Cup wherein he used to drink into the Sack of the youngest And this possibly He did to try how they stood affected to his Father and to his Brother Benjamin conceiving that if they envied Benjamin as formerly they envy'd Him they would be glad to see him apprehended for Theft and cast into Prison This being done early in the morning they began their Journey homeward But they were not gone far out of the City before Joseph's Steward follows after them and overtakes them and then begins to expostulate highly with them and upbraid them that they had so ill requited his Master for his great kindness to them He charges them that they had stolen his Masters silver Cup in which he himself did drink and by which he used to divine (q) It seems the Egyptians thought that by reason of his Skill in Interpreting Dreams He us'd Divinations as their Magicians and Wise men did and possibly Joseph was not unwilling it should be believ d He could do it to keep them in better awe though he only rationally guessed at things and follow'd the guidance and direction of the Spirit of God whose assistance He had great experience of and discover and foretell secret and hidden things The men were strangely surpriz'd and amaz'd at this unexpected Charge and said to him God forbid that thy Servants should be found such manner of men as thou accusest us to be Thou knowest we brought again the money which we found in our Sacks when we came home And therefore surely we cannot with any reason be suppos'd to be men that would steal ought from thy Master We are so well assur'd of our innocency in this matter that let us all be search'd and if thy Masters Cup be found among us let him with whom it is found die for it and all the rest of us will be thy Masters Bondmen The Steward replies He would not deal so rigorously with them but according to their own offer he would search them and He only with whom the Cup was found should be his Servant the rest should be blameless Hereupon immediately they all took down their Sacks and the Steward searched them all beginning at the eldest and so going on to the youngest viz. Benjamin And in his Sack the Cup was found When they saw that they rent their Clothes and in great horrour and amazement loded their Asses again and returned back into the City Then Judah and his Brethren came to Joseph and fell before him on the ground He asks them why they had serv'd Him so Did they not think that such a man as He could discover them Judah answered What shall we say to my Lord what shall we speak or how shall we clear our selves For how innocent soever we think our selves as to this matter yet we can no way clear our selves before man and therefore must acknowledge that God is just in punishing us for our former Sins Gen. 42.21 22. We have therefore no more to say but that we are all my Lords Bondmen both he with whom the Cup was found and all the rest of us also Nay says Joseph That shall not be He only with whom the Cup was found shall be my Bondman as for the rest of you go to your Father in peace Then Judah approached near to him and said O my Lord let thy Servant without offence speak a few words privately to thee and let not thine anger burn against thy Servant Thou art even as Pharaoh being Second to him in Authority and so thine anger to be dread'd even as His. My Lord may please to remember that when we came first down into Egypt thou didst ask thy Servants Have ye a Father living or any other Brother And we said unto my Lord We have a Father an old man and a Brother that is but a Youth (r) Namely in comparison of them being about 24 or 27 years of age being 12 or 13 years younger than Joseph see Gen. 22.5 and having now nine or ten Sons Ch. 46.21 born to our Father in his old age His only Brother both by Father and Mother is dead and he alone is left of his Mothers Off-spring and his Father tenderly loveth him And thou saidst unto thy Servants Bring him down that I may see him We then told my Lord that the lad could not leave his Father without extream danger to his Fathers life and thou toldst us peremptorily That except our youngest Brother came down with us we should see thy Face no more And behold when we came unto thy Servant our Father we told him the words of my Lord. And he was extream unwilling to let our youngest Brother come down with us Yet afterwards the Famine pressing sore upon us He commanded us to go down again into Egypt to buy Food We told him we durst not go again except our youngest Brother went down with us He said Ye know that my wife Rachel first in my choice and dearest in my love bare me two Sons The Eldest went out from me when he was about seventeen years of age and as it seems was torn in pieces of wild Beasts (s) Hereby Joseph saw what they had told his Father when they had sold him namely that some wild Beast had devour'd him See Ch. 37.33 So that I saw him no more And if ye take this Son also from me and mischief befall him you will bring my gray head with sorrow to the Grave I thy Servant engaged my self to my Father for the bringing the lad safe home to him again I told him I would be surety for him and of my hands he should require him Ch. 43.8 9. Now therefore when thy Servants shall come back to our Father and he shall perceive that the lad is not with us his life being bound up in the lads life it will surely be his death and so thy Servants shall bring down the gray head of our Father with sorrow to the Grave Seeing therefore I thy Servant stand ingaged to my Father for the lad accept I pray thee of me for thy Bondam instead of the lad and let the lad go up with his Brethren For I dare not look my Father again in the face except the lad be with me nor can I indure to see the woe and misery that will befall my Father if the lad be left behind Gen. 44. whole Chapter SECT XLII JOseph's heart was so melted with this pathetick Speech of Judah that He was able to refrain no longer but commanding all besides his Brethren to withdraw He gave vent to his passion and bursting out into tears and weeping aloud He told them He was Joseph their Brother and asked them Whether his Father was yet alive They were so astonished and amazed at the strangeness and unexpectedness of the thing and so terrifi'd with the remembrance of their own guiltiness and trespass against him that they could not answer him a word He bids them come near him and tells
Is the young man Absalom safe Ahimaaz answers that when Joab sent away Cushi the Kings servant and him to bring tidings he saw a great tumult but knew not what the matter was He knew undoubtedly of Absalom's death but through humane frailty fearing to displease the King he here miserably faulters Then came Cushi who cried out Good tidings my Lord the King for the Lord hath avenged thee this day of all those that rose up against thee Then said the King is the young man Absalom safe Cushi replied let the enemies of my Lord the King and all that rise up against him be as that young man is David was smitten with a wonderful consternation at this news and his grief and passion brake out so violently that it almost overwhelmed him he now retires into the Chamber over the Gate there in secret to pour out his sorrow and as he went up he cried out O my Son Absalom my Son Absalom would God I had died for thee my Son Absalom if my temporal death would have saved thee from eternal misery 2 Sam. Ch. 18. whole Chapter 15. The King taking on so immoderately for the death of Absalom his excessive grief came to be known in the Army and caused great trouble of spirit among them also so that the victory was turned into mourning neither came they up like a victorious army with joy and triumph to the City but dispersing themselves secretly stole into it not as if they had been Conquerours but rather as if they had been beaten and fled away from their enemies The King still took on excessively and covered his head in token of extream sorrow and cried out O my Son Absalom O Absalom my Son my Son Joab understanding this and seeing in what a discontent the Souldiers were hereupon and how their hearts began to be alienated from the King so that they were even ready to fall quite off from him he comes in a great rage to him and highly expostulates with him and tells him He had shamed the faces of all his faithful servants that day who had saved his life and the lives of his wives and children with the extreme hazard of their own and had frustrated them of their deserved praise and reward this strange carriage of thine saith he sheweth as if thou lovedst thy enemies in that thou mournest so excessively for this Traytor Absalom and hatedst thy friends seeing thou dost thus discountenance their faithful service Thou seemest not to regard thy faithful subjects let them be of what degree or quality they will I perceive that if that Arch-Rebel Absalom had lived thou hadst not much cared if all we had died I solemnly protest to thee if thou wilt not give over thy whining for that Rebel and go forth presently and speak comfortably to thy people and congratulate their victory and give them thanks for their venturing their lives for thee I believe they will all forsake thee as a person unfit to govern them who canst not govern thine own passions and possibly they will think of chusing another * Prospicient sibi de alio rege site aequum habere non possint and that will be worse to thee than all the afflictions thou hast hitherto met with in all thy life David being startled at this bold speech of Joab's which though harsh and tart yet was needful at this time he took his counsel and went and sat in the Gate and there shaking off sorrow manifested his kindness and grace to his Souldiers to win their hearts again to him As for those that had followed Absalom and escaped in the battel they were fled to their own houses 2 Sam. Ch. 19. from v. 1 to 9. 16. The people now through all the Ten Tribes of Israel began to blame one another for siding with Absalom against his Father and to call upon one another and upon their Elders and Officers to submit themselves unto David and to go and fetch him back again to the City of Jerusalem with honour they began to recount the great and manifold benefits they had enjoyed under his Government and how he had saved them out of the hands of their enemies especially the Philistines And they saw that God was against them in that attempt of making Absalom King and therefore there was great reason they should go and seek reconciliation with David whom they had so highly injured and offended This resolution of the Israelites to fetch their King home with honour coming to his ears and he perceiving that the men of Judah who had been first and chief in siding with Absalom and had delivered up to him the City of Jerusalem and the strong fort of Sion being conscious to themselves of their great ingratitude against him were now afraid to address themselves to him or to go to fetch him home therefore he sent to Zadock and Abiathar who had stayed all this while at Jerusalem that they should acquaint the Elders of Judah how ready he was to pardon them and to forget all that was past They were also to assure them of his singular affection to them they being his brethren and of the same Tribe therefore he would not have them to be the last in fetching home their King who ought to be the first He sends also unto Amasa whom Absalom had made General of his Army and who if he should despair of pardon might draw a great party of the Israelites after him to assure him that he was ready to receive him into his favour and to regard him as his nephew nay he intended to prefer him and to make him General of his Army as long as he lived in the place of Joab Indeed Joab had incurred his displeasure by killing Abner and several other unjustifiable acts yet he had also done him great services and had been always faithful to him whereas Amasa had been faithless and rebellious Besides the place of General belonged to Joab both by Davids promise and his own purchase he having hazarded his life in that dangerous service of assaulting and taking the strong fort of Sion However David being now offended with him for killing Absalom he resolv'd to prefer Amasa before him thinking by that policy to reduce all Absaloms party that stood out against him under his obedience By this kind message to the men of Judah and to Amasa David bowed the hearts of the men of Judah even as the heart of one man so that they sent this word unto the King Return thou and all thy servants we are most willing to receive thee and submit unto thee David considered that it might cost a great deal of blood to subdue them by force therefore he thought it best by these tenders of grace to bow their hearts to him and it happened according to his desire for the men of Judah now agreed to meet together at Gilgal and from thence they passed over the river Jordan to meet the King and to bring him
their sins 1 Sam. 15.2 before the Lord and to punish me for them by taking away my Son Possibly she thought that Elijah had besought God thus to punish her as by his prayer he had brought the drought and famine upon the land or that he was sent as the minister of Gods wrath to take away her Son from her Elijah said to her Give me thy Son and he took him out of her bosom and carried him to an upper loft and laid him on his own bed and cried unto the Lord and said O Lord my God let me humbly plead with thee why hast thou brought so great an evil upon this widow with whom I sojourn as to take away her Son I am afraid thy name will hence come to be blasphemed and thy Prophets despised and it will be said it had been well for this woman if this Prophet had never come into her house Having thus said he stretched himself upon the child three times putting his mouth upon the childs mouth and his eyes upon the childs eyes and his hands upon the childs hands and he cried unto the Lord and said O Lord I pray thee let this childs soul come into him again And the Lord graciously heard his prayer and the soul of the child came immediately into him again and he revived So the Prophet took the child and deliverd him to his mother alive * See the like miracle wrought by Elisha 2 King 4.34 and by Paul Act. 20.10 See also Heb. 11.35 Cum graves imminerent vexationes religionem magis indies piis Deus aperire aliquid voluit de immortalitate animarum Grot. Then said the woman By this I know that thou art a true Prophet and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth namely the things that were foretold by thee concerning the continuance of the drought and the increase of my meal and oyl And this child is the first that we read of in the Scriptures that being dead was restored to life again The drought having now continued well nigh three years and six months Elijah goes to present himself unto Ahab and to give notice to him that they should have rain that so what he had said to him before might be made good to wit that there should be no rain but according to his word The Governour of Ahabs house at this time was Obadiah an excellent person and one who feared the Lord greatly and worshipped him in spirit and truth and kept himself from the Idolatry of the times though he went not up to Jerusalem to peform the Ceremonial worship there required 'T is a wonder there should be such a pious person in so corrupt a Court but God ordered it so by his alwise Providence for the good of his Prophets For when Jezabel slew and cut off the Prophets †They that gave themselves to be throughly instructed in the will of God and were ready on all occasions to declare the same to others were stiled Prophets of the Lord he took a hundred of them and hid them by fifty in a cave and fed them with bread and water 'T is like some other pious men also in Israel besides Obadiah hid and preserved several Prophets of the Lord from her fury But the drought now being very sore Ahab ordered Obadiah to go one way as he himself would another that so traversing all the land of Israel they might find herbage and water for their horses and mules which were ready to perish for want of it Elijah meets Obadiah who knowing him fell on his face before him and said to him Art not thou my Lord Elijah He answered I am and I desire thee to go and tell thy Lord and Master that Elijah is here Obadiah answered Wherein have I so offended thee that thou shouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab to slay me I protest unto thee that my Lord the King hath sought thee not only in the land of Israel but also in all the neighbouring Countries and among all the Nations that are in league with him and he hath pressed them so far that they were fain upon their oaths to avow that they knew nothing of thee (a) How Elijah was concealed in Sarepta we need not inquire seeing he being inform'd of his danger the widow might use means to hide him and now why enjoynest thou me to go and tell Ahab that thou art here Possibly as soon as I am gone from thee the Spirit of the Lord (b) What was done by any supernatural working of God they used to say was done by the Spirit of God that is some wind from the Lord or some Angel will take thee up (c) It seems in those times Elijah was usually thus miraculously caught up and so perhaps other Prophets too and carried from one place to another whence it was that when Elijah was at last taken up into heaven the young Prophets would needs send out to seek him 2 King 2.16 The like we read of Philip Act. 8.19 and carry thee to some other place and then the King will slay me either because I did not apprehend thee when I saw thee or because I shall seem to have deluded him by telling him that which he will not find upon search to be true I thy servant have desired to fear the Lord from my youth and to cleave unto him and have been kind to his servants the Prophets in hiding many of them from the fury of Jezebel as I suppose thou hast heard and I may be further useful to them and therefore I hope thou wilt not lay upon me so perilous a command Elijah assures him he was resolved to shew himself unto Ahab Hereupon Obadiah went and acquainted the King therewith who presently came out to him and in a very angry manner said What! art thou he that troubles Israel No says Elijah thou and thy Fathers house have troubled Israel in forsaking God and following Baal After some vehement contest between them about the Baal-worship the Prophet having doubtless received it in charge from God before as may appear from ver 36. propounds to the King a way of trial to be peformed on mount Carmel which stood near the Sea whither God were God or Baal were God The God answering by fire says he and consuming the sacrifice from heaven let him be acknowledged for the true God The King being confident that the way of his worship was right agrees thereto and possibly the natural desire that is in all men to see things strange and unusual as this trial was might the more incline him to it Accordingly he assembles the Prophets of Baal viz. those that lived dispers'd up and down in the Country and the heads of the people to see the issue of this strange trial Elijah when the people were met together spake to them saying How long will ye halt between two opinions If the Lord be God follow him but if Baal
Curiosity of men may suggest about this whole matter may easily be answered by a serious consideration and belief of the infinite power and wisdom of God Noah being thus shut up in the Ark the Flood began with the bursting of the Fountains of the great Abyss from benath and a continual showring of rain from above 40 days and 40 nights together The waters encreased and prevailed on the Earth 150 days and rose to such a height that they covered the Mountains and all things that had life on the Earth perished Gen. 7. whole Chap. SECT X. UPon the 17th day of the seventh month the Waters abated and the Ark rested on one of the Mountains of Ararat in Armenia the greater not far from the Caspian-Sea and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the Mountains were seen And 40 days after namely upon the eleventh day of the eleventh month Noah opening the Window of the Ark sent forth a Raven who flew hither and thither fluttering about the Ark and resting on the top of it the waters being not yet dried up For the Raven being accustomed to live at large was weary of the straightness of his Cage and finding as 't is like dead bodies on the Mountains he was ravenous after such prey and would be no more confined to the Ark. Seven days after Noah sends out a Dove to try if the waters were abated but the Dove finding no rest for the sole of her foot the Mountain-tops though bare being yet very muddy returned to him again After seven days more he sent her forth again and in the evening she brought in her mouth an Olive-leaf which was a sign the waters were low and thereby God comforted Noah assuring him that his deliverance out of the Ark was near at hand And herein also the especial providence of God is to be observed in preserving the Olive together with the seminal virtue of other Trees Plants and Herbs though soak'd so long under waters for the replenishing the World with these kinds of Vegetables again there not being any seed of them preserved in the Ark that we read of Noah then staying yet seven days more he sent forth the same Dove (b) Of the sending forth of the Dove and her returning to Noah called by the Heathens Deucalion there is express mention in humane Writers particularly in Plutarch's Dialog de Solertia animalium again a third time which returned not to him any more having found food as it seems now for her self upon the Earth and taking content in the free Air and liberty This Dove no doubt soon after by the providence of God found her own Mate Gen. 8. from 1. to the 13. CHAP. II. The second Age of the World from the Flood to the promise made to Abraham inVr of the Chaldees containing the space of 422 years and ending in the 2078th year of the World SECT I. ON the first day of the first month of the six hundredth and first year of Noahs life he opened the Window that was in the covering of the Ark and looked about him and found that the waters were dried from off the face of the Earth yet so as it still remained moist and dirty having been so long a time soaked with such a quantity of moisture Therefore he stayed yet 55 days more namely to the 27th day of the second month and then he and all that were with him by the Commandment of God went forth out of the Ark having continued therein 375 days or a full (c) The solar year exceeds the lunar 11 days and consists of 365 days commonly though every fourth or leap-year consists of 366 days solar year and ten days more Gen. 8. from 13. to 20. SECT II. NOah when they were come out of the Ark built an Altar * Here is the first mention of an Altar and Burnt-Offerings long before Moses or the Levitical Law See Levit. 6.9 probably of Earth or Turf and offered Sacrifices and whole Burnt-Offerings thereon to the Lord of clean Beasts and Fowls according to that form of Worship which the Lord had before prescribed in a grateful acknowledgment of Gods great Goodness and Mercy to them in their preservation from the Flood And God smelled a sweet savour therefrom that is did graciously accept this Service Noah had performed and was highly pleased and delighted with his Faith and thankfulness And the Lord said He would not again Curse the Ground for man's sake nor destroy every living Creature thereon by a general deluge For he saw That the imagination of mans heart was evil from his youth and though that among other things justly provoked him before to destroy the World yet he saw that the Children of men being so corrupt by Nature if he should proceed against them according to their deserts and not according to the riches of his own Mercy he must be continually punishing and destroying of them therefore though he would deal as he thought fit with particular sinners yet he would not at one stroak destroy all Mankind any more And to confirm this his gracious Decree He promises that while the Earth remains Seed-time and Harvest Cold and Heat Summer and Winter Day and Night should not fail or cease that is generally it should be so but yet this did not hinder but that he might execute particular Judgments upon particular Places or Persons to the contrary Further God now declares That he was resolved to restore and repair the natures of things corrupted by the Flood And then blessing Noah and his Sons he bad them be fruitful and multiply and replenish the Earth And he tells them That the fear and dread of them shall be upon all bruit Creatures even to the taming and over-awing the fiercest and strongest of them either by force or cunning Whence it is that the most savage of them do fear the face of man though sometimes by the just judgment of God they do as it were rebel and rise up against him and hurt him God also now permitteth to Noah and his Posterity to eat Flesh as freely for their food as Herbs which grew out of the ground So that now the Lord restores to Noah and his Children the lawful use of those things which were in a manner taken from them by the Flood yet there was this exception made to his general Grant that though they might freely eat of any of the Creatures that were fit for meat yet they might not eat Flesh with the blood or in the blood but the Beast must first be killed and cleansed of tâ— blood Which restraint was in all probability made to deter them from cruelty and shedding one anothers blood And to inforce the observance of this Command the more upon them he tells them that as to their own life-blood if it were at any time shed by a Beast of a Beast it should be required that is the Beast should be put to death for it See Exod.
there and carried him away with the rest of their Prisoners The tydings of this coming to Abram the Hebrew he is the first in the Scripture so called he instantly doubtless by the special instinct of the Spirit of God armed his own Servants viz. such as had been trained up in his own Family in the use of their Arms to the number of three hundred and eighteen and took along with him his three Confederates * God moved them to join with Abram The Prosperity of Gods people makes those that observe it desirous to be in League with them Upon that ground did Abimelech and Phicol desire to enter into Covenant with Abraham Gen. 21.22 23. And the like motion for the same reason was made to Isaac his Son Gen. 26.27 28 29 c. Haner Escol and Mamre with the Forces they could make and marching speedily after Chedorlaomer he overtook him and his Army laden with the Prey and Spoil at Dan (u) Moses seems by a Prophetical inspiration and by way of Prolepsis or anticipation to call these places by the Names whereby they were afterwards known and called Hinc conjectant quidam nec levis est suspicio pentateuchum ut modo extat non esse a Mose conscriptum putantque Esdram aut alium divinum scriptorem interjectis hinc inde Clausulis opus illustrasse explicatius reddidisse Mas in the North Border of Canaan And having first with a Military Prudence and Policy divided his Men to make a shew as if he had a great Army dispersed divers ways He there fought them and defeated them and shew many of them and pursued them to Hoba on the left hand of Damascus and rescued Lot and the rest of the Prisoners out of their hands and brought them back again together with the prey they had taken Abram thus returning triumphantly is met by Melchizedec (x) See Apostolical History pag. 375. 376. King of Salem * Afterwards call'd Jerusalem who seems to be some eminent man in Canaan raised up by God in that Corrupt Nation who was both King and Priest of whose Father and Mother and Pedigree there is no mention in the Scripture neither of his Birth or Death or that he had any Successor in his Priesthood This Melchizedec in Congratulation of Abram's Victory brought forth Bread and Wine to refresh Him and his Souldiers and being a Priest of the most high God (y) Thus we see that though the Church was to be continued in the Posterity of Abram yet there is little question to be made but that as yet there were some few of other Families that were the true Servants of God as Job afterwards and his friends were among the Edomites by the authority of his office and in the Name of God he blessed Abram as the Priests in the Law did the people Numb 6.23 24 25. and he blessed the most high God in his behalf who had given him this Victory so that he offered a gratulatory Sacrifice of Praise but no expiatory Sacrifice for that required blood Numb 9.22 Abram on the other side presented Melchisedec with the Tenth part of the Spoil he had taken from the vanquished Army Which Tythes (z) So that the payment of Tythes is ancienter than the Levitical Law See Gen. 28.22 and being paid to Melchisedec a Type of Christ they may be continued as a Maintenance to Gospel-Ministers who exhibit Sacramental Bread and Wine and bless the people as Melchisedec did probably he Him gave by way of homage and thankfulness to God For what was given to Melchisedec in regard of his Office as a Priest was given to God But as a King Melchisedec had no need of them Abram was also met by the King of Sodom in the Valley of Shaveh in after-times called the Kings Dale where Absolon set up his Pillar 2 Sam. 15.28 who congratulating his Victory offered him that He should keep to himself if he pleased all the prey and spoils recovered by him that were lately taken from and belonged to his City only he desired to have those of the prisoners again that were his Subjects But Abram told him that he had sworn unto the Lord and vowed when he went forth in this War and implored Gods aid and assistance therein that none should have occasion to say that a Covetous desire of the Prey drew him into this Ingagement and therefore he would not accept any thing of His from a threed to a shoo-latchet lest he should say He had made Abram rich Thus Abram preferred the Glory of God and the honouring of his Religion before the Prey which by the right of War belonged to him and having been bountifully inriched by the Providence of God he would not have it said he was inriched by such wicked people as the Sodomites were Yet He excepted from this his general refusal wherein He said He would have nothing of His that which the young men his Souldiers had spent of the Enemies prey or taken to themselves and desired also that his three Confederates might have a share and portion in the spoils Gen. 14. whole Chapter SECT V. ABram having thus vanquished the Forces of these forementioned Kings lest he should fear they would at some time or other be revenged of him as possibly they might threaten God appears to him in a Vision or open apparition which he being awake beheld with his bodily Eyes and tells him That he would be a shield to him to defend him against his Enemies and seeing he had with so much piety refused the Reward offered him by the King of Sodom He assures him that He Himself will be his exceeding great Reward blessing him with the blessings of this life and rewarding him with the transcendent glory of his own Kingdom hereafter But notwithstanding this Abram in a bemoaning manner expresses the great perplexity of his mind that growing now in years He did not yet see the fulfilling of that Promise of giving Him a Son from whom the Messiah was to spring And therefore He cries out Lord what wilt thou give me seeing I go Childless Intimating his great and ardent desire that the Lord would please at length to remember his Promise made unto him concerning that particular And besides He saw that wanting Issue he wanted the comfort that other Parents had He saw he had not a Son to be under Himself the guide and stay of his Family but was forced at present to put his concerns into the hands of Eliezer his Steward (a) Whose Ancestors were of Damascus and for ought He saw His Estate would be injoyed by him when he was dead for want of an Heir God tells him his Servant should not be his Heir but One that should come out of his own Bowels and further assures him that his Seed how improbable soever it seem'd to him at present should be as the Stars of Heaven for multitude especially his spiritual Seed the Children of his
afterwards gave him Zipporah (z) Patriarcha ex cognatione suâ filiis uxores capiebant ne illae filios a religione averterent Sed Joseph Moses illo metu liberi ex Gentilibus uxores duxerunt nec ab illis aversi sunt a religione sed eas converterunt his Daughter to wife who bare him a Son whom he called Gershom whereby he intimated that he was a Stranger in that Land and yet God had comfortably provided for him Another Son he had also afterwards by her whom he called Eliezer Ch. 18. 4. by which name He signified that God was his helper In process of time that cruel Tyrant Pharaoh of whom Moses was so much afraid died but though the Tyrant was gone yet the Tyranny remained for another Pharaoh arose who made the Burdens and Afflictions of the Children of Israel as heavy or heavier than they were before They sighed and cried unto the Lord by reason of their Oppressions and God heard their groaning and remembred his Covenant which he had made with Abraham Isaac and Jacob to own them for his People and accordingly resolved to deliver them in such ways as were most for the Honour of his Great Name and for their profit and advantage Exod. 2. from vers 16. to the end SECT LVII ABout this time Caleb the Son of Jephunneh was born viz. forty years before he was sent by Moses to spy out the Land of Canaan See Josh 14.7 10. SECT LVIII MOses since he came into Jethro's Family had as it seems betaken himself to the Pastoral Employment as an exercise that allowed great liberty and opportunity for Contemplation And keeping his Father-in-laws Sheep in the Desert that he might provide fresh Pastures for them he drave them to the further side of the Desert nigh to Mount Horeb. (a) This Mountain seems like Parnassus to have had two tops one called Sinai the other Horeb. Called in this place by anticipation the Mountain of God because here God afterwards in so wonderful a manner appeared to Moses and gave him the Law and made a Covenant with the people Here Christ the eternal Son of God the Messenger or Angel (b) Magni concilii Angelus Dei voluntatem nobis nunâ—iavit of the Covenant Mal. 3.1 appeared to him out of a burning Bush which though it burnt yet it was not consumed Moses being stricken with admiration at the sight and not knowing at first what to think of it he determined to approach nearer to it hoping thereby better to inform himself The Lord calls to him out of the midst of the Bush Moses Moses Moses hearing himself called by his Name answered Here I am The Lord then charged him not to draw too nigh to the Bush but to put off his shooes that is that he should in all humility present himself before Him as a poor Caytiff not worthy to stand in the presence of so great a Majesty He further tells him That the place whereon he stood was holy Ground that is made holy at this time through the presence and apparition of God without which it was but like other Ground And therefore by that outward expression he should testifie the inward reverence of his mind Moreover the Lord said I am the God of thy Fathers the God of Abraham (c) The Lord expressing this as in the present Tense I am the God of Abraham c. speaking of men long since dead it was doubtless not only in regard of the Immortality of their Souls but also in regard of the certain Resurrection of their Bodies too And therefore our Saviour alledges this place to prove the Resurrection of the Body against the Sadduces Mat. 22.31 32. Isaac and Jacob to whom I promised to be their God and the God of their Seed after them Moses hearing this hid his Face (d) So Elijah wrapped his face in a Mantle 1 King 19.13 See Esay 6.3 out of an awful Reverence of so great a Majesty being afraid through a sense of his own vileness to look up towards God The Lord further said unto Moses I have seen the Affliction of my People in Egypt and heard their Cry Then speaking of Himself after the manner of men He tells him He was come down (e) See Gen. 11.7 18.21 35.13 to deliver them out of their Bondage and to bring them into a good and large Land (f) Though Judea contain'd in length from Dan to Bâ—ersheba but an 160 and in breadth from Joppa to Jordan but 60 miles yet it may be called large in respect of Goshen where the Israelites for the most part dwelt See Gen. 13.14 15. a Land flowing with Milk and Honey and He intended to send him to speak to Pharaoh to let his People go So that the secret Inspiration which Moses had before from God Exod. 2.11 is here now advanced to an open Call and full Commission At his first Call he was very forward and killed the Egyptian but since his flight out of Egypt he was become more cautious Therefore he said unto the Lord Who am I a mean man that I should go to Pharaoh a great proud and tyrannical Prince and should think to deliver a distressed People out of his Power The Lord answered I will certainly be with thee so that thou needst not fear either thy own Weakness or the Power of them to whom I send thee And this present Apparition of mine out of the burning but not burned Bush shall be a Token and Evidence to thee that at this time I have sent thee And hereafter when thou hast brought the people out of Egypt this may further serve to strengthen thy Faith in my Power and Providence over them I do now foretell thee Ye shall serve me upon this Mountain Moses conceiving himself now after so many years absence in a manner unknown to the Children of Israel he begins to think that they might question Whither indeed he was sent of God or no and might demand of him under what Name or Title God had made known Himself to him If that should so happen he humbly desires to know by what Name or Title the Lord would please to be mention'd to them seeing many of his Names were abused by application of them to Idols The Lord answers If thou enquirest concerning my Name I am that I am Therefore go and tell the Children of Israel That I AM hath sent thee unto them and further tell them That the Lord God of their Fathers the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob hath sent thee unto them and tell them This is my Name for ever and this is my Memorial unto all Generations that is by this Name shall all Generations remember Me. Go then therefore and call the Heads of the Tribes of the Children of Israel together and deliver this Message to them that they may acquaint their Brethren of the several Tribes here-with and tell them That I have by the watchful Eye
of my Providence mercifully visited them and have observed what hath been done unto them in Egypt and that I do intend assuredly to deliver them out of the House of Bondage and will bring them into Canaan a Land abounding with all things serving both for Necessity and Delight And the Elders of the People shall hearken unto thee and shall go along with thee to Pharaoh (g) The deniall of this will make Pharaoh the more inexcusable and the Justice of God more manifest upon him and you shall say unto him The Lord God of the Hebrews hath appeared to us and commanded us to offer to Him a Sacrifice and to celebrate to Him a Feast thereon and hath commanded Us to come to thee and to request of Thee so much liberty that we may go three days Journey (h) Viz. To Horeb v. 12. which was but a three days Journey from Egypt had they gone the direct way But because of troubles and fears they were led about Exod. 13.17 18. So that they came not thither till the third month Exod. 19.1 into the Wilderness to perform this Sacrifice (i) In Egypt they could not do it without danger from the Egyptians to whom their Sacrifices were such an abomination that to offer them before their eyes might provoke them to stone them Exod. 8.26 to the Lord our God The Lord further adds I know Pharaoh will be so obstinate that he will not let you go no not by a mighty Hand that is no not though divers great and heavy Plagues be inflicted on him For I will stretch out my Hand upon Egypt and will smite them with all those great and smarting Plagues which I intend to bring upon them and I know that not till after the last and tenth Plague viz. the slaying of their First-born will he let you go And I will before I bring you out of Egypt give you favour in the eyes of the Egyptians and they shall be willing to lend (k) Annon dolo malo usi sunt qui haec petebant cum aliud in animo haberent Non est mendacium sed silentium integrae veritatis Non dixerunt se hoc tantum facturos partem consilii aperit Deus Tyranno partem celat quia est liberrimus Deut. 2.30 1 Sam. 16.1 you any thing you shall desire of them viz. Jewels of Silver and of Gold and fine Raiment and you shall put them upon your Sons and upon your Daughters and so you shall come forth with great Substance as I have promised Gen. 15.14 (l) This was no Theft or Sin God having commanded it who is Lord Paramount of all and likewise intended hereby to recompence his People for the Injuries they had received from the Egyptians and that by these Spoils they might be furnished with precious Materials for the Tabernacle and shall spoil the Egyptians Moses Replies That he feared his Country-men the Hebrews would be very difficult at first to believe him or that God had indeed appeared to him and humbly desires to know what he should do in that case The Lord to incourage him against his fears furnishes him with Power to work Miracles which might be an Evidence of the Divine Presence with him and a Seal to the Israelites that he came with Commission from God and that God had sent him Accordingly first he bids him throw down his Rod or Staff which he had in his hand upon the ground and suddenly it became a Serpent (m) To change one Creature into another not in appearance only but really requires a Divine Power so that Moses was ready to fly from it out of fear But God Commands him to take it by the tail which he accordingly did and it became immediately a Rod again Then God commanded him to put his hand into his Bosom which when he plucked it out again it was become as white and leprous as Snow Then God commanded him to put it into his Bosom again and when he drew it out this second time behold it was as whole and sound as his other hand Then the Lord tells him That if the Children of Israel were not wrought upon nor did incline to believe him for the first Sign possibly they would for the second But if it should so happen that they should not be brought to believe him for either of these when he came into Egypt he should take of the water of the River Nilus and pour it upon the ground and it should presently become blood upon the dry Land which should be a further Demonstration to them that God had sent him Moses being still fearful Replied Ah Lord I am not Eloquent (n) Indeed Stephen said of him Acts 7.22 That he was mighty in words that is He was an excellent Speaker as to the substance of what he spake yet some defect he had as to his utterance Some think he had a stammering Tongue which made him say Ch. 6.12 How shall Pharaoh hear me who am of uncircumcised lips I am not a man of a free and ready Speech as those should be who are employed to speak to Princes I am slow of speech I was so formerly neither do I find the matter much mended with me since thou didst vouchsafe to speak to me and Call me to this great Service The Lord answered Who hath given to man the faculty of Speech or who deprives him of that faculty and so of Hearing or Seeing Do not I the Lord give these Abilities and take them away at my pleasure Now therefore Go I will be with thy mouth and will teach thee what thou shalt say But Moses being still under great fears and deeply apprehensive of his own unfitness for so difficult a Service He cried out Ah Lord I pray thee send by the Ministry of such an one whom thou wilt find fitter for this great Service than I am whoever he be and send not by me who am so unfit and so unable Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses for this his distrustful Despondency (o) Modeste renuentem passus est Mosen Deus non obstinatius reluctantem and He said Is not Aaron the Levite thy Brother I know that he is a good Spokes-man and he shall be joyned in Commission with thee and I will by an inward motion of my Spirit cause him to come forth to meet thee and he will be heartily glad to see thy face again and thou shalt instruct him concerning this your common Commission and I will teach you both what you shall do He shall speak to the people as from thee and thou shalt give Direction and Counsel to him as from Me revealing my Mind and Will unto him and acquainting him what he shall say to Pharaoh Ch. 7. 1. And thou shalt take this Rod of thine in thy hand and with it thou shalt do Signs and Wonders before Pharaoh and the Egyptians Ch. 3. whole Chapter Ch. 4. from vers 1. to vers
