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
it He made him ride on the high places of the Earth that is he inabled them to subdue and conquer the mountainous places and the high-walled Cities of their Enemies and to possess a Land far excelling others in all Commodities whatsoever He made him to eat of the increase of the Earth to suck Honey out of the Rock that is of Bees nestling in the holes of Rocks and Oil of Olive-Trees that grow in stony places He made him to eat of Butter of Kine and Milk of Sheep with the fat of Lambs and Rams of the choice breed of Bashan and Bread made of the finest plumpest and largest kernels of Wheat resembling Kidneys in shape and to drink the pure blood of the Grape that is the choicest red Wine But Jeshurun * Jeshurun derived from Josher signifying Righteousness intimates that by their calling they ought to be a righteous people and to walk uprightly in Gods ways but Moses here by giving them this Title seems to upbraid them that they were so unlike the people they should have been being waxed fat kicked that is hath behaved himself wantonly forsaking God that made him contemptuously and lightly esteeming the Rock of his Salvation in whom alone was his help They provoked Him to jealousie and made him exceeding angry by their spiritual Fornication and worshipping strange gods They sacrificed unto Devils that is unto Idols wherein the Devil was served and not God Levit. 17.7 1 Cor. 10.20 They sacrificed to gods whom they knew not nor had any knowledge or experience of any good from them to new gods newly come up for though they had continued many hundred years in the World yet if compared to the Eternal ever-living God they might be said to be newly come up and to be meer up-starts and such as their Fathers slighted as Vanities Of the Rock that is of the strong God that created them and begat them they were unmindful and forgot Him that formed them and made them his people Isa 43.21 When the Lord saw this he abhorred them because of the provoking of his Sons and Daughters that is of those that professed themselves to be his people And he said I will hide my face from them I will see what their end will be that is I will let them see what a miserable end they will come to when I forsake them For they are a very froward Generation Children in whom there is no faithfulness or fidelity or stedfastness to keep their Covenant with me They have moved me to jealousie with that which is not god that is provoked me to Displeasure by giving that worship which is only due to me to Idols which are no gods and so preferring mear Vanities viz. Stocks and Stones before their Creator Therefore he says he would move them to jealousie that is vex and disquiet them with those that are not a people †The Jews understand this of the Chaldeans who carried them Captive and so grieved them But the Apostle understands it of the Jews rejection for refusing Christ and of the calling of the Gentiles at which the Jews were very angry see Rom. 11.14 Completum hoc cum ab Ethnicis infesterentur Judaei deinde in Gentium vocatione Confer Hos 1.10 Rom. 10.19 Anonym even with a foolish Nation that is by calling the Gentiles who were not now his people and were despised by the Jews for their blindness and folly Rom. 10.19 For a fire is kindled in mine anger and shall burn unto the lowest Hell and shall consume the Earth with her increase and set on fire the foundations of the Mountains that is the Judgments which God in his anger would bring upon them should be most vehement and dreadful and should utterly destroy the Land and therefore this desolation and destruction is set forth in expressions resembling the Conflagration of the World at the last day He further adds I will heap mischiefs upon them I will spend mine arrows upon them that is I will strike them with many Plagues and they shall be wounded with them as with Arrows suddainly and unexpectedly They shall be burnt with hunger that is consumed with Famine see Lam. 4.8 and devoured with burning heat and bitter destruction that is with burning Carbuncles and fiery Vlcers on their Bodies I will send the teeth of Beasts upon them with the poyson of Serpents of the dust viz. that hide themselves in the dust and feed on the dust and assault suddainly They that are abroad shall be slain by the Sword and they that are within shall die with terrour and fear and this misery and calamity shall fall on all sorts old and young I said I would scatter them into Corners and make the remembrance of them cease from among men were it not that I feared the wrath of the Enemy lest the Adversaries of my people should behave themseves strangely and lest they should say Our hand is high and the Lord hath not done this God here speaks of Himself after the manner of men who oftentimes desist from doing what otherwise they intended to do for fear of encouraging the pride and insolency of wicked men And therefore God would not bring his people so near to utter destruction as their sins deserved lest their Enemies should thereupon exalt themselves as if by their own power alone or the help of their Idols they had vanquished Israel and done all that they had done see Psal 140.8 And the reason why God was so far provoked as to be ready almost utterly to destroy the Israelites had not respect to his own glory restrained him was because they were a Nation void of Counsel neither was there any understanding in them that is they went on blindly and desperately in wickedness without considering what would be the issue of it O that they were wise says God that they would consider what will befal them in the latter end if they go on in their Rebellions against me that so by true Repentance they may prevent these miseries For if they had not by their frequent and high Transgressions extreamly provoked me their Enemies should never have had that power over them that they have had seeing I had promised them in case they were obedient that an hundred of them should put ten thousand of their Enemies to flight Josh 23.10 Levit. 26.8 and this they have found true in many strange Victories which they have gotten wherein a few of them have defeated whole Armies of their Adversaries And how could it come to pass quite contrary that one of their Enemies should chase a thousand of them and that two of their Enemies should put ten thousand of them to flight except their Rock had sold them and the Lord had shut them up that is except the Lord who is their Rock and their only Stay and Strength had delivered them up into the hands and power of their Enemies to be captivated and imprisoned by them at their will and to
coming to Bethshan took and carried away their dead bodies and brought them to Jabesh and burnt them there that is burnt the flesh of them which having hung some days in the Sun was putrified and stinking and so could not be embalmed and the flesh being burnt from the bones they gathered up their bones and solemnly buried them under a Tree in Jabesh and there they continued till towards the end of Davids reign when he took them up and buried them in the Sepulchre of Kish the father of Saul 2 Sam. 21.12 14. Then the men of Jabesh-Gilead to express their sorrow for the death of Saul and his Sons and that they might implore mercy from God in behalf of the whole land which was now in a very sad condition they afflicted themselves with fasting for seven days together only taking still at night some small refreshment 1 Sam. Ch. 31. whole Chapter SECT CLXXIII MEphibosheth the Son of Jonathan being five years old at this time upon the dismal tidings of these disasters his Nurse catching him up and flying away with him in that great fright and consternation she let him fall out of her arms and he became lame of his feet ever after 2 Sam. 4.4 SECT CLXXIV WE are now come to the Second Book of Samuel The Second Book of Samuel so called because it containeth the History of David's reign who was chosen of God to succeed Saul in the Kingdom and anointed thereunto by Samuel and because it relates how those things which Samuel promised unto him from God were really made good unto him It contains an History of forty years from the death of Saul to the death of David As for the Author of it some think it was the office of the High-Priest to register the History of the Jewish Church and the remarkable occurrences that hapned in his time Others think it was pen'd by Nathan the Prophet and Gad the Seer as is intimated in the first of Chron. 29.29 Now the Acts of David the King first and last behold they are written in the Book of Samuel the Seer and in the Book of Nathan the Prophet and in the Book of Gad the Seer * See more concerning the Title of this Book Sect. 149. The first thing here related is how the tidings of the death of Saul and his Sons were brought to David whilst he was yet at Ziklag (a) Which was not as it seems so totally burnt down but that some of it was standing in which David thought better to remain with his men than to go to any other Town of the Philistines whether he was newly returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites and had been preparing and sending away presents to his friends in Judah of the spoils he had taken in that Expedition on the third day after a young man came out of the Camp with his clothes rent and earth upon his head to testifie the dismalness of the tidings he brought and when he came to David he fell on the earth and did obeisance David understanding he came out of the Camp of Israel askt him how matters went He told him the Israelites were vanquished many of them killed and Saul and his Son Jonathan slain David astonisht at this askt him how he knew it to be so This young man to ingratiate himself with David who was by general fame known to be the man whom Samuel had anointed to succeed Saul and apprehending that if he should carry the first tidings of Saul's death to him he should not miss of a great reward he tells him that being on mount Gilboa he found Saul leaning on his Spear * The Reader may compare this whole narration with that he will find 1 Sam. 31 4. and then judg what truth there is in the thing as not being able to stand because of the deadly wounds the Archers had given him and the Chariots and Horsemen pursuing him so fast he call'd unto him and desired him to stand over him and slay him for he was in great anguish and trouble that his life was yet whole and intire in him and accordingly he dispatcht him as Saul desired of him for he was sure he could not live after he was fallen And he took off the Coronet he wore on his head and the Bracelets which he wore on his arm and here says he I present them unto my Lord the King David then took hold of his Clothes and rent them and so did all the men that were with him and they mourned and wept and fasted unto the evening for Saul and Jonathan his Son and for the people of the Lord that were fallen in the battel and that by the hands of the Uncircumcised Philistines which was an evidence of Gods wrath against the Land David angrily askt this young man how he durst presume to stretch forth his hand against the Lords anointed 'T is like the Amalekite thought David would have been highly pleas'd with him for doing it but David upon Saul's death being come into the actual possession of the Regal rights and this man having confest the crime himself David bad one of the young men about him to fall upon him and kill him which he accordingly did and David said thy blood be upon thy own head * See Josh 2.19 for thy own mouth hath testified against thee that thou hast slain the Lords Anointed 2 Sam. Ch. 1. from v. 1. to 17. SECT CLXXV DAvid now laments the death of Saul and Jonathan and the men of Israel in a Funeral Song having first given order that the children of Judah should be taught the use of the bow and the rather because Saul and Jonathan had been overcome by the Archers among the Philistines therefore he desired they should be expert in that Art that they might match their enemies in that military skill for time to come Which order is further recorded in the Civil Annals or the General Chronicle of the Memorable Acts of the Nation called the Book of Jasher * Which Book with divers others particularly some composed by Solomon were burnt in the destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans which was continued as is probable from time to time by the Prophets See Note on Josh 10.13 David begins his Funeral Elegy thus O how are Saul Jonathan and many other valiant men of Israel who were the beauty ornament and glory of the land fallen on the mountains of Gilboa O tell it not in Gath publish it not in the streets of Askalon lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph as they us'd to do in their dances and songs see Note on 1 Sam. 18.6 O if it were possible that this thing might be conceal'd from the enemies of God and his people lest they triumph and insult over them see Judg. 16.23 Mich. 1.10 ascribing the glory of this victory to their Idol-gods to the great dishonour of the only true God
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.
versum in fighting against his peculiar people whose King and Soveraign he had undertaken to be therefore the Lord would have his people maintain a truceless War with Amalek from Generation to Generation Exod. 17. from vers 8. to the end SECT XII THis Story of Jethro contain'd in the next Chapter viz. the 18th seems not to lie in its proper place but ought to come in between the 10th and 11th verses of Numb 10. For in Exod. 18. vers 12. 'T is said Jethro took Burnt-Offerings and Sacrifices for God whereas the Law for Burnt-Offerings and Sacrifices was not yet given And vers 13. 16. 'tis said Moses sat to judge the people and to make them know the Statutes of God and his Laws whereas the Statutes and Laws of God were not yet given to Moses And further the chusing of Judges and Elders which was upon Jethro's Counsel was not till after their departing from Sinai Deut. 1 7 8 9 See Lightfoot pag. 95. c. whereas 't is here set as before their coming thither Therefore we shall reserve this History till we come to the 10th of Numbers SECT XIII FRom Rephidim which was over against Horeb in the third month after their coming forth out of Egypt they removed to the Desart over against Sinai (k) It seems these were either two Mountains near together or else two tops of the same Mountain one called Horeb the other Sinai which was their Twelfth Encamping where they continued for the space of almost an whole Year The Cloudy Pillar now resting on the top of the Mountain God out of it calls Moses to come up to Him and Commands him to set before the people what great things He had done for them and how he had born them on Eagles wings and carried them as an Eagle doth her young ones on her back viz. speedily and safely out of Egypt and had now brought them unto Himself that is to this place of his Presence and convenient for them to serve him in If therefore they would carefully observe the Covenant which he now intended to make with them they should be his peculiar Treasure his Segullah (l) Deut. 7.6 7 8. Psal 135.4 above all people For all the Earth is His and he can chuse what Nation he pleases to be his peculiar People to serve him and they should be to Him a Kingdom of Priests that is among them he would Reign and set up his Kingdom 1 Sam. 8.7 and they should not be a profane State such as other Kingdoms were but a Kingdom of Priests to Worship Him according to his own Will and to offer the Sacrifices to Him which He should appoint and they should be separated from all other Nations unto Him and his Service Moses comes down and acquaints the people herewith and they readily and with one accord answered That All that the Lord had spoken they would do Moses returned their Answer unto the Lord who tells him He would now speak to him speedily out of a thick Cloud upon the Mount and the people should hear Him speak to him that they might never after doubt or disbelieve that God had sent him to them Then he Commands Moses to go down and to sanctifie and prepare the people two days for their reverend receiving his Law on the day after and that he should give them Orders and Directions how they should behave themselves at that time Moses accordingly commands the people to sanctifie themselves to wash their Cloaths and to forbear the company of their Wives vers 15. till the time appointed signifying how careful they should be to keep their Minds from being distracted with carnal affections and to cleanse themselves from all filthiness both of Flesh and Spirit especially when they were to present themselves so solemnly before the Lord. Then he sets bounds and limits round about the bottom of Mount Sinai shewing them how near they should approach to the Mount and no further declaring that whatever Man or Beast passed those bounds and touched the Mountain should be stoned or shot to death This was commanded to strike their hearts with the greater Reverence of God and to bridle their Curiosity from searching into Gods Secrets and to teach them to be content with the bounds that he had set them On the third day in the morning after Moses had given them this Charge concerning sanctifying and preparing themselves which as some think was the (m) Sic Jansenius Masius autem quarto die mensis sixth day of the month and fifty days after the Passover on which the Feast of Pentecost was afterwards kept by the ministry of Angels the Trumpet sounded exceeding loud and the people trembling advanced under the Conduct of Moses towards (n) V. 13. Tunc ascendent in montem i. e. adversus montem alioquin repugnaret v. 12. the Mountain so far as their limits and bounds extended Then the Air being fill'd with dreadful Thunderings and Lightnings and the Mountain quaking and trembling and smoaking like a Furnace Psal 68.8 and the Trumpet sounding lowder and lowder the Lord (o) V. 20. Descendit Dominus sâ—u Angelus Dominum repraesentans descendit ex loco aeris celsiore in ipsum montis verticem descended on the Mount that is He there manifested his Glory in a flame of Fire The fight was so exceeding terrible that Moses said I exceedingly fear and tremble Heb. 12.21 The Lord hereupon answered him by a Voice and so in a less terrible manner than by Thunder yet so loud that the people might hear him speaking to him see vers 9. By that Voice the Lord commanded Moses to come up to Him to the top of the Mount And Moses did so The Lord Commands him to go again to the people and to Charge them that they did not break thorow the bounds set them to see and gaze as Moses himself was ready once to do Exod. 3.3 till He was stayed of God lest many of them should thereupon perish see Sam. 6.19 and to Charge the Priests more particularly who used to come near to minister before the Lord that is the First-horn the young men of the Children of Israel whom God had hallowed to himself and who before the separating of the Tribe of Levi for the Priesthood used to administer that Office in their several Families Numb 8.16 Exod. 13.2 Lev. 3.12 and Exod. 24.5 that they especially take care to sanctifie themselves and to be devoutly and holily prepared for this great appearance of God and to keep themselves from being defiled with Sin by touching the Mount presuming too far by reason of their Priviledge lest the Lord break forth in wrath upon them Moses humbly Answers O Lord the people by reason of thy former Prohibition dare not come up to the Mount For thou saidst Set bounds to the Mount and Hallow it that is let the people know that they are to account this Mountain holy by reason of the manifestation of
