this Building of it was begun and set upon and it was not without the Dispensation of his Providence that it went so slowly on and was hindred What is the Providence of God at Variance with it self It was a Dispensation of Providence that Cyrus the first King makes Proclamation for the setting upon the Building and it was not without the Dispensation of Providence that Artaxerxes the second King made Proclamation for the stopping of the Work begun That great God that could build all the World in Six Days by Word of Mouth could have carried on this Building with a great deal more Quickness could have restrained all the Enemies that stopped it and could have taken away all Stops Therefore it was not without his Providence that it was so long in Building as it was by his Providence that it was begun Dispensations of Providence that seem contrary one to another To speak to this Point we may first fitly begin with that 2 Pet. iii. 19 The Lord is not slack concerning his Promise as some Men count Slackness Here was a thing of a clean contrary Tenor. The Place we are upon speaks of Building the Temple this of Peter of destroying it the City and the Nation God had promised and foretold of such a thing to come and it was long first and as yet not in Sight to the most Eyes Thereupon ungodly Men begin to mock Where is the Promise of his Coming to do that Work All things continue as from the beginning Here is no Sign no Shadow of any such Matter Well saith the Apostle yet for all this God is not slack of his Promise as you count Slackness So God had promised concerning the Building of the Temple that all Mountains of Hindrance should before Zerubbabel become a Plain and that he should bring forth the Topstone thereof with shouting crying Grace Grace unto it Zech. iv 7 And that greater should be the Glory of that Temple than the former Hag. ii 9 For that the Lord of the Temple himself CHRIST should come unto his Temple Mal. iii. 1 But where was the Performance of these Promises when all the Reign of Artaxerxes the Work wholly ceaseth and not one Stroke done of it all that while Ezra iv 24 And yet the Lord is not slack of his Promise as some count Slackness And how is that that some Men count Slackness As if God minded not his Promise or drowsily and carelesly delayed to perform what he had promised As that wretched Servant in the Gospel My Master delays his Coming and therefore he falls to eating and drinking and being drunk and beating his Fellow-Servants And those wretched ones in Esay v. 19 that make a Mock of the Promise as if it would never be performed because they saw it not performed already they said Let him make speed and hasten his Work that we may see it But God is not slack of his Promise as Men count Slackness God's Work is still going on towards the End promised tho' Men see it not but account him slack because they see it not In that Case that S. Peter speaks of the Promise of his Coming in Vengeance against Jerusalem the Wicked mocked and laughed and Where is the Promise of his Coming Why His Work towards that End was going on as fast as might be He was gathering in his own by the Gospel out of that wicked Generation that they should not perish with them And when that Work is done then his Promise will come with a Vengeance So in this very thing we are upon while the Building of the Temple is hindred God's Work towards the finishing it is going on But to take Notice more particularly of God's Providence and Dispensation in such Cases we shall do it from this Observation that all Times and Events are determined with God That nothing occurreth in the World without his Determination his Predetermination He had determined the Time when the Temple should be finished he had determined all the Events that should interpose before Some have emblemed or resembled God by a Circle And a Circle is so comprehensive that there is nothing in the World but is within the Comprehension of it The everlasting Arms reach to all things encompass all things tho' not all alike by way of Embracing yet by way of Comprehending Divine Providence is like the Universe nothing is on the outside of it but all things within Nothing occurrs without or beyond the Bounds of Providence but all within its Verge and Circumscription I say all Times and Events are determined with God And to give Proof of this in reference to both Times and Events need I to do any more but only to remind you of the Prophesies in Scripture wherein were foretold the Times and Events of Things that should come to pass Hundreds Thousands of Years after Did not God that by his Prophets foretold these things by his Providence determine foredetermine of those things V. How the Face and Backparts of God Exod. xxxiii 20 23. are