the two tables of testimony in Moses hand when he came down from the mount that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone l Quest. Why now and not when he came down from God before Ans. 1. Because now he obtained what he did not before to wit a glimpse of the Divine glory which though but very transient left its print upon his â—…ace 2. Now it was more necessary than before to procure the greater honour to Moses and to the law 2 Cor. 3. â—… 8 11. because of the late horrid violation and contempt of them which the Israelites had fallen into while he talked with him 30 And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses behold the skin of his face shone and they were afraid to come nigh him 31 And Moses called unto them and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him m To the Tabernacle which was still at a distance from the camp though afterwards God being reconciled it was set up in the camp Exod. 40. 34. and Moses talked with them 32 And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai 33 †Heb. and Moses ceased from speaking with them and put a vail on his face And till Moses had done speaking with them he put * 2 Cor. 3. 13. a vail on his face n In condescension to their weakness 34 But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him he took the vail off until he came out and he came out and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded 35 And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses that the skin of Moses face shone and Moses put the vail upon his face again untill he went in to speak with him CHAP. XXXV 1 AND Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together and said unto them These are the words which the LORD hath commanded that ye should do them 2 * chap. 20. 9. Lev. 23. 3. Deut. 5. 12. Luk. 13. 14. Six days shall work be done but on the seventh day there shall be to you an †Heb. Holiness holy day a sabbath of rest to the LORD a This command of the sabbath is repeated here as also Exod. 31. 13. together with the instructions for the building of the Tabernacle and its utensils to shew that they were made for no other use than the service of God which was to be performed as every day so in an eminent and peculiar manner upon the sabbath day and to teach them the absolute necessity of minding that precept in and above all their ceremonial observations whosoever doth work therein shall be put to death 3 Ye shall kindle no fire b This command seems to be onely temporary and extraordinary during the present season and condition and not extending to succeeding generations For 1. There are instances of temporary precepts both in the Old and New Testament which yet are not in their places said to be so Such were some of the precepts concerning the Passeover Exod. 12. 11. as is confessed And such was that law of abstaining from things strangled and blood Act. 15. 2. This precept is nakedly proposed and not called a perpetual statute nor enjoyned to be observed in their generations as other precepts are to whom those or some like clauses are frequently added 3. The sabbath is rather a feast-day than a fast-day And the Iews did make feasts and invited guests upon the sabbath-day which could not probably be without kindling a fire And which is more considerable Christ himself who fulfilled all righteousness and therefore would not have joined in the violation of the sabbath went to one of those feasts Luk. 14. And the Corinthians as they received the Lords Supper upon that day which none question so they had their feasts as is confessed and apparent from 1 Cor. 11. 21 22 c. 4. The kindling of a fire was no greater hinderance to the religious observation of the Sabbath than other things which were allowed upon that day such as the washing and dressing of themselves eating and drinking c. 5. This prohibition doth not seem to concern the dressing of meat as many understand it by comparing this with Exod. 16. 23. which place I humbly conceive is misunderstood as I have there intimated for that was lawful to be done upon their most solemn days Exod. 12. 16. but the service of the Tabernacle which is the subject of this chapter and the occasion of these words and the sence seems to be this You shall kindle no fire for any handy-work throughout your habitation no not for the service of this Tabernacle for the heating of any tools or the melting of any metals or other things belonging to it which being to be made for Gods service and deserving and requiring all expedition they might probably conceive that such work might be done upon that â—…y And here also as oft elsewhere under one kind all the rest are comprehended and forbidden throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day 4 And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel saying This is the thing which the LORD commanded saying 5 Take ye from amongst you an offering unto the LORD * chap. 25. â—… whosoever is of a willing heart c For God values not forced or grudged services 2 Cor. 9. 7. let him bring it an offering of the LORD gold and silver and brass 6 And blue and purple and scarlet and fine linnen and goats hair 7 And rams skins died red and badgers skins and shittim-wood 8 And oil for the light and spices for anointing oil and for the sweet incense 9 And onyx stones and stones to be set for the ephod and for the breast-plate 10 And * chap. 31. â—… every wise-hearted d i. e. Skilful artist for though God had prescribed the things yet it required Wisdom and skill to execute what God commanded among you shall come and make all that the LORD hath commanded 11 * ch 26. 1 â—… The tabernacle e i. e. The boards or structure of the Tabernacle as it appears because it is distinguished here from its tent and curtains whereas elsewhere the Tabernacle is put for all together his tent f The inward and finer curtains which covered the boards of it and his covering g The outward and courser coverings his taches and his boards his bars his pillars and his sockets 12 The ark and the staves thereof with the mercy-seat and the vail of the covering h i. e. Which was hanged before the Ark and Mercy-seat 13 The table and his staves and all his vessels and the shew-bread i But neither did God prescribe the making of the shew-bread amongst the other utensils Exod. 25. nor was this made by the
was gone into the tabernacle 9 And it came to pass as Moses entred into the tabernacle the cloudy pillar descended m Whereby God testified his approbation of Moses and of that which Moses had done which might seem to some severe and cruel and stood at the door of the tabernacle and the LORD talked with Moses 10 And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door and all the people rose up and worshipped every man in his tent door 11 And * Gen. 32. 30. â—…umb 12. 8. the LORD spake unto Moses face to face n Or mouth to mouth as Numb 12. 8. Not that God hath face or mouth or that Moses could behold it which is denied verse 20. but the sense is he spake with him freely and familiarly and immediately not by an Angel in a dream or vision as he did to other Prophets See Deut. 34. 10. as a man speaketh to his friend And he turned again into the camp but his servant Joshua the son of Nun a young man departed not out of the tabernacle o Who abode there either to keep it from injury or inconvenience for as it was set up by mans help so it needed mans care to preserve it or to assist and direct those who resorted thither to seek God in Moses his absence And Ioshua seems to be appointed for this work rather than Aaron or any other of the Elders because they had one way or other been guilty of the late Idolatry and God would hereby punish them with a temporary suspension from his service and their office 12 And Moses said unto the LORD see thou sayest unto me bring up this people and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me p i. e. What Angel it is whether it be a created Angel for then I profess I am unsatisfied with him verse 15. or the same increated Angel Christ who hath hitherto accompanied us and then I am content But I am at a great loss by thy withdrawing thy cloudy pillar from the people to whom it is to be a guide Yet thou hast said I know thee by name q i. e. Distinctly and familiarly as one whom I have much converse with and great kindness for thy name is written in my book Compare Exod. 32. 32 33. Psal. 87. 5 6. Phil. 4. 3. And knowing here notes approbation and affection as Psal. 1. 6. Matth. 7. 23. compare Ier. 1. 5. and thou hast also found grace in my sight 13 Now therefore I pray thee If I have found grace in thy sight shew me now thy way r The course and manner of thy dealings with men and particularly thy purpose and will concerning me and thy people and the method which thou wilt chuse for the fulfilling of thy promise and the course which thou wouldst have me take and the way by which I shall conduct thy people to the promised Land that I may know thee s i. e. Thy mind herein men are said to know God when they know his mind and will or that I may experimentally know thee to be what thou hast promised thou wilt be to me and to thy people Or rather that I may thereby know theâ—… namely that I shall find grace in thy sight as it follows that I may be assured that thou wilt be reconciled to and present with me and thy people that I may find grace in thy sight and consider that this nation is thy people t Both by thy own choice and purpose and promise to their parents and by their recognition of thee for their God and their returning to thee again 14 And he said * â—… Sam. 17. 11. my presence u Heb. My face i. e. I my self by comparing this with 2 Sam. 17. 11. The Angel of â—…y presence Isa. 63. 9. the pledge of my presence the clouâ—…y pillar and I will not turn thee over to an Angel as I threaâ—…ed ver 2. See Deut. 4. 34. shall go with thee and I will give thee rest x Not onely rest from thy present anguish and perplexity of mind for thy people but in duâ—… time I will bring them to their resting-place and settled habitation for it is evident from verse 15 15. that Moses his care and prayer was more for the people than for himself 15 And he said unto him if thy presence go not with me carry us not up hence y Let us rather live and die in the Wilderness with thy presence and favour than go into Canaan without it for even that promise of rest I value not without thy presence So he ecchoes back Gods words to himself and turns Gods promise into a prayer 16 For wherein shall it be known here z By what other token shall other nations and after ages know that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight is it not in that thou goest with us so * chap. 34. 10. shall we be separated I and thy people from all the people a i. e. Distinguished by thy peculiar kindness and priviledges afforded to us Or be made wonderful or eminent or glorious above all other people that are upon the face of the earth 17 And the LORD said unto Moses I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken for thoâ—… hast found grace in my sight and I know thee by name 18 And he said I beseech thee shew me thy glory b i. e. Thy glorious Majesty the brightness of thy countenance some such manifestation of thy self as becomes thy excellency and such as shall be seen in the other life or that glorious shape which together with an humane voice thou hast now assumed But for the essence of God as that was and is and ever will be invisible to bodily eyes 1 Tim. 6. 16. so a man of such great reason and deep knowledge in divine things and universal Learning could not be ignorant of it and therefore would not desire it 19 And he said I will make all my goodness c Or My beauty for so that Hebrew word is sometimes used Gen. 6. 2. 1 Sam. 9. 2. or my excellency or my glory as appears from verse 22. which was the thing Moses desired to see And the difference between his request and Gods answer doth not lye in glory and goodness but in shewing his glory so as Moses might gaze upon it and making it onely as it follows to pass before him to wit in a sudden and very transitory vision Though it may be understood properly of Gods goodness and kindness to men of which the following words speak and that was the great if not the onely thing ascribed to God chap. 34. 6 7. pass before thee and I will proclaim the Name of the LORD d i. e. My name The noun for the pronoun as is very frequent I will give thee notice when I come that thou maist attend I will not surprize