nights were now expired and God had made an end of Communing with Moses on the Mount He gave him two Tables of Stone made by his own Hand and wherein He had written with his own Finger the Ten Commandments Commanding him to get him down quickly telling him what the people had done in his absence Thy (h) God seems to disown them now as His people people says He which thou broughtest out of the Land of Egypt have corrupted themselves They have turned aside quickly after their entring into Covenant with Me and promising to keep all my Precepts They have quickly turned out of the way which I commanded them and have made them a molten Calf and have worshipped it and sacrificed unto it Thou seest that this is a very wicked and stiff-necked people therefore interpose not for them nor hinder Me by thy Intercession that I may in mine anger Consume them and I will make of Thee a great Nation yea a greater and mightier than they Deut. 9.14 Moses was wonderfully surpriz'd and astonish'd at the hearing of this and humbly adoring the Lord his God he said Lord why doth thy Wrath wax hot against thy people which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty Hand Wherefore should the Egyptitians say For mischief did He bring them forth to slay them in the Mountains O Lord turn I pray thee from thy fierce Wrath and let not the Evil and Punishment which this people have deserved fall upon them Remember thy Covenant and Promises made to Abraham Isaac and Jacob to whom thou swarest by thine own self to multiply their Seed as the Stars and to give them the Land of Canaan for an Inheritance Thus Moses stood before the Lord in the Breach to turn away his Wrath Psal 106.23 So that the Lord was intreated not to destroy them at this time as he had threatned Then Moses descending out of the Cloud with the Two Tables in his hand and coming to that part of the Mount where Joshua as it seems had waited all this while for him vers 17. Joshua hearing the Noise and Shout of the people and not knowing what it meant He said to Moses Surely there is a noise of War in the Camp But Moses told him It was no such noise but rather of singing and merriment When they came to the Camp and Moses saw the Calf and the people piping and dancing and sporting about it after the manner of the Heathen His anger waxed hot and in an holy Indignation not unadvisedly but by the motion of Gods Spirit see Deut. 9.16 17. He cast the Tables out of his Hands and broke them before their eyes as a sign that the Covenant between God and them was broken by this their hainous Idolatry Then He took the Idol and melted it and made it brittle and fit to be broken or ground to powder and He cast the dust thereof into the water whereof they drank daily and made them drink thereof for the greater detestation that they might understand the variety of such Gods that could be thus swallowed by them as also to intimate to them that they deserved to drink of the Cup of Gods Wrath for so a great Provocation Then He sharply expostulates with Aaron about this horrid Miscarriage What did this people says He do to thee that thou hast brought so great a Sin upon them Aaron humbly deprecates his Anger and excuseth Himself as well as he could upon the mischievous disposition of the people and by a poor slender and imperfect Narration seeks to extenuate his Fact speaking of the Calf as if it had been produced rather by accident than by any design of his I cast the Gold says he into the fire and there came out this Calf Moses seeing that the people had now deprived themselves of Gods protection and were as so many naked and unarmed and dispirited men exposed to be devoured by their Enemies to which Aaron by consenting to their wicked desire had much contributed He stood in the Gate of the Camp and said Who is on the Lords side Let him come unto me summoning thereby all that had not consented to this wicked Fact to take Gods part against the Offendors and to do in this Case what he should require of them Whereupon the Sons of Levi who had kept themselves innocent from this Fact as it seems most of them had though not all as appears from Deut. 33.9 came unto Moses who according to Gods appointment Commands them to take their Swords in their hands and to go throughout the Camp and slay all the Ring-leaders and principal Offenders in this Rebellion and Transgression that they should meet with not sparing for favour or affection either Brother Companion or Neighbour or any other that were nearest or dearest to them And 't is probable God so ordered it by his Providence that none but the guilty came in their way And Moses told them that hereby they should so Consecrate themselves to the Lord and offer a Sacrifice so well pleasing to him that he would immediately set them apart as his peculiar portion to be his Ministers in the sacred Service of the Tabernacle The Children of Levi did as Moses commanded them and there fell that day of the people by their hand about three thousand Moses though he had already so far prevailed with the Lord that he would not presently destroy all the people as He had threatned vers 14. yet considering that the Lords Anger might still be great against them and that he might still proceed further in punishing of them He tells them That on the morrow he resolved to go up again to the Lord and further to intercede for them and to endeavour to atone him that He might not proceed in wrath against them And accordingly going up again into the Mount and humbly prostrating himself before the Lord he acknowledges the greatness and hainousness of their sin and earnestly intreats the Lord freely to forgive them out of his own abundant Mercy which if He would please to do they should always retain a deep sense of that transcendent favour But if he would not forgive them freely Moses out of the exuberance and greatness of his love to that people desires the Lord that he would accept of his life as an atonement for them (i) Dele me de libro vitae v. 32. and blot him out of the Book of the living that is cut him off by his own Hand and so take his life as a Satisfaction for their Sin And in this Moses shewed himself a Figure of our blessed Saviour who laid down his life for his Sheep Joh. 10.15 and redeemed us from the Curse of the Law being made a Curse for us Gal. 3.13 But the Lord was not pleased to accept this his Offer but told him That they that had sinned against him should suffer themselves for their sin yet He would spare them at this time but when He began to
Chron. 25.1 3. and possibly they foretold things to come and declared to the people the Word of God to their great Edification and Comfort and all in such a manner that they might easily be discerned to speak as men inspired by the Spirit of God Thus these men prophesied and did not cease that is continued all that day prophesying without intermission and this seems to be added because their continuing so long in this supernatural Exercise did much confirm their Call to their Office But two of these Elders that were chosen for this Employment and inrolled by Moses among his seventy Assistants did not come to the door of the Tabernacle as they were appointed to do 'T is probable they did forbear to come not out of contempt of Gods Command for then it is not likely they would have had the same Gift of the Spirit bestowed upon them as the others had but out of modesty * See a Case something like this 1 Sam. 10.22 and distrust of their own sufficiency for so great a Charge However these two whose names were Eldad and Medad received the same Spirit of Prophesie with the rest of the Seventy and accordingly prophesied in the Camp out of Moses's sight and without his knowledge as the others did at the door of the Tabernacle in his presence A report of this being brought to Moses and Joshuah his Servant suspecting it might be prejudicial to the Dignity and authority of his Master seeing these two seemed to do it without any dependency on him which the others had manifested in coming at his appointment to the door of the Tabernacle and there receiving this Gift and Authority from God he desired him to forbid * See a parallel Instance to this in the Disciples Mark 9.38 Luke 9.49 John 3.26 them But Moses meekly replied Envyest thou these men this Gift for my sake I am so far from envying or grudging at them for it that I could even wish if it so pleased the Lord that all his people had the same Gift Moses and the Elders of Israel now returning into the Camp God by his Almighty Power causes a strong Wind to blow from the Sea-ward viz. the Red-Sea which lay Southward of the Israelites Camp at this present and therewith brought a vast number of Quails among them and round about their Camp a days journey in circuit or compass insomuch that in many places they lay in heaps two Cubits high The Psalmist tells us Psal 78.27 He rained Flesh upon them as dust and feathered Fowls as the sand of the Sea The people seeing this in all hast rose up and fell to gather them and the gathering continued all that day and the next night and the day after And that Master of a Family with his Company that gathered least gathered ten Homers or heaps whereby possibly is to be understood a very great many And when they had gathered them they spread them abroad round about their Camp and layed them thin that they might not putrifie But it seems they were as miraculously preserved as they were sent else they would never have lasted good a whole month together About a year ago see Exod. 16.13 God gave them one meal of them at their eighth station in the Wilderness of Sin before they come to Sinai but now they eat of them a whole month together and having satisfied their greedy lust and appetite feeding without fear Jude v. 12. so long together with this kind of food at last the Wrath of the Lord brake out upon them and he smote them with a very great Plague while the flesh was between their teeth The Psalmist says He slew the wealthiest and the fattest of them Psal 78.31 'T is like He permitted them to surfeit by their greedy feeding and so thereby many of them died and therefore the place was called from thence Kibroth-Hattaavah that is the Graves of these men of lust and inordinate appetite See Psal 78. from 26. to 32. and Psal 106. v. 14 15. Numb 11. whole Chapter SECT LVI FRom Kibroth-Hattaavah they removed to Hazeroth At this place some emulation or contention arising as it seems between Miriam Moses's Sister and Zippora his Wife Miriam first and then Aaron stirred up by her spake against Moses because he had married a woman of Ethiopia so they seem to call her in contempt because she was of Midian a part of the Eastern Ethiopia otherwise called Arabia and was not one of Abraham's holy stock But seeing she had submitted her self to the Law of God she was to be held as an Israelitish-woman as Rahab and Ruth were However upon this occasion they quarrel with Moses and would equal themselves unto him What say they hath God only spoken by Moses hath he not spoken also by us Am not I says Miriam a Prophetess see Exod. 15.20 and hath not God promised to be with Aaron's mouth and that he should be a mouth to his Brother Moses Exod. 4.15 16. and hath not he been imployed by God together with Moses in bringing the Israelites out of Egypt What reason then that Moses should be all in all who hath matched himself to one that is a stranger to the holy Seed of Israel Moses being a very meek * It may seem strange that Moses should thus commend himself But let it be considered thâ—t either he did it by the immediate inspiration of the Spirit of God that his meekness might be a Pattern to the Church in all Ages as he does elsewhere relate his sins and weaknesses for the Instruction of the Church or else it may be conceived without wronging the authority of Moses's Writings that here and there by Joshuah or some other of the sacred Writers after him some passages were inserted which Moses himself wrote not such as that Deut. 34. concerning his death and burial See Mr. Jackson's Notes on the place and humble man was content to put up all this bearing it patiently and making no Complaint but the Lord would not let it so pass Therefore commanding Moses Aaron and Miriam to come all three together to the Tabernacle of the Congregation and the Cloud descending to the door thereof the Lord now calls to Aaron and Miriam to stand forth and then declares to them that he did not manifest his Will to Moses in Dreams (p) Visions were Revelations to such as were awake Dreams to those that were asleep Dominus aliquando apparuit Prophetis in Ecstasi aliquando per somnium dormientibus aliquando vigilantibus in aliqua similitudine sed sine locutione ut Jeremiae Ezekieli Somnia plerumque erant aenigmatica ut scala Jacobi c. and Visions as to other Prophets but he spake to him with an audible Voice out of the Cloud and out of the Tabernacle very plainly and clearly as one Friend uses to speak to another and had at times discovered to him more of his Glory than ever he did to any mortal
on their faces and interceeded with the Lord for them God by his Spirit informs Moses That he had sent a Plague among them and directs him what course to take for the stopping of it Hereupon he calls to Aaron to take his Censer and to put fire into it from off the Altar and to put Incense thereon and to run quickly and make atonement for the people and to stand between the living and the dead (b) Incense was only to be offered upon the Altar of Incense in the Tabernacle but this was done upon an extraordinary occasion and by an extraordinary warrant of divine Inspiration for he tells him Wrath was gone out from the Lord the Plague was begun And Aaron did as Moses commanded him yet the Plague ran so swiftly among the people like fire in a field of Corn that before Aaron could interpose himself to make atonement wherein he was a Figure of Christs Intercession there fell fourteen thousand and seven hundred of those rebellious Murmurers see 1 Cor. 10.10 and then the Plague was stayed and Aaron returned to Moses to the door of the Tabernacle to acquaint him how he had sped and to return thanks unto the Lord who had so graciously accepted the work of his hands Numb 16. whole Chapter SECT LXIV THat none might for the future presume to usurp the Office of the Priesthood or aspire to it besides Aaron and his Sons God was pleased to enjoyn Moses to take of each Prince of the twelve Tribes a Rod or Staff such as they did usually carry in their hands which were it seems according to the Custom of those times made of Almond-Tree and to write every Princes Name on his Rod and to write Aaron's Name upon the Rod of the Tribe of Levi. He tells him That the mans Rod whom he did choose to serve him in the Priesthood should blossom and the rest remain dry And God orders Moses to lay all the Rods up in the Tabernacle in the most holy place before the Ark of the Testimony where the Lord did use by glorious signs to testifie his Presence and make known his Will unto them see Exod. 25.22 For upon such extraordinary occasions we need not doubt but Moses used to go into the most holy place Accordingly next morning Moses went in thither and he found that the Rod of Aaron had shot forth branches and some of them had buds on them and some blossoms and others yielded Almonds but all the rest of the Rods remaining dry as they were before Then Moses brought out all the Rods and shewed them to the Children of Israel and the Princes took every man his Rod and found them dry sticks as before but Aaron's Rod flourished and had brought forth Buds Blossoms and Fruit by which Miracle they were convinced that God had chosen Aaron and his Sons to be the only Priests that should serve Him at the Altar And hereupon God orders Moses to lay up Aaron's Rod again in the most holy place before the Ark to be kept there * See Apostol Hist on Heb. 9.6 as a Testimony against any such Children of Rebellion as should ever after presume to usurp the Office of the Priesthood And by this means also he might prevent the murmurings and complainings of the people which if they went on in they would thereby bring certain destruction upon their own heads The people hearing these things and being exceedingly terrified with this threatning and the remembrance of those late dreadful Judgments that had carried away so many among them they cry out unto Moses Alas we die we perish we all perish that is we see we are in continual danger of being swept away with terrible Judgments And as men terrified are wont to conceive their danger to be greater than indeed it is they now apprehend that it would be exceeding dangerous for them to come near the Tabernacle or to be present at any Worship or Service there performed and seem to fear that God would not withdraw his Indignation from them until he had destroyed and consumed them all Ch. 17. whole Chapter SECT LXV THe people being under such a fear and consternation the Lord hereupon takes order for the guard of the Sanctuary and injoyns that every one should remain within the Verge and Limits of his duty and so they should be safe and he tells Aaron That He and the Priests and Levites shall bear the iniquity of the Sanctuary that is if any pollution (c) Thus the Lord shews himself reconciled and makes the Priests watch a ground of appeasing both the fear and envy of the people came to it by the people they should answer for it and bear the punishment thereof if they did not take care to prevent it and the Priests should bear the punishment of all Iniquity committed about their Priests Office if they did carry themselves amiss in it or suffer a stranger or Levite to meddle therein He tells them he had joined * Here is an allusion to Levies name which signifies joyned the Levites to them to minister to them in the outward Services of killing and slaying the Sacrifices c. but they themselves only should serve at the Altar and within the holy place before the Ark of the Testimony and the Levites shall observe the Precepts and Charge which he hath given them concerning their Ministry and concerning the sacred things of the Tabernacle which are committed to their Care that so every one keeping his station and doing his duty there may be no wrath any more upon the Children of Israel only they shall not meddle with the Service of the Sanctuary and Altar lest they die And if the Priests did not endeavour to prevent any such Errour or Miscarriage in their Brethren the Levites they should also incur the like danger Thus he appoints the Levites to minister to the Priests and orders that he that is not of the Tribe of Levi shall not be admitted to serve and minister unto them For God having taken the Levites instead of the first-born of the Children of Israel to himself he had given them unto Aaron and his Sons for his own Service and the Service of the Tabernacle Therefore he and his Sons should exercise their Priests Office in all things that concern the Altar of Burnt-Offerings and in all things which are to be done within the outward Veil whereby the holy place is divided from the Court the High Priest in the most holy place and inferiour Priests within the Sanctuary or holy place And God tells Aaron and his Sons That 't is his free Gift and favour to them that he had made choice of them before others for the Priestly Office and that He had ordained That whoever is not of Aaron's Line and goeth about to meddle with the Priestly Office shall be put to death from vers 1. to 8. The Lord having thus set down the Office and Work of the Priests and Levites he
