66.17 or in quality only that is when it comes by some accident of which Deut. 17.1 of this is meant in this place as the 8. verse sheweth And so here seemes to be a double fault taxed by the Spirit of God one in the people and the other in the Priests and so a double duty exacted of them the peoples fault was in bringing of polluted offerings and presenting them unto the Priests their duty was to have brought such as were sound entire and perfect the Priests fault was in receiving them at their hands and not reproving and prohibiting them his duty was to have instructed them what sacrifice they were to bring and to reject that which was uncleane and not according to the Law Now these sacrifices were to be cleane and pure and perfect ad typum capitis to shew the perfect purity of Christs humane nature 2 Cor. 5.21 1 Pet. 1.17 Secondly ad typum corporis to shew what they should be who are members of him and that offer these sacrifices unto God that they should be perfect to every good worke 2 Tim. 5. and Rom. 12.1 3. So that then besides that which hath been spoken for the sacrifice we may gather out of the peoples fault comparing outward things with inward the type with the truth that seeing God reasons on this sort if they who bring polluted offerings unto me contemne me then such as come polluted in themselves much more Doctrine They who come to the publique service of God and come to offer him any sacrifice must not be uncleane and polluted in their hearts and lives but must come with holinesse and purity for if their sacrifice must be such then themselves and the sacrifices were commanded to be such because they themselves ought to be such When God reproved Israel for it Isaiah 1. and 66.3 and Jerm 7.9 10. he sheweth what he required of them and of others to this purpose is Psal 4.4 5. Gen. 35.2 Joshua 24.16 19 23. Reas 1 Because God else will not accept their service for he first looks to their person and then their service Gen. 4.4 for the sacrifice doth not sanctifie the person but the person it as Haggai 2.13 14. Proverb 15.8 Reas 2 Because else that which God offers and gives to them is made hurtfull unto them not that God gives any evill but because they are evill that receive it As the Sacrament to Judas Christ gave not that which was evill nor did he being the Physitian give the poyson but Judas being wicked it became evill unto him for as the spyder and the adder turn good meat into poyson and as a corrupt stomacke abounding with choler and such like turneth the meat they eate into choler and the finer the meat is it is the sooner turned to corruption so is it in this thing Titus 1.15 Vnto the pure are all things pure but unto them that are defiled and unbeleeving is nothing pure but even their mindes and consciences are defiled Vse 1 To reprove all such as have no care to purge and purifie themselves before they come unto the house of God to his service that come without repentance without preparation full of their drunkennes whoredomes usuries adulteries and such like sinnes They are more guilty of contempt against the Lord then if they withdrew themselves altogether from his obedience and house A man having committed some offence against his Prince being summoned to appeare personally in his presence if he refuse to come at him and shun his sight may well be condemned of contumacy but not of contempt for he may do it out of fear and contempt and fear cannot stand together in one subject but if he shall confidently come appeare before him as if he had done no such thing or not offended him shew no sorrow for his offence make no promise of amendement nay shall rather stand in it with an impudent face avow it professe to persist in it this must needs be judged a grosse outragious contempt Now the place of Gods worship is his presence and he that commeth thither commeth to look God full in the face as Cain was cast out from the face of the Lord. Gen. 4.16 If he come not he shall suffer as contumax as rebellious and disobedient but he that commeth polluted with the filth of his sin unrepented of with a purpose to persist he shall be punished as a contemner They who refused to come were shut out but he that came in his old cloathes was bound hand and foot cast into utter darknes Math. 22. he that is willfully absent excluding himselfe from the society of the Saints in the time of grace shal be barred their company in the time of glory for ever but he that presumeth to appeare there with the guilt of his sinne on him shall have a farre greater portion in Hell fire he shall suffer as in case of contempt like an insolent rebell that bourdeth his Prince to his face in his owne Palace and in the mean time all their prayers are unaccepted yea they are turned into sinne to them they obtaine nothing of God more then he would give them though they never prayed with which he feeds them but for the slaughter yea and hence we profit nor them by preaching but make them worse wee are not the savour of life unto them but of death by the word they are hardned in their sins by this two edged sword they are daily wounded because their sinnes are not wounded their persons are and the more fearefully because their wounds are not sensible yea by the Sacraments the Devill as upon Judas so upon them taketh more sure possession and raignes in them Vse 2 To teach every one to labour to be holy when he commeth to Gods house holines becomes it to put away