thee nor steal by thee Or will proclaim or publish of the name of the Lord or of my name i. e. some part of it especially my goodness which may seem to be here principally intended 1. by comparing this with chap. 34. 6 7. 2. By the following words which seem a limitation of this general expression q. d. I will proclaim manifest and impart my goodness but with a difference not to all men but to whom I please 3. By other places where the name of the Lord is principally if not solely understood of his goodness as Isa. 50. 10. and in many places of the Psalms before thee * Rom. 9. 15. and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious e This may seem to be added with reference to the people for whom Moses is interceding lest Moses should misunderstand or misapply what is said here and chap. 34. 6 7. The sense is I will shew this peculiar favour to thee I will also be gracious towards the people thou pleadest for but not promiscuously Some of them I will severely and eternally punish for this and their other sins and some of them I will pardon and save not because they are righteous or innocent or less sinners than the rest but meerly out of my own good pleasure and most free grace whereby I will shew mercy to some when I will not shew mercy to others Thus this place is interpreted by the Apostle Rom. 9. 16 c. and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy 20 And he said Thou canst not see my face f Either 1. My essence But that no man can see neither in this life nor in the next Or rather 2. My glorious presence for * Gen. 32. 30 Deut. 5. 24. Jud. 13. 22. Rev. 1. 16 17 there shall no man see me and live g This may note either 1. Gods purpose that that blissful vision of God in glory shall be given to no man here but is reserved for the future life Or rather 2. The impossibility of the thing from mans weakness which is such that if God should display all the beams of his glory to him it would certainly astonish overwhelm and destroy him 21 And the LORD said Behold there is a place by me h In this mountain where my residence and glorious presence now is and in that part of it whence my voice now cometh to thine ears and thou shalt stand upon a rock 22 And it shall come to pass while my glory passeth by that I will put thee in a clift of the rock and will cover thee with my hand i That thou maist not be undone by thy own desires nor swallowed up with the sight of my glory while I pass by 23 And I will take away mine hand and thou shalt see my back parts k i. e. Imperfectly and in part as when we see onely a mans back-parts and not his face Thou shalt see a shadow or obscure delineation of my glory as much as thou canst bear though not as much as thou dost desire but my face shall not be seen CHAP. XXXIV 1 AND the LORD said unto Moses * Deut. 10. 1. Hew thee two tables of stone a The first Tables were made immediately by God who of his own meer grace and good pleasure and without mans merit or contrivance entred into Covenant with Abraham and his Seed these Tables must be made by Moses partly in token of Gods displcasure for their sin and partly to signifie that though the Covenant of grace was first made without mans care and counsel yet it should not be renewed but by mans repentance And as the Tables of stone signified the hardness of their hearts so the having of them by Moses might signifie the circumcision and plowing up of their hearts that they might be fit for the receiving of Gods mercies and the performance of their duties like unto the first and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables b To shew Gods reception of Israel â—…nto his favour and their former state and that the Law and Covenant of God was neither abolished nor changed by their sin which thou brakest 2 And be ready in the morning and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai and present thy self there to me * chap. 19. 20. in the top of the mount 3 And no man shall * chap. 19. 12. come up with thee neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount c This is said not for the beasts which are not capable of a Law but to restrain the presumption and curiosity of the people by this argument that even the beasts that come too near shall be destroyed and much more man whose knowledge aggravates his sin and punishment 4 And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first and Moses rose up early in the morning and went up unto mount Sinai as the LORD had commanded him and took in his hand the two tables of stone 5 And the LORD descended in the cloud d In the cloudy pillar which ordinarily stood up in the air above the Mount but came down to the top of it when God spake with Moses See Exod. 33. 9. Numb 11. 17 25. and stood with him there e To wit in the Mount v. 2 4. and the clift of a rock chap. 33. 22. which was in the Mount and near the top of it as appears by comparing these places together and proclaimed the Name of the LORD 6 And the LORD passed by before him and proclaimed The LORD The LORD God f This title shews his glorious being power and authority the following titles note his goodness to men merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth g In fulfilling all his gracious promises made to Abraham and to his seed and to all his people wherein he is said to be abundant because he generally is better than his word and gives more than he promised There is a truth in divine threatnings but here the scituation of this word in the midst of the Attributes of divine Goodness plainly shews that it is to be restrained to the promises this being usual and reasonable that general words have their signification limited by the context And indeed here seems to be a Hendyadis goodness and truth for true sincere and hearty goodness as mercy and truth are oft put for true and real mercy See Psal. 25. 10. and 57. 3. c. 7 Keeping mercy for thousands h The Chaldee and some others render it for a thousand generations forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin i Sins of all sorts and sizes secret or open infirmities or presumptions against God or men as the heap of various words here put together signifies and * Deut. â—… â—… Jer. 32. 1â—… that will by no
is said to come down either 1. because the Altar stood upon raised ground to which they went up by an insensible ascent Compare Exod. 20. 26. Or 2. because it was nearer the Holy place and the Holy of holies which was the upper end from offering of the sin offering and the burnt-offering and peace-offerings 23 And Moses z Who went in with Aaron to direct him and to see him perform those parts of his office which were to be done in the holy place about the lights and the table of shew-bread and of the altar of Incense upon which part of the blood of the sacrifices now offered was to be sprinkled according to the law Levit. 4. 7 16 17. and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation and came out and blessed the people a i. e. Prayed to God for his blessing upon the people as this phrase is explained Numb 6. 23 c. and particularly for his gracious acceptation of these and all succeeding sacrifices and for his signification thereof by some extraordinary token which accordingly happened and the glory of the LORD b Either a miraculous brightness shining from the cloudy pillar as Exod. 16. 10. Numb 14. 10. Or a glorious and visible discovery of Gods gracious presence and acceptance of the present Ministery and service as it follows appeared unto all the people 24 And * Gen. 4. 4. 1 King 18. 38. 2 Chron. 7. 1. there came a fire c In token of Gods acceptation and approbation of the Priesthood now instituted and the sacrifices now offered and consequently of others of the like nature See the like instances Iudg. 6. 21. and 13. 19 20. 1 Chron. 21. 26. And this fire now given was to be carefully kept and not suffered to go out Levit. 6. 13. and therefore was carried in a particular vessel in their journeys in the wilderness out from before the LORD d Or from the face or presence of the Lord i. e. from the place where God was in a special manner present either 1. from heaven as 1 King 18. 38. 2 Chron. 7. 1. which is oft called Gods dwelling-place as Deut. 26. 15. Isa. 63. 15. Or 2. from the Holy of holies where also God is said to dwell 2 King 19. 15. 2 Chron. 6. 2. Psal. 80. 1. And what is done before the Ark is said to be done before God as 1 Chron. 13. 8 10. 16. 1. c. And this may seem more probable by comparing this with Levit. 10. 2. and consumed upon the altar the burnt-offering and the fat which when all the people saw they shouted e As wondering at rejoycing in and blessing God for this wonderful and gracious discovery of himself and of his favour to them therein and fell on their faces CHAP. X. 1 AND * Numb 3. 4. and 26. 61. 1 Chron. 24. 2. Nadab and Abihu the sons of Aaron took either of them his censer and put fire therein and put incense thereon and offered strange fire a So called as not appointed for nor belonging to the present work fire not taken from the Altar as it ought but from some common fire before the LORD b Upon the Altar of incense which he commanded them not c For seeing Moses himself neither did nor might do any thing in Gods worship without Gods command which is oft noted of him for these to do it was a more unpardonable and inexcusable presumption Besides not commanding may be here put for forbidding as it is Ier. 32. 35. Now as this was forbidden implicitly Lev. 6. 12. especially when God himself made a comment upon that text and by sending fire from heaven declared of what fire he there spake so it is more than probable it was forbidden expresly though that be not here mentioned nor was it necessary it should be 2 And there went out fire from the LORD d From heaven or rather from the Sanctuary See chap. 9. 24. and devoured them e Destroyed their lives for their bodies and garments were not consumed as it appears from v. 4 5. Thus the sword is said to devour 2 Sam. 2. 26. Thus lightning many times kills persons without any hurt to their bodies or garments and they died before the LORD 3 Then Moses said unto Aaron This is it that the LORD spake f Though the express words be not recorded in Scripture where onely the heads of Sermons and Discourses are contained yet it is probable they were uttered by Moses in Gods name Howsoever the sence and substance of them is in many places See Exod. 19. 22. and 29. 43. Levit. 8. 35. saying I will be sanctified g This may note either 1. their duty to sanctifie God i. e. to demean themselves with such care and reverence and watchfulness as becomes the holiness of the God whom they serve and of the worship in which they are engaged whence he leaves them to gather the justice of the present judgment for their gross neglect herein Or 2. Gods purpose to sanctifie himself i. e. to declare and manifest himself to be an holy and righteous God by his severe and impartial punishment of all transgressors how near soever they are to him in them that come nigh me h i. e. Who draw near to me or to the place where I dwell and are admitted into the holy place whence others are shut out It is a description of the Priests See Exod. 19. 22. Levit. 21. 17. Ezek. 42. 13 14. and before all the people I will be glorified i As they have sinned publickly and scandalously so I will vindicate my honour in a publick and exemplary manner that all men may learn to give me the glory of my soveraignty and holiness by an exact conformity to my laws and Aaron held his peace k Partly through excessive grief which is sometimes signified by silence as Isa. 47. 5. Lam. 2. 10. and principally in acknowledgment of Gods justice and submission to it Compare Psal. 39. 10. Ezek. 24. 17. He murmured not nor replied against God nor against Moses wisely considering that their sin was directly against God and in that which is most dear and honourable in Gods account to wit in his worship and that Gods honour ought to be dearer to him than his sons and that this being the first violation of the law newly given and committed by those who should have been the strictest observers and assertors of it did deserve a very severe punishment 4 And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan l For Aaron and his sons had scarce finished their consecration-work and were employed in their holy ministrations from which they were not to be called for funeral solemnities See Lev. â—…1 1 c. the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron * See Exod. 6. 18. Numb 3. 19. and said unto them Come near carry your brethren m i. e. Kinsmen as that word is
the congregation to minister unto them a i. e. In their stead and for their good So they were the servants both of God and of the Church which was an high dignity though not sufficient for their ambitious minds 10 And he hath brought thee near to him and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee and seek ye the priesthood also b There being at this time but very few Priests and the profits and priviledges belonging to them being many and great they thought it but fit and reasonable that they or some of the chief of them should be admitted to a share in their work and advantages 11 For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD c Whose minister and chosen servant Aaron is You strike at God through Aarons sides Compare 1 Sam. 8. 7. Luk. 10. 16. Ioh. 13. 20. and what is Aaron that ye murmure against him 12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram d To treat with them and give them as he had done Korah and his company a timely admonition the sons of Eliab which said e Unto the messengers sent to them by Moses We will not come up f To Moses his Tabernacle whither the people used to go up for judgment Men are said in Scripture phrase to go up to places of judgment See Deut. 25. 7. Ruth 4. 1. Ezra 10. 7 8. But because they would not now go up therefore they went down quick into the pit ver 33. 13 Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey g i. e. Out of Egypt a place indeed of great plenty bâ—… to them a place of torment and intolerable slavery They invidiously and scoffingly use the same words wherewith God by Moses commended the land of Canaan to kill us in the wilderness 〈◊〉 make thy self altogether a prince over us 14 Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards wilt thou †Heb. â—…re out put out the eyes of these men h i. e. Of those who are confederate with us and of all the people who are of our mind Whilst thou make them blind or perswade them that they are blind and that they do not see what is visible to all that have eyes to wit that thou hast deceived them and broken thy faith and promise given to them or wilst thou lead them about like blind men whither thou pleasest one time towards Canaan another time toward Egypt again we will not come up i We will not obey thy summons nor own thy authority 15 And Moses was very wroth k Not so much for his own sake for he had learnt to bear indignities Numb 12. as for Gods sake who was highly dishonoured blasphemed and provoked by these speeches and carriages in which case he ought to be angry as Christ was Mark 3. 5. and said unto the LORD * Gen. 4. 4 5. Respect not thou their offering l i. e. Accept not their incense which they are now going to offer but shew some eminent dislike of it He calls it their offering though it was offered by Korah and his companions because it was offered in the name and by the consent of all the conspiratours for the decision of the present controversie between them and Moses I * Acts 20. 