comes now to set out their portion which they should have as a reward of their Service And first He tells Aaron that for the sake of his Office to which he was anointed and because He and his Sons were separated from worldly Imployments to attend upon holy things therefore they should have a part in every Meat-Offering Sin-Offering Trespass-Offering and in the Court * See Levit. 6.16.26 Lev. 7.6 Ezek. 42 13 14. of the Tabernacle or Tents round about it called here the most holy place comparatively in respect to the Camp of Israel and the great Court for the people which was without the Priests Court they might eat of them 2ly They should have the Heave-Offerings and Wave-Offerings that is the right Shoulder and wave-breast of the Peace-Offerings with all other Gifts that were heaved and waved no part thereof being burnt upon the Altar And of these the Priests Daughters might eat whilst they remained in their Fathers house but being married to strangers they might not eat of the holy things see Levit. 22.12 13. Neither might any unclean person eat thereof 3ly They should have the first-fruits Some of the first-fruits of the Land were brought to the Lord at their three great Feasts as a sheaf of their Barley at the Feast of the Passover Levit. 23.10 And two loaves of their new-Wheat at the Feast of Pentecost vers 17. And the first of their Wine and Oil at the Feast of Tabernacles But these were brought in the name of all the Inhabitants of the Land in general Besides these particular men were of their own Corn and Fruits to bring the first-fruits unto the Lord as is enjoyned Exod. 22.29 23.19 concerning which there is no other direction given but that they should be of the first and of the best the quantity being left to the liberty and discretion of the Owner to bring according as he had found the blessing of God upon his Grounds 4ly They should have all things devoted that is all votive and freewill-Offerings see Levit. 27.28 except such things as were devoted as a Sacrifice unto God 5ly The first-born of men and beasts The first-born * The first-born of men before they were redeemed were to be presented before the Lord in the Temple Exod. 13.12 Levit. 2.22 And that could not be done before the Mother was purified which required forty days time Levit. 12.4 The first-born of the Tribe of Levi were free from this Redemption of men they were to permit to be redeem'd at a month old (d) V. 16. Secundum aestimationem seu ordinationem tuam Refero ad illud post mensem q. d. Constitues diem quando velles eum redimi Hic dies Communi usu erat 40 a partu ut eadem opera mater purificaretur filius redimeretur Bonfrerius for five Shekels see Levit. 27.6 and the firstlings of unclean Beasts they were to permit to be redeemed after eight days at a lower price but the firstlings of Cows Sheep and Goats were not to be redeemed they must be sacrific'd and their blood sprinkled and their fat burnt on the Altar that they may be a sweet savour to the Lord but their flesh should go to the Priests God tells them He had allotted them these things for their Maintenance (e) The Hebrew Doctors write of 24 Gifts which God bestowed on the Priests with the order and use of them See Ainsworth pag. 113. for ever that is whilst this Dispensation lasted by a perpetual and unchangeable Covenant called a Covenant of Salt because firm and incorruptible Salt having a vertue to preserve any thing from corruption God further tells Aaron That when the Land shall be divided by Lot there shall be no lot for the Levites They should have no Inheritance in it He himself would be their part and portion Indeed they had Cities (f) Concerning the 35 Cities and Suburbs of the Levites and 13 Cities and Suburbs of the Priests See Richardson pag. 32. and Suburbs but they were given them by the other Tribes The Lord further tells Aaron That He had given the Levites all the Tenths or Tythes of the Children of Israel (g) V. 24. Which they offered as an Heave-offering that is an Oblation to the Lord and a sign of their homage and subjection and thankfulness to him for his blessings as a reward of their Service Levit. 27.30 And straitly charges that no Israelite that is not of that Tribe presume to come nigh to the Tabernacle to do any part of the Service belonging to the Levites lest they die for it And He tells him That the Levites should bear the punishment of their own Iniquity if they should transgress yea and of the peoples too if by their not watching over the holy things they suffered the people to transgress about them He further injoyns that the Levites shall offer as an Oblation to the Lord and pay a tenth of all the Tythes they receive unto the Priests and this the Lord would accept at their hands no less than if having Lands as others had they should pay Tythe of the increase of them as the rest of the people did to them and hereby they should testifie their homage and thankfulness to God And they were to offer and separate out of the Tythes paid to them for the hallowed part to be paid to the Priests that which was of all the best And the Priests might eat of these Tythes indifferently in any place And He further declares That if the Levites do heave or separate a tenth part of the best of their Tythes for the Priests use they shall not expose themselves to punishment which they would else do if they neglected it In conclusion here is added a general warning that both Priests and Levites should take heed of polluting or profaning the holy things or suffering them to be profaned by others which might be done many ways that so they might prevent wrath from falling on themselves and others Ch. 18. whole Chapter SECT LXVI THe Lord having appointed the Priests and Levites to do the Service of the Tabernacle and to watch over the people that they might not trangress about any of the holy things He here appoints a water of separation to be made that so if any of the people had contracted any legal uncleanness by the sprinkling of this water upon them they might be cleansed and so might come freely again to the Service of God in the Tabernacle without fear of those Plagues which otherwise their pollutions might bring upon them For the making of this water a red Heifer was to be provided and that by the common charge of all the Children of Israel because it was to be for the common good of them all and for the cleansing of any one among them that was by any accident legally unclean It must be an Heifer without spot and upon which never came yoke For they used in those times to
it and prolong your days in it And further to press them to Obedience He tells them The Land they were going to possess was not like the Land of Egypt whence they came out which having but little rain Zach. 14.18 and being watered with the overflowing of Nilus occasioned the people to put their feet to the Spade to dig Trenches and Channels to derive water to their grounds when they had sown their Seed to which the overflowing of Nilus did not reach so that they took pains to water them as if a man should water a Garden of Herbs But they were going to a Land which was continually watered with rain from Heaven a Land of Hills and Vallies commodious healthful and fruitful and a Land not watered as Egypt by the art and industry of men but by the special Care and Providence of God whose eyes are upon it all the year long to send rain at all times when it needeth it And when they came into that good Land if they would be obedient unto God He * V. 14 15. Moses having hitherto spoken to the people in his own name here he speaks to them as in the person of God would give them rain in due season the (s) Sub quibus extremis omnis pluvia opportuna comprehenditur first rain after the sowing of their Seed to bring it out of the ground and the latter a little before Harvest for the plumping and ripening of the Corn and He will send grass in the Field for the Cattel that so they may have plenty and abundance Take heed therefore says he to your selves that your hearts be not deceived and that ye turn not aside and serve other gods and worship them and so the Lords wrath be kindled against you and he shut up the Heavens that there be no rain and make the Land not to yield her fruit and so you may perish quickly through scarcity from off the good Land which the Lord hath given you Further he exhorts them to lay up these his words in their hearts and to bind them as a sign upon their hands and set them as frontlets between their eyes to write them upon the door-posts of their Houses and upon their Gates (t) See particular 10. and Ch. 6.8 that is to use all due means to keep them in continual remembrance and to teach them diligently to their Children speaking of them when they sit in their house and when they walk by the way when they lie down and when they rise up that so their days and the days of their Children may be multiplied as the days of Heaven upon the Earth that is that they and their Posterity may continue in that good Land as long as the Heavens shall continue in their place over the Earth namely as long as the world shall last (u) Had not the Jews provoked God by their Disobedience to cast them out of that good land this Promise should have been made good to them And from this Promise some conceive and hope that upon the Repentance of the Jews and their embracing of Christ they shall be again re-established in this Land and therein continue with great glory to the end of the world see Psal 89.29 He tells them if they shall diligently keep the Commandments of the Lord and walk in his ways and cleave unto him then will He drive out all these Nations before them and they shall possess the Lands of greater and mightier Nations than themselves Every place within the compass of the promised Land whereon the soles of their feet shall tread shall be theirs from the Wilderness of Paran the Southern border unto Lebanon the Northern from the River Euphrates the Eastern to the outermost Sea or main Ocean the Western bound of the Inheritance promised them (x) See this Promise fulfilled 2 Chron. 9.26 in Solomon's Reign There shall none be able to stand before them for the Lord will put the fear and dread of them upon all the Inhabitants of the Land they shall tread upon as He hath promised Further he tells them He sets before them this day a Blessing and a Curse that is He shews them what are the Promises of God to them on the one hand if they will be Obedient and what are his Threatnings on the other hand in case they be Disobedient and follow after other gods which were Strangers to them and of whose god-head they never had any proof or experience And by shewing them both the one and the other he instructs them in the Choice which they should make Moreover he gives them in Charge that when they came into Canaan they should cause the blessings which the Lord had promised to them that keep his Laws to be pronounced on Mount Gerizim * Two Hills near together in the Tribe of Ephraim and the Curses which He had threatned against the Disobedient to be pronounced on (y) This is afterwards injoyn'd again Deut. 27.12 c. where 't is more fully express'd how it was to be done and Josh 8.33 how it was accordingly done And it seems from this Commandment given to Moses concerning Mount Gerizim the Samaritans many Ages after took occasion to build a Temple there as taking that Hill to be a blessed place compare Joh. 4.3 20. with Judg. 9.7 2 Macc. 6.2 Mount Ebal and so should make these two Mountains to be as it were continual Remembrancers to the people that when they see Mount Gerizim they may think of the Blessings set before them and when they see Mount Ebal may think of the Curses Those two Mountains he tells them are on the other side Jordan West-ward near unto Shechem see Gen. 12.6 7. 17. Having spoken so much by way of explanation of the First Commandment Chap. XII He comes now to expound and dilate upon the Second Second Commandment exhorting them to abolish all false Worship and all Monuments of Idolatry and to apply themselves to worship God only according to his own Will In order hereunto he informs them of some particular Statutes and Judgments which the Lord requir'd them to observe when they came into the Land of Canaan 1. They must utterly destroy all places wherein the Nations whose Lands they should possess served their Idol-gods viz. all places reared up and fitted for Idol-Temples and all places they used for their Idolatrous Worship either upon high Mountains and Hills or under green Trees and this was injoyn'd them to shew how God detested Idolatry and to prevent the Israelites from being tempted to worship Him in those places Further he tells them They must overthrow their Altars and break their Pillars or standing Statues and burn their Groves and hew down their Images and destroy their very Names and memory out of the Land Ye must remember says he that ye must not so serve the Lord your God as the Heathens served their gods who practic'd their Idolatry in all places where they lived
suddainly stor'd again Therefore they must take heed that in their rage they did not so wast the Land as to prejudice Posterity But with other Trees that were not Fruit-Trees they might build Bulwarks about a City which they besieged till it was subdued from vers 10. to the end He now gives directions concerning uncertain Murder how it is to be expiated Chap. XXI If one be found slain and lying in a field and it be not known who hath slain him then the Elders and Judges of the Towns and Cities round about shall for the better satisfaction of them all come forth and see the measure taken between the dead body and the Cities round about it if it be doubtful what City is nearest because the next City is to make expiation for the Murder in manner following viz. The Elders of that City shall take an Heifer that hath not been wrought with and which hath not drawn in the Yoke and they shall bring down the Heifer unto a rough and obscure Valley that lies neglected and uncultivated to make the thought of Murder more horrible and dreadful and there they shall strike off the Heifers neck signifying that the Murderer ought so to be used could he be found out and that if they had him in their hands they would so serve him And the Priests the Sons of Levi shall come near whom the Lord hath chosen to minister unto Him and to bless the people in his Name to shew by their presence that this was an extraordinary Sacrifice and that the Elders might before them as in Gods presence protest their Innocence and to see that all things were done according to Law and to satisfie the Elders in any thing that might seem doubtful For by their word and Sentence as Expounders of Gods Law any thing in Controversie or any Stroke must be judged or tried And all the Elders of that City which was nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the Heifer thereby intimating that they were innoceâ—â— of the blood of the slain man see Matth. 27.24 and they shall solemnly declare and protest That their hands have not shed that blood neither have their eyes seen it shed by any other Then the Priest shall say Be merciful O Lord unto thy people Israel whom thou hast redeemed and lay not innocent blood unto their Charge Impute not that to them which hath not been done by them and lay not the punishment thereof upon them And so they shall put away the guilt of innocent blood from among them that is they shall be discharged from the guilt of this murther and shall not be punished for it they performing all these things which are here commanded by God from vers 1. to 10. 2ly He gives direction that when they go out to War with a foreign Nation and among the Captives see a beautiful Woman * It was not lawful for them to contract any alliance by marriage with the Amorites see Exod. 34.16 Deut. 7.3 which one of them hath a desire to make his wife In such case he shall bring her home to his house and she shall shave her Head and pare her Nails and shall put off the Heathenish Garment wherein she was taken and shall bewail her Father and Mother a full month as if they were dead she being to bid farewel for ever to them by all which things was intimated that she must renounce her Heathenism and all the corrupt Customs and Superstitions thereof and forsaking her Fathers house must be ingrafted into the Israel of God and must worship God as they did These things being performed she might become his wife But if after he had consummated the marriage †This liberty for Israelites to marry Heathenish Captive-women is like that of Divorce Deut. 24. which was only suffered for the hardnâ—ss of their hearts and is only to be understood of the Captives of foreign Nations not of the Canaanites who were all to be destroy'd with her he should find no content in her and was desirous to put her away he might do it but must then freely set her at liberty to go whether she would because he had humbled her He must not sell her for money under pretence that she was his Captive and Servant from vers 10. to 15. 3ly If a man have two wives which though contrary to God's first Institution Gen. 2.22 23 24. yet He for a time suffered but approved not as appears Mal. 2.15 Matth. 19.4 5. and one of them was better beloved by him than the other and he have Sons by them both He commands that the Son by the first wife though less beloved shall not lose his right of Primogeniture but he shall injoy the right of the first-born which by the Law of Nature belonged unto him and his Father shall give him a double portion of all that he hath For he is the beginning of his strength from vers 15. to 18. 4ly If any man have a stubborn and rebellious Son which will not obey the voice of his Father or the voice of his Mother and that when they have chastened him will not hearken unto them then shall his Father and Mother bring him to the Elders of the City and shall say unto them This our Son is stubborn and rebellious he will not obey our voice he is a Glutton and a Drunkard Then the Elders of the City shall examine the matter brought against him and if they find it true the men of the City shall stone him with stones that he die So shall ye put away evil from among you and all Israel shall hear and fear By the severity of this Law Children were taught to be more obedient to their Parents and Parents were taught to be more careful in a right Education of their Children from vers 18. to 22. 5ly If any man have committed some notorious Offence that deserveth the judgment of death and being condemned for it be hanged on a Tree His body shall not remain all night upon the Tree but they must in any wise bury him that day for he that is hanged is accursed of God that the Land be not defiled This kind of death was usually the punishment only of those who had by some notorious wickedness provoked God to pour out his Wrath upon the whole Land and so were hanged up to appease his Wrath as we may see Numb 25.4 2 Sam. 21.6 And it was esteemed the most shameful and accursed * Hence it was that God would have his dear Son our blessed Lord and Saviour suffer this kind of death that even hence it might be more evident that in his death he bare the Curse due to our sins according to that of the Apostle Gal. 3.13 because the very manner of this death did intimate that such men as were thus executed were such execrable and accursed Wretches that they did as it were defile the Earth with treading on it and would