their Labours that they should no more give the people Straw to make Brick withall as heretofore they had done but they should gather and provide Straw for themselves and yet notwithstanding they should exact the same tale and number of Bricks of them which they made before and not abate them any thing of it For says he They are idle and therefore they Cry Let us go Sacrifice to the Lord our God I Command you therefore to impose more work upon them that they may have enough to do and may not be at leisure to regard lying words such as this Moses and Aaron tell them who flamm them with stories of their being sent from God The Task-Masters and Officers acquaint the people with this strict and severe Injunction of the King Whereupon a considerable part of them were forced to scatter themselves through all the Land of Egypt to provide Straw and Straw failing they were fain to gather Stubble instead of it And the Task-Masters pressed them on notwithstanding to finish every day as much work as when they had Straw allowed them And when there happened any failure in the Work the Israelitish Officers or Overseers that were set over their Brethren were beaten for it Whereupon these Officers addressed themselves to Pharaoh and humbly Remonstrated That the Egyptian Task-Masters that used to furnish the Israelites with Straw now did not do it and yet they required of them to make the same number of Bricks daily as before which was in a manner impossible for them to do And when they did it not they their Overseers were beaten for it though the fault was not in them but in the Egyptian Task-Masters Pharaoh answered them roughly and tyrannically You are idle You are idle therefore you say Let us go and do Sacrifice to the Lord. Get you gone and see that you finish the Task that is every day required of you and yet you shall have no Straw furnished to you The Officers of the Children of Israel seeing themselves in this very ill condition and having no hope of remedy they go to Moses and Aaron who possibly came out to meet them to see what answer they had from the King and like ignorant passionate men who mistake Occasions for Causes they charge the Injuries of their Enemies upon their best Friends and in an angry and discontented Mood say to Moses and Aaron The Lord look upon you that is the Lord take notice and consider what you have brought upon us and judge you for it You have made us to stink and to be abhorred of Pharaoh and his Servants and have put a Sword into their hands to slay us You have by this your Address to Pharaoh stirred up Him and His Courtiers to tyrannize more over us than they did before Moses being greatly grieved at this their Complaint betook himself to some retired place where by prayer and deep sighs he might present his own and the peoples distress unto the Lord and he said Ah Lord why hast thou thus dealt with thy people against whom Pharaoh's Rage is not at all mitigated but much increased since I mediated for them Why hast thou sent me on such a Message as this which hath not been a means to deliver thy people but much more to afflict them The Lord answered Thou shalt quickly see what I will do unto Pharaoh My Hand shall be so strong and heavy upon him that he shall not only be content to dismiss you as Exod. 3.20 but shall be ready with all his Power to drive you out rather than hold you any longer See Exod. 12.31.33 And the Lord to encourage Moses the more in his Work repeateth his Name to him and the Covenant which he had made with the Fathers He says to him I am theLord I appeared unto Abraham Isaac and Jacob by the Name of Elshaddai God Almighty that is such a God as is All-sufficient and able to perform all my Promises Gen. 17.1 but by my Name Jehovah (q) This cannot be meant of the letters and syllables of that name as if the Patriarchs had never heard of that Name For God called himself Jehovah long before and by that Name confirmed his Promises as appears Gen. 2.4 7 8 9. 15.7 28.12 Gen. 22.14 Ch. 26.24 Ch. 27.20 and that which it importeth (r) Jehovah signifies God's eternal Being in himself his giving being to other things and the performance of his Promises and in regard of this he says He was not known to their Fathers by this Name They being sustain'd by Faith in God's Almighty Power rested upon the Promise not enjoying the thing promised But now to their Children the Promise should be performed and so they should have full knowledge and experience of the efficacy of that Name Jehovah But withall we must know that this is only spoken comparatively as the glorious ministration of the Law is said to have had no glory in respect of the excellent glory of the Gospel 2 Cor. 3.10 So the Fathers are said not to have known God by his Name Jehovah in comparison of what their Posterity knew have not I been made know to them that is so fully as I intend now to be made known to their Posterity to whom I shall really fulfil and give a Being to my Promises by my wonderful Deliverance of them out of Egypt and bringing them at length into the Land of Promise For I made a firm Covenant with those my Servants Abraham Isaac and Jacob and confirmed it by an Oath to give that Land of Canaan wherein they were but Strangers and Sojourners to them and their Posterity for an Inheritance And I have heard the groaning of the Children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage and I have remembered my Covenant Therefore go to them and tell them I am the Lord and I will deliver them from that cruel Servitude under which they groan and will with an out-stretched arm and inflicting terrible Judgments on the Egyptians bring them forth And I will take them to my self for my peculiar people and will be to them a God and they shall assuredly know that 't is I the Lord and none else who did all these great things for them Moses as God had commanded him went to the Children of Israel with this Message but thorow the anguish of their Spirits and the extremity of their Sufferings they regarded not what he said nor were disposed to believe any thing that he spake concerning their Deliverance So greatly prejudicial are the immoderate passions of men not only to God's truth but to their own welfare Then God commands Moses to go and speak to Pharaoh again and to require him to let the people go out of his Land Moses answered That the Children of Israel would not hearken to him how then should he think that Pharaoh would hear him or mind or regard his words and especially seeing he was a man of uncircumcised lips (s) Because
for seven days together who would then come to walk by the side of the River Nilus and to tell him That seeing he had refused to obey the Voice of the Lord he would bring a grievous Plague upon Him and his People They had shed the bloud of the Israelites Children and drowned them in that River Therefore God had commanded him to give order to Aaron with his Rod to smite the waters of the River and he accordingly stretched forth his Hand over the Rivers Streams and Ponds probably over some of them in the Name of the rest and striking those Waters they were immediately turned into bloud Yea by the influence of God's Almighty Power upon that percussion all their other Streams and Rivers Ponds and Pools yea Cisterns of water whether of Wood or Stone were turned into bloud for seven days together By which Plague the Fish that were in the River died whereby the Egyptians were deprived of that which was their chief Food (a) The Egyptians abstained from the flesh of many Beasts of Superstition especially such as the Hebrews used in Sacrifice as may be gathered from Numb 11.5 We remember the Fish that we did eat in Egypt freely and Isa 19.8 God threatens this as a great Judgment to Egypt The Fishers shall mourn and all that cast Angles into the Brooks shall lament and they that spread Nets upon the Waters shall languish So that this was a sore Plague on the Egyptians who fed much on Fish and traded much with them and maintained themselves by them And one great evil followed this also for hereupon the River stank so horribly that they could not drink of the waters of it which used to be their ordinary Beverage see Jer. 2.18 but were fain to dig Pits near the River that they might have some water to drink But all this did not work upon Pharaoh's obdurate heart For his Magicians and Sorcerers getting some water either from the Sea or out of the new-digged-Wells or from the houses of the Israelites dwelling here and there intermixed with them did by their Enchantments and the Devil's help get some blood whereby they tinctured the waters or else unperceiveably removed the water and substituted bloud in the place thereof Which when Pharaoh saw done by them he went away to his own house and heeded not nor laid to heart the foregoing Plague inflicted on him by Moses Exod. Ch. 7. from 14. to the end 2. God Commands Moses and Aaron to go to Pharaoh again Second Plague Frogs and to require him to let his People go and to tell Him That if he refused to do it He would smite all his Borders with Frogs They accordingly resolutely pursue their Commission and evidence their Courage and Fidelity in God's Cause notwithstanding the ill success they had had before But Pharaoh would not give ear to them Hereupon Aaron stretched forth his Rod (b) The Rod is called sometimes the Rod of Moses sometimes of Aaron sometimes of God to shew that it was the Instrument they all used in working these prodigious things over the Rivers (c) Non singulos adiit fluvios sed virga eminus eos intenta designavit extendit eam versus Nilum intentione versus omnes aqas Aegypti over the Streams and over the Ponds and the Frogs came up in great abundance upon the Land namely not only those that were in the Rivers before but an innumerable number of new ones were produced and they crawled into Pharaoh's house and into his Bed-Chamber (d) How easily can God cast contempt upon Princes and how favourable is he to men who by his ordinary Providence makes such Creatures loth to come where man hath to do which are so lothsome to him yea upon his Bed and into the Houses of his Courtiers and the rest of his people yea into their Ovens and Kneading-Troughs so that they were grievously annoyed with them Pharaoh calls for his Magicians to see if they could imitate this Miracle and they by stretching forth their Rods over the River did by the Power of the Devil (e) The Devil it seems much delights in their monstrous shape For we find in the Scripture three unclean Spirits like Frogs coming out of the mouth of the Dragon bring forth some true Frogs by unperceptible Conveyance to the place where the Contest was which possibly at this present was not covered with Frogs by Moses's Working though it is like they were but very few in comparison of those Moses and Aaron had produced And when they had brought them they could not remove them again Pharaoh and his people being thus grievously distressed with this Plague he began to stoop a little and to acknowledge God whom before he would not know and therefore desires Moses and Aaron to intreat the Lord to remove these Frogs and he would let the people go that they may Sacrifice unto the Lord their God Moses knowing that he was constituted as a God to Pharaoh Ch. 7. vers 1. to bring Judgments upon him and romove them at God's appointment and having in him the Faith of Miracles and being directed by the Spirit of God He told Pharaoh He would do him the honour (f) Honorem tibi sume ut des mihi tempus in quo orem pro te to let him appoint the time when he should pray to the Lord for him and by his power deliver him from this Plague And says he if my prayer take no effect then do thou glory over me and say I am no better than one of thy Magicians but if I do deliver thee then own and obey the great God of Heaven whose Servant I am Pharaoh desires the Frogs may be removed by the next Morning Moses Replies Be it according to thy word that thou mayst know that there is none like unto the Lord our God Moses then cried unto the Lord to remove this Plague from Pharaoh and the Lord heard him and immediately the Frogs died that were in the Houses Villages and Fields only some remained in the River and they gathered the dead Frogs together and cast them upon heaps so that the Land stank by reason of them But when this Plague was removed and Pharaoh saw there was some respite he hardened his heart and hearkened not to Moses and Aaron as the Lord had foretold Exod. Ch. 8. from vers 1. to 16. Third Plague Lice 3. Pharaoh having thus mocked God promising and not performing the Lord to manifest his Indignation against him Commands Moses now to strike him with a new Judgment without giving him any warning as at other times he had done Aaron therefore is commanded forthwith to stretch out his Rod and to strike the dust of the Land that it may become Lice through all the Land of Egypt Which Aaron accordingly doing abundance of Lice came on Men and Beasts the dust in very part of the Land that is a great deal of it turning into that
of Israel were fled from Etham and it was so represented to Him as if they had run away from thence being terrified whereas they marched back with an high Hand and with displayed Banners Pharaoh hearing this and that they were pitched at so inconvenient a place as Pihahiroth He and his Courtiers said among themselves They are entangled in the Land and the Wilderness hath shut them in Let us therefore pursue after them Pharaoh accordingly with his Horses and Chariots (h) Of old they used Chariots with Sithes at their sides to mow down men in their way They had other Chariots out of which they fought as men do now out of Ships But where had Pharooh horses seeing 't is said Ch. 9.6 All the Cattel of Egypt died Answ All here is taken for many See the Notes on that place of War to the Number of 600 all that could be got together on the suddain with his Horse-men and Army pursues after them and found them Encamped in those Streights near the Sea When Pharaoh with his Army drew nigh the Children of Israel were dreadfully affrighted Fly they could not having the Sea before them the Egyptians behind them and steep and unpassable Hills on either side of them Yet God so order'd it that the Egyptians overtook them not their Camps being parted by the Pillar of Cloud which from going before the Camp of Israel now removed and went behind them and it cast a great darkness on the Egyptians but gave light to the Israelites However the people being in great Consternation they Cry unto the Lord for help and cry out in a high discontent against Moses What say they were there no Graves in Egypt that thou hast brought us forth to die in the Wilderness Did we not desire thee to let us alone with our Bondage in Egypt rather then expose us to such dangers as these Moses desir'd them to be quiet fear not says he but stand still and see the Salvation of the Lord which he will shew you this day For the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day ye shall see them no more for ever The Lord will fight for you you need only to be quiet and hold your peace and to keep your selves from doubting or murmuring and humbly to trust in God whose help is readiest when the danger of his people is greatest However Moses though he firmly relied on God yet sent up many strong Cries and Ejaculations to the Lord mixed with some perturbation of Mind upon the peoples Clamour against him The Lord hereupon calls to him not to employ himself further in praying to him at that time but to march on directly with the people to the Red-Sea which he doth accordingly and coming thither the Lord bids him Stretch forth his Rod over the Sea and upon that action of his the Sea should divide it self Moses does as he was commanded and a strong East-wind blew and the Sea miraculously divided it self standing on heaps on each side Then the Israelites by God's Command Moses leading the way passed thorow it safe as upon dry ground and the Waters were a Wall unto them on the right hand and on the left (i) The Apostle says Heb. 11.29 That by Faith they passed thorow the Sea and 1 Cor. 10.2 That they were all baptized to Moses in the Cloud and in the Sea See Apostol History pag. 169. the explication hereof Pharaoh and his Host coming to the Sea and seeing it thus divided they thought they might pass thorow it as well as the Israelites and accordingly entred the passage (k) Quos excidio destinat occaecat Deus to follow them but they were much hindred in their march after them by the falling off of their Chariot wheels For the Lord in the Morning-Watch (l) Anciently the nights in stead of hours were divided into many Watches 1 Sam. 11.11 the number of which is not certainly known and the day into Morning Mid-day and Even looking out of the Pillar of Fire and Cloud upon the Egyptians testified his Displeasure against them by Lightnings and Thunder and Rain with which he much distressed and disorder'd them as David more largely relates Psal 77.18 19. Insomuch that many of the Egyptians themselves were now sensible that God appear'd against them and for the Israelites and therefore desired to retreat and not to pursue after them any further The Israelites at last got all safe to the other side of the shore viz. to the Desert of Etham and then God commanded Moses to stretch forth his Hand again over the Sea which being done the Waters came together again and so overwhelmed (m) This was a just Judgment of God upon the Egyptians who had cast the poor Infants of the Israelites into the water and had drowned them without remorse the whole Host of the Egyptians not one of them escaped The Israelites saw some of their Carcasses floating upon the Sea and cast upon the shore Thus God with an out-stretched Arm saved the Israelites that day out of the hands of the Egyptians and the people feared the Lord and believed in him and believed the word which Moses spake unto them in the Name of the Lord. Gen. 14. whole Chapter SECT V. THe Israelites being thus Miraculously delivered from the Egyptians Moses (n) See Rev. 15.3 compos'd a Song of Praise and Thanksgiving to God for this wonderful and transcendent Mercy and He and the Children of Israel sang it before the Lord. This Song is the first of that kind * Canticum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we find any where in the Scripture 'T is partly Historical setting forth a triumphant Narration of Gods admirable Mercy in destroying his and their Enemies partly Prophetical containing Prophesies of future Bessings assured to Israel set down not only in the Future but often in the Preter-tense for the greater Certainty First 'T is Historical It begins I will sing unto the Lord for he hath triumphed gloriously the Horses of the Egyptians and their Riders hath he thrown into the Sea The Lord is my strength and my Song that is we being weak in our selves He fought for us and subdued our Enemies 'T is the Lord therefore of whom we will sing and whose Praise we will set forth in our Song 'T is by him that we are saved and delivered out of the hands of our Enemies He is our God and we being his people He hath by the Spirit of Prophesie fore-shewed us that we shall build a Tabernacle for his Worship and Service He is our God and the God of our Fathers therefore we will lift up his high Praises and exalt him He is a mighty and all-powerful Warrior indeed Jehovah (o) See Annotations on Ch. 3.14 15. is his Name Pharaoh's Chariots and his Host hath he cast into the Sea his chosen Captains also are drowned in the Red-Sea The Depths have covered them they sank into the bottom as a stone Thy right
Hand O Lord is become Glorious in Power Thy right Hand hath broken and destroyed the Enemy and by thy glorious and excellent Power thou hast overthrown the Egyptians who in rising up against thy people did rise up against thee Thou didst send forth thy Wrath which consumed them utterly and speedily even as stubble is consumed by the fire With the blast of thy Nostrils the Waters were gathered together that is by a mighty Wind raised by thine Almighty Power accompanied with a great Noise (p) To this the Prophet seems to have reference Hab. 3. 10. the Sea was divided and the Waters were heaped up on either side and stood like congealed or compacted Walls in the heart of the Sea The Enemy said I will pursue overtake and divide the Spoil my lust shall be satisfied upon them I will draw my Sword my Hand shall destroy them But thou O Lord didst soon confound their vain Imaginations For thou didst blow with a mighty Wind and immediately the Waters came together again and the Sea covered them they sank as lead in the deep Waters Who is like unto thee O Lord among the Gods who among all the false Gods of the Heathen or the mightiest men on the Earth is in any degree worthy to be compared to Thee who art glorious in holiness fearful in praises that is to be praised with a great measure of filial fear and awfulness doing Wonders Thou stretchedst out thy Hand and the Earth swallowed them that is those of them whose bodies were cast up by the Waves upon the shore were thrown into Pits by us and there buried Thou in thy great Mercy hast brought forth thy people whom thou hast redeemed out of the Land of Egypt and hast thus far led them by thine Almighty Power and Strength towards the Land of Canaan where thou hast determined to set up thy holy Temple thy resting Place Psal 132.14 The Place which thou hast chosen where thy holy Worship shall be set up and established and where thou hast promised to dwell that is to afford thy special Presence See 1 Kings 9. vers 3. The Second Part of this Song is Prophetical beginning at v. 14. The people shall hear and be afraid sorrow shall take hold on the Inhabitants of Palestina That is the report of this dreadful overthrow of Pharaoh shall so amaze and astonish the Inhabitants of Palestina the Dukes of Edom and the mighty men of Moab (q) See this Prophesie fulfilled Numb 22.3 Josh 2.9 5.1 and the Inhabitants of Canaan that their very hearts shall faint and melt with fear as wax does before the fire insomuch that they shall be as still as a stone and Israel shall pass over Jordan into Canaan without opposition Thou wilt bring them in and plant them in the Mountain of thine Inheritance that is in Canaan a mountanous Country Deut. 11.11 and particularly thou wilt bring them to Mount Moriah which thou hast chosen as thine Inheritance and where by thy own Hands and Power thou intendest to establish thy Sanctuary and where thou hast promised to dwell and to afford thy gracious Presence The Lord will Reign for ever and ever in spight of all his Enemies Miriam (r) She was the Sister of Moses also but her reference to Aaron was best known by reason of Moses's absence She is said to be the wife of Hur by the Hebrews the Sister of Aaron who had the Spirit of Prophesie Numb 12.2 and was one of the three Principal Guides which God gave his people Mich. 6.4 took a Timbrel in her hand and the Women followed her playing on their Timbrels also according to the Custom in publick Rejoycings Judg. 11.34 and they expressed their exultation and rapture of Mind by lively motions and tripudiations of their Bodies and when the Men had sang a Verse of this Song then She with the Women sung it over again at least they repeated the first Verse of it Sing to the Lord for he hath triumphed gloriously the Horse and his Rider hath he thrown into the Sea And possibly they added For his Mercy endureth for ever as 't is Psal 136. 2 Chron. 5.13 With this Song of Moses for Victory over the Egyptian-Pharaoh the Holy Ghost compares the Song of them that shall be Victorious over the Spiritual Pharaoh viz. the Beast and Antichrist Rev. 15. from 1. to 5. Exod. 15. from 1. to 22. SECT VI. THe Israelites being now come on the other side of the Red-Sea they marched three whole days thorow the Wilderness of Shur (s) Called also the Wilderness of Etham Numb 33.8 one might be the general name of the whole Wilderness and the other of some part of it It seems the Wilderness on both sides of the Red-Sea was called the Wilderness of Etham but found no water all the way As for Food 't is probable they were sustained with that unleavened Bread and other provisions they had brought with them out of Egypt At last they came to Marah their fifth Encamping where they found water indeed but it was so bitter they could not drink it hereupon they murmur against Moses asking him in a discontented mood What they should drink Moses upon this Cries unto the Lord who shewed him a Tree which when he had cast into the waters the waters were made sweet But the changing of the nature and tast of the waters was to be attributed to the Power of God and not to any vertue in that Tree After God had thus tried them and proved them not only by their want of water but by his present favourable dealing with them in not punishing them for their murmuring as he might justly have done He then admonishes them by Moses to take heed of this sin of murmuring against Him or distrusting of Him and to carry themselves more obediently towards Him for the future And so he made this a Statute and an Ordinance That if they would do that which was right in his sight and would obey his Commandments and keep all his Statutes he would bring none of those Diseases and Plagues upon them which he had brought on the Egyptians For He was their Healer (t) V. 26. Medicus quia ex omnibus periculis malis tam animarum quam corporum quae morbis morti saepe comparantur homines sibi confisos liberat Psal 103. v. 3. Glasius and could heal not only their Bodies but their Souls also by forgiving their sins and sanctifying their natures Exod. 15. from 22. to 27. SECT VII FRom Marah they removed to Elim their sixth Station famous for twelve Wells of water and 70 Palm-Trees And here it seems they stayed many days because the Place was so pleasant and convenient by reason of the waters and the shade Exod. 15. vers 27. SECT VIII FRom Elim they turned back again to the Red-Sea which was their seventh Station as appears from Numb 33.10 the Lord so ordering it as 't is probable that
Providence see Mat. 6.11 However some of them were so Disobedient that they reserved some of it till next morning and it bred Worms and stank which Disobedience of theirs much provoked Moses to be angry with them 2. They were to gather it in the morning betimes For when the Sun waxed hot it melted 3. On the sixth day they were to gather twice as much as on other days namely two Omers for one person which order when the people observed the Elders and Rulers came and told Moses thereof doubting whether they did well therein seeing an Omer and no more was their fixed allowance for one day Hereupon Moses tells them That the next day was an holy Sabbath to the Lord and on that day (c) From whence some infer the antiquity and morality of the Sabbath this happening before the giving the Law on Mount Sinai no Mannah should fall and therefore on the sixth day they had a double allowance and on that day they were to bake or seeth of their Mannah what they thought fit to eat thereof that day and to reserve the remainder for the Sabbath-day and though reserved to that day it should not stink or breed Worms as one other days if kept it would do Yet some of the people were so unbelieving and disobedient that they went out on the Sabbath-day to seek Mannah but found none for which God was angry with them and charged them not to go out on the Sabbath-day any more to seek it but to observe that day unto him which the people accordingly did On this kind of bread they lived afterwards by the space of forty years * Comederant Man 40 annis tanquam cibum ordinarium cui non erat vetitum carnes vel cibos alios adjungere si quos vel venatu vel emptione a vicinis gentibus consequebantur ut apparet ex Deut. 2.6 Janson even till they came to the borders of the Land of Canaan And a Pot containing the quantity of an Omer was afterwards by Gods Command fill'd therewith and reserved by the Ark of Testimony (d) Or Ark of the Testimony because in it were the Tables of Gods Law which testified his Will to his people See Heb. 9.4 See Apostolical History pag. 380. viz. which testified Gods Presence among them to be kept as a Memorial of Gods goodness in thus miraculously feeding of them Exod. 16. whole Chapter SECT X. THeir ninth Remove was to Dophka their Tenth to Alush Numb 33.12 13 14. and their Eleventh to Rephidim a place in the Wilderness near Mount Horeb. Here they wanted water again and this want drove a great many of them into an high discontent and murmuring insomuch as they said Is the Lord among us or not vers 7. Thus they tempted the Lord as the Psalmist says Psal 78.41 and limited the holy One of Israel Then they fell a chiding with Moses saying Give us water that we may drink wherefore hast thou brought us out of Egypt to kill us and our Children and our Cattel with thirst Moses asked them Why they chid with him was it in his power to help them why did they tempt the Lord by their distrust and murmuring And from this distrustful murmuring of the People the place was afterwards called Massa and Meriba signifying Temptation and Chiding Then Moses cried unto the Lord saying What shall I do to this people they are almost ready to stone me God Commands him to take some of the Elders of the people with him and to take his Rod in his hand with which he commanded Aaron to strike the River Nile Ch. 7.20 and to go to Mount Horeb where he would appear to him in the Cloudy Pillar and there to smite the Rock with his Rod and it should give forth water Moses and the Elders accordingly going to Horeb He there in their sight struck the Rock and immediately the waters gushed forth * The Apostle says 1 Cor. 10.4 The Rock followed them and that Rock was Christ see Psal 78.15 16 20. And the Streams issuing thence trailed after them thorow the Wilderness see Psal 105.41 Deut. 9.21 The Cloudy Pillar it seems conducting them in such by-ways in such Levels and Vallies in that Mountainous Country that the water might conveniently be derived after them Exod. 17. from 1. to 8. SECT XI THe Amalekites descended from Timnah Concubine to Eliphaz Esau's eldest Son Gen 36.12 whose Country lay hereabout having an inveterate malice against Jacob and his Posterity fell now upon the Rear of the Israelites they being much spent and tired with their long march and slew some of the feeblest (e) That is of such as were feeble thorow travel not sickness see Psal 105.37 and hindermost of them Deut. 25.17 18 19. Moses hereupon sends Joshua with a chosen Party to fight with them in the Valley and betakes himself to the top of Mount Horeb where with the Rod of God in his hand as a Signal to strengthen the faith of the people in God's Power and Help He lifts up his hands towards Heaven earnestly praying unto the Lord and imploring his Aid and Assistance against their Enemies And whilst Moses's hands were help up Israel prevailed but when they flag'd and fell down Amalek prevailed He therefore being weary with standing so long as well as with lifting up his hands they put a stone under him to sit on and Aaron and Hur (f) See James 5.17 Quare precum comites adhibendi qui nos labantes fulciant supported his hands whereby they were steady to the going down of the Sun and so they obtained a great Victory over the Amalekites And God commanded Moses to write (g) See Exod. 34.27 this for a Memorial in a Book that is in the Chronicles and Annals of time that the wickedness of Amalek in assaulting the people of God may be remembred and to Inculcate it in the ears of Joshua who was to succeed him that He and all his Successors who shall be Generals to the Israelites at any time hereafter may put this his Command in Execution when He shall give them occasion to do it For says God I have determined utterly to put out the remembrance of Amalek from under Heaven (h) Deut. 25.19 See this Command executed by Saul 1 Sam. 15.3 c. that is I have determined that their Honour and Greatness shall be so broken and brought down that they shall not be remembred or made mention of as a flourishing State or Kingdom any more And Moses in thankfulness to God for this great Victory built an Altar in that place and call'd it Jehovah-Nissi as a Memorial to Posterity that there Jehovah had as with a Banner displayed gone forth and fought against the Enemies of his people And because Amalek had lifted up his hand against the Throne of the Lord (i) V. 16. Quia manus Amalec fuit contra solium Domini Sic Jun. Tremel Piscator reddunt hunc
whereby God is called upon as a Witness shall be between the Parties and if the Keeper do swear that he hath not put his Hands to his Neighbour's Goods neither knows what is become of them then the Owner must rest satisfied with that Oath and he to whom the Cattel were intrusted shall not make them good But if they be stolen from him thorow his own negligence he shall make them good to the Owner And if any of them be torn in pieces he may bring some part of them to witness it was so and then he shall not make them good v. 10 11 12 13. 20. If a man borrow ought of his Neighbour and it be hurt or die the Owner thereof being not with it he shall surely make it good And the reason of this Law seems to be to make them the more circumspectly careful of things borrowed But if the Owner thereof be with it as sometimes the Beast and its Owner might be hired together and the Owner being by might see that the Mischief which happened could not be prevented he shall not make it good If it were hired it came for its hire that is if it were not borrowed gratis but hired he that hired it shall be free paying the conditioned hire vers 14 15. 21. If a man entice a Maid who is not betrothed and lie with her he shall surely endow her that is he shall give her such a Dower or sum of Money as is used to be given with Maids of her condition and so shall marry her But if her Father utterly refuse to give her unto him in marriage He shall pay her so much as may serve to marry her to another of a suitable Condition to Her vers 16 17. Further the Lord gives them these subsequent Laws 22. Thou shalt not suffer a Witch or Sorceress (h) The Devil's Craft most prevails with womens weakness in that kind though he prevails with some men also Deut. 18.10 to live The same is decreed concerning men that had familiar Spirits Lev. 20.27 viz. That they should be stoned vers 18. 23. Whosoever lieth with a Beast shall be surely put to death And the Beast also was to be put to death Lev. 20.15 vers 19. 24. He that Sacrificeth to any God save to the Lord the God of Israel the only true God shall be destroyed as a person execrable and accursed vers 20. 25. You shall neither vex a Stranger nor oppress him for you your selves were Strangers in the Land of Egypt Lev. 19.33 vers 21. 26. You shall not afflict any Widow or Fatherless Child If thou afflict them in any wise and they Cry unto Me saith the Lord I will surely hear their Cry and my Wrath shall wax hot and I will kill you with the Sword and your Wives shall be Widdows and your Children Fatherless vers 22 23 24. 27. If thou lend money to any of my people (i) Unto Strangers they might lend upon Usury Deut. 23.10 that is poor by thee thou shalt not be to him as an Vsurer nor an exacting Creditor neither shalt thou lay upon him Vsury (k) The word is Nesheck which signifies a biting Usury that is a biting consuming Vsury To such as these our Saviour Commands us to lend freely not expecting so much as the Principal if they be not able to pay much less the Vse See Luke 6.34 35. vers 25. 28. If thou take such of thy Neighbours Garments and Coverlids to pledge which he useth to lie in by Night and which he needeth to cover him thou shalt restore them to him before the Sun goeth down For if he Crieth unto Me saith the Lord I am gracious I will hear him So that this Prohibition seems to forbid in effect the taking any such thing to pawn (l) See Deut. 24.12 For it were in vain to take such a thing for a Pawn in the Morning which without paying the money must be restored ere night vers 26 27. 29. Thou shalt not revile the Gods * Psal 28.16 I have said ye are Gods but ye shall die like men See Acts 23.5 that is those that fit in the place of Judgment nor curse the Ruler of thy people vers 28. 30. Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe Fruits and of thy Liquors that is thy Oil and Wine unto the Lord. For it is fit that He that gives All should be acknowledged as Lord of all by having this Tribute paid unto Him and that He should be presented first to procure his blessing upon the rest And the first-born of thy Sons thou shalt give to me saith the Lord or redeem him with five Shekels of Silver which shall be given to the Priests my Servants Numb 18.16 The like shalt thou do with the first-born of thy Bullocks and thy Sheep Seven days shall they be with their damm on the eighth day (m) Lev. 22.27 thou mayst present them unto Me. Thus the Law prescribed yet doubtless when they saw cause they might keep them something longer So that they did not delay to bring them out of an unwillingness to give them to the Lord vers 29 30. 31. Ye shall be a holy people unto Me saith the Lord ye shall not eat any Flesh that is torn of Beasts in the Field but ye shall cast it to Dogs This was injoyned them to teach them not only to abhor to eat the flesh of Beasts thus killed but to abhor all Rapine and Cruelty as sins most odious in the sight of God vers 31. 32. Thou shalt not raise nor readily receive Exod. Ch. 23. nor maliciously spread a false Report against thy Neighbour nor joyn nor combine with the Wicked to be an unrighteous Witness and so to carry on their wicked design and enterprize Thou shalt not follow the multitude to do evil neither shalt thou so speak in a Cause as to decline after the mighty (n) Rabbim signifies the mighty as well as the many to wrest Judgment Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his Cause any further than the merit and desert of it requires For Right is to be regarded in Judgment and not either Poverty or Riches Thou shalt not wrest nor overthrow the Right of the Poor in his Suit Thou shalt not strive against the Evidence of Truth to condemn the Poor in a just Cause or acquit him when his Cause is bad and unjust Keep thy self far from a false matter that is if thou be a Judge be marvellous shy either to admit of a false Testimony from others or to give false Judgment thy self especially against the life of a man The Innocent and the Righteous see thou slay not For God is a just God and will not justifie such wicked Judges And thou shalt take no Gift or Bribe For Gifts blind the eyes of the wise that is of those that seemed to be so making them judge otherwise than they should do being byassed by the
be a prey to their Sword And therefore like persons almost distracted they said one to another Come let us chose to our selves a Captain and under him let us march back again into Egypt see Nehem. 9.17 But they did not consider the difficulties they must needs meet with had they proceeded in such a resolution They could not reasonably expect to be fed with Manna from Heaven in their return being in Rebellion against God nor to have the Red-Sea divided for them again And if they should though very unlikely ever get back into Egypt what scorn and cruel Bondage must they there expect If the Egyptians oppress'd them before how much more hardly and severely would they deal with them now remembring the death of their First-born and the drowning of Pharaoh and his Army in the Red-Sea But men in passion usually lose all consideration Moses and Aaron seeing them in such a rage and mutiny fell down on their faces before them intreating them to desist from such a desperate purpose Moses earnestly perswaded them not to dread the Canaanites for God would go before them and fight for them Deut. 1.29 30 31. and Caleb and Joshua rent their Clothes testifying that their hearts were rent with Grief and Indignation at those blasphemous Speeches the people had uttered against God They tell them the Land they went to search was an exceeding good Land and if the Lord delighted in them He would bring them into it Therefore they should take heed lest by their Rebellion they provoked him to deprive them of it As for the people of the Land they tell them They need not be afraid of them for they were but as bread for them that is their Sword should easily eat and devour them for their defence was departed from them that is God who had hitherto preserved them from being destroyed because their Iniquity was not then full Gen. 15.16 had now upon their great Provocations withdrawn his defence from them and would certainly give them up to destruction And alas say they what are strong Cities or high Walls to defend a people whom God hath forsaken These Discourses of Caleb and Joshua though very rational nothing pacified the inraged multitude but instead thereof like mad men they cried out Stone them stone them see Exod. 17.4 The Lord seeing what danger his faithful Servants and Witnesses were in suddenly caused the Cloud the usual sign when He meant to speak to Moses concerning the people to descend upon the Tabernacle and possibly in a more glorious manner then ordinary thereby to astonish the people and to stop them in their furious attempt And the Lord said unto Moses How long will this people provoke me and how long will it be ere they believe me notwithstanding all the signs and wonders I have shewed among them I am even ready to smite them with the Pestilence and quite disinherit them and deprive them of this good Land I promised to their Fathers and in their stead to make of thee a greater Nation than they Moses humbly intercedes for them and makes use of several Arguments to prevail with the Lord for them First He says Lord if thou shouldest destroy all this people as if they were but one man the Egyptians will hear of it and will take occasion thereupon to reproach thy Name They will say because thou couldst not bring them into the Land which thou swarest to give them therefore thou hast slain them in the Wilderness though they know thou broughtest them by thine Almighty Power out from among them however they will talk insultingly thereof to the Nations who have heard the fame of thee and know that thou art among this people and hast manifested thy presence frequently and apparently among them and that thy Cloud standeth over them and that thou goest before them in the day-time in a Pillar of a Cloud and in a pillar of fire by night 2ly He humbly desires of the Lord that the greatness of his Power and Mercy may be manifested in pardoning this people who by so many and great sins had so highly provoked him according to what he himself had spoken Exod. 34.6 saying The Lord is long-suffering and of great mercy forgiving Iniquity and Transgression and by no means clearing the Guilty visiting the Iniquity of the Fathers upon the Children unto the third and fourth Generation By which words whilst Moses sues for mercy to many of them he seems to intimate an assent to the justice of God If He please to execute it upon some principal Offendors among them which if cut off there would be more safety for the rest Only he desires he would in the midst of Judgment remember Mercy and would manifest as great a willingness and readiness to pardon them now as He had done from Egypt until that time The Lord was pleased to give a gracious Answer to Moses's prayer and accordingly said to him I have pardoned them according to thy word I will not destroy them all as one man at this present I will not cut off the whole Nation as at first I threatned He further tells Moses That He intended to get unto his Name great Glory by the miraculous things that he would do for his people in carrying them into the Land of Canaan and yet withall He would magnifie his Justice and Severity in cutting off those who having seen the Miracles He did for them in Egypt and in the Wilderness had yet tempted Him ten times * 1. At the Red-Sea Exod. 14.11 2. At Marah Exod. 15.23 3. In the Wilderness of Sin Exod. 16.2 4. When they kept Manna till it stank Exod. 16.20 5. When they went out to gather Manna on the Sabbath day Exod. 16.27 6. At Rephidim for want of water Exod. 17.2 7. When they made the golden Calf Exod. 32.1 8. At Taborah Numb 11.1 9. At Kebroth-Hattaavah longing for Quails Numb 11.4 10. At this time after the return of the Spies and therefore they should not enter into the Land but all of them that were twenty years old and upward should die in the Wilderness excepting only Joshua and Caleb who were acted by a better spirit and had followed him fully and done what he required of them see Numb 32.12 These two should enter into the Land and their Seed should possess it but as for the rest of the Murmurers and Mutineers their Carkasses should fall in the Wilderness and their Children that they said would be a prey to the Amorites these He would bring in and they should know and enjoy the good Land which their Fathers had so reproachfully rejected Yet he tells them Their Children should wander in that Wilderness forty years that is till they have made up the years of their wandering in the Wilderness from their coming out of Egypt full forty years and he tells them that during this time These Children should bear their Fathers Whoredoms that is their Fathers Vnfaithfulness Disloyalty and Disobedience
