 16. 8 9. Joel 1. 10 12. The new wine mourneth p Because there are either none or none but the Enemies of God and Israel to drink it Grief is ascribed to senceless Creatures by a Figure usual in all Authors the vine languisheth q Either because there are no People left to dress it or gather its Grapes or because it is broken down and spoiled by the Enemy all the merry-hearted r That made their Hearts merry with Wine Psal. 104. 15. do sigh 8 The mirth * Jer. 7. 34. 16. 9. 25. 10. Ezek. 26. 13. Hos. 2. 11. of tabrets s Which they used in their Feasts and Revellings ceaseth the noise t The Word properly signifies a roaring Noise and confused Clamour such as drunken men make Psal. 78. 65. Zech. 9. 15. of them that rejoyce endeth the joy of the harp ceaseth 9 They shall not drink wine with a song strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it u Because of the Fears and Miseries wherewith it is mixed 10 The city x Ierusalem and other Cities for the Singular Word may be here taken collectively of ‖ Or emptiness confusion y Or of vanity or emptiness or desolation for this Hebrew Word signifies all these things And the City may be thus called either 1. in regard of the Judgments of God coming upon it as if he had said a City devoted to Desolation or Destruction to be emptied of its Goods and People or 2. for its Sin a City of Confusion or Disorder breaking all the Laws and Orders which God had established among them or a City that walketh with or after vanity as the Scripture speaks Iob 31. 5. Ier. 2. 5. that loveth and speaketh vanity as they did Psal. 4. 2. 12. 2. And this may seem most convenient that the Sin of the City should be noted in this Word as the Punishment is expressed in the next is broken down every house is shut up z Either for fear of the Enemy who have entred the City or rather because the Inhabitants are either fled or dead or gone into Captivity and so there are none to go into it or come out of it that no man may come in 11 There is a crying for wine a For the want or loss of their Wine and spoil of their Vines whereby they were deprived of the Means both of their Delight and Profit Whereby he intimates their gross Sensuality and Sottishness that in stead of crying for their Sins and humbling themselves under God's Judgments did onely howl for their corn and wine and oil as they did Hos. 7. 14. in the streets all joy is darkned the mirth of the land is gone 12 In the city is left desolation and the gate is smitten with destruction b The Gates of the City are totally ruined that the Enemy may enter when and where they please 13 When thus it shall be c When this Judgment shall be executed in the midst of the land d In the Land But withal this Phrase may intimate that the Judgment should not be sleight and superficial and in the Skirts of the Land but that it should reach their very Heart their most
Gentiles have ye not heard hath it not been told you from the beginning c To wit of the World as the next clause explains it Were not these infinite perfections of God manifestly discovered to all mankind by the Creation of the World have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth 22. ‖ Or him that sitteth c. It is he that sitteth d As a Judge or Governour upon his Throne upon the circle of the earth e Or above the Circle c. far above this round Earth ever in the highest Heavens from whence he looketh down upon the Earth where men appear to him like Grashoppers He alludes to one that looks down upon the Earth below him from some very high place As here we have the Circle of the Earth so elsewhere we read of the Circle of Heaven Ioh 22. 14. and of the Circle of the Deep or Sea Prov. 8. 27. because the form of the Heaven and Earth and Sea is circular or round as is evident both from Sense and from the Principles of Philosophy and the inhabitants thereof are as grashoppers f Small and Contemptible in his sight Compare Numb 13. 33. that * Job 9. 8. Psal. 104. 2. Chap 44. 24. Jer. 10. 12. stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in g For the benefit of the Earth and of Mankind that all parts might partake of its comfortable influences See on Iob. 9. 8. Psal. 104. 2. 23. That bringeth the * Job 12. 21. Psal. 107. 40. princes to nothing h That can at his pleasure destroy all the great Potentates of the World he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity 24. Yea they i The Princes and Judges last mentioned shall not be planted yea they shall not be sown k They shall take no root as it follows for Planting and Sowing are in order to taking root and are necessary to it They shall not continue and flourish as they have vainly imagined but shall be rooted up and perish as is declared in the rest of the verse yea their stock shall not take root in the earth and he shall also blow upon them l Blast them as a vehement east-wind doth Plants and they shall wither and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble 25 To whom then will ye liken me m He repeateth what he said ver 18. that he might oblige them to the more serious and frequent consideration of the absurdity of the Idolatry or shall I be equal saith the holy One 26 Lift up your eyes on high n To the high and starry Heaven as appears from the following words and behold who hath created these things o Which you see on High the Host of Heaven as it follows that bringeth out p That at first brought them out of nothing and from day to day brings them forth making them to rise and set in their appointed and fixed times their host by number q As a General brings forth his Army into the Field and there musters them he * Psal. 147. 