renew their Covenant which their Fathers made with God at Horeb and to bind themselves more firmly thereby unto the Lord. And possibly the same Ceremonies were observed now in this renewing of the Covenant which were before observed at Horeb see Exod. 24. when their Fathers first entred into it And to prepare them the better for it 1. He repeats the great and manifold Favours God had bestowed on them He tells them That many of them who were then young might remember what God did to Pharaoh and his Servants in Egypt and the great Plagues whereby He tempted and tried whither he would let Israel go or no. But though they had seen all those great Signs and Wonders with their bodily eyes yet by reason of their great perverseness and manifold Provocations it was not given * V. 4. God hath not given you a heart to perceive simul ostendit hic Moses sine adjutorio Dei eos intelligere obedire non posse tamen si illud adjutorium Dei desit non ideo esse excusabile hominis vitium suo enim demerito caret Augustin unto them to understand Gods meaning in them see Matth. 13.11 neither had those great Wonders and Deliverances made such Impressions upon them as they should have done nor inclin'd them to turn to God and yield sincere Obedience unto Him And so God punished the wickedness of their hearts with the blindness of their minds And the Lord by Moses further spake unto them saying I have led you forty years in the Wilderness your Clothes waxed not old upon your Backs nor your shoes upon your Feet see Deut. 8.4 Ye have not eaten common and ordinary bread for I have fed you with Manna †Doubtless ordinarily they had no other bread though at sometimes they might see Deut. 2.6 you have not drunk Wine or strong Drink for your drink has been as miraculous as your bread viz. water fetcht out of the Rock Numb 20.11 Psal 78.15 16. and these things I have done for you that you might know that I am the Lord your God and yet how little have you considered it Moses further tells them That they might remember how since they came hither they had conquered Sihon King of Heshbon and Og King of Bashan and how He had given their Land to the Reubenites Gadites and half the Tribe of Manasseh Therefore says he considering all these great Mercies God hath bestowed on you you ought to be very careful to observe the 〈◊〉 â—ditions and Articles of the Covenant which you are now to enter into and to confirm with an Oath that so it may go well with you and that you may prosper in all that you do Attend therefore all of you with all seriousness to this solemn business you are now about Behold you all stand this day before the Lord your God the Captains of your Tribes your Elders and Officers you your Wives and little Ones and the Strangers that are in your Camp even from the Hewer of Wood unto the Drawer of Water ye are all met together and stand here before the Lord your God to enter into Covenant with Him and to confirm it with an Oath whereby you bind your selves to perform it that so He may establish you for a people unto Himself and that He may be your God as He promised your Fathers Neither do I bind only you who are here present to the observance of this Covenant but your Posterity also who are not yet born And there is great reason you should now enter into this Covenant because having dwelt in the Land of Egypt at least many of you in your younger years and having gone thorow the Confines of some Idolatrous Nations in your Journey towards Canaan and seen their several Idolatries and Abominations there is some cause to fear lest some of you may be tainted with their evil Manners And therefore to prevent this it is fit that ye should all solemnly enter into Covenant with God lest there be found among you any Man Woman Family or Tribe whose hearts are inclined to serve the gods of these Nations and lest there be found among you any Root that beareth Wormwood that is any root of Idolatry or Rebellion against God which is as displeasing and distastful to Him as Gall and Wormwood is to us and which will prove to the Sinner and who ever is infected therewith bitterness in the latter end see Heb. 12.15 c. And he tells them If there shall be found any such evil-spirited and infectious persons among them who when they shall hear the words of this Curse yet shall bless themselves in their own hearts saying They shall have peace though they walk in the evil imaginations of their own hearts and so add drunkenness to thirst that is being wicked already do yet encourage themselves to be more wicked as Drunkenness increases thirst and so draws on another Drunkenness the Lord will not spare such persons but his anger and jealousie will smoke against them and all the Curses in this Book will light upon them and the Lord will blot out their names from under Heaven and will separate them out of all the Tribes of Israel unto punishment mischief and destruction answerably to the threatnings that are denounced against the Breakers of this Covenant and are written in this Book of the Law So that when your Children that shall be born hereafter and the Strangers that come from a far Country shall see the Plagues and Sicknesses that the Lord will bring upon the Inhabitants of the Land for these Transgressions and how the Land by Gods just Curse is so defaced and altered that it is become in a manner like Sodom and Gomorrah Admah and Zeboim which Cities the Lord overthrew in his wrath and anger they and other Nations also that shall hear of it shall say Wherefore hath the Lord thus punished this Land what meaneth the heat of his great anger against it Then men shall answer It is because they have forsaken the Covenant of the God of their Fathers which He made with them when he brought them forth out of Egypt For they went and served other gods and worshipped them viz. gods of Gold and Silver Wood and Stone whom they knew to be no gods nor to have given them any thing nor could or would do them any good And they knew also that the Lord had forbidden them to worship Him by such Idols and Images and thereupon his anger was kindled against them and he was provoked to bring upon them all the Curses denounced in his Law against the Violators of his Covenant And hence it was that after those great Judgments He had sent upon them in their own Nation He was provoked to root them out of their own Land in wrath anger and indignation and to scatter them into other Nations as you see it is now come to pass But says he if you shall ask me When will these
them to make a better use of the Successes he had given his people than their Neighbours did Accordingly they sent some of their City unto Joshua as if they had been Ambassadors from a far Country with old Sacks upon their Asses and old Wine Bottles patched and mended with old clouted Shoes on their Feet and old Garments upon their Backs and old mouldy and dry Bread and they came to Joshua at Gilgal and told him They were come from a far Country for they had heard as it seems that God had forbidden the Israelites to make Peace with the Inhabitants of Cannan vers 24. to desire him to make a League with them which the Israelites might do with the Inhabitants of remote Countries provided they would submit to become Tributaries unto them see Deut. 20.11 The men of Israel replied That peradventure they dwelled near them in that very Land that they were come to take possession of and then they might not make a League with them nor let them dwell among them see Deut. 20.15 16. The Gibeonites applying themselves to Joshua whom they discovered to be the General of the Army said unto him We are thy Servants We pray thee look upon us not as Enemies to thee as the Canaanites are but as those that are willing to be thy faithful Allies yea thy Servants and wholly to submit themselves to thy pleasure and to accept of any Conditions thou shalt please to impose on us Joshua asks them Whence they came They replied They came from a very far Country where they had heard of the Glory of the God of Israel and the mighty Works He had done in Egypt and to Sihon and Og but they mention nothing of the taking Jericho or Ai lest the taking notice of these things might have discovered them to be near Neighbours therefore say they our Elders * V. 11. They mention their Elders but no mention of their King so that they seem to have been at Commonwealth and the Inhabitants of our Country spake to us to take Victuals for our long Journey and to come and address our selves to you and to desire you to make a League with us on what terms you please And you may the rather be induc'd to believe that we came from a far Country for this Bread of ours that you see now to be dry and mouldy we took hot out of our Houses on the day we came out and these leathern Wine-sacks or Bottles which we filled with Wine were new when we came out and behold they are now rent and torn and our very Garments and Shoes you see are become old by reason of our very long Journey Then the men of Israel took and looked on their Victuals and thorow too much Credulity judged by their mouldy Bread that they were indeed come from a far Country never inquiring of the Lord by the High Priest what Answer they should give them Hereupon Joshua made Peace with them and a League promising that they should live and not be destroyed by them and the Princes of the Congregation sware to them to perform this Covenant This they might lawfully do as we said before to Cities that were far off and not of the Cities of the Canaanites But after three days they understood these Gibeonites were their Neighbours and that their Cities were nigh unto them upon this the people murmured against their Princes for this rash and hasty League But the Princes told them They had sworn to them by the Lord God of Israel to perform that Covenant and therefore might not destroy them lest wrath from the Lord should come upon them if they should violate their Oath as it happened afterwards in the days of Saul who 400 years after this slew some of the Gibeonites and so brake the Oath which their Fathers had made with them upon which God sent a Famine upon the Land see 2 Sam. 21.1 2. Joshua and the Israelites finding themselves thus deceived by the Gibeonites they marched up to them but smote them not Joshua highly expostulates with them and asks them Why they had thus beguiled them They replied It was certainly told thy Servants that the Lord thy God commanded his Servant Moses to bring you to this Land and to give it you in his Name and that you should destroy all the Inhabitants thereof before you therefore we were sore afraid of our lives and upon that account we have done what we have done And now behold say they we are in thy hands being willing to submit unto thee so that thou maist do with us and impose upon us what Service thou pleasest Joshua tells them They were cursed that is of those cursed Nations whom God commanded them to destroy but yet because of the Oath they had made to them this Curse should be upon them only in bondage and should not extend to the taking away their lives He tells them That none of them should be freed from being bondmen they should be Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water for the House of God And so the Curse was literally and particularly fulfilled on the Gibeonites which Noah pronounced against the Canaanites in general Gen. 9.25 Cursed be Canaan a Servant of Servants shall he be unto his Brethren But yet this Curse thorow Gods mercy became in some respects a great Blessing to these Gibeonites seeing by these Services though base in themselves they had a near approach to God in the Service of the Sanctuary for the good of their Souls and were in a sort given and consecrated to God as the Name Nethinims afterwards given them doth import see 1 Chron. 9.2 and Ezra 8.20 Josh Ch. 9. whole Chapter SECT CIII ADoni-zedek King of Jerusalem with the Kings of Hebron Jarmath Lachish and Eglon hearing Gibeon was fallen off from them which was a great City and that the Inhabitants thereof were among the Children of Israel that is had incorporated themselves with them to be one people with them and to live under the same Laws and Government and that the Israelites and Gibeonites had daily free intercourse one with another they join'd their Forces together and came and besieged Gibeon resolving to Chastize it for its falling off from them and thereby to prevent the like Revolt of other Cities The Gibeonites immediately dispatch away Messengers to Joshua imploring him not to slack his hand but to come up speedily with his Forces to save and help them for these five Neighbouring Kings whose Cities were situate on Hills and Mountains were come up against them The Lord appears to Joshua and bids him not fear them for He had delivered them into his hand they should not be able to stand before him Joshua accordingly made hast and marching his Army all night came upon them suddenly and the Lord discomfited them before Israel and they slew them with a very great Slaughter near to Gibeon and chased them along the way that goeth to Bethhoron * There were
following of him but served him sincerely and with all their heart And though they had committed a great wickedness yet the Lord would be gracious unto them if they ceased from sinning and following after Idols which cannot profit them nor deliver them for they are vain and have nothing of power or vertue in them see 1 Cor. 8.4 Deut. 32.21 Nay are so far from being able to help them that their following after them would most certainly bring down Gods wrath upon them However he bids them be of good comfort for the Lord would not forsake his people upon whom his name is called seeing of his free grace and not for any merits in them he had chosen them to be his people and therefore being in Covenant with him it would not stand with his glory to leave them or cast them off (b) V. 22. Verba negantia pro contrariis affirmantibus per quandam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saepius ponuntur Glass except they did first reject and cast off him for other Nations would then be apt to say God was unfaithful in his promises or not able to perform them which would highly tend to his dishonour And as for me says he though the unkindness you have expressed towards me may make you afraid I will not regard you and the thunder I have prayed for and obtained may seem to argue some displeasure conceived in my mind against you yet God forbid that I should so far sin against him as to neglect my duty in praying for you and faithfully instructing you No assure your selves I will still pray for you and teach you the good and right way only be you careful to fear the Lord and to serve him in truth and sincerity remembring what great things he hath done for you But if ye and your King shall do wickedly remember what I say unto you you will be both of you consumed and destroyed neither will my prayers do you any good 1 Sam. Ch. 12. whole Chapter SECT CLXIV SAVL having reigned one year from the time that he was chosen and publickly declared King at Mizpeh Ch. 10.24 to his solemn Inauguration at Gilgal and another year (a) vide Malvendam in loc since his Coronation and seeing the people lamentably oppressed by the Garrisons of the Philistines that were in the land and kept in such miserable bondage by them that they would not suffer them to have any weapons of war but what they got by stealth or kept hid in some secret place nor would suffer a Smith to remain among them lest by that means they should get them Swords or Spears c. See Ch. 13. v. 19. He resolved now to raise an Army to drive the Philistines out of those Forts wherefore appointing the people to assemble themselves and come unto him he chose out of them three thousand men whereof two thousand he kept about his own person and marched with them to Mickmash a tract of ground in the border of Benjamin near the mountain of Bethel and a thousand he left with his Son Jonathan in Gibeah the rest of the people he sent to their own homes Jonathan having a thousand of these new raised forces under his command he presently set himself to the work and went and smote the Garrison of the Philistines that was in Gibeah on the Hill near his own City see Ch. 10.5 The Philistines were hereat greatly enraged and presently raised a great Army consisting of three thousand (a) V. 5. Triginta millia curruum At incredibile hoc videtur Nam Pharaoh tantum 600 currus habuit Exod. 14.7 Jabin 900 Jud. 4.3 Solomon 1400 1 Reg. 10.26 Nimium hoc pro numâ—ro equitum qui sequitur Aliqui mendum