to be understood GOD is the best Definer of himself And it is very remarkable there where God gives Account of what he is Exod. xxxiii he tells Moses that he cannot see his FACE for none can see his FACE and live But that he would hide him in the Rock and cover him with his Hand while his Glory passed by and when that was past by he would take away his Hand and he should see his BACKPARTS for his FACE could not be seen Now what was this GLORY of God this FACE of God that could not be seen It was the Dread and Terror and Severity of God as he is a Consuming Fire And when that Terror was past and over then upon the Discovery of his BACKPARTS Moses hears this Character of him The Lord merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in Goodness and Truth Keeping Mercy for Thousands forgiving Iniquity Transgression and Sin According to that Distinction Chap. xxxiii 18 19. Moses said I beseech thee shew me thy GLORY And the Lord answers him I will make all my Goodness pass before thee His GLORY that is his Dread and Terror is his FACE his FOREPARTS that that is first to be apprehended of us in our Conception of God before we come to conceive of his Mercy We are to look on his Foreparts first before we see his Backparts As in his Discovery to Elias he first came in Fire in an Earthquake in a great Wind and then cometh a still gentle Voice The Terror of the Lord is first to be studied to fit the Heart for the right studying 〈◊〉 â—is Mercy VI. An Enquiry What that first Resurrection is Rev. xx 5 THE Hour is coming and now is when the Dead shall hear the Voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live John v. 25 That this means not the general Resurrection at the last Day is plain enough by this that he saith The Hour is NOW when the
since the Ruin of their Commonwealth our Doctor was very Inquisitive after and wisht some Learned Pen would give the World a fair Account of But to prevent the swelling of this Volume it was thought convenient to omit this Piece However for a Taste I cannot but remark to the Reader how that Jewish Author sets forth the Calamities and Unmerciful Destructions that befel that People in the Year 1096. That Year he writes was a Year of Affliction of Jacob. For they were opprest in the Lands of the Christians in all Places whither they were scattered For great and evil Afflictions found them out even such are Written in the Law of Moses and such as are not written in the Book For against them arose up these abominable People the Germans and French Men a Nation strong of Face which respecteth not Persons nor spareth Old nor Young Let us say they avenge the Cause of our Christ upon the Jews that are among us and cut them off from being a People neither let the Name of Israel be remembred any more Or let them Change their Glory and become like to us When the Synagogues which were in Germany heard this headlong Rumour their Heart melted and became as Water Fear took hold of them sorrow as a Woman in Travail They lift up their Hearts to the Rocks They appointed Fastings They put Dust upon their Heads and Girded with Sackcloth And they cryed unto the Lord in their Affliction but he covered himself with a Cloud that their Prayers should not pass Then he proceeded to shew the Massacres and Spoils committed upon the Jews in all or most of the Cities and Places where they had Synagogues as at Spires Worms Mentz Colen Wabzlak Meir Trevir Metz Prague and many other Towns And how their Flights from Place to Place and someâ—imes to the Bishop's House for their safety could not secure them but were pursued and slain with Fire and Sword Whereupon he makes this Conclusion Thus whithersoever they fled the Stone out of the Wall cryed after them to confound and destroy them For God had given Liberty to the Destroyers to Destroy in those evil Days And one Circumstance in these Miseries of the Jews deserves to be more particularly observed which methinks is a singular Evidence of the Judgment of God upon that People who once called for Christ's Blood upon them and theirs that they were not only slaughtered by their Enemies but that no small Numbers unnaturally perished by laying Violent Hands upon themselves and their nearest Relations And this either to avoid being slain with the Sword of their Enemies or to expiate with their own Blood any Compliances they had constrainedly made Thus at Spires he mentioneth a Woman who took a Knife and slew her self refusing to be defiled that is to become a Christian At Worms where Eight Hundred Souls were Massacred in two Days many slew themselves and each one his Brother and Friend and Son and Daughter Bridegrooms and Brides Nay the tender Women slew their Children with all their Hearts saith the Author and