4. calleth them all by names r As a Master calleth all the Members of his Family by the greatness of his might for that he is strong in power s Which work is a certain and evident proof of Gods infinite power not one faileth t Either to appear when he calleth them or to doâ—… work to which he sends them 27 Why sayst thou u In thy heart why dost thou give way to such jealousies concerning thy God of whose infinite Power and Wisdom and Goodness there are such evident demonstrations given to all mankind and to thee in a singular manner O Jacob and speakest O Israel My way x The course and condition of my Life He takes no notice of my Prayers and Tears and Sufferings for his Name but suffers my Enemies to abuse me at their pleasure and doth not attempt to rescue me out of their hands This complaint is uttered in the name of the People being prophetically supposed to be in Captivity is hid from the Lord and my judgment y Either 1. My Punishment Or rather 2. My Cause as this word is most commonly used God hath neglected to plead my Cause and to give Judgment for me against mine enemies as he hath formerly done is passed over from my God z God hath dismissed it and left it and me in the hands of mine Enemies and now our case is so desperate that God cannot help us for which reason they compared themselves to dry Bones lying in the Grave Ezek. 37. 28 Hast thou not known hast thou not heard that the everlasting God the LORD the creator of the ends of the earth a Of all the Earth and the inhabitants thereof from one end to another He seems to mention the ends or utmost bounds because they must seem to be more out of the reach and care of Gods providence as being most remote from Ierusalem the only place of Gods solemn and publick Worship in the World and being then thought to â—…inhabited The argument is clear and strong God who made all even the most desolate and barbarous parts of the Earth and consequently takes care of them will not neglect his own Land and People fainteth not neither is weary b He is not by age or hard labour become weak and unable to help his People as men are apt to be * Psal. 147. 5. there is no searching of his understanding c His Counsels by which he governeth all the World and in a most particular manner thine affaires are far above the reach of thy understanding and therefore thou dost ignorantly and foolishly in passing so rash a censure upon the Wayes and Works of the infinitely Wise God 29 He giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might he encreaseth strength d He hath strength enough not onely for himself but for all even the weakest of his creatures whom he can easily strengthen to bear all their burdens and to vanquish all their oppressors 30 Even the youths e The youngest and strongest men left to themselves or without Gods help or which do not wait upon God which is easily understood from the opposition in the following verse shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fall 31 But they that wait upon the LORD f That rely upon him for strength to bear their burdens and for deliverance from them in due time shall †Heb. change renew their strength g Shall grow stronger and stronger in Faith and Patience and Fortitude whereby they shall be more than Conquerors over all their Enemies and Adversities they shall mount up with wings as eagles h Which flyes most strongly and swiftly and high out of the reach of all danger they shall run and
this people not for their immoralities or lewd lives but for their errors and superstitions in Divine Worship Other sins provoke God to wrath but those of this nature alone are enough to ruine Souls and Nations that wherein I delighted not 13 Therefore thus saith the Lord God u You sinned deliberately chusing sinful courses the things which I hated which are here as often expressed by a Meiosis called the things in which God delighteth not In matters of Worship we ought to chuse nothing wherein God delighteth not and reason as well as Scripture will assure us he can delight in nothing of that nature which himself hath not directed It is observable that ruine is here threatned to this people not for their immoralities or lewd lives but for their errors and superstitions in Divine Worship Other sins provoke God to wrath but those of this nature alone are enough to ruine Souls and Nations Behold my servants shall eat but you shall be hungry x As there are a party amongst you who instead of serving God are the Servants of men in complying with Idolatry and superstition so I have some Servants amongst you who have distinguished themselves by keeping close to my institutions from the rest of you I