iniquity and sin farre from him when God cals him cast of his patched cloak as did blinde Bartimaeus Mark 9. we deal so when we go before Princes as Joseph did Gen. 41.14 much more we ought to doe so with God Moses and Joshua were commanded to put off their shoes when they approached to God and were to stand upon holy ground we are hereby taught saith Ambrose Ep. 16. to shake off the dust and scoure off the soyle that our soules and lives gathered by fleshly occasions and worldly courses ere wee come to tread the Courts of Gods house There was a Laver of brasse Exod. 30.18 19. for Aaron and his sonnes to wash in before they offered any thing at the Altar to shew what we should doe being made the Lords Preists to this David alluded Psal 26.6 I will wash mine hands in innocency O Lord and compasse thine Altar And this ought we to doe that our prayers may be heard and be acceptable that our hearing and receiving of the Sacraments may be fruitfull unto us else Psal 66.18 If I regard wickednesse in mine heart the Lord will not heare me and we being
Malachy The third person is the Instrument and by his hand that is by his worke and ministery some thinke it is said rather by the hand than the mouth to shew how uncorruptly hee delivered this and not by the mouth because the mind and mouth are more apt to corrupt a message than the hand which carrieth sealed letters But without opposition I take it to be the phrase of the Scripture to note the Ministery of him and others as 1 Sam. 11.7 and 28.17 The Lord hath done as he hath spoke by my hand Malachy signifies my Messenger or my Angell whence riseth the errour of Origen as Hieronimus in hunc locum that an Angell came and tooke the shape of man and delivered this But Hierome shews that the nature of a person is not to be taken notice of from the notation or Etymologie of his name for then whereas Hoseah signifies a Saviour and Joel the Lord God these should not be men but Angels or the Lord or the Saviour of the world which if it follows not then not this But whether he was Mordecai as some thinke or Ezra as most it is not certaine the conjectures of men for the latter are probable but easily answered It is safer to content our selves with that which is revealed than rashly or slenderly to affirme any thing in so weighty matters especially when it is not so needfull that we should enquire into it whether hee had his name from his birth or circumcision or it is a name of office it is not knowne It hath ever beene thought a vaine curiosity to make enquiry for the Messengers name and title when the message is most certaine Judg. 13.18 as here it is by the testimony of the New Testament There were in the Church three sorts of Prophets some that were to be perpetually in it and to exercise a perpetuall office to answer men when they enquir'd of them after the custome of time and manner as Samuel Hosea Elishar Some for a time both for this and also to stand up in Gods person for some particular thing to fore-tell it which being done they ended their office as Amos who prophesied for two yeares before the Earthquake Thirdly some who were onely once to prophesie and fore-tell things which done their office ceased as Jonah to the Ninevites Abdias to the Edomites and of this sort is our Prophet Doctrine God in revealing his will and publishing of his heavenly riches the mysteries of Christ and his Salvation hath and doth ordinarily use the ministery of Man ordinarily I say because at some time he hath used Angels to some particular and upon extraordinary occasions yet never ordinarily and generally in an ordinary established Church but alwayes the ministery of men which thing is witnessed by the testimony of all times and all Churches as well in the Stories of the Scriptures as other Prophets Priests Apostles Ministers How often that in the Old Testament I rose up earely and sent my Prophets In the New as they were men imployed under Christ Ephes 4.8 We have this treasure in earthen vessels 2 Cor. 4.7 and we are Embassadors for Christ 2 Cor. 5.20 Reas 1 Because Angels presence would have beene fearefull as Luke 1.12 and so unprofitable their Ministery for things would have passed away as they heard it for feare breeds such a lassitude in the joynts that man lets that goe he seemed to hold so of the mind Reas 2 To honour the nature of man for if to be mans much more Gods Embassadour He could have done all by an Angell Poterat utique per Angelum omnia fieri sed abjecta esset humana conditio se per homines hominibus Verbum suum administrare nolle videretur Aug. De 〈◊〉 Christiana 〈…〉 praefat but the humane condition had beene vilified if he had seem'd not to administer his Word by men unto men Reas 3 Because the message rather than the messengers should be regarded and if any thing be effected it might be given to the power of God and not the meanes If hee had not sent it in earthen vessels but by some glorious Angell they would have left the thing and have worshipped the person Revel 22.8 or if any thing had beene wrought they would have attributed it to the power of the meanes not to God but that they should not he thus disposed 2 Cor. 4.7 Vse 1 This ought to be matter of encouragement to the Ministers of God that their labour in preaching and performing the worke of their Ministery be not tedious unto them when it is so thank lesse an office unto men and the more they labour in it the lesse they partake of their double