Reformers bring forth their rich treasure and liberally disperse it by preaching writing and every way trading their Talents for the Churches good Farellus with his Talent Hic est ille Farellus qui Genevenses Novocomenses Monipelgardenses c. Christo lucrifecit Melch. Adam in vit gained to the Faith five Cities of the Cantons with their territories Wickliff Hus Luther Calvin c. how active and fruitful were they in their Generations to dispread and scatter light over the Christian world to wise and win souls to Christ Prov. 11.30 These surely shine as stars in Heaven Dan. 12.3 that like stars by their light and influence made such a scatter of riches upon earth Every Star saith one is like a purse of Gold out of which God throws down riches and plenty upon the sons of men And as it is the nature of gold to bee drawn forth marvellously Zinch de oper dei part 2. l. 3. c. 6. so that as the learned affirm an ounce of gold will go as far as eight pound of silver so it is the nature of sound knowledge to be spreading and diffusive But the heart of the foolish doth not so Or is not right 'T is little worth Prov. 10.20 as having no true treasure in them but froth and filth vanity and villany hence they do not onely not disperse knowledge which they have not Psal 14.4 but patronize and promote ignorance and errour sow Cockle as fast as wiser men do Corn and are as busie in digging descents to Hell as others are in building stair-cases for Heaven Vers 8. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination Their very incense stinks of the hand that offers it Isa 1.13 Good words may bee uttered but wee cannot hear them because uttered with a stinking breath and good meat may bee presented but wee cannot eat of it because cook'd or brought to Table by a nasty sloven Works materially good may never prove so formally and eventually viz. when they are not right quoad fontem quoad finem 1 When they proceed not from a right principle a pure heart a good conscience and Faith unfeigned 1 Tim. 1.5 2 When they tend not to a right end the glory of God in our own or other mens salvation Christus opera nostra non tam actibus quà m finibus pensat Zanchius The glory of God must consume all other ends as the Sun puts out the light of the fire Cant. 4.11 Psal 141.2 Hos 14.2 But the prayer of the righteous is his delight His musick his hony-drops his sweetest perfume his Calves of the lips with which when wee cover his Altar hee is abundantly well-pleased For as all Gods senses nay his very soul is offended with the bad mans sacrifice Isa 1.13 14 15. his sharp nose easily discerneth and disgusteth the stinking breath of his rotten lungs though his words bee never so sented and perfumed with shews of holiness So the prayer that proceeds from an upright heart though but faint and feeble doth come before God even into his ears Psal 18.6 and so strangely charms him Isa 26.16 see the Margin that hee breaks forth into these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Incantamentum Ask mee of things concerning my sons and concerning the works of my hands command yee mee Isa 45.11 O that wee understood the latitude of this Royal Charter then would wee pray alwaies with all prayers and supplications in the Spirit then would wee watch thereunto with all perseverance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not faint or shrink back Ephes 6.18 Luk. 18.1 Vers 9. The way of the wicked is abomination Not his sacrifices onely but his civilities all his actions natural moral recreative religious are offensive to all Gods senses as the word signifies The very plowing of the wicked is sin Prov. 21.4 all they do is defiled yea their very consciences Their hearts like some filthy bog or fenn or like the lake of Sodome send up continual poisonous vapours unto God And hee not able to abide them sends down eftsoons a counterpoison of plagues and punishments Psalm 11.6 Rom. 1.18 But hee loveth him that followeth after righteousness Although hee fulfil not all righteousness yet if hee make after it with might and main as the word signifies if hee pursue it and have it in chase as ravenous creatures have their prey if by any means hee may attain to the resurrection of the dead Phil. 3.11 That is that height of holiness that accompanieth the resurrection This is the man whom God loves Now Gods love is not an empty love It is not like the Winter Sun that casts a goodly countenance when it shines but gives little warmth and comfort Thou meetest him that rejoyceth and worketh righteousness Aug. those that remember thee in thy waies Isa 64.5 that think upon thy commandements to do them Psal 103. qui faciunt praecepta et si non perficiant that are weak 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but willing Heb. 13.18 that are lifting at the latch though they cannot do up the door Surely shall every such one say In the Lord have I righteousness and strength Isa 45.24 Righteousness that is mercy to those that come over to him and Strength to enable them to come as the Sea sends out waters to fetch us to it Vers 10. Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way Hee pleaseth himself in his out-straies and would not bee reduced hee is in love with his own ruine and takes long strides towards Hell which is now but a little afore him And if any man seek to save him Jude 23. with fear pulling him out of the fire hee flies in his face This is as great madness as if they whom our Saviour had healed or raised should have raged and railed at him for so doing And hee that hateth reproof shall die Hee that is imbittered by rebukes and not bettered by chastisements shall die 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say the Septuagint shall die shamefully yea shall die eternally as the next verse shews shall bee swallowed up of Hell and destruction which even now gapes for him They that will not obey that sweet command Come unto mee all yee c. shall one day have no other voice to obey but that terrible Discedite Go yee cursed into everlasting flames Vers 11. Hell and destruction are before the Lord Tophet is prepared of old and where ever it is as it skils not curiously to enquire below us it seems to bee Pareus in loc Rev. 14.11 ubi sit sentient qui curiosius quaerunt so it is most certain that Hell is naked before God and destruction uncovered in his sight Job 26.6 Wee silly fishes see one another jerked out of the pond of life by the hand of death but wee see not the frying-pan and the fire that they are cast into that die in their sins and refuse to bee reformed Cast they are into utter darkness
of perfect deliverance by Christ Ver. 19. And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving Mox ubi fides inde prodit laâ— confessio Faith is a fruitful grace the very womb wherein all the rest are conceived Ver. 20. Their children also shall be as aforetime How easily can the Lord turn again the captivity of his people set them statu quo prius Zach. 10.6 They shall be as if I had not cast them off See the Note there Ver. 21. And their Nobles shall be of themselves Forreiners shall no more domineer over them but they shall have Governours of their own Nation who shall be more tender of them and careful of their good Some apply all this and well they may to Jesus Christ who is here called Magnificus Dominator Christus Fortis ille Gâ—gat est Oecol his Magnificent or honourable One and his Ruler who also is one of them and proceedeth from amongst them See Deut. 18.18 And I will cause him to draw near and he shall approach unto me Either as God coequal and coessential with me or as Mediatour and so he shall approach unto me by the hypostatical union in respect of which he came the nearest unto God of any that ever was or could and by the execution of his Priestly office wherein he intercedeth for my people and reconcileth them unto me For who is this that engaged his heart Who but my Son Christ durst do it or was fit to do it he is a super-excellent person as is imported by this Mi-hu-ze Who this he Ver. 22. And ye shall be my people and I will be your God sc Through Christ and by his mediation As for those that are not in Covenant with God by Christ as the devil will one day sweep them so mean while Ver. 23. Behold the whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury Sensim sese conglomerans ac demittens in eorum capita the vengeance of God followeth them close at heeles till at length they be wherried away by that terrible tempest at death Job 27.20 Ver. 24. The fierce anger of the Lord See chap. 23.20 In the latter dayes ye shall consider it In the dayes of the Messias but especially at the end of the world when all these things shall have their full accomplishment CHAP. XXXI Ver. 1. AT the same time i. e. In the beginning of Zedekiah's raign as before was this word uttered Or rather in those latter times forementioned chap. 30.24 after the return from Babylon but especially in the dayes of the Messiah The modern Jews vainly apply it to the coming of their Messiah quem tantis etiamnum ululatibus exposcunt whom they yet expect but to no purpose Ver. 2. The people that were left of the sword Of Pharaoh's sword who pursued them Fieri dicitur quod tentatur aut intenditur and though he smote them not because the Lord kept him off yet he is said to have done it like as Balac afterwards arose and fought against Israel Josh 24.9 he had a mind so to have done but that he was over-awed he did not indeed because he durst not When I went to bring him to rest i. e. To the land of Canaan after so long trouble and travel I effected that then though it were held improbable or impossible so I will do this promised reduction of my people from Babylon Indaeorum quiritantium verba Zeg Ver. 3. The Lord hath appeared of old unto me This seemeth to be the peoples objection You tell us what was done of old but these are ancient things and little pertaining to us who are now under a heavy captivity jam refrixit obsoleta videtur Dei beneficentia Hereunto is answered Yea I have loved thee with an everlasting love I am one and the same I am Jehovah that change not whatever thou mayst think of me because I seem angry at thy misdoings Therefore with loving kindnesse have I drawn thee Or Therefore will I draw out loving kindnesse toward thee as Psal 36.10 See the Note there Ver. 4. Again I will build thee See chap. 34.18 Thou shalt he adorned with thy tabrets All shall be haile and merry with thee as heretofore yea thou shalt have spiritual joy which is res severa severe and solid such as doth not only smooth the brow but fill the breast Ver. 5. Thou shalt yet plant vines Profunda pax erit nemo te perterre faciat Thou shalt have plenty peace and security The planters shall plant them and shall eat them as common things i. e. Shall have Gods good leave and liking so to do Heb. Shall profane them i. e. not abuse them but use them freely even to an honest affluence See Levit. 