ignoscunt menda in numeris passim accidere remo negaverit qui non sic harum literarum rudis atque imperitus Itaque sunt qui postremas duas literas abjiciendas censent sic 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 significat tria millia Et sic habent Syr. Ar. quomodo illos legissem probabile â—st in Hebraeis quibus usi sunt exemplaribus quod ipsum valâ—le multum est Sed in his tribus millibus for asse plerique currus fuerunt sarcinarii Et sic ap a erit proportio currum equitum Vide Pol. in loc Chariots of War and six thousand Horsemen and an innumerable company of Foot intending to be revenged on the Israelites Saul hearing of their vast preparations presently dispatched his Agents into all parts of the Kingdom to proclaim by sound of Trumpet the victory obtained by Jonathan (b) V. 4. The victory is ascribed to Saul though obtained by Jonathan because he put his Son upon this service Victoria militum Principi ascribitur for their encouragement and also to make known to them that the Philistines being hereupon extreamly enraged were preparing to come against them with an huge Army And because Samuel had before appointed Saul Ch. 10.8 that if he came to be in danger or intended to attempt any thing against the Philistines he should first go down to Gilgal and there wait for him seven days till he came and advised him what he should do and offered Sacrifice both for him and the people therefore Saul now removed with his forces from Michmash to Gilgal and the people were commanded to gather together and come to him thither The people were much terrified at this news of the approach of the Philistines Army and some of them hid themselves in Caves and Thickets some in clefts of Rocks some in high places and places of strength some in pits and dens and some of them fled over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead And those that followed Saul to â—ilgal followed him trembling They formerly were confident that if they had a King he would save them from all their enemies and now they have one they are perplexed with fear not finding themselves any whit more secur'd by his presence from the dangers that threatned them and so are taught by their own experience that there is no safety but in Gods protection Saul now at Gilgal expects Samuel six days and having stayed till the seventh was almost expired he began to conclude that he would not come and seeing his Souldiers continually dropping away from him and fearing lest the Philistines might fall upon him on a sudden before he had by Sacrifices sought the Lords favour and hâ—lp he resolved not to stay any longer for Samuel but commanded Sacrifices to be immediately offered intending after that to pitch upon some course with the advice of those about him for the defence of themselves and their Country against the Philistines As soon as he had made an end of offering the Burnt-offering behold Samuel came and thus by not waiting a small time longer he transgressed Gods Commandment and brought a great punishment upon himself Saul hearing that Samuel was come to Gilgal he went out to meet
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
17. Faciet enim tibi dominus Strigelius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 malui legere quod est in margine quomodo Hieron Septuaginta verterunt quam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tertia persona sumitur pro secunda sic mos Hebraeis permutandi personas Saul then perceived him in that form though it were not the true Samuel but the Devil in his likeness and stooped with his face to the earth and bowed himself to him This counterfeit Samuel now asked him Why he had disquieted him to bring him up thither Saul answered I am sore distressed the Philistines make war upon me and God is departed from me and answereth me no more either by Prophets or Dreams therefore have I called for thee that thou maist make known to me what I should do The evil spirit now counterfeiting not only Samuel's person but his words and actions replied Why dost thou ask counsel of me seeing the Lord is departed from thee and become thine enemy Alas I cannot help thee for the Lord will do to thee as he hath spoken by me He will rend the Kingdom out of thine hand and give it to thy neighbour even to David because thou obeyest not his voice nor executest his fierce wrath upon Amalek and therefore it is that this judgment will fall upon thee And moreover the Lord will deliver Israel with thee into the hands of the Philistines and to morrow (h) To morrow is not to be understood precisely of the next day following but indefinitely of some time near approaching So to morrow is taken Exod. 13.14 Mat. 6.34 and so here to be understood For it was not the next day after that Saul and his Sons were slain in which the Philistines were but preparing for the battel and sent away David from among them see Ch. 29. but as it seemeth by the History some few days after thou and thy sons shall be with me (i) First God may reveal things future and contingent unto Satan who may reveal them to Witches and to Sorcerers before they came to pass to encourage and harden their hearts in their Diabolical practices and the hearts of others also that resort unto them 2ly God sometimes useth Satan as an instrument to execute his judgments as he did in the case of Job and the four hundred false Prophets that were deluded by him 1 King 22.22 and then 't is easie for him to reveal those things he hath in commission to execute Permittit Deus Daemones aliquando responsa dare Idololatris quia ex malitia sua demerentur ut sic in erroribus exerceantur ut Ancilla illa Act. 16. quae nisi vera prae dixisset magnum Dominis suis quaestum non prae buisset Multa de oraculo Delphico referant omnes Historiae Craeso sciscitanti num futurum esset ut filius mutus loqueretur respondit infausto die loquuturum esse quod accidit that is shall be dead as the true Samuel was who was personated by this evil spirit Saul hearing these dismal tidings and being very faint through fasting all the day before even to that time of the night he fell on the ground in a swoon and there was no strength in him The Witch hereupon came to him and told him that she had so far obeyed him as to put her life into his hands therefore she desired him so far to gratifie her as to receive a little refreshment from her that he might have strength to return to the army But he utterly refused it till his servants together with the woman by their earnest importunity prevailed with him so he arose from the earth and sat upon the bed and the woman having a fatted calf in the stall she caused it presently to be kill'd and drest and prepar'd some of it and took flour and kneaded it and baked unleavened * Panes azymos quos statim curavit coquendos non enim expectavit donec farinae illa subacta fermentaretur bread thereof and so brought her provisions and set them before Saul and his servants and they did eat of them and then arose and went their way 1 Sam. Ch. 28. from v. 1 to the end 14. The Philistines now gathered all their forces together to Aphek a Town in the Tribe of Asher and the Israelites pitched by a fountain near Jezreel The Four Lords of the Philistines led up their forces and marched with their hundreds and thousands but David and his men marched in the rear with Achish who seems to be chief among them if not their General The Princes of the Philistines observing this askt in some passion what those Hebrews did among them Achish reply'd the chief commander of them was David a servant of Saul's a man of great wisdom and fortitude who had been with him some days or rather some years he having dwelt with him one full year and four months see Ch. 27.7 and in all that time since he fell to him he had found no fault in him But the Princes of the Philistines were not satisfied with that but imagined that Achish was meerly deluded by him and that he would endanger their Army therefore they urge Achish to send him back and to cause him to return to the place he had appointed for him viz. to Ziklag lest in the battel he should fall off from them and help their enemies For how can he better contrive say they to reconcile himself to his master than by betraying the lives of this whole Army into his hands They further add that he was a most dangerous person of whose abilities they ought to be very apprehensive being highly renown'd for his military prudence and valour among his own Nation insomuch that the women sang of him in their dances Saul hath slain his thousands but David his ten thousands See Ch. 18.7 21.11 Hereupon Achish called David and told him that as sure as the Lord lived he had found him faithful to him and he could not but highly approve all his carriage since he came into the Army nay he had found no evil in him since the first day he came up to him Nevertheless he must acquaint him that the Lords of the Philistines favoured him not therefore he advised him to return with his forces to Ziklag that he might not give them any further cause of jealousie David replies what evil hast thou found in thy servant since I have been with thee even unto this day that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my Lord the King (k) Necessaria querela ne si taceret suspitionibus Philistaeonum suffragari videretur Menoch Achish answers I protest thou seemest unto me to be a person of such excellencies of such probity and goodness as if thou wert an Angel (l) Hunc loquendi modum Philistaei a vicinis hauserunt Hebraeis Conterminae enim regiones ut experientia docet multas voces phrases communes habent sent from heaven unto me I
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
Idolatrous Ahab and curs'd Jezabel But O how often and how easily does interest of State and worldly policy make Religion truckle under it And the Kingdom felt the sad effects of this match not long after About the 17th year of his reign and the 22th of Ahab making his Son Jehoram Viceroy in his absence with a great train and as it seems accompanied with some troops of Souldiers he went down to Samaria to visit Ahab None of his Predecessors had ever done so before and for Jehoshaphat a worshipper of the true God to go down to such an Idolater as Ahab was may seem very strange But being come to Samaria Ahab entertained him and his followers very magnificently and killed sheep and oxen in abundance to feast them But had not the Lord been more merciful to Jehoshaphat than he was wise for himself he had paid dear for his entertainment for when he was there Ahab perswaded him to go up with him to fight against the Syrians and to take in Ramoth-Gilead where Jehoshaphat was in great danger and Ahab was killed as we may see more particularly in the life of Ahab When Jehoshaphat returned home the Prophet Jehu the Son of Hanani who reproved Asa 1 Chron. 16.7 met him and said to him Shouldst thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord was it for thee to join thy self in such a strict league of friendship with such an Idolatrous wretch such an enemy to God and all goodness as Ahab was Therefore is wrath * Jehoshaphat soon felt the effects of this denunciation in that invasion of the Moabites and Ammonites which followed after 1 Chro. 20.1 and in the dissention that began at present among his own sons which was the seed of that horrible slaughter which his Eldest Son afterwards made of them 1 Chron. 21.4 coming upon thee from the Lord that is God is highly displeased with thee and hath determined to pour out his displeasure upon thee Nevertheless there are good things found in thee in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land and hast prepared thine heart to seek the Lord therefore the Lord will deal gently with thee and even in judgment remember mercy Jehoshaphat being awakened with this reproof of the Prophet he went out and visited his Kingdom from Beersheba the South border to Mount Ephraim the North border thereof and reduced those who he understood had revolted from the Lord unto Idolatry false worship or wickedness of life and reformed what he found out of order among them He also set up Judges in all the fenced Cities of Judah and said to them Take heed what you do ye judg not for man that is meerly in the name and by the authority of man but for the Lord to whom ye must give account and who is with you in the judgment seeing all ye do and is ready to protect you if you judg uprightly and to punish you if you deal unjustly Wherefore let the fear of the Lord be upon you be afraid to do any thing that may offend him Take heed to your office and execute it justly and as you ought to do For there is no iniquity with the Lord our God neither will he favour it therefore let there be none in you God is no respecter of persons nor will be swayed with outward considerations nor will be bribed to do any thing that is unjust and therefore see that you imitate him therein Jehoshaphat had also an especial care over his great City Jerusalem to keep it in good order And therefore when he and those that attended him returned thither he there set up the high Court or Council call'd the Sanhedrin consisting of Levites Priests and the Elders of the people to which all appeals were to be made from inferiour Courts and to which all causes of difficulty were to be referred So that they were for the judgment of the Lord that is to judge in matters Ecclesiastical concerning which God had determined in his word what should be done and for controversies that is to judge in matters meerly civil And he charged them saying Thus shall ye do in the fear of the Lord faithfully and with an upright heart whatever cause shall come before you of your brethren between blood and blood that is between blood shed willingly and unwillingly and casually or between Law and commandment statute and judgment that is when each party shall pretend they have the Law on their side and so one shall alledge one Law and another another ye shall rightly interpret the Law to them and warn them that they trespass not against the Lord by wresting the Law to what it never intended If you do otherwise wrath from the Lord will come upon you and your brethren But if you rightly warn and direct the people ye shall not trespass therein either against God or your brethren And behold Amariah the chief Priest is over you in all matters of the Lord that is in all matters Ecclesiastical that concern Religion and the worship of God and Zebadiah the Son of Ishmael a chief ruler of the house of Judah is over you for all the Kings matters that is for all matters of State or controversies or pleas that concern the Crown and the Levites shall be Officers for you and ready to attend you and to carry your orders and directions unto others and to see them executed Lastly let me exhort you to do courageously and assure your selves the Lord shall be with the good and such as are careful and conscientious in the doing of their duties to assist and protect them and to bless their persons and endeavours About the 18th year of his reign there being no King in Edom 1 King 22.47 but only a Deputy set over them by the King of Judah Jehoshaphat took that advantage to build for himself a Fleet at Ezion-Geber which was in Edoms Territories to go to Tarshish and Ophir to fetch Gold Ahaziah the wicked Son of Ahab desired to go sharer with him in that Fleet and that his servants might go along with Jehoshaphats servants 1 King 22.49 At first Jehoshaphat refused it but afterwards as it seems upon Ahaziahs importunity consented to it See 2 Chron. 20.35 36. Thereupon the Prophet Eleazar came to him and reproved him for it and foretold him that his ships should be broken which accordingly so came to pass in the very Port of Ezion-Geber 2 Chron. 20. from v. 25 to the end Sometime after the Moabites and with them probably some of the Syrians and especially of the Edomites that dwelt on mount Seir. See v. 10. gathered together to invade Judea Possibly Jehoshaphat's late aiding Ahab in his wars against Syria gave occasion to this invasion Immediately Jehoshaphat was inform'd that a very formidable and great multitude was coming against him from the other side of the Dead Sea out of Syria * Syria must be here taken in a general and large