to God should bring this punishment of forty years continuance in the Wilderness upon their Children And He says They shall know to their Cost what a dangerous thing it is to withdraw themselves or break off (r) V. 34. Scietis abruptionem meam i. e. abruptionem à me Pisc their Obedience to Him They shall find that it was their own Infidelity and Disobedience to him and not his breach of Promise with them that kept them out of that good Land to the borders of which he had now brought them They ought to have considered that his Promise was Conditional and the performance of it was to be expected only by those that performed the condition of it and towards them it shall never fail Numb 13. from 23. to the end Numb 14. from 1. to 36. Joshua 5.6 Numb 32. from 8. to 14. Deut. 1. from 26. to 40. Deut. 9.23 24. Psal 95. from 8. to the end Psal 106. from 23. to 27. SECT LIX THe ten Spies who had caused this meeting among the people were smitten by God with an extraordinary Plague and died presently see 1 Cor. 10.10 With this Judgment the people were grievously terrified and mourned exceedingly And in remembrance thereof the Jews keep a Feast upon the seventh day of the sixth month call'd Ebul Numb 14. from 36. to 40. SECT LX. THe people being much terrified with this Judgment and more especially with Gods Decree against them which Moses had acquainted them with and being very sensible that they had greatly provoked the Lord they would needs now in all hast gird on their Swords and go forward to take possession of the Land God had promised them resolving to fight all Enemies in the way But Moses charges them from the Lord that they should not stir see Deut. 1.42 He tells them that the Amalekites and Canaanites had pitched in the Valley beyond the Mountain at the foot whereof they were now encamped and lay there with their Forces to hinder their passage He tells them If they went up the Lord would not be with them but they would be smitten before their Enemies However some of them presumptuously would march up to the top of the hill though Moses and the Ark (s) The Ark removed not but at the removal of the Cloud Numb 9.15 which God not taking up now shewed thereby his dislike of their Enterprize staid behind And the Amalekites and Canaanites as had been foretold them came out against them and chased them as Bees which being angred use to come out in great Swarms and to fight with great eagerness and fury see Psal 118.12 and killing many of them pursued the rest even unto Hormah a place so called afterwards upon another occasion see Numb 21.3 And such of them as escaped cried and wept before the Lord but he regarded not their prayers and had as little respect to their tears as they had before to his Preceps And so they abode in the large Wilderness of Kadesh many days as the days they stayed there did sufficiently manifest For they were made to wander about 38 years longer in the Wilderness Numb 14. from 40. to the end Deut. 1. from 40. to the end SECT LXI UPon this Calamity and the continual dropping away of the Israelites in the Wilderness God having sentenced to death all above twenty years old but Joshua and Caleb as is before related Moses composed the 90th Psalm in which he sheweth that the ordinary age of man was reduc'd to 70 or 80 at the utmost Therefore the age of man was now a third time contracted and cut short a third part of what it was before SECT XLII THough the Lord had thus manifested his Wrath and Severity against those disobedient Israelites whom he had sentenced to die in the Wilderness yet that he might shew that He intended to bring their Children into the good Land he had promised he now enlarges and explains those Laws he had formerly given concerning the Sacrifices which he would have them offer to him when they came thither as particularly what Meat-Offerings and Drink-Offerings should be offered together with their Sacrifices whereof part was to be burnt upon the Altar as accessories and appurtenances thereunto And according as the Sacrifice was greater or less so must also the Meat and Drink-Offerings be more or less And He appoints particularly what shall be prepared for a Lamb or a Kid and what for a Ram or a Bullock that there might be a proportion observ'd betwixt them Numb 15. from vers 1. to 13. 2ly He injoyns that the Stranger that is brought to embrace the same Religion with them shall be under the same Laws and Ordinances that they were under One Law and one manner shall be for you and for the stranger that sojourneth with you from vers 13. to 17. 3ly He injoyns them to offer a Cake of the first of their Dough for an Heave-Offering that is about the same quantity that they offered of their first Corn they should offer of their Dough and both to be offered with the same Ceremonies These they were to offer to the Lord that is to the Priests the Lords Receivers for the First-fruits were their portion Ezek. 44.30 The first of all the Fruits of all things and every Oblation of all of every sort of your Oblations shall be the Priests from vers 17. to 22. 4ly Laws are given concerning Sacrifices to be offered when either the whole Congregation or a single person had sinned thorow ignorance Levit. 4.13 There is a Law given concerning Expiation of Sins ignorantly committed but that seems to be made in reference to Errors and Faults committed in common course of life and this to be meant of those only which are committed in things which belong to the external Worship and Service of God from vers 22. to 30. 5ly A Law is given for the cutting off those who sin not of ignorance inadvertency or infirmity but wilfully boldly and presumptuously in contempt of the Laws which God hath enacted concerning his publick Worship From vers 30. to the 31. 6ly To deter presumptuous Sinners a relation is made of a bold and presumptuous Sinner who refused to conform himself to the Law which God had made concerning his outward Worship and Service It seems whilst they were in the Wilderness one of the Congregation went out presumptuously to gather sticks on the Sabbath-day This being a direct violation of the Law given concerning the Sabbath they put the man inward till they had inquired of the Lord what should be done to him * See Levit. 24.12 That a Sabbath breaker was to be put to death they know see Exod. 31.14 35.2 but what kind of death he should die or whither this gathering of sticks made him obnoxious to that Sentence they were not fully resolved though it was evident enough to them he had done it presumptuously Moses not willing to take away his life without certain direction inquires
and therefore they should not hold Communion with Idolaters nor conform themselves to them in their Rites and Vsages Ye are the Children of God says he he hath chosen you to Himself for his peculiar people above all the Nations of the Earth therefore you shall not as the Heathens do cut themselves or make any incision in your flesh at the death of any of your dearest Friends Levit. 19.28 nor make any baldness between your eyes nor mourn so inordinately as they do who have no hope of a blessed Resurrection or eternal life These customs God forbids them to take up not only because they were the desperate effects of immoderate mourning but also because they were the customs of Idolaters and He would not have his people to conform themselves to them in these things lest they should from thence grow to a conformity to them in their Idolatrous worshipping of false gods In the next place he shews them That they may not eat any abominable thing namely such as God hath forbidden them And therefore here he sets down what may and what may not be eaten of Beasts of Fowls of Fishes of all which see Sect. 33. and Levit. 11. If any clean Creature died of it self it might be sold to or eaten by a stranger but not by themselves which restraints were to mind them of the difference God put between them and other Nations and the especial purity he required of them above other people Further he tells them They shall not seethe a * Id est cum matre lactante q. d. satis tibi sit comedere haedum abstine a matre Hoc enim prae se fâ—rt crudelitatem quandam Sic praecepit pullas avium comprehendere in nido matre dimissa Deut. 22.6 Kid in its Mothers milk that is they shall not be cruel as to seethe a Kid in that milk of its Dam which was given it for its nourishment see Sect. 17. of Ch. 4. Further he injoyns them to tythe all the increase of their Seed that the Field bringeth forth year by year and that not only the first tythe which they were to pay yearly to the Levites in the several places of their Habitations Numb 18.24 but the second Tythe taken after that which they should spend in holy Feastings before the Lord in the place which he shall chuse together with the firstlings of their Herds and Flocks that is either the Female-firstlings or the first-born after the Male-firstlings were paid to the Priest see Ch. 12.17 And the reason he gives why they should go up to the place the Lord had chosen and there feast together with these their holy things is that they might learn to fear the Lord their God always because the presenting themselves thus yearly before the Lord with their Sacrifices and Offerings must needs be of it self a good means to keep their hearts in a continual awe and reverence of God and at that holy place and in those holy Convocations the Priests were to instruct them in the Law and the Promises concerning the Messiah and in their Sacrifices they might behold a shadow of their Redemption by him all which must needs conduce to teach them the fear of the Lord. But in case they dwelt very far from the House of the Lord and their Tythes and Firstlings were so many that they could not well carry them so far then they might sell those things and carry the money with them and buy †Praetextu Legis hujus irrepsit improba consâ—etudo Joh. 2.14 therewith what they were to use there namely Oxen or Sheep or Wine or strong Drink or what else they desired to make a chearful Feast that they might rejoyce together before the Lord. And says he remember that thou forsake not nor neglect the Levite that is not only pay him the first Tythes but communicate to him also of these second Tythes that he may be sufficiently provided to eat and drink and rejoyce before the Lord as well as thy self seeing he is to have no Land of Inheritance among you to supply this unto him And every third year after the Sabbatical when the Land is to rest and so in the sixth year after that thou shalt bring forth all * Da decimas ut ditescas proverbium Judaeorum the Tythe of thy increase that year that is separate a third Tythe (i) So that every third year they separated three several Tythes The first was the Levites yearly livelihood The second they carried up with them to Jerusalem therewith to feast before the Lord. The third was laid up for the Poor which shall be laid up in some publick place in the Towns and Cities where they dwelt and that not only for the Levite but also for the Stranger the Fatherless and Widow Deut. 26.12 that they may eat and be satisfied And in so doing they might expect the Lord would please to bless them and prosper the works of their hands Chap. XV He amplifies and inlarges upon the Fourth Commandment dilating upon the Rites and Observances requir'd in the seventh or Sabbatical year At the end of every seventh year reckoning inchoative from the Sabbatical year says he thou shalt make a release that is every Creditor that lendeth ought unto his Neighbour shall release it He shall not exact it of his Neighbour or his Brother that is of any Israelite whatsoever because the Lord hath ordained it to be a year of Release But of a Foreigner or Heathen not proselyted thou mayst require what is thine with him And the end why ye shall so release is this that there may not be through your exacting debts of your Brethren any of them brought to extream poverty And if in this and other things they were obedient to Gods Laws He tells them God would so abundantly bless them that they should be well able to forbear the exacting of their debts and it should be no prejudice at all to them He would so bless them that they should have enough to lend (k) See Deut. 28.12 to many Nations and should not need to borrow of them and as otherways so particularly in lending to them says he thou shalt reign over them for the Borrower is Servant to the Lender Prov. 22.7 but they shall not reign over thee If there be a poor man of thy Brethren within any of thy Gates thou shalt not harden thy heart nor shut thy hand from him but shalt open it wide unto him and shalt lend him sufficient for his need Beware therefore lest there be such a wicked thought in thine heart saying The seventh year the year of Release is at hand and thy eye be evil against thy poor Brother so that thou lookest doggedly upon him and givest him naught and he Cry unto the Lord against thee and it be sin unto thee that is a great sin for which thou shalt be punished No on the contrary thou shalt surely give him * See Esay
them to observe and do lest God should smite them with Leprosie as he did Miriam who was by Gods special Command shut out of the Camp seven days until she had been purified according to the Law And if she could not be exempted none of them must hope for exemption in that case from what the Law required vers 8 9. 6ly When a man did lend any thing to his Brother upon a Pledge he was not to go into his house and pick and chuse what Pledge he pleased but should be content with that which the Borrower brought out to him poor men being unwilling that strangers should see their penury and want And if the man were very poor so that he gave his Covering or Garment wherein he lodged to Pledge see Exod. 22.26 the Lender was to return it to him again before the Sun went down that he may sleep in his own Rayment and so may bless the Lender and pray for him for his mercifulness to him and it should be esteemed as a righteous * See Psal 106.31 thing and a good work in him before the Lord who will reward him for it from vers 10. to 14. 7ly They were not to oppress an hired Servant whither of their own Brethren or a Stranger that was poor and needy but to pay him his wages †See Levit. 19.13 at the day appointed and not put him off further For being poor he setteth his heart upon his hire as that by which he must maintain himself If they did otherwise the poor man might Cry unto the Lord against them and God might thereupon be provok'd to punish them for their unmercifulness vers 14 15. 8ly Neither the Fathers * Ad judices haec dici patet ex sequentibus Regula haec ordinaria est Interim in casibus quibusdam extraordinariis Magistratibus mandatum fuit filios cum Parentibus occidere vide Deut. 13. Jos 7. Judic 20.21 2 Sam. 21. shall be put to put to death for the sin of the Children nor the Children for the sin of the Fathers but every man shall suffer for his own sin vers 16. 9ly They were not to pervert the Judgment of the Fatherless or Stranger or take a Widows Garment to Pledge but should remember how they themselves were Bondmen in Egypt and how God delivered them thence and therefore they should be merciful to others vers 17 18. 10ly In time of Harvest if they have forgotten a sheaf in the Field they shall not go and fetch it but leave it for the Stranger Fatherless and Widow that God may bless them in all the works of their hands Levit. 19.9 23.22 And so when they gather their Grapes and Olives they shall leave the gleanings for the poor vers 19. to the end 11ly The Judges are appointed to judge righteously in all cases that shall come Chap. XXV before them to justifie the Righteous and condemn the Wicked And if a wicked man or Malefactor deserve to be beaten they shall order him to receive forty stripes and no more lest if they should proceed to what extremity they listed their Brother should seem vile in their eyes and fit to be used with no more regard than if he were a beast The Jews were so superstitiously careful not to transgress this Law that their custom was to stay at 39 stripes even when they meant to go as high as they might and that for fear they should exceed from vers 1. to 4. 12ly They were not to muzzle the Ox when he treadeth out the Corn. The Israelites used not to thresh their Corn with Flails as we do but trod it out with the feet of Beasts Hosea 10.11 yea sometimes with Cart-wheels see Isa 28.27 28. By this Law the Lord taught them to be merciful to the bruit Beasts they had occasion to make use of and by necessary consequence to beware of depriving their Brethren of that which was due to them for the service they did them but to let them eat and enjoy the fruit of their Labours see 1 Cor. 9.9 13ly If a man die leaving no Child his wife may not marry out of her Husbands Family but her Husbands next Brother or next Kinsman shall marry her and the first-born which she beareth him shall be counted the legal Son of his Brother * Hence Obed whom Boaz begat of Ruth is said to be Naomi's Son Ruth 4.17 because he was counted the legal Son of Elimelech her deceased Son Ruths former Husband though he was withall counted the natural Son of Boaz Luke 3.32 See Sect. 35. of the third Chapter of this History that died without Issue that so his name may be continued in Israel But if the next Brother refuse to marry her she shall complain to the Elders and if he still persist in it before them that he will not take her to wife she shall loose his shoe (s) In all resignations of House or Land from one man to another this Ceremony was used so that He that did resign the House or Land pulled off his shoe and gave it to his Neighbour to whom he passed it over Ruth 4.7 thereby signifying that He passed it over Ruth 4.7 thereby signifying that He would from thence forward be disabled from going any more upon such Land or into such a House or any part of the Estate from off his foot as intimating thereby that he was unworthy to enter upon and possess his Brothers Estate and shall spit in his face (t) This was only done when the woman did claim and press her right before the Elders and the next Kinsman did obstinately refuse her For when by free agreement the next Kinsman did resign his right to another the Widow also consenting then this note of Infamy was not put upon Him as we may see Ruth 4.8 where no spitting on the face of the next Kinsman is mentioned but only by pulling off his shoe he resigned his right to Boaz and so he married Ruth by way of disgrace and contempt thereby declaring him a man unworthy to shew his face among his Brethren and shall say Thus shall it be done to the man that refuses to build up his Brothers house And when in after-times this mans Family shall be spoken of they shall speak of it as the House or Family of a man that had his shoe loosed and so a note of Infamy shall rest upon him and his Family that men may thereby be made the more careful to submit to the directions of Gods Law from vers 5. to 11. 14ly If a woman see a man beating her Husband and run in to help him she may not take him that strove with her Husband by the Secrets thinking thereby to make him give over smiting him if she do her hand shall be cut off by the Magistrate without pity God thereby intimating to them how much he abhorred all bold shameless and impure behaviour in those that professed themselves to be his people
vers 11 12. 15ly He forbids all fraud in buying and selling and commands that they should not have divers Weights and Measures to wit great ones to buy with and small ones to sell with or great ones to shew to the Officers when they come to view and try their Weights and Measures and less to sell their Wares by They are commanded to do just things that so their days may be lengthened in the Land which the Lord giveth them For all that do such things and deal unrighteously are an abomination to the Lord from vers 13. to 17. 16ly He puts them in mind of executing what God had declared against Amalek who smote the hindmost and feeblest of them when they came out of Egypt see Sect. 11. of Ch. 4. which was a great act of inhumanity and cruelty to seek to hurt them that had been lately so horribly oppressed in Egypt and it was a sign the Amalekites feared not God who had so visibly owned that people and so in fighting against the Israelites they fought against God Himself Therefore when they were peaceably setled in the Land which God intended to give them they should blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under Heaven This Judgment God appointed Saul to execute 1 Sam. 15.2 3. but he failed in the performance of it as we may see vers 9. Afterwards God stirred up the Simeonites in Hezekiah's days to do it who smote the rest of the Amalekites 1 Chron. 4.42 43. And what befel Haman and his Sons is largely related in the third Chapter of the Book of Esther from vers 17. to the end Chap. XXVI 17ly He gives directions that when they were come into the Land of Canaan every man should every year bring a Basket of his first-fruits at the Feast of Tabernacles Exod. 23.16 to the Priest to be by Him presented to the Lord as an acknowledgment that the Lord had freely given them this Land as He had promised to their Fathers and that of Him they still held it and therefore to Him as Lord in Chief by way of Tribute they brought these first-fruits testifying also thereby that to him they owed the yearly fruitfulness of their Land And when the Priest hath set down the Basket before the Altar the Offerer shall make this solemn Profession Our Ancestor Jacob was forced to fly into Syria and in respect of his long abode and continuance there with his Uncle Laban he may well be call'd a Syrian though born in the Land of Canaan There he was near lost and ready to perish by reason of the wrongs he received from his hard Father-in-law When he returned thence into the Land of Canaan after a few years by extremity of Famine he was constrain'd to remove into Egypt and there sojourned with a few who afterwards became a great mighty and populous Nation Then the Egyptians evil intreated us and laid upon us hard Bondage but when we cried unto the Lord He looked down with pity upon our Affliction and Labour and Oppression And brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty Hand and an out-stretched Arm and with great terribleness and with Signs and Wonders and hath brought us into this good Land flowing with Milk and Honey And behold I have brought to thee the first-fruits of the Land which thou O Lord hast given me Then leaving his Basket before the Altar for the use of the Priest who with the rest of his Brethren was afterwards to eat of them all first-fruits by Gods appointment appertaining to them Deut. 18.4 and humbly worshipping the Lord He shall depart and after he hath thus testified his thankfulness and done this Service he shall go and feast with the Levites and Strangers upon the Peace-Offerings He had brought thither even as they used to do at all other Feasts rejoycing in every good thing which the Lord hath given them see Deut. 16.11 15. from vers 1. to 12. 18ly He comes now to shew what profession and prayer that man was to make that paid his third years Tythes In the two first years after the Sabbatical year there were only two Tythes to be separated from their Estates The first for the Levites the second to be spent in their Journeys to Jerusalem and in holy feasting there before the Lord. But in the third year they were to separate a third Tythe which was for the Poor in the places where they dwelt The first of these Tythes was wholly the Levites * Out of this the Levitâ—s paid a tenth part again to the Priests Numb 18.24 to 29. Neh. 10.37 38. portion and therefore often called the Lords Inheritance the second or the price of it was to be carried up by the Owners to the Lords dwelling-place and there spent in holy feasting before the Lord but this third Tythe †Therefore this third year was peculiarly call'd the year of Tything because this year they separated three Tythes from their Increase one more than in other years The first was the Levites yearly livelihood the second was to be expended in their Journey to Jerusalem and feasting before the Lord there The third was to be laid up for the Poor see Deut. 14.28 was to be laid up in some publick place in the Towns and Cities where they dwelt and was not only for the use of the Levites but also of the Stranger Fatherless and Widdow as is said vers 12. that they might eat also within their Gates and be filled He that paid this third years Tythe was to make such a profession as this O Lord I have brought away the hallowed things out of my house and have given them to the Levites the Stranger the Fatherless and the Widow according to thy Commandments I have not transgressed thy Commandments nor forgotten them I have not eaten thereof in my mourning that is in my greatest wants and necessities and when I was in the greatest straits I have not ventured to supply my self from them Neither has it caused any mourning * Scil. pressus dolorâ— luctu quod tantum deberem auferre bonis meis aliis elargiri Jansen or repining in me that I was bound to part with so much of my Increase to the Poor Neither have I taken ought thereof for any unclean use that is for any use besides that for which they were appointed nor given ought thereof for the dead that is for the burying of the dead or to be provisions for a Funeral Feast †Non expendi in rem Funebrem Pompum vel Convivium de quo Jer. 16.7 Ezek. 24.17 Hos 9.4 Having made this solemn Protestation that He had not failed in paying his Tythes exactly according to the Law He was then to add this Prayer Lord look down from thy holy Habitation from Heaven and bless thy people Israel and this Land which thou hast given us as thou swearest to our Fathers from vers 12. to 18. 19ly He exhorts them to observe all
two Cities of this Name One fell to the lot of the Ephraimities and the other to the Benjamites So that it seems there were an upper and nether Beth-horon which were afterwards rebuilt beautified and fortified by Sherah a famous woman of the stock of Ephraim 1 Chron. 7.24 and smote them unto Azehah and Makkedah And as they fled some towards the upper and some towards the nether Beth-horon the Lord cast down great and prodigious Hail-stones upon them which destroyed more of them than the Israelites had killed with the Sword This storm of Hail was miraculous not only in regard of the exceeding greatness of the stones but in that they fell only on the Canaanites and not on the Israelites who pursued after them Joshua being now with his Army in the heat of pursuit and execution of their Enemies and fearing he should want day-light to finish his Work His spirit was excited humbly to beg of God that the Sun and Moon might stand still in the Heavens and give them light till they had done their work The Lord was pleased by some special instinct of his Spirit to assure him that his Request was granted whereupon in the presence of his Souldiers and for their future Encouragement looking up to Heaven He said Sun stand thou still upon Gibeon and thou Moon in the Valley of Ajalon †This was a Plain into which men descended from Beth-horon v. 11. and in respect of the small distance between it and Gibeon it is by the Prophet who alludeth to this story call'd the Valley of Gibeon Isa 28.21 And accordingly the Sun and Moon stood still and the whole frame of the Heavens by the space of almost an whole day till they had avenged themselves on their Enemies So that both these great Lights beginning and ending their standing still together the Astronomical Account was no way confounded by this stay even as in Musick the Harmony is not in any sort broken if all the Voices rest at the same time and then begin again every man in his own part going on until the end of the Lesson as Laurentius Codomannus observes This is written in the Book of Jasher * Fuit hic liber quasi Sanctorum Catalogus de Heroum Sanctorum gestis-scriptâ—s metrico versu Bonfrerius which seems to be some continued Chronicle of the memorable Acts of Gods Worthies in those times which Book is since lost though 't is mentioned again 2 Sam. 1.18 see also Numb 21.14 And there was no day like this either before it or after it wherein God at the prayer of a man made the Sun and Moon to stand still and made the day twice as long as it should have been Indeed in Hezekiah's time the day was miraculously lengthened by the Suns going backward 2 Kings 20.11 and Isaiah the Prophet cried unto the Lord and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward by which it had gone down in the Dial of Ahaz and yet it was not lengthened so much by far then as it was now to wit not above two hours and an half Neither was that done in such a manner as this was viz. upon Joshua's prayer to God first desiring it and then commanding in his Name that it should be done see Hab. 3.11 Joshua having the day thus miraculously lengthened out for him and following the Chase those five Kings fled to a Cave in the Country belonging to Makkedah and there hid themselves Joshua being informed thereof commanded that the entrance into the Cave should be rammed up with great stones and a Guard set upon it but that the rest of the Army should pursue after their Enemies and smite the hindmost of them and not suffer them to get into their fenced Cities lest they should put them to a new trouble For says he God fights for us and hath delivered these our Enemies into our hands therefore let us not by sloth and negligence lose this opportunity of destroying them which he now affordeth us Accordingly Joshua and his Souldiers made that day a great Slaughter of their Enemies so that only a few of them escaped which got into their fenced Cities For though he at present destroyed the Enemy in the Field yet it seems he did not take their fenced Cities till some time after though they are related in this Chapter as taken presently because the Writer of this Book did resolve to give as it were one short Draught of the War Now those whom Joshua had sent forth to pursue the Enemy returned to him in peace that is sound and safe to Makkedah where his Camp was at present And now the Canaanites were very quiet and durst not offer the Israelites the least Disturbance no not so much as a Dog barked against them to allude to that proverbial Speech Exod. 11.7 Then Joshua caused the five Kings to be brought out of the Cave to him and He called for his Captains and chief Commanders and bad them put their feet upon their Necks not in a proud insulting manner but to teach them that they were to shew no mercy to this people and to intimate to them that thus they should tread all their Enemies under their feet Then Joshua commanded that these five Kings should be slain and hanged * Quia Regum stagitia plurimis exemplo nocent ideo acerbiore supplicio merito debebant Expiari Masius on five Trees where they hung till evening and then they took them down and cast them into the Cave where they had been hid and laid great stones in the Caves mouth which remained when this History was written See Josh 8.29 and Psal 91.13 and Psal 149.8 110.1 Joshua 10. from 1. to 27. SECT CIV JOshua like a prudent General pursueth his Victory while the Canaanites were under so great a terrour and consternation upon the defeat of the five Kings and their Armies And therefore now He resolves to set upon their Cities And first He took Makkedah (c) A City in the uttermost Confines of the Tribe of Judah towards the West see Ch. 15.41 and destroyed all the people therein Men Women and Children reserving the Cattel to themselves for a Prey see Ch. 11.14 And he did unto the King thereof as he had done unto the King of Jericho that is He hanged †Hoc non indicat Scriptura ex caeterorum tamen Regum exemplo colligunt eum suspensum fuisse Bonfrerius him From Makkedah he marched the whole Army that was with him to Libnah (d) A City situate in the Tribe of Judah Ch. 15.42 and given to the Priests Ch. 21.13 and the Lord delivered that City also into his hands and he put all to the Sword he found therein and did unto their King as he did unto the King of Makkedah From Libnah he marched to Lachish (e) A strong City in the Confines of Judah restor'd Ch. 15.39 whose King was one of those that made War against Gibeon and besieged it
due time to perform what God commanded them in driving out the Canaanites out of the Land Now the Canaanites that were left in the Land and not cast out were these viz. five Lords of the Philistines viz. the Lords of Ashdod Gaza Askelon Gath and Ekron and the Canaanites Sidonians and Hivites that dwelt about Libanus and from Mount Baal-hermon on the East of Libanus to the entring in of Hamath a City in the North of Canaan afterwards call'd Antiochia The Children of Israel dwelling thus among the Canaanites grew extreamly corrupt so that they served their gods and the Idols which they set up and worshipped in Groves and made interchangeable Marriages with them Upon which great Provocations the Lord gave them up into the hands of Chushan-rishathaim King of Mesopotamia 'T is like he first brake in upon the Tribes that lay on the other side of Jordan and then incroached upon those within Jordan by degrees And this was their first Servitude (g) First Servitude under Cushan eight years Othniel first Judge which continued eight years Then returning unto the Lord and crying unto Him for Mercy and Forgiveness He was pleased to raise up for them a Saviour and Deliverer namely Othniel the Son of Kenaz Caleb's Nephew and Son in law see Ch. 1.13 so that to the great Honour of the Children of Judah the first Judge after Joshua was of their Tribe Thus that Prophesie was made good Gen. 49.8 Judah thou art He whom thy Brethren shall praise thy Hand shall be in the Neck of thine Enemies thy Fathers Children shall bow down before thee Othniel being thus raised up by God to this high Office The Spirit of the Lord came upon him that is he was furnished with those Gifts and Graces that were requisite to make him a wise and valiant General in War and a prudent Governour in Peace and the Lord gave Cushan into his hands so that he prevailed against him and delivered the Israelites out of their Bondage under Him And so the Land had rest forty years Not as if there were forty years of Peace in the Land uninterrupted from this time but the Land had Rest till forty years were expired from the first Rest wherein it was setled by Joshua before his death And then Othniel died Judg. 2. from 11. to the end Ch. 3. from 1. to 12. SECT CXXXIV AFter the death of Othniel the Israelites again did evil in the sight of the Lord and He stirred up Eglon King of Moab and gave him Courage and Resolution to go against Israel and he joyning with the Ammonites and Amalekites overthrew them and took Jericho that is possessed himself of the Lands and Territories thereabout where the City of Jericho once stood and possibly built some great Fortress there that he might have the Command of the Fords of Jordan that being the passage over to his own Country Second Oppression under Eglon eighteen years Ehud second Judge And this second Oppression continued eighteen years The Israelites then crying unto the Lord for help he raised up for them Ehud Son of Gera of the Tribe of Benjamin which was but a little before almost wholly destroyed a man left-handed By Him the Children of Israel sent a Present to Eglon which Opportunity he readily embraced having a design to kill Him And being stirred up as 't is probable by the Spirit of God to do it He accordingly provided himself of a Dagger fit for the purpose Then going with the Present to Eglon and humbly presenting it to Him He with those that brought it take their leave and depart When they were come as far back as the Quarries by Gilgal He himself returns again to the King who was in his Summer-Parlour and addressing himself to him tells him He had a secret Message to him The King bids him forbear delivering his Message till his Servants and Attendants were gone out of the Room They being gone Ehud tells him He had a Message from God to him Eglon hearing this rose up as if he would give some respect to such a Messuage Ehud then drawing out his Dagger thrust it into his Belly and gave him such a deadly blow that he left him who had so long oppressed the people of God wallowing in his own blood and dung Then shutting the door after him and locking it having as 't is probable a Spring-lock he quietly and with a composed Countenance passed away The Servants finding the door shut and locked they concluded that the King covered his feet in his Summer-Chamber that is that He had laid himself down to sleep because when they did so they used to cast some covering over their feet as it is said of Ruth when she went to lie down by Boaz as he lay sleeping at the end of his heap of Corn Ruth 3.7 That she uncovered his feet and laid her self down So when Saul went into the Cave where David and his men were 1 Sam. 24.3 't is said Saul went in to cover his feet that is to lie down and sleep there for a while else how could David cut off the Skirt of his Garment and not be perceived if he had not been asleep The Servants having staid a great while and finding the King did not open the door they began to be ashamed they had stayed so long and not looked after their Master sooner fearing that some evil had befallen him Then taking a Key it being usual in Kings Houses for the Servants to have Keys to their Masters doors and opening the door they found their Lord dead Ehud thus escaping He came to Mount Ephraim and there blew a Trumpet and gathering the Children of Israel together He tells them what he had done and that the Lord had delivered the Moabites into their hands Then bidding them follow him he went down with them and took the Fords of Jordan that neither the Moabites now in Canaan might escape to their own Country nor those in the Land of Moab pass over Jordan to aid their Brethren in Canaan Then he fell with his Forces upon the Moabites and the Israelites slew ten thousand of them at that time even lusty and stout men So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel and the Land had rest fourscore years to wit after the former rest and Deliverance procured to them by Othniel In the time of those 80 years the Philistines making some Inroads into the Lands of the Israelites Shamgar the Son of Anath who seems to be some Country-man or Farmer of Note did on a suddain raise the Country thereabouts and they (h) Some think that this Victory of Shamgar's was miraculous and that he himself slew 600 as Sampson slew a 1000 of them with the Jaw-bone of an Asse Ch. 15.15 16. with their Ox-goads set upon the Philistines and slew 600 of them So that He was a Deliverer though not a Judge Judg. Ch. 3. from 12. to the end SECT CXXXV The Book of Ruth
raise up the Name of the dead upon his Inheritance that it may not be cut off from among his Brethren and from the Gate of his Place that is from among the Inhabitants of Bethlehem who daily go in and out at the Gates of the City and upon all civil Occasions resort thither as to their place of Judicature Hereupon the Elders and all the people there present declared that they were all Witnesses to these Transactions And so they wished Boaz all happiness with Ruth whom he intended to take for his Wife praying unto the Lord that she might be to him what Rachel * Here Rachel is named before Leah because she was Jacob's true and lawful wife Leah was fraudulently put upon him and Leah which two did build the House of Israel were to Jacob viz. that she might be very loving and comfortable to him and might bear him many Children as they did that thereby the Israel or Church of God might be increased Then speaking to Him they said As for thy self we heartily wish thou mayest do worthily in Ephratah and be famous in Bethlehem We heartily wish thy House may be like the House of Pharez †See Sect. 35. of Chap. 3. that is as Pharez of whose Stock thou art was blessed in his Posterity though his Mother was a Stranger and not of the Stock of Israel so that his Children and Childrens Children have been most honourable in the Tribe of Judah so we wish that thou maist be blessed in thy Children begotten of this poor Stranger and that they may still uphold the Honour of that House So Boaz took Ruth to wife and God gave her to conceive and she bare him a Son Upon this the Women congratulated Naomi saying Blessed be the Lord who hath not left thee this day without a Kinsman a pious Kinsman indeed who hath raised up Seed to his Kinsman thy Son deceased and let his Name be famous in Israel for it He will comfort and revive thee and restore thee as it were to a new life He will be a Nourisher of thy old age and make thee as it were young again For Ruth thy beloved Daughter-in-law who is better to thee than seven Sons hath now born him * Vers 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 poterit verti peperit ei scil vindici Pronomen enim affixum saepe ponitur Et exponendum est per dativum separatum Capel a Son which must needs be matter of great joy to him Then Naomi took the Child and laid him in her Bosom and became a dry-Nurse to him And the Women her Neighbours said There is a Son born to Naomi because this Son of Ruth was to raise up the Name of her deceased Husband Mahlon the Son of Naomi and to be accounted his Son rather than the Son of Boaz. However they gave their advice that his Name should be called Obed importing that they hoped he would be very serviceable to his Mother and Grand-Mother Indeed every where in the Genealogies Obed is reckoned the Son of Boaz but that is because there it is fit the line should be drawn according to the natural Descents that we may truly know the Ancestors of whom Christ came without any respect to this legal Ordination This Obed was the Father of Jesse who was the Father of David The principal end of setting down this Genealogy †By the Genealogy of David set down in the end of this Book 't is manifest it was written after David's time unless that were added to the Book in succeeding times by some other Author here seems to be to shew the truth of Jacob's Prophesie concerning Christ's coming of the Tribe of Judah and therefore it begins with Pharez Juda's Son and so descendeth to David of whose Stock it was also known that the Messiah was to come Ruth Ch. 4. whole Chapter SECT CXXXVI WE return now to the History of the Judges When Ebud was dead the Children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord. Vnder none of the Judges did they enjoy so long a peace as in the days of Ehud as we may see Ch. 3.30 viz. 80 years And now we shall shew how ill they requited the Lord for so great a Mercy As standing waters are wont to putrifie so they were corrupted by their long Peace and by degrees fell off from God unto Idolatry as they formerly had done Upon this God gave them up into the hands of Jabin King of Canaan that is of those Canaanites that dwelt in the Northern parts Successor to that Jabin slain by Joshua whose chief City Hazor he burnt Josh 11.1 10 11 12. yet this Son or Successor of his it seems re-inforcing himself recovered from the Israelites that part of Land and Territory that lay about Hazor and repairing the City reigned there as his Predecessors had done And now at last not contented with his own Kingdom he made War against the Israelites in general and brought them into Subjection to him and cruelly oppressed them in Revenge no doubt of what Joshua had formerly done against that Kingdom and City The Text says He mightily oppressed them vers 3. which Expression is no where used concerning any other Bondage the Children of Israel were under and he oppressed them a long while viz. twenty years Third Oppression under Jabin twenty years and this Oppression must needs be the more grievous to them because they were brought under the Canaanites that accursed Nation whom God promised to cast out before them and would have done it had not they by their grievous Sins prevented their own Mercies And observable it is that whereas their first Bondage under Cushan-rishathaim King of Mesopotamia continued but seven years the next under Eglon continued eighteen years and this under Jabin continued twenty years Thus we see when lighter Corrections did no good the next were sorer and of longer continuance and because they abused God's Mercy and readiness to withdraw his Hand when they cried unto him therefore he continued the next Judgments longer upon them But to go on The Captain of Jabin's Host was Sisera who dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles in the lot of Naphtali whither many of the Canaanites in the timâ— of Israels prevailing fled as unto a place of Strength and there fortified themselves Jabin had a great Army and 900 Chariots of Iron and continuing to Oppress Israel very sorely they cried unto the Lord and humbled themselves Deborah the Third Judge and He was at length pleased to hear their Cry and send them a Deliverer It seems at this time * Namely whilst Jabin oppressed them so that those 20 years or within 〈◊〉 those 40 yâ—ars of Dâ—brorah vers 31. Populum judicabat sine Principatu tamen Jus populo dixit litesque composuit sed absque jurisdictione sive potestate judiciariâ Quia Prophetissa mulier prudens erat sponte populus ad eam controversias suas detulit Judices
of divers Colours of divers Colours of Needle-work so wrought that both sides are alike and of equal beauty and fit to be worn about the Necks of those to whom the best Prey belongeth as great Officers and Commanders and such as have done best Service in the Fight But alas she will find her self miserably deceived and her Son to be in another condition So let all thine Enemies perish O Lord but let them that love thee become Prosperous Glorious and Renowned and let their Prosperity grow and increase daily as the Sun when it riseth in a clear Morning doth shine brightly and gloriously and that more and more until it shew it self in its greatest strength and brightness at Noon-day Prov. 4.18 And upon this Victory the Land had Rest until forty years were up since the former Rest or Peace restored by Ehud Ch. 5. whole Chapter SECT CXXXVIII Fourth Oppression under the Midianites seven years THe Children of Israel falling again to Idolatry and doing evil in the sight of the Lord He delivered them into the hands of the Midianites who oppressed them seven years We read not indeed that they brought them into such Bondage as other Oppressors had done but only made every year Inroads into their Land and so robbed and pillaged their Country The Midianites though the Posterity of Abraham were always deadly Enemies to the Israelites and in the latter days of Moses the Israelites had destroyed multitudes of them as we may see Numb 31.17 Possibly the Midianites resolved now to take Revenge on them for it However when the Lord intends to punish a people for their sins he can raise up against them what Nation he pleases And in this time that the Midianites thus vexed Israel many of those Dens and Caves and strong Holds in Rocks which were in the Land of Canaan were made by the Israelites to hide themselves and their Goods from the Midianites These Midianites having got as it seems some of those Eastern Nations that bordered upon them as the Ishamelites Arabians c. to join with them who dwelt not in Cities or Towns but in Tents only which they used to remove from one place to another every Spring when the Israelites had sown their Corn these Midianites and their Confederates came with their Tents and Camels and Cattel that they might eat up the increase of the Land and therefore are compared to Grashoppers or Locusts vers 5. And they entred on the East passing over Jordan and went quite through the Land even as far as Gaza that lay on the Western-Sea destroying all as they went leaving in a manner no sustenance for Israel or very little and driving away their Cattel So that the Israelites were hereby greatly impoverished In this their Distress they cried unto the Lord and he sent a Prophet unto them his Name is not recorded who said to them Thus saith the Lord I brought you out of Egypt and delivered you from all those that oppressed you and drave out the Canaanites before you and gave you their Land and said to you I am the Lord your God See that you Worship not the gods of the Amorites in whose Land you dwell Because Religious Worship is always accompanied with fear and reverence of that God whom we worship therefore fear is often put for the whole Worship that we give to God but you have not obeyed my Voice and therefore you need not wonder at what is come upon you Sometime after this the Angel of the Covenant the Son of God called Jehovah vers 24. appeared unto Gideon the Son of Joash of the Family of Abiezer of the Tribe of Manasseh at Ophrath where he dwelt and not desiring to seem to Gideon any other than some Prophet sent to him by God He sate down under an Oak as a man wearied with travel and that desired to rest himself having as a Traveller a Staff in his hand Thus the Son of God did often in the Old Testament take on him an humane shape to prefigure his Incarnation And accordingly now he appeared unto Gideon who was threshing Wheat by the Wine-press to hide it from the Midianites By which it appears that Gideon though a man of Note and having many Servants under him vers 27. yet was a man also of an humble spirit and disdained not to employ himself in any honest labour The Angel salutes him thus The Lord is with thee thou mighty man of Valour Gideon the Fourth Judge this He spake as pre-signifying that great Courage and Valour the Lord intended to endow him with Gideon reply'd Oh my Lord if the Lord be with us why then is all this befallen us where are all the Miracles our Fathers told us of but the Lord hath now forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites The Angel replies Thus saith the Lord go in this thy might which I have given thee and rely on my Promise to assist thee in this great Work which I call thee to and thou shalt save Israel from the hands of the Midianites Have not I sent thee and therefore having both Authority from Me and a Promise of Success thou maist without all scruple undertake this Service And he said unto him O Lord wherewith shall I save Israel These words of Gideon seem to proceed from weakness of Faith but do not argue a total want of it for his Faith is commended Heb. 11.32 but as a man apprehensive of his own weakness he desires Direction how to carry on so great a Work and what means he should use for the atchieving so great a Design Alas says he the thousand that I belong to is poor in Manasseh I am not only weak in my self but also in Friends and Allies The Lord said unto him I will be with thee and I am All-sufficient and able to give thee such Wisdom and Power as is requisite for thee to effect it I will surely be with thee and thou shalt smite the Midianites as easily as if thou hadst to do but with one man Gideon said If I have found Grace in thy sight I pray thee shew me a sign that thou talkest with me from God and art sent of Him thus to speak unto me and tarry I pray thee a little that I may entertain thee with such Provisions as I can on a suddain make So Gideon went in and made ready a Kid and unleavened Cakes of which he provided a large quantity * V. 19. Of an Ephah of flour intending possibly to oblige this Stranger to take some of them with him to sustain him in his Journey see Gen. Ch. 18. 19. and Judg. 13.15 The Flesh and Cakes he put in a Basket and the Broth in a Pot and brought it out to Him sitting under the Oak and presented it to him For apprehending Him at present to be only a Prophet sent of God to him He desireth to give Him such Entertainment as was fit for him to