all their Souls and the Children said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Hear O Israel Which was the beginning of one of their Prayers when their Soul poured it self into their Mothers Bosom The like was done at Mentz and at Rincona two Men escaped who were forceably defiled one Named Vri and the other Isaac the Son of David Parnes and his Two Daughters were with him but they returned unto the Lord. And Isaac slew his Daughters on the Even of the Feast of Weeks His House also he set on Fire And thus saith this Jew he offered a Burnt Offering unto the Lord. And he and Vri went into the Congregation of the Lord i. e. the Synagogue set on fire it seems by the Enemy before the Ark and Died there before the Lord as the Fire ascended At Wabzlag they slew every one his Fellow lest the Christians should abuse them in the Pools of Water which were round about the City And one Named Rabbenu Samuel who had one only Son this Young Man bared his Neck and the Old Man took a Knife and blessed over the Slaughter and slew him And the Young Man Answered Amen And all they that stood by Answered and said Hear O Israel Much more to this purpose is related there of the deplorable state of that People at this time which he saith he transcribed partly out of the Commentaries of Rabbi Eliezer I have but one thing more to add and so shall conclude this tedious Preface which possibly may not be unacceptable to the Lovers of Dr. Lightfoot and his Studies to be informed of That besides these Tracts now offered to the Publick the last Year several other Posthumous Pieces of his were Printed in Holland in Latin bâ—ing a new Addition to his other Works as was hinted in the beginning These were to the Number of XXI Consisting of Some Learned Thoughts of the Greek Translation of the Bible by the Seventy An Inlet into the Talmud and a Summary of the remarkable Matters contained in it by way of Index Some Remarks of the Places and Towns of the Holy Land A Tract of the Spirit of Prophesie as it was among the Jews and afterwards ceased Some memorable Matters under Ezra and that which was styled the Great Synagogue An History of the Jewish University at Japhne that is Joppa Short Talmudical Notes upon Genesis Exodus Numbers and Joshua Some Annotations to be inserted into his Horae Hebraicae Talmudicae in their proper Places A Sermon in Latin Preached at Ely at an Episcopal Visitation before Bishop Lany in the Year 1674. that is the last Year but one of the Doctor 's Life Some of his Exercises at the Commencement Anno 1655. when he was Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge All these were writ by him in Latin The Pieces following were in English but Translated into Latin viz. A short Tract of the Creation The Motions and Stations of Israel through the Wilderness towards the Land of Canaan A short and plain Exposition of some of the first Chapters of Hosea A Dissertation whether the Supper in which Judas received the Sop were the Passover Supper Another Discourse whether the Revelation was wrote by the Apostle St. John or some other John An Enumeration of the Promises of God collected out of the Old Prophets to be fulfilled to the Jews in the latter Days An Enquiry into St. James's Liturgy Some Fragments of Roman and Christian History for the first Four Centuries Lastly A Collection of Letters of Learned Men and upon Learned Subjects to Dr. Lightfoot among which is a Letter of the Learned John Buxtorph from Basil to Dr. Lightfoot and another from the Doctor to him And thus beseeching God to encrease the Number of such useful and good Men as this Reverend Divine was I commend the Reader and my self to God I. S. It is fit the Reader be Advertised that whereas there be two References noted by
no more Sacrifice for Sins but a fearful looking for of Judgment and Fiery Indignation which shall Devour the Adversaries THE Sin the Apostle speaks of here is not every Sin knowingly committed For then how would David and Peter have escaped with their Falls But it is an Apostacy from Truth once received that is the Gospel once professed and an Enmity and Fighting against it A Sin that at ver 29. he calls a Treading under Foot the Son of God And the Apostle John speaking of the very same Sin calls it a Sin unto Death 1 Joh. v. 16 The Apostle in this dreadful Passage hath two Allusions to some Passages in the Old Testament One to VVords another to Things VVhen he speaks of Sinning past Sacrifice he alludes to those Words Numb xv 27 28 c. If any Soul Sin through Ignorance he shall bring a She-Goat of the first Year for a Sin-offering and the Priest c. But the Soul that doth ought presumptuously whether Born in the Land or a Stranger the same hath reproached the Lord and that Soul shall be