honour 1 Tim. 5.17 nay full of contempt and as Jeremy 20.7 8. yet they serving the Lord in their Ministery he vouchsafing them that honour ought to swallow up all these knowing that we are not to be ashamed of the Gospell of Christ because it is the power of God to salvation Rom. 1 1◠and whosoever shall finde it and receive it by them to beleeve beautifull shall their feet be unto them though others charge them as Pharaoh did Moses that they see their face no more But if none will yet he will not suffer them to goe unregarded because he hath set them on worke they are his Ministers as Esay 49.4 5. I said I have laboured in vaine I have spent my strength for nought yet surely my worke or my reward is with my God And though Israel be not gathered yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord. Vse 2 To teach men not to be offended or basely to accompt of the ministery of the Word and the mysteries of Salvation because they are brought unto them in such earthen vessels by so weake meanes for it is the worke and word of the Lord howsoever by the ministery of man weake and base Was it that he wanted glorious Angels that he used not them he had thousand thousands of them but for mans infirmity Was it that he had no power over the Kings and Nobles of the Earth that hee imployed not them if he had spoken the word they could not have resisted He that had David a Prophet and Solomon a Preacher though not ordinary could have made them and other Princes ordinary Preachers and Ministers but their greatnesse would have obscured his power Why then hath he chosen meane men That the basenesse and meane condition of the person might give place to his glory that men might not dote on the person but delight in the ministery and message therefore as Princes shut up their treasures not in goodly and sumptuous chests but in caskets of no price and of base matter to deceive the theefe and to convay it whither they would have it so God these to lay a stumbling blocke to the reprobate but as many as are called and chosen to make it the power of God and the wisdome of God to them
himselfe for it as for other sinnes which stands not in the sorrowing for and disliking of that which is past but in striving against it for the future time ever taking this as a rule for so God intends it for reproving their corruption by this he intends it should be their rule to measure out duties to him by that duty which they owe unto man and performe unto him because they are naturally more prone to the one than to the other As he made the love of a mans selfe the rule of his love to others because it is more naturall unto him by much so in this when any man is then about duties to God if not otherwise he have a heart to doe them in all simplicity yet as Chrysost Hom. 16. in 1 Tim. if not otherwise yet as servants obey us so let us the Lord. So as wee would doe duties to men doe them to God if not otherwise and thinke whether the Prince or a man of any worth would accept such things from us If God send his messengers and Ministers to us bringing glad tidings of peace thinke wee if the Prince should send an Ambassadour unto us with good comforts and great promises how would we heare him and strive to it how use him with reverence and respect by no meanes deny him any obedience much lesse abuse him in word or deed So for the Ministers if they were sent from men to men what faithfulnesse care and diligence would they use Thinke when thou art to pray to God how thou wouldest put up a petition to the Prince with what submission reverence attention and humility If thou art to come to his Table and called to it thinke how if the Prince called thee to his thou wouldest remove impediments set aside excuses come with all preparation as a guest fitting his Table God requires service of thee as his servant thinke if thou wert the Kings servant in ordinary what wouldest thou doe for the time thy service is required doe that and wholly that and little of thy owne the most of the day spent in his So thinke if thou beest Gods servant what is required of all the dayes of thy life the chiefest and greatest part of it God requires almes and reliefe of thee a portion for his servants and houshold his Levites and Ministers and the poore Doe not use them as men doe the Kings takers hide the best things from them and thinke every thing too good thou knowest he will not then accept thy person but be angry with thee So in this Thou wilt say many Ministers are wicked and unworthy so thou maist say of many takers and purveyours yet if thou deny to them the Kings due though they shall be punished yet shalt thou be checked So in this looke to God and not them VERSE IX And now I pray you pray before God that he may have mercy upon us this hath beene by your meanes will he reward your persons saith the Lord of Hostes AND now I pray you pray before God After the Prophet had reproved their sinnes he comes to threaten them for them in the rest of this Chapter and these judgments or punishments threatened may be reduced to these two heads they are either privative that is a withdrawing of Gods mercies vers 9. ad 14. or they are positive an inflicting of a curse vers 14. The first is double a rejecting of their prayers and sacrifices vers 9. and a rejecting of them who did pray or sacrifice vers 10. secondly a removing of his worship from them to the Gentiles vers 11 12 13. In this Verse is the rejecting of