the ground about it were dry then he would look upon it as a sign that God would save Israel by his hand The Lord grants his Request without any reprehension of him at all and accordingly in the morning Gideon found the Fleece so wet that he wrung a Bowl full of water out of it the ground about it being all dry Gideon seeing this earnestly besought the Lord that his anger might not wax hot against him if he humbly desired one sign * Herein Gods great Condescention to Gideon was manifested working a Miracle forward and backward as it were yea many Miracles for the strengthening of his Faith in his Vocation and in Gods Promises more which was just contrary namely that the next morning the Fleece only might be dry and upon the ground about it there might be dew which came to pass accordingly to the great Encouragement of Gideon Ch. 6. whole Chapter SECT CXXXIX THen Gideon and all the people that were with him rose early and pitched besides the well Harod or the Well of Terror in the Tribe of Manasseh so called either from the fear that seiz'd on the twenty two thousand of the Israelites vers 3. or on the Midianites vers 21. and the Midianites encamped at the Hill Moreh on the North-side of them and in the Valley The whole Army that Gideon had gathered together were in all but thirty two thousand and the Midianites were a hundred thirty and five thousand * For there were an hundred and twenty thousand of them slain in their first overthrow and the remainder that were left with Zeba and Zalmunna were fifteen thousand Ch. 8.10 so that they were above four times as many as the Israelites and had the Israelites vanquished the Midianites with these thirty two thousand that were now come to Gideon one would think they should never have gone about to attribute the Victory to themselves or to rob God of the Glory of it But the Lord who foresaw how prone men would be to vaunt themselves upon any great Success told Gideon they were too many for him to Conquer the Midianites by lest Israel should say Mine own hand hath saved me Therefore He orders Gideon to make Proclamation That all that were afraid according as was injoyn'd Deut. 20.8 might depart from Mount Gilead (a) The Mount Gilead here spoken of must needs be not the famous Mountain of that Name without Jordan but another Mount of the same name within Jordan For a great many of this half-Tribe of Manasseh within Jordan being descended from Gilead the Son of Machir the Son of Manasseh they might also call this Mountain Gilead in remembrance of their Father in the Tribe of Manasseh within Jordan where they now were gathered together Hereupon twenty two thousand of them seeing the power and strength of the Enemy their hearts failed them and so they embraced the liberty given them to depart But their Trumpets it seems they left behind them by Gideon's order so there remained only ten thousand with Gideon The Lord tells him They were too many yet He bids him therefore bring those ten thousand down unto the water and there he would try them for him and discover who among them were fit for this Service and who not And accordingly those whom he approved for this Service should go along with him the others should depart When they were come to the water the Lord tells him That every one who coming to the water bended his body only a little and snatched up a little water in the palm of his hand and so lapped it up for his present refreshment as Dogs lap a little water and make hast presently away every such one should go with him but those that kneeling down on their knees bowed their heads down to the River and so putting their mouths into the water drank and sucked up their fill those should be dismissed For this kind of drinking argued sloth and a greedy desire of filling themselves and impatience of thirst whereas the other argued strength and ability of body and that they were content with a little refreshing being more intent upon the business they had in hand than on filling themselves This Experiment being made the number of those Lappers were found to be but 300 the rest were dismissed The Lord tells Gideon He would save them by this small number and by them vanquish the Midianites though for every Souldier Gideon had left there were four hundred and fifty of the Enemy The same night after Gideon had dismissed all his Army but these 300 the Lord spake to him in a Vision or Dream and said to him If thou fearest to go down and set upon the Enemy because of the smallness of thy number go down first privately in the night with thy Servant only and get as near to their Host as thou canst and there thou shalt hear something that shall further strengthen thy Faith Gideon accordingly crept down with his Servant to the first Sentinels of the Host and the Midianites and Amalekites lay along in the Valley like Grashoppers for multitude and their Camels were innumerable Gideon being got near to the Sentinels he heard one of them tell his Dream unto his Fellow says he Behold I dreamed that a Cake of Barley-bread tumbled into the Host of Midian and came into a Tent and smote it that it fell and so over-turned the Tent that it lay along His Fellow answered This is nothing else save the Sword of Gideon the Son of Joash for into his hand hath God delivered Midian and all the Host When Gideon heard this Interpretation of the Dream he bowed himself by way of thankfulness to the Lord for bringing him to hear this comfortable News for the strengthening of his Faith and hereby he perceived that God had alreadly stricken the Enemy with a fear of Him So returning to his little Army he acquaints them with what had passed and told them God had delivered their Enemies into their hands Then he gave to every one of his Souldiers a Trumpet and a Torch which being lighted he was to carry holding an empty Pitcher over it that no light might be seen till they had occasion to discover it Then dividing his 300 into three Companies that so they might encompass the Camp of their Enemies in several places and appear as if they were a great Army He bids them to look on him and to do as He did says He When we are come to the out-side of the Camp of our Enemies and you see me break my Pitcher and discover my Light and blow with my Trumpet do you likewise the same and with a great shout cry out The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon He would have them own God as the chief Agent but yet to name Him as an Instrument because he perceived by the Interpretation of the Dream which he had heard that his Name was terrible among them So Gideon and the three
hundred men that were with him approached the Enemies Camp about Midnight when they had newly set the Watch and spreading themselves round the Camp as far as their number could extend and breaking their Pitchers and discovering their Lights and blowing their Trumpets cried out The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon The Enemy in the dead of the night being terrified at the sight of so many Lights on a suddain burning about them and hearing so many Trumpets sounding and so many men crying out The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon could not but apprehend they were encompassed with a mighty Army and thereupon all the Host made an hideous Out-cry and ran and fled and shifted for themselves as well as they could In this great Consternation the Lord by his Providence ordered it so that they fell one upon another and slew their Friends instead of their Enemies See the like 1 Sam. 14.15 20. 2 Chron. 20.23 And some of the Midianites fled to one place and some to another in the Tribe of Manasseh where the Over-throw was given The men of Israel hearing of this great Defeat and routing of the Midianitish-Army gathered themselves presently together out of Naphtali Asher and Manasseh to assist Gideon in the pursuit And Gideon sent Messengers through all Mount Ephraim to desire them to come in to his Assistance and especially to take care to stop the Midianites at all the Fords and Passages of the River Jordan that reached down as far as Beth-barah The Ephraimites did as He desired them and accordingly took at the Fords of Jordan Oreb and Zeeb two of their Princes with many others so that there were no less than an hundred and twenty thousand of the Midianites and their Confederates destroyed within Jordan And they slew Oreb on the Rock Oreb and Zeeb at the Wine-press of Zeeb places so called in after-times upon this occasion and lying at the East-end of Mount Ephraim near Jordan Gideon understanding that many of the Midianites to the number of fifteen thousand together with their Princes Zeba and Zalmunna had escaped over Jordan before the Passages could be secured He with his three hundren men went in pursuit after them and coming near to Succoth a City in the Tribe of Gad and his Souldiers being faint he desired the men of that City to give them some Loaves of bread for their present refreshment for they were very weary and faint and so it would be an act of mercy to relieve them and they were in pursuit of the Common Enemy and so it would be but an act of Justice to strengthen their hands in so good a Design But the men of Succoth * Which had its name from Booths which Jacob made there at his return from Mesopotaemia Gen. 33.17 answered him Churlishly What say they are Zeba and Zalmunna thy Prisoners Are they in thy Power that should respect thee as Victor over them or rather have we not cause to fear they will recruit their Army and return and revenge it upon us if we shew thee any kindness Thus they incensed Gideon by refusing him Succour and that with contemptuous Scorn and in favour of their Tyrannical Enemies see the like 1 Sam. 25.10 Whereupon he told them That when the Lord had delivered Zeba and Zalmunna into his hands he would for this tear their Flesh with the Thornes and Briers of the Wilderness Then he marched up to Penuel a City also in the same Tribe and desired some Relief of them for his Souldiers in this their extremity and they answered him with the like scorn and contempt that the men of Succoth had done He told them That when he returned in peace that is safe and victorious he would for this barbarous Usage destroy them and break down their strong Tower or Fort in which they had so much confidence Zeba and Zalmunna with those fifteen thousand that had escaped were got to Karkor a City on the other side of Jordan towards the East Gideon fearing he should be discovered if he followed right on towards them He fetched a compass about by the way of the Arabians that dwelt in Tents and so came upon them on the East-side viz. on the East of Nobah and Jogbehah from whence they feared no Enemy and so were very secure not imagining that they had been pursued by the Israelites Gideon being thus come up to them he fell upon them on the sudden probably in the night discomfited all their Host and in the pursuit took Zeba and Zalmunna After this Victory carrying these two Kings along with him he marched in the night towards Succoth that he might surprize them And coming near the City before the Sun was up he took a young man that was come out of the City and examining him strictly concerning the Elders of the City he gave him their Names in writing which were 77 in all and possibly told him where they dwelt and how they might be known For Gideon knowing the Magistrates only to be in fault that he was so scornfully denied a little refreshing for his Souldiers therefore he was the more careful to inquire after their Names that none might suffer but those that were guilty Gideon having got this Intelligence entred the City of Succoth and then told them They might now behold Zeba and Zalmunna with whom they did before upbraid him and asked him in scorn Whether they were his Prisoners He should now teach them what it was to use their Brethren that were fighting for them so scornfully and unworthily So he took the Elders of Succoth and with the Briars and Thornes of the Wilderness which lay between Succoth and Penuel he caused them to be scourged to death * For being equal in guilt with the men of Penuel in reason we cannot suppose that their punishment was less than theirs see vers 17. and by this severe Punishment inflicted on them he taught the rest of the people to take heed for time to come of committing any such hainous Trespass against God and their Brethren or slighting those whom God imploys Then he went to Penuel and slew the Magistrates of that City also as he had done before at Succoth and threw down their Tower or Fort. These Executions being over Gideon now calls Zeba and Zalmunna to account for what they had done He tells them He had heard that in their last Invasion they had put many of those Israelites to death who had hid themselves in those strong Holds and Caves of Mount Tabor and fearing lest his own Brethren were of the number of those whom they had thus slain because they had not been heard of since He asks them What manner of men they were that they had slain at Tabor They answered As thou art so were they that is they were of a goodly and comely Personage as thou art and such as might well beseem men of a Princely and Royal Stock He then perceived they were his Brethren He
Courage Fortitude and Zeal for the Execution of his Office And indeed the people at that time needed a wise and able Judge to reduce them to their former Government overthrown by Abimelech and to abolish Idolatry which much prevailed in his licentious Reign and to restore God's pure Worship which 't is like had been much corrupted Though there is no mention made of Enemies that invaded the Land during his Government yet there might be some such Invasions and Oppressions though not so vexatious as the former He dwelt in Shamir a Town bordering on Mount Ephraim that so he might be near the Tabernacle at Shiloh and there was buried having judged Israel three and twenty years Judg. 10. vers 1 2. SECT CXLIII AFter Tola arose Jair dwelling in Gilead in the Tribe of Manasseh Jair the Seventh Judge beyond Jordan and judged Israel twenty two years It seemed he was a man of great Quality before he was raised to be Judge for he had thirty Sons to wit by several Wives that rode on Asse-Colts which was a token of Dignity and Authority He was descended it seems of that Jair who having taken the Cities of Argob called them after his own Name Havoth-Jair that is the Villages of Jair Numb 33.41 Deut. 3.14 Those Villages were at first only twenty three 1 Chron. 2.22 but this Jair coming to inherit these Towns which his Ancestor had taken from the Amorites divided them among his Sons and they were increased either by themselves their Father or Grandfather to thirty and the old Name continued to them In this time it seems the Israelites were horribly corrupt and their Apostacy and Idolatry was far worse than that of their fore-Fathers * Israelitae admodum proni erant in Idolatriam cujus causae erant 1. Quia finitimas gentes◠Idolatricas florere videbant se autem inopia premi 2. Multitudo Idololatrarum collata cum ipsorum paucitate 3. Cultus Dei severior erat tristior Non in eo Theatra Saltationes Comaediae vel Tragaediae qua omnia erant in cultibus Idolorum immo etiam saepe turpia libidinosa P. Martyr For now they worshipped all the Idols of the Nations round about them Baalim and Ashtaroth the Idols of Syria Zidon Moab Ammon and the Philistines and so wholly gave themselves up to the Worship of false gods that at length they quite laid aside the Worship of the true God in the Tabernacle And therefore the Text says They forsook the Lord and served him not 'T is like Jair did what he could to restrain them from this abominable Idolatry but was over-born by them So that about the beginning of the fifth year of his Government the Lord being extremely angry with them sold them into the hands of the Ammonites who oppressed (c) The years of the Oppressions are not to be reckones apart from the years of the Judges see in Chap. 3.11 them sorely on the other side of Jordan and into the hands of the Philistines who invaded those Tribes that were within Jordan so that they were invaded both on East and West on the West by the Philistines on the East by the Children of Ammon The fifth Oppression by the Ammonites The Ammonites having oppressed the two Tribes and half without Jordan for eighteen years and Jair dying they proceeded further and passed over Jordan and oppressed the Israelites within Jordan also Judg. Ch. 10. from vers 3. to 10. SECT CXLIV THe Children of Israel being now sorely distressed they cry unto the Lord and acknowledge their Sin and the Lord either by some Prophet or by the High Priest who inquired for them returned them this Answer Have I not delivered you from the Egyptians AmoritEs the Children of Ammon the Philistines the Zidonians (d) Divers of these Deliverances we do not find mentioned before So that this people had received from the Lord many more Favours and Blessings than are here recorded Amalekites and the Maonites * Possibly hereby are meant the Canaanites that inhabited the Wilderness of Maon 1 Sam. 23.24 and yet ye have forsaken me and followed other gods Go and cry unto the gods ye have chosen let them deliver you in the time of your Tribulation I will deliver you no more This Threatning was not absolute but conditional though the condition be not expressed but is thus to be understood viz. except ye truly repent and forsake your Idolatry and amend that which has been so much amiss among you They answered O Lord we humbly acknowledge that we have hainously sinned against thee and do thou punish us hereafter as thou pleasest if we do not continue in thy true and pure Worship utterly renouncing all false gods only make trial of us this once by delivering us out of the hands of our Enemies Then they putting away their strange gods and setting upon a real Reformation the Lord was touched with Compassion towards them and his Soul †This is spoken of God after the manner of men and by way of comparison only affirmed of him was grieved for the miseries they suffered About this time the Children of Ammon gathered themselves together and incamped in the Land of Gilead which now it seems they claimed as belonging unto them see Ch. 11. vers 13. The Children of Israel gathered what Forces they could together to oppose them and encamped at Mizpeh in Mount Gilead in the Tribe of Manasseh beyond Jordan Then they begun to consider who should be their Leader in this Expedition against Ammon and they declared That who-ever being able and fit would undertake it he should be the Head or Judge over all the Inhabitants of Gilead But there were none there present willing to undertake it the Service being very dangerous therefore they resolved to send to Jephtah being a skilful Commander and of known Valour Jephtah was a Gileadite his Fathers name being Gilead and probably he was born in the City of Gilead His Mother was an Harlot It seems in process of time his Brethren that his Father had by his lawful Wife being grown up did by the help and decree of the Magistrates of Gilead see vers 17. bar him of any share of the Inheritance of his Father and denied him any portion for a Livelihood among them Jephtah being thus used betook himself into the Land of Tob a Country lying along Mount Gilead not far from the Ammonites at the entrance of Arabia the Desart and a Company of idle Fellows that had no Means or took no Course for a Livelihood listed themselves under him as their Captain and with them he us'd to Inrode Prey upon and Spoil the Ammonites And he grew to a great Fame for these Exploits and was held a mighty man of Valour Upon this account the Elders of Gilead now came and intreated him to be their Captain-General against the Ammonites For though the Law forbad that any Bastards should be admitted to any Place of
to give them satisfaction and to appease their wrath that so they might withdraw their Army from them Samson consents to it provided they would swear to him not to fall on him themselves for then he should be constrained to resist them and possibly hurt some of them in his own defence They promised him they would not So they bound him with two new cords and brought him bound from the Rock Etam and delivered him to the Philistines at Lehi where they were now encamped the Philistines shouted for joy when they saw their great enemy thus brought bound to them But as soon as he came among them the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him and he snapt the cords wherewith he was bound asunder as easily as if they had been threds of sindged flax and catching up a jaw-bone of an Ass that lay there he slew with it a thousand of the Philistines whereupon 't is like the rest ran away Then he said by this weak and contemptible instrument through Gods Almighty power and assistance I have slain a thousand of His and his peoples enemies laying their bodies heap upon heap so he called that place Ramah-lehi that is the lifting up of the jaw-bone This great labour and pains in this execution made him extreamly thirsty so that through thirst and faintness he was almost ready to die thus God is wont usually to humble his servants when they have done him any memorable service that they may not be puffed-up therewith but seeing their own weakness may ascribe all the glory unto him Samson being thus extream thirsty prayed unto the Lord saying O Lord thou hast given this great deliverance to thy people by the hand of thy poor servant and shall I now die for thirst and shall the Philistines triumph over me I will trust in thy power and goodness to help me now as thou hast done at other times See Heb. 11.32 So the Lord was pleased to cleave a hollow place in this field called Lehi and a fountain sprang up out of it with which Samson being refresht his fainting Spirits revived and he became strong and vigorous as before wherefore he called that fountain En-Hakkore or the well of him that cried unto the Lord. This name he gave it in memorial of Gods great mercy to him and to testifie his thankfulness and as a perpetual monument of the efficacy of Prayer Thus Samson judged Israel twenty years in the days wherein the Philistines held them in subjection and tyranniz'd over them and in some degree he gave them deliverance though he did not fully free them from their Tyranny Judges Ch. 14. v. 20. Ch. 15. whole Chapter SECT CL. SAmson now going secretly to Gaza but for what purpose is not mentioned he was on a sudden intangled with the fight of an harlot and so drawn to commit folly with her The Gazites hearing that he was come into their City they took order that the Gates should be shut and narrowly watched intending in the morning to surprize and kill him Samson knowing as it seems by some instinct from God that they lay in wait for him he rose at midnight and finding the Gate locked barr'd and bolted he pulled up the two posts upon which it hung and carried all away posts gate and bar upon his shoulders the watchmen probably running away to the top of an Hill that lay Eastwards of Gaza and from whence Hebron might be seen Samson after this falls in love with a woman in the valley of Sorek (a) Where there were excellent Vines The river or torrent of this name divides Dan and Simeon a Philistine Harlot whose name was Dalilah the Lords of the Philistines understanding this came to her and promised to give her each of them an eleven hundred pieces of silver which at 2 s. 6 d. per shekel come to 687 l. 10 s. of our money if she would intice him to discover to her wherein his great strength lay and by what means they might prevail against him that so they might bind him and humble him She accepts the terms and accordingly applys her self to Samson and allures him with all signs of her love and probably in a way of sport to discover to her for the satisfaction of her curiosity wherein his great strength lay and whither any thing could weaken it and make him like other men promising its like most solemnly and swearing to him that she would keep it to her self as a great secret Samson tells her that if they bound him with seven green withes he should be as other men 't is like he hoped this would have satisfied her without making any trial thereof But therein he was deceived for the Lords of the Philistines having furnished her with green withes she bound Samson with them and having laid some Philistines ready at hand to seize upon him if she found he could not break his bands she cried out as if she had been in sport Samson the Philistines are upon thee what wilt thou do now and he brake the withes as easily as if they had been a thread of tow so where his strength lay was not made known to her Some time after probably in a way of sportful dalliance she renews her desire to him telling him he had before deceived her and mocked her but she would not be so put off again He tells her that if they bound him with new ropes that never had been used then he should be as weak as other men She accordingly bound him with such cords and then to try the experiment and as it were in jest cried out again Samson the Philistines are upon thee how wilt thou now help thy self and he snapt the ropes in sunder like a thread She sets upon him a third time and then tells him he had hitherto deceived her with lyes but now she desires him to tell her truly how he might be bound He tells her if she weaved the seven locks of his hair with a web and did wind them both about the beam of the Loom he should be then unable to stir and as weak as other men She tryes this also and for more security fastened the beam with a pin that when Samson arose it might not turn or move she crys again Samson the Philistines are upon thee and he awaking bore away pin and web and beam upon which his hair was wound She set upon him a fourth time and told him that surely he did not love her whatever he pretended seeing he had deceived her now three times and would not tell her where his great strength lay so urging him again and following him with incessant importunity his mind was so perplex'd he knew not what to do being extream loath to discover to her a secret which so much concern'd him and yet unwilling to displease her upon whom he so impotently doted So that this perplexity and distraction of thoughts was almost as bitter as death to him Hereupon being tired
out with her importunity he at length opened his heart unto her and told her that he had from his mothers womb been a Nazarite unto God and no razor had come on his head therefore if he were shaven and his locks * His strength did not lye in his hair but was the free gift of God conferred on him particularly and not upon another Nazarite and it seems God had bestowed it upon him upon condition of his strict observing this Law of the Nazarite in keeping his hair uncut and probably God had some way or other revealed this to Samson himself cut his strength would depart from him and he should be but like other men Behold here the weakness of man when left to himself Samson one of Gods great Worthies commended for his faith Heb. 11.32 and innobled by his Glorious victories who with his bare hands rent a roaring Lion as if he had been a Kid and slaughtered and routed an whole army of his enemies is now become so weak as to reveal a secret that concern'd his life to a treacherous Harlot Thus God did justly leave him to fall into the following miseries that thereby he might severely yet deservedly correct him for his former uncleanness and relapsing again into the same sin But to proceed when Dalilah saw by his serious carriage in this relation that he had told her his very heart she sent for the Lords of the Philistines to come to her once again assuring them that though before they had lost their labour yet they should not do so now for Samson had discovered his whole heart to her Hereupon they came up and brought the money with them they had promised to give her to engage her to be faithful to them Then Dalilah getting Samson upon a time to lay his head and sleep upon her lap she caused a man to cut off his seven locks she might have suddenly dispatched him by cutting his throat but God did not permit her to take away his life that he might have space to repent and having his strength renewed might destroy more of the Philistines at his death than he had done in his life Dalilah now jogging and rouzing him out of his sleep and telling him the Philistines were upon him he suddenly awoke and thought to have gone out and to have shaken up himself and rouz'd up his spirits to do as he used to do but he soon found the case altered with him for his locks being cut God had withdrawn his supernatural strength from him whereof his hair was a sign Being thus deprived of his strength the Philistines that lay in wait came and took him and put out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with fetters of brass and made him grinde in their Prison-house See Exod. 11.5 Herein the Philistines had their ends and God had his unto which he made theirs subservient Samson had by the wanton and lustful glances of his eyes upon Harlots highly offended God and now God permits the Philistines to put out his eyes they carry him down in triumph to Gaza and that must be the place of his punishment where he first acted his sin of uncleanness and he that had inslav'd himself to an Harlot is now condemn'd to that mean and abject slavery to grind in a mill It seems it was a good while * Per tres forte aut quatuor menses in carcere fuit that Samson continued in this slavery before they brought him forth to make them sport at Dagons (d) Dagon was an Idol-god of the Philistines his Image was in the upper part like a man and in the neather like a Fish as may be gathered from 1 Sam. 5 4 perhaps the Philistines whose land lay on the Sea-coast worshipped him as the God of the Sea As the Heathens did their Neptune or Triton Dagon seems to be derived from the Hebrew word Dag signifying a Fish Feast During which time reconciling himself to God by unfeigned repentance his hair the sign of his strength began to grow again After some time the Lords of the Philistines and their chief men met together at Gaza to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god for delivering Samson their enemy and the destroyer of their Country into their hands and to feast and rejoice together When they were frolick and in their cups they call'd to have Samson brought forth to them out of the Prison to make them sport and that they might laugh at him Samson being brought into that magnificent house and Idol-temple where there were gathered together all the Lords of the Philistines from the several Lordships of the Country with a vast number of other persons of note both men and women and about 3000 people having got up to the roof of the Temple that was flat (f) Tecta in Palaestina Plana erant ut in illis commode ambulare liceret habebantque fenestras ita dispositas ut videre possent quidquid erat in inferiori domus parte Menoch that they might thorough the windows and lattices that were thereon see the sport Samson desiring the Lad that led him to suffer him to feel the Pillars on which the house mainly leaned he prayed unto the Lord and said Remember me now O Lord I beseech thee and strengthen me this once that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes for they have not only done me a private injury in my own person but have thereby disabled me to fight in thy quarrel for the deliverance of thy people Then being moved by an extraordinary instinct (g) Ut patet a viribus ei a Deo subministratis ad patrandum hoc miraculum of the Spirit of God not to murder (h) Quamvis directe primario per se suam ipsius mortem deligere procurare non liceat Licet tamen indirecte secundario per aliud quod per se bonum honestum cum sit non potest nisi morte nostra obtineri Patet in quotidianis bellicae fortitudinis Martyris exemplis Lessius Non eligitur inquit Cajetanus in hujusmodi casibus mors propria in seipsa sed per se eligitur mors hostium concomitans propria mors toleranda admittitur propter bonum ultionis Non proprie physice seipsum occidit Samson sed tantum indirecte permissive se in eadem clade quam evadere non poterat involvit quod sicut magnae fortitudinis fuit sic magna pro praeteritis culpis poena fuit A Lapid himself but to undervalue his own life so he might thereby as a Judg and publick person execute Gods vengeance upon his and his peoples enemies he took hold on the two Pillars by which the house was born up of the one with his right hand and of the other with his left and bowing himself with all his might and crying let me die with the Philistines the house fell upon the Lords and all the
possibly that these Kine had been given up by the Philistines to the service of the Lord to bring home the Ark and having been imployed in so sacred a service it was not fit they should be imployed to any other use and therefore they resolved by this way of an extraordinary Burnt-offering to give them up to the Lord. And besides this Burnt-offering of the Kine the men of Bethshemesh brought their own Oblations to the Priests who offered Burnt-offerings and Peace-offerings to the Lord that day for them as an expression of their thankfulness to God for the return of the Ark. But it seems some of the men of Bethshemesh were so presumptuous as to open the Ark and to look into it whereas it was not lawful for any but the Priests no not for the Levites themselves who carried it to look upon it bare and uncovered see Numb 4.20 yet it seems these bold Bethshemites not only took liberty without any fear or reverence to gaze and stare upon it but proceeded further even to look into it possibly to see whether the Philistines had taken any thing out of it or put any thing into it which they should not have done but only the Priests Hereupon God smote seventy (a) v. 19. Textus sic se habet percussit de populo 70 viros 50 millia virorum i. e. percussit de populo in quo erant viri 50 mille viros 70. Syr. Ar. legunt 5 millia 70 viros Sic pro chamishim legunt duntaxat chamish q. d. percussit de populo Bethshemitico in quo erant 5 mille viros 70. ut sensus sit Deum pro indulgentia sua noluisse in omnes reos animadvertere sed in partem tantum eorum Ergo supplenda est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ante 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reddenda si sequamur Syr. Ar. quinque mille Quis enim credaâ— ex oppido non admodum copioso 50 millia mortuos esse plurimos relictos qui eorum funera lugerent Secundum aliquoâ— sensus loci est illos 70 viros tales fuisse ut a quipararentur 50 millibus de plebeiis vide 2 Sam. 18.3 of them who it seems were most presumptuous though there were many thousands of them that had adventured to look upon it uncovered He smote of the people the Text says that were fifty thousand or as the Syriack and Arabick read it five thousand †These were not all probably the inhabitants of Bethshemesh but many of them such as â—â—ooked from the neighbouring Countries to see the Ark when returned seventy persons And the Bethshemites bewailed this sad slaughter God had made among them in a complaining manner they said Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God who manifesteth himself from between the Cherubims and to whom shall the Ark which is the sign and pledg of his Presence go up from us Intimating that people would be afraid to entertain it seeing such direful things following of it So they went to the Inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim a City in the Tribe of Judah not far from them to desire them to fetch the Ark thither pretending possibly it was a place of much more safety for it to be in than their City was The men of Kirjath-jearim were so far from opposing the bringing of the Ark to their City notwithstanding the sad calamity that had befallen so many of the Bethshemites that they themselves fetched it thither and undoubtedly with much joy the Priests of Bethshemesh carrying it as believing that it was not the presence of the Ark among the men of Bethshemesh but their irreverent carriage in gazing upon it or looking into it that was the cause of their misery When they had brought it to their City they placed it in the house of Abinadab a Levite and a man as 't is like of singular holiness whose house was on a hill and possibly fenced in and called Gibeah 2 Sam. 6.3 a place of strength and safety for the Ark to be kept in Having carried it into his house they sanctified Eleazar his Son to keep it that is they chose him to be set apart to this holy imployment to give continual attendance upon the Ark that he might keep others from coming near to pollute or defile it and they caused him to prepare himself for this Sacred charge by washing his garments and other such like Ceremonies of Legal purifying It may seem strange that they did not carry the Ark back to the Tabernacle in Shiloh but it seems the Lord would shew his indignation against the former wickedness of that place by not suffering the Ark to be carried thither again So he forsook the Tabernacle of Shiloh c. Psal 78.60 And the Ark being thus separated from the Tabernacle they continued divided for ever after for 't is said that David prepared a new Tent for it 1 Chron. 15.1 and it remained at Kirjath-jearim twenty years (d) This cannot be meant of the whole time of the Arks remainning at Kirjath-jearim for tween the death of Eli shortly after which the Ark was brought to this place and the beginning of Davids reign when it was removed thence 2 Sam. 6.2 3. there must needs be forty years allowed for the Government of Saul and Samuel Act. 13.21 all which time the Ark continued in Kirjath-jearim unless when it was for a while carried forth into the Camp in the War against the Philistines Ch. 14.18 before the people could be won to that solemn repentance and conversion recited in the following verses But though the Ark was at Kirjath-jearim yet the Tabernacle and publick worship of God was at Shiloh 1 Sam. Ch. 5. wh Ch. Ch. 6. wh Ch. Ch. 7. ver 1 2. SECT CLVII FOR twenty years together after the Ark was removed to Kirjath-jearim the Isralites were grievously oppressed by the Philistines but at length by the exhortation of Samuel and the troubles they had felt they were brought to repentance and lamented after the Lord that is humbling themselves cried and called unto him for help and deliverance The Elders therefore of Israel resorting to Samuel he exhorted them to put away their strange Gods and Goddesses see Judg. 2.13 14. and to prepare and compose their hearts to serve the Lord intirely in a setled course of new obedience and then he doubted not but he would deliver them out of the hands of the Philistines Accordingly they did abandon and cast away their Idols and served the Lord only as his Law required Samuel hereupon summons the whole body of the people to Mizpeh * Situate in the confines of Judah and Benjamin and therefore reckoned among the Cities of both Tribes see Josh 15.38 18.26 that there they might together renew their Covenant with God which they had so shamefully broken and joining together in serious and solemn humiliation they might by fasting and prayer implore mercy and forgiveness from God with a return of his
former favour to them and might also consider and consult together of the best means that were to be used to deliver themselves from the Philistines Tyranny And accordingly being met together at Mizpeh they there kept a solemn fast and humbled themselves exceedingly before the Lord insomuch that they are said to have drawn water that is plenty of tears from their contrite hearts and to have poured them out before the Lord †See Jer. 9.1 Job 16.20 Psal 6.6 using withal perhaps some external effusion or pouring forth of water to represent and signifie their inward repentance and mourning for their sins And after they had reconciled themselves to God Samuel as a Judge composed and arbitrated the controversies and private differences that were among the people The Philistines hearing that the Israelites were met together at Mizpeh they presently suspected that they were plotting some rising and contriving some means to deliver themselves from under their yoke and to prevent this they presently raised their forces and marched to suppress them (c) Habrei cum paenitentiam egerunt gravius a Philistinis oppugnantur Sic qui ad meliorem frugem redire volunt acrius a Diabolo tentantur majores ab hominibus persecutiones patiuntur Samuel dum studet populum liberare videtur accersisse ei gravissimum periculum Illum igitur imprudendentiae temeritatis accusare possent Quare cum inimus consilia quae Deus approbat si quid sinistri contigerit ne paeniteat nos facti neque a recta via deflectamus sed voluntati Dei acquiescamus Calv. The children of Israel hearing of their coming were very much afraid knowing the strength of their enemies and their own present weakness and unpreparedness being met together to pray and not to fight In this extremity they desire Samuel to be instant in prayer to the Lord for them for they had no hope but in his help and assistance who is the Lord of Hosts and giver of victory Samuel hereupon took a sucking Lamb and either caused it to be offered by a Priest not being of that order himself or did it as a Prophet immediately inspired by God and warranted to do it by some special dispensation as Elijah also did 1 King 18.31 32 c. see also Judg. 6.26 Upon the same warrant likewise he offered his Burnt-offering here at Mizpeh on an Altar of his own erecting and not on the Altar in the Tabernacle And Samuel cried unto the Lord for Israel and the Lord heard him as appears by what followed for the Army of the Philistines drawing near the Israelites as it seems put themselves into the best posture they could to resist them and the Lord thundred with a terrible thunder upon the Philistines see Ch. 2.10 striking them as 't is like with dreadful Hailstones * See Josh 10 11. and Thunderbolts so that they were discomfited that day before Israel and the rest of the Israelites that stayed at Mizpeh upon the news of their defeat came out and joined in the pursuit and slaughter of them and they pursued them till they came under Bethear which it seems was a Rock where the Philistines having a garrison the Israelites were hindred from prosecuting their victory any further The Army of the Philistines being thus discomfited Samuel as a Monument of their victory and in thankefulness to God for his gracious assistance by which alone they had obtained it took a great stone * Idem fecerunt Jacob. Gen. 28.18 35.14 Josh 4.8 9. and set it up between Mizpeh and Shen which was a Rock over against it calling it Eben-ezer that is the stone of help saying hitherto God has helped us And 't is remarkable that in the very same place where before the Israelites were vanquished and the Ark taken captive Ch. 4.1 they should now erect a Trophy of victory by them obtained The Philistines were so subdued at this time that they came no more into the land while Samuel governed alone †After Saul was chosen to be their King 't is plain they did often with their Armies enter the Land for they saw the hand of the Lord was against them and they restored to Israel the Cities they had formerly taken from them reserving only some places of strength see 1 Sam. 10.5 wherein they kept Garrisons for the better awing of the Israelites And after this there was a cessation from open War between the Israelites and the Philistines and possibly the rest of the Canaanites who being terrified with this victory which God had from Heaven given the Israelites ceased for the present from troubling of them 1 Sam. Ch. 7. from v. 3 to 15. SECT CLVIII SAmuel from the time he was made Judge judged Israel to the day of his death For though Saul after he was made King had the Supreme Power in his hands yet Samuel as long as he lived exercised the jurisdiction of a Judge which God had called him unto as appears by his killing of Agag whom Saul had spared Ch. 15.32 33. And also as a Prophet he directed him in his Government admonished him of his duty reproved him when he did amiss Ch. 15.23 13.13 yea threatned him when he rebelled against Gods command with the loss of his Kingdom Ch. 15.28 and anointed David King in his stead Ch. 16.13 Sometimes indeed they joined together in the Government as in making War against Nabash the Ammonite and relieving Jabesh-Gilead when it was besieged Ch. 11.7 and in this regard the years of both their Governments are joined in the same account of forty years as we may see Act. 13.20 21. Samuel therefore went as a Judge from year to year in circuit to Bethel Gilgal and Mizpeh to hear and determine the causes of the people and as a Prophet to teach and direct them Neither was Samuel bound by his Mothers Vow Ch. 1.11 22. whereby he was devoted to the service of the Sanctury to continue his residence there and that not only because for the sins of the Priests and people the Lord had withdrawn the Ark the visible sign of his Presence from the Tabernacle at Shiloh but also because the Lord himself had taken him off from that Levitical service and called him to another imployment namely to be an holy Prophet and a Judge over his people When he had gone his Circuit he returned to Ramah where his usual dwelling was and his most ordinary place of Judicature and there he built an Altar * Thus we read of divers Altars erected as by Joshua upon mount Ebal Josh 8.30 by Gideon Judg. 6.24.26 by Samuel here and Ch. 11.15 Ch. 16.2 5. by David 2 Sam. 24.25 by Solomon 1 King 8.64 by Elijah 1 King 18.32 to offer Sacrifices Indeed God appointed but one Altar to be ordinarily used for Sacrifices as there was but one Tabernacle but upon extraordinary occasions he allowed holy men by a particular dispensation to build other Altars when it