cut off from his People No Sacrifice for the wilful Sinner but he was to be cut off by Divine Vengeance And when he speaks of Fiery Indignation which shall devour the Adversaries he alludes to those fearful Examples in the Old Testament when ungodly Ones which have been Enemies to the VVays and Ministers of God have been dreadfully devoured by Fire as in Num. xvi and 2 Kings i. The Adversaries OUR English hath well rendred the VVord Adversaries But there is a peculiar Phrase in the Greek which is not easie to express in English It is not only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which had been enough to signifie Adversaries but it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which makes it to speak Suâ—â—â—versarii Unâ—eraâ—versaries that is Adversaries under an Hood as I may say Adversaries under a Pretence As the Pharisees under a Pretence of long Prayers devoured VVidows Houses so these under a Pretence of Religion were Adversaries to Religion Under Pretence of Piety were Enemies to â—ieâ—y Under Pretence of doing God good Service they Persecuted God's Servants Under Pretence of 〈◊〉 for the Law they sought to Destroy the Gospel And they were underâ—â—ood Adversaâ—ies The Greek Word is used again Col. ii 24 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Contrary to us The VVord precisely signifies Subcontrary or Closely contrary to us The Apostle speaks of Christs having cancelled the Ceremonial Law which open faced seemed to be for them that used it Sacrifices to make their Peace Purifications to cleanse them from their Uncleanness But closely also they pleaded against them Sacrifices Slain shewed that they deserved Death Purifications spake that they were unclean And so other of the Rites of the Law Thousands in the VVorld pretend to Love God to walk Fair to be Religious yet underhand are God's Adversaries and Enemies as those Under-adversaries spoken of in the Text before us None will own that he is any Enemy of God but he will speak well of God praise God will be for God whereas there is not one of a Thousand but underhand is God's Enemy These Adversaries then of whom the Apostle here more particularly speaks were Apostates that had professed the Gospel and had backslidden from it and were become bitter Enemies and Persecutors of it Fiery Indignation THE Greek is something Emphatical but something Difficult 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Verbatim thus Zeal or Jealousie or Anger of Fire shall eat up the Adversaries Our English hath well rendred it Fiery Indignation shall devour And so the Apostle calls God himself in reference to his consuming of VVicked Men. Heb. xii ult our God is a Consuming Fire As we may distinguish between the Anger of God that he is sometimes provoked to by the Sinning of his own People and the Anger he is provoked to by his Enemies So may we distinguish upon the Firiness of this Anger God's Anger when he is displeased with the Sins of his own People is a Fire indeed but it is not a Consuming Fire as it is towards the VVicked That Expression Esay xxvi 11 The FIRE of thine Enemies shall Consume them is an intimation that there is a Fire which is not the Fire of God's Enemies or such a Fire as devours them His Anger indeed many a time scorched his own People very sore sometimes in their own Conscience sometimes by outward Affliction But it is to Refine them not to Consume them But to the Enemies of the Lord his Indignation is a Fire that consumes them But to review this Fire more particularly let us first consider upon some Places that speak to the same purpose Job xv 34 The Congregation of Hypocrites shall be desolate and FIRE shall consume the Tabernacles of Bribery VVhat Does it mean their Houses shall be burnt down Oh! what Fires would then be seen abroad in England if all that take Bribes should have their Houses burnt down But in Ch. xx 26 There is mention of a Fire not blown that shall consume such wicked Ones All Darkness shall be hid in his secret Places a Fire NOT BLOWN shall consume him It shall go ill with him that is left in his Tabernacle A Fire not blown that is not such a Fire as those we blow a Fire that needs no blowing but when God kindles it is Hot enough and Flaming enough even the Fiery Indignation of the Lord. Esay ix 5 For every Battel of the Warriour is with confused Noise and Garments rolled in Blood but this shall be with BURNING and Fuel of FIRE The Prophecy is concerning the Destruction and Overthrow of the great Army of Senacherib of which the Story is so Famous That whereas other Armies are not routed and overthrown without a great deal of Fighting Confused Noise and Garments rolled in Blood this Army should be consumed with the Burning and Fire of the