33. have not taken one ass m i. e. Not any thing of the smallest value as an ass was See 1 Sam. 12. 3. from them neither have I hurt one of them n I have never injured them nor used my power to defraud or oppress them as I might have done but which is here implied I have done them many good offices but no hurt therefore their crime is inexcusable because without any cause or provocation on my part 16 And Moses said unto Korah Be thou and all thy company before the LORD o Not in the Tabernacle which was not capable of so many person severally offering incense but at the door of the Tabernacle ver 18. which place is oft said to be before the Lord as Exod. 29. 42. Levit. 1. 11. c. where they might now lawfully offer it by Moses his direction upon this extraordinary occasion and necessity because this work could not be done in that place which alone was allowed for the offering up of incense not onely for its smallness but also because none but Priests might enter to do this work Here also the people who were to be instructed by this experiment might see the proof and success of it thou and they and Aaron to morrow 17 And take every man his censer and put incense in them and bring ye before the LORD every man his censer two hundred and fifty censers thou also and Aaron each of you his censer 18 And they took every man his censer p Which they could easily make in a sleight manner which would suffice for the present purpose and put fire in them q Taken from the Altar which stood in that place Levit. 1. 3 5. for Aaron might not use other fire Levit. 10. 1. And it is likely the remembrance of the death of Nadab and Abihu deterred them from offering any strange fire and laid incense thereon and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron 19 And Korah gathered all the congregation r That they might be witnesses of the event and upon their success which they doubted not of might fall upon Moses and Aaron with popular rage and destroy them And it seems by this that the people were generally incensed against Moses and inclined to Korahs side against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation and the glory of the LORD appeared s In the cloud which then shone with greater brightness and Majesty as a token of Gods approach and presence See Exod. 16. 7 10. Levit. 9. 6 23. Numb 20. 6. unto all the congregation 20 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron saying 21 * Gen. 19. 1â—… 22. Jer. â—… â—… Rev. 18. â—… Separate your selves from among this congregation ‖ To wit Korah and his 250 men and the people whom he â—…athered against Moses and Aaron ver 19. that I may consume them in a moment 22 And they fell upon their faces and said O God * chap. 2â—… â—… Job 12. 2â—… Eccl. 12. â—… Isa. 57. 1â—… Zach. 12. â—… Heb. 12. â—… the God of the spirits t i. e. Of souls as the word spirit in Scripture is oft used as Psal. 31. 5. and 77. 3. Prov. 17. 22. Eccl. 12. 7. Luk. 23. 46. Act. 7. 59. And this is no empty title here but very emphatical and argumentative thus Thou art the maker of spirits Zach. 12. 1. destroy not thy own workmanship
e Four moneths before Aaron and but a few more before Moses and was buryed there 2 And there was no water for the congregation f Which having followed them through all their former journeys began now to fail them here and because they were now come near Canaan and other countreys where waters might be had by ordinary means and therefore God would not use extraordinary least he should seem to prostitute the honour of miracles This story though like that Exod. 17. is different from it as appears by divers circumstances and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron 3 And the people * Exod. 17. 2. chode with Moses and spake saying Would God that we had died * chap. 11. 1 33. 14. 37. 15. 32 35 45. when our brethern died before the LORD g i. e. Suddenly rather than to die such a lingring and painful death Their sin was much greater than their parents in like case because they should have taken warning by their miscarriages and by the terrible effects of them which there eyes had seen 4 And * Exod. 17. 3. why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness that we and our cattel should die there 5 And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt to bring us in unto this evil place it is no place of seed or of figs or vines or of pomegranates neither is there any water to drink 6 And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly h Partly to avoid the growing rage of the people for Gods singular protection of them did not exclude the use of ordinary means and partly to go to God for relief and redress unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation and * chap. 14. 5. 15. 4. they fell upon their faces and * chap. 14. 10. the glory of the LORD appeared unto them 7 And the LORD spake unto Moses saying 8 * Exod. 17. 5. Take the rod i That rod which was laid up before the Lord in the tabernacle as appears from ver 9. But whether it was Aarons rod which was undoubtedly laid up there Numb 17. 10. or Moses his rod by which he wrought so many miracles it is not considerable or whether it was not one and the same rod which was commonly called Moses his rod as here ver 11. and elsewhere and sometimes Aarons rod as Exod. 7. 12. which may seem most probable For it is likely though not related elsewhere in Scripture that wonder-working rod called the rod of God Exod. 4. 20. was laid up in some part of the tabernacle though not in or near the Ark where Aarons blossoming rod for a particular reason was put and gather thou the assembly together thou and Aaron thy brother and speak ye unto the rock k Which will sooner hear and obey my commands than these sottish and stubborn people before their eyes and it shall give forth his water and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink 9 And Moses took the rod from before the LORD l i. e. Out of the Tabernacle as he commanded him 10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock and he said unto them Hear now ye rebels must we fetch you water out of this rock 11 And Moses lift up his hand and with his rod he smote the rock twice and the * Exod. 17. 6. water came out abundantly and the congregation drank and their beasts also m To the men it was a sacrament 1 Cor. 10. 3 4. but to the beasts it was no holy but a common thing So that the elements in the Sacraments have no inherent and inseparable holiness but onely a relative holiness with respect to their use out of which they are unholy and common 12 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron Because * chap. 27. 14. Deut. 1. 37. 3. 26. 32. 51. ye believed †Heb. not in 〈◊〉 me not n But shewed your infidelity which they did either by their looks and gestures or rather by the matter and manner of their expressions and actions either 1. by smiting the rock and that twice which is emphatically noted as if he doubted whether once smiting would have done it whereas he was not commanded to smite so much as once but onely to speak to it or 2. by the doubtfulness of these words ver 10. Must we fetch water out of the rock which implies a suspicion of it as the like words do Gen. 18. 13. whereas they should have spoken positively and confidently to the rock to give forth waters And yet they did not doubt of the power of God but of his will whether he would gratify these rebels with this further miracle after so many of the like kind And besides the words themselves it is considerable both with what mind they were spoken which God saw to be distrustful and in what manner they were delivered which the people might discern to come from disbelief or doubt And there might be divers other unbelieving words used by them at this time and place though they be not here recorded it being usual in Scripture to give onely the summe or principal heads of discourses or events leaving the rest to be gathered out of them See Psal. 106. 32 33. to sanctifie me o i. e. To give me glory of my power in doing this miracle and of my truth in punctually fulfilling my promise so to do and of my goodness in doing it notwithstanding the peoples perverseness in the eyes of the children of Israel p This made their sin scandalous to the Israelites who of themselves were too prone to infidelity and little needed such an ill example to prevent the contagion whereof God leaves a monument of his great displeasure upon them and inflicts a punishment as publick and manifest as their sin was therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them 13 * Deut. 33. 8. Psal. 95. 8. 106. 32 c. This is the water of ‖ That is strife Meribah q Called Meribah Kadesh to distinguish it from another Mebah Exod. 17. 7. because the children of Israel strove with the LORD and he was sanctified in them r Or among them to wit the children of Israel last mentioned by the demonstration of his omnipotency veracity and clemency towards the Israelites and of his impartial holiness and severity against sin even in his greatest friends and favourites as Moses was 14 And Moses sent messengers s By Gods direction Deut. 2. 1 2 3. from Kadesh unto the king of Edom Thus saith thy brother t For was not Esau who is Edom Gen. 36. 1. Iacobs brother Mal. 1. 2. Israel Thou knowest all the travel that hath
had compassion on them and had respect unto them because of his covenant with Abraham Isaac and Jacob and would not destroy them neither cast he them from his ‡ Heb. 〈◊〉 presence f i. e. From the Land of Canaan to which the presence and publick and solemn Worship of God was confined as yet 24 So Hazael king of Syria died and Ben-hadad his son reigned in his stead 25 And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz ‡ Heb. 〈◊〉 ed and â—…ook took again out of the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war three times did Joash beat him g According to the Prediction above v. 19. and recovered the cities of Israel CHAP. XIV IN the second year of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel a i. e. After he began to Reign alone for he Reigned two or three Years with his Farther Oâ—… which see on chap. 13. 10. reigned * 2 Câ—… 〈◊〉 Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah 2 He was twenty and five years old when he began to reign and reigned twenty and nine years b To wit 14 Years with Ioash King of Israel who Reigned onely 16 Years chap. 13. 10. and 15 Years after the death of Ioash or with Ieroboam the Son of Ioash as is affirmed here ver 17. and 2 Chron. 25. 25. in Jerusalem and his mothers name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem 3 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD c That which was in some sort agreeable to Gods Will. yet not like David his father d Not sincerely 2 Chron. 25. 2. he did according to all things as Joash his father did e i. e. For a time served God aright but afterwards fell to Idolatry 1 Chron. 25. 14. as Ioash had done 2 King 12. 3. 4 Howbeit f Though he did right c. for this Particle is to be joyned with those words the rest being to be closed with a Parenthesis the high places were not taken away as yet the people did sacrifice and burnt incense on the high places 5 ¶ And it came to pass assoon as the kingdom was confirmed in his hand that he slew his servants * Chap. 12 〈◊〉 which had slain the king his father Whereby it is implied that his Fathers Murderers had powerful Friends and Abetrors and that their Fact was in some sort approved by the generality of the People to whom Ioash had made himself hateful by his Apostacy to Idolatry and by his ingratitude to the House of Iehoiada 6 But the children of the murderer he slew not g Wherein he shewed some Faith and Courage that he would obey this Command of God though it was very hazardous to himself such persons being likely to seek revenge for their Fathers death according unto that which is written in the book of the law of Moses wherein the LORD commanded saying * Deut. 24. 〈◊〉 Ezek. 18 〈◊〉 The fathers shall not be put to death for the children nor the children be put to death for the fathers but every man shall be put to death for his own sin 7 He slew of Edom h i. e. Of the Edomites or the children of Seir as they are called 2 Chron. 25. â—… 1. either because they dwelt in Seir See Gen. 36. 8. or because these people were confederates And he invaded these People because they were Subjects to his Kingdom from which they had revolted in Ioram's days 2 King 8. 20. in the valley of salt i Which was the Land of Edom Of which see 2 Sam. 8. 13. Psal. 60. 2. ten thousand and took ‖ Selah k Or the rock the chief City of that part of Arabia called by other Authors Petra which signifies a rock because it was built upon a Rock â—… Chron. 25. 12 by war and called the Or the rock name of it Joktheel l Which signifies the obedience of God i. e. given him by God as a reward of his Obeidence to Gods Message by the Prophet 2 Chron. 25. 8 9. unto this day 8 ¶ Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu king of Israel saying Come let us look one another in the face m Let us fight personally and with our Armies This challenge he sent partly upon the late and great inâ—…uries done by the Israelites to his people 2 Chron. 25. 10 13. and partly from self-confidence and a desire of advancing his Glory and Empire by his Arms. 9 And Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah saying The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon n By the thistle a low and contemptible yet troublesome Shrub he understands Amaziah and by the cedar himself whom he intimates to be far stronger than he and out of his reach saying Give thy daughter to my son to wife o Let us make a match i. e. let us fight Onely he expresseth this Bloody work in a civil manner as Amaziah had done ver 8. and as Abner did 2 Sam. 2. 14. Or let thy Kingdom and mine be United under one King as formerly they were and let us decide it by a pitched Battel whether thou or I shall be that King Or as some expound it by affirming That it was great arrogancy and presumption for him to desire a Friendly League or Affinity with him he leaves him to guess how intolerable it was that he should undertake to wage War against him and there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon and trode down the thistle p And with no less ease shall my Soldiers tread down thee and thy Forces 10 Thou hast indeed smitten Edom and thine heart hath lifted thee up glory of this q Content thy self with that Glory and Success and let not thine Ambition betray thee to ruin and tarry ‡ 〈◊〉 at thy 〈◊〉 at home for why shouldest thou meddle to thy hurt that thou shouldest fall even thou and Judah with thee 11 But Amaziah would not hear r Because God blinded and hardned him to his destruction for his abominable and ridiculous Idolatry 2 Chron. 25. 10. therefore Jehoash king of Israel went up s To wit into the Kingdom of Iudah carrying the War into his Enemies Countrey and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Beth-shemesh which belongeth to Judah t Which is added to distinguish it from that Bethshemesh in Issachar and another in Naphthali Ios. 19. 22 38. 12 And Judah ‡ Heb. was 〈◊〉 was put to the worse before Israel and they fled u Being unsatisfied in the ground and manner of the quarrel and discouraged by their Kings Idolatry and smitten by God with a spirit of fear every man to their tents 13 And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah
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
k To wit the day i. e. Men in it Let it be always observed as a frightful and dismal day 6. As for that Night let darkness l i. e. Constant and extraordinary Darkness without the least glimmering of Light from the Moon or Stars seize upon it †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let it not be joined unto the days of the year m i. e. Reckoned as one or a part of one of them The night is distinguished from the artificial day but it is a part of the natural day which consists of 24 hours Or rather let it not rejoice among the days c. Joy here and terrour v. 5. are poetically and figuratively ascribed to the day or night with respect to men who either rejoice or are affrighted in it Let it be a sad and as it were a funeral day let it not come into the number of the Months n i. e. To be one of those Nights which go to the making up of the Months 7. Lo let that night be solitary o i. e. Destitute of all society of Men meeting and feasting together which commonly was done at night Suppers being the most solemn Meals among divers antient Nations See Mark 6. 21. Luk. 14. 16. Iohn 12. 2. Rev. 19. 9 17. let no joyful voice p Neither of the Bride and Bridegroom nor any that celebrate their Nuptials or any other merry Solemnity come therein 8. Let them curse it that curse the day q i. e. Their day to wit their Birth-day for the Pronoun is here omitted for the meeters sake For this and the following Chapters are written in verse as all grant So the Sense is when their Afflictions move them to curse their own Birth-day let them remember mine also and bestow some Curses upon it Or the day of their distress and trouble which sometimes is called simply the day as Obad. 12. Or the day of the Birth or death of that person whose Funerals are celebrated by the hired Mourners who in their solemn Lamentations used to curse the day that gave them such a Person whom they should so suddenly lose and therefore it had been better never to have enjoyed him and to curse the day in which he died as an unlucky and execrable day Or the day i. e. the Day-light which to some persons is an hateful thing and the Object of their Curses namely to leud Persons and Thieves to whom the morning Light is even as the Shadow of death Ch. 24. 17. as also to persons oppressed with deep Melancholy as it is here implied v. 20. So the sense is this They who use to curse the day only but generally love and bless the night yet let this night be as abominable and execrable to them as the day-time generally is who are ready to raise up ‖ 〈◊〉 A 〈◊〉 their mourning r Who are brim full of sorrow and always ready to pour out their Cries and Tears and Complaints and with them Curses as men in great passions frequently do Or such Mourning-Men or Mourning-Women whose common Employment it was and who were hired to mourn and therefore were always ready to do so upon funeral occasions of which see 2 Chron. 35. 25. Ier. 9. 17 18 20. Ezek. 30. 2. Ioel 1. 15. Amos â—… 16. Matth. 9. 23. And this Sense suits with the use of the last word in Hebrew Writers of which a plain and pertinent Instance is given by the learned Mercer But because that word is commonly used in another sense for the Leviathan both in this Book and elsewhere in Scripture as Psal. 74. 14. and 104. 26. Isa. 27. 1. And because this very Phrase of raising the Leviathan is used afterward Ch. 41. 25. others render the words thus Who are prepared or ready to raise the Leviathan It is evident that the Leviathan was a great and dreadful Fish or Sea-Monster though there be some disagreement about its kind or quality and that the raising of or endeavouring to catch the Leviathan was a dangerous and terrible work as is plain from Iob 41. And therefore those Sea-Men who have been generally noted for great Swearers and cursers especially when their Passions of Rage or Fear are raised being now labouring to catch this Sea-monster and finding themselves and their Vessel in great danger from him they fall to their old trade of Swearing and Cursing and curse the day wherein they were born and the day in which they ventured upon this most hazardous and terrible work Others understand this Leviathan mystically as it is used Isa. 27. 1. for the great Enemy of Gods Church and People called there also the Dragon to wit the Devil whom the Magicians both now do and formerly did use to raise with fearful Curses and Imprecations Not as if Iob did justifie this practice but only it is a rash and passionate wish that they who pour sorth so many Curses undeservedly would bestow their deserved Curses upon this day 9. Let the Stars of the Twilight thereof be dark s Let the Stars which are the Glory and Beauty of the Night to render it amiable and delightful to men be covered with thick darkness Chap. 41. 18. and that both in the Evening Twilight as is here expressed when the Stars begin to arise and shine forth and also in the further progress of the Night even till the Morning begins to dawn as the following words imply let it look for Light but have none t Let its darkness be aggravated with the disappointment of its Hopes and Expectations of Light He ascribes sense or reasoning to the Night by a Poetical fiction usual in all Writers neither let it see * Heb. the Eye-lids of the morning the dawning of the day u Heb. The Eye-lids of the day i. e. the Morning-Star which ushers in the day and the beginning and consequently the progress of the Morning Light and the Day following Let this whole natural day consisting of Night and day be blotted out of the Catalogue of Days as he wished before 10. Because it x To wit the night or the day to which those things are ascribed which were done by others in them as is frequent in Poetical Writings such as this is Or he i. e. God whom in modesty and Reverence he forbears to name Yet he doth not curse God for his Birth as the Devil presaged but only wisheth that the day of his Birth might have manifest Characters of a Curse impressed upon it shut not up the doors x That it might either never have conceived me or at least never have brought me forth of my Mothers y Which word is here fitly supplied both out of Ch. 1. 21. and 31. 18. where it is expressed and by comparing other places where it is necessarily to be understood though the Womb only be mentioned as Iob 10. 19. Psal. 58. 3. Isa. 48. 8. Ier. 1. 5. Womb nor hid sorrow from mine Eyes
sense of his own innocency Or without blemish as the word properly signifies i. e. without any sense of guilt or any shame consequent upon it either from God or men The ground of the expression is this That when mens faces are spotted with dirt they are ashamed to shew them And Iob was charged by his friends as having many spots upon him yea such as were not the spots of God's Children yea thou shalt be stedfast q Or firm or fixed Either 1. as to his outward Condition which should be constantly prosperous Or rather as to his Mind which should have strong and comfortable assurance of God's favour and of his own safety and happiness For this stedfastness is opposed unto that fear which is incident to wicked men who even when they are free from actual miseries yet oft-times are tormented with the dread of them and shalt not fear 16. Because thou shalt forget thy misery r Thou shalt be free from fear because thy great and settled prosperity shall banish out of thy mind all those sad and irksom thoughts of thy former Calamities which naturally ingender fears of the continuance or return of them Persons blessed with eminent Deliverances and an happy settlement are frequently said in Scripture to forget their former sorrows as Gen. 41. 51. Isa. 54. 4. Iohn 16. 21. not that they simply forget them but because they have no sad or frightful remembrance of them For remembring and forgetting in Scripture do not simply note acts of the mind but also affections and practises suitable to them as is well known and remember it as waters that pass away s Thou shalt remember them no more than men remember either a Land-stood which as it comes so it goes away suddenly and leaves few or no footsteps or memorials behind it or the waters of a River which as soon as they are out of sight are out of mind because of the new waters which immediately come in their stead 17. And thine age t i. e. The remainder of thy life and time in this world †Heb. shall arise above the noon-day shall be * Ps. 37. 6. 112. 4. Isa. 58. 8. clearer u Heb. shall arise Men are said to fall into troubles and to arise out of them than the noon-day x Or above the noon-day or above the Sun at Noon day when it is at its highest pitch as well as in its greatest glory thou shalt ‖ Or 〈◊〉 17. Isa. 40. 31. shine forth y Light in Scripture commonly signifies Prosperity and Glory as Esth. 8. 16. Iob 18. 5. 6 38. 15. Proâ—… 4. 18. Or if thou art in darkness as this word properly signifies Iob 10. 22. Amos 4. 13. i. e. If thou comest into any distress and trouble thou shalt be as the morning z i. e. That Night of trouble shall certainly and speedily be followed with the Morning of Deliverance and Comfort which like the Morning-light shall shine brighter and brighter until the perfect day 18. And thou shalt be secure because there is hope a i. e. Thy mind shall be quiet and free from terrours because thou shalt have a firm and well-grounded hope and confidence in God's merciful and providential care of thee Or thou shalt be confident that thou shalt have what thou â—…pest for the act hope being put for the obâ—…ect as is very usual i. e. Thou shalt have assurance in and from God that thy hopes shall not be disappointed but fulfilled This is opposed to that fear vers 15. yea thou shalt dig about thee b Either to fix thy Tents which after the manner of the Arabians were removed from place to place for conveniency of Pasturage for their Cattel or to find out water for thy Cattel as they did Gen. 26. Or to plough the Ground as he had done Chap. 1. 14. Or to make a Fence about thy Dwelling For both the foregoing and following passages express his secure and safe condition and * Lev. 26. 5 6. Ps. 3. 5. 4. 8. Prov. 3. 24. thou shalt take thy rest in safety c Free from dangers and the fear of them because of God's fatherly Providence watching over thee when thou canst not watch over thy self 19. Also thou shalt lie down and none shall make thee afraid yea many shall †Heb. intrâ—… thy face Ps. 45. 12. make suit unto thee d Desiring thy favour and friendship because of thy great power and riches and eminent felicity See Gen. 26. 26 c. 20. But the eyes of the wicked shall fail e Or be consumed either with grief and tears for their sore Calamities Or with long looking for what they shall never attain as this phrase is taken Psalm 69 3. Ier. 14. 6. Lament 4. 17. And this shall be thy condition O Iob if thou persistest in thine impiety and †Heb. fligâ—… shall perish from them they shall not escape f They shall never obtain deliverance out of their Distresses but shall perish in them and * Ch. 8. 14. 18. 14. their hope shall be as ‖ Or a pâ—…ff of breath the giving up of the ghost g i. e. Shall be as vain and desperate as the hope of life is in a man when he is at the very point of death Or as a puff of breath which is gone in a moment without all hopes of recovery CHAP. XII 1. ANd Iob answered and said 2. No doubt but ye are the people a You three and you onely are the people i. e. people of all people for eminency of wisdom the onely company of reasonable Creatures all others are but fools or beasts You have engrossed all the reason of Mankind and each of you have as much wisdom as an whole people put together It is an Ironical Expression as the next Verse sheweth and wisdom shall die with you b All the wisdom and knowledge of divine things which is in the World lives in you and will die and be utterly lost when you die This you think of your selves and this makes you so confidently and peremptorily deliver your Opinions and give Laws to me and all mankind and even to God himself 3. But * Câ—… 1â—… 2. I have an †〈◊〉 understanding c Heb. an heart which is oft put for the understanding as Iob 34. 34 Ier 5. 21. Acts. 8. 22. i. e. God hath given me also the knowledge and ability to judge of these matters as well as ye †〈…〉 I am not inferiour to you d In these things which he speaketh noâ—… in a way of vain-glorious boasting but for the just and 〈◊〉 vindication both of himself and of that cause of God which for the matter and substance of iâ—… he maintained as God himself attests Iob 42. 7 yea †〈…〉 who knoweth not such things as these e The truth is neither you nor