and give them most injuriously to his servants and favourites Sixthly he will take the tenth of their seed and of their Vineyards either that which of right belonged to the Levites or another tenth after theirs is paid and give it to his Officers and Courtiers Seventhly he will take their men-servants and and maid-servants and their goodliest young men their asses and put them to his work Eighthly he will take the tenth of their sheep as a tribute to himself and they will he forc'd to be his servants and vassals not living like free-born Israelites but in a servile and slavish condition and then they will cry out in that day by reason of the grievous oppressions they are under but the Lord will not regard their cryes or prayers because by their own obstinate wilfulness they brought these evils upon themselves Samuel having received these words from the Lord faithfully represented them unto the people but they notwithstanding like desperate resolute fellows cried out they would have a King that they might be like other Nations they would have a pompous and royal Monarchy among them instead of the mean Government of Judges which made so little noise or shew in the world they would have a King that should rule over them with Royal Authority in time of peace and should command their Armies as Generalissimo in time of war and they had now more especial need of such a King seeing Nahash King of the Ammonites was coming against them Samuel hearing these words of the people he spread them before the Lord in prayer humbly desiring directions from him what he should do in this great and weighty business The Lord answered him saying Hearken unto their voice and make them a King as if he should have said seeing no reasons nor warnings will prevail with them let them have their desire though it will be to their cost So Samuel having commission from God to make them a King he dismissed the Assembly for the present to their own homes that he might gain thereby some time to consider of the manner and means how this weighty business might be best effected 1 Sam. 8. from 4 to the end SECT CLX THE people of Israel being so earnest for a King King Saul and seeming to themselves so undone without one the Lord now resolves to give them one but he gave him in his anger and took him away in his wrath Hos 13.11 The History of this King we come now to set forth There was a man of the Tribe of Benjamin (a) The Tribe of Benjamin thorough the desolation they brought upon themselves Judg. 26.46 was now become the least and most obscure Tribe yet yields to Israel her first King and in the victories of this King Jacob's Prophesie was was in part fulfilled Gen. 49.27 Benjamin shall ravine like a wolf c. And this shews that the Kingdom was not to be setled upon the Posterity of this first King but on one of the Tribe of Judah whose name was Kish a man of great authority and power and as it seems of great estate and substance among them (b) Nulla hic mentio patriae Saulis quae erat Gibeah forte quia infamis erat propter illud stuprum Jud. 19. who had a Son whose name was Saul a goodly and comely person taller by the head and shoulders than any of the people a man fit to make a Prince and to be honoured of his Subjects when he was set over them It happened at this time that some of the Asses of Kish were gone astray of which 't is like he had an excellent breed and such as were of great value (c) Asini in Syria sunt praestantiores Europaeis unde filii Principum iis vehebantur Jud. 10.4 12.14 Hebraei enim equis vix utebantur idque ex Dei monitu Deut. 17.16 non ergo mirum si ad asinas quaerendas Saul a parente destinetur Quemadmodum viri Principes venatoriam nunc exercent ita olim exercere poterant Pastoritiam in that Country where persons of the greatest rank and condition used to ride upon them see Judg. 10.4 12.14 Kish bids his Son Saul to take a servant with him and to go and seek for them Saul in obedience to his Fathers command went in quest of them through the Mountainous Country of Ephraim and through Shalisha a plain Country in the Tribe of Benjamin and through the land belonging to the City called Salim Joh. 3.23 but he found them not and when they were come to the land of Zuph namely the Counrry where Ramah Samuel's City was situate which thereupon was called Ramahthaim-Zophim Ch. 1. 1. Saul said to his servant come let us return lest my Father leave caring for the Asses and take thought for us The servant replied Sir there is in this City of Ramah a venerable person highly esteemed for his supernatural and wonderful knowledg of secret (d) God gave the gift of Prophesie to his Servants to be employed in directing them in weightier matters than such as these But perhaps he did permit them to exercise it in these also that he might keep his people from seeking to Witches or to the Oracles of the Heathens 2 King 1.3 God would not have his people think that he had less care of them as to their private concerns than the Idols of the Heathen had who being consulted with did by the Ministry of Satan speaking in their Oracles return them Answers though oftentimes very frivilous and ambiguous v. 9. Credo hunc versum ab Esdra huic loco insertum qui Prophetico spiritu afflatus erat things insomuch that all that he foretelleth surely cometh to pass now let us go to him peradventure he can shew us the way we should walk in for the finding out the Asses we seek after But Saul reply'd If we go to him what shall we present him with as a civil and honourary gratuity to testifie our respect and thankefulness to him See 1 King 14.2 3. 2 King 4.42 For our provisions that we brought with us in our Wallet are spent and we have nothing left that is fit or worthy to be presented unto him The servant said he had the fourth part of a shekel which makes about seven pence half-penny of our money see Gen. 23.15 a small present indeed to be presented to a Prophet or Seer who by special revelation is acquainted with the mind and will of God and foresees things to come and from God reveals them to the people However says he let us present it as a token of our respect and thankefulness to him Saul agrees hereunto so they went to Ramah where Samuel dwelt as they drew near to the City they met some young maidens going out to draw water and enquiring of them for the Seer they told them he was newly returned to the City having been out upon some occasion and there was a sacrifice (e) It was lawful
more careful to avoid those ways of injustice and oppression which he had told them before the Kings of the earth were prone unto see Ch. 8.11 As also that he might hereby convince them of their sinful folly in rejecting him and with him the upright and impartial Government of Judges and chusing to be under Kings from many of whom they should find but hard and oppressive usage Having thus justified himself he goes on further to argue with them concerning Gods dealing with them and their carriage towards him Now therefore says he stand still that I may reason with you concerning all the righteous acts of the Lord wherein he hath approved himself faithful and hath performed his Covenant which he made with you and your fathers and hath given you help and deliverance out of the hands of your enemies and therefore you are guilty of great ingratitude in not relying upon him but distrusting him and rejecting his Government Recollect I pray you and call to your remembrance Gods former dealings with you when Jacob was come into Egypt and his posterity exceedingly multiplied they being grievously oppressed cried unto the Lord for deliverance he then made Moses the Governour of his people and Aaron the High-Priest and sent them to deliver your Fathers out of that bondage which they accordingly did and then they led them through the Wilderness and brought them into the Land which the Lord had promised to give unto them And Moses put them in possession of that part of the land which was without Jordan and substituted Joshua in his place who gave them possession of the rest But they soon forgot the kindness of the Lord and regarded not his Commandments So he sold them into the hand of Sisera Captain General to Jabin who dwelt at Hazar and into the hands of the Philistines and into the hand of the King of Moab And when they were in these distresses they cried unto him and confessed their sins and how they had wickedly fallen to Idolatry and had worshipped Baalim and Ashtaroth and then humbly besought him to help them and deliver them out of the hands of their enemies and promised faithfully to serve him The Lord being moved with compassion towards them he sent them several Saviours and Deliverers particularly Jerubbaal or Gideon and Bedan that is Samson so called because he was of the Tribe of Dan and Jephthah * He mentions not these Judges in the order of time in which they lived and insisteth only on some of them to put them in mind of the rest V. 14. Eritis post Jehovam i. e. Jehovah antecedet vos defendet vos Pisc And to come down to your own times I hope I may without vanity mention my self also as one under whose conduct by the blessing of God you have had great deliverances and have enjoyed great tranquillity and safety But when ye understood that Nahash King of the Ammonites was coming against you nothing then would satisfie you but to have a King set over you whereas the Lord your God was your King and held in his own hands the right of governing you and ruled over you by Judges as his Substitutes and Deputies And with his Government you should have been well contented and satisfied till he was pleased to alter it And now behold seeing nothing else would content you he hath set a King over you But though you have greatly offended him and deserve to be rejected of him and cast off from being his people as you have rejected him from being your King yet if you will fear him and serve him and obey his voice the Lord will not forsake you but will be to you and your King a Leader Guide and Protector and you shall continue to be his people following of him as dutiful children do their father which will be a great honour and advantage to you But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God his hand will be against you as it was against your Fathers whom for their disobedience he caused to fall in the Wilderness But possibly you will think that all that I have said unto you in blaming you for desiring a King are but the words of a weak old man but ye shall know that I speak to you from the Lord who hath sent me unto you as his Prophet and Ambassadour and seeing you are so difficult to believe me in this thing except my words be confirmed by Miracles you shall see a Miracle to confirm you Is not this a fair and bright day as the days use to be in Wheat-harvest * Their Wheat-harvest in those dry Countries of Syria and Canaan was in the heat of Summer which dried up the vapours and exhalations that are the causes of thunder at that time especially when the day on which Samuel spake to them was fair there was no likelihood of such weather Tonitru illud tempore messis praeter naturam fuit idâ—oque mirabile propterea quod vere tanâ—um autumno fiunt tonitrua Cujus rei causa est quod concitantur ex conflictu calidi frigidi qui conflictus neque hyeme superante frigore neque aestate superante aestu fieri potest praesertim in aestuosis terris qualis Syria est Castalio you know we use to have no rain or thunder at this time of the year see Prov. 26. you see now no sign of any approaching tempest yet ye shall see me at this time by my prayer obtain both rain and thunder from God by which you may be convinced that your wickedness is great in desiring a King and thereby rejecting the Lord who is so powerful a Protector and hath thunder and rain heaven and earth at his command and is able to destroy all his and his peoples enemies as you have had lately experience Ch. 7.10 as also in rejecting me his Prophet who by my prayers can procure thunder and rain from heaven Samuel accordingly prayed unto the Lord that day and immediately the Lord sent thunder and rain in a very extraordinary manner insomuch that the people were not only convinced thereby that they had heinously sinned in desiring a King but also were much afraid that by this terrible tempest they should be destroyed They hereupon desired Samuel to pray for them saying they had added to all their former sins this also in asking a King (a) They failed in the manner of asking him 1. Asking him very unseasonably not waiting Gods time 2. They askt him with impetuous impatience brooking no delay 3. Proudly they would be like other Nations 4. Distrustfully resting more on their King than on Gods power and promises 5. Rebelliously shaking off Gods Government as weary of it and desiring to exchange it for that of a King and casting off his holy Prophet Samuel a most innocent and upright Judge Samuel encouraged them and bad them not despair of Gods mercy towards them provided they turned not aside from
thus to defie the armies of the Living God And possibly he inquired after the reward promised only to let the standers-by perceive that he himself had some thoughts of undertaking the combate but not so much for the sake of the reward as to vindicate the honour of God and his people The people told him the King would enrich that man with great riches that should undertake it and would give him his daughter to wife and make his Fathers house free in Israel that is free from Taxes and other impositions and so innoble his family Eliab David's eldest brother perceiving by the manner of his talking with the people that he had some inclination to undertake this Giant his anger was kindled against him and very sternly he askt him for what purpose he came thither and with whom had he left sheep he was appointed to keep intimating that he was fitter to keep sheep and play on his harp than to be a Souldier and then upbraiding him with arrogance and ambition I know says he thy pride and the naughtiness of thy heart for thou art come hither that thou maist see the battel and try if thou canst by some desperate action get thy self a name David meekly answers What have I done to deserve so sharp a reproof from thee Is there not sufficient cause that I should come when my Father hath sent me and being come have I not cause to be concern'd with other Israelites and to speak as I have done when I hear God thus dishonoured and his own peculiar people thus scorn'd and reproach'd by a blasphemous wretch an uncircumcised Infidel Then David finding such harsh usage from his brother turned from him to others to whom he spake after the same manner he had done before and intimated his willingness to fight with this Giant if no body else would undertake him and 't is like he spake the more freely that so what he said might come to the Kings ears Saul hearing of it sent for him to whom humbly addressing himself he said My Lord let no mans heart fail him because of this hideous monster for I my self though the weakest of many trusting in Gods power and assistance will encounter him if no body else will do it Saul said alas thou art not able to go against him for thou art but a youth and not bred in war and he a man of full age and vast stature and trained up in war from his youth David humbly replies that he had had experience of Gods extraordinary assistance vouchsafed to him for keeping his Fathers sheep there came a Lion and a Bear one at one time and the other at another and seising each of them a Lamb out of the flock he pursued after them and when the Lion turned upon him he took him by the beard or hair of his nether chap and slew him and took the prey from him and so served the Bear also and he doubted not but this blasphemous miscreant who defyed the armies of the Living God should through the Divine assistance be as easily conquered as one of them for that God says he who delivered me out of the paw of the Lion and the paw of the Bear will I trust deliver me also out of the hands of this uncircumcised Philistine Saul hearing him express so great courage and confidence in God and that grounded upon the former experience he had had of his extraordinary assistance he gave him leave to enter the lists with this Giant and wished him good success and prayed that God would be with him in it But he thought fit first to arm David well with armour taken out of his own armoury and so he put on his head an helmet of brass and armed him with a coat of mail and David girded his sword upon his armour and assayed to go with his armour on but he quickly found himself uneasie and therefore said I cannot go * V. 39. Non sum assuâ—factus talia ferre Vatab. with these having not been used to wear such arms they are a burden to me So he put them off and took his staff in his hand and his sling and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook and put them into his shepherds bag and so went out to meet the Philistine When Saul saw him thus going forth he askt Abner whose Son he was for it seems having been distempered with frantick fits he had forgotten him though he had formerly known him and greatly loved him and Abner being General of the Army and so much absent from Court had not it seems taken any notice of him when he was there and therefore told the King he knew not Saul bad him enquire whose Son that stripling was David now armed only with his staff and sling goes out to meet the Philistine who came up towards him with his armour-bearer carrying his great shield before him V. 43. Baculis Enallage numeri est ut Gen. 21.7 when this monstrous Giant saw David come towards him who was but a youth and his countenance rather amiable than terrible not like the countenance of a Souldier he disdained him and said What am I a dog that thou comest out to me with a staff then cursing him by his gods he said let Dagon and the other gods we worship confound thee Come to me and I will give thy flesh to the fowls of the air and beasts of the field David reply'd Thou comest to me with a sword and with a spear and with a shield but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of Hosts the God of the Armies of Israel whom thou hast defyed This day will the Lord deliver thee into my hand I know it by the inspiration of the Spirit of God and I will smite thee and take off thine head and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air and to the wild beasts of the field that all the earth may know that there is a God who is Almighty and the only true God who watcheth over Israel and all this present assembly both of Israelites and Philistines shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword or spear but he can save without these and is not tyed to such outward means for the battel is the Lords and he governeth it and giveth victory to whom he pleaseth and I know that he will this day give you Philistines into our hands Goliath now prepared himself for the Combat and came and drew night to meet David and David accordingly hasted to meet him and putting his hand into his Bag he took thence a stone and slung it with extraordinary force and smiting the Philistine in his forehead the stone sunk into his head God so guiding and directing it and he fell upon his face to the earth then David ran to him and trampled upon him and having no sword with him he drew out the Philistines sword out of its
forces to resist the common enemy Hereupon David called the place Sela-Hammahlekoth that is the Rock of Divisions 1 Sam. Ch. 23. from 14 to 29. 9ly Hence David flies to the strong holds in the Wilderness * Here 't is thought he penned the 57 Psalm adjoyning to Engedi (b) A place exceeding fruitful with Vines and other fruit-trees Cant. 1.14 a City of Judah Saul returning with his forces from pursuing the Philistines it was told him whither David was fled and he took 3000 chosen men out of Israel and went to pursue David and his men upon those high steep and cragy rocks upon which wild beasts used to live and he came to the sheep-coats where was a Cave and Saul (c) Nisi somnum Saul captasset motus in spelunca sensisset militares Some Caves in that and other Countries are of that vast wideness that they are sufficient to contain great numbers of men being weary went into the entrance of it which was narrow to cover his feet that is to sleep See note in Judg. 3.24 But though the entrance of the Cave was narrow yet it seems it was roomâ—by within for David and several of his men had hid themselves in the sides and innermost parts of it David's men perceiving that Saul was come into the entrance or mouth of the Cave and that there he had laid himself down to sleep they tell him that God had now put such an opportunity into his hands of cutting off his enemy that thirsted after his blood as if he had from heaven called unto him and commanded (d) V. 4. dicit h.e. dicere videtur quia praebet ansam him to do it But David arising went softly to Saul and only cut off the skirt of his Robe that he might thereby make it evident to him that he could as well have killed him if he had had a mind to it and yet David's heart smote him for this little that he had done because it had an appearance of an injury offered to the King But it seems his men were almost ready to mutiny that he would not kill Saul at this time and so put an end to his and their tedious troubles Whereupon David mildly spake unto them saying God forbid that I should stretch forth my hand against my Master the Lords Anointed I cannot I dare not do it And with these words he stayed his Souldiers from offering violence unto Saul Saul awaking rose up and went on his way David immediately gets out of the Cave and following him cried after him My Lord the King When Saul looked back David bowed himself to the earth before him and then humbly addressing himself to him said Wherefore hearknest thou to mens words that tell thee that David seeketh thy hurt Thou seest that this day the Lord delivered thee into my hands when thou wast in the Cave some bad me kill thee but mine eye spared thee and I told them I would not put forth my hand against my Lord seeing he is the anointed of the Lord. Moreover my father see yea see the the skirt of thy robe in my hand for in that I cut off only the skirt of thy robe and killed thee not when I might so easily have done it thou maist assure thy self that there is no evil intention in my heart against thee neither have I transgressed against thee as those base Sycophants that are about thee do suggest And yet thou huntest my life to take it The Lord judge between me and thee and in this my innocent cause wherein I so unjustly suffer do me right against thee But however though it should not please him to do it yet I am resolved not to avenge my self on thee neither shall my hand be upon thee The Proverb of the Ancients tells us That wickedness proceedeth from the wicked that is wicked men will not stick to do any wicked thing But thou needest not fear any such thing from me seeing thou hast found the contrary by thine own experience I am resolved to refer my cause to God and not to avenge my self in my own quarrel Besides consider I pray thee who it is that thou pursuest with so much eagerness and violence even a weak and contemptible man and in comparison of thee no more to be esteemed than a flea (e) Valde Pathetica oratio Index summa Davidis modestiae vid. Psal 131. or a dead dog (f) Canâ—m mortuum pulicem persequi dicitur de iis qui tenuissimos homines magno conatu insectantur Having therefore neither power nor will to do thee hurt the Lord judge between me and thee and plead my cause and deliver me out of thy hands David having ended Saul was so affected with what he had said that he lift up his voice and wept and said Is this thy voice my Son David Thou art more righteous than I for thou hast done me good and I have rewarded thee with evil I am convinced that thou hast dealt exceeding kindly with me For when the Lord had delivered me into thy hands thou didst not take away my life If a man find his enemy and have him at an advantage will he let him go away without doing him any hurt This is not the common course of the world The Lord therefore reward thee for the great kindness thou hast shewed me this day And now I know assuredly that thou shalt be King see Ch. 15.28 23.17 seeing God hath endued thee with such heroick and Kingly virtues and does so eminently prosper thee in all thy undertakings I know that the Kingdom of Israel shall remain firm and established to thee and thy posterity after thee Swear now therefore to me that thou wilt not cut off my seed after I am gone as other jealous Princes use to do nor blot out my name by destroying my posterity And David sware unto him accordingly having in effect bound himself by Covenant and Oath before unto Jonathan to do the same that Saul here required But how can David be said to have observed this Oath when as afterwards he delivered the five Sons of Merab Saul's daughter and the two Sons of Rizpah his Concubine to the Gibeonites to be hanged see 2 Sam. 21. I answer David had a full intention to observe this Oath as far as lay in him as appears by his putting to death those that murdered Ishbosheth though he had risen against him 2 Sam. 4. and by his preserving and cherishing Mephibosheth 2 Sam. 9. But in the case before mentioned he was not left to his own choice but necessitated by a special command from God to deliver them into the hands of the Gibeonites for their satisfaction that Gods wrath being appeased the heavy judgment of famine under which they lay might be removed from the land see 2 Sam. 21.6 9. and therefore in this he brake not his Oath * Omnia pacta promissa vota jurejuranda ad hoc caput referenda
some plague or sickness whereof he died When David heard of the death of Nabal though he rejoiced not in the evil that was befallen him yet he could not but rejoice in the manifestation of Gods justice upon him and that the Lord himself had pleaded his cause against him and had returned his wickedness upon his own head and had withheld him from revenging himself Sometime after David understood that Saul out of malice to him had given his wife Michal to one Phaltiel * Ishbosheth upon Davids desire restored her to him again 2 Sam. 3.14 15. the Son of Laish who was of Gallim a place in the Tribe of Benjamin wherefore reflecting upon the piety the prudence the modesty and comeliness of Abigail and possibly something upon her portion also as being in likelihood of very great wealth which his present condition might cause him to consider he sent some of his Attendants to her to treat with her about marriage And he chose rather to send others than to go himself that Abigail might be the more free in her choice not being over-awed with his presence and also that he might come off with less disgrace if his motion were not accepted The messengers coming to Abigail acquaint her with their business she as one wonderfully surprized at the strangeness of the motion bowed her self to the earth before them and addressing her self to the principal person among them said Alas I am utterly unfit for so high a dignity and advancement Let thine handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my Lord. I hardly think my self worthy to be a servant to his servants Herein Abigail shewed not only her great humility but her faith also who could think so honourably of David when he was in such a persecuted state and such a despised condition But the messengers pressing her further she at last consented and as 't is like sometime after when the messengers came again to fetch her she rode upon an ass after them having five young maidens to attend her And so she became Davids wife David also took to wife Ahinoam of Jezreel a City in Judah by whom he had Amnon his first-born 1 Sam. Ch. 25. from v. 2. to the end 11ly From hence he fled back again to Hachilah-Hill which is before Jeshimon for though the Ziphites had once sought to betray him there yet he hoped he should find more favour from them now seeing they knew how wonderfully God had delivered him And besides possibly he apprehended this place more convenient for him upon his marriage with Abigail because her possessions lay near it However the Ziphites fearing possibly that if David came to the Crown he would remember them for their former treachery against him bring Saul tidings a second time that he was there that so he might be cut off and they secur'd from any danger from him Saul accordingly without delay came with three thousand chosen men of Israel to find him out David having some intelligence of his coming he sent out Scouts to see if it were so and was by them informed that it was so indeed Saul being come near to him with his forces David arose and went secretly himself and possibly disguiz'd to the place where Saul had pitched and he beheld where he lay and Abner the Captain of his host and he saw that Saul lay inclosed with the Carriages and his Souldiers about him but they were all fast asleep David being moved doubtless by a special instinct of Gods Spirit to undertake this dangerous Enterprize and being desirous once more to manifest his innocence to Saul he spake to Abimelech the Hittite one of his Commanders being so by birth though an Israelite by Religion and to Abishai the Son of Zerviah (a) She had three Sons Joab Abishai and Asahel all valiant men she being Davids Sister is always mentioned and not her husband who possibly was of no great family and his name no where mentioned in Scripture his Sister 1 Chron. 2.15 16. demanding of them which of them would adventure to go with him into the Camp to Saul Abishai readily answered he would go with him David and Abishai accordingly entred into Saul's Camp through the midst of his Army and found Saul and his men fast asleep his Spear sticking at his head and a Cruse of water standing by him Then Abishai said to David God hath at this time delivered thine enemy into thy hands it would be a strange and unaccountable neglect if thou shouldst let slip this opportunity which Providence plainly offers thee let me I pray thee smite him with the Spear that stands at his head and let me alone I will smite him so surely at the first blow that I shall not need to give him a second David charges him not to touch him (b) Nusquam magis eluceo Clementia Davidis quam hoc loco ca. 24. Privato qualis adhuc erat David non actu Rex vide ca. 16. 13. non licet regem suum occidere quamvis Tyrannum P. Mart. for says he who can stretch forth his hand against the Lords anointed and be guiltless Possibly the Lord himself will smite him with some mortal disease as he did Nabal or he will die a natural death as other men do by sickness or old age or he will come to his end by some casualty falling in battel But as for me God forbid that I should stretch forth my hand against him or smite him my self or suffer him to be smitten But I pray thee take the Spear that stands at his boulster and the cruse of water that stands by him and let us be gone So they took away the Spear and the cruse of water neither Saul nor any of his men about him awaking for a dead sleep from the Lord was fallen upon them See Gen. 2.21 Then David went over to the other side and stood on the top of an hill at some distance from Saul's Camp but so as his voice might be heard and he called aloud to the people and to Abner and it seems he called often before he could awaken him at last Abner awaking said Who art thou that criest unto the King so as to disturb him in his rest David answers what art thou Abner a man so esteemed for valour that there is scarce any in Israel like unto thee wherefore then hast thou not kept thy Lord the King better For I do assure thee there came one of my followers into your Camp that would have destroyed the King had not I prevented it as the Lord liveth thou and the people about the King are worthy to die because ye have not watched better about your master the Lords anointed And now behold here in my hand the Kings Spear and the Cruse that stood at his head How came I by these Saul being now awake and hearing David speak to Abner after this manner he cries out What is this thy voice my
back from the Well Sirah situate on the North of Hebron Abner being returned Joab took him aside in the Gate (g) The place of Judicature and of their publick and solemn meetings Abishai being by who it seems was also in the Plot see v. 30. under pretense to speak with him peaceably and privately about the Kings affairs and on a sudden he little suspecting any such thing smote him under the fifth rib so that he fell down dead By this means though the fact in Joab was base and villainous God punished Abner for his rising up against David contrary to his own knowledg and conscience to compass his wicked end and for being the occasion of shedding so much blood in this war at which he so little scrupled When David heard of the murder of Abner he was extreamly surprized at it and cried out I and my Kingdom are guiltless before the Lord for ever from the blood of Abner let it rest on the head of Joab and all his Fathers house and let there not fail from the house of Joab as long as his family continueth one that hath a running issue for which persons were debarred from entring into the Congregation and partaking of the publick Ordinances Levit. 15.21 or a leper or one that leaneth on a staff by reason of feebleness and lameness or that falleth by the sword and so dieth an untimely death or that lacketh bread and so is brought to beggary let there be ever in Joabs family some person that is under one or more of these Plagues Then David commanded Joab and all the people that were with him to rend their clothes and gird themselves with sackcloth to intimate that their hearts were rent with grief for this horrid fact Then he made a solemn and publick Funeral for Abner and he himself followed the Bier with great expressions of grief So they buried Abner in Hebron and the King lift up his voice at his grave and wept and the people wept also And the King lamented over Abner and said Died Abner like as a fool dieth that is as a weak and cowardly man that yieldeth himself to be slaughtered by his enemy making little or no resistance No surely thou didst not die like a base weak captive taken in war nor as a malefactor bound in chains and fetters and so led out to execution no but thou wast basely and treacherously slain As a man falleth before wicked men so fellest thou as it might happen to the most wise and valiantest man in the world that hath to do with false cowardly and treacherous men so it hath happened unto thee And this David spake before Joab's face and branded him with dishonour and reproach before all the people as a part of his punishment for his wicked fact It seems it was the manner at solemn Funerals to have a Feast provided to refresh and cheer the guests in the time of their mourning see Jer. 16.7 8. Ezek. 24.17 And such a Feast was now provided But David to express his great and extraordinary grief for Abner refused to eat at it whereupon the Commanders of the Army and heads of the people came to him and intreated him not to lay the matter so much to heart as to forbear his food But David sware to them saying God do so to me and more also if I taste bread or ought else till the Sun be set The people observing his carriage therein were highly pleased with it and were glad to see him so much to resent the base murder of Abner and with so much earnestness to seek to clear himself thereof they saw plainly that it was not by Davids counsel or instigation either directly or indirectly that Abner was slain but it proceeded meerly from Joab's malice and revenge And not only David's carriage in this matter concerning Abner pleased the people but generally all things else that he did through his prudence and wise conduct were very pleasing to them Indeed whither they liked his not executing justice upon Joab at this time is uncertain but however he was fain to apologize for himself and he said to his servants about him You see there is Prince and a great man this day fallen in Israel whose blood I would revenge on him that shed it but that he and his Brother Abishai these Sons of Zerviah * Zerviah one of Davids Sisters was mother of Joab Abishai and Asahel and Abigail his other Sister was mother of Amasa 2 Sam. 17.25 1 Chr. 2.15 16 17. are at this time too potent for me they being in so great favour with the people and commanding the Army and I my self though anointed King yet am at present but unsetled in my Kingdom however the Lord will reward the evil doer at one time or other according to his wickedness But this excuse was below pious and valiant David and savoured too much of carnal fear worldly policy for he having Gods promise to establish him in the Throne he needed not to fear the executing of justice upon so heinous a malefactor as Joab was notwithstanding all his power and the power of his allies And if justice had been now executed on him Amasa's death had been prevented whom Joab afterwards slew in a like treacherous manner See 2 Sam. 20.10 But some will ask Why did not David execute justice upon Joab afterwards when he was established in his Throne Doubtless it was a great fault in him and before his death he seems to have repented of it which the charge given to his Son Solomon seems to imply 1 King 2.5 6. ziz That he should not let Joab's hoary head go down to the grave in peace 2 Sam. Ch. 3. from v. 6 to the end SECT CLXXXII Ishbosheth and the Israelites that adher'd to him were wonderfully perplex'd and dismaid when they heard of the death of Abner he being their General on whose counsel and conduct they had hitherto so much depended Things going thus badly with them two of Ishbosheth's Captains conspired against him whose names were Baanah and Rechab the Sons of Rimmon born in Beeroth a City of Benjamin but the inhabitants of that City after Saul's discomfiture fled out of it to Gittaim another Town of Benjamin and the Philistines possessed it and so they were still called Beerothites after the place of their former habitation and lived but as sojourners in Gittaim among their Brethren the Children of Benjamin And that which encouraged these Captains as it seems to conspire the death of Ishbosheth was because he being taken away there would be no legitimate issue of Saul's race but only Mephibosheth who being but a child of twelve years of age and withal lame in his feet was altogether unfit to succeed in the Kingdom Whence they imagined how advantageous their intended fact would be to David and how likely they were to be rewarded by him for it and lastly how safely they might do it because there would be none left of Saul's race
punishments on them putting some of them under Saws some under Harrows of iron some he ordered to be cut in pieces with Axes and some he caused to pass through the fiery brick kiln to express his detestation of their inhumane Idolatry who caused their own children to pass through the fire to their Idol Moloch 1 King 11.7 and thus he did to the Elders of every City who were the chief offenders and that not only because they had so abominably contrary to the Law of Nations abused his Ambassadours but had also hired the Nations round about them to make war upon him intending if they could utterly to destroy the Israelites These things being done David and his people returned to Jerusalem 2 Sam. Ch. 12. from v. 26 to the end 1 Chron. 20. from 1 to 4. SECT CXCIV IN Section 192 we had the sad History of David's fall to be dreaded by all good men now we come to give an account of his repentance and the manner how he was brought to it And first we may take notice that David did not seek to God and turn to him by an act of his free-will before God touched his heart by his grace David had now for the space of near ten months continued in his sin without repentance viz. from the conception to the birth of the child and possibly something longer during all which time he had as 't is probable in a formal manner frequented Gods Ordinances taking care only to hide his sin and not to be cleansed from the guilt of it and to cover his shame which yet he could not do for by reason of his sudden marrying of Bathsheba and her so soon being brought to bed it began now by some to be suspected and talked of that all was not right between them and so by this deed he gave great occasion to the enemies of God to blaspheme God therefore now sends the Prophet Nathan to him to rouze him out of the dead sleep he was in and to bring him to a sense of his sin and to repentance for it Nathan having received a command from God to go to David on this errand he began to think with himself that he was to deal with a great King whom he was directly to accuse sharply to reprehend and severely to threaten from the Lord he resolves therefore to make his address to him in such a way which he thought most likely to work upon such a great person Accordingly coming to him he tells him that there was a certain rich man in that Country who had exceeding many flocks and herds and there lived by him a certain poor man who had only one ew-lamb which he had bought and tenderly brought up and nourished and it lay in his bosom and was to him as a young and tender child (a) In these Parables we are to look at the main scope and drift of them and not to every circumstance many of them being added only as Ornaments to set them off and there came a Traveller to the rich mans house and he spared to take of his own flock to dress for this stranger but took the poor mans lamb and dressed it for him David hearing this and apprehending it to be a true relation of a matter of fact done in his Country his anger was greatly kindled and he said as the Lord liveth the man that hath done this shall surely restore the lamb fourfold (b) In Solomons time it seems there was required sevenfold restitution Prov. 16.31 unless it be meant there that the thief shall make such a perfect restitution in which sense the number seven is often taken according to the Law Exod. 22.1 and I declare that he is worthy to die because he had no pity Thus David unwittingly passeth a heavy sentence upon himself Nathan replies thou art the man thou art he who hast committed this heinous wickedness For thou art the rich man whose many flocks and herds are thy many wives and concubines Vriah is the poor man and his ew-lamb was Bathsheba his wife the traveller that came to thee was the sinful lust of thy heart for the satisfying whereof thou wouldst not take one of thy own wives or concubines but tookest the wife of Vriah therefore the Lord hath commanded me to say thus to thee I anointed thee King over Israel and delivered thee out of the hand of Saul I gave thee thy Masters house viz. the Kingdom of Saul who was thy Lord and Master and have exalted thee to such royal dignity and greatness that all generally that belonged to Saul is come into thy power yea his very wives and concubines whom I have so far brought into thy power that none can hinder thee from taking them into thy bosom (a) V. 8. In sinii i. e. potentiae subjeci tuae neque enim soceri conjuges huic ducere licebat did not my Law forbid it Levit. 18.8 And if all this had been too little I was ready to have given thee more wherefore then hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord to do this heinous evil in his sight Thou hast killed Vriah one of thy worthy and valiant commanders who did thee faithful service and hast made way for thy marrying his wife by murdering of him yea thou hast slain him by the sword of the children of Ammon treacherously betraying him with divers others of thy faithful subjects into their hands and thereby hast encouraged and given occasion to the enemies of my people to insult Now therefore know to thy sorrow that the sword shall never * V. 10. In sempiternum sumitur pro subjecta materia diverse depart from thy house that is as long as thou livest but those of thy family shall with the sword kill one another (b) Three of Davids Sons came to a violent death viz. Amnon Absalom and Adonijah And because thou hast despised me and my Law behold I will raise up evil against thee out of thy own house I will afflict thee with many evils even by thy own children giving them over to commit rapes murders and unnatural rebellions and will take thy concubines before thine eyes that is in thy life-time and thou knowing it and give them unto thy neighbour that is to one near unto thee not only in habitation but in blood and he shall lye with them (c) Absalom did it openly in the sight of all Israel Ch. 16.22 in a Tent which they spread for him in Jerusalem upon the top of the house and probably the same house or Palace from the roof whereof David did first cast a lustful eye on Bathsheba in the sight of the Sun For thou didst it secretly as fearing shame more than sin but I will punish thee openly in the view of all thy people David was so convinced and his heart so deeply wounded with what Nathan had spoken to him that he cried out I have sinned yea heinously sinned against the Lord.