and thirty years he died He was about ten or eleven years old at Solomons death and lived in the reigns of eight Kings of Judah It was a great blessing to that Kingdom that he lived so long And they buried him in the City of David among the Kings which was an high honour to him because he had done good in Israel both towards God in restoring his worship and towards his house in causing it to be repaired Now after the death of Jehoiada that wise godly and zealous Governour several of the Princes of Judah who as it seems had concealed their impious mind and hollow heartedness in Religion before came now to Joash and making a low obeisance to him and presenting unto him a flattering address they petitioned him as appears by what follows that they might have leave to set up the Idolatry of Baal again in the land and to worship God in the high places after the manner of their fathers because it was burdensome to go up from all parts to the Temple The King being prevailed upon by their flatteries * Multorum Principum aures nihil accipiunt nisi jucundum lâ—surum Tacitus granted their request and so they left the Temple the house of the God of their Fathers and served Idols in Groves and thereby brought the wrath of the Lord upon Judah and Jerusalem by this their great trespass For shortly after Hazael King of Syria see 2 King 12.17 invaded the land and took Gath (a) This City David recovered from the Philistines 1 Chr. 18.1 and the Kings of Judah held it to this time It was one of the Cities Rehoboam fortified 2 Chr. 11.8 and was preparing to go against Jerusalem So formidable to Joash was this approach of Hazael that he was forc'd to purchase his peace with him by making him a present of all the hallowed things and of all the gold that was found in the Treasuries of the Temple and in his own house (b) 2 Chron. 24.27 The greatness of the burdens laid upon him may hereby be meant which are mentioned in some Civil Records Sundry Prophets and extraordinary messengers God sent to them one after another to reclaim the King and his people from those evil ways and to bring them again to the Lord. And these Prophets (c) So the Lord dealt with the Ten Tribes 2 King 17.13 and with the men of Judah after this 2 Chron. 36.15 16. did faithfully declare their sin to them even to their very faces and foretold them of the judgments God would bring upon them if they did not repent however they would not hearken to them but by an obstinacy in sin pull'd down vengeance on their own heads At length Zachariah the Son of Jehoiada was by the Spirit of God stirred up to admonish them of their wickedness who accordingly did it with great boldness and courage and standing up in an high place in the Court of the Temple and speaking to the King his Nobles and people he told them Thus saith the Lord why do ye so transgress the commandments of the Lord that ye cannot prosper because ye have forsaken the Lord he hath forsaken you and given you over into the hands of the Syrians Hereupon these Idolatrous Princes and the people that were like them being enraged immediately consulted together to destroy him and probably complained grievously to the King of him representing him as the manner of such persons is as a man highly disaffected to the Kings person and government and an enemy to the State And having by this means inflam'd the King against him they askt him if they should presently stone him which he agreeing to and commanding they furiously rushed into the Priests Court whither Zachariah had betaken himself and with most daring impiety stoned him between the Temple and the Altar * See Mat. 23.35 But before he expired he said The Lord will look upon it and require it that is he will severely avenge my blood upon you Thus Joash remembred not the kindness which Jehoiada the Father of Zachariah had done for him who had nourished him in the Temple in his infancy and with extream hazard to himself set him upon the Throne and instructed him in the ways of God and had been his most faithful counsellor and a means of procuring many blessings to him and yet notwithstanding all this he now cruelly consents to the murdering of his Son and that only for giving him faithful counsel But though Joash was thus abominably ungrateful yet the Lord would not let it so pass For before that year was expired the Syrians invaded the land again and executed the judgment of God upon them with great severity For though they came only with a small company of men intending possibly to pillage rather than to perform any great action and Joash went out against them with a very great army yet this small band of the Syrians overthrew that great host of Judah because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers The Syrians being highly encouraged with this victory they went up against Jerusalem and destroyed all the Princes of the people on whom they could lay their hands who had been the great instruments to draw away their King from the worship of the true God to Idolatry and they sent the spoil of them to the King of Damascus And when they departed they left Joash in sore diseases perhaps by reason of some wounds he had received in the fight which advantage two of his own servants laying hold upon slew him in his bed and thereby avenged the blood of the Son * V. 25. For the blood of the Sons of Jehoiada i. e. one of his Sons the Plural numâ—er for the Singular of Jehoiada the Priest he was slain in the beginning of the fortieth year of his reign And they buried him in the City of David but not in the Sepulchres of the Kings He reigned twenty two years with Jehu the rest in the time of Jehoahaz Jehu's Son and Jehoash his Grandchild and Amaziah his Son succeeded him 1 King 11. wh Ch. 2 King 12. wh Ch. 2 Chron. 23. wh Ch. 2 Chron. 24. wh Ch. The 9th King of Judah AMAZIAH AMAZIAH the Son of Joash was twenty five years old when he began to reign and reigned twenty nine years †T is said that in the second year of Joash King of Israel he began to reign that is in the second year of Joaâ—h after he began to reign alone his father Jehoahaz being dead For Joa h began to reign three years before hâ—s father died and that was the 37th year of Joash King of Judah the father of Amaziah who reigned forty years compleat In the beginning of his reign he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord viz. that which was for the substance of it good and approved of God yet not with an upright heart like David but according to what Joash his
their sins intermixing exhortations and consolations to the penitent 2. From the 13. Ch. to the 29. he Prophesies against the bordering Nations that were enemies to the Jews viz. the Babylonians Philistines Moabites Syrians Assyrians Ethiopians Egyptians Arabians Tyrians and lastly against the Israelites of the Ten Tribes 3. From the 29. Ch. to the 40. he Prophesies of the Conquest of the Jews by the Babylonians and their leading them Captive into Babylon In which there are four Historical Chapters viz. Ch. 36 37 38 39. occasionally interposed about the invasion of Judea by Senacherib of which we shall speak more particularly in the life of Hezekiah 4. From Ch. 40. to 49. he foretels the deliverance of the people of the Jews from the Babylonish Captivity 5. From 49. to the end are contained Prophesies of the Messiah and his Kingdom This Prophesie was always of very great account in the Church our Saviour himself whose Sermons were all Text took his Text out of this Prophet Luk. 4.17 18. The Ethiopian Eunuch read this Prophet in his Chariot Act. 8.27 30. 'T is oftner quoted in the New Testament than any Book of the Old excepting the Psalms which are quoted sixty four times and this Prophesie of Isaiah no less than sixty as the learned Alsted observes * In Praecogn Theolog lib. 2. cap. 122. And this is all we shall say at present concerning this Prophet Another eminent Prophet whom God raised up at this time and sent him to Prophesie to Judah and Jerusalem was Joel The Prophet JOEL He sets forth to them how the fierce anger of God was manifested against them in that terrible judgment of dearth and famine now upon them occasioned by an extream drought and swarms of Caterpillars with Lionlike teeth and other such destroying insects the one devouring what the other had left Thereupon he exhorts them to true repentance and deep humiliation before the Lord shewing it must be general of all sorts and conditions because they had generally offended and it must be serious and hearty testified by fasting weeping and mourning to which they must join earnest prayer and supplication for mercy which if they would do he promises not only deliverance to them from that terrible plague but that their losses should be repaired and made up to them again by a wonderful plenty And from a promise of these temporal blessings he rises to shew them what spiritual blessings in their due time the true Israel of God should enjoy under the Messiah foretelling the plentiful effusion of the gifts of the Holy Ghost which should then be poured forth viz. on the day of Pentecost He also tells them they should have deliverance from their enemies the heathen round about them and that God himself would judg their adversaries and take vengeance upon them for the wrongs they had done to his people And so much concerning that Prophet Vzziah who had before shewed himself to be a worthy Prince towards the latter end of his reign after he had been so wonderfully helped and blessed by the Lord and made so prosperous grew proud and his heart was lifted up to his destruction so prone are men to abuse the mercies of God to pride and presumption which is usually a forerunner of ruin Vzziah would needs now out of a strange arrogance usurp the Priests office and go into the Temple to burn incense Accordingly he goes presumptuously into the holy place to the Altar of Incense which none but the Priests might do The High Priest as soon as he understood whither he was gone immediately followed after him attended with eighty Priests men of courage who coming to him just as he was ready with a Censer in his hand to burn incense they withstood him and plainly told him he had highly trespassed in coming thither it appertained not to him but to the Priests only and that by Gods appointment to burn incense Therefore they advise him to go presently out of the Temple for he would receive no honour from God for what he had done but contrarily might expect some severe punishment Vzziah was very wroth at this their reprehension Kings and great men usually scorning to be stopt in the career of their sins by the servants of God but his wrath against them did but the more incense the wrath of God against him for immediately the Lord smote him with a leprosie in his forehead as he stood besides * V. 19. Megnal pro Inal juxta the Altar of Incense And thus having sinned with so bold a face and so much arrogance he was punished in his forehead that his sin might be read in his punishment The Priests seeing this and being encouraged by Gods so eminently owning of them and appearing for them they thrust him out of the Temple yea he himself hasted to go out perceiving that the Lord had smitten him And from hence forward to the day of his death he was a leper and dwelt in an house apart by himself and so was cut off from the house of the Lord and he that had so presumptuously gone into the holy place was now excluded from going even to the Court of the people there to worship God Vzziah being thus smitten of the Lord Jotham his Son as Viceroy and Deputy-King governed the Kingdom in his stead as 't is thought about four years Vzziah's Acts were written by Isaiah the Prophet though that Book seems not now extant as not necessary for the use of the Church as neither that of Jasher mentioned 2 Sam. 1.18 Vzziah being dead they buried him in the field where the Sepulchers of the Kings were but in some remote corner thereof where none of the former Kings Sepulchers were because he was a Leper †Supplicium triplex lepra excommunicatio funus inglorium ut a populo vivum lepra defunctum a Regibus aliis dimoverit Anonym in loc When this King died it seems the Philistines greatly rejoiced and triumphed because he had been such a scourge to them as is related 2 Chron. 26.6 Whereupon Isaiah Prophesied that a King should spring from this Vzziah viz. Hezekiah the Son of his Grandchild Ahaz who should sting them worse than ever he had done Isa 14.29 Rejoice not thou whole Palestina because the rod of him that smote thee is broken for out of the serpents root shall come forth a cocatrice and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent 2 King 14.21 22. 2 King 15. from v. 1 to 8. 2 Chron. 26. wh Ch. The 11th King of Judah JOTHAM JOTHAM was twenty five years old when he began to reign and he reigned sixteen years He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord as his father had done before him that is he maintained and encouraged the true worship of God as his Father had done but did not go into the Temple to burn incense as his Father had done so that he was like him not in the evil he
in a seeming piety said he would not tempt the Lord by desiring a sign whereas they do not tempt God who ask a sign when he allows them as we see in the instances of Gideon Judg. 6.36 37. and Hezekiah 2 King 20.8 but they that will not believe he will save them according to his promise except he shews them a miracle to confirm his promise as may be gathered from Luk. 11.16 Seeing therefore Ahaz refused to ask a sign when the Lord permitted him to do it Isaiah tells him that the Lord himself would give him a sign without asking and that was this Behold one that is now a (a) Though in the first sense the Virgin here meant was the Virgin which Isaiah afterwards took to wife by whom he had a Son call'd Immanuel whose name was to signifie to the Jews that the Lord would be with them yet in a second and more sublime sense the Virgin Mary is here signified who was a Virgin and a Mother both in sensu composito as the School speaks that is a Virgin even when she was a Mother And the Son who was to be born of her was Immanuel not only in name but in deed For he was true God and being made man dwelt with us and among us men and came into the world to be our Saviour of whom Immanuel the Son of Isaiah was but a Type And he was not only signum portendens but signum operans a sign not only foreshewing but working out our Redemption Virgin shall be married * Some understand this of that Prophetes whom Isaiah possibly being at this time a widower immediately after took to wife See Ch. 8 v. 3. and shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call his name Immanuel This Son shall be born before Rezin and Pekah shall lay siege to Jerusalem and the childs name Immanuel shall signifie that God will be with the Jews to help them Further the Prophet tells him that this child shall eat butter and hony therefore there shall be plenty of food in Jerusalem during the siege And before the child shall come to the use of reason and know how to refuse evil and choose good the lands of Syria and Israel which Ahaz so much abhorred and dreaded shall be rid of both their Kings and they shall be taken away by a violent death This was the sign the Lord would give him And accordingly these two Kings came up and besieged Jerusalem but could not prevail against it and were fain to return without taking of it and what became of them afterwards we shall see in the sequel of the story This wicked King Ahaz was no sooner delivered from this great danger but he forsook God his deliverer and forthwith walked in the ways of the Kings of Israel and set up the Idolatrous worship of Baal and made molten images for that Idol and offered sacrifice in the valley * This was a valley near Jerusalem See 2 Chr. 33.6 'T was call'd Tophet from Toph a Drum because they used Drums other sounding Instruments to drown the cry of the child that was sacrificed See Jer. 7.31 Thence Gehenna came to signifie Hell and Tophet to be used in the like sense Isa 30.33 of Benhinnom and made one of his Sons to pass through the fire and offered him as a sacrifice to Molech contrary to the express Law of God Lev. 18.21 even after the abomination of the heathen whom God had cast out before the children of Israel and he offered sacrifices in the high places and upon the hills under every green tree †Non tantum in lucis sed etiam sub magnis arboribus sacra saciebant Grot. which in height and shade excelled others and seemed fit for that purpose see Deut. 12.2 When Ahaz had thus forsaken God God also forsook him whereupon Rezin and Pekah dividing their forces came again up against him and overcame him which before when both joined together they could not do For the Lord being provoked by his grievous sins first gave him up into the hands of the Syrians who having worsted him carried away a great multitude of his people captive to Damascus Then Rezin at the same time as it seems subdued Elath which Vzziah had recovered to Judah and built it a new and placed his Syrians to dwell there The Lord also gave him up into the hands of the King of Israel who made a great slaughter of his people God therein using one Idolater to scourge another for Pekah slew in one day an hundred and twenty thousand of them Zickri a man of Ephraim slaying one of the Kings Sons and two other great officers of the Kings which is mentioned for his particular honour and the King of Israel carried away two hundred thousand prisoners of the Jews among whom were many women and children There was at that time a Prophet of the Lord in Samaria whose name was Oded whereby we see that God was not wanting to send the Israelites Prophets to admonish them even then when they were most corrupt This Prophet met the host of Israel coming triumphantly with their spoils and captives towards Samaria to whom he spake after this manner Because the Lord was wroth with Judah he hath delivered them into your hands and ye have slain them with a rage reaching up to heaven And now I perceive ye purpose to keep under the children of Judah and to make the captives ye have taken bondmen and bondwomen whereas the Law of God forbids you Levit. 25.39 40 41. to make any of your brethren bondmen But consider I pray you are there not with you even with you sins against the Lord your God Now therefore hearken unto me I advise you to send back these prisoners and captives of your Brethren which ye have taken or else assure your selves the fierce anger of the Lord will fall upon you It seems some eminent men of great authority in Samaria whose names to their lasting honour are set down 2 Chron. 28.12 met the Army also at the same place with many others of the City and hearing what the Prophet had said they were so mov'd thereby that they stood up against the Army and told them they should not carry their prisoners into the City for say they we have offended against the Lord already and have sins too many upon us to answer for and ye if you go on according to your intentions will add more to our sins For our trespasses are great and there is fierce wrath from the Lord hanging over our heads for the cruelty we have already exercised against our Brethren and therefore you shall carry these prisoners no further The Providence of God so wrought upon the hearts of the Commanders and Souldiers of the Army that they presently submitted and left their prisoners and spoils to those Princes and the people there present to dispose of them as they should think fit Hereupon these Governours took those of the