Wherefore are we counted as Beasts c i. e. Ignorant blockish and stupid men Ch. 17. 4 10. and †Heb. hidden Lam. 4. 1. reputed vile d Heb. polluted or unclean i. e. not fit to be conversed or discoursed with or contemptible as such things are in your sight e Either 1. To your faces or in your own hearing Or 2. In thy sight or Judgment O Iob so he speaks of Iob in the plural number as he did v. 2. 4. He teareth †Heb. his Soul himself f i. e. Iob of whom he speaks in the third person for the second as Ch. 12. 4. 16. 7. Obad. 3 3. Or O thou that tearest thy self Thou complainest of us for vexing thee with our speeches when in truth thou art thy own greatest tormenter by thy own impatience and rage in his anger shall the Earth be forsaken g To wit by God Shall God give over the government of the Earth and Men and things in it and suffer all things to fall out by chance and promiscuously to good and bad men without any regard to his Truth or Wisdom or Justice Shall God forbear to rule the World righteously as he hath hitherto done in favouring good men and destroying the wicked for thee h i. e. For thy sake or to prevent thy Complaints and Clamours and shall the rock be removed out of his place i Shall the Counsels of God which are more firm and unmoveable than Rocks and the whole course of his Providence be altered to comply with thy fancies or Humours 5. Yea k The thing is true and certain notwithstanding thy dissatisfaction and opposition against it the light of the wicked shall be put out l All their Glory and Felicity shall perish and the spark of his fire m i. e. Their highest and brightest Glory which he calleth the spark c. because like a spark it shines briskly for a moment but is quickly extinct shall not shine 6. The Light shall be dark in his Tabernacle n i. e. In his Family In stead of his former splendour both he and his shall fall into extremity of misery and his ‖ 〈◊〉 Lamp Candle shall be put out with him o i. e. His Glory shall die with him and not descend to his posterity as he hoped and designed Or his Candle which was with him or shone upon him shall be put out 7. The steps of his strength p i. e. His strong steps by a vulgar Hebraism By steps he means his Counsels as the next branch explains it his attempts and actions and by steps of strength such of them as seem to be most firm and settled contrived with greatest strength of Understanding and carried on with great resolution and might shall be straitned q i. e. Shall be hindred and entangled He shall be cast into great difficulties and troubles and perplexities so that he shall not be able to proceed and to accomplish his Enterprizes but shall find himself ensnared by his own devices as the next words declare it This Phrase is used also Prov. 4. 11 12. and it is opposed to the enlarging of a mans way or steps which signifies success and prosperity as Psal. 4. 1. 31. 8. and his own Counsel shall cast him down r He shall be undone by his own contrivances either because God will give him up to dangerous and destructive mistakes of his way or because God will oppose him and turn his own devices against him which he can easily do by throwing in unexpected accidents 8. For he is cast into a Net by his own Feet s By his own choice and design and actions and he walketh upon a snare t And therefore must needs be entangled and destroyed 9. The * Chap. 5. 5. Grin shall take him by the heel u i. e. Take fast hold of him so as to keep him in those distresses and the Robber x When he is ensnared the Robber shall come upon him and take and spoil or kill him Or the horrible or terrible man the Huntsman that said the Snare for him A Metaphor from those who hunt for wild Beasts who first lay snares for them and then seize upon them in the snares shall prevail against him 10. The Snare is †Heb. hidden laid for him in the ground y Where he doth not expect nor discern it The former snare he laid for himself but this was laid for him by another and a Trap for him in the way 11. * Ch. 15. 21. Jer. 6. 25. 20. 3. 46. 5. 49. 29. Terrours z Both from men and from God and from his own unquiet Mind and guilty Conscience shall make him afraid on every side and shall †Heb. scatter him drive him to his Feet a Shall force him to flee hither and thither and he knows not whither being secure and safe no where but pursued by terrours from place to place 12. His strength b Either 1. His Children which are and are called a mans strength as Gen. 49. 3. Psal. â—… 27. 4 5. Or rather 2. His Wealth and Power and Prosperity shall be hunger-bitten c Or famished i. e. utterly consumed and * Ch. 15. 23. destruction shall be ready at his side d i. e. Shall follow him at the heels as a most diligent servant or constant companion 13. It shall devour the †Heb. bars strength of his skin e Heb. The bars or rather the branches of the skin i. e. either the veins and sinews which branch out themselves through the skin as well as elsewhere Or the fat and flesh which like Bars support the skin and adorn and beautifie it as branches do a Tree without which the skin is shrivel'd up and deformed even the first-born of death f i. e. A most remarkable and terrible kind of death The first-born was the chief of his Brethren and therefore this title is given to things eminent in their kind as Isa. 14. 30. Col. 1. 18. Heb. 12. 23. Rev. 1. 5. shall devour his strength 14. * Chap. 8. 14. 11. 20. Psal. 112. 10. Prov. 10. 28. His confidence g i. e. All the matter of his Confidence his Riches Children c. shall be rooted out of his Tabernacle h i. e. Out of his Habitation and it i To wit the loss of his Confidence shall bring him to the King of terrours k Either 1. Into extream Fears and horrours of mind Or 2. To Death which even Aristotle called The most terrible of all terribles And this it will do either because it will expose him to his Enemies who will kill him or because the sense of his disappointments and losses and dangers will oppress his Spirits and break his Heart 15. It shall dwell in his Tabernacle l It i. e.
is in his Presence and under his Providence So far am I from imagining that God cannot see through a dark Cloud as you traduced me Chap. 22 13. that I very well know that even Hell it self that place of utter darkness is not hid from his sight k i. e. The place of destruction as it is also used Prov. 15. 11. by a Metonymy of the Adjunct l To wit such as to keep it out of his sight 7. * Chap. 9. 8. Psal. 104. 2 c. He stretcheth out the North m i. e. The Northern Pole or part of the Heavens which he particularly mentions and puts for the whole visible Heaven because Iob and his Friends lived in a Nothern Climate and were acquainted only with that part of the Heavens the Southern Pole and parts near it being wholly unknown to them The Heavens are oft and fitly said to be spread or stretched out like a Curtain or Tent to which they are resembled over the empty place n To wit the Air so called not Philosophically as if it were wholly empty but popularly because it seems to be so and is generally void of solid and visible bodies and hangeth the earth upon nothing o Upon its own Center which is but an imaginary thing and in truth nothing Or upon no Props or Pillars but his own Power and Providence Which is justly celebrated as a wonderful Work of God both in Scripture and in Heathen Authors 8. He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds and the cloud is not rent under them p This also is a miraculous Work of God considering the nature of these Waters which are fluid and heavy and pressing downward especially being oft-times there in great abundance and withal the quality of the Clouds which are thin and loose bodies of the same nature with Fogs and Mists upon the Face of the Earth and therefore of themselves utterly unable to bear that weight and to keep up those Waters from falling suddenly and violently upon the Earth 9. He holdeth back q i. e. To wit from our view that its lustre and glory should not reach us and so dazle our sight he covereth it with a Cloud as the next words explain it Or He holdeth fast or binds together or strengthens it that it may be able to bear that burden the face of his throne r Either 1. this lower Air which is as the Face or open part of the Heavens which is often called God's Throne as salm 11. 4. Isa. 66. 1. Amos 9. 6. Or 2. the appearance or manifestation of the Heaven of Heavens where he dwelleth whose light and glory is too great for mortal eyes which therefore by Clouds and other ways he hides from us and spreadeth his cloud upon it 10. * Ps. 33 7. 104 9. He hath compassed the waters s To wit of the Sea for of the upper Waters coming out of the Clouds he spake before with bounds t Which are partly the Rocks and Shores and principally God's appointment made at the first Creation and renewed after the Deluge Gen. 9. 11. 15. that the Waters should not overwhelm the Earth See Iob 38. 8 10 11. Psalm 104. 3. Ier. 5. 22. †Heb. until the end of light with darkness until the day and night come to an end u i. e. Unto the end of the World for so long these Vicissitudes of Day and Night are to continue Gen. 8. 22. 9. 9 c. Ier. 5. 22. 31. 35 36. 11. The pillars of heaven x Either 1. those Mountains which by their height and strength may seem to reach and support the Heavens as the Poets said of Atlas for this is a Poetical Book and there are many Poetical expressions in it These tremble sometimes by force of Earthquakes or by God's glorious appearance in them as Sinai did Or 2. Holy Angels but they are not subject either to trembling or to God's rebuke Or 3. the Heavenly Bodies as the Sun and Moon and Stars which as they may seem in some sort to support so they do certainly adorn the Heavens And we know Pillars are oft made not for support but only for Ornament as the two famous Pillars of the Temple Iachin and Boaz 1 Kings 7. 21. And these oft-times seem to tremble and be astonished as in Eclipses or Tempests and terrible Works of God in the Air by which they are frequently said to be affected and changed because they seem so to us and many things are spoken in Scripture according to appearance See Isa. 13. 10. 24. 23. Ioel 2. 10 31. Mat. 24. 29. c. Either 1. when God rebuketh them for God is sometimes said in Scripture to rebuke the lifeless Creatures which is to be understood figuratively of the Tokens of God's anger in them Or 2. when God reproveth not them but men by them manifesting his displeasure against sinful men by Thunders or Earthquakes or prodigious Works tremble and are astonished at his reproof y. 12. * Isa. 51. 15. He ‖ Or stilleth Chap. 38. 11. divideth the sea z He speaks either 1. of God's dividing the Red-sea for the Israelites to pass over And consequently the Hebrew word Rahab which here follows and is translated pride or the proud is meant of Egypt which is oft called Rahab as Psalm 87. 4. 89. 10. Isa. 51. 9. But it seems most probable that that Work was not yet done and that Iob lived long before Israels coming out of Egypt Or rather 2. of the common Work of Nature and Providence in raising Tempests by which he breaketh or divideth the Waves of the Sea by making deep Furrows in it and casting up part of the Waters into the Air and splitting part of them upon the Rocks and Shores of the Sea with his power and by his understanding a i. e. By his wise Counsel and administration of things so as may obtain his own glorious ends he smiteth thorough †Heb. pride the proud b Either 1. the Whale which is called King over all the children of pride Job 41. 34. and which is sometimes by force of Tempests cast upon the shore Or rather 2. the Sea which is fitlâ—… called proud as its Waves are called Iob 38. 11. because it is lofty and fierce and swelling and unruly which God is said to smite when he subdues and restrains its rage and turns the storm into a calm 13. By his * Psal. 33. â—… spirit c Either 1. by his Divine Vertue or Power which is sometimes called his Spirit as Zach. 4. 6. Mat. 12. 28. Or 2. by his holy Spirit to which the Creation of the World is ascribed Gen. 1. 2. Iob 33. 4. Psalm 33. 6. he hath garnished the heavens d Adorned or beautified them with those glorious Lights the Sun and Moon and Stars his hand hath formed the †Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a bâ—…r