tender and jealous in matters that concerned his Crown and especially when there was any Title set up against him by those of the house of Saul he passes a rash sudden and unjust sentence Behold says he to Ziba all that pertained to Mephibosheth thy master is thine I freely give it to thee Thus David in hast deprives an innocent man of his whole estate and gives it to a wicked and treacherous Calumniator It may indeed seem strange and wonderful that so wise and good a King as David should pass such a rash and unjust sentence against the only Son of his dear friend Jonathan a person of great worth and who so intirely loved him and had done him so many favours and to whose posterity he was by solemn Oath and Covenant bound to be kind and that he should do this upon the bare suggestion of one single witness and he a servant against his master and in his masters absence who was not so much as heard what he could say for himself nor any other witness examined in the case But it seems David being highly transported with passion and state-jealousie the Crown being a thing that will admit of no copartners or corrivals he passed this sentence without considering any of these things Thus we see that the best of men are but men and apt to fail and miscarry when left to themselves Ziba like a cunning old fox thankfully accepted the Kings bounty yet pretended that he more desired and esteemed the favour of the King than the gift he had given him 2 Sam. Ch. 16. from v. 1 to 5. 7ly David now marches to Bahurim a Town not far off in the Tribe of Benjamin there one Shimei a man of the family of Saul came forth like a mad man and vented his malice and rage against him in a very high and provoking manner and going along on the hill-side over against him bitterly cursed him and threw stones at him and his followers though he was at this time guarded with valiant Souldiers both on the right hand and on the left And as if this had not been enough with the extream hazard of his own life he cried out Come out come out thou bloody man thou Son of Belial the Lord hath now brought upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul intimating that David had stirred up the Philistines to make that invasion upon the land wherein Saul and his Sons were slain And as thou hast done to others so now by the just judgment of God others do to thee Thou didst rise up against Saul and now by a just retaliation Absalom is risen up against thee thou art now taken in thy own mischief thou didst rebell against thy Father-in-law and usurp his Kingdom and now thy own Son hath rebelled against thee and usurped thine Abishai was so enraged at this that he said to the King why should this dead dog this base contemptible wretch be suffered in this shameful manner to curse and revile my Lord the King Let me go over to him I 'le cut off his head and bring it to thee Joab also it seems offered his service in the like kind David meekly replies I will take none of your counsel nor consent to your ways of revenge ye Sons of Zerviah this is no time for me to think of private revenge who am under the correcting hand of God for my sins The Lord hath for my trial and afflicton permitted this man to revile and curse me and has suffered Satan to excite him thereunto which though it be a sin in him yet it is most wisely and justly ordered * V. 10. To praecepit accipi debet pro permisit hanc maledictionem eamque positive ordinavit ad meampoenam Sic 1 Sam. 13.14 praecepit Davidi i. e. ordinavit ut regeret Israelem 1 Reg. 17.4 Corvis mandavi i. e. ordinavi ut pascerent c. vel Dominus dici potest proprie ei praecepisse tanquam lictori suo ut maledicat Davidi i. e. sua Davidi scelera exprobret publice coarguat licet Simei limites excederet mandati divini veris criminibus inter exprobrandum multa falsa admisceret Non cogitur David de causa proxima nota scil voluntate Simei sed recurrit ad Providentiam Dei ut Josephus Gen. 45. of God for my humiliation and the exercise of my patience and what reason have I to be troubled at what this man says against me you see my own Son that came out of my bowels seeketh my life how much more may I then with patience endure the reproaches of this Benjamite who being of the family of Saul is my declared and professed enemy Let him curse seeing the Lord hath permitted him as his instrument and executioner thus to afflict me And if by this means I be brought to true humiliation and repentance for my sins possibly the Lord may look down upon my affliction and reward my patient bearing of it and instead of those curses now thrown at me may please to reward me with a blessing and some special mercy Thus admirably patient was David when supported by Divine grace who a little before being left to himself was so impatient in the cause of Mephibosheth But David was not so patient but Shimei was as impudent and malicious who went on over against him on the side of the hill cursing him and casting stones at him and throwing up dust into the air in defiance of him yet so obedient were David's Commanders and Souldiers that none of them offered to stir to revenge this great injury seeing he forbad them So the King and all the people that were with him passed on to Bahurim and being weary there refreshed themselves 2 Sam. Ch. 16. from v. 5 to 15. 8ly David being now come near to the banks of Jordan where he pitched he there it seems composed the 42 and 43 Psalms 9ly Absalom being now come to Jerusalem and Achitophel with him Hushai presents himself to him and congratulates his coming to the Crown saying to him God save the King God save the King Absalom as it seems wondering he should come to him says What is this thy kindness to thy friend thou didst pretend to be a great friend to my Father and is this the part of a friend to leave his friend in his extremity Why dost thou not go along with him Hushai replies Nay but whom the Lord and the people of Israel chuse for their King his subject will I be with him will I abide and whom should I serve but thee As I have served thy Father while he was King so now I will serve his Son being advanced to the Throne Thus Hushai insinuated himself into Absalom that being near him he might come to know his counsels and so defeat them 2 Sam. Ch. 16. from v. 15 to the 20. 10ly Absalom now calls his Council together to advise him what was fittest to be done that they might carry on their
supplies as we have occasion The King tells them that seeing they would have it so he would do as they desired So standing at the Gate of the City to see his Army march he spake to the three Generals in the audience of the people that they should deal gently for his sake with the young man Absalom For besides his tender natural affection to him 't is like he feared lest he should die in his sins and under the heinous and heavy guilt of Murder Incest and Rebellion The Armies now approach each other and the Battel was fought in that part of Gilead which belonged to the Tribe of Gad near unto the Wood Ephraim so called either because it was close by Jordan right against the portion of Ephraim on the other side of the river or else because this was the place where Jeptha slew the Ephraimites Judg. 12.5 6. The Armies furiously engaging against each other Absalom's Army was discomfited and a great slaughter of them made and being disordered and routed and scattered a great many of them fled into the wood whither being pursued they were easily slain in that confusion and fright they were in so that more of them were slain in the wood * V. 8. The wood devoured more that day than the sword Frequens est ut id ab aliquo loco factum dicatur quod in illo loco ab allis perfectum est Sanctius than in the field the Country people as 't is like falling upon all straglers they met with so that the number of all the slain amounted to about twenty thousand Absalom flying among the rest happened to run upon a party of David's Souldiers which when he perceived striving to decline the danger he was in he fled into the wood and running his Mule fiercely to escape it happened that his head was catched in a crotch or forked bough of an Oak and his Mule going from under him he hung between heaven and earth as unworthy to live in either of them One of David's Souldiers seeing him thus hung told Joab thereof Joab asks him why he did not presently smite him and kill him Had he done it he would have given him ten shekels of silver and a military girdle for his pains which would have been a great honour to him The man replies though I should receive a thousand shekels of silver in my hand yet I would not put forth my hand against the Kings Son for the King in our hearing charged all you his Generals that none should touch the young man Absalom and if I should have done otherwise than I have done I should have wrought falshood and treachery * Fecissem inique contra animam meam q.d. whatever encouragements had emboldned me to do it they would have prov'd false and deceitful I should have wrought falsehood against my own life for he that wittingly doth any thing to the prejudice of his life may be said to work falshood against it against my own life for had I killed Absalom the King would have found out who did it and then thou thy self wouldst have set thy self against me as much as any other Joab angrily replied that he must not stand to talk with him but bad him shew him where it was that Absalom hung which he accordingly doing Joab preferring the peace and welfare of the King and Kingdom before the personal command and private affection of the King took three darts in his hand and run them through the midst of Absalom's body near his heart while he hung in the Tree and then the young men his Armour-bearers came and killed him out-right Absalom being dead Joab sounded a retreat and recalled his Souldiers from pursuing the Israelites that followed Absalom who thereupon stole home to their own houses Joab's Souldiers took Absalom's body and threw it into a great pit in the wood and cast a great heap of stones upon it and this was all the burial he had It seems sometime before this God had taken away his three Sons mentioned Ch. 14.27 not judging him worthy of children that would not honour his own Father and had basely murdered his own brother Absalom hereupon being depriv'd of his Children who should have kept up his name reared up for himself a pillar or some famous Sepulchral Monument possibly something like one of the Pyramides of the Kings of Egypt in the Kings dale †Call'd the Kings dale as some think because the King of Sodom and Melchisedeck King of Salem did there meet Abraham Gen. 14.17 lying between Jerusalem and Mount Olivet to perpetuate his name and memory But now God disappointed his pride and ambition by causing him to be buried in a pit under a heap of stones in an ignominious manner like a Malefactor The Army of David having obtained this great victory over Absalom and his forces Ahimaaz the Son of Zadock desired Joab to send him to the King with the glad tidings of it that the King might know how God had avenged him of his enemies Joab tells him that he should not go now for there was a mixture of joy and grief in this news and he would send him another time when he should be a messenger only of good Joab knew that the news of Absalom's death would so imbitter the joy of the victory to David that Ahimaaz would have but a cold welcome for bringing it So he bad Cushi a servant and possibly a footman to David to run to the King and tell him what he had seen Cushi runs accordingly Ahimaaz desires of Joab that he may run after him Joab asks him why he was so desirous to go seeing he had no news to carry that would be pleasing to the King but if he were so bent upon it he might go if he would Cushi ran the nearest way which was hilly and mountainous but Ahimaaz ran the way of the plain which though longer about yet was the more easie to run and so he outran Cushi The Watchman from the Turret of the Gate of Mahanaim discovering a man running thitherward acquaints the King with it who sat there earnestly expecting news The King said if he be alone he brings good tidings for they that are beaten in battel do flee in companies whereas the victors do usually dispatch only one or two to carry news of the victory being themselves otherwise employed in pursuing the enemy Then the Watchman discovered another running alone The King said he also bringeth us good news The Watchman said methinks the foremost seems to be Ahimaaz The King said if it be he he is a good man and undoubtedly comes to bring me good tidings Ahimaaz then immediately approached and as soon as he came near to the King he cried all is well then falling upon his face to the earth before the King he said Blessed be the Lord thy God who hath delivered the men that lifted up their hands against thee to be slain by thy servants The King asks
of the Giant Rapha Jonathan the son of Shimea called Shammah 1 Sam. 16.9 slew this vast Giant These four fell by the hands of David and his servants For though David did not kill any of them himself yet their death is ascrib'd to him as well as to his Captains because they fought in his quarrel and under his command 2 Sam. Ch. 21. from v. 15 to the end 1 Chron. Ch. 20. from v. 4 to the end SECT CC. DAvid being now delivered from all his enemies on every side both within and without his Kingdom and calling to mind Gods wonderful mercies to him he in a grateful remembrance of them composed a Triumphant Song or Psalm of Thanksgiving that God might have the glory of all that he had done for him This Song is the same for substance with the 18th Psalm only there are some clauses here that are exprest there in other words and in some places a clause is now and then added in one of them which is not in the other So that possibly this Psalm was penned by him many years before when he was delivered from his mighty potent enemy Saul and is here with some little alteration repeated again In this Song first he declares his firm confidence in God and that he might shew what an alsufficient defence he esteemed the Lord to be unto him he useth variety of expressions to set it forth as not being able by one or two to express it He calls the Lord his rock his fortress his deliverer his shield the horn (a) Horn signifies power and glory Christ is call'd the horn of salvation Luk. 1.69 of his salvation by whose assistance he had been enabled both to defend himself and push down his enemies his tower his refuge and his saviour whence he infers that he will still trust in him and call upon him who was worthy to be praised Secondly he sets forth the woful straits and dangers he had been in his enemies came upon him like violent floods of water and like waves rouling one upon the neck of another threatning present death to him he acknowledges their roaring rage made him afraid but that fear drave him to God He says that death-threatning sorrows and dangers so encompassed him that there seemed no more likelihood for him to escape than there is of a sick man that hath the pangs of death upon him he intimates that Saul and his other enemies had so subtilly contriv'd his death and laid their snares so cunningly for him that all means of escaping seem'd to be prevented In these my great distresses says he I cry'd unto the Lord and he heard me and appear'd for me out of his Temple * Heaven is call'd the Temple of God 1st as being the place of his special presence 2. In regard of the the exceeding glory of Heaven which to shadow forth the Temple was built so exceeding glorious 3. In regard of the transient holiness of heaven that is out of Heaven and from thence manifested his power for my deliverance Then the earth shook and trembled and the foundations of heaven mov'd and shook because he was wroth that is the Lord in his hot displeasure fought against my enemies and poured forth his vengeance upon them This vengeance he sets forth under the similitude of a prodigious storm or tempest when the earth quakes and the air is covered with thick black and dark mists and when the Heavens send forth wind rain thunder and lightning (b) David here in sublime expressions sets forth not what historically happened but an a Poetical manner Gods mighty assistance and concurrence with him in his victories over his enemies by all which he intimates that the wrath of the Lord was evidently seen and manifested in the destruction of his enemies as if he had sent such an horribla storm and tempest upon them and so visibly destroyed them The foundations of the heavens shook and were moved In the 18 Psalm v. 7. he says the foundations of the hills moved that is the hills were shaken from their very foundations or bottoms These hills are here call'd the foundations of heaven (a) Job 26.11 calls that the pillars of Heaven because the tops of high mountains seem to touch the clouds and the heavens seem to lean upon them There went up a smoke out of his nostrils and fire out of his mouth devoured coals were kindled by it that is he gave forth such testimonies of his anger and indignation against mine enemies so vehement was his wrath that even smoke seem'd to speak after the manner of men to come out of his nostrils and so hot a fire out of his mouth that even coals were kindled by it He bowed the heavens also and came down and darkness was under his feet that is the lower part of the heavens was so affected as if God to manifest his power had come down into it and if we may describe him according to our weak apprehensions under his feet in the lower region of the air there were dark mists and clouds He rode upon a cherub and did fly yea he did fly upon the wings of the wind * See Psal 18.10 that is he used the ministry of his holy Angels and by them he raised violent and strong winds He made darkness pavillions round about him dark waters and thick clouds of the skies that is as men are wont by Tents and Pavillions to shelter themselves and to hide themselves from the view of others so did the Lord cast darkness and thick clouds about the place of his appearance Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled that is the Lord sent out his flashes of lightning with the flames whereof much combustible matter was kindled The Lord thundered from heaven and the most high uttered his voice he sent out his arrows and scattered them that is his thunderbolts out of the clouds as arrows from his bow He sent out his lightning and discomfited them The channels of the Sea appeared the foundations of the world were discovered at the rebuke of the Lord at the blast of the breath of his nostrils that is by this raging tempest the waters and waves were raised up so high that the very channels and bottom of the Sea was discovered and laid bare By these Hyperbolical expressions he signifies and sets forth the fierce anger of God against his enemies then he comes to set forth the wonderfulness of his deliverance being like a man ready to be drowned and perish in deep waters had not God as it were with his arm stretched out from heaven pull'd him out of them God delivered me says he from many enemies yea from my strong enemies such as Goliath Doeg Saul and Achitophel who would have been too strong for me if he had not of his great mercy helped me In the day of calamity and distress they thought by their subtilty to prevent me from saving my self and to
surprize me before I was aware so that I should not escape so Achitophel contrived but the Lord was my stay and upon him I did relye and trust The Lord also freed me from the great straits I was in and set me at liberty and that not for any merit in me but of his own free grace and mercy and that he might graciously reward me according to my innocency and integrity so that I may with great thankfulness say The Lord hath rewarded me according to my righteousness †He doth not here speak of his righteousness in reference to God for in this sense he prayeth Psal 143.2 Enter not into judgment with thy servant but of his righteousness as to his enemies though the obedience of Gods servants is a due debt which they owe to God and it is God that enables them to do what they do yet God of his free grace rewards them for their works when they are performed with sincerity though they be far short of what they should be the Lord rewards men according to their works that is acding to the nature and quality of their works though not for any merit in their works If their works be good they shall have a good reward if their works be evil their reward will be accordingly according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me that is according to the righteousness of my cause and the innocence of my intentions and actions as to my enemies I being clear of those faults and crimes they slanderously charged me with I have kept the ways of the Lord that is I have desired to walk in his precepts and the ways by him prescribed and though I have had many slips and failings yet I have not wickedly and presumptuously resolved to go on in them and so to make a desperate defection from God For all his judgments and statutes were before me that is I have set the whole Law of God before me as the rule of my life and actions and do endeavour to observe them one as well as another And though I have had many failings yet what I have done in Gods service hath not been in hypocrisie or dissimulation I was upright before him and kept my self from mine iniquity I restrained my self from that sin * Cavi ne scelus admitterem quod antea admississeÌ„ unto which I was otherwise by nature prone to fall into Therefore the Lord hath recompensed me according to my righteousness according to my innocency which he saw in me He now by an elegant Apostrophe turns his speech to God extolling his goodness and mercy towards the godly and his equal and just dealing with the wicked With the merciful thou wilt shew thy self merciful with the upright thou wilt shew thy self to act uprightly with the pure thou wilt shew thy self to act purely and holily but with the froward and perverse thou wilt shew thy self wayward (†) V. 27. Perverse ages i. e. retribues illi secundum perversitatem ejus and unpleasing inflicting sharp judgments upon them As they walk contrary to thee so thou wilt walk contrary to them crossing them in all that they go about according to Levit. 26.27 28. The afflicted people thou wilt save and preserve but as for the haughty thy eyes are upon them to bring them down He now comes to shew how the Lord was his lamp that enlightened his darkness that is that shined upon him and comforted him in the darkness of his afflictions and directed him what course to take He declares also that it was the Lord that enabled him to run thorough the thickest troops of his enemies and by his assistance he had scal'd their walls and taken their Cities And from his own experience he infers that the Lord is perfect in all his ways not failing in any of his promises and that his word is tried and hath been prov'd to be true by unquestionable proof and experience That he is a buckler and shield to defend all that trust in him Then in a way of thankful admiration he crys out Who is a God save the Lord And who is a rock save our God As for me I do declare that I have had all my streâ—gth and power from him He hath made my way perfect or plain removing impediments and prospering my attempts and undertakings so that I have not failed to perfect what I went about He makes my feet like hinds feet that is swift to escape danger and to stand safe upon my high places as hinds speedily run up to the top of inaccessible rocks and there are safe He teacheth my hands to war he hath given me skill in military affairs and to skill he hath given me strength of body fit for war so that I am able not only to draw a strong and stiff bow of steel but if I please I can break it in pieces Yet I ascribe nothing to my self for thou O Lord hast given me the shield of thy salvation that is thou hast been as a shield to me to defend me against mine enemies and thy gentleness (a) V. 36. Et ex exauditione tua magnum reddebas me Heb. per respondere tuum Pisc hath made me great that is by thy right hand thou hast upholden and strengthened me in the day of battel and by thy hearing of my prayers thou hast made me great and victorious Thou hast enlarged my steps under me or widened my passage given me room to walk steadily and safely in so that I was prosperous and successful in my marches so that I have pursued mine enemies and destroyed them and they are fallen under my feet Thou hast girded me with strength in battel those that rose up against me thou hast subdued under me Thou hast given me the necks of mine enemies and I have prevailed against them when they were in extremity they looked for help from man but there was none to save them and then they cried unto God but he did not answer them Thus being helpless I have beaten them to pieces as the small dust of the earth and stamped them as the mire of the streets and dispersed them as men spread dung on the ground By which Hyperbolical expressions he intimates that he had not only subdued his enemies but in a disgraceful manner trodden and trampled upon them Then he acknowledges how God had delivered him from the strivings of the people viz. in the insurrections of Absalom and Sheba and had brought many Nations of the Heathen to be in subjection to him and to acknowledg him for their Lord and head Strangers * This is true both of David and of Christ of whom David was a type viz. in respect of the conversion of the Gentiles who were aliens and strangers from the Common-wealth of Israel says he will now submit themselves unto me and neighbouring Nations will become Tributary to me as soon as they hear of my coming against them they will yield
she to avoid that came secretly as I have reason to believe in the dead of the night and took my Son from my bosom whilst I was fast asleep and laid her dead child in my bosom in the room of it for she had rather I suppose have a living child though anothers than her own dead and had rather nurse up my child instead of her own than have it said that by her own carelesness and negligence she had been the cause of the death of her own Son And when I arose in the morning to give my child suck behold I found it dead but when I had better considered of the matter and laid circumstances together I found it was not my Son that I did bear and I hope I shall find so much justice from the King as to return my own child to me again Then the other woman spake for her self and said Nay but my Lord O King let this woman say what she will I do peremptorily affirm that the living child is my Son and the dead is hers Thus they contested before the King both the one and the other challenging the living child for hers the case was very difficult for first both the children were almost of an age 2ly Their features in their infancy might be something alike 3ly No body was by when this fact was done that might give evidence on either side 4ly The mother that challenged the living child confessed she was asleep and so did not see when her child was stollen away 5ly The parties contending for the child were of a like reputation the one deserving no more credit than the other All these things considered the case seem'd so difficult that one would have thought the wit of man could not determine it Solomon having heard what they said on both sides according to the wisdom that God had given him presently call'd for a sword and bad one of his servants take the living child and divide him in twain and give half to the one and half to the other But the woman whose the living child really was found her bowels so yerning upon this that she cried out O my Lord give her I pray thee the child let her take him whole in no case divide him I had rather she should have him whole than that he should be slain But the other woman being of an envious disposition and not willing that her neighbour should enjoy what she wanted she cried out For my part seeing the King hath so determined the matter let the Kings sentence stand let it be neither mine nor hers but let it be divided The King by the different affection that he discerned in these two women quickly perceived which was the true mother and accordingly gave the living child unto her And all Israel heard of the judgment the King had given in this case and all sorts of persons highly honoured him for it for they saw that an extraordinary measure of the wisdom of God was in him that enabled him to give righteous judgment 1 King Ch. 3. from v. 16 to the end SECT CCXIX. HIram King of Tyre as also of Zidon for the Sidonians likewise were his subjects v. 9. had been always a great lover of David and hearing that Solomon his Son was advanc'd to the Throne of Israel he sent his Ambassadours to congratulate him Solomon receiv'd them very kindly and having entertained them for some time by them he sent a message to their Master to this effect He acquaints him that his Father David by reason of the many wars wherein he was almost continually engaged could not build an house for the Lord as he really intended and he supposed his Father had acquainted him with that his intention there being so great a friendship between them but the Lord having now advanc'd him to the Throne in his Fathers room and having given him rest on every side so that he had neither adversary nor evil occurrent to hinder him he resolv'd to fall upon the work and to build an house for the glory of the Lord his God as the Lord had promised unto his Father he should do he therefore requested this favour of him that as he had helped his Father to Timber (a) It seems most of Lebanon was in the land of Tyre though it were the Northern bound of the land of Canaan and though David in his life-time had provided many materials as Cedar-trees and many workmen yet it seems more were wanting which Solomon now takes care to provide wherewith to build his own Palace so he would please to help him also to Timber to build the house that he intended to build for the honour of God For the house says he that I intend to build must be great and magnificent the God for whose Worship I intend it being great above all Gods And indeed who is able to build an house for him seeing the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain him It were a vain thing for me to think of building an house for him who is infinite except only to worship him in and that is the end I aim at Send me therefore I pray thee a man skilful to work in Gold and Silver in Brass and Iron in Purple Crimson and Blew and one that can grave that he may join with the cunning men that are here with me in Judah and Jerusalem whom my Father did provide for this purpose See 1 Chron. 22.15 And I pray thee grant me Cedar-trees Firr-trees and Algum-trees for this work and command thy servants to cut them down and hew them for me and I will send my servants to help and assist them therein and I will give thy servants twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat * That is of wheat beaten out of the ear and severed from the chaff we call it clean wheat and as many of barley and twenty thousand baths of wine and as many of oyl for their wages and provision or if this do not like thee I will give whatsoever thy self shall appoint Hiram sent an answer to Solomon and writ to him after this manner It is a great sign and evidence to me that God loves that people because he hath made thee King over them And blessed be the Lord God of Israel who made Heaven and Earth for giving to David such a wise Son and for enduing him with so great a measure of prudence and understanding that he might build an house for the honour of God and for the honour of his Kingdom As for thy request to me concerning Cedar-trees Firr-trees and Timber for that great work behold all thy desires are granted My servants shall cut down and hew out sufficient Timber for thee and I will convey it to thee by Sea in flotes to Joppa or any other place thou shalt appoint I have also sent thee a very skilful and expert artificer whose name is Hiram whose Father was of the Tribe †He is called a Tyrian because he lived there
as were not of the Tribe of Levi but of other Tribes Indeed the basest of the people were Priests good enough for his Golden Calves but because he pretended to have erected them for the worship of the true God this also is charged upon him as a provocation And he ordained a Feast to be kept in the eighth month in imitation of the Feast of Tabernacles which God ordained to be kept on the 15th day of the 7th month Levit. 23.34 he ordains it to be kept in another month that the people might not take it for the same Feast of Tabernacles and so think themselves obliged to go to Jerusalem to keep it And to grace this Idolatrous worship that he had set up even he himself did sacrifice upon the Altar that he had built to work in his peoples minds an higher esteem of it and also burnt incense to his Idols whereby he usurpt the Priests office * So did Uzziah 2 Chro. 26.16 intrude himself into the Priests office Whilst he was thus sacrificing at Bethel a certain Prophet sent by God out of Judah came unto him thus timely did the Lord give him warning and called him to repentance and in the zeal and fervency of his spirit he cried in the word of the Lord inventing nothing of his own head against this Altar saying O Altar Altar thus saith the Lord Behold a child shall be born unto the house of David Josiah †About 300 years after this Prophesie was fulfilled See 2 King 23.16 by name and upon thee shall he offer the bones of the Priests of the High-places that do now or shall hereafter burn incense upon thee so that this Altar shall one day have a goodly sacrifice burnt upon it viz. the bones of the Priests that sacrific'd upon it and the defiling and polluting of this Altar in this manner will be a sacrifice very pleasing unto God Possibly O Jeroboam says he thou wilt not believe this therefore I will give thee a sign from the Lord that this shall certainly come to pass Behold this Altar shall now be rent in sunder and the ashes upon it shall fall upon the ground to signifie the utter demolishing of it hereafter Jeroboam hearing this and being enraged at the Prophet put forth his hand from the Altar where he was burning incense and cried out lay hold on him and immediately his hand was dried up and the flesh withered and the sinnes shrank so that he was disabled from hurting the Prophet himself and the people were scared from obeying their King in what he required And immediately the Altar was rent and clave asunder The King then intreated the Prophet to pray * 1 King 13.6 To intreat the face of one that is offended is earnestly to desire the change of his countenance that his angry look may be turned into smiling for him that his hand might be restored which he accordingly did and it was upon his prayer restored and became whole as it was before The King was so taken with this kindness that he invited the Prophet to come home with him and to refresh himself and he would reward him for it The Prophet replied If thou wilt give me half thine house I will not go with thee neither will I eat bread or drink water in this City for so God hath commanded me intending I should shew my detestation of your Idolatry by avoiding all communion with such Idolaters And he hath commanded me also that I should not return the way I came but some other way as abhorring the very way that brought me to the sight of such abominations So he returned another way and not the way by which he came to Bethel Now there dwelt an old Prophet in Bethel whose Sons came to him and told him all that this Prophet had said to the King and what he had done to the Altar and in healing Jeroboams hand the old Prophet presently enquired which way this Prophet went and commanding his Asse to be presently sadled he rode thereon and following after him found him sitting under an oak and then invited him to come home with him to eat bread He told him could not do it for he was expresly forbidden it by the Lord. The old Prophet said I am a Prophet as well as thou art and an Angel spake unto me by the command of the Lord that I should bring thee back to my house to eat bread and drink water But he lyed unto him However the poor deluded Prophet upon this did go back with him and did eat bread and drunk water And as they sat at the Table the word of the Lord came to the Prophet that fetcht him back by some internal inspiration or Prophetick extasie whereby he was as it were constrained to denounce against his deluded guest the judgment that would fall upon him for coming back and eating and drinking with him and so consequently to condemn himself for the gross lye he had told He tells him thus saith the Lord seeing thou hast not kept my commandment but camest back and hast eaten and drunk in this place that I forbad thee behold thy carcass shall not come into the Sepulcher of thy Fathers and thou shalt not die among thy own kindred nor be buried with thy progenitors which intimated to him that he should die in his return before he gat home to his own land and this was a gracious warning to him that he might repent of his sin before his death So when they had eaten and drunken the old Prophet caused his own Ass to be sadled for the Prophet he had brought back and so dismissed him He was not gone far from the old Prophets house before a Lion met him and slew him and his body being fallen in the way the Ass stood by it as also the Lion That the Ass should not fly from the Lion nor the Lion prey upon the living Ass nor the dead body of the Prophet but that both of them should stand rather as a guard to preserve it from other creatures and that the Ass should stay there as it were on purpose to carry back the dead Prophets body to Bethel to be buried there these are strange passages of Providence and do shew that 't was not hunger that provoked the Lion to kill the Prophet but the over-ruling hand of God and that God had regard to the Prophets body and would preserve it for burial though he testified his displeasure against his sin for the warning of others And behold men passed by and saw the carcass cast in the way and the Lion standing by the carcass and they came and told it in the City where the old Prophet dwelt who thereupon said undoubtedly it is the man of God that was disobedient unto the word of the Lord therefore the Lord hath delivered him unto the Lion which hath slain him as the Lord threatned So he went immediately and found his carcass cast in the way
be God follow him The people answered nothing being afraid to offend the King Then Elijah said Behold there is not a Prophet of the Lords that doth openly appear for the true God and his worship besides my self But here are four hundred and fifty of Baals Prophets that are for Idolatry let them therefore give us two bullocks and let them choose which they will for themselves and let them cut it in pieces and lay it on wood and put no fire under and I will dress the other bullock and lay it on wood and put no fire under and let them call on their gods and I will call on the name of the Lord and the God that answereth by fire and consumeth the Sacrifice let him be acknowledged for the true God The people cried out it was well spoken they were willing to put it upon that trial Then Baals Priests took the bullock that was given them and dressed it and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon and said O Baal hear us But there was no voice nor any that answered Then they danced and skipped about the Altar they had made in a frantick manner as was usual in the worship of Baal And at noon when the time limited for their sacrifice was almost ended Elijah mocked them and bad them cry aloud for possibly their god Baal was at this time talking or pursuing his enemies or in a journey or perhaps he was asleep and must be rouzed up with very loud calling Baals Priests it is like were vext at these sharp taunts of the Prophet however they cried aloud and cut themselves with knives and lances till the blood gushed out as the heathens used to do in their great sorrows See Deut. 14.1 the more to move their God to have compassion on them and not to be wanting at this time to his own honour as well as theirs But no answer could they get notwithstanding they went on praying and calling upon Baal and with many strange gestures as men inspired sang the praises of their Idol-god labouring by all means possible to prevail with him to send fire to consume their Sacrifice but all in vain There was none that answered or regarded them Then Elijah called the people to come near and mount Carmel having been one of the high places whereon they us'd to sacrifice in former times unto the Lord there were still the ruins of an old Altar which the Idolatrous Israelites had broken down see Ch. 19.14 and this the Prophet did now repair thereby intimating to them that his design was to restore and set up the worship of the true God in the land Then he took twelve stones according to the number of the twelve Tribes and with them he built an Altar in the name of the Lord to intimate to them that they ought all to be united in the worship of the God of their fathers or else it would be in vain for them to reckon themselves the Israel of God And he made a Trench about the Altar as great as would contain two measures of seed and he put the wood in order ahd cut the bullock in pieces and laid it on the wood and bad them fill four barrels with water out of the Sea that was near and pour it on the Sacrifice and on the wood He bad them do it three times which they accordingly did and the water ran about the Altar and filled the Trench so that it was evident that there was no fraud used to hide any fire secretly under the wood Then at the time of offering the Evening-sacrifice Elijah came and prayed saying Lord God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob * To these three Patriarchs God made and ratified his promises of the good things which he did for Israel and God took this stile to himself Exod. 3.6 to move the Israelites that came from those Patriarchs to take him for their God and oft to call to mind his promises let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel and that I am thy servant and that I have done all these things at thy word and by thy command and direction Hear me O Lord I pray thee hear me that this people may know that thou art the Lord God and that thou hast appointed these things to be done to the end that their hearts may be turned from their Idols unto thee Immediately the fire of the Lord fell from heaven and consumed the Burnt-sacrifice and the wood and the stones and the dust and licked up the water that was in the Trench And when the people saw it they fell on their faces and cried out the Lord he is the God the Lord he is the God Elijah seeing them so wonderfully affected with this miracle and so clearly convinced of the juglings and deceits of Baals Priests He bad them presently apprehend those Prophets of Baal and to let none of them escape and to bring them down to the brook Kishon at the foot of Carmel and there to slay them The people being at this present under a great dread of the Majesty of God who by this miracle had testified so loudly against their Idolatry they without any fear of the King were ready to do whatever Elijah advised them unto and accordingly they took those Priests and carried them down to the brook Kishon that the place where Elijah had sacrific'd unto the Lord might not be defiled with their blood and slew them there according to the Law Deut. 13.5 18.20 The King as it seems thought it not adviseable to set himself against the torrent of the people's zeal at this time or possibly he tacitely consented to it upon hope that rain would presently be given thereupon These Prophets of Baal that were slain at this time seem to have been those that were dispersed up and down in the Villages and Towns and not the Prophets of the Groves who attended at Court and performed their Idolatrous service in the Groves planted by Ahab near Baals Temple in Samaria For after this we read Ch. 22.6 of 400 Prophets that were called together by Ahab Ahab having fasted all day to see the event of this business Elijah bids him now go eat and drink and refresh himself for he heard a sound or noise in the heavens that was some intimation to him that much rain was coming Ahab accordingly going to refresh himself the Prophet went up to the top of Carmel and there kneeling upon the ground and bowing his face down to his knees in this humble posture he earnestly prayed unto the Lord for rain For though he knew that the Lord had promised to send rain yet he knew also that it must be obtain'd by prayer Then he sent his servant seven times * He sent him seven several times to teach us that we must not be discouraged though we have not presently that which we pray for but must with patience be content to wait upon the Lord for it