the Lord therefore was his sin highly aggravated and this brand and black mark set on him This is that King Ahaz viz. that trespassed so heinously against the Lord. When Ahaz had thus made himself a vassal and tributary to the King of Assyria which vassalage his Son soon shook off See 2 King 18.7 he quickly found that he had received more hurt than help from him as the Prophet had before intimated to him Isa 7.20 In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired namely by them beyond the River by the King of Assyria the head and the hair of the feet and it shall also consume the beard For though the King of Assyria to serve his own turn vanquished Damascus yet he impoverish'd Ahaz and did not restore to him any of those Cities which his enemies had taken from him nor did him any other good in recompence of those great treasures which he had given him and perhaps he did otherways distress him As Tiglath-pileser went up against Damascus and took it and slew Rezin as hath been said before so he shortly after as it seems invaded the land of Israel and made that great havock of which we read 2 King 15.29 In the days of Pekah King of Israel came Tiglath-pileser King of Assyria and took Ijon and Abel-beth-Maacah and Junoah and Kedesh and Hazor and Gilead and Galilee all the land of Naphtali and carried them captive to Assyria See more hereof in the life of Pekah Ahaz towards the latter end of his reign set up a stately Dial which afterwards afforded a miraculous sign to his Son Hezekiah though he himself refus'd to ask a sign In the last year of his reign he set up his Son Hezekiah with him in the Kingdom Ahaz now dying was buried in Jerusalem but not among the Kings he having been so great an Idolater The Prophet Isaiah this year forewarns the Moabites of a great calamity that would befall them within three years after See Isaiah 15.1 Ch. 16.14 2 King 16. wh Ch. 2 Chron. 28. whole Chapter Isai 7. from v. 1 to 17. The 13th that reigned in Judah HEZEKIAH HEZEKIAH being taken by his Father into the Government in the last year of his reign from that time being the latter end of the third year of Hoshea * Though Hoshea was confirmed King in the twelfth year of Ahaz and so is said then to begin to reign in Samaria yet because he reigned then only as Viceroy under the King of Assyria the nine years of his absolute reign are not reckoned till he cast off the Assyrian Yoke and took upon him to reign as absolute King which was it seems two years after viz. in the 14th year of Ahaz and so the third of Hoshea was indeed the first of Hezekiah's reign King of Israel he reigned twenty nine years in Jerusalem His Mother's name was Abi or Abijah the daughter of Zachariah If she was as 't is supposed the daughter of that Zachariah by whom so long as he lived Vzziah was kept in the way of truth 2 Chron. 26.5 we may well think that her piety manifested in this religious education of her Son was a chief means under God that he proved so zealous for the cause of true Religion though his Father was so extreamly wicked He was twenty five years old when he began to reign and he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord according to all that David his Father had done and removed the high places which neither Jehoshaphat nor any of the good Kings of Judah had done before 2 K. 18. fr. 1 to 4. 2 Chr. 29.1 2. In the first year of his reign in the first month Abib he opened the doors of the Lords house which his Father had caused to be shut up 2 Chron. 28.24 and repaired and adorned them by overlaying them with Gold Then assembling the Priests and Levites together in the East-street * The Street before the entrance to the great gate of the House of the Lord. whom his Father had forced to abide in their Cities and suburbs shutting them out of the house of the Lord he like a pious and prudent Prince spake to them after this manner Hear now ye Priests and Levites and attend unto the words which I shall speak unto you I require you in the first place to sanctifie your selves and to sanctifie the house of the Lord God of your Fathers and to carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place that is to cleanse it of all Idols and all those things which Idolaters used in their worship For our Fathers both mine and yours have trespassed and done that which was evil in the sight of the Lord and have forsaken him and have turn'd away their faces from the habitation of the Lord and turned their backs upon it that is have openly basely and opprobriously forsaken the worship appointed by him in his Temple see Jer. 2.27 and have shut up the doors of the Porch and not suffered the lamps to be lighted in the Temple nor the incense to be burnt neither have they offered the burnt-offerings unto the Lord in the holy place as they should have done therefore the wrath of God was upon Judah and Jerusalem and he hath delivered them up to great trouble even to the astonishment and hissing of strangers as you have seen with your eyes For lo our Fathers have fallen by the sword and our wives sons and daughters have been led into captivity for their great transgressions Now seeing Reformation is a special means to divert the wrath of God it is in my heart to make a Covenant with the Lord God of Israel and thereby to engage my self and my people to a real reformation that so his fierce wrath may turn away from us Wherefore my Sons stir up your selves be not ye negligent for the Lord hath chosen you to stand before him and to burn incense unto him therefore be not wanting to your duties and to perform the ordinances of his house as he requires The King having ended his speech several of the Priests and Levites taking courage thereat sanctified themselves and according to the Kings command which they saw was agreeable to the word of God they came to cleanse the Temple and upon the eighth day of the first month entring in at the Porch they began to cleanse the house of the Lord and spent eight days in cleansing the Holy of Holies and the holy place and the Porch and then spent eight days more in cleansing the Courts appertaining to the house and having brought out all the uncleanness and filthiness and Idolatrous trash they found in the Temple the Levites carried it out and threw it into the brook Kidron Then they came to the King and told him what they had done viz. that they had cleansed the whole house of the Lord and the Altar of Burnt-offering with all the vessels thereto appertaining
and the shew-bread-table with the utensils belonging to it Moreover say they all the holy vessels which Ahaz in his transgression did cut in pieces and cast away we have repaired and renewed and fitted and sanctified for the holy use to which they were appointed Behold they are before the Altar of the Lord and ready to be set in their proper places 2 Chron. 29. from v. 12 to 20. The next morning King Hezekiah called together all the Rulers of the City and went up with them to the house of the Lord where he together with the people by the Ministry of the Priests and Levites offered seven Bullocks seven Rams seven Lambs and seven He-goats as a sin-offering upon the Altar of the Lord to make atonement 1. For the King his counsellors and officers and family 2. For the sins and abominations that were committed in the Temple by Idolatry and false worship 3. For the sins of Judah that is of the whole people And the Priests killed the Bullocks and Rams and sprinkled the blood on the Altar and they brought forth the he-goats before the King and all the congregation and they laid their hands on them thereby acknowledging their sins and that this sacrifice was offer'd up in their stead and the Priests killed them and made reconciliation for the people with their blood For the King commanded that the burnt-offering and the sin-offering should be offered for the whole people that atonement might be made for all that the plaister might be as large as the sore And he took care also to have the praises of the Lord solemnly sung by the Levite-singers and that they should be ready with their Cymbals Psalteries and Harps to do it as David Gad and Nathan being all inspired by God had directed The Levites therefore standing ready with their instruments and the Priests with their Trumpets when the burnt-offering began to be offered then the Song of the Lord began to be sung viz. the 136 Psalm the Trumpets sounding and the Levites singing and playing on their instruments the more to excite their spirits and all this continued till the burnt-offering was offered and then the King and all the people bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord. And the King and his Nobles commanded the Levites that they should sing praise unto the Lord with the words of David and Asaph the Seer which accordingly they did with great gladness of heart bowing also their heads and worshipping Then the King spake to the Priests saying Ye have now consecrated your selves as it were a new to the Lord therefore approach his Altar and bring in the sacrifices and thank-offerings which the people shall be willing to offer The whole congregation being much wrought upon by the Kings words presented their sacrifices and thank-offerings very freely and those that were of a more free and forward spirit offered whole burnt-offerings wherein there was more respect manifested to God than in other sacrifices for in these the offerers themselves had a part but in the other all was consumed on the Altar and yet the number of these burnt-offerings that were now offered was very great viz. seventy bullocks and an hundred rams and two hundred lambs But the other sacrifices of several sorts that were offered viz. peace-offerings and free-will offerings were very numerous viz. six hundred oxen and three thousand sheep But the Priests were too few to slay all the burnt-offerings therefore the Levites did help them * This they did in this particular case it was not their ordinary work till the work was ended and till other Priests had sanctified themselves For the Levites were more forward to sanctifie themselves than the Priests and so there were more of them at this present sanctified than of the Priests Besides the burnt-offerings were very many and the fat of the peace-offerings was to be pulled off and burnt upon the Altar and drink-offerings to be added to every burnt-offering all which required much work which those few Priests were not able to perform at this time Thus the service of the house of the Lord was set in order by good Hezekiah And the King rejoiced and all that were truly pious with him that the Lord had put such a good inclination and zeal into the hearts of the people whereby they were so willing and so readily inclined to this work of reformation And it was evident that the thing was of God because it was done sooner and with more speed than could reasonably have been expected considering how much before under Ahaz they had been corrupted with Idolatry And to have their hearts so soon and so wonderfully changed was an extraordinary work of the Spirit of God 2 Chron. 29. wh Ch. Hezekiah now resolves to have the Passover solemnly celebrated but it could not be kept at the time appointed viz. on the 14th day of the first Month because the purgation of the Temple was not finished until the 16th day of that month neither had the Priests sanctified themselves sufficiently neither were all the males gathered together to Jerusalem according to the Law as they ought to be at that great Festival therefore the King Priests and representative body of the people appointed to keep the Passover on the 14 day of the second month and in order hereunto the King sent to Judah and Benjamin and to all the Israelites that had join'd themselves to them and sent Letters also to the remainder of the ten Tribes that were not carried away by Tiglath-pilesar King of Assyria as many of their brethren were See 2 King 15.29 even to all the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba inviting them to come to the house of the Lord to keep the Passover For they had not done it of a long while in such sort as was prescribed So the Posts went out with Letters from the King and his Princes inviting the Israelites to come and keep this solemn Festival at Jerusalem His Letters ran thus Ye children of Israel I exhort you to turn again unto the Lord God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob and he will return in grace and mercy to the remnant of you that are escaped out of the hand of Pul and Tiglath-pilesar Kings of Assyria 2 King 15.29 1 Chron. 5.26 And be not like your Fathers and your brethren which trespassed against the Lord who therefore gave them up to desolation as you see at this day Neither be ye stiff-necked as your Fathers were but yield your selves unto the Lord and willingly give up your selves in obedience unto him and enter into his Sanctuary and Temple which he hath consecrated to himself for a place of workship even as long as it shall stand and there appear before him viz. in the Court of the people and serve the Lord your God that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you For if you turn again unto the Lord your brethren and your children that are led away captive shall find compassion from
seemeth to have been missing ever since the beginning of Manasseh's reign who possibly at first endeavoured to burn all the Books of the Law and so this Book was hid in some secret place of the Temple by some faithful Priest that it might be preserved for future times Hilkiah having found it he sent it by Shaphan the Scribe unto the King who having heard it read all over to him was exceedingly affected therewith and rent his clothes and more especially as 't is likely at those dreadful threatnings against Idolatry which are written in Levit. 26. Deut. 28. Hereupon he immediately sent to (b) Miriam and Deborah and Anna were all Prophetesses Thus the Lord is pleas'd to endue some women with the spirit of Prophesie to shew that he is not tyed to any sex Huldah a famous Prophetess who dwelt in Ierusalem in the suburbs or second part and desired her to ask counsel of the Lord for him Ieremy possibly being not then at Ierusalem but at Anathoth For Iosiah hearing those curses in the Law denounced against Idolatry and knowing how much some of his Predecessors had been guilty thereof he much seared lest the judgments threatned in that Book might fall upon him and his people and desired to know whither there might be any means to pacifie Gods wrath and prevent those judgments Huldah returned this answer Thus saith the Lord Behold I will bring evil upon this place and upon the inhabitants thereof even all the curses written in the Book which the King of Judah hath read because they have forsaken me and burnt incense to other gods and have provoked me to anger with the works of their hands viz. their idols and altars therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place and shall not be quenched intimating the utter extirpation of the Jews out of that good land but to the King of Judah who sent you say to him Thus saith the Lord as touching the words and threatnings which thou hast heard read out of the Book because thy heart was tender and soon moved at the hearing of my threatnings and thou hast humbled thy self before me when thou heardest what I spake against this place and the inhabitants thereof that they should become a desolation and a curse that is have the curses written in this Book executed upon it and hast rent thy clothes and wept before me Behold I will gather thee unto thy pious ancestors in heaven before these dreadful calamities shall fall upon this place and people and thou shalt be gathered unto thy grave in peace This answer of Huldahs being brought to the King his heart was so affected with it that to prevent if it were possible this judgment threatned he called together the Elders of Judah and Jerusalem together with the Priests and Prophets viz. Jeremy Baruck Zephany and Vriah and the people both small and great and caused one of the Levites to read in their ears all the words of the Book of the Covenant * The Law is called a Cove an t because obedâ—ence was therein requir'd on the peoples part and a blessing thereupon promised on Gods part so called because it contained the Covenant that God made with the people of Israel See 1 King 8.9 And the King stood by the Pillar on the Brasen Scaffold or on some Throne erected by a pillar in the Temple for him to stand upon at that time and there solemnly made a Covenant before the Lord in his own name and the name of the people to walk after the Lord that is to observe what he prescrib'd unto them and to keep his commandments testimonies and statutes with all their heart and with all their soul and to perform the words of the Covenant written in that Book and he caused all that were present to give their consent to it and the inhabitants of Jerusalem were the most forward to engage themselves to walk according to the Covenant of the Lord God of their Fathers and did accordingly so walk Then the King commanded Hilkiah the High Priest and the Priests that were next unto him and the Levites to bring forth out of the Temple * Josiah did begin to purge Judah and Jerusalem of Idols in the twelfth year of his reign six years before the Book of the Law was found but upon hearing those dreadful threatnings in the Law against Idolatry he now proceeded further and perfected that reformation which was then begun Therefore the Penman of the Sacred History of the Chronicles relating the Reformation that Josiah wrought in the twelfth year of his reign adds also what was done afterwards when the Book of the Law was found and speaking how he suppressed Idolatry upon the hearing of the Law read to him he joins many things of the same nature that were done in the twelfth year of his reign that all his zealous acts in rooting out Idolatry might he related together all the vessels that were made for Baal and used in his worship or in the Idolatrous worship of the Groves or of the Host of Heaven and he burnt them in the field by which the river Kidron did run and carried the ashes of them to Bethel therewith to defile the prime seat of Jeroboams Idolatry These things had been us'd by Manasseh and Amon but were set aside as it seems in some by-place of the Temple in Josiah's time and seeing still they remained there this good King's zeal would not permit them to be there any longer And he put down the Idolatrous Priests or Chemarim whom the Kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in high places in the Cities of Judah and in places round about Jerusalem He put down those also who burnt incense to Baal or to the Sun Moon and the Planets and host of heaven and he brought out the Image whereon a grove was engraven which it seems was hung up in the Temple and stampt it to powder and cast the dust thereof upon the graves of those that had worshipped Idols and sacrificed unto them 2 Chron. 34.4 And he brake down the Tents of the Sodomites that were in the grove by the house of the Lord and where the women wove hangings for those filthy tents so that in that grove they not only worshipped Idols but as it seems defiled themselves also with all manner of abominable uncleanness And he brought all the Priests that were the Sons of Aaron and had served the true God in high places out of the Cities where they had exercised that false worship and would not suffer them to live there and he defiled the high places even from Geba the North border of the Kingdom of Judah to Beersheba the South-border and beat down their Altars and burned dead mens bones on them v. 14. to make them unclean and brake down the high places that were erected at the entring of the Gates by Joshua the Governour of the City whither it seems many of the people used to
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