their prayers And now pray This some take to be an exhortation to Repentance and to seeke the Lord as Zephan 2.3 but some and the most understand this Ironicè by an Ironia and thinke it is spoken in derision like Isaiah 47.12 1 King 22.15 So here he commands nothing but derides them who thought thus to reconcile God by such sacrifices As if he had said Long may ye doe thus but prevaile nothing at all Pray before the Lord Some read entreate the face of God that is the favor of God for so is face taken for favor Psal 31.16 some read Pray to turne away the face of God that is his anger as Psal 34.16 some before the Lord to the Lord himself or in the place where he sheweth himself seeking unto him by prayer Psal 27.8 And of these this is the most probable That he may have mercy upon us He alludeth as it is thought to that Numb 6.35 .i. that he would be gracious and mercifull unto us forgive us our sinnes and multiply his mercies and blessings upon us upon us Prophet and people the Prophet putteth himselfe amongst the rest as partaker of the same miseries and troubles This hath been by your means Now the Prophet laieth upon the Priests the cause of this curse that is befallen the people some referre this to the former part shewing that they should pray because they had been in fault It is true that they ought chiefest to seeke to turne to God that are authors of his wrath But then should this be taken by way of exhortation not upbrayding But this is referred of some to the latter shewing the reason why God will not heare nor accept because they are authors of this evill and therefore unfit to pray to God for the rest This hath been by your meanes by your fault hath this evill happened unto us for it is not so much the fault of the people who bring such imperfect sacrifice to the Temple as yours who receive them for gaine and neither reprove the impiety of the people nor instruct their ignorance as by your office you ought Will he That is he will not the Interrogation denies more strongly Regard your persons will he accept your persons and faces To accept ones face is to shew himselfe courteous and gracious to any He will give to none of you nor accept your prayers That which was spoken closely by an Ironie and carried the face of a permission or command that is now plainly and without figures spoken shewing that he rejected both them and their sacrifices Saith the Lord of Hosts He that made all in Heaven and Earth and is ruler over all creatures the mighty Lord. As it were to meete with the base conceit they had of God preferring every meane man before him In the first place of this covert rejecting of their prayers and first of the manner then the matter The manner is an ironicall speech or speech of derision Doctrine It is lawfull for the Ministers of God and for holy men to use Ironies that is scoffing speeches deriding taunts against the wicked For so is it here by the Prophet So Elijah 1 Kings 18.27 And at noone Eliiah mocked them and said cry aloud for he is a God either he talketh or pursueth his Enemies or is in his journey or it may be
conditions at all or as it should be performed were he not a foole Sure in all your judgements he were very unwise And yet alas how many fools and unwise men have we who deale thus lay all upon Gods fidelitie and performe nothing themselves at all As if God must needs performe because he had promised and could not be faithfull unlesse he did perform when they keep no condition Many a man deluded by Satan and his owne secure heart perswades himselfe God hath been mercifull unto him and forgiven him his sins though he never came truly to see sinne nor to sorrow for sinne nor forsake and reforme his corruptions wherein true repentance consisteth and which is the condition on mans part if ever he would have God take away his sinne and put them out of his remembrance Many one thinkes God had performed his covenant of temporall things because he is in the middest of abundance and hath his barnes full and his bagges full and every where findes he increaseth though he never made any conscience of his wayes and the workes of God but at best lived but civilly and kept his credit with men and sees not that he is deceived sees that these are but things that are common things wherewith he is but fatted for the shambles and such as are reserved for his evill And for time to come many doubt not but they shall obtaine great things in this life and that God will give them honour and favour and riches and abundance though they never keepe condition with him Fools and blinde who know they cannot live except they eate not reap except they sow not recover health except they use physicke and the means appointed And yet thinke without performing the grand meanes and condition with God they shall have what he hath promised and so happily they may But as Israel had a King in Gods wrath and quails in his displeasure And as the Physitian gives his patient liberty to eate what he list when he is out of all hope and despaires of ever recovering him Many a man perswades himselfe that God will save him though he never was able to performe the condition of the Law neither ever endevoured to performe the condition of the Gospell Truly this is not to beleeve but deceive himselfe with an opinion of faith he neither having the knowledge of the promises the ground of it nor workes the answerable fruits of it And so hath but a vaine foolish and