who will seek thee out to slay thee as a false Prophet and a deceiver of thy King and to revenge the blood of the King and the overthrow of the Army upon thee Ahab hearing these things look'd upon them as meer dreams and enthusiastical fancies and so regarded them not Thus God judicially blinds those whom he intends to destroy And being in a rage he orders them to carry back Michaiah to Amon the Governour and to Joash the Son of Omri who it seems had some place of authority in the City and to command them in his name to put him again into prison and to feed him with the bread of affliction and the water of affliction see Deut. 16.3 until he came again in peace Micaiah replys If thou return at all in peace the Lord hath not spoken by me and all you that are here present take notice and observe what I say and whither I am a true Prophet or no. 'T is strange that Jehoshaphat should see this holy Prophet Micaiah thus injuriously used by a proud Priest of Baal and afterwards sent away to prison and yet speak never a word in his behalf we may see from hence how dangerous a snare even to good men ill company is But 't is much more strange that after the Prophet had told them so plainly what would be the event of this expedition that he should yet join with Ahab therein It seems having joined himself lately in affinity with him and engaged his word to him he was loth to shrink from it notwithstanding the threatnings of the Prophet and so he and Ahab went up to fight against Ramoth-Gilead Ahab being as 't is like something inwardly troubled at the threatnings of Micaiah though he seemed outwardly to slight them and having heard of the King of Syria's charge to his Captains concerning himself v. 31. viz. That they should fight neither with small nor great save only with the King of Israel that is that they should observe especially where he was and to bend their main force against him as the chief cause of the war he told Jehoshaphat that he himself would go into the battel disguised as an ordinary Commander but advis'd him to put on his Royal Robes or such kind of Armour as was fit for the General of the field that he might appear like himself This being accordingly done when the battel was joined the Syrians seeing Jehoshaphat they thought he had been the King of Israel and accordingly leaving all others assaulted the party where he was and compassed them about Hereupon Jehoshaphat cried unto the Lord for succour who helped him in that great strait and moved the Syrians to depart from him for it seems they gathered from some circumstance or other that he was not the King of Israel and so not the man they aimed at Thus the Lord was pleased by bringing Jehoshaphat into so great danger to let him see his folly in joining with Ahab notwithstanding the Prophets fair warning to the contrary But the battel going on against that party in which Ahab was a Syrian drew a bow at a venture and the arrow being directed by God hit Ahab and entred between the joints of his harness and wounded him sorely He being thus wounded spake to the driver of his chariot to carry him out of the host The battel growing fiercer and fiercer it seems they had not time to dress his wound but only stayed him up in his chariot in which he went out to fight against the Syrians and towards the evening he died and his blood ran out of his wound into the midst of the chariot And thus at last the vengeance of God fell upon him for his Idolatry and persecuting the Prophets of the Lord and for the murder of Naboth When the Commanders of the Army had notice of the Kings death they had no heart to continue the fight any longer and so made Proclamation about Sun-setting that every man should depart to his own Country and to his own City And so the word of the Prophet was fulfilled which he spake v. 17. I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills as sheep that have not a shepherd and the Lord said These have no master let them return every man to his house in peace Thus died Ahab and was brought to Samaria and was there buried And they washed his Chariot in the Pool of Samaria and possibly his bloody Armour might be washed in Jezreel where his chief Armory was and where Naboth was killed and the dogs licked up his blood according to the word of the Lord which he spake by Elijah Ch. 21.19 And the rest of the Acts of Ahab and the Ivory house which he made * See Amos 3.15 and the Cities of defence which he built are written in the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel that is in those large records and Chronicles which were written for the use of those times but were no part of Canonical Scripture and differed from the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah and Israel which we now have So Ahab slept with his fathers having reigned 22 years in Israel and Ahaziah his Son reigned in his stead 1 King 22. from 1 to 41. As soon as Ahab was dead all the land of Moab fell away from the Israelites David had subdued them and made them tributary to him see 2 Sam. 8.2 but when the Ten Tribes revolted from the house of David the Moabites as it seems revolted also from the Kingdom of Judah and rather chose to be vassals to the Kings of Israel upon part of whose Kingdom their land bordered and so they continued to the days of Ahab But now taking advantage from the late discomfiture of the Israelites by the Syrians at Ramoth-Gilead and the death of Ahab Mesha the present King of Moab refused any longer to pay the tribute of an hundred thousand lambs and an hundred thousand rams with their wool which before he paid to the Kings of Israel 2 King 1.1 and Ch. 3.4.5 2 Chron. 18. from 3 to the end WE are now come to the second Book of the Kings The Second Book of the KINGS which is a continuation of the History of the Kings of Israel from Ahab and of the Kings of Judah from Jehoshaphat till Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians and Judah captivated by the Babylonians The time and order of their reigns we may see in this ensuing Table Kings of Judah Jehoram 8. years Ahaziah 1. Athaliah 6. Joash 40. Amaziah 29. Vzziah 52. Jotham 16. Ahaz 16. Hezekiah 29. Manasseh 55. Amon 2. Josiah 31. Jehoahaz or Shallum 3 Months Eliakim or Jehoiakim 11. Jehoiakin 3 Month. and then carried captive to Babylon Mattaniah alias Zedekiah * The History of Ahaziah is partly in the last Ch. of the first Book of Kings and partly in 2 King 1. And some think the 2d Book of Kings should begin with the beginning of his reign 11. Kings of Israel Ahaziah †So
habitation there and that being a private place possibly Elisha chose now to go thither that he might be the more retired and might the more give himself to prayer from thence after some time he went to Samaria in which being a populous City he had more work to do and more opportunity to instruct the people and from thence he went along with the Army that shortly after went against the Moabites which undoubtedly he did by the special instinct and direction of the Spirit of God 2 King Ch. 2. whole Chapter Mesha King of Moab upon Ahab's death refused to pay the Tribute which the Moabites formerly paid to the Kings of Israel see v. 5. and Ahaziah being King but a little while and most part of that time possibly bedrid by reason of the hurt received by his fall he could not undertake the reducing of them Jehoram therefore now attempts it as soon as he came to the Crown * The Moabites being formerly Tributary to David and Solomon they had revolted from the King of Judah and given themselves to be vassals to Jeroboam and his Successors and so had continued till this time wherefore going through all the Tribes of Israel he mustered all that were fit for war and sent to Jehoshaphat King of Judah to desire his assistance in this war against the Moabites who were enemies to both Nations and had not long before join'd with Ammon and Edom against him See 2 Chron. 20. Jehoshaphat sent him word he would willingly join with him against them and that himself his people and his horses should be ready to go and do for him according as he should order and as if they were all his own See 1 King 22.4 It may seem strange Jehoshaphat should so readily join with Jehoram having been so sharply reproved before from the Lord for joining with Ahab his Father see 2 Chron. 19.2 and afterwards punished by the Lord for joining with Ahaziah his Son to make ships to go to Tarshish 2 Chron. 20.3 But possibly he thought this Jehoram a better man than either his Father or Brother seeing he had put down the image and worship of Baal and so had given some hopes he would proceed to a further reformation When their Armies were met together Jehoram askt him which way they should go up to fight against Moab Jehoshaphat advised that they should go through the Wilderness of Edom that they might take the King or Viceroy of Edom and his forces along with them who at this time were Tributaries to Judah and so might come upon the Moabites by a way they little expected They agree to take this course and so they fetcht a compass of seven days march about the Wilderness of Edom at last when they came near the Moabites they were sore distressed for water insomuch that all these three Armies and their horses were in great danger of perishing for want of it Jehoram seeing their present distress cried out Alas that the Lord should bring three Kings together to deliver them into the hands of the Moabites we are so infeebled through want of water that we can neither go forward nor can return back and so must needs become a prey to our enemies Thus he impiously reflecteth the blame of their distress upon God and not on their own sins that had brought them into this great strait And God hereby discovered to Jehoshaphat his sin in joining with Jehoram without consulting him first about it but now being by this judgment made wiser he asks Is there not some holy Prophet here who may inquire of the Lord for us and direct us what we should do One of the Kings servants answered Here is Elisha who poured water * Sic solvere corrigium calceamenti idem est quod servire on the hands of Elijah that is ministred unto him and was his servant It was undoubtedly by the special instinct of the Spirit of God that Elisha was come along with the Army into these deserts of Edom and that he was not far from the Camp at this time Jehoshaphat was glad to hear that he was there being the disciple of so great a Prophet and possibly known at this time by his own fame for says he the word of the Lord is with him intimating that he was a Prophet of the true God and consequently able to counsel them from God Upon this all these three Kings went down to him to speak with him 'T is strange they did not send for him to come to them But possibly Jehoshaphat knowing how much the Prophets of the Lord were at that time slighted and despised advised the other Kings rather to go to him that by doing him this great honour they might let the people see how much they esteem'd him When these Kings were come to Elisha he looking upon Jehoram said What have I to do with thee Get thee to the Prophets of thy Idolatrous Father and Mother whom thou toleratest in Israel and some of which are now in the Camp and see if they can help thee in this thy extremity Jehoram mildly answered nay Elisha do not speak of these things now the Lord hath brought us three Kings together with our Armies and hath brought us into such great straights that we are like to fall into the hands of the Moabites if he do not presently help us Elisha replies As the Lord of hosts liveth before whom I stand were it not that I respect the presence of Jehoshaphat King of Judah I would not look towards thee nor regard thee Having said thus and finding his spirit something disturb'd at the thoughts of Jehoram's Idolatry he calls for a Minstril that is one skilful in singing or playing on instruments to compose and calm his affections And when the Minstril played and possibly sang some songs of praise to God the hand of the Lord was upon Elisha viz. the spirit of Prophesie came upon him * Prophetia est donum actuale non habituale whereby he was inabled to give counsel and advice to these Kings and to foretell what should come to pass Which abilities the Prophets had not at all times but only then when it pleased the Lord to give them to them and sometimes they were to prepare themselves for the receiving of them Elisha hereupon being instructed from the Lord bids them make the valley where they were full of ditches and though they should perceive no wind which is the ordinary means of gathering the clouds together and causing them to shower down rain nor see any rain falling from heaven yet the valley should be fill'd with water so that they and their cattel should be abundantly supplied Nay says he besides the mercy which ye so much desire viz. a supply of water the Lord will do a greater thing for you than that viz. He will deliver the Moabites into your hands and ye shall smite every fenced City and every choice City that had the fairest Edifices in it
and shall fell every good tree This by the general rule of the Law Deut. 20.19 they might not do viz. in those Countries they should subdue for their own use and habitation but here the Prophet by special direction from God injoin'd them to do it for the punishing of the Moabites being a people devoted by him to ruin and destruction Further he tells them they shall stop up their wells and mar and spoil the best pieces of their land by casting stones into them Accordingly the next morning about the time of the ordinary morning sacrifice †Virtus sacrificii cooperata est ad hoc miraculum signum est Elisaum tunc preces suas conjunxisse cum precibus populi in Templo orantis Videntur omnes fideles Israelitae ubicunque suissent illis horis Deum pro necessitatibus Ecclesiae atque Reipublicae orasse ut suas preces una cum illis qui praesentes oblationibus aderant copularent Martyr which was offered on on the Altar at the Temple see Exod. 29.39 when the faithful servants of God were at their devotions they saw water running along from the Country of Edom down to this wilderness there being no spring-head or river or such like means from whence it could come and yet the valley was filled with water And this is the fourth miracle wrought by Elisha The Moabites understanding that these three Kings were come to fight against them they gathered together all that were able to put on armour or use weapons both younger and elder and they stood at the border of their land to defend their Country and keep out their enemies And rising early in the morning to see whither the enemy were near them when the Sun arose its beams shining upon the waters made them seem to them at that distance as if it had been blood So that they thought the place where the Israelites were was all bloody * There use to arise some vapours out of the waters which the Sun at its rising not dispelling but shining weakly through them it makes them appear read as blood which they thought had happened by their slaughtering one another And that which induc'd them the rather to think so was because the like had before befallen their people when they went with the Ammonites and Edomites against Jehoshaphat at which time dissention arising amongst them they fell upon and slew one another see 2 Chron. 20.22 23. And they thought the like had now happened among these Kings that had combined against them not imagining there could be any water in those dry and sandy deserts Hereupon they encourag'd one another and gave the word Moab to the spoil So leaving their own borders they came to the Camp of the Israelites whom they found contrary to their expectation ready to receive them and by them they were totally routed and vanquished and pursued into their own Country and then the Israelites performed what the Prophet had before told them they should do concerning beating down their Cities and cutting down their Trees and stopping up their wells and where ever they came in the land of Moab they did what they could to spoil their Country at last they laid siege with all their three Armies to Kirharaseth the chief City of the Moabites see Isa 16.7 whither the King of Moab had fled with a party of his Souldiers and though they could not presently take it nor demolish the Stone-walls thereof yet the Slingers went about it that is the Engineers who with violence shooting stones out of their Engines did much batter it When the King of Moab saw that his enemies were too strong for him and like to take the City he sallied forth with 700 men upon that quarter where the King of Edom lay hoping to break through and so to escape But he found Edom's quarter better man'd and stronger than he imagined so as he was forc'd to retreat back into the City Being now straitly begirt and not knowing what course to take to help himself in this his desperate distress he took his own son * Had it been the King of Edoms Son as some imagin from Amos 2.1 this barbarous fact would have so inraged him and the other two Kings that they would have prest the Siege the more vehemently that they might have been revenged on the King of Moab for it As for that place Amos 2.1 it speaks of burning the King of Edom not the King of Edoms Son and therefore seems to be meant of some other savage act of cruelty in the Moabites against the King of Edom. and heir and according to the blind and abominable superstition of the Gentiles sacrific'd him as a burnt-offering on the wall to his Idol Chemosh see 2 King 23.13 that with so precious a sacrifice he might prevail with him for help After this prodigious act of blind superstition both the King of Moab and the inhabitants of the City were more bitterly enraged against the Israelites than ever and were resolved to fight it out to the last man rather than yield which the Israelites understanding and being perhaps moved with some compassion upon that lamentable spectacle they had seen of the burning the young Prince of Moab upon the wall they raised the siege and went away home And it seems the Kings of Judah and Edom were greatly incens'd against the King of Israel because his wrath against Moab had given occasion to this horrid act 2 King 3. from v. 4 to the end Elisha now returning out of Moab into Israel a certain widdow of one of the Prophets cried unto him saying Thy servant my husband is dead and died in debt being not able to pay what he owed but he would willingly have payed it if he could for thou knowest he was a man that truly feared the Lord. And now behold my husbands creditor not finding goods sufficient with me to discharge the debt is come to take my two Sons for bondmen either that he himself may use them as such or sell them to others to repay himself for that I owe him * Liberi jure Hebraeo res parentum ob parentum debita vendi poterant ut patet ex Isa 50.1 Mat. 18.25 See Levit. 25.39 Elisha answered What shall I do for thee what hast thou in the house which may go towards the payment of thy debt She said I have nothing of any value in the house besides the beds we lye on and some few other necessaries save only one pot of oyl He bad her go and borrow of all her neighbours empty vessels and to borrow a good many he intending she should have enough to discharge the debt to the full And says he when thou art come in thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy two Sons that the work the Lord intends to do for thee may not be interrupted nor any others come in and seek to share with thee in the oyl the Lord intends to
shew him which of them were for the King of Israel and secretly gave him intelligence One of them replied Thou hast no cause to suspect that any of us are treacherous or false to thee for assure thy self we are not but there is one Elisha a Prophet in Israel who by the inspiration of God can discern the most secret things that are done in any place and I believe telleth the King of Israel the very words thou speakest in thy bed-chamber The King of Syria being enraged at this bad them go and inquire where he was for he would endeavour to catch him and if he once had him in his hands he would do well enough with him They told him they heard he was in Dathan a City not far from Samaria Immediately he sent horses and chariots and a considerable host by night to encompass the City that they might take him Elisha's servant whom he had chosen to attend him in Gehazi's room going out early in the morning saw a great host about the City whereupon he ran back and told his Master thereof and cry'd out Alas Master what shall we do Elisha bad him fear nothing for says he those that be with us are more than those that be with them Then Elisha going out of the â—ity with his servant prayed unto the Lord that his servants eyes might be opened that he might see that great host of Angels that were sent for their defence and the young mans eyes being opened he saw the mountains near Dothan full of horses and chariots of fire the holy Angels appearing in that shape because the enemy that incompassed the City had horses and chariots and those appeared to him to incompass his Master Elisha to * Solum visio fuit vidit imaginem â—eu speciem Elisei residentem in medio castrorum quem defendebat ille exercitus ut nemo hostium illi nocere potuerit Munsterus secure and defend him Elisha being come out of the City some of the host of Syria seeing him but not knowing him came to him to inquire about the Town and about the Prophet He then prayed to the Lord to smite them with blindness which immediately he did but not with a perfect blindness but only such a dazeling of their sight * Such a blindness as the Sodomites were striken with Gen. 19.11 that they could not well discern things or persons He told them that was not the way they must go neither was that the City wherein they might expect to find Elisha Follow me says he and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek They accordingly following him he led them to Samaria 'T is like he sent a messenger to Jehoram who was now in that City to give him notice that he was bringing his enemies into Samaria that so he might have all his militia in readiness against they came When he had brought them into that City he prayed to the Lord to open their eyes which being done they saw themselves to their great astonishment in the midst of Samaria and so in the midst of their enemies Jehoram having them now in his hands spake to Elisha saying My Father shall I smite them shall I smite them What says Elisha wouldest thou smite them If thou hadst taken them prisoners with thy sword and with thy how having given them quarter surely thou wouldst not kill them much less oughtest thou now to do it seeing by an extraordinary providence they are brought unto thee surely thou shalt not smite them Thus easily the Prophet forgives their mischievous intention who came out on purpose to carry him prisoner to his enemies Instead of smiting them he advises Jehoram to set bread and water before them that they might eat and drink and go back to their King and declare what kindness they had found in Israel notwithstanding their ill intentions towards it Jehoram hereupon made great provisions for them and feasted them royally and then peaceably dismissed them After this the Syrians gave over their inrodes into the land and came no more as yet †So these words v. 23. are to be interpreted See Lightfoot pag. 69. into the land of Israel And thus we see how many miracles were wrought about this one matter 1. The Prophet discovered the King of Syria's secret plots and contrivances 2ly The Angels appeared as an host for his defence 3ly His servants eyes were opened to see those Angels 4ly The Syrians were smitten with blindness 5ly Their eyes were opened again and all this upon the prayer of Elisha 2 King 6. from v. 8. to the 24. Benhadad King of Syria who had once before besieged Samaria in Ahab's time 1 King 20.1 but was then repulsed with shame and loss being now desirous as it seems to blot out the reproach of that his shameful flight and being encourag'd perhaps by the great overthrow he had given the Israelites at the battel at Ramoth-Gilead wherein Ahab was slain 1 King 22.34 he now attempts to besiege this City again with a collection of all his forces During which siege Samaria was so sorely distressed with famine that an Asses-head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver * Which was as some account about ten pounds of our money though an unclean and forbidden meat Exod. 13.13 and the fourth part of a cab or pottle of corn which they had taken out of the crop of Doves (a) Quidam esse ervum credunt quo saginantur columbae that is a kind of pulse or tares wherewith they fed Pidgeons which in that extremity they were glad of for food for themselves for five pieces of silver (b) Which was about 12 s. 6 d. of our money One day as the King was walking upon the wall to see whither the Soldiers duly kept the watches a woman cried unto him Help my Lord O King The King replied Alas if the Lord do not help thee how shall I be able to help thee I cannot supply thee either from the barn-floor or the wine-press But tell me what aileth thee she said This woman my neighbour and I being extreamly distressed with famine agreed between our selves that my Son should be first killed and eaten by us and afterwards her Son accordingly we boiled my Son and did eat him but when her Son should have been eaten by us she hid him to save him alive or else did eat him alone by her self and gave me none of him The King hearing these sad words of the woman his heart was so deeply pierced with them that he rent his upper garment so that the sackcloth that he had next his flesh appeared which he wore as a sign of his humiliation and affliction for the present distress of his people though he was not so truly penitent for his sins as he should have been Then he said The Lord do so to me and more also if I do not take off the head of Elisha before night for I look upon him as
Prophet had promised from the Lord which was the very next day to be accomplished One of the Kings servants hearing his Master make this construction of the departure of the Syrians replied let us I pray thee take some of the horses that yet remain in the City and go out and see whither the Syrians be indeed fled or no. It will be no great loss if these be taken by the enemy seeing they are already almost consumed by famine as most of the people of the City likewise are The King consenting hereunto they took two of the Kings Chariot-horses and setting riders on them sent them out these scouts rode as far as Jordan and found no enemy between Samaria and it but many evidences of the enemies flight for all the way was full of garments and other furniture which the Syrians had thrown away in their hasty flight So they return'd and brought this word to the King Then the people transported with joy rusht out of the City with all the hast they could make to spoil the Tents of the Syrians and in them they found such plenty of provisions that a measure of fine flower was sold for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel as the Prophet had foretold The King understanding that the people ran so violently out of the City he commanded the Lord on whose hand he leaned to take charge of the Gate to keep them from such a tumultuous running out and to see to it that they might not all run out and leave the City naked This Lord accordingly standing there to keep the people back they were so eagerly bent upon the spoil and to get some provisions for themselves that they ran him down and trode upon him so that he died and thus what the man of God prophesied of him exactly came to pass 2 King 6. from 24 to the end 2 King 7. wh Ch. The Shunamite the seven years famine being now ended returns with her family into her own Country and petitions the King for her house and land which in her absence was as it seems seized upon by the Officers of State for the Kings use * Mos hic fuit in decem tribubus qui alibi reperitur ut qui patria exirent eorum bona confiscarentur Grot. at the very time when she came to present her petition the Providence of God so ordered it that she found the King talking with Gehazi Elisha's servant about the miracles his Master had wrought It seems his Leprosie was not of that sort that did render him unclean or unfit to be conversed * Lex non vetabat leprosos adire alloquii consolari Naaman leprosus Regem accessit Alii volunt Gehazi act◠paenitentia sanatum fuisse with or else upon his repentance as some think God revers'd the sentence against him and had now healed him Whilst he was discoursing about his Masters raising one from the dead he sees this woman come to petition the King whereupon he crys out My Lord O King this is the very woman of whom I spake and this is her son that was restor'd to life by my Master The King asking the woman about it she fully confirm'd it and 't is like told him the several circumstances of it whereupon the King gave order that her lands should be restored to her again with all the profits that had arisen from them in her absence 2 King 8. from v. 3 to 7. Elisha now by some special instinct of Gods Spirit went into the Region †In Regionem Damascenam ut apparet ex versu nono Jun. of Damascus to confirm as 't is probable to Hazael by a second prediction what formerly upon Elijahs anointing of him he did not much believe namely that he should be King of Syria Benhadad the present King of Syria was at this time very sick Josephus thinks his sickness was occasion'd by the shameful flight of his Army from Samaria Ch. 7.6 especially understanding it happened through a causeless fear The King therefore hearing of the Prophets arrival in that Region whose fame was so spread among them by the cure of Naaman and other miracles he had wrought he sent Hazael who was now as it seems his chief Minister of State Naaman being either dead or put by his place for professing the true God of Israel with a present to him and to inquire of him whither he should recover of that sickness Hazael accordingly went to meet him with a noble and large present viz. forty Camels lading of the best provisions of the Country and when he came to him he said Thy Son Benhadad who honours thee as a Son doth his Father hath sent me to thee with this present which he desires thee to accept of and to acquaint him Whither he shall recover of his sickness Whither the Prophet accepted the present is not recorded but he return'd him this short answer That he might recover for any danger from his disease yet the Lord had shewed him that he should certainly die though by some other means and not by his sickness Then the Prophet fixt his eyes stedfastly on Hazael until he began to blush to see him look so earnestly on him and Elisha bursting out into tears Hazael said Why weepeth my Lord He answered Because I know the evil thou wilt do when thou art King of Syria to the people of Israel their strong bolds wilt thou set on fire and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword their young childrens brains wilt thou dash out and rip up their women with child Hazael replied Is thy servant a dog that I should ever be guilty of such great horrible barbarity and inhumane cruelty * Fortuna potestat etiam mores ingenium mutant 'T is like he did not think at this time that ever he should do such cruel acts But no man knows the depth of that corruption that is in his heart which will soon discover it self if God leave him to himself See what he afterwards did 2 King 10.32 33. and Ch. 13.3 Elisha replies The Lord hath shewed me that thou wilt be King over Syria and then thou wilt bear the same deadly hatred to the people of Israel which thy Predecessors have done before And the Lord as a just and righteous Judg will permit thee to come into that Throne that thou maist be a scourge to punish the Idolatrous and Rebellious Israelites So Hazael departed from the Prophet and coming to his Master Benhadad told him that the Prophet said He should certainly recover but therein he delivered not to him the true sense of the Prophet Then considering with himself what Elisha had told him viz. that he should be King of Syria and apprehending that if his Master did recover of this sickness it might be difficult for him to attain the Crown and being impatient of delay and unwilling to stay Gods time for the bringing about of that he had promised
and his Priests with sounding Trumpets * See Numb 10.9 to cry an alarm against you Consider O children of Israel what ye do fight ye not against the Lord God of your Fathers and assure your selves that if you persist ye shall not prosper Thus Abijah spake to Jeroboam and the Israelites but they were so far from being mov'd with any thing he said that Jeroboam in the mean time drew an Ambushment behind the Camp of Judah so that the main Battalia of the Israelites faced them and an Ambushment was secretly laid behind them to fall upon their reer When the fight began the Army of Abijah beheld and lo the battle was both before them and behind them Then they cried unto the Lord for help and trusted in him and the Priests sounded with their Trumpets to strengthen their faith in the Lords promise Numb 10.9 So the men of Judah giving a great shout and falling on the Lord smote Jeroboam and all his Army with such a dreadful fear that they fled before Abijah and Judah and were discomfited and Abijah and his Soldiers slew them with a great slaughter and cut off no less than five hundred thousand of them so that they slew more than every one his man Thus the children of Judah prevailed at this time because they trusted and relyed on the Lord God of their Fathers Abijah pursuing his victory took from Jeroboam several of his Cities viz. Bethel where one of his Golden Calves was set up Jeshanah and Ephraim with the Towns belonging to them Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah Abijah now waxed mighty He married fourteen Wives partly before he was King and partly after and begat twenty two Sons and sixteen Daughters And the rest of the Acts of Abijah and his ways and his sayings are they not written in the History of the Prophet Iddo see Ch. 12.15 So Abijah having reigned three years slept with his Fathers and they buried him in the City of David And Asa his Son reigned in his stead 1 King 15. from 1 to 9. 2 Chron. 13. wh Ch. The third King of Judah ASA IN the 20th year of Jeroboam Asa began to reign over Judah and he reigned 41 years He began his reign in the time of the first King of Israel and continued to the reign of the eighth In which time the Kingdom of Israel was in three several families viz. Jeroboam's Baasha's and Omri's 'T is probable that he was very young when he came to the Crown and that hereupon Maachah his Grandmother the wife of Rehoboam his mother possibly being dead was made Queen Regent during his minority But when he came to some ripeness of years he shewed that his heart was upright before the Lord and that he was an enemy to the Idolatry that was in the land and desired to maintain the true worship of God a thing the more to be wondred at he having such a Father and such a Grandmother His Grandmother it seems had out of her zeal to Idolatry set up some new abominable Idol in a Grove He though young took courage and assuming the Government into his own hands deposed her from being Queen Regent and destroyed her Idol and burnt it by the Brook Kidron and stampt it to powder out of indignation and cast the dust thereof into the Brook He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord and reformed those things that were out of order in matters of Religion and removed all the Idols that his Fathers had made yet the high places where the people worshipped the true God of Israel were not removed the people being very loth to be tyed to one place for the offering of their Sacrifices but the high places that were dedicated to the worship of strange gods he took away He took away also all the Sodomites out of the land which he could discover see Ch. 14.24 but some it seems remained till his Son Jehoshaphat came to the Crown and then he removed them 1 King 22.46 During this time of peace which the Lord had given them he exhorted his subjects to assist him in fortifying several Cities in his Kingdom and to make about them Walls Towers Gates and Bars while yet the land was quiet before them For says he we have sought the Lord and he hath given us rest on every side therefore let us make a good improvement of this mercy by preparing in time of peace for war 2 Ch. 14.6 7. After this he brought into the Lords house the things that his Father after his famous victory over Jeroboam had dedicated adding something more of his own free gift viz. silver and gold and vessels for the services of the Temple For ten years he enjoyed peace during which time Jeroboam died and Nadab his Son succeeded him Nadab two years after was slain by Baasha who reigned in his stead When those ten years were expired some enemy or other made war against him but who it was is not expressed And afterwards about the fourteenth year of his reign Zerah the Ethiopian with a vast Army of the Arabians as it seems and Philistines joining with him invaded the Kingdom of Judah with an host according to common fame of a thousand thousand and with a thousand †Supple mille 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ut patet ex Cap. 16.8 and three hundred Chariots and Horsemen proportionable Ch. 16.8 * See Ch. 16.8 Asa met them with an Army of five hundred and eight thousand levied out of Judah and Benjamin all mighty men of valour And at Mareshah a City in Judah they set their armies in battle-array to fight Then Asa cried unto the Lord his God and prayed saying It is nothing with thee to help whither with many or them that have no power Help us O Lord our God for we rest on thee and in thy name we go out against this great multitude O Lord thou art our God let not man prevail against thee So the Lord smote the Ethiopians with such a dreadful fear that they fled before Asa and the men of Judah and so many of them were slain and the rest routed that they could not rally or make head again So the men of Judah pursued them to Gerar a City of the Philistines and spoiled it and the Cities round about it and carried away very much spoil from them for a great terrour from the Lord fell upon them so that they durst not resist And the men of Judah fell also upon the Tents of the Arabians who had joined with these Ethiopians and took from them abundance of sheep and camels and so laden with spoils marched back to Jerurusalem Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Azariah the Son of Oded and he went out to meet Asa and his Army at their return and lest they should be too much puffed up with this great victory he said unto Asa and his Soldiers You see by experience that the
acception for those Countries that lay beyond Jordan but Westward something Southward and that some of them were already come to Engedi a City on the West-side of that Sea Jehoshaphat was hereat much startled and being greatly afraid he set himself to seek help from the Lord and proclaimed a †See Judg. 20.26 1 Sam. 7.6 Ezra 8.21 23. Neh. 1.4.9.11 Esth 4.9 Fast throughout all Judah that they might all joyn in humbling thomselves before the Lord and earnest supplication to him for mercy and so their prayers might be the more prevalent and effectual And Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together out of the Cities and Towns that belong'd to Jehoshaphat's jurisdiction and came to Jerusalem to the Temple to seek the Lord and to beg help of him And Jehoshaphat stood before this great Assembly probably upon the Brazen Scaffold in the great Court (a) We read Chap. 15.8 that Asa renewed the Altar of the Lord which stood in this Court He might also repair the whole Court Or perhaps Jehoshaphat himself had done it Others understand it of the Court of the people which had been lately repaired and perhaps divided into two Courts the one being appointed for the men and the other for the women For though when Solomon built it it was but one Court yet afterwards they say it was divided into two where the people used to meet which was before the Priests Court newly repaired and beautified and prayed unto the Lord saying O Lord God of our Fathers art not thou God in heaven and rulest thou not over all the Kingdoms of the heathen and in thy hand is there not power and might so that none is able to withstand thee Art not thou our God who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend * This Title is three times given to Abraham here and Isa 41.8 and Jam. 2.3 Thus our Saviour stiled Lazarus Friends Joh. 11.11 and his Disciples Friends Joh. 15.15 for ever †That is to the coming of the Messiah And they dwell therein and have built a Temple therein for the honour of thy name and they humbly desired of thee when they consecrated it 1 King 8.30 that if any evil came upon them at any time as the sword pestilence or famine or any other dreadful judgment and they stood before this house in which thy name is call'd upon and cried unto thee in their affliction that then thou wouldst please to hear and help them And now behold O Lord the children of Moab and Ammon and Mount Seir whom thou wouldst not permit Israel to invade when they came out of the land of Egypt but didst command them to turn from them and not to destroy them behold how they now reward us who are coming in this hostile manner to cast us out of the possession which thou hast given us O our God wilt not thou judge them and punish them for this As for our selves we must needs acknowledg that we have no might or power comparatively to resist this vast body of people that cometh against us we know not what to do but our eyes are upon thee on thee only we rest and depend and from thee alone we humbly expect help Thus all Judah for some from every place were there present stood before the Lord with their wives and little ones For in times of publick humiliations they us'd to bring their little ones to the publick assemblies see Joel 2.16 that their own bowels might be the more moved at the sight of their children now in danger to be cruelly butchered by the enemy and so their hearts might be stirred up to be more serious and earnest in their supplications to God for help Immediately the spirit of Prophesie fell upon Jehaziel a Levite of the Sons of Asaph as he stood in midst of the Congregation and he spake to the King and all the Congregation Thus saith the Lord Be not afraid nor dismaid by reason of this great multitude for the battel is not yours but Gods God himself will fight for you he will not so much as use you for instruments to vanquish this great host To morrow go ye down against them behold they come by the cliff of Ziz and ye shall find them at the end of the valley before the wilderness of Israel Ye shall not need to fight in this battel Compose your selves quietly to expect the deliverance that God will give you Stand ye still fly upon your enemies you shall see the salvation of the Lord will be with you and he will deliver you therefore fear not nor be dismaid Jehoshaphat hearing this joyful news bowed his head with his face to the ground and all the people also fell down before the Lord and worshipped him and the Levite-singers stood up to praise the Lord with an high and loud voice accounting the victory already gotten because promised by one of the Lords Prophets And so they departed with great comfort for that time The next morning they rose very early and marched forth into the Wilderness of Tekoa betwixt which and Israel was the Cliff of Ziz and as they marched forth Jehoshaphat said to them Believe and trust in the Lord your God so shall ye be established and your minds setled believe his Prophets particularly what Jahaziel yesterday prophesied unto you and so shall ye prosper And when he had consulted with the Commanders of the Army what was fit for them to do he as being by faith assured of the victory appointed some of the Levite-singers to go before the Army and to sing the high praises of God and to praise the Lord in whom is the beauty and perfection of holiness * V. 21. Some by the beauty of holiness understand Gods most holy Majesty who dwelleth in Heaven where is the beauty of Holiness and to do it according to that beautiful and holy order that was prescribed in the Temple and especially to sing praise ye the Lord for his mercy endureth for ever which was the foot of several Psalmes of Thanksgiving composed by David and particularly of the 136 Psalm It might seem a strange thing for an Army to march against a potent enemy in such a manner as this but Jehoshaphat firmly relying on what God had promised he found the success answering his faith for when the Levites began to sing praises unto the Lord and as it were to triumph before hand for the victory promised the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon Moab and Mount Seir that is sent a spirit of discord and dissention among them so that the Ammonites and Moabites suspecting those of Mount Seir * The Edomites that join'd now with the Moabites and Ammonites against Jehoshaphat might be only some voluntarie mercenaries not sent out by the State of Edom that was in subjection to the Kingdom of Judah and it seems they