And therefore God upbraiding the King of Tyre with his pride and arrogancy Behold saith he thou art wiser than Daniel no secret can be hid from thee therefore I will bring strangers upon thee the terrible of the Nations and they shall bring thee down c. Ezek. Ch. 26. Ch. 27. Ch. 28. In the same year also in the third month God revealed his will to Ezekiel of sending Nebuchadnezzar against Pharoah to the ruin of the Egyptians In the same month also God declared that the Egyptians could no more avoid his decree and determination than the Assyrians had done before Ezek. Ch. 30. Ch. 31. In the eleventh year of Zedekiah the ninth day of the fourth month when the famine grew extream in the City and the pestilence as 't is like very hot Jerusalem was broken up and the Caldeans entred it Ezek. 4. from 9 to the end Lament 4.10 2 King 25.2 3 4. Jer. 52.5 6 7. Jer. 39.2 3. The City being taken Zedekiah and all the men of war fled away by night by the way of the Gate between two walls which was by the Kings garden being it seems a secret way provided on purpose for escape in such a time of danger but the Caldeans pursuing after them took Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho and brought him prisoner to Riblah where Nebuchadnezzar lay where having judgment passed upon him for his perjury and having seen his children first slain before his eyes to his extream torment together with the Nobles of Judah he had then his own eyes put out and being clogged with chains and fetters he was carried away from thence to Babylon so the Prophesies before utter'd concerning him were fulfilled viz. that with his eyes he should see the King of Babylon and speak with him mouth to mouth Jer. 32.4 34.3 But Babylon he should not see though he should die there For so the Prophet Ezekiel foretold Ch. 12.13 My net also will I spread upon him and he shall be taken in my snare and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Caldeans yet shall he not see it though he shall die there 2 King 25. from 4 to 8. Jer. 39. from 4 to 8. Jer. 52. from 7 to 12. Upon the seventh day of the fifth month Nebuzaradan Captain of the Guard sent by Nebuchadnezzar made his entry into the City and on the tenth day he set fire on the Temple and on the Kings Palace and upon all the Noblemens houses in Jerusalem and burnt all down to the ground and brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about In remembrance of which dismal calamity the Fast of the fifth month was ordained to be kept Zach. 7.3 v. 5. Zach. 8.19 Thus was the glorious Temple destroyed in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzars reign and four hundred twenty four years three months and eight days after that Solomon laid the first stone thereof 2 King 25.8 9 10. Jer. 52.12 13 14. Jer. 39.8 In the same fifth month the walls of Jerusalem being broken down all that were left in the City and all that had before fled over to Nebuchadnezzar and all the common people of the City with all the treasure of the King and his Nobles and furniture of the Temple did Nebuzaradan carry away to Babylon and thus was Judah for their sins removed out of her own land four hundred sixty eight years after David began to reign over it From the division of the Ten Tribes from the Tribe of Judah three hundred eighty eight years and from the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel one hundred thirty four years If any shall enquire why the Lord gave up this his own people into the hands of their enemies you may find 2 Chron. 36. from v. 12 to 20. that the high provocations both of King and people were the cause thereof Zedekiah did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the Prophet speaking to him from the mouth of the Lord and he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar who had made him swear by God but he stiffned his neck and hardned his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel Moreover all the chief of the Priests and the people transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers rising up betimes (a) That is continually and carefully sendding them a Metaphor taken from careful housholders who with the soonest seek to redress mischiefs causing their servants for that end to rise betimes and sending because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place but they mocked the messengers of God and despised his words and misused his Prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people and there was no remedy * After that there remain'd nothing but expectation of judgment Therefore he brought upon them the King of the Caldees who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their Sanctuary (b) That is the Temple whither 't is like many of them fled for refuge and had no compassion upon young man or maiden old man or him that stooped for age he gave them all into his hand And all the vessels of the house of God great and small and the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the King and of his Princes all these he brought to Babylon And they burnt the house of God and brake down the walls of Jerusalem and burnt all the Palaces thereof with fire and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof Jer. 39.9 Jer. 52.15 2 King 25. from 11 to 18. 2 Chron. 36. from 14 to 22. The Scripture saith that they that were carried away captive to Babylon in the eleventh year of Zedekiah were to continue seventy years in their captivity 2 Chron. 36.20 21. And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the Kingdom of Persia To fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremy until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths for as long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath to fulfill threescore and ten years Where by those words until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths we are to understand that so long as the people were kept out of it the land rested there being none to plow or dig it up and so it continued for the most part till the expiration of seventy years as Jeremy had Prophesied Jer. 25.11 And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment and these Nations shall serve the King of Babylon seventy years And Chap. 29.10 Thus saith the Lord after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you and perform my good word towards you in causing you to return to
therein and possibly gave some special orders for the manner of their attendance Then Ezra proclaimed a fast that they might humble themselves before the Lord for their sins and might seek of him a right way for themselves and their little ones that is that he would please to conduct them in a right way and preserve them and their children and their substance from being a prey to their enemies For he was asham'd to desire of the King to send a band of souldiers and horsemen with them to guard them in the way which favour yet he might easily have obtained because he had declared unto the King the glorious power and goodness of that God whom they worshipped telling him that his hand was upon all them that seek him for their God but his power and his wrath was against all them that forsake him So they fasted and earnestly sought unto the Lord for this thing and he was pleas'd graciously to answer them Then Ezra chose and separated twelve choice men of the Priests and as many of the Levites whereof Sherebiah and Hashabiah were two see v. 18 19. to take care of the silver and gold and the vessels which were offered for the service of the house of God by the King and his Nobles and the Israelites in those parts and to carry them safe to Jerusalem and there rightly to dispose of them So he weighed unto them and committed to their care six hundred and fifty talents of silver and of silver vessels an hundred talents and of gold an hundred talents also twenty basons of gold with a thousand drams a piece * Viz. Three hundred and twelve pounds ten shillings of the value of drams see 1 Chron. 29.7 and two vessels or some excellent and curious shining brass or copper almost as precious as gold And he said unto them ye are persons consecrated to God as these dedicated things are therefore keep them safe till ye weigh them before the chief of the Priests and Levites and the chief of the Fathers of Israel at Jerusalem And the forementioned Priests and Levites took care of this Sacred Treasure accordingly So upon the twelfth day of the first Month they removed from the river Ahava and through the good hand of God upon them they were delivered from their enemies and such as lay in wait by the way to surprize them and arrived safe at Jerusalem and there rested themselves three days Upon the fourth day of the fifth Month the gold and silver they had brought was weighed out and with the other furniture was laid up in the house of the Lord and the account was taken by number and weight of every one and written down and registred And they which returned out of captivity offered their burnt-offerings to the God of Israel viz. twelve bullocks according to the number of the twelve Tribes and 96 rams and 77 lambs and twelve he-goats for a sin-offering Then they delivered the Kings Commissions unto the Kings Lieutenants and Deputies on that side the river who thereupon shewed all favour to the Jews and were assistant to them in all things according to the Kings command and afforded them such things as were requisite for the service of the house of the Lord. Ezra Ch. 8. whole Chapter It being known that the principal cause of Ezra's coming was to reform such abuses as were crept in among them contrary to Law some of the Princes and chief men who were best affected came presently to him and informed him of this as one of the most heinous evils tolerated among them to wit that not only the people but the Princes also yea the Priests and Levites that could not pretend ignorance of the law had married wives of those Idolatrous Nations their neighbours about them and so the holy seed had mingled themselves with the people of those lands and were tainted by that means in many things with their abominations and the Priests themselves who should have restrained the people from this wickedness had a chief hand in it and been boldest in this transgression Ezra understanding this rent his Mantle and pluckt off the hair of his head and beard and sat down on the ground as one amazed at these high provocations It seems the report was quickly carried about how mightily he was afflicted and displeased when he heard how his brethren had taken wives of Idolatrous Nations and thereupon many of the godly inhabitants that heard of it being themselves afraid of the judgments of God threatned in his word against those transgressions came presently to him to advise with him what was fit to be done in that case but till the evening sacrifice he sat like one overwhelmed with grief and astonishment at that which had been told him At the time of the evening sacrifice he rouzed up himself from his great dejection and then falling on his knees * At the time when Sacrifices or incense were offered up pious people used to pour forth their prayers to God and spreading out his hands unto the Lord he prayed saying O my God I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee For our (a) This good man putteth himself into the number of those transgressoâ—s because he was of the body of that state whereof many of the members had committed that sin so as he might be involved in the judgment that might fall on them see Dan. 9.5 iniquities are increased over our heads that is they are risen so high that like a great flood of waters they are even ready to overwhelm us see Psal 38.4 our trespasses are grown up unto the heavens (b) Beyond Heaven nothing can ascend that is they are so great they can scarce be exceeded and cry to heaven for vengeance against us Since the days of our Fathers and Predecessors before the captivity whose sins caused the captivity we have been great transgressors one generation after another continuing in their sins and for our iniquities have we our Kings and our Priests been delivered into the hands of Heathenish Kings and exposed to the sword to captivity and to spoil and to confusion of face as it is at this day with some of our brethren who are yet in captivity And now it is but a little while since grace and favour hath been shewed unto us from the Lord our God who hath left us a remnant to â—scape and to be brought back again into our own Country and hath given us a nail (c) Significat firmum statum sedes certas fixas stabiles firmam habitationem quae hactenus inconstans erat Pisc in his holy place that is by his providence hath fixed and setled us in Jerusalem his holy City again and hath given us some prop and support of our faith and hath enlightned our eyes and refreshed and cheared our drooping hearts and given us a little reviving in our bondage For we were bondmen yet our God hath not forsaken us in our
bondage but hath extended mercy to us and given us favour in the sight of the Kings of Persia viz. Cyrus Darius and Artaxerxes and leave and encouragement from them to set up the house of our God and to repair the desolations thereof that is to renew the joyful assemblies of Gods people and his worship and service in the Temple which before was desolate and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem that is his own defence and protection against our enemies And now O our God what shall we say that after all this thy goodness and mercy shewn us we should again forsake thy commandments as we have done which thou hast not only enjoyned us in thy law to observe but hast often pressed them upon us by thy servants the Prophets and particularly that we should not make marriages with Heathens and Idolaters nor by league or affinity joyn our selves to them and thereby endeavour to promote their prosperity and welfare seeing any such near union with them was like to be dangerous to us Thou didst shew us that if we shunned their society we should be strong and able to defend our selves against our enemies provided we firmly depended on thee our God And that we should eat the good of the land and leave it for an inheritance to our children from generation to generation yet after all the dreadful punishments that have been inflicted on us for our sins and after all the mercy that hath been shewn us by thee in returning us from our captivity and giving us such a deliverance as this and punishing us far less than our sins deserved that we should again break thy commandments and joyn in affinity with people that are guilty of so great abominations we may wonder and admire that thy wrath is not so kindled against us as to consume us utterly that none should remain or escape But O Lord God of Israel thou art gracious and merciful and we that are escaped are as so many monuments of thy great goodness and mercy though we are laden with a great guilt in respect of which if thou shouldst enter into judgment with us we were not able to abide the trial Ezra Ch. 9. whole Chapter Ezra having thus before the Temple that is in the outward Court of it manifested such wonderful affliction of mind and sorrow of heart and that no doubt to discover to the people the heinousness of their sin and the danger they were in because of it the noise hereof was soon carried throughout the City and there came in unto him only some few at first viz. those that were afraid of those judgments see Ch. 9. 4. but now at last a great number being much affected with Ezra's grievous lamentation did also weep with him And possibly the men that had sinned in taking strange wives brought those women and their children with them to expect what directions should be given them in this matter Thereupon Shechaniah a Priest a pious and prudent man looking upon himself as one of that body and people that had committed that sin he cried out We have trespassed highly against God in taking strange wives However there is hope in Israel concerning this thing that is there is hope that God may be reconciled to us if we truly repent and forsake our sins and put away the strange wives that are among us and there is hope the people will be perswaded to do this when they shall consider the danger they are in if they do it not therefore this is the course that I think requisite for us to take for the pacifying of Gods wrath Let us make a Covenant with our God to put away all the strange wives and the children that are born of them viz. all such of them as retain their heathenish principles For of those among them that are converted to our Religion neither mother nor children are to be put away Witness the case of Rahab and her son Boaz also Ruth and her son Obed. And let this be commended to the people by thy advice my Lord Ezra and by the advice of those other godly Israelites that are now assembled unto thee and let this great business be managed according to the warrant and directions of Gods Law Arise therefore for the matter belongeth unto thee in an especial manner we will also be with thee to assist thee Be of good courage and set about it Ezra hereupon caused the chief of the Priests and the Levites and of all Israel to swear that they would do according to this word and they did swear to it acccordingly Ezra 10. from 1 to 6. Ezra now rose up and went into the Chamber of Johanan the Son of Eliaship who was doubtless of chief account among the Priests at this time and 't is like he went into his Chamber that he might there with the Princes consult how to effect that Reformation to which the forementioned assembly had sworn to yield But when he came thither though they offered him bread and water to refresh him yet he refused to eat till some order were taken for redressing that great evil which they had been lamenting and which they that had been carried away captive had been so guilty of Proclamation therefore was now made that all that were returned out of the captivity should appear at Jerusalem within three days and whoever did not come within that time according to the order of the Princes and Elders all his substance should be forfeited and he separated from the Congregation that is excommunicated from the number of Gods people Hereupon all that inhabited in the land of Judah and Benjamin and with them such also of the Ten Tribes as were come from Babylon on the 20th day of the ninth month came to Jerusalem which was about the beginning of our December a time usually of much cold and rain and all the people sat in the streets of the house of God that is in the place of the outer Court which possibly was not yet walled in trembling because of this matter and for the great rain that poured down upon them So Ezra stood up and said unto them Ye have indeed sinned heinously in taking strange wives and thereby have increased the trespass of Israel Now therefore with a penitent heart make confession of your sins to the Lord and do that which is agreeable to his will declared in his word and have no familiar converse with the people of the land and separate your selves from your strange wives And they cried out with a loud voice As thou hast said so must we do even justice and common equity require it of us * And yet within a few years they returned to it again But say they the people are many and it is a time of much rain and we are not able to continue abroad sub dio under the sky in this rainy time neither is this a work to be done in one day or two days let therefore