which they declare their Author no less than if they used many Words or long Discourses to that purpose or no less than men disover their Minds by their Words See more concerning this Verse upon Rom 10. 18. where it is applied to the Preaching of the Gospel by the Apostles in the several parts of the World to the end of the world in them hath he set a tabernacle p Which is a moveable Habitation and therefore fitly applied to the Sun which is here described to be in constant and perpetual Motion v. 5 6. for the sun q Which being the most Illustrious and useful of all the Heavenly Bodies is here particularly mentioned 5. Which is as a bridegroom r Gloriously adorned with Lights as with a beautiful Garment and smiling upon the lower World with a pleasant Countenance coming out of his chamber s In which he is Poetically supposed to have rested all Night and thence to break forth as it were on a sudden as both Sacred and profane Poets represent the Matter and * Eccles. 1. 5. rejoyceth as a strong man t Who being Conscious and Confident of his own strength and promising to himself Victory and the Glory which attends it sets upon his work with great Pleasure to run a race 6. His going forth is from the end of the heaven and his circuit unto the ends of it u His Course is constant from East to West and thence to the East again and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof x There is no part of the Earth which doth not one time or other feel the Comfort and Benefit of it's Light and Heat 7. The ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 law of the LORD y i. e. The Doctrine delivered by God to his Church whether by Moses or by other Prophets and holyâ—…men of God after him for the Title of Law is given not only to the Ten Commandements or the moral Law as it is Rom. 2. 23 25 27 31. but also to the whole Word of God as Psal. 1. 2. and 119. 70 c. Ier. 8. 8. Mal. 2. 6. to the Psalms as Ioh. 10. 34. and 15. 25. Comp. with Psal. 82. 6. and 35. 19. and to the Writings of the Prophets 1 Cor. 14. 21. Comp. with Isa. 28. 11. yea even to the Gospel it self as Isa. 2. 3. and 42 4. and 51. 4. 7. Rom. 3. 27. Gal. 2. 21. And in this general Sence it must be here understood because the Effects here following do not flow from one but from all the Parts of it Precepts and Counsels and Threatnings and Promises and God's gracious Covenant made with man therein revealed Having discoursed hitherto of the Glory of God's shining forth in and Demonstrated by the visible Heavens and the Heavenly Bodies he now proceeds to another Demonstration of God's Glory which he Compares with and prefers before the former Which he doth partly to prevent that Excessive admiration of the splendour and beauty of the Sun and Stars by the Contemplation whereof the Hearkens were brought to adore them an Error which the Israelites were not free from the Danger of Deut. 4. 19. partly to make the Israelites sensible of their singular Obligations to God who besides that common Light and Influence of the Heavenly Bodies had given them a peculiar and a more necessary and beneficial Light and partly to awaken and provoke the Gentiles into whose hands these Psalms might come to the study and love of God's Law by representing those excellent Advantages which they no less than the Iews might obtain by it is perfect z Without fault or defect fully and compleatly discovering both the Nature and Will of God and the whole Duty and business of man whom and how he is to Worship and Serve what he is to believe and Practise and whatsoever is necessary to his present and eternal Happiness Wherein there seems to be a secret Reflection upon the former and natural discovery of God by his works of Creation as that which is defective and insufficient for the great and Glorious ends here following which although it did declare so much of God's being and Nature as left all men without excuse Rom. 1. 20. yet did not fully nor clearly manifest the Mind and Will of God nor direct and bring men to eternal Salvation ‖ 〈◊〉 â—…oring 〈◊〉 4 15. 〈◊〉 converting a To wit from the Errors of Mind and Conversation in which men without this Light do generally wander and Perish unto God from whom all men are naturally revoâ—…ted Or 〈◊〉 â—…r 〈◊〉 as this Word is used Ruth 4. 15. 〈◊〉 2â—… â—… 〈◊〉 1. 1â—… 16. Heb. restoring or bringing back the 〈◊〉 which was drooping and even going out of the Body through grievous 〈◊〉 of the outward Man and Terrors of the Mind and Conâ—…ience the soul the testimony of the LORD f i. e. His law so called because it is a Witness between God and Man what God requires of Man and what upon the performance of that Condition he will do for Man is * Psal. 1â—…9 14â—… sure g Heb. faithful or true which is most Excellent and Proper and necessary in a Witness It will not mis-lead or deceive any man that trusteth to it or followeth it But will certainly and infallibly bring him to Happiness making wise h Unto Salvation as is expressed 2 Tim. 3. 15. Which is the only true Wisdom the simple i This is added Either 1. By way of Commendation or as a qualification of the Person whom God's word will make wise he must be humble and foolish and little in â—…is own Eyeâ—… and willing to be taught See Mat. 11. 25. 1 Cor. 1. 2â—… 〈◊〉 For God resisteth the proud and scornful and will not give this Wisdom to them or rather 2. By way of Contempt which seems most agreeable both to the use of the Words Prov. 1. 4. and 9. 6. and 14. 15. and 2â—… 3. and to the Scope of the place which is to set forth the Excellency and Eâ—…ficacy of God's Law in the general without any Restriction to this or that sort of Men. So it may note the weak and foolish even Persons of the lowest Capacities and such are apt to mistake and are easily â—…educed as the Word implies And yet these if they will hearken to the Instructions of God's word shall become Wise when those who proâ—…ss themselves Wise shall by leaning to their own understanding and despising or neglecting the Directions of God's word become and prove themselves to be â—…ools Rom. 1. 22. But this is not spoken exclusively as if no men of better Abilities were thus made Wise but by way of Amplification to shew the Usefulness of God's Word to men of all sorts and sizes 8. The statutes k Another word signifying the same thing with Law and Testimonies of the LORD are right l Both in themselves as being free from Crookedness
the Messias Compare Gen. 12. 2 and 48. 20. or rather most Blessed as we translate it the abstract Form and the plural Number being here used emphatically as they commonly are as Ezek. 34. 26. Psal. 5. 10. and 19. 10. and 35. 6. to Note a man in whom all sorts of Blessings are united and met together filled with Blessings and as it were a man of Blessings made up altogether of Blessings as Christ upon a like Reason was called a man of Sorrows Isa. 53. 3. And possibly the Word Man may be understood here as it is in many other places as I have shewed before and the place rendred thus Thou hast made him a Man of Blessings for ever m Of which see on v. 4. thou hast †Heb. gladded him with joys made him exceeding glad with thy countenance n To wit smiling upon him as it must necessarily be understood from the foregoing Words i. e. By thy Grace and Favour manifested and imparted to his Soul and by the Effects of it in saving him from all his Enemies and Calamities 7. For the king trusteth in the LORD and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved o Or removed from his Kingdom as Saul was 8. Thine hand shall find out all thine Enemies p When they seek to hide themselves or flee away from thee should discover and overtake and destroy them Or shall be sufficient as this Verb sometimes signifies as Numb 11. 22. Iudg. 21. 14. for all thiâ—…e Fnemies To wit to Conquer them thou shall need no forreign Succours to help thee thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee 9. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven q Or Thou shalt put them as the Hebrew word Properly signifies as it were into So there is only an Ellipsis of the Preposition Beth which is most frequent a fiery Oven i. e. Like Wood which when it is cast in there is quickly consurned in the time of thine †Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 34. 16. anger the LORD shall swallow them up r i. e. Destroy them as this Phrase is oft used as 2 Sam. 20. 19 20. Psal. 56. 1 2. Prov. 1. 12. in his wrath and the fire shall devour them 10. * Job 18. 16 19. Their fruit s Either 1. The fruit of their Labours Or rather 2. Their seed or Children as it is explained in the next Branch oft called a Man's Fruit as Deut. 28. 4. Psal. 127. 3. and 132. 11. Lament 2. 20. God will take away both Root and Branch the Parents and all that wicked Race shalt thou destroy from the earth and their seed from among the children of men 11. For they intended evil against thee t i. e. Against God not directly but by Consequence because it was against David whom God had anointed and against the Lords people whose injuries God takes as done to himself Zech. 2. 8. they imagined a mischievous device which they are not able to perform u Such Supplements are usual after this Verb as Exod. 8. 18. Psal. 101. 5. anâ—… 139. 6. Isa. 1. 13. Or for which they were unable or insufficient Or but they did not prevail as this Verb signifies Psal. 13. 4. and 129. 2. This Glause seems to be added to teach us this great and necessary Lesson that men are justly punished by God for their wicked Intentions although they be hindred from the Execution of them contrary to what some Jewish Doctors and others have taught 12. Therefore ‖ Or thou shalt set them as a Bâ—…tt shalt thou make them turn their †Heb. Shoulder back x i. e. Flee away at the first sight of thee whereby also they will be a fit mark for thine Arrows Or Thou shalt set them as a Butt to shoot at as the like Phrase is used Deut. 7. 10. Iob. 7 20. and 16. 12. when thou shalt * Psal. 7. 13. make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them y Or against them the word Face being oft redundant 13. Be thou exalted LORD in thine own strength z By thy own Power or by the manifestation thereof whereby thou wiltst have the whole Glory of the work so will we sing and praise thy Power PSAL. XXII The ARGUMENT That question mentioned Act. 8. 34. is very Proper here Of whom speaketh the Prophet this Psalm of himself or of some other Man It is confessed that David was a Type of Christ and that many Psalms or passages of the Psalms though properly and litterally understood of David yet had a farther and Mystical reference to Christ in whom they were accomplished But there are some other Psalms or passages in the Psalms as also some Chapters or passages in other Prophets especially in Isaiah who lived not very long after David which either by those sacred Pen-men or at least by the Holy Ghost inspiring them which is one and the same thing were directly Primarily and Immediately intended for and are Properly and litterally to be understood of the Messias though withal there may be some respect and allusion to the state of the Pen-man himself who being a Type of Christ it is not strange if there be many Resemblances between them And this seems to be the state of this Psalm which is understood of the Messias by the Hebrew Doctors themselves and by Christ himself and by his Apostles as we shall see And there are many passages in it which were most litterally accomplished in him and cannot in a tolerable Sence be understood of any other as we shall see in the particular Verses And therefore I doubt not that David though he had an Eye to his own Condition in divers passages here used yet was carried forth by the Spirit of Prophecy beyond himself and unto Christ to whom alone it truly and fully agrees To the chief musician upon ‖ Or the 〈◊〉 of the Morning Aijeleth Shahar a Or the hind of the Morning To note that the Person here designed was like an Hind comely and meek and every way Lovely but withal Persecuted by wicked men as that oftentimes is in the Morning when she comes out of her lurking and Lodging place and when the Hunters use to go abroad to their Work Or this was the Title of some Musical instrument or Tune or Song which was usually sung in the Morning a Psalm of David 1. MY * Mat. 27. 4â—… Mark 15. 34. God b Whom notwithstanding thy forsaking me I heartily Love and in whom I trust who art my Friend and Father though now thou frownest upon me my * Psal. 31. 14. God c The Repetition Notes the depth of his distress which made him Cry so earnestly and the struglings of his Faith with his Fears and Sorrows why hast thou forsaken me d i. e. Left me in the hands of Malicious men withdrawn the Light of thy Countenance
of both these Holy places God appeared and put forth such Acts of his Power as might justly terrifie his Enemies the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people f The strength which the Kingdom of Israel now hath is not to be ascribed to my Valour or Conduct nor to the Courage or numbers of the People nor to that happy Union now made and Established among all the Tribes but onely to the might and Grace of God blessed be God PSAL. LXIX To the chief musician upon Shoshannim a Psalm of David This Psalm of David Consists of his Complaints and servent Prayers and Comfortable predictions of his Deliverance and of the Ruin of his Enemies But the Condition of this Psalm is like that of divers others wherein although the Matter or Substance of it agree in some sort to David yet there are some singular passages which he delivers with a particular Respect unto Christ of whom he was an Eminent Type and upon whom his Thoughts were much and often fixed and of whom they are more fitly and fully understood and therefore they are justly applied to him in the New Testament as we shall see 1 SAve me O God for * Jon. 2. 5. the waters a i. e. Tribulations which are oft expressed by waters as hath been observed are come in unto my soul b i. e. To my Vital parts so that I am ready to be choaked with them My Soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto Death 2 * Ver. 14. I sink in †Heb. the Mire of death deep mire c Heb. In the Mire of the deep Waters I am not in the Shallows or nigh the Bank but in the middle and deepest Parts and in the very Mire which is at the bottom of the Waters where there is no standing d No firm and sure footing but I sink in deeper and deeper and without thy speedy and Almighty help shall be overwhelmed and destroyed I am come into †Heb. depth of Waters deep waters where * Psal. 18. 4. the floods overflow me 3 I am weary of my crying e I have Prayed and Cryed to God long and servently and yet God seems to neglect and forsake me my throat is dried f With loud and frequent Cryes mine eyes fail g With looking to God for that Assistance which he hath Promised and I Confidently expected but in Vain while I wait for my God 4 They that * Joh. 15. 25. hate me without a cause g are more than the hairs of mine head they that would destroy me being mine enemies wrongfully are mighty then I restored that which I took not away h Without any injury or occasion given them by me i Either because they uniustly and violently forced me to it Or because I was willing to do it to my own wrong for Peace lâ—…ke By this one kind of Wrong he understands all those Injuries and Violences which they Practised against him 5 O God thou knowest my foolishness and my †Heb. 〈◊〉 sins are not hid from thee e. i This is added Either 1. As a Proof of his Innocency which he had now asserted by way of appeal to God do thou O Lord Judge between me and them whether I be Guilty of those Follies and Sins which they lay to my Charge And such Appeals indeed David useth Psal. 7. 