will distinguish them from you in the dispensations of my Providence those that have eat bread at their Idol Feasts shall be hungry my people that would not do so they shall have enough those who have furnished a drink-offering to Meni or that number of Idols shall want that drink by which they have so prophaned my name but my Servants from whose mouths you pull'd the drink because they would only furnish a drink-offering to me they shall drink My Servants whom now you make to mourn and upon whom you pour shame and contempt shall rejoice and you shall be ashamed you that now rejoice and shout while my Servants that cannot comply with you are afflicted and by you made to mourn you shall cry for sorrow and houl through vexation whiles my Servants who keep close to my institutions shall sing for joy of heart Those who in an hour of Persecution for Religion can have patience under the Enemies Triumphs and Rage will find that the Rod of the wicked shall not alwaies rest upon the lot of the righteous Behold my servants shall drink but you shall be thirsty Behold my Servants shall rejoice but ye shall be ashamed 14 Behold my servants shall sing for joy of heart but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart and shall houl for vexation of Spirit ‖ Breaking 15 And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen y Your name shall rot as Pâ—…ov 10. 7. or only be used when men would curse others saying let them be made like such persons as the names of Leah and Racâ—…el Ruth 4. 11. and others of Gods Servants were used in blessing so your names shall only be used in cursing or when men will curse themselves they shall use your names as examples of the eminent wrath of God upon sinners for the Lord God shall slay thee z For you shall not perish by an ordinary hand but by the hand of the Lord God and as is the God so is his justice so is his strength yea God himself shall look upon your name as accursed and not suffer his people to be called by it they shall not be called Iews but Christians Acts 11. 26. The Children of God Iohn 1. 12. So detestable a sin is Idolatry that God will not suffer himself to be called by a name given to Idols how proper soever it be to express his perfection Hos. 2. 16 17. Nor yet suffer his own people to be called by a name by which Idolaters are known and * Chap. 62. 2. call his servants by another name 16 That he who blesseth himself in the Earth shall bless himself in the God of truth a I will bring it to pass that over all the world if any man bless himself or bless another it shall be in God Amen So the Heb. we translate it the God of truth Amen is a name given to Christ Rev. 3. 14. 〈◊〉 things saith the Amen the faithful and true witness being here applied to God many think it makes a great proof of the God-head of Christ and judge the sense of this text to be That under the times of the Gospel men should not bless themselves as before in the names of Abraham Isaac and Iacob but in the name of Christ in the God Amen nor is this an improbable sense Others taking it more appellatively by Elohim Amen here understand that God who shews himself true and faithful in his promises and * Deut. 6. 13. Psal. 63. 11. Chap. 19. 18. 45. 23. Zeph. 1. 5. he that sweareth in the Earth shall swear by the God of truth b In like manner it is prophesied that those that swear by which some understand worship God others calling God to be a witness should swear by the God of truth or in the God of truth Either worshipping God in Christ the Amen or calling the faithful God to attest their sincerity or swearing by that God who hath approved his truth and faithfulness by saving and delivering his people because the former troubles are forgotten and because they are hid from mine eyes c because they shall see what God promised is fulfilled the troubles of his people are at an end and they are hid from Gods Eyes that is they are at an end 17 For behold c I will tell you yet a more admirable thing I am about wholly to alter and change the state not only of my people who are now afflicted restoring them to a more lightsome state more free from trouble afflictions but I create * Ch. 66. 22. 2 Pet. 3. 13. Rev. 21. 1. new heavens and a new earth d Bringing a new face upon the world sending my Son to raise up a new Church and to institute a new worship Iohn 4. 21. 24. and giving out my spirit in a more plentiful manner Acts 2. 17. which new state shall abide until a new Heavens and Earth appear in which shall dwell nothing but righteousness 2 Pet. 3. 13. Rev. 21. 1. and the former shall not be remembred nor †Heb. shall come upon thy heart come into mind e That state of things shall be such and so glorious as the former state of my People shall not be remembred nor come into mind whether this new Heavens and new Earth here promised signifies such a state of the Church wherein Christ shall personally reign upon Earth over his Saints the wicked being destroyed as some have thought he shall for a thousand years I very much doubt do not see how from this and the parallel texts any such thing can be concluded 18 But be you glad and rejoice for ever f You