19.23 with the Note Ver. 6. The watchmen upon the mount Ephraim Such as are set to keep those vineyards ver 5. Shall cry Arise ye and let us go up to Zion As the ten tribes first made defection so shall they be forwardest in the Reformation England was the like alate Ver. 7. Shout among the chief of the Nations Heb. neigh unto the heads of the Nations ut illa vobis adhinniant pariter in Christi fide jubilent that they may joyn joyes with you and help to make up the quire Publish ye and praise ye and say O Lord save The Saints have never so much matter of praise but that they may at the same time find cause enough to pray for more mercy Psal 18.3 Ver. 8. Behold I will bring them Here 's a present answer to such a Prayer and this promise hath its performance chiefly in the Kingdom of Christ who will not suffer the least or the weakest of his to miscarry See Esa 35.5 6. Ver. 9. They shall come with weeping Prae gandio inquit flebunt they shall weep for joy having first soaked themselves in godly sorrow by the spirit of grace and of supplications or deprecations poured upon them Zach. 12.10 being sollicitous about their salvation And I will make them to walk by the rivers of waters Heb. To the brooks of waters i. e. to the holy ordinances as Psal 23.3 For I am a Father to Israel I do all of free-grace Ephraim is my first-born And therefore higher then the Kings of the earth Psal 89.27 Ver. 10. Hear the Word of the Lord O ye Nations Hear and bear witnesse of the gracious promises that I make to my people for I would have them noted and noticed Ver. 11. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob Redemption is a voluminous mercy an accumulative blessing From the hand of him that was stronger then he sc The Chaldean but especially from Satan Matth. 12.29 Joh. 12.31 Ver. 12. Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion i. e. In the Temple shall they celebrate that singular mercy in the Congregation of the faithful And shall flow together i. e. Flock together by troops and caravans flock thither by sholes To the goodnesse of the Lord Or
on hell Whither shee is hastening and hurrying with her all her stallions and paramours See the Note on Chap. 2.18 19. and where by how much more deliciously they have lived by so much more they shall have of sorrow and torment Rev. 18.7 Vers 6. Lest thou shouldest ponder q. d. Lest thou shouldest perswade thy self that thou mayest imbrace the bosome of a stranger and yet lay hold upon the paths of life by repenting thee of thy folly this was Solomons errour sometimes Eccles 1.17 and 2.3 thou art utterly deceived herein for her wayes are moveable so that thou observest not whither shee tendeth shee wanders here and there and thou with her yet not so wide as to miss of hell lo that is the center whereunto shee is rowling that is the rendezvouz for all her associates in sin Vers 7. O yee children See Chap. 4.1 Shechem though at ripeness of age yet is called a childe Gen. 39.19 Neque distulit puer And the young man or the childe deferred not to do the thing A childe hee is called that is a fool quia non ratione sed affectu rapitur saith an Interpreter because not reason but lust over-ruld him Vereâ— As for thee thou shalt bee as one of the fools in Israel said shee to her libidinous brother Amnon 1 Sam. 23.13 Vers 8. Remove thy way far from her The Jesuits boast but beleeve them who will that they can dally with the fairest women without danger But hee that would not bee burnt must dread the fire Hee that would not hear the bell must not meddle with the rope Quid facies facies Veneris cum veneris ante Non sedeas sed eas ne pereas per eas Rom. 13.13 Exod. 23.7 Chambering and wantonness is a deed of darkness and dishonesty Come not nigh the doors Keep thee far from an evil matter saith Moses The plague and worse is at the Harlots house 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 6. stand off To venture upon the occasion of sin and then to pray Lead us not into temptation is all one as to thrust thy finger into the fire and then to pray that it may not bee burnt Was not hee a wise man that would haunt Taverns Theatres and Whore-houses at London all day Sheph. Sincere convert 232. but yet durst not go forth without private prayer in the morning and then would say at his departure Now Devil do thy worst Vers 9. Lest thou give thine honour i. e. Whatsoever within thee or without thee may make thee honourable or esteemed as the flower of thine age the comeliness of thy body the excellency of thy wit thy possibility of preferment that good opinion that the better sort had of thee c. How was David slighted by his own children and servants after hee had thus sinned Confer 1 Sam. 2.30 with 2 Sam. 12.10 Chastity is a mans honour 1 Thess 4.4 Castus quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ornatus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vâ—â—erabilis Deut. 32.33 And their years i. e. according to some thy wealth that thou hast been many years in gathering 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To the cruel That is to the harlot and her bastardly brood whom thou must maintain The Hebrews expound it of the Devil To the cruel i. e. Principi gehennae saith Solomon Angelo mortis saith another to the Prince of Hell to this Angel of Death Aczar the Hebrew word properly signifieth saith one the poyson of the Asp which paineth not at first but is deadly Vers 10. Lest strangers bee filled This sin is a purgatory to the purse though a paradice to the desires How soon had the Prodigal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wasted his portion when once hee fell among Harlots those sordida poscinummia Luke 15. those crumenimulgae Ask mee never so much gift and I will give it said Shechem Gen. 34.12 what pledge shall I give thee and shee said Thy signet thy bracelets c. Gen. 37.18 and if shee had asked more shee might have had it Ask what thou wilt and it shall bee given thee said Herod to his dancing Damosel Nay hee sware to her that whatsoever shee should ask hee would give it her to the half of his Kingdome Mar. 6.22 so strongly was hee inchanted and bewitched with her tripping on the toe and wanton dancing This detestable sin is able to destroy Kings as Solomons Mother taught him Prov. 31.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tripudiabat Baccharum mâ—re And surely Solomon by the many women that hee kept was so exhausted in his estate for all his great riches that hee was forced to oppress his subjects with heavy taxes and tributes which occasioned the revolt of ten Tribes The whore lyeth in wait for a prey Prov. 23.20 and by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a morsel of bread to extream beggery Prov. 6.26 Vers 11. And thou mourn at the last Heb. And thou roar Zeph. 3.5 as being upon the rack of an evil conscience and in the suburbs of Hell as it were whiles the just Lord makes thee even here possess the sins of thy youth and writes bitter things against thee The word signifies to roar as a Lion or as the Sea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est mâ—rit agitatio Hom. Iliad H. vide Eustath Venus ab antiquis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicta or as the Devil doth For the Devils beleeve and tremble or roar James 2.19 Grecians ascribe the Original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the roaring of the Sea When thy flesh and thy body By the word here rendred body there are that understand the radical humor the natural moisture that maintains life and is much impaired by this sensual sin Avicenna doubted not to say that the emission of a little seed more than the body could well bear was a great deal more hurtful than the loss of forty times so much blood Gouts Palsies Epilepsies c. oft follow upon this sin But the French disease is the natural fruit of it such as will stick by men when their best friends forsake them Jesabel is cast into a bed and they that commit adultery with her into great tribulation Rev. 2.20 The Popish libidinous Clergy are smitten with ulcers Rev. 16.11 Their Pope Paul the fourth died ex nimio Veneris usu Runius de vit Pontif. saith the Historian by wasting his strength in filthy pleasure as the flame consumeth the candle Vers 12. And say How have I hated c. When cast out with the Prodigal and hath nothing left him but a diseased body a distressed soul then all too late hee fills the air with doleful complaints of his former folly and cries out as hee did Totum vitae meae tempus perdidi quia perditè vixi Bern. O what a wretch what a beast what a madded Devil
The ear wee say is first up in a morning Call a sleeping man by his name and hee will sooner awake and answer to it than to any thing else The Wise-man therefore thus deals with the sluggard that hee may go forth and shake him as Sampson not giving way to excessive sleep which comes as a Publican saith Plutarch and takes away a third part of our lives at least Lib. 3. cap. 5. Pliny said to his Nephew when hee saw him walk out some hours without studying Poteras has horas non perdere You might have put these hours to better uses May not the same bee said to the sleepy sluggard Whiles the Crocodile sleeps with open mouth the Indian Rat shoots himself into his body and eaâ—s up his intrails Whilst Ishbosheth slept upon his bed at noon Baanah and Rechab took away his head Epaminondas a renowned Captain finding one of his Sentinels asleep thrust him thorow with his sword And being chid for so great severity replied Talem eum reliqui qualem invenâ— I left him but as I found him It must bee our care that death serve us not in like sort that wee bee not taken napping and so killed with death Rev. 2.21 The bird Onocrotalus is so well practised to expect the Hawk to grapple with her that even when shee shutteth her eyes shee sleepeth with her beak exalted as if shee would contend with her Adversary to teach us continual vigilancy resembling those who were wont to sleep with brazen balls in their hands which falling on vessels purposely set on their bed-sides the noyse did disswade immoderate sleep Sen. Epist Nullus mihi per otium exit dies partem etiam noctium studiis vendico saith Seneca I let no day pass mee idlely some part of the night also I spend in study Our King Alfred Anno 872. cast the natural day into three parts eight hours hee spent in prayer study and writing eight in the service of his body and eight in the affairs of his State Which space having then no other engine for it hee measured by a great wax-light divided into so many parts Daniels Chro. 13. receiving notice by the keeper thereof as the several hours passed in the burning The Jews divided likewise the day into three parts the first ad Tephilla for prayer the second ad Torah for reading the Law the third ad Malachah for work no talk of sleep Their work would likely keep them waking As for the Law what Servilius Scevola said of the Civil Law Tenenti codicem somnus