Lord's Indignation And it was Fiery Indignation that devoured 185000 Soldiers in one Night Our God saith Moses and Paul is a Consuming Fire And Esay's Question is Who among us shall dwell with the Devouring Fire Who among us shall dwell with everlasting Burnings Ch. xxxiii 14 Yes in the next Verse He that walketh Righteously and speaketh Uprightly and despiseth the Gain of Oppressions that shaketh his Hands from holding of Bribes c. such an one shall dwell with the Devouring Fire and it shall not touch him as the Fiery Furnace did not touch an Hair of the three Children But look at the beginning of Verse 14. The Sinners in Zion are afraid Fearfulness hath surprized the Hypocrites who shall dwell with the devouring Fire c. Not they but they shall be destroyed and devoured by that Consuming Fire as those that cast the three Children into the Furnace were consumed by the Fire though they came not into it The Fire and Burning that St. Peter speaks of that should consume the Jewish Church and State and Religion 2 Pet. iii. means not
Dragon waits till the Soul be delivered out of the Body and as soon as it is delivered he grasps it and seizes on it for God hath forsaken it and utterly cast away all Care of it God hath forsaken it Persecute and take it for there is none to deliver Consider seriously of these two Things I. That Sinful Souls departed are never under preserving Providence more II. That they are given up to the Power of Satan I. They are removed from under God's Preserving Providence True they are kept in Being that they may be kept in Punishment but this is Avenging Justice rather than Preserving Providence Mat. ix 49 For every one shall be Salted with Fire Every such Soul shall be Salted with Fire The very Fire of its Torment shall be as Salt to keep it from Consuming It shall be kept in Being that it may be kept in Fire But first God hath cast away all Care of it and secondly exerciseth nothing of preserving Providence towards it 1 Sam. xxv 29 But the Soul of my Lord shall be bound in the Bundle of Life with the Lord thy God and the Souls of thine Enemies them shall be sling out as out of the middle of a Sling VVhere she intimates that a David a Good Man his Soul is bound up in the Bundle of Life with the Lord But Evil Men their Souls be slung out as out of a Sling God casts them flings them away from him Fly where they will Light where they will Sink or Swim he looks no more after them VVhile VVicked Men were here Providence Preserved them Fed them Clothed them Strove with them with Patience and kept the Soul and Body that the Devil did not run away with the Man Bodily But when the Cursed Soul is departed out of the Body Patience no more Care no more Restraint of the Devil no more but take him Devil and do thy worst VVhich is the Second thing to be considered II. That VVicked Souls are given up to Satan's Absolute Power You read of giving up notorious Sinners to Satan here that if possibly they might be amended 1 Cor. v. 5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the Destruction of the Flesh that the Spirit may be saved in the Day of the Lord Jesus 1 Tim. i. ult Whom I have delivered unto Satan that they may learn not to Blaspheme But when a Soul is now past all Amending all hopes of Amending conceive with Fear and Trembling how God gives up that Soul to the Roaring Lion to tear and spare not And here is one dreadful Symptom and Evidence of the Fiery Indignation that God in Anger gives up the Soul to Satan And this is a Second degree of its Misery that as it hath lost the use of the Creature so also it hath lost the Care and Preserving Providence of the Creator VVe have an Emblem of both in the Egyptians sitting in Darkness which conceive of by reading two Places Exod x. 21 23. It was Darkness that might be felt They saw not one another neither rose any from his Place And Psal. lxxviii 49 where when the Holy Ghost should mention the Plague of Darkness in its order he Characters it in these terms He cast upon them the fierceness of his Anger Wrath and Indignation by sending Evil Angels among them Moses saith that he sent Darkness the Psalmist saith Evil Angels or Devils And both most true Darkness and Devils Devils in the Darkness Moses saith They saw not one another The Psalmist intimates that they saw Devils and yet could not stir from the place where they sate to run from the Sight of them Chains of Darkness that tyed them fast that they could not stir So that the Devil may Roar and Rage and Terrifie and the VVretches not able to stir an Inch from under his Power and Terror The Fearful Estate of Damned Souls in Scripture is called Darkness utter Darkness Chains of Darkness I need not to cite Places And why Darkness Because the Sun Moon and