taking this advantage forthwith she laid hold on the Princes of the blood and those of the Royal family that remained in Judah and slew them although some of them as 't is like her own Grandchildren so cruel and bloody are the minds of Idolaters But by the wonderful Providence of God it happened that Joash an infant-son of Ahaziah escaped her hands for Jehoshaba the wife of Jehoiada the High Priest got him away and hid him with his nurse in a private Chamber belonging to the Temple Athaliah did these strange and unnatural things that she might quietly possess the Royal Throne and set up the worship of Baal again in the Kingdom And some conjecture that she had Sons by some other man besides Jehoram whom she desired to promote to the Crown perhaps some of those who brake up the house of God and bestowed the dedicated things thereof upon Baal as we read 2 Chron. 24.7 For the Sons of Athaliah that wicked woman had broken up the house of God and all the dedicated things thereof did they bestow upon Baalim Athaliah having thus usurped the Crown she reigned about six years 2 Chron. 22.10 11 12. 1 King 11. from 1 to 4. The 8th that reigned in Judah was JOASH AThaliah having usurped the Crown and reigned about six years during which time she had much promoted the worship of Baal in Judah at length Jehoiada the High Priest began to think of setling this young Joash in the Throne to whom it did belong not only by natural right being the former Kings Son but by vertue of the promise made by God to David and his posterity 2 Sam. 7.13 16. Having therefore imparted this secret to five Captains of the land in whose fidelity he had most confidence and he and they having made a Covenant to do their utmost to depose Athaliah the Vsurper and to set up Joash and to pull down Idolatry and establish the true Religion afterwards by their means he drew in others of the principal men of the Kingdom both Levites and others procuring them to meet at Jerusalem in order to the carrying on of the design And accordingly they being met together in some Chamber of the Temple and having taken an Oath of secresie and fidelity he shewed them the Kings Son Then they resolved how the business should be manag'd the next Sabbath-day in every particular The Levites were by an order long since established among them by David divided in twenty four Companies which did in their courses each company a week perform the service of the Temple the rest abiding in their private dwellings in the several Cities of Judah and so every Sabbath-day they that served the week before went out and another company came in to serve in their rooms In each company there were a great many of these Levites besides Porters and Singers Now because Jehoiada and his Associates were not able to bring together secretly so many trusty and serviceable hands of the Country as would be sufficient to manage this great business therefore he resolv'd to arm the Levites for the work having secretly laid in the Chambers of the Temple some arms and weapons for the purpose And that the Levites whom he intended to employ in this business might be the stronger he took in the new company that were to come in on the Sabbath-day and did not dismiss the old that should have gone out but retained them still and so by that means without any noise he made up such a number as he thought would be able to deal with the Queens ordinary Guards if need should be All these Levites therefore he disposes under the command of several Captains either such as were principal men among the Levites or others whom he had sworn his associates in this design in this manner Those that were to enter into the service of the Temple that Sabbath-day he divided into three Companies One Company whereof he assigned to watch at the Gate of the outer Court viz. the North-gate that led to the Kings Palace where Athaliah now was Another company he assign'd to the East * Call'd the Gate of Shur or the Gate of the foundation 2 King 11.6 Gate that led into the City A third company to the South-gate Those Levites that should have gone out from the service of the Temple he divided into two companies and appointed them to be a Guard in the Temple unto the Kings person the one on his right hand and the other on his left Then he gave to the Captains for themselves and their men King David's Spears and Shields See 1 Sam. 21.9 2 Sam. 8.7 viz. such weapons as were there reserved as Trophies and monuments of David's victories which weapons of war were some of those things dedicated by David and brought into the Temple by Solomon 1 King 7.51 Thus this Guard of Levites stood every man with his weapon in his hand and Jehoiada charged them to look to it that their watches were not disordered by the breaking in of any body and that if any offered to break through their ranks by force they should slay them Things being thus ordered he brought forth the Kings Son to them and set him on the Brazen Scaffold and Jehoiadah and his Sons anointed him and put the Crown upon his head and gave into his hands the Testimony that is the Book wherein the Law of God was written and wherein was testified what God required of his people and what they might expect from him in case of obedience These things being done all there present made a great acclamation and cried out God save the King Then Jehoiada made a Covenant between the Lord and the King and the people viz. that the King should serve the Lord and maintain his pure worship and root out Idolatry and that the people should join with him therein and should fear and serve the Lord and him only and every way carry themselves as became his peo-people Then he made a Covenant between the King and the people viz. that the King should govern them righteously and that they should yield due obedience unto him Athaliah being at the Palace which was near the Temple and hearing these great loud acclamations of the peo-people and of such as in the great Court stood about the King she with a few of her servants that were about her rusht into the Temple through the Guards and when she came to the great Court she saw the King standing by the Pillar on the Brazen Scaffold with the Crown on his head and the Trumpeters about him blowing and all the people there present wonderfully rejoicing upon this she rent her clothes and cried out Treason Treason Jehoiada immediately commanded the Officers and Commanders to lay hold on her and to have her out of the ranges and and to kill any man that offered to rescue her and to carry her out of the Temple and to slay her which accordingly they did in the
captives that were almost naked and clothed them out of the spoils that were taken and gave apparel and shoes to them that wanted and gave them to eat and drink and refreshed them and anointed * Or possibly anointed some of the better sort of them to revive and refresh them according to the custom of those Eastern Countries such of them as were wounded and then setting all the feeble of them upon asses carried them back to Jericho and there delivered them to their Brethren in Judea Thus the Lord inclin'd the hearts hearts of the Israelites to deal mercifully with the men of Judah Shortly after as it seems the Edomites invaded Judah and carried from thence many captives The Philistines also whom Vzziah whilst he trusted in God had subdued 2 Chron. 26.6 now brake in upon the Cities of Judah in the low Countries and the South parts thereof and took six of them and dwelt therein Thus God gave the people of Judah over to the spoil and brought them low because of the sins of Ahaz their King who made them naked that is depriv'd them of the help and protection of God by his great transgressions in practising Idolatry himself and drawing his people also into it Ahaz being thus forsaken of God and sore distressed on every side he takes the gold and silver that was in the Lords house and in the Treasures of his own house and sends it for a present to Tiglath-pilesar King of Assyria saying to him I am thy servant and thy son that is I am willing to be Tributary to thee and to serve thee and will be obedient to thee as a Son to his Father if thou wilt come and deliver me out of the hands of the King of Syria and the King of Israel The King of Assyria being an ambitious Prince and affecting rule and domination over all Nations about him readily embrac'd this occasion of invading Syria and coming with a great Army to Damascus he took it and carried away the inhabitants thereof to Kir a City of Media and put to death Rezin King of Syria fulfilling therein the forementioned Prophecy of Isaiah Ch. 7.16 Before the Child shall have knowledg to refuse evil and choose good the lands which thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both their Kings * Of Pekah's death see 2 King 15.30 Hoshea conspir'd against him and slew him about the fourth year of Ahaz See more in the life of Pekah And Chap. 8. Before the child shall have knowledg to cry My Father and my Mother the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the King of Assyria that is it shall be plundred and wasted in his sight and by his command And Ch. 9.11 Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him and join his enemies together Amos also prohesied of these things Ch. 1.3 4 5. Thus saith the Lord for three transgressions of Damascus and for four I will not turn away the punishment thereof but I will break the bar of Damascus and cut off the inhabitant from the plain or Aven and him that holdeth the scepter from the house of Eden and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir saith the Lord. Thus the Kingdom of Damascus and with it that of Hamath of which as being then in a flourishing condition mention is made Isa 37.13 and Jer. 49.23 which was begun in Rezon 1 King 11.23 24. now ended in this Rezin after it had continued about ten Generations Ahaz now goes to Damascus to Tiglath-Pilesar to congratulate him for his late victory obtained over the Syrians he seeth there an Idolatrous Altar the fashion and pattern of which with all the workmanship thereof he took and sent to Vrijah the Priest at Jerusalem with command that he should make the like there which he accordingly did against his return And Ahaz took a resolution as it seems to sacrifice to the gods of Damascus which he vainly thought had smitten him and helped the Syrians against him whereas he saw they could not defend their own worshippers from the power of Tiglath-Pilesar However he said because the gods of the Syrians help them I will sacrifice unto them that they may also help me But this Idolatry proved fatal to him and to all that joined with him therein for thereby they provoked God to give them over into the hands of their enemies Ahaz being now return'd to Jerusalem and this new Idolatrous Altar provided for him he commanded Vrijah to remove the Brazen Altar which Solomon had made from the forepart of the Priests-Court where it stood and to set it on the North-side as it were in a corner out of the way and to place this new Altar in the place of it telling him that Solomon's Altar should be for him to inquire of the Lord by when he thought fit Then on this new great Altar he offered a burnt-offering and a meat-offering and poured out a drink-offering to dedicate it He commanded also Vrijah to offer the morning and evening-sacrifice on this Altar and all other sacrifices that either King or people should offer * Râ—cte Tertullianus oportet nos in omni obsequio esse subditos Principibus Magistratibus potestatibus sed intra limites disciplinae Peccavit Uriah malens placere Regi quâ—m Deo Secus fecit Ambros Epist 5.32 Vrijah like a wicked false hearted wretch and a fellow that would do any thing even forsake God and his Religon to please his Prince readily did what Ahaz commanded him Ahaz then proceeded further and defaced and cut in sunder many of the Sacred vessels and utensils of the house of the Lord that they might never be used again in his service He cut off the borders of the bases and removed the lavers from them and took down the Molten Sea from off the stately Brazen oxen on which it stood and set it aside And the Covert of the Sabbath viz. the retiring place for the guard and watchmen that on the Sabbath-day and whole week were to keep the watch of the Temple which they had built in the house he removed and put by or stopt up the Entry and stately Gallery whereby the Kings us'd to pass from their Palace to the house of the Lord. And he shut up the doors of the covered Temple that the Priests might not enter into it to perform the services there requir'd and it seems it was not opened again till his sons days See 2 Chron. 29.3 Further he made him Altars in every corner of Jerusalem and in several Cities of Judah he set up high places to burn incense to other gods and so provoked the Lord exceedingly against him And all this it seems he did to ingratiate himself with the King of Assyria and that he might shew that he had forsaken the Religion of his Fathers and had embrac'd Heathenism And because he did all this when he had been lately so heavily afflicted of
resort so that in his reformation he spared neither the high places of great or small And the Priests of these high places he permitted not to offer sacrifice at the Altar in the Temple yet he permitted them to eat of the unleavened bread that is of the shew-bread and such provisions * Species hic Synecdochice ponitur pro genere q.d. participes erant omnium illorum quibus alii sacerdotes vesci poterant Tirinus as were allotted for the maintenance of the Priests Also he defiled Tophet an high place in the valley of the Son of Hinnon near Jerusalem Josh 15.8 by casting dead mens bones into it that none might hereafter sacrifice his Son to Molech in that place as they had us'd to do Moreover he took away the horses that had been nourished and kept to carry men with speed from the Gate of the house of the Lord †Equitabant ab ingressa Templi ad cameram Nathan-Melech vel ad suburbia Munster to the chamber or house of Nathan-Melech the Chamberlain which was in the suburbs of the City of David where they might see the Sun rise and so might worship it at its first appearing which was an Idolatrous practice of the Persians and it seems the Israelites had learned it from them And he burnt the Chariots wherein the worshippers of the Sun were carried by the help of those horses to see the Sun rise or perhaps the Idolatrous Israelites might set a glorious image of the Sun in one of those Chariots which at sometimes was drawn up and down by those horses for all sorts of people to see and adore And therefore he is said to have burnt the Chariots but to have taken away the horses Furthermore the Altars that were on the flat roof of an upper Chamber of Ahaz which possibly he made to sacrifice thereon to the Sun Moon and Stars see Jer. 19.13 Zeph. 1.4 5. And the Altars which Manasseh had made in the two Courts of the Lords house did he break to pieces For though Manasseh after his repentance did cast out of the City all the Idolatrous Altars that he had made see 2 Chron. 33.15 yet possibly Amon his Son might restore them to their places again and so they might have continued until now but Josiah now tumbleth them down breaks them to pieces and beats them to powder and casts the dust of them into the brook Kidron And the high places which were near Jerusalem on the right hand of the mount of corruption viz. Mount Olivet so called because it was so full of Idols in the days of Solomon * See 1 King 11.7 wherewith the people corrupted themselves Deut. 32.5 he defiled as he had done other high places before 'T is like those high places were defac'd by Asa or Jehoshaphat or Hezekiah but Amon might put them to those Idolatrous uses for which they were before erected and thereupon Josiah took occasion utterly to demolish them that they might never again be used for any such purpose Thus we see how zealously this good King endeavoured a thorough reformation by breaking in pieces Idolatrous Images and cutting down Idolatrous Groves and defiling those those places with dead mens bones that they might never be used for those purposes again 2 King 22. from 3 to the end Chap. 23. from 1 to the 15. 2 Chron. 34. from 8 to the end Josiah now proceeds further in his reformation even to the Cities of the Ten Tribes which he had any power over and first he went to Bethel where coming to the high-place which Jeroboam the first had there made and seeing many sepulchres in the mount of the Idolatrous Priests that had been there buried He undoubtedly by a special instinct from God caused their bones to be taken up and burnt them on that Altar and thereby polluted it according to the word of the Lord which the man of God spake 1 King 13.2 Who cried against that Altar in the word of the Lord and said O Altar Altar thus saith the Lord Behold a child shall be born unto the house of David Josiah by name and upon thee shall he offer the Priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee and mens bones shall be burnt upon thee Then looking about he saw an inscription upon a monument and inquiring what it signified the men of the City told him it was the sepulchre of the man of God who came from Judah and foretold that Josiah should do these things And the old Prophet that seduced him buried him in that sepulchre and gave order that he himself should be there buried also and that there should be an inscription made declaring that there the man of God was buried that when the time came that the things which he had prophesied should be fulfilled his sepulchre might hereby be known from the rest and so neither the bones of the man of God nor his own bones might be disturbed Josiah being satisfied by the inscription whose sepulchre it was he gave order that the bones of those two Prophets should not be disturbed and so the old Prophets desire was fulfilled see 1 King 13.31 32. Then he brake down the high place and the Altar and stampt it small to powder and burnt the Grove where the high place was Then he proceeded to the Cities of Manasseh Ephraim and Simeon even unto Naphtali and caused the Altars and graven Images to be broken down with mattocks and did unto them as he had done at Bethel And such Idolatrous Priests as he met with who sacrificed to false gods and opposed him in this reformation he slew upon their Altars and therein fulfilled what was long since prophesied 1 King 13.1 2. And Josiah took away all the abominations out of the Countries that belonged to the children of Israel over which he had power and caused all of them as much as he could to serve the Lord their God and all his days they departed not from following the Lord God of their Fathers 2 Chron. 34.33 Whereby it appears that though the Ten Tribes were carried away captive into Assyria yet there were some both of the Priests and people that either were left behind or return'd * Abeuntibus Assyriis multi profugi exules qui antea fuga alio alio dilapsi sunt ad suas sedes redierunt cum suis sacerdotibus ibi que ut ante idola sua coluerunt again into the land of Samaria It appears also that the greatest part of the Kingdom of Samaria was at this time under the power of Josiah which possibly the King of Babylon who set Manasseh at liberty might give him with his liberty on condition that he should defend his Territories against the Egyptians who began in those times with great power and success to oppose the Babylonians 2 King 23. from 15 to 21. 2 Chron. 34. from 4 to 8. In the same 18th year of his reign on the 14th day of the
might remain to support the faith and keep up the spirits of the Jews in a long captivity First He promises the reduction of the Jews into their own Country but before that they were to endure many calamities from the Babylonians during that day of Jacobs trouble but they should at last be saved out of it God promises to break the King of Babylons yoke from off Jacobs neck and that these Chaldeans shall no longer serve themselves of him But that his posterity shall serve the Lord their God and such of Davids lineage as he shall from time to time set over them but more especially the Messias who should come of Davids stock He promises to correct them in measure and yet not to leave them altogether unpunished He promises many great blessings that he would bestow on his Church notwithstanding their great miseries troubles breaches wounds but that Gods wrath shall remain on the wicked In the next Chapter is contain'd the restauration of Israel and the publication thereof After Rachels lamentation for her Sons as lost followeth Gods consolation of her puting her in hope of their return Ephraim repenting is to be brought home again Christ is promised The Lord will create a new thing in the earth a woman shall compass a man And this shall be the Covenant he will make with his people after those days he will write his law in their hearts and will be their God and this Covenant shall be stable and his Church shall be enlarged Jer. 29. from 24 to the end Jer. 30. whole Chapter Jer. 31. whole Chapter God also by his Prophet Jeremy foretels that Babylon and the land of Caldea shall be over-run and wasted by the Medes and Persians and comforts his own people with the sweet promises of their deliverance Jer. 50. whole Chapter Jer. 51. from 1 to 59. Zedekiah in the fourth year of his reign either went himself or which is more probable sent * Jer. 51.59 When he went with Zedekiah or on behalf of Zedekiah Seraiah a person of great quality about him to Babylon to whom Jeremy delivered the foresaid Prophesies of the destruction of Babylon written in a Book to be first read and then to be thrown into the river Euphrates to signifie that Babylon should so sink and not rise again Jer. 51. from 59 to the end In the beginning of the thirtieth year from that solemn renewing of the Covenant and restauration of the worship of God in the eighteenth year of Josiah which falls in with the fifth of Jehoiakins captivity on the fifth day of the fourth Month God vouchsafed the first vision to Ezekiel one of the captives in Babylon by the river Chebar and from thence he was sent to execute the office and function of a Prophet among the Jews of the Captivity He began thirty four years after Jeremy and continued his Prophetick office about two and twenty years namely to the twenty seventh year of Jehoiakins captivity Ezek. 29.17 It seems many at this time both among the Jews at Jerusalem and among the captives in Babylon murmured and complained against Jeremy as a false Prophet that had misled the people and betrayed them and caused them to yield themselves to the King of Babylon seeing now five years were past and yet Jerusalem stood still Jeremy being thus cried down both at home and abroad especially by false Prophets it pleased the Lord to raise up Ezekiel and pouring out his spirit upon him to set him on work to prophesie and foretell the same things in Babylon that Jeremy had done in Judea though in a more vehement manner so that Jeremy's Prophesies were confirm'd and justified by Ezekiel's The Prophet Ezekiel therefore going to execute his function among the Jews dwelling at Telabib near the river Chebar when he was come thither he sat him down as a man disheartned for the space of seven days After which time God again put him in mind of his charge both with gracious promises if he undertook it and severe threatnings if he refused and then confirmed him with a new sign shewed unto him and gave him courage and boldness by his word and ratified his vocation by a new command Ezek. 1. whole Chapter Ezek. 2. whole Chapter Ezek. 3. whole Chapter Ezekiel is now commanded to make a draught of the siege of Jerusalem in a table of Tile or Slate and to lye along upon one side three hundred and ninety days typifying thereby Gods patience in bearing with the sins and provocations of the Kingdom of Israel 390 years before he destroyed that Kingdom which was the full time from the revolt of the Ten Tribes to their Captivity When he had lain 390 days on his left side he was to turn himself on his right side and to lye so forty days more to typisie Gods patience in bearing with the sins and provocations of the Kingdom of Judah from the time that Iosiah and his people renewed solemnly their Covenant with the Lord unto the Captivity of Zedekiah which was just forty years Then he sets out the grievous famine that should be in the City during the siege Chap. 4. In the three following Chapters he pursues the same matter viz. Ierusalems misery In the fifth he is commanded to cut off his hair and to divide it into three parts by which he was to signifie three dreadful judgments that were to be inflicted on Jerusalem by pestilence sword and dispersion In the sixth Chapter first he threatens desolation to the land of Judea viz. to the Idols Altars and people thereof 2ly Promises mercy to a few that should repent of their evil ways and come to a right knowledg of the Lord from v. 8 to 11. 3ly He sets forth the grief and vexation the rest should feel from the sore judgments that should come upon them from 11 to the end In the seventh Chapter he Prophesies again of the destruction of the Jews and their land from v. 1 to 16. And of the pitiful lamentation that they shall make that escape from v. 16 to 20. And of the pollution of the Sanctuary by their enemies from v. 20 to 23. And of their bondage under the worst of heathens which is represented by a chain from v. 23 to the end Ezek. 4. whole Chapter Ezek. 5. whole Chapter Ezek. 6. whole Chapter Ezek. 7. whole Chapter In the sixth year of Jeconiahs Captivity the sixth month the fifth day of the month Ezekiel was carried in a Vision to Jerusalem and shewed the horrible Idolatry there practised and the plagues that were to befall the City for the same The Vision hath four parts 1. The Prophet is shewn the abominable Idolatry of the Jews in these notorious instances 1. Their having the Image of Jealousie or the Image of Baal among them which highly provoked God to jealousie 2. Their Chambers of Imagery having Idols privately in their Chambers 3. Their women weeping for Tammuz * Some understand it Osiris the Egyptian
together with all his allies and friends to make war upon the Grecians according to the Prophesie of Daniel Ch. 11.2 And now will I shew thee the truth behold there shall stand up yet three Kings in Persia and the fourth shall be far richer than they all and by his strength through his richer he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia Zerxes Zerxes having reigned twelve years was slain by Artabanus Captain of his Guard and immediately after Darius his eldest Son was dispatched also and so the Kingdom came to Artaxerxes Artaxerxes his second Son called Longimanus In the seventh year of Artaxerxes Ezra the Priest the Grandchild of Seraiah being a Scribe (a) As among the Grecians their wise and learned men were called Philosophers and among the Chald ans Magi so among the Jews their great Doctors were called Scribes that is an acute learned and ready expounder of the Law and one that had prepared his heart to understand it and to yield obedience to it and to instruct the people in the knowledg thereof obtained a large Patent * Ch. 7. v 6. 't is said The King granted him all his request according to the hand of the Lord his God upon him that is according as the Lord favoured and prospered him from the King and his seven Counsellors impowering him to go to Jerusalem and to reform things that were amiss there which Patent ran thus Artaxerxes King of Kings unto Ezra the Priest a Scribe of the Law of the God of Heaven perfect peace I make a decree that all those of the people of Israel whether Priests Levites or others scattered up and down in my dominions if they are willing to it may go up with thee to Jerusalem For thou art sent of the King and his seven Counsellors to make inquiry whither all things be done in Judah and Jerusalem according to the rule and direction of Gods Law wherein thou art very skilful and which thou hast always before thee and to carry the silver and the gold which the King and his Counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel whose habitation is in Jerusalem as also all the silver and gold that thou findest hath been collected or thou thy self canst collect in all the Province of Babylon with all the free-will offerings that either Priests or people of the Jewish Nation shall offer for the service of the house of the Lord. And thou hast liberty with this money to buy bullocks rams or lambs and to offer them with their meat-offerings and drink-offerings upon the altar at Jerusalem And as for the rest of the money thou and thy brethren the Priests may dispose of it as you think most agreeable to the will of your God And the vessels that are given thee and intrusted to thee for the service of the house of thy God those deliver thou faithfully at the Temple where God most eminently manifests his presence And whatever more money shall be needful to be laid out for the service of the house of thy God shall be allowed thee out of my Exchequer (b) What King of Israel could have manifested more respect to the house of God And I command all the Receivers of my Tribute customs and taxes beyond the river that whatever Ezra the Priest shall have need of in order hereunto they speedily furnish him with it even to an hundred Talents of silver (c) That is 37 thousand five hundred pound sterling See 1 Chron. 22.14 and to an hundred measures (d) That is an 100 Cors a Cor was about ten bushels that is a thousand bushels of wheat of wheat and to an hundred baths (e) A Bath contained eight Gallons that is eight hundred Gallons of wine and for salt (f) Because they us'd much salt in their sacrifices to give them whatever they need And whatever is agreeable to the command of the God of Heaven let it be carefully done for his house For if we should do otherwise we may bring the wrath (g) This King stood more in fear of Gods wrath than many Kings do of God upon the realm and upon me and my children Further we declare it to be our will and pleasure that no tribute toll or custom shall be impos'd on any of the Priests Levites Singers Porters Nethinims or other Minesters of the house of God And thou Ezra according to the wisdom which God hath given thee and agreeably to his word which is in thy hand set such Magistrates and Judges over the people as know and understand the Laws of God and take care to have the ignorant instructed in those Laws And whoever will not obey the Law of God and the Law of the King let judgment be executed speedily upon him either by death or banishment or confiscation of his goods or imprisonment according to the merit of his offence This was the purport of the Kings Patent which was in the Chaldee Dialect the History following is in the Hebrew Ezra having received this large Patent or Commission he falls into admiration of Gods gracious providence to him therein and crys out Blessed be the Lord God of our Fathers who hath put such a thing as this into the Kings heart and the hearts of his Counsellors and great Princes to shew us favour and kindness Hereupon he took courage perceiving how the Lord was with him and gathered together many of the chief men among the Jews to go up with him to Jerusalem Ezra 7. whole Chapter In the seventh year of the reign of Artaxerxes the first day of the first month * See Ezra Ch. 7. v. 7 9. Ezra with a great number of Jews set out from Babylon to go to Jerusalem The numbers mentioned in the eighth Chapter besides such as are expressed by name make one thousand four hundred ninety and six males besides women The place appointed for their general rendezvouz from all parts was by the river Ahava and here they abode in tents three days waiting to see whither any more of their Brethren would come thither to them And when Ezra had viewed the whole number he found no Levites among them which much troubled him for he found he had special need of them for the instructing of the people in the Law of God and the reforming of those things that were amiss at Jerusalem according to the rule and direction of the word of God Hereupon he sent eleven chosen men to a place called Casiphia where he knew there lived many Levites with Iddo their chief Doctor and President He sent therefore these men to desire Iddo that he would send him some Levites to go up with him to Jerusalem that might assist him in that great work he had now undertaken Iddo accordingly sent them 38 Levites and 220 Nethinims for the service of the Levites Joshua did first appoint them to this service but David and the Princes in his time did confirm them
it And because they could not all conveniently hear Ezra they divided themselves into several companies and in each of them there were Pulpits or Scaffolds erected as may be gathered from Ch. 9.4 from whence they expounded the Law unto them there being several teachers in each place that successively discharged that work And in these holy exercises and duties they continued from morning till noon viz. about five or six hours The people were exceedingly affected at the hearing of the Law expounded to them being thereby convinced of their sins and their liableness to the dreadful judgments of God for them and fell a weeping and wept very sore but Nehemiah the Tirshatha or Governour and Ezra the Priest and those Levites that instructed the people comforted and encouraged them telling them that God was merciful to the penitent and that that was a day holy to the Lord their God and therefore on that day they should rejoyce and not mourn and weep So Nehemiah dismissed them and bad them go their way and eat the fat and drink the sweet that is feast together with their peace-offerings and send portions to them for whom nothing is provided see Deut. 16.14 for this day says he is holy unto the Lord our God neither be ye sorry for the joy of the Lord is your strength that is the Lord would have you rejoyce in his goodness and manifold mercies which he has conferred on you and does still continue to you and thereby to comfort your hearts So the people were quieted understanding Gods readiness to forgive them upon their repentance and went and did as Nehemiah directed them Nehem. 8. from 1 to 13. Upon the second day of the same month Ezra was consulted by the Elders of the Families and by the Priests and Levites concerning certain doubts arising upon the reading of the Law the day before and particularly concerning the Feast of Tabernacles whereof as it seems Ezra had purposely spoken to instruct the people about it because that Feast was now at hand Whereupon Ezra shewed them that they were bound to keep that Feast on the 15th day of the seventh month abroad and in booths made of boughs of trees according to the Law Levit. 23.34 v. 40. The people yielded a ready obedience hereunto and accordingly went forth and fetcht in Olive-branches and Pine-branches and Mirtle-branches and Palm-branches and branches of thick trees and made themselves booths upon the roof of their houses and in their Courts and in the Courts of the house of God and in the streets all over the City from one end of it to another and sat under their booths to eat their meat and take their rest and there was great joy and gladness among them so that from the days of Joshua until this time the children of Israel had not kept this Feast * They kept this Feast Ezr. 3.4 1 King 8.65 and at sundry other times with so much devotion and solemnity as now they did for the Law required that only the first and last day of the Feast should be more solemn convocations Levit. 23.35 36. and great holy days whereon they might do no work and their manner it seems had been to assemble the people and on those days only to read the word and though on other days they were to offer sacrifices yet they might therein do the works of their particular callings but such was Ezra's zeal that he did now on every day of the Feast read the Book of the Law and expound it to them and as he was willing to preach so they were willing to hear every day And they kept the eighth day also as a solemn assembly according to the manner which God had enjoyned and his people from time to time had practised On that day they used to beg the pardon of all their sins and failings and to crave a blessing also from the Lord upon themselves and their families for the future Nehem. 8. from 13 to the end The Jews having been so careful according to the Law to keep the Feast of Trumpets on the first day of the month and the Feast of Tabernacles on the 15th 't is likely they omitted not to keep the tenth day which was the day of atonement whereon they were to afflict their souls very solemnly But yet having heard the Law day by day all the Feast of Tabernacles expounded to them Ch. 8.18 and finding thereby how grievously they had sinned and how far short they still were of what God required of them they resolved now to keep a solemn Fast before this great Assembly now gathered together departed to their own houses And accordingly on the 24th of this month they again assembled to keep a solemn fast and to renew their Covenant with God It seems they had not performed what they so solemnly covenanted Ezra 10.3 But by hearing the Law so plainly expounded to them they came to understand how great a sin their taking and living with strange wives was and what great judgments they were liable unto by reason thereof And being deeply priced in their hearts for the same they humbled themselves before the Lord and testified their humiliation by fasting and putting on sackcloth and earth upon their heads thereby acknowledging that they were more worthy to be under the earth than above it And they separated themselves from their strange wives and the children they had by them as also from such strangers as had mixed themselves with them and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers who had given them such an ill example The people stood up in their several places of meeting and being divided as it seems into eight several congregations accordingly eight Levites stood up each of them upon a Scaffold or Pulpit erected for them and the day among the Jews consisting of twelve hours or four Trihoria the first three hours were allotted for the morning sacrifice and the three last for the evening-sacrifice and the other two fourth parts were thus imploy'd one fourth-part the Priests and Levites read in the Law of God and another fourth-part prayed and praised God Thus they continued in these holy exercises from morning to evening The Priests standing upon their several Scaffolds cried unto the Lord with fervency of spirit and extention of voice And they stirred up the people to bless the Lord who liveth for ever and ever going before them in such words as these Blessed be thy glorious name O Lord which is exalted above all blessing and praise and is so high and glorious that we cannot sufficiently praise the same The eight Levites before mentioned had their several companies before whom they prayed and read and expounded the Law But 't is like Ezra did all this before the heads and Governours and other chief men of Judah and that he made the prayer following before them for all that congregation could not hear one man together at one time In this
Son David David answers It is my voice my Lord O King And I pray thee wherefore doth my Lord thus pursue after his servant What have I done or what evil is in my hand Now therefore let my Lord the King vouchsafe to hear the words of his servant If the Lord hath stirred thee up against me let him receive an offering * Placato iram ejus Sacrificio munere Chald. Paraph. suspiciat oblationem meam cum voluntate that is let him be appeased with a sacrifice and oblation which I will offer for the sin whereby I have provoked him But if they be Court-Sycophants and malicious persons that by their lyes and slanders have incensed thee against me I leave them as cursed creatures to Gods just vengeance who will plead my cause against them For they have endeavoured to drive me out from abiding in the Inheritance of the Lord and from enjoying his Ordinances and by forcing me as an exile to flee into Idolatrous Countries They have in effect said to me Go and serve other Gods And now seeing thou knowest my innocency let not my blood I pray thee be shed without cause for the Lord will see it and will not let it go unpunished Besides it is not honourable for the King of Israel to pursue me with so many men who have so little power to hurt him For I am but as a flea forced to skip hither and thither to save my self or a partridge on the mountains forced to flee from place to place to escape thy hands Then said Saul I have sinned Return my Son David to thy former condition for I will no more do thee harm seeing my life was precious in thine eyes this day and thou hast spared me when it was in thy power to kill me Behold I have played the fool and erred exceedingly I do acknowledg my fault and folly and openly take shame to my self for it in the hearing of all that are about me David desires him to send one of his young men to fetch his Spear having taken it from him only to evidence his innocence and that he had no evil intention in his heart against him And therefore says he let the Lord recompence every man according to his righteousness and faithfulness Thy life was indeed in my power this day but I would not stretch forth my hand against the Lords anointed And as thy life was precious in mine eyes so let my life be precious in the eyes of the Lord my God and let it please him to preserve it though thou shouldst fail of thy promises made to me and shouldst seek again to take it away Then Saul said unto David Blessed be thou my Son David thou shalt do great things and shalt at last prevail maugre all the malice of thine enemies Then David retired and betook himself to some place of safety not trusting Saul for all his goodly words and promises having formerly found him so false and malicious And Saul returned to Gibeah where he kept his Court. 1 Sam. Ch. 26. whole Chapter 12ly David now seriously considering the condition of his affairs began through the weakness of his faith to think that he should at one time or other notwithstanding all his former deliverances perish by the hand of Saul if he did not speedily get himself out of his reach therefore he thought there was nothing more adviseable in his present circumstances than that he should send to the King of the Philistines and try if he could be received with his forces into his protection This indeed was no warrantable course that he now pitched upon for his preservation For first God had once before commanded him by the Prophet Gad to abide in the land of Judah see Chap. 22.5 2ly He having before been such a formidable enemy to the Philistines and having so hardly escaped with his life once before when he sought privately to shelter himself among them there was no likelihood he should be entertained by them on any other terms than that he and his Souldiers should turn to the Philistines and declare themselves enemies to Saul and the people of Israel 3ly This must needs tend to the great grief of those that were righteous in the land and would give his enemies occasion exceedingly to triumph and to say that now he discovered what he was seeing he had deserted his own people and religion and had joined himself to their uncircumcised enemies But thus it is when mens hearts sink through distrust of God as it seems Davids now did they seek to help themselves by any means they can David therefore having as 't is probable sent his Agents before hand to the King of the Philistines and having obtained assurance from him under the publick faith that he and his Souldiers should live safely in his land which 't is like out of meer policy he consented unto knowing the hatred that Saul bear him and believing that David and his forces would be ready to join with him and his subjects against Saul he passed over with six hundred men that followed him to Achish King of Gath. He carried also his two wives along with him Ahinoam and Abigail and his followers likewise carried their wives and families not thinking it safe to leave them behind them in the land of Israel and for some time by Achish's permission they dwelt in Gath or about it When it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath he gave over any further thoughts of seeking after him he being in the land of his enemies and so out of his reach David being desirous to dwell apart by himself with those that followed him that he might have the more freedom for the exercise of his Religion and might keep his Souldiers from being corrupted with the Vices and Idolatries of the Philistines and that he might from thence go out and prey the more secretly upon the enemies of Gods people without having any notice taken of it he humbly desired Achish that his Officers might assign him and his followers some place in the Country to live in it not being fit for him a stranger to live with the King in the Royal City especially having so many people with him who must needs be burdensome and might sometimes prove offensive to him and the inhabitants of his City Achish consents thereunto and accordingly gave him Ziklag which being allotted to the Tribe of Judah Josh 15.31 was afterwards given to Simeon Josh 19.5 but the Philistines having gotten possession of it had kept it to this day and now Achish giveth it unto David and so it was not only joined to Judah's portion * Hac donatione justos ad Heredes rediit Achish dedit Davidi non solum ad inhabitandum sed ut in illius dominium cederet but was also upon this occasion designed to be ever after a part of the Crown-land of the Kings of Judah Here David dwelt a full year and four months