obrepat cadentem faciem pagina sacra suscipiat Hier. ad Eust holds more true of the Divine Jus civile scriptum est vigilantibus non dormitantibus The Law was not written for sleepers but wakers Jerome exhorted some godly women to whom hee wrote not to lay the Bible out of their hands until being overcome with sleep and not able any longer to hold up their heads they bowed them down as it were to salute the leaves below them with a kiss And for prayer David would not fall asleep at it but break his sleep for it Turk Hist fol. 297. Egâ—eroch ex radice gnarach ordinavis acicum disposuit vazâ— sappel ex radice â—sapâ—ah speculando expectavit Hinc â—sopheh spâ—culator Ps 119.62 147. He was at it at midnight at day-dawn and In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up Psal 5.3 Two military words hee there makes use of to shew his wakefulness at his work Souldiers are not the greatest sleepers Caesar was no less vigilant than valiant Scanderbeg from his first coming to Epirus never slept above two hours in a night hee would not onely pray but marshal up his prayers put them in good array and when hee had so done hee would bee as a Spy upon a Tower to see whether hee prevailed whether hee got the day The Spouse slept but her heart waked and as repenting of that half-sleep also which yet the night and foul weather perswaded shee promiseth to get up early Cant. 5.2 with 7.12 Our Saviour was up and at prayer a great while before day Mark 1.35 The holy Angels are stiled Watchers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dan. 4.10 And they are three times pronounced happy that watch Luk. 12.37 38 43. Watch therefore Vers 10. Yet a little sleep Heb. Sleeps so slumbers Though hee speaks in the plural and would have much yet all is but a little in his pretence and conceit Hee asks a little but hee will not bee denied Augustin Sed finite panlulum ibit in longum First hee must have sleep having slept hee must have slumbers sleep will not quickly bee rubed out of his eyes having slumbered hee must fold his hands Compressis sedere manibus to fit with hands folded up Liv. lib. 7. is used by the Latines in a like sense Hee tumbles on his bed as a door on the hinges Prov. 16.14 a man must come with a lever to help him off his Couch Vers 11. As a traveller and thy want as an armed man That is speedily and irresistibly Men must sweat out a living and earn their bread afore they eat it 2 Thes 3.12 Think not to have wealth without working as Cities and Towns are said to have fallen into Timotheus his toil as hee was sleeping with so much ease hee took them in Hippocrat Spontaneae lassitudines morbos praecedunt Roamings and reachings fore-run diseases so doth sluggishness usher in penury when as manus motitans the nimble hand maketh rich Prov. 10.4 and in all labour there is abundance Prov. 14. Salust But Nae illi falsi sunt qui diversissimas res expectant ignaviae voluptatem pramia virtutis They are utterly out that think to have the pleasure of idleness and the plenty of painfulness Vers 12. A naughty person Lo every idle man is a naughty man is or ere long will bee For by doing nothing men learn to do evil Nihil agenda male agere discunt said the Heathen And thou wicked and slothful servant saith our Saviour Mat. 25.26 Hee puts no difference betwixt Nequam Nequaquam and idle and an evil person The Devil also will not long suffer such an one to bee idle but will soon set him to work Idleness is the hour of temptation A wicked man Or an unprofitable man vir nihili good for nothing but to eat and drink and sleep and sport and sit and talk and laugh and be merry These are Cyphers nay they are excrements in humane society Mr. Wheatly that live in the world to no purpose yea to bad purpose Oh it is good saith One to do something whereby the world may be the better and not to come hither meerly as Rats and Mice onely to devoure victuals and to run squeaking up and down Walketh with a froward mouth Graditur ore perverse Nothing more usual with Idlebies than to go tatling
or by any mans perswasion The Monarch of Morocco told the English Ambassadour for King John that hee had lately read Saint Pauls Epistles which he liked so well Heyl. Geog. that were he now to chuse his Religion he would before any other embrace Christianity But every one ought saith he to dye in the religion received from his Ancestors and the leaving of the faith wherein he was born was the only thing that he disliked in that Apostle But the prudent are crowned with knowledge They know that dies diem docet and therefore are not so wedded to their old Principles Superstitions and Fopperies but that they can as right reason requires relinquish and abjure them glorifying the Word Acts 13.48 Acts 13. And receiving the truth in love 2 Thes 2.10 whereby it soon comes to passe that they get good repute and report of all men as Demetrius had yea and of the truth it self 3 Joh. 12. which is the Crown of all commendation Haud velim Erasmi gloria aut nomine vehi saith Luther I care not to be cried up as Erasmus is c. Vers 19. The evil bow before the good Here they do so many times as Josephs brethren before him in his greatnesse as Saul before Samuel Balshazzar before Daniel Euseb the persecuting tyrants before Constantine the great yea one of them viz. Maximinus Galerius being visited with grievous sicknesse not only proclaimed liberty to the poor persecuted Christians but also commanded their Churches to be re-edified Cresius and publick Prayers to be made for his recovery So Ezra 6.10 Pray for the Kings life and for his Sons some of which had dyed in their minority for the rest therefore Prayer must be made by the Church That place is wel known Isa 49.23 Kings shall be thy nursing fathers and their Queens thy nursing mothers they shall bow down to thee with their faces toward the earth and lick up the dust of thy feet c. The Prophet seems to allude to the manner of the Persians Pictorum solea basiare regum Martial who when they were to speak to their King did first kisse the pavement whereon he trod Howsoever natural consciences cannot but doe homage to the Image of God stamped upon the natures and practices of the righteous as is afore-noted and the worst cannot but think well of such and honour them in their hearts In the life to come these things shall have their full accomplishment and at the last day when the Saints shall judge the world and Christ shall have put all things under his feet so that they shall have power over the Nations Rev. 2.26 Vers 20. The poor is hated i. e. Lesse loved little respected as Gen. 29.31 Mal. 1.5 Luke 14.26 The Heathen could say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Adversity findes few friends Et cum fortuna statque caditque fides Few will appear for suffering Saints This Job and David much complain of but as when a Deer is shot the rest of the Herd push him out of their company so here Tempora si fueriut nubila solus eris The same Hebrew word that signifies Winter an Embleme of Poverty signifies reproach This thy son Luke 15.30 Not this my brother Joseph because in poverty The Samaritans would not once own the Jewes when they were at an under but disavow them as they did to Antiochus Epiphanes But when in prosperity then they would curry favour with them and call them their sweet Cousins When it was sometimes disputed among the Romans in the Council using to deifie great men whether Christ having done many wonderful works should bee received into the number of the gods it was resolved that he should not Propter hoc quod paupertatem praedicarit elogerit quam mundus contemnit because he preached poverty and chose poor men whom the world cares not for Purchas But the rich man hath many friends Such as they are ollares amici trencher-flies such as follow the scent and like Bohemian Curtes will fawn upon a good suit As for faithful friends divitibus ideo amicus deest quia nihil deest saith one few such to be found such as with Ittai the Gittite and Hushai the Archite will stick close to a David when stripped of all Josephus relates of the Jewes that they were very careful how they received Proselites in Salomons time because then the State of the Jews flourished Vers 21. Hee that despiseth his neighbour sinneth His poor neighbour Where the hedge is low the beast will easily break over None usually are so trampled on with the feet of pride and contempt by the great Bulls of Basan as the necessitous and afflicted Hence poor and afflicted are set together Zeph. 3.12 so are to want and to be abased Phil. 4.11 This is a great sin saith Salomon it is to commit sin and to bee convinced of the Law as transgressors saith Saint James chap. 3.9 But he that hath mercy on the poor happy is he His sins shall be remitted his necessities relieved and the blessings of God multiplied upon him even a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 See my Common-place of Almes Vers 22. Doe they not erre that devise evil Heb. That plow it and plot it that dig it and delve it that whet their wits and beat their brains about it Toto errant calet doe not these erre are they not heavenly wide utterly out shall they not misse of their purpose and meet with disappointment witnesse those Babel-builders Gen. 11. those Kil-Christs Psal 2. those State Traytors Sheba Shebna c. divers English Traytors who drew their last thread in the Triangle of Tiburn Knute the first Danique King caused the false Edrics head to bee set on the highest part of the Tower of London Daniels Hist 19. therein performing his promise of advancing him above any Lord in the Land Traytors always become edious though the treason bee commodious Philip Duke of Austria Parei Hist prof madul 769. paid the Ambassadours of Charls the fourth who had betrayed their trust in counterfeit coyn whereof when they complained he answered that false coyn was good enough for false knaves James the first King of Scots was murdered in Perth by Walter Earl of Athol in hope to attain the Crown Hect. Boeth but his hopes failed him Crowned indeed he was but with a Crown of red hot Iron clapt upon his head being one of the tortures wherewith hee ended at once his wicked dayes and devises But mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good Mercy and truth were the best that David could wish to his fast friend Ittai 2 Sam. 15.20 These two Attributes of God shall cause that good devises shall not miscarry His mercy moves him to promise his truth binds him to perform 2 Sam. 7.18 21. For thy words sake and according to thine own heart hast thou done all these things According to thine own heart that is of meer