Stars shine not there as they do here Because no Candle there The other World hath nothing to do with such Bodily Lights as these These are Lights for Bodily Creatures not for Souls and Spirits The Holy Ghost tells you that in Heaven where there is all Light yet there is nothing to do with such Lights as these Rev. xxii 5 And there shall be no Night there and they need no Candle neither Light of the Sun for the Lord God giveth them Light Is there Darkness in Hell and utter Darkness where is so much Fire and such Flames Luke xvi 24 There Dives speaks of his being tormented in Flames Fire and Flames and yet Darkness It is the Fire of that Indignation mentioned in the Epistle to the Hebrews that consumes them and that very Fire brings that Darkness with it Darkness for there is not one Spark of God's Favour appearing there nothing but Indignation Indignation And not one Beam of Favour appearing thro' any Chink there Everlasting Burning and no Intermission The VVorm never dies and never but gnawing and the Fire never quenched and never but scorching And it is Darkness because there is no common preserving Providence shining or appearing there God's shews not himself in the least Glimpse of his Care or Tenderness or Preservation there Their State is call'd Outer Darkness Mat. xxv 30 not Utter Darkness only as we say Utter Extremity c. but Outer Darkness The Phrase is very considerable It may be understood Darkness that is without that is Darkness that is out of Heaven As the Heathen are said to be without that is were out of the Church but there the Expression is only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Those that are OUT But this Expression is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Darkness that is OUTER as if he should say that Darkness that is beyond the other Darkness And we may very well interpret it the Indignation of God against the Wicked in Hell beyond the Indignation of God against them here his casting them off and casting off his Care of them in Hell beyond his casting them off and casting off his Care of them here His Wrath and his casting them off here is very black and dark but there it is Outer Darkness a Darkness beyond this Darkness And now think with your selves how fearful a Surprizal that Soul is surprized withal When it is just departed out of the Body it is as it were midwived into the other World by the Devil and the first thing it sees there is that it sees it self in the Paws of the Devil It makes me remember the Story in Saligniacus A Company of Travellers that went to visit the Holy Land would needs for Religion-sake forsooth bathe themselves in Jordan there where John Baptized And as they were refreshing sporting and delighting themselves in the Water and swimming suddenly there comes a Crocodile a dreadful Dragon of the Waters and lays hold of a Frenchman by Profession
Dead shall hear c. and he speaks distinctly of the General Resurrection at ver 28. But the raising of the Dead that he means here is the raising of the Heathen from the Death of Sin to the Life of Righteousness The Heathen that had lyen 2200 Years in Darkness and the Shadow of Death that had been dead in Trespasses and Sins Eph. ii 1 Buried in all Idolatry Ignorance Darkness Wickedness and Abhomination from the Confusion at Babel When Christ came and sent his Voice among them by the Gospel these dead Souls lived as it were come out of Death and the Graves to the Life of Grace Holiness and the Obedience of the Gospel And this is that first Resurrection mentioned Rev. xx 5 when the old Serpent the Devil was bound up by the Chain of the Gospel So that he could no more deceive the Nations as ver 3. That he should no more delude the poor Heathen with Idols and Oracles and Miracles and such Delusions as he had done This is the first Resurrection Here is a Resurrection the great Work of Christ and a great End of his Coming But it is a Resurrection of Souls vile Souls to make them Glorious like his Soul Souls changed with a great and blessed Change from Death to Life This is the mighty Work of a Resurrection Observe how the Apostle sets it out Eph. i. 19 What is the exceeding Greatness of his Power to usward that believe according to the working of his mighty Power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the Dead God's bringing Men to believe his changing them from the State of Nature and Unbelief into the State of Grace and Faith is the great exceeding great Work of God's Power Such a mighty Working as that was when God raised Christ from the Dead A first Resurrection And take that withal Rev. xx 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the First Resurrection On such the Second Death hath no Power Either we must have a Part in