3 4. and elsewhere But then they are delivered in form of a Supposition and not a positive Assertion as this is Or rather 2. As an Exception to what he last said But O Lord although I have been innocent to mine Enemies and have given them no cause to Hate or Persecute me as they do yet I must Confess I am guilty of many Sins and Follies against thee and have given thee just Cause to punish me and to give me up into their Hands and to deny or delay thine Help unto me By Foolishness he means Sin as he explains it which is commonly so called in Scripture Or by his Foolishness he means lesser sins Commited through Ignorance or Inconsiderateness and by sins those of a grosser Nature 6 Let not them that wait on thee f i. e. Thy Godly people who relye upon thy Promises which thou hast made to all thine in General and to me in a special manner wherein they also are concerned O LORD GOD of hosts be ashamed g i. e. Frustrated of their just Hopes which will make them ashamed Either to look up upon God or to look upon their Enemies when they shall Reproach them for their Confidence in God for my sake h Either 1. For the sake of my sins last mentioned let not all Good men suffer for my sins Or 2. Because of my sad Disappointments For if they see me Rejected and forsaken of God whom they have esteemed a great example of Faith and Prayer and all Vertue and Piety they will be exceedingly discouraged by this Example which will tend much to thy Dishonour and disservice let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake O God of Israel 7 Because for thy sake i For my trust is in thy Promise and Obedience to thy Commands and Zeal for thy Glory and against all Wickedness All which they turn into matter of Derision and Reproach I have born reproach shame hath covered my face k In which mans Majesty and Glory is most Evident which I am in a manner ashamed to shew amongst men 8 I * Psal. 31. 11. am become a stranger unto my brethen and an alien unto my Mothers children l My nearest Kinsmen estranged themselves from me Partly out of Fear left they should be involved in my sufferings and Chiefly out of dislike of his Piety and excessive Zeal in Religion as it here follows 9 * Psal. 119. 139. Ioh. 2. 17. For m This is the Reason of that Alienation of my brethren and others from me because there is a vast difference and contrarity in our Tempers They mind not the concerns of God and of Religion but are wholly intent upon Wealth and Honour and Worldly greatness the zeal of thine house n That servent Passion which I have for thy House and Service and Glory and People hath eaten me up o Exhausted and wasted my natural Moisture and Vital Spirits which is oft effected by Grief and Anger and servent Love and Desire of which Passions Zeal is Composed * Rom. 15. 3. and the reproaches of them that reproached thee p That speak Contemptuously or Wickedly of thy Name or Providence or Truth or Worship and Service are fallen upon me q Either 1. By imputation They reflect upon me because I am engaged in the defence of thy Cause and Glory which wicked men oppose and despise and therefore must needs suffer in it and with it Or 2. By Choice and Affection I have been as deeply
proper name of the place where that happened and which also was called Massah as is evident from Exod. 17. 7. and Deut. 33. 8. and as in the day of temptation p In the day in which you tempted me Or as in the day of Massah i. e. when you were at Massah in the wilderness 9 When q Or In which place Which may belong either to Meribah and Massah or to the Wilderness last mentioned Or Surely as this word is oft used in Scripture as hath been observed once and again your fathers tempted me proved me and saw r Or Although or After that they saw or had seen Which is added as a just and great aggravation of their unbelief after such a sensible and evident experience of Gods power and goodness to them my works s Both my works of mercy which gave them abundant cause to trust me and my works of justice for which they had reason to fear and please me Heb. my work to wit that great and stupendous work of bringing my people out of Egypt with a strong hand and of conducting them safely through the Red Sea into the Wilderness and of destroying the Egyptians For not many more of Gods great works were done before they came to Meribah 10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation s Or rather with that generation which then lived who were your Ancestors and said It is a people that do err in their hearts t They do not onely sin through infirmity and the violence and surprizal of temptations but their hearts are unsincere and inconstant and given to backsliding and therefore there is no hopes of their amendment Compare Psal. 78. 8. and they have not known u Or they do not know to wit with a practical and useful knowledge as that word commonly notes in Scripture They did not rightly understand nor duly consider nor seriously lay to heart They remain ignorant after all my teachings and discoveries of my self to them my ways x Either 1. my laws or statutes which are frequently called Gods ways Or rather 2. my works as it is expressed v. 9. which also are commonly so called They did not know nor consider and remember those great things which I had wrought for them and among them 11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath y Being full of just wrath against them I passed an irreversible sentence and confirmed it by an Oath of which we read Numb 14. †〈◊〉 if they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my 〈◊〉 that they should not enter into my rest z Into the promised land which is called the rest Deut. 12. 9. See also 1 Chron. 23 25. Psal. 132. 14. And this History the Psalmist propounds to the men of his Age not as a matter of meer speculation but as an instruction for all after Ages and particularly for those Israelites who should live in the times of the Messias that they should take heed of falling after the same example of unbelief as the Apostle insers from this place Heb. 4. 11. PSAL. XCVI This Psalm was composed by David upon occasion or at the time of the bringing of the Ark of God into the Tabernacle which David had prepared for it in Zion as may be gathered by comparing it with 1 Chron. 16. 7. 23 24 c. where almost the whole Psalm is to be found But as the Ark was an evident type of the Messiah which David very well knew as hath been oft noted before so Davids thoughts or at least the design of Gods spirit which indited this Psalm was extended beyond and above it even to the times of the Messiah and to his glorious and universal Kingdom in which not the Jews onely but the Heathen Nations also should worship the true God and kiss his Son the Messiah 1 O * â—… Chron. 16. â—… 〈◊〉 33. 3. Sing unto the LORD a new Song a Upon this new and great occasion not the removal of the Ark wherein there was nothing new but an inconsiderable circumstance of place and that not yet fixed but the coming of the Messiah and the confirming of the New Covenant by his blood and the calling of the Gentiles sing unto the LORD all the earth b All the Nations of the Earth who shall then partake of those great blessings and priviledges which are now peculiar to Israel 2 Sing unto the LORD bless his name shew forth his salvation c That great work of the redemption and salvation of the World by the Messias from day to day 3 Declare his glory among the heathen his wonders among all people d You who shall be called out of all the Heathen Nations to the knowledge of God and Christ publish this glorious and wonderful work amongst all the Heathen Nations to whom you belong or may come 4 For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised * Psal 95 3. he is to be feared above all gods e The gods of the nations as the next Verse expounds it 5 For all the gods of the nations are idols f Or nothings as they are called 1 Cor. 8. 4. and 10. 19. or vain things as the word signifies and is translated by others The sence is Though they have usurped the name and place of the Divine Majesty yet they have nothing of his nature or power in them but the LORD made the heavens 6 Honour and majesty are before him g i. e. In his presence like beams shot out from his face who is the Sun of righteousness There is an unconceivable glory and majesty in his countenance and in the place of his presence strength and beauty are in his sanctuary h Or in his holy place where he records his name and affords his presence There are the manifestations of Gods power and grace or goodness and all his perfections 7 Give unto the LORD O ye kindreds of the people i Or O ye families of the people of the World And the word families may be understood either 1. strictly and properly and so it may be intimated that this great blessing of salvation by Christ should not be imparted to whole Nations but onely to some persons taken out of every people and nation as it is expressed Revel 5. 9. or 2. more largely for nations as it is taken Gen. 12. 3. Ier. 25. 9. Zech. 14. 18. and so it may be implied that not onely some few of the Heathen people should be brought to the acknowledgment and worship of the true God as was usual in the times of the Old Testament but that whole Nations should come in to the Church of God together give unto the LORD k Ascribe to him or acknowledge to be in him glory and strength 8 * Psal. 29. â—… 2. Give unto the LORD the glory †Heb. of his name due unto his name bring an offering and come into his courts l Into
which is called the spirit of a beast Eccles. 3. 11. which is called their breath or spirit for the word is the same there and here v. 29. and here may be called Gods spirit because it was given and preserved by him Or rather 2. thy quickning spirit for here seems to be an opposition between their spirit v. 29. and thy spirit here and this latter is mentioned as the creating or productive cause of the former And this may be understood either 1. of the Holy Ghost to whom no less than to the Father and the Son the work of Creation is ascribed Iob 33. 4. Psal. 33. 6. or rather 2. that quickning power of God by which he produceth life in the Creatures from time to time For he speaks not here of the first Creation but of the continued and repeated production of living Creatures they are created u Either 1. the same living Creatures which were languishing and dying are strangely revived and restored which may not unfitly be called a creation as that word is sometimes used because it is in a manner the giving of a new life and being to a Creature Or 2. other living Creatures are produced or generated the word created being taken in its largest sence for the production of things out of indisposed matter by second Causes as it is used Isa. 41. 20. and 54. 16. c. thou renewest the face of the earth x And thus by thy wise and wonderful Providence thou preservest the succession of living Creatures upon the Earth which otherwise would be desolate or without Inhabitants 31 The glory of the LORD †Heb. shall be shall endure for ever the LORD shall rejoyce in his works y So the sence is Thus God doth and will advance the glory of his wisdom and power and goodness in upholding and continuing the works of his hands from generation to generation and he doth and will take pleasure both in the preservation and blessing of his works as also in his reflection upon these works of his Providence as he did rest and delight himself in the contemplation of his works of Creation as is noted Gen. 1. 31. 2. 2 3. But the words are by divers and as it may seem more agreeably to the Hebrew Text rendred thus Let for the first word is of the Imperative Mood the glory of the Lord endure for ever and let the Lord have joy Or then shall the Lord rejoyce in his works So this is added as a convenient Doxology or Thanksgiving after the Commemoration of his great and gracious works and the sence may be this Seeing therefore God hath enriched the Earth and us with so many fruits of his bounty let it be our constant desire and endeavour that God may be perpetually served and glorified in and by them and that God may be no more grieved at the remembrance of his kindness to us as he was Gen. 6. 5 6. and thereby be again provoked to destroy us but may take pleasure in beholding and cherishing of his own workmanship 32 He looketh on the earth and it trembleth * Psal. 144. 5. he toucheth the hills and they smoke z This is a further illustration of Gods powerful Providence over all the Creatures and their dependence upon him As when he affords his favour to Creatures they live and thrive so on the contrary one angry look or touch of his upon the Hills or Earth makes them tremble and smoke as once Sinai did when God appeared in it And this consideration he may possibly suggest to inforce the foregoing exhortation of glorifying God because if we do not give him the glory due to his name he can quickly right himself and destroy us and all his works 33 * Psal. 146. 2. I will sing unto the LORD a But whatsoever others do I will not fail to give God his glory and due praises as long as I live I will sing praise unto my God while I have my being 34 My meditation b Or my speech or discourse my praising of God mentioned v. 33. of him c Concerning the glory of his works shall be sweet d Either 1. to God he will graciously accept it praise being his most acceptable Sacrifice as is affirmed Psal. 69. 30 31. Or rather 2. to my self as may be gathered from the next Clause He implies that he shall not onely do this work which a man may do unwillingly or by constraint but that he will do it chearfully and with delight which is most pleasing to God I will be glad in the LORD e I will rejoice in the contemplation of Gods works and in praising him for them 35 Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and let the wicked be no more f But as for those ungodly Creatures who do not regard the works of the Lord which is noted as a most grievous sin and punished with a grievous imprecation like this Psal. 28. 4 5. nor give him the glory due to his name but dishonour God and abuse his Creatures and thereby provoke God to destroy the Earth and the men and things which are upon it it is my Prayer for thine honour and for the safeguard of all mankind that those Sinners who obstinately and resolutely continue in this practice of dishonouring and disobeying their Creatour may be taken out of this World that they may no longer infect it nor procure its total destruction Or it may be a prediction delivered in the form of an imprecation as hath been noted before in like Cases bless thou the LORD O my soul g But thou O my Soul come not into this wretched Society but employ thy self in this great work of blessing and praising God and it is my desire and hope that others will follow my Example Praise ye the LORD PSAL. CV The Pen-man of this Psalm was David as is manifest from 1 Chron. 16. 8 c. It is a thanksgiving to God for his mercies to his People of Israel 1 O * 1 Chron. 16. 8. Isai. 12. 4. Give thanks unto the LORD call upon his name a Or proclaim his name i. e. the same and glory of his works as it follows make known his deeds among his people b Each of you amongst his and your people or even among the Heathens as you have opportunity 2 Sing unto him sing psalms unto him talk ye of all his wondrous works 3 Glory ye in his holy name b Glory in the God whom you serve as the onely true God and one of infinite power and goodness let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD c That seek his face or presence as it follows his acquaintance and favour above all the World 4 Seek the LORD and his strength d i. e. by a figure called Hendiaduo the Lord in his strength to wit in his Sanctuary or before the Ark which is called