had with wishing Nemo casu fit Sapiens Epist 77. saith Seneca Some have a kinde of willingness and velleity a kinde of wambling after the best things but it doth not boyl up to the full height of resolution for God Pers Virtutem exeptant contabescuntque relictâ Carnal men care not to seek after him whom yet they would fain finde saith Bernard Cupientes consequi sed non sequi have heaven they would but stick at the hard conditions like faint Chapmen they bid money for heaven but are loath to come up to the full price of it Balaam wished well to heaven so did the young Pharisee in the Gospel that came to Christ hastily but went away heavily Herod of a long time desired to see Christ but never stirred out of doors to see him Pilate asked Christ What is truth but never stayed his answer The sluggard puts out his arm to rise and pulls it in again hee turns upon his bed as the door doth upon the hinges which yet comes not off for all the turnings but hangs still and this is his utter undoing Men must not think that good things whether spiritual or temporal will drop out of the clouds to them Aemuli ipsius dormientem pinxeram Plut. in Sylla as Towns were said to come into Timotheus his toyl while hee slept Now perform the doing of it saith Saint Paul to those lazie Corinthians 2 Cor. 8.12 A thirsty man will not only long for drink but labour after it A covetous man will not only wish for wealth but strive to compass it Yet not every covetous man I confess For in the next verse it is said of the sluggard Vers 26. Hee coveteth greedily all day long But these greedy constant covetings come to nothing hee makes nothing of them Meteors have matter enough in the vapours themselves to carry them above the earth but not enough to unite them to the element of fire therefore they fall and return to their first principles So is it with our wishers and woulders Many came out of Egypt that never came into Canaan And why the Land they liked well but complained with those Spies of the strength of the Anakims and the impossibility of the Conquest therefore their Carcases fell in the wilderness their sluggishness slew them They lusted and had not they killed themselves with coveting as in the former verse and desired to have as here but could not obtain Jam. 4.2 But the righteous giveth and spareth not Neither necessity nor niggardise hindreth him hee hath it and hee holds that hee hath no more than hee giveth Hee is both painful and pittiful and what hee cannot do for the poor himself hee stirs up others to do so far is hee from forbidding or hindring any from shewing mercy Some render the words thus The righteous giveth and forbiddeth not Give a portion saith hee to his richer friend to seven and also to eight for thou knowest not what evil shall bee up on the earth Eccles 11.2 See the Note there Vers 27. The sacrifice of the wicked c. See the Note on Chap. 15.8 How much more when hee bringeth it c As Balaac and Balaam did Num. 23.1 2. As those that present ex rapina holocaustum a sacrifice of what they have got by rapine and robbery And as those likewise that ask good things at Gods hand that they may consume them upon their lusts Jam. 4.3 Let the wicked bring his sacrifice with never so good an intention hee is an abomination but if with an evil minde his dissembled sanctity is double iniquity As if a man think by observing the Sabbath to take out a license to walk licentiously all the week long or by praying in a morning to get a dispensation to do evil all day after Mr. Shepherds Sincere convert p. 232. Breerwood Enquire I have read of one that would haunt the Taverns Theaters and Whore-houses at London all day but hee durst not go forth without private prayer in the morning and then would say at his departure Now Devil do thy worst The Circassians are said to divide their life betwixt rapine and repentance The Papists many of them make account of confessing as Drunkards do of vomiting Sands his relat of West Religion When wee have sinned say they wee must confess and when wee have confessed wee must sin again that wee may also confess again and make work for new indulgences and jubilees Vers 28. A false witness shall perish See the Note on Chap. 19.5 The Scythians had a Law that if any man did duo peccata contorquere binde two sins together a Lye and an Oath hee was to lose his head because this was the way to take away all faith and truth amongst men But the man that heareth speaketh constantly Hee testifieth confidently what hee knoweth assuredly hee is alwayes also in the same tale as Paul was in the plea to the chief Captain to Felix to Festus and to Agrippa Not so Bellarmine How oft doth that loud Lyer forget himself and write contradictions As for instance In one place hee affirmeth that it can by no means bee proved by Scripture that any part of Scripture is the very word of God Par. in Apoc. 22.16 Bel. de verb. Dei l. 1. c 2. Sed mendax redarguit seipsum saith Pareus But the Lyer confutes himself by saying elsewhere Besides other arguments to evince the divinity of the Canonical Scripture it giveth sufficient testimony to it self Vers 29. A wicked man hardeneth his face Procacitèr obfirmat vultum suum so the Vulgar renders it The false witness vers 28. impudently defends or at least extenuates and excuses his falsities Frontem perfricat assuens mendacium mendacio as the Hebrew hath it Psal 119.69 Hee thinks to make good one lye by another to outface the truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 27. to overbear it with a bold countenance It seems to bee a metaphor from a Traveller that sets his face against the wind and weather and holds on his journey though hee bee taking long strides toward destruction But as for the upright hee directeth his way Hee proceeds warily weighs his words before hee utters them and delivers nothing but the naked truth And truth is like our first Parents most beautiful when naked Some Interpreters take this verse as setting forth the difference between the wicked and the godly without any relation to the false and true witness vers 28. And then it is Sententia sapiente digna saith one Tam paucis verbis tam profundum sensum cumulans a sentence worthy of Solomon as having so much in a little Vers 30. There is wisdome against the Lord That is they are all to no purpose If God deny concourse and influence the arm of humane power and policy as Jeroboams shrinks up presently See Psal 2.1 2 3. 33.10 11. 62.3 See the Note on Chap. 19.21 Excellently Gregory Divinum consilium dum
own Lovers of pleasures are set as last and worst in that catalogue of wickednesse in the last daies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Tim. 3.4 Vers 9. Also my wisdome remained with mee Outward things are dead things and cannot touch the soul a lively spirit unless by way of taint Solomon if not at first yet at length was fearfully tainted by them making good that of the Poet Stultitiam patiuntur opes Ardua res haec est opibus non tradere mores Martial Et cum tot Croesos viceris esse Numam Vers 10. And what soever mine eyes desired c. I fed them with pleasant pictures shews sights and other objects of delight which yet have plus deceptionis quam delectationis able to entice and ready to kill the intangled Lactant. How many are there that have died of the wound in the eye David knowing the danger prayeth Psal 119.37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding of vanity Job steps one degree further from a prayer to a vow chap. 31. yea from a vow to an imprecation ver 7. If our first parents fell by following the sight of their eyes and lust of their hearts what can Solomon or any of us promise our selves qui animas etiam incarnavimus who have made our very spirit a lump of flesh prone to entertain vice yea to solicit it For my heart rejoyced in all my labour This is not every worldlings happiness For some live not to injoy what they have raked together as that rich fool in the Gospel others live indeed but live beside what they have gotten as not daring to diminish ought but defrauding their own genius and denying themselves necessaries So did not Solomon and yet hee found not the good hee sought for neither as hee tells us in the next words Nor is it want of variety in these pleasures but inward weakness an emptiness and insufficiency in the creature In heaven the objects of our delight and blessedness shall bee though uniform yet everlastingly pleasing Vers 11. Then I looked on all the works A necessary and profitable practice well worthy our imitation viz. to recognize and review what wee have done and to how little purpose wee have wearied our selves in the multitude of our counsells Esay 47.13 God looketh upon men and if any say I have sinned and perverted that which was right and it profited mee not Hee will deliver his soul from going into the pit and his life shall see the light Job 33.27 28. Tully could tell Nevius that if hee had but well weighed with himself those two words Quid ago What do I Orat. pro Quintio his lust and luxury would have been cooled and qualified And behold all was vanity and vexation of spirit In the very pursute of them is much anguish many grievances fears jealousies disgraces interruptions discontentments Next it is seldome seen that God allows to the greatest darlings of the world a perfect contentment Something they must have to complain of that shall give an unsavoury verdure to their sweetest morsels and make their very felicity miserable Yet all this avails mee nothing so long as I see Mordecai saith Haman the Kings minion Lastly after the unsanctified enjoyment follows the sting of conscience that will inexpressibly vex and torment the soul throughout all eternity And there was no profit under the sun Nullae emolumenta laborum nothing but labour for travell no contentation but desperation no satisfaction but endless vexation as children tire themselves to catch a butterflie which when they have caught profits them nothing onely fouls their fingers Or rather as the dropsical body by striving to quench thirst by drinking doth but increase the disease and in the end destroy it self Vers 12. For what can the man doe that cometh after the King q. d. who is it that can out-doe me in this review and discovery Neither is this a vain-glorious vaunting of his own vertues but an Occupation or prevention of an objection thus Obj. It may be thou hast not perfectly known the difference of things and so hast not rightly determined Sol. To this he answers that he hath so quit himself in searching and trying the truth in these points that it is not for any other to goe beyond him And having removed this rub having carried this dead Amasa out of the way that might have hindred his Hearers march hee proceeds in his discourse Vers 13. Then I saw that wisdome excelleth folly i. e. Philosophy and Humane wisdome though it cannot perfect the mind nor make a man happy yet it is as farre beyond sensuality and brutishnesse as light is beyond darknesse Those that seek for the Philosophers Stone though they misse of their end yet they find many excellent things by the way So Philosophers Politicians Moralists though they missed of the pearl of price yet they sought out other goodly pearls with that wise Merchant Mat. 13.45 for