the First Resurrection the raising of the Soul from the Death of Sin and Unbelief or never Blessed never Holy never escape the Power of the Second Death VII An Examination into the Reason of that Eruption of the Apostle O! the Depth of the Riches both of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God! Rom. xi 33 THE Cause of which Admiration lyes in the Verse before For God hath concluded them all in Unbelief that he might have Mercy upon all A strange Conclusion Doth it not almost speak to this Sense they all became Unbelievers that they might become Believers He hath concluded all under Darkness that he might bring them to Light Like Elias pouring Water where he meant to fetch out Fire The 25th Verse of that Chapter will help to clear this Matter very pregnantly Brethren I would not that ye should be ignorant of this Mystery that Blindness in part is happened unto Israel until the Fulness of the Gentiles be come in Blindness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In Parts is happened unto Israel for that is his meaning And for the Observation of it take notice of these two Things I. That the Apostle throughout the whole Chapter never names the Jews but Israel Because he is treating of the whole Seed of Israel Not the Jews only of the two Tribes but the Israelites of the ten Tribes also II. The Seed of Israel then considered in general had Blindness happened to them In Parts First The ten Tribes were blinded by Jeroboam's Idolatry and that was their Ruin and Casting off Then the two Tribes were blinded by their Traditions And that was their Ruin also and Casting off Now this is the Mystery which he would not have them ignorant of that whereas the Gentiles were blinded also as well as Israel and before and longer than Israel and that there were many Prophesies and Predictions that they should be at last unblinded and come to the Light it pleased God to conclude Israel under Blindness too first the ten Tribes and then the two till the Gentiles should be unblinded by the coming in of the Light of the Gospel and then Israel is unblinded also Viz. That Remnant of them that belonged to the Election of Grace as he speaks ver 5. Thus God concluded all under Blindness all under Unbelief that he might have Mercy upon all the Gentiles under Unbelief the ten Tribes under Unbelief and the two Tribes under Unbelief that at length he might as he did at the bringing in of the Gospel shew Mercy unto all in bringing Jew Gentile and Israelite to believe And observe what he saith in the next Verses before As ye O Romans who are Gentiles in time past have not believed yet now have obtained Mercy through their Unbelief So these Israelites also now have not believed that through your Mercy they might obtain Mercy Their Unbelief hath caused God to hearken unto you O Gentiles for his Church and to bring you to believe hereby was great Mercy to you And through this Mercy to you the Gospel rising and shining to you thus bringing you to believe Mercy also ariseth to them in the same shining of the Gospel that they also may believe Here is Mercy to Gentile Mercy to Jew Mercy to Israelite God hath concluded all under Unbelief that he might have Mercy upon all And therefore O! the Depth of the Riches of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God VIII Asa's perfect Heart how reconcileable with his Sufferance of the High Places IT is said concerning Asa King of Judah Nevertheless Asa his Heart was perfect with the Lord all his Days 1 Kin. xv 14 A Humane Chronicler is not able to say Such an one's HEART was perfect 〈…〉 because he is not able to discern what the Heart 〈◊〉 He writes the Story of a Man's Actions he cannot write the Story of his Heart because he cannot know it But he that held the Pen and wrote these sacred Chronicles the Holy Ghost saw the Carriage of all Actions saw the secret Frame and Temper of all Hearts and he was able to give Judgment of them whether they were good or evil and he could not but give right Judgment How happy then is this good Man of whom he gives this true and most noble Testimony Asa his Heart was perfect with the Lord all his Days A more renowned Memorial than what all your Chroniclers can say concerning Alexander the Great Julius Cesar Tamerlane or the great Conquerors of the World Their Story is like that Appearance of Elias at Mount Horeb a dreadful Earthquake a tearing Wind a devouring Fire In their Story nothing but blustering in the World and blundering of Nations Sword and Blood and Fire and Plunder This is all the Noise and Sound of their Fame But happy is he that comes off with such a soft sweet still Voice as this Nevertheless Asa 's Heart c. The first Word Nevertheless doth bring in an Excuse or Pleading for Asa in