that Christ though he withdrew himself from her yet left a sweet savour behind him inâ—…using into her and stirâ—…ing up in her the Graces of the Spirit such as Repentance which is bitter as Myrrhe earnest desire after Christ c. and my fingers with †Heb. passing or running about Nah. 1. 8. Heb. sweet smelling myrrhe upon the handles of the lock t Heb. with 〈◊〉 passing or flowing upon the handles of the lock which place the Bridegroom had touched when he attempted to open it 6 I opened to my beloved but my beloved had withdrawn himself u Denied me his gracious and comfortable presence as a just punishment for my former neglect and â—…olly and was gone x Either she repeats the same thing to shew how deeply she was affected with it Or this is added to imply that he had not only stepped aside but was quite gone away my soul failed y Heb. went out of me I fainted and was ready to die away through excessive passion as this Phrase is used Gen. 35. 18. 42. 28. and elsewhere when he spake z Or for what he spoke for those endearing Expressions related v. 2. which then I did not heed but this sad occasion brings them to my remembrance as oft times that word which is ineffectual when it is preached is afterwards brought to a mans Mind and produceth blessed effects I * Ch. 3. 1. sought him a By diligent enquiry and importunate Prayer but I could not find him I called him but he gave me no answer b That so he might both chastise her folly and quicken her desires and prepare the way for a more hearty welcome and his longer abode with her 7 The watch-men that went about the city c The Governours of the Church as Ch. 3. 3. who though by their place and office they be obliged to comfort and protect the faithful do frequently discourage and oppress them as they manifestly did both in the days of Isaiah and Ieremiah and the other holy Prophets and in the time of Christ and his Apostles and in divers other Ages found me they smote me they wounded me d With bitter Calumnies and Persecutions the keepers of the walls e The same with the Watch-men whose Office it is to keep the Gates and Walls of the City took away my vail f Which was an ornament of her Sex Isa. 3. 23. and a badge of her Modesty Gen. 24. 65. or an ensign of her Relation and Subjection to Christ Gen. 20. 16. 1 Cor. 11. 5. And so the taking of this Veil away signifies their contemptuous and injurious usage of her their endeavours to blast her Reputation and to represent and treat her as a common and impudent prostitute and as one that had no Relation to Christ. from me 8 I charge you O daughters of Jerusalem g Of whom see on ch 1. 5. 2. 7. The Church having passed the Watch-men and patiently born and in a manner forgotten their injuries proceeds in the pursuit of her beloved and enquires of every particular Believer or Professor whom she meets concerning him if ye find my beloved †Heb. what that ye tell him that I am sick of love h That I am ready to faint for want of his presence and the tokens of his Favour Use all your interest and importunity with him on my behalf 9 What is thy beloved more than another beloved i Wherein doth he excel them Which Professors of Religion might ask because they were ignorant of Christs Excellency and true Believers might ask it that they might be more fully informed of it and might give the Spouse occasion to discourse of that subject which was very grateful to them * Ch. 1. 8. O thou fairest among women k Whose Beauty may command the Respects and Affections of the most worthy persons and therefore we conclude it must be some person of transcendent excellency with whom thou are so highly enamoured What is thy beloved more than another beloved that thou dost so charge us 10 My beloved is white and ruddy l Which two colours rightly mixed together make a Face beautiful Or the white may note his pure and spotless Innocency and the brightness of his Glory and Majesty and the ruddy colour may intimate his bloody passion which made him amiable both to God and Men. †Heb. a standard-bearer or taller than ten thousand the chiefest m Heb. the standard bearer for such are usually persons of great Eminency both for Stature and Courage and Dignity among ten thousand n Among all persons Angels or Men. A certain number is put for an uncertain There are other Kings and Priests and Prophets but none to be compared with him 11 His head is as the most fine gold o It shines like Gold not in respect of the Hair which is black as it followeth but by reason of his Crown of pure Gold upon his Head Rev. 14. 14 Whereby she implies that her Bridegroom was a King which she declared above ch 3. 11. his locks p In which a part of Mans Beauty consists I shall not trouble my Reader with a distinct application of this and the following particulars unto some special part or excellency of Christ because such things are meer conjectures without any solid grounds and the only design of this description seems to be this to set forth the beauty of Christ under the notion of a most compleat and amiable person in whom there is no defect nor blemish from the crown of his Head to the sole of his Feet are ‖ Or curled bushy and black as a raven q Which is mentioned partly because this was esteemed a beauty and partly because it was an evidence of his Youth and vigor as grey hairs are characters of age and infirmity Hos. 7. 9. 12 * Ch. 1. 15. 4. 1. His eyes are as the eyes of doves r Lovely and pleasant chaste and innocent by the rivers of waters s Where they delight to abide and wherewith they bath themselves and wash their Eyes where also their Eyes are most lively and beautiful both by the reflection of the waters and from that pleasure which they take in such places washed with milk t Which may belong either 1. To the Eyes which are supposed to be washed with water as white and pure as Milk Or 2. To the Doves which are intimated to be of a milk-white colour which in those parts was most esteemed which colour also made the Eyes appear more lovely and †Heb. sitting in fulness that is fitly placed set as a precious stone in the soil of a Ring fitly set u Neither sinking into the Head nor standing out too much but in a moderate and comely scituation Heb. sitting in fullness which may note a full and competently large Eye which is esteemed one
away safe and none g Neither the Iews themselves nor the Egyptians to whose help they will trust nor any of their Confederates shall deliver it 30 And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea h Which is violent and frightful and if one * Chap. 8. 22. look unto the land behold darkness and ‖ Or distress sorrow i Darkness to wit Sorrow the latter Word explains the former and the Particle and is put expositively as it is frequently ‖ Or when it is light it shall be dark in the destructions thereof and the light is darkned in the heavens thereof k When they look up to the Heavens as men in distress usually do they see no Light there their Comforts are wholly eclipsed and their Hopes are like the giving up of the Ghost CHAP. VI. IN the year that * 2 Kings 15. 7. king Uzziah died I * John 12. 41. saw a In a Vision or Ecstasie also the Lord b Either 1. God the Son who frequently appeared to the Patriarchs and Prophets and that sometimes in the form of a Man Or rather 2. the Divine Majesty as he subsisteth in Three Persons as may be gathered both from the Plural Number â—…s used of this Lord v. 8. and by comparing other Scriptures for God the Father is described as sitting upon a Throne Dan. 7. 9 13. and elsewhere and the Glory of God here manifested is said to be Christ's Glory Iob. 12. 41. and the Words of the Lord here following are said to be spoken by the Holy Ghost Act. 28. 25. sitting upon a throne c In the posture of a Judge to hear Causes and give Sentence high and lifted up d Towards the Roof of the Temple and ‖ Or the skirts thereof his train e Or as the Word properly signifies and is here rendred by divers the skirts or borders of him or of it to wit his Royal and Judicial Robe for he is represented as a Judge filled the temple f His glorious Robes reached down to the bottom of the Temple and were spread abroad in the Temple which was an Evidence of a more than ordinary Majesty The Temple may be here taken either 1. largely and so it includes the Courts as well as the House as that Word is oft used or 2. strictly for the House it self or for that part of the Temple in which this Vision was exhibited which may seem to have been the Porch for that was much higher than the other Parts 2 Above it stood g As Ministers attending upon their Lord and waiting to receive and execute his Commands the Seraphims h Certain holy and blessed Angels thus called from fire and burning which this Word properly signifies to represent either 1. their Nature which is bright and glorious subtil and pure and spiritual like Fire or 2. their Property of fervent Zeal for God's Service and Glory or 3 their Office and present Employment which was to execute God's Vengeance upon the Iews and to burn them up like Dross each one had six wings * Ezek. 1. 11. with twain he covered his face i Out of profound Reverence as being so sensible of the infinite distance between God and him that he durst not presume to look directly upon him and judg'd himself neither able nor worthy to behold the Brightness of his Glory and with twain he covered his feet k Either 1. his secret Parts which sometimes come under that name as Deut. 28. 57. Isa. 7. 20. 36. 12. of which see more in my Latin Synopsis upon Exod. 4. 25. And so this is done for our â—…nstruction to teach us Modesty and Chastity Or 2. their Feet properly so called as that Word is generally used from which use we should not depart without necessity which with submission seems not to be in this place And so this may signifie a sence of their own natural though not moral Infirmity and a desire that God would not too severely examine all their Ways and Actions which the feet commonly signifie because though they did not swerve from God's Commands yet they were not worthy of the acceptation nor suitable to the Dignity of so glorious a Majesty and with twain he did flie l Which signifies their great forwardness and expedition in executing God's Commands Comp. Dan. 9. â—…1 3 And †Heb. this cried to this one cried unto another m Singing in Consort the Praises of their Lord. and said * Rev. 4. 3. Holy holy holy n 〈◊〉 is repeated thrice either 1. to intimate the Trinity of Persons united in the Divine Essence or 2. that he was most eminently and unquestionably holy in his present Work of Judgment and in all his Ways such Repetitions being very frequent in Scripture for the greater assurance of the thing as Ier. 7. 4. Ezek. 21. 9. is the LORD of hosts †Heb. his glory is the fulness of the whole earth the whole earth o Not onely Conaan to which the Iews did vainly and arrogantly confine the Presence of God but all the World Which seems to have a respect to the Conversion of the Gentiles which did accompany the plenary and last Execution of this Judgment here threatned against the Jewish Nation v. 10. as is evident by comparing this with Mat. 13. 14 15. Act. 28. 19. and other places of the New Testament is full of his glory p Of the Effects and Demonstrations of his glorious Holiness as well as of his Power and Wisdom and Goodness 4 And the posts of the †Heb. threâ—… door q Together with the Door it self as if the Door was to be removed and the Temple thereby to be exposed to the view and rapine of profane Persons Such violent Motions were commonly Tokens of God's Anger moved at the voice of him that cried r To wit the Angel which cried v. 3. and the house was filled with smoak s Which elsewhere is a Token of God's Presence and Acceptance as Exod. 40. 34. 1 Kings 8. 10. but here of his Anger as Psal. 18. 8. and elsewhere 5 Then said I Wo is me for I am †Heb. cut off undone because I am a man of unclean lips t I am a great Sinner as many other ways so particularly by my Lips which being in a special manner consecrated to God by my Prophetical Office should have been intirely devoted to him But alas my Speeches either to God in Prayer or from God in Preaching and Prophecying to the People have been mixed and defiled with so much irreverence dulness distraction of Thoughts and Affections carnal Fear and many other Infirmities that I dread the thoughts of appearing before thy Judgment-seat which I see erected in this place For Isaiah had been a Prophet before this time chap. 1. 1. and was now called