the which they have their just praise and profit Vers 14. The wise mans eyes are in his head Hee judiciously pondereth things past 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Descrip of the world chap. of China Heyl. Geog. and prudently ordereth things present and providently fore-seeth to prevent dangers likely to ensue The Chineses use to say of themselves that all other Nations of the world see but with one eye they only with two Italians tell us that whereas Spaniards seem wise and are fools French-men seem fools and are wise Portugals neither are wise nor so much as seem to bee so they themselves both seem wise and are so This I could sooner beleeve if from a better mouth than their own Romani sicut non acumina ita non imposturas habent saith Bellarm. The Romans those wittiest of the Italians are neither very subtile nor very simple But the fool walketh in darknesse Hee hath neither fight nor light but is acted and agitated by the Prince of Darkness who holds his black hand before the eye of such mens minds and blinds their understandings dealing with them as Pliny saith the Eagle deals with the Hart shee lights upon his horns and there flutters up and down filling his eyes with dust borne in her feathers that at last he may cast himself from a rock and so be made a prey unto her One event hapneth to them all As did to Josiah and Ahab in the manner of both their dying in battel They may be all wrapt up together in a common calamity Aug. and Sapientes sapienter in gehennam descendant the worlds great wise men goe very wisely down to hell there for want of saving grace fools and wiser men meet at one and the same Inne though by several wayes at one and the same Haven though from several coasts Vers 15. As it happeneth to the fool so it happeneth It is with men as with Counters though in the account one stand for a penny another for a pound yet in the bag there is no difference
and abilities to do good dum solis contemplationis studiis inardescunt Past. Cur. p. 1. c. 5. parere utilitati proximorum praedicatione refugiuâ— while they burn in the studies of contemplation onely do shun to seek by preaching to profit their neighbours Solomon was none of these Yea hee gave good heed Or hee made them to take good heed Ausâ—ultare fecit Pag. Ar. Mon. tan hee called upon them ever and anon as our Saviour did upon his hearers Let him that hath an ear to hear hear Or as the Deacons in Chrysostoms and Basils time used to call upon the people in these words Oremus attendamus Let us pray let us give heed And sought out By diligent scrutiny and hard study beating his brains as the foul bears the shell to get out the fish with great vehemency The staves were alway in the Ark to shew saith Gregory that Preachers should alwaies meditate in their hearts upon the sacred Scriptures that if need require they may without delay take up the Ark teach the people And set in order many Proverbs Marshalled them in a fit method and set others a work for to do the like Dan. 68. For Regis ad exemplum c. Our Henry the first sirnamed Beauclerk had in his youth some taste of learning And this put many of his subjects into the fashion of the Book so that divers learned men flourished in his time as Ethan Heman Chaâ—col Agur and other Paroemiographers did in Solomons Luther Vers 10. The Preacher sought c. Hee sought and sought by pains and prayer Hee knew the rule Bene orasse est bene studuisse To have prayed well is to have studied well By prayer and tears St. John gat the Book opened Rev. 5.4 Luther got much of his insight into Gods matters by the same means To finde out acceptable words Verba desiderata so Cajetan renders it Verba delectabilia so Tremellius Verba expetibilia so Vatablus Delectable and desireable words dainty expressions that might both please and profit tickle the ear Intoâ—abat fulgurabat Cicero Plutarch and withall take the heart Such a Master of speech was Paul Act. 14.12 who thundred and lightened in his discourses like another Pericles Such a one was Apollos that eloquent Preacher mighty in the Scriptures 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like another Phocion a weighty Speaker such were many of the Greek and Latine Fathers Ambrose for one whom when Augustine heard preach Veniebant saith hee in animum meum simul cum verbis quae deligebam etiam res quas negligebam there came into my mind together with the words which I chiefly looked after the matter which till then I made no reckoning of Et res verba Philippus Melanchthon could dress his doctrine in dainty tearms and so slide insensibly into the hearts of his hearers Egit vir eloquens ut intelligenter ut obedienter audiretur De doct Christ l. 4. c. 14. as Augustine hath it This eloquent man took pains that hee might bee heard with understanding with obedience The like might bee said of Calvin famous for the purity of his style and the holiness of his matter Zanch. Miscell Ep. dedic Viret in whose Sermons singularem eloquentiam in commovendis affectibus efficacitatem admirabar saith Zanchy I greatly admired at his singular eloquence and skill to work upon the affections by his elaborate discourses And that which was written was upright A corde ad cor void of all insincerity and falshood Prov. 8.8 Seducers come for the most part with pithanology by good words and fair speeches they deceive the hearts of the simple Rom. 16.18 But our Preachers words are of another alloy not more delicious and toothsome than sound and wholesome 2 Tim. 3.16 proceeding from a right heart and tending to make men upright transforming them into the same image and transfusing them into the Divine nature Vers 11. The words of the wise are like goads To rouse up mens drousie and drossie spirits to drive them as the Eagle doth her young ones with her talons out of the nest of carnal security to awaken them out of the snare of the Devil who hath cast many into such a dead lethargy such a dedolent disposition that like Dionysius the Heracleot they can hardly feel sharpest goads or needles thrust into their fat hearts fat as grease Psal 119.17 St. Peter so preached that his hearers were prickt at heart Act. 2.37 St. Stephen so galled his adversaries that they were cut to the heart Act. 7.54 And before them both how â—â—rely and boldly dealt John Baptist and our Saviour Christ with those enemies of all Righteousness the Pharisees qui toties puncti ac repuncti nunquam tamen ad resipiscentiam compuncti as one saith of them who like those Bears in Pliny or Asses of Tuscany that have fed on hemlock were so stupified that no sharp words would work upon them or take impression in their hearts so brawny were their breasts so horny their heart-strings And as nails Such as Shepheards fastened their tents to the ground with Jael drove one of these tent-nails thorow Sisera's Temples Judg. 4. and laid his body as it were a listening what was become of the soul Now as nails driven into pales do fasten them to their rails so the godly and grave sentences of Teachers those Masters of Assemblies do peirce into mens hearts to unite them unto God by Faith and one to another in love Our exhortations truly should bee strong and well pointed not onely to wound as arrows but to stick by the people as forked arrows that they may prove as those of Joash the arrows of the Lords deliverance And surely it were to be wished in these unsetled and giddy times especially that people would suffer such words of exhortation as like goads might prick them on to pious practice and like nails might fix their wilde conceits that they might bee stedfast and unmoveable stablished in the truth and not whiffled about with every wind of Doctrine But wee can look for no better so long as they have so mean an esteem of the Ministers those Masters of the Assemblies whose Office it is to congregate the people and to preside in the Congregations which are given from one Shepheard 1 Pet. 2.25 the Arch-Shepheard of his Sheep Jesus Christ who in the daies of his solemn inauguration into his Kingdome gave these gifts unto men viz. some to bee Apostles some Evangelists some Pastors some Teachers c. Ephes 4.11 What a mouth of blasphemy then opens that Schismatical Pamphleter The Compas Samarit that makes this precious gift of Christ to his Spouse this sacred and tremend function of the Ministery to bee as meer an Imposture as very a mystery of iniquity as arrant a juggle as the Papacy it self Vers 12. And further by these my son bee admonished By these divine directions and documents contained in this short Book
with earth as Core and his complices were that they cannot resent or savour the things of the Spirit but as vultures they hunt after cation carcases and as Tygers they are enraged with the sweet smell of the Churches spices Let my Beloved come and eat his pleasant fruits For who plants a Vineyard or Orchard and eats not of the fruit thereof 1 Cor. 9.7 The Garden is Christs the pretious graces of his Spirit and all acts of grace those pleasant fruits are all his Hee alone is the true proprietary for of him Rom. 11.36 and through him and to him are all things Of him as the efficient cause Through him as the administring cause and to him as the final cause Well therefore may it follow to whom bee glory for ever Christ counts the fruits that wee bear to bee ours because the judgement and resolution of will whereby we bear them is ours This he doth to encourage us But because the grace whereby wee judge will and work aright comes from Christ ascribe wee all to him as the Church doth in the former verse Gen. 43.11 Cedren ad an 32. Justin. and presenting him with the best fruits as they did Joseph say as David and after him Justinian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of thine own have wee given thee 1 Chron. 