dead faith But he shall know his folly when God shall manifest unto him that he is not bound to perform promise because he never kept condition Vse 3 To teach every man that hath any desire that God should performe covenant with him to endevour to performe conditions with God * Cum dominus promittit ne dubites sed illa fac per quae tales attrahere poteris promissiones Chry. hom 25. ad popul Anti. He must first seek to know what they are God requires of him and then do them for without that he cannot do And his searching for knowledge must not onely be for the generall but for the particulars of his place what command is sent to him and then faithfully do it that Gods covenant may stand We must repent beleeve and obey the Gospell and Commandments of God For it is godlinesse that hath the promises and shall have the performance Let such a one remember 1 Tim. 4.8 and Prov. 21.21 Yea he may assure himselfe that if he apply himself to that which God requireth of him and he hath covenanted for he shall be sure to finde him that hath been a willing promiser a most faithfull performer For parum erat promissio etiam scripto se teneri voluit Aug. in Psal 119. And so no good thing that he hath promised shall faile but shall all be made good Joshua 22.15 My covenant with Levi Here is the honour and dignity he had bestowed upon them having made a speciall agreement and covenant with them Doctrine The Lord hath specially honoured his messengers and servants the Priests in the old and the Ministers in the new Testament for he hath not onely made the generall covenant with them I will be their God they my people but hath made a particular and speciall agreement and covenant with them So here and Numb 8.13.14 Thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron and before his sons and offer them as a shake offering to the Lord. Thus thou shalt separate the Levites from among the children of Israel and the Levites shall be mine 1 Sam. 2.28 And I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my Priest to offer upon mine Altar and to burn Incense and to weare an Ephod before me and I gave unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel Joh. 15.15 2 Cor. 3.6 Reason 1 Because they are of his privy counsell and know his secret Amos 3.7 Surely the Lord God will doe nothing but he revealeth his secrets unto his servants the Prophets Privy counsellours are specially honoured and have a particular covenant made with them Reason 2 Because they are his messengers his embassadours 2 Cor. 5.20 they are specially honoured and new sworne a new covenant Vse 1 No reason why the great and rich men of the world should contemne the ministry for their children as too base a thing and not fit for their sonnes when as God hath thus honoured it and taken them so neere unto himselfe In respect of which Amos who was beleeved to be the brother of Azariah the King of Judah thought it no base thing his sonne should be a Prophet neither Christ himselfe to be a preacher Vse 2 This may be a caveat for men to take heede how they abuse or injure the ministers who are so neere unto him and whom he hath thus honoured certainly they ought to honour him though it goe against the haire and stomacke with them as with Haman because he would have them honoured but if not but they abuse and disgrace them and use them as the Ammonites did Davids servants Let them take heede they stinke not in his nostrils for if Princes be tender hearted and stone affected with the injuries of their common subjects and will revenge them what will they doe for their counsellours their embassadours And yet meane men will now abuse them in words and contemne as farre as they can for the law of man if they sing not placentia if they teach crosse to their humours but their portion is with the Lord and so is theirs who so abuse them And one day they shall both know whether is better to reprove and lift up his voyce and spare not or to spare and reforme nothing Vse 3 It may comfort the minister against contempt when he is faithfull yet to be still so and bold remembring his honour God hath given him which is better then all the honour man can affoord
hiric being put for pathach is of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and hath all those significations To grow To multiply To grow fat To expaliate To bee wanton To leape and friske As calves of the stall Chald. Tigur Pagn The French the Geneva As fat calves The Lxx Like calves at liberty Vulg. As calves out of the herd that feed and pasture together among the rest and grow fat at grasse as it is Ier. 50.11 But Marbek is Saginarium The place stable or as our English hath it The Stall where calves are fatted Jer. 46.21 Her hired men are like bullocks of the stall So the Hebr. and the margin there agreeable to it 1 Sam. 28.24 The woman had a calfe of the stall Our Transl render it according to the Chalde A fat calfe And yee shall tread downe the wicked 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word used nowhere else in the Bible The Chald. You shall thresh The Lxx and Tertul. quoting this lib. de Resurr Vulg. Pagn Ours c. You shall tread upon or tread downe the wicked that is You shall be over them A plain difference then shall be found between you and them notwithstanding mens profane conceits to the contrary For they shall be ashes under your feet Montan. and Geneva Dust under the soles of your feet In the day that I shall doe this What day that is see before upon verse 1. From this prophecie of the approaching of Christs comming he takes occasion in the name of the Lord 1. To exhort them to study the Law Verse 4. 