29.14 CHAP. V. Vers 1. I am come into my Garden SO ready is the Lord Christ to fulfill the desires of them that fear him Sometimes hee not onely grants their prayer Psal 145.19 but fulfills their counsel Confess l. 5. c. 1. Psal 20.4 fits his mercy ad cardinem desiderii as Austin hath it lets it be to his even as they will Or if he cross them in the very thing they crave they are sure of a better their prayers they shall have out either in money or moneys worth Christ though he be a God that hideth himself yet hee scorns to say unto the seed of Jacob Seek yee mee in vain Isaiah 45.15 19. that's enough for the Heathen Idols vers 16 18. Hee is not like Baal who pursuing his enemies could not hear his friends or as Diana that being present at Alexanders birth could not at the same time rescue her Ephesian Temple from the fire Non vacat exiguis c. Hee is not like Jupiter whom the Cretians painted without ears as not being at leisure to attend small matters and whom Lucian the Atheist feigneth to look down from heaven through certain crevisses or chincks at certain times at which time if Petitioners chance to pray unto him they may have audience otherwise not No no the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his ears are always open to their prayers Psal 34.15 Flectitur iratus voce rogante Deus Basil compares prayer to a chayn the one end whereof is linked to Gods ear and the other to mans tongue Sozomen saith of Apollonius that hee never asked any thing of God in all his life that hee obtained not And another saith of Luther Iste vir potuit apud Deum quod voluit That man could do what hee would with God it was but ask and have with him I have gathered my myrrhe with my spice i.e. I have highly accepted of thy graces and good works these are to bee gathered onely in Christs Garden Hedge-fruits and wilde-hearbs or rather weeds are every where almost to bee had Moral vertues may bee found in a Cato who was homo virtuti similimus a man as like vertue as may be saith Velleius And he addes but I am not bound to beleeve him Qui nunquam recte fecit ut facere videretur sed quia aliter facere non poterat vell lib. 2. that Cato never did well that hee might seem to do so but because hee could not do otherwise than well But why then might a man have asked the Historian did your so highly extolled Cato take up the trade of griping usury Why did he so shamefully prostitute his wife so cowardly kill himself Was it not because he lived in the wilde Worlds waste and grew not in the Churches garden hence his fruits were not genuine his moral vertues are but shining sinnes beautiful abominations a smoother way to hell Civil honest men are but Wolves chained up tame Devils Swine in a fair meadow c. Operam praestant natura fera est as the Civil Law saith of those mixt Beasts Elephants and Camels they do the work of tame Beasts yet have the nature of wilde ones They are cryed up for singularly honest as ever lived by such as are strangers to the power of Godliness and aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel like as in Samaria's famine a cab of Doves dung was sold at a great rate and an asses head at four pound But Christ and such as have the minde of Christ are otherwise minded they look upon an unregenerate man though sober just chaste liberal c. as a vile person Psal 15.4 and upon all their specious works as dead works when as contrarily they honour them that fear the Lord and set an high price as Christ here doth upon their good parts and practices Myrrhe and spices or aromatical fruits are but dark shadows and representations of them I have eaten mine hony-comb with mine hony As it were crust and crumb together not rejecting my peoples services for the infirmities I finde cleaving unto them but accepting what is good therein and bearing with the rest I take all well a worth and am as much delighted therewith as any man is in eating of hony whereof hee is so greedy that withall hee devours the comb too sometimes Mr. Dudley Fenner Christ feedeth saith an Expositour here upon all the fruits of his garden hee so much delighteth in it as hee eateth not onely the hony as it were the most excellent duties or works of the Church see Heb. 13.15 16 21. but also the hony-comb as it were the baser services and fruits of his Spirit of least account that hee receiveth of all sorts most sweetly mingled together both the common and daily fruits of godliness understood in milk and the more rare of greater price as solemn fasts and feasts signified by wine both which hee drinketh together that is accepteth of them all Eat O friends That is O you holy Angels saith the former Interpreter which as my Nobles accompany mee the King of Glory in Heaven and have some communion with me in the gifts I bestow on you Mr. Diodate also thinks the same But I rather encline to those that by Christs friends here understand those earthly Angels the Saints see John 15.14 Isa 41.8 Jam. 2.23 whom hee cheareth up and encourageth to fall to it lustily and by a sancta crapula as Luther calls an holy gluttony to lay on to feed hard and to fetch hearty draughts till they bee even drunk with loves as the Hebrew here hath it being ravished in the love of God where they are
well-beloved q. d. It is such excellent wine as I would wish it or send it even to the dearest and best friend I have Prov. 23.31 even to her that I love as my self if not before my self Or thus which springs and sparkles in the cup. 1 Cor. 1. Causing the lips of those that are a sleep to speak Utterance is called a gift and dumb Christians are blame-worthy as well as dumb Ministers Wee should all strive to an holy ability and dexterity of savoury discourse And for this end the Word of Christ should dwell richly in us in all wisdom our hearts should endite a good matter that our tongues might bee as the pen of a ready writer Let there bee a good treasure within in our hearts and the law of kindness will soon be in our lips for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh Graceless men are gagd by the devill they cannot so much as lisp out one syllable of good language if they attempt it they shew themselves but bunglers and say Sibbolath for Shibboleth you may soon see they speak by rote and not by experience But those that have well drunk of this wine of the Word made effectual by the Spirit talk lustily Act. 2.4 11 14 yea their tongues never lin talking and preaching forth the praises of him who hath drawn them out of darkness into his marvelous light they speak as the Spirit gives them utterance Those that were in a dead sleep of sin are soon set a work to awake and sing Isa 26.19 This should stir us up to study the Word of God and there-hence to learn language The hundreth and nineteenth Psalm is by David set before it as a Poem of commendation mentioning it in every verse testimonies laws statutes c. Like as when a book is set forth verses of commendation are oft prefixed Such another but far shorter is that Psal 19. vers 7 8 9 10 11. The Holy Ghost doth so much the more highly there extoll it because men are wont to have it in very light account and to hold it a disparagement to be eloquent and mighty in the Scriptures Vers 10. I am my Beloveds I see I am so saith the Spouse by that ample commendation that hee hath now again given mee notwithstanding all my former failings in duty towards him There fall out some fallings out betwixt married couples sometimes but then they fall in again they cannot fadge together haply so well at first but being well pieced again they love better than before So is it here The sins wee commit make no change in Christ no substantial alteration For first upon the same grounds hee chose us hee loves us still hee chose us freely because hee would hee chose us for his love and loves us for his choice Secondly there is the same bent of minde and frame of heart towards him remains in us still And therefore as there is a transient act of sin passeth from us so a transient act of chastisement for sin may pass from him Christ looked upon Peter after his denial with the same familiarity as before Jehoshuah the High-Priest though hee were so ill cloathed and had Satan at his right hand to accuse him yet hee stood before the Angel Zech. 3.1 Christ did not abhor his presence nor reject his service Ephraim repenting after his revolt is re-entertained with all sweetness Jer. 31.20 See the Note on chap. 2.16 6.3 And his desire is towards mee His desirous affection hee loves mee as passionately as any woman doth her dearest husband Gen. 3.16 his love to mee is wonderful passing the love of women His desire is so toward mee that as Livia by obeying her husband Augustus commanded him and might have what she would of him so may I of Christ Compare Gen. 4.7 with Isa 45.11 The Church here well understood the latitude of that royal charter and makes it a prop to her Faith and a pledge for her perseverance Vers 11. Come my Beloved let us go forth into the field Being now fully assured of Christs love shee falls a praying shee makes five requests unto him in a breath as it were 1 That hee would come 2 Go forth with her into the field 3 Lodge with her in the villages 4 Get up early to the vineyards 5 See if the vine flourish pomegranates bud c. And further promiseth that there shee will give him her loves Assurance of Christs love is the sweet-meats of the feast of a good conscience said Father Latimer Now it were to bee wished that every good soul whiles it is banqueting with the Lord Christ by full assurance as once Esther did with Ahasuerus would seasonably bethink it self what special requests it hath to make unto him what Hamans to hang up what sturdy lusts to subdue what holy boons to beg c. How sure might they be to have what they would even to the whole of his Kingdome Suitours at Court observe their mollissima fandi Tempora their fittest opportunities of speaking and they speed accordingly A Courtier gets more many times by one suit than a trades-man can do with twenty years pains-taking So a faithful prayer made in a fit season in a time when God may bee found as David hath it is very successful Psal 32.6 Beggery here is the best trade as one said Common beggery is indeed the easiest and poorest trade but prayer is the hardest and richest The first thing that she here begs of him is that hee would come and that quickly and this wee all daily pray Thy Kingdome come both that of grace and the other of glory The Jews also in their expectation of a Messiah pray almost in every prayer they make Thy Kingdome come and that Bimherah Bejamenu quickly even in our days that wee may behold the King in his beauty Let our hearts desire and prayer to God be for those poor seduced souls that they may be saved And the rather because they have a zeal of God and his Kingdom but not according to knowledge Rom. 10.1 2. As also because their Progenitours prayed hard for us and so some take it to bee the sense of the Spouses second request here Let us go forth into the field that is into the world for the field in the parable is the world Mat. 13.38 let us propagate the Gospel all abroad and send forth such as may teach all nations Mat. 28.19 and reveal the mystery that hath been kept secret since the world began that obedience may bee every where yielded to the faith Rom. 16.25 26. Let us lodge in the villages That is in the particular Churches for Tom. 3. p. 81. vilissimus pagus est palatium eburneum in quo est Pastor credentes aliqui saith Luther the poorest village is to Christ and his Spouse an ivory palace if there bee but in it a godly Minister and some few beleevers Melanchthon going once upon some great service
all things as from whom come all alterations and changes and so to teach them to rely on his providence at all times and turns This they thought not on and are therefore turn'd off with contempt Your appointed Feasts Or rather your set-meetings whether for Feasts or Fasts My soul hateth Not all his sences only were offended but his very soul also which is an Emphatical speech and an argument of his hearty detestation Hypocrisie is hatefull to men much more to the holy God When Bernardine Ochin offered the Cardinal of Lorrain his service in writing against the Protestants he sleighted him with greatest scorn because he knew he had dissembled and plaid the Hypocrite The other Papists should have dealt in like sort with Bolsecus that twice-banished and thrice-runnagate Fryar and Physitian whom they basely hired to write the lives of Calvin and Beza alledging him in all their writings as Canonical They are a trouble unto me or a burthen a combrance God though he be not weary of bearing up the whole world yet under this burden he buckles as it were and elswhere complains that he is pressed under it as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves Amos 2.13 Ver. 15. And when ye spread forth your hands This was the ancient guise and garb in extraordinary and most earnest prayer especially to spread forth the arms and lay open the hands as it were to receive a blessing from the Allmighty Exod. 9.24 Psalm 44.20 143.6 1 King 8.22 38. I will hide mine eyes from you tanquam à teterrimo cadavere quod oculos nasum ut occludatis faciat The eyes of the Lord are upon the Righteous and his ears are open to their cry But the face of the Lord is against them that do evil Psalm 34.15 16. his pure eyes cannot behold them with patience Hab. 1.13 Yea when ye make many prayers as hoping to be heard for your much babling The Turks pray constantly five times a day The Jews pronounce daily an hundred benedictions The Papists pray more by tale then by weight of Zeal The wild Irish pray for a blessing on their theft also I will not hear Your prayers are as jarring in mine ears as if divers distracted Musicians should play upon divers had Instruments so many several tunes at one time or as if so many dogs should set up a Howl together Hos 7.14 See the Note there Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs those black Santi's for I will not hear the melody of thy viols Amos 5.23 The Jews at this day conclude their Sabbath with singing or caterwawling rather which they continue as long as they can for the ease of souls departed and withall they pray many times over and over that Elias would hasten his coming even the next Sabbath if he please to give them notice of the Messias his coming All this is lost labor Your hands are full of blood Ac proinde horrorem mihi incutiunt Hands imbrued in blood are horrible to behold Should he who hath assassined the Kings son come to him with a petition presently upon it And should not pure hands be everywhere lifted up to God without wrath and without doubting 1 Tim. 2.8 By Blood here may be meant not only Injustice and Oppression of the poor but all other sins also allowed and wallowed in when blood toucheth blood Hos 4.2 one foul sin is added to another Ver. 16. Wash ye make ye clean Wash your hearts from wickedness that ye may be saved Jer. 4.14 Yea cleanse your hands ye sinners and purifie your hearts ye double-minded Jam. 4.8 But how is that done Be afflicted and mourn and weep c. ver 9. Ye cannot wash your bloody hands in innocency wash them therefore in tears which are a second Baptism of the soul where it is rinsed anew And surely as the sins of the old world so of this little world need a Deluge Set to work therefore and God will soon set in with you Wash your selves with the tears of true Repentance and God will wash you with the blood of his Son only be sure to do your work throughly wash hard rub rinse we have inveterate stains which will hardly be got out till the cloth be almost rubd to peeces And as an error in the first Concoction is not mended in the second nor of the second in the third so if a mans humiliation hath not been sound his reformation cannot be right Wash therefore and then Put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes Away with that abominable thing that is so grievous to all my five senses yea to my very soul as is above said Sin is in Scripture called Pollution Leprosie Contagion Vomit of a dog wallowing of a swine in the mire c and must therefore be rid and removed out of the heart and life or we cannot find favour Cease to do evil This is first to be done Depart from evil and do good break off your sins by Repentance and be abrupt in the work sow not among the Thorns cast away all your transgressions c. The Prophets pressing moral duties in this sort do it as Explainers of the Law they did but unfold and draw out that Arras which was folded together before Learn to do well Turn over a new leaf take out a new lesson Be thou instructed O Jerusalem lest God's soul depart from thee Jer. 6.8 Deliver thy self wholly up to his Discipline Religion is the best learning Philosophia sacra To know Christ and him crucified is as much as Saint Paul cared for Deum cognoscere colere is the whole duty of man add this to the former Negative goodness profiteth not Seek Judgment relieve the oppressed c. Look to the Duties of the second Table those of your own particular places especially Exercise your general Calling in your particular and think not to set off with God by your sacrifices for your oppressions I will have Mercy and not sacrifice Primo praecepto reliquorum omnium observantia praecipitur saith Luther All Gods Laws were in Davids sight Psalm 119.198 all his wayes in Gods sight What a good Justicer and Housholder both he was see Psalm 101. Relieve the oppressed Heb righten the sowred or leavened Judge the fatherless plead for the widdow These are Gods own Clyents Exodus 22.21 Ver. 18. Come now let us reason together In the Greek Church at the beginning of Divine service the Deacon cryed out Sacra Sacris Holy souls to holy service Chrysost Basil Liturg. God will not treat with this people till purified till resolved upon better practices As when he is content by a wonderfull condescention to make them even as Judges in their own cause The Vulgar rendreth it but not so well Et venite arguite me See chap. 5.3 Jer. 2.9 Mic. 6.1 2 3. Alluâ—it ad habitum meretricum A Lap. Though your sin be of scarlet blood-red as ver 15. and of
kind of storehouse for advice in matters of Religion We account them the surest Rule of life the divine beam and most exact ballance But the Papists see well enough that whiles the authority of the Scriptures standeth Divina slatera Aug. Exactissima trutina Chrysost the traditions of their Popes cannot be established which they account the touchstone of doctrine and foundation of faith And in favour of their unwritten verities as they call them they tell us but falsly that Christ commanded his Apostles to preach but not to write Lying children and therefore not Gods children chap. 63.8 Ver. 10. Which say to the Seers See net c. strang impudency but in thus reciting their words the Prophet rather expresseth their spirit then their speeches And yet it may be that the Polititians of those times blamed the Prophets Isaiah and the rest â—â—â—â—ragmatical for interposing and medling in State-matters and pressing the Law so strictly sith in cases of necessity as now it was they must make bold to borrow a little Law of the holy one of Israel Speak unto us smooth things Heb. smoothnesses toothless truths and such as may speak you No-medlers Ver. 11. Get ye out of the way If that be the way which you so much insist upon warp a little remit of your rigour Religiosum opertet esse sed non religentem Cause the holy one of Israel to depart from us Desinat ille nos per Prophet as obtundere let 's hear no more of him molest us not with so many messages from him see Mic. 2.6 Ver. 12. Wherefore thus saith the holy one of Israel The Prophet doth on purpose repeat this title so much disrelished by them to cross them Ministers must not be men-pleasers Ver. 13. Therefore this iniquity shall be unto you q. d. your Commonwealth is tumbling down apace and ye are hastening the utter ruin of it as if ye were ambitious of your own destruction which will be as suddain so total ver 14. Ver. 14. And he shall break it as the breaking of a Potters vessel Collige ex hoc loco saith Oecolampadius Gather we may from this text that remediless ruin wil befall such as resist the Holy Ghost and sin against light Ver. 15. The Holy one of Israel A stile much in the mouths of Gods Prophets in those times But how great arrogancy is it in the Pope to take unto him the title of His Holiness In returning and rest shall ye be saved This is the same in effect with that before ver 7. Preachers must be instant stand to their work and not be baffled out of their unpleasing messages The Septuagint here have it Si conversus ingemueris tunc salvaberis Ver. 16. But ye said No we will not return or rest This is a golden rule of life In silentio spe fortitudo vestra but these refractaries would none of it they knew a better way to work then all that came to Politicians are like tumblers that have their heads on the earth and their heels against heaven Cross-gtain'd they are for most part to all good For we will flee upon horses whereof Egypt was full and for which it was famous of old and so is yet for the Mamalukes horses especially Therefore shall ye flie but in another sense sc fusi fugatique ab hoste with the enemy at your heels Ver. 17. One thousand shall flee See Deut. 32.30 with the Note Vntill ye be left at a beacon Heb a mast i. e. a very poor few or all alone shred of all you had This was fulfilled when Sennacherib wasted the Country even to the very walls of Jerusalem Paucitatem salvandorum nobis insinuat saith Oecolamp Ver. 18. And therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious unto you This it a wonderful condescension i. e. God tarrieth looking for thee to shew thee mercy Serm. of Repent as Mr. Bradford rendreth it if thou wert ripe he is ready But never think that he will lay cordials upon full and foul stomachs faith another grave Divine D. Harris that he will scarf thy bones before they be set and lap up thy sores before they be searcht God chooseth the fittest times to hear and help his suppliants Isa 49.8 with Psal 69.13 opportunitatem opitulandi expectat Be patient therefore brethren untill the coming of the Lord Jam. 5.7 Let your equanimity your longanimity be known to all men the Lord is at hand Phil. 4 5. And therefore will he be exalted He will get up to his tribunal or throne of grace that if ye repent ye may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need Heb. 4.16 For the Lord is a God of jugdement i. e. He is a wise God that knoweth best when to deal forth his favours and where to place his benefits Blessed are all they that wait for him Wait his leasure non cerebri sui sectantur consilia and seek not to get off by indirect courses Those though they should die in a waiting condition yet cannot but be happy because God hath said here Blessed are all they that wait for him Ver 19. For the people shall dwell in Zion c. Or For thou the people of Zion that dwell in Jerusalem shalt weep no more Flebile principium melior fortuna sequetur At the voice of thy cry Thou shalt pray thou shalt also hear the word of God ver 20.21 and reform thy life ver 22. so shall good be done unto thee When he shall hear it he will answer thee yea before chap. 65.24 before thy prayer can get from thy heart to thy mouth it is got as high as heaven Ver. 20. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity Though he hold you to hard-meat and give you but prisoners pitrance so much as will keep you alive only and that you eat your meat with the peril of your lives emendicato pane hic vivamus saith Luther in our Fathers house is bread Gods plenty Yet shall not thy Teachers be removed into a corner Non alis se induent they shall not take wing and flie from thee The Ministry is a sweet mercy under what misery soever men do otherwise groan and labour Corporeal wants are not much to be passed on so the spiritual food be not wanting a famine of the word is the greatest Judgement Amos 8. when the Gospel was first preacht there was great scarcity of bodily food Rev. 6.6 Act. 11.28 but that was scarce felt by those holy souls who did eat their meat such as it was with gladness and singleness of heart Greenham accounting that bread and cheese with the Gospel was good chear Thine eyes shall see thy Teachers A description of holy hearers their eyes are intent on the preachers Scultet their ears arrect their whole course conformed to the rule quando lapsus tam in proclivi est ver 21. their dearest sins abandoned ver 22. Oh for such hearers