2. To prepare their expectation of Christ by prophecying again of his fore-runner Verse 5 6. Verse 4 I. He takes occasion to exhort them because as it is very probable hee knew himselfe to bee the last of the Prophets and that they should be destitute of that helpe any longer diligently to search and study the Law in the meane season till the comming of Christ to whom the Law in all the parts of it doth lead vers 4. Remember yee the Law of Moses my servant which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel with the Statutes and Judgements The Law here may be taken comprehensively for all the doctrine of Moses which is divided Deut. 6.1 into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Commandements the morall Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Statutes the ceremoniall Law and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Judgements the Judiciall Law or it may be taken principally for the Morall the other two being afterward repeated The Law of Moses It is usuall for writings to carry the names of them that pen them as Davids Psalter And Moses was the Law-giver to Israel from God Hee hath his name from that accident in his infancie Exod. 2.10 Shee called his name Moses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mosche that is Drawn out and shee said because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I drew him out of the water In ancient time they wrote his name Moyses either thinking it to bee compounded of the Aegyptian words Mo Water and Hyses Saved or being acquainted with the Syrians pronunciation Muses as the Syrians at this day and the Turkes doe pronounce it as Cutlu Muses an usuall name among them that is Happy Moses and joyning ours with it of Moses and Muses made Moyses but corruptly Thus Drus in quaest Hebr. Among the Aegyptians he was called Mneves as Fr. Junius quotes it out of Diodorus Siculus See his note ad Exod. 2.10 Ioh. Weems Christ Synag lib. 1. cap. 1. pag. 21. following Aben-ezra sayes they called him Monios But see Junius Loco citato Moses is mentioned by some Heathen Poets as a Law-giver Iuvenal Sat. 14. Tradidit arcano quodcunque volumine Moses And Arator Non haec jejunia Moses condidit The law which I gave unto him in Horeb A mountain in the Country of Amalek and in the wildernesse of Sinai so called because of the drinesse and barrennesse of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To be dried and To wither It is called 1 King 19.8 Horeb the mount of God not in regard of the height of it as tall Cedars are called The Cedars of God but because the Lord appeared there and gave the Law for Horeb is mount Sinai one mountaine with two tops the Easterne called Sinai and the Westerne Horeb. Iac. Bonfrer in his Onomasticon tells us he hath disputed this question upon Exod. 3.1 which booke I have not and therefore referre the Reader to consult him there It is at this day called Saint Catharius mountaine Which I gave him God gave Moses the Morall Law writ with his owne hand as Deut. 10.2 seemes to prove See Weemse Expos vol. 1. lib. 1. exerc 3. For all Israel Pagn To Mont. upon 1 for the use of all Israel With the Statutes and Iudgements Of them before Only let me not passe this verse without notice of that which to me seemes very observable That the truth is Commentators upon this place can scarcely make a cleare and faire coherence of this verse with the fore-going but as if the Prophet were full of this necessary point Hee inserts it though to our seeming somewhat abruptly rather than not mention it An observation that offers unto our thoughts The very great necessity of acquainting our selves with Gods Law the benefit of which I referre the Reader to find commended unto him in a learned and very fruitfull Treatise of Mr. H. Mason Hearing and Doing chap. 5. This point hath beene much beat upon by the Fathers in their Sermons or Homilies to the people in their Exhortations and Epistles to their private and deare friends Many of our men in handling the controversie about permitting the reading of the Scripture to the people have collected many and plentifull instances I spare them Only I would note the piety of some persons in their assiduous study of Gods Law It is a known History which they relate of Alphonsus King of Arragon Let mee adde what Herebert Rosweyd the Iesuit reports of Thomas a Kempis the devout Author of those books which are and deserve to be in every ones hand De Imitatione Christi That as he spent his houres in reading the holy Scripture so hee wrote out the whole Bible divided into foure Tomes fairely and legibly with his own hand And yet a great scholler too he was a man wedded to his book so much that this was his usuall saying and that which hee was wont to write in the beginning of his books In een hoexken met een boexken In omnibus requiem quaesivi nusquam inveni nisi in angelo cum libello I have sought content in all things but never found it unlesse with a booke in a nooke But his most delight was in the booke of God How much was his zeale beyond the temper of these times when many think it would hinder their schollership to read much or oft in the Bible which perhaps also is not to bee found in some well furnished studies The neglect of which and