7.38 39. Vet. 20. The beasts of the feild shall honour me i. e. In their kind they shall so shall brutish and savage persons Lib. 3. de Rep. Lib. 31. Mor. c. 5. when tamed and turned by the word of Gods Grace The malignities of all creatures are in man as Plato also observed in doloso enim est vulâ—es in crudeli leo in libidinoso amica luto sus c. Gregory by Dragons here understands profane and carnal people by Owls or Ostriches hypocrites These being converted shall sing Halleluja's to God but let them take heed that they turn not with the dog to their own vomit again c. 2 Pet. 2.22 For Ver. 21. This people I have formed for my self Even the Gentiles now as well as the Jews They shall shew forth my praise They shall preach forth the virtues or praises of him who hath called them out of darknesse into his marvellous light 1 Pet. 2.9 Ver. 22. But thou hast not called upon me O Jacob During the captivity they prayed not to any purpose as Daniel also acknowledgeth chap. 9.13 All this evil is come upon us yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God that we might turn from our iniquities and understand thy truth Nevertheless of his free Grace God brought them back again But thou hast been weary of me O Israel Accounting my service a burthen Non Mihi sed Deo fictitio and not a benefit See on Mal. 1.13 Ver. 23. Thou hast not brough me c Not Me but a God of thine own framing such a one as would take up with external heartless services formal courtings and complements Ver. 24. Thou hast bought me no sweet cane or calamus whereof see Plin. lib. 12. cap. 22. Neither hast thou filled me with the fat The Heathens had a gross conceit that their Gods fed on the steam that ascended from their fat sacrifices And some Jews might haply hold the same thing See Deut. 32.38 Psal 50.13 But thou hast made me to serve with thy sins With thine hypocrisy and oppressions especially Isai 1. The Seventy render it Thou hast stood before me in thy sins as outbraving me Thou hast tried my long patience in seeing and suffering thy sins to my great annoyance so Diodate paraphraseth And hast wearied me Exprimit rei-indignitatem cum iniquitate conjunctam God had not wearied them but they had wearied him sufficiently Some make these to to be the words of Christ to his ungratefull Country-men Ver. 25. I even I am he Gratuitam misericordiam diligentissime exprimit God diligently setteth forth his own free grace and greatly glorieth in it shewing how it is that He freeth himself from trouble and them from destruction viz. for his own sake alone That blotteth out thy transgressions Heb. am blotting out constantly and continually I am doing it As thou multiplyest sins so do I multiply pardons chap. 55.7 So Joh. 1.27 he taketh away the sins of the world Dulcis Metaph. One may with a pen cross a great summe as well as a little it s a perpetual act like as the Sun shineth the Spring runneth Zech. 13.1 Men gladly blot out that which they cannot look upon without grief Malunt enim semel delere quam perpetuo dolere so here we are run deep in Gods debt book but his discharge is free and full For mine own sake Gratis propter me Let us thankfully reciprocate and say as he once did Propter te Domine Propter te For thy sake Lord do I all Peccata non redeunt And will not remember thy sins Discharges in Justification are not repealed or called in again Pardon proceedeth from special love and mercy which alter not their consigned acts Ver. 26. Put me in remembrance sc of thy merits if thou hast any to plead Justitiaries are here called into Judgement because they slighted the Throne of Grace Ver. 27. Thy first Father Adam or Abraham say some And thy Teachers Heb. thine Interpreters Oratours Embassadours that is thy Priests and Prophets Ver. 28. Therefore I have profaned the Princes of the Sanctuary Or of holinesse that is those that under a pretence of Religion affected a kind of Hierarchy as did the Scribes and Pharisees who with the whole Jewish Politie were taken away by the Romans both their place and their Nation as they had feared Joh. 11.48 CHAP. XLIV Ver. 1. YEt now hear Hear a word of comfort after so terrible a Thunder-crack chap. 43.28 But there it is bare Jacob and Israel who are threatned here it is Jacob my servant and Israel whom I have chosen it is Jeshurun or the righteous Nation who are comforted And because we forget nothing so soon as the consolations of God as is to be seen in Christs Disciples and those believing Hebrews chap. 12.5 therefore doth the Prophet so oft repeat and inculcate them like as men use to rub and chafe in Ointments into the flesh that they may enter and give ease Ver. 2. Thus saith the Lord that made thee See on chap. 43.1 7 21. and observe how this Chapter runneth parallel with the former yea how the Prophet from chap. 41. to chap. 47. doth one and the same thing almost labouring to comfort his people against the Babylonian captivity and to arm them against the sin of Idolatry whereunto as of themselves they were over-prone so they should be sure to be strongly tempted amongst those Idolaters And thou Jeshurun Thou who art upright or righteous whith a twofold righteousness viz. Imputed and Imparted The Septuagint render it Dilecte or Dilictule my dearly beloved Ver. 3. For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty Or upon the thirsty place hearts that hunger and thirst after righteousness Matth. 5.6 See the Notes there I will pour my Spirit and my blessing When God giveth a man his holy Spirit he giveth him blessing in abundance even all good things at once as appeareth by Matth. 7.11 with Luke 11.13 Here are three special operations of the Spirit instanced 1. Comfort 2. Fruitfulness 3. Courage for Christ ver 5. Ver. 4. As willows by the water-courses Not only as the grass but by a further growth as the willows which are often lopped sed ad ipso vulnere vires sumunt Vberius resurgunt altiusque excrescunt but soon thrust forth new branches and though cut down to the bottom yet will grow up again so will the Church and her Children Ver. 5. One shall say I am the Lords When God seemeth to cry out Who is on my side who then the true Christian by a bold and wise profession of the truth answereth as here After the way that they call heresy so worship I the God of my Fathers said that great Apostle We are Christians said those Primitive Professours and some of them wrot Apologies for their Religion to the persecuting Emperours as did Justin Martyr Athenagoras Arnobius Tertullian Minutius Felix and others The late famous
seem to groan together with the fathfull Rom. 8. so here by a Prosopopâ—ia they are brought in as congratulating and applauding their deliverance Ver. 13. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir-tree There shall be a blessed change of men and of manners those who before were stark naught or good for naught yea vexatious and mischievous shall become fruitful and beneficial Spinis paliurus acutis Virg. Eclog. The Fir-tree is good for many uses the Myrtle brings berriers of excellent taste as Pliny tells us The Chaldee thus paraphraseth here Just men shall rise up instead of sinners and such at fear the Lord in the room of the unrighteous Sed cave ne hic somnies saith Oecolampadius but be warned you dream not as some do that in this world and before the day of Judgement the wicked shall all be rooted out For there will alwaies be Cains to persecute Abels c. And it shall be to the Lord for a name i. e. For an honour it shall be much for his glory which is the end that he propoundeth to himself in all that he doth and well he may sith 1. He is not in danger of doing any thing through vain-glory 2. He hath none higher then himself to whom to have respect For an everlasting sign In monumentum non momentaneum Heb. for a sign of pepetuity or eternity That shall not be cut off Or that it the Church shall not be cut off CHAP. LVI Ver. 1. Thus saith the Lord Keep ye judgement and do justice i. e. Repent ye as ye were exhorted chap. 55.6 7. and bring forth fruits meet for repentance as Matth. 3.8 for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand Matth. 3.1 Tit. 2.12 Christ came to call sinners to repentance Mar. 2.17 and to good works of all sorts which are here called Judgement and Justice as he himself is here called not only Gods salvation but his righteousnesse Ver. 2. Blessed is the man that doth this And withal layeth hold on that i. e. That performeth the duties of both Tables of Piety and of Charity that maketh conscience of keeping the Sabbath especially the fourth Commandement standeth fitly in the heart of the Decalogue and betwixt the two tables of the Law as having an influence into both From polluting it Either by corporal labour or spiritual idlenesse spending the holy time holily And keepeth his hand from doing any evil That is righteous as well as religious not yielding his members as instruments of unrighteousnesse unto sin Rom. 6.13 Ver. 3. Neither let the son of the stranger If a Proselite let not him interline the Covenant of Grace in Christ and say It belongeth not to me Let not him turn the back of his hand to the promise as if he were not concerned in it because no Jew born for now the partition-wall is by Christ to be broken down and the rigour of that old prohibition taken away Acts 10.34 35. Gal. 3.28 Colos 3.11 Ezek. 47.22 Neither let the Eunuch See the Note on Mat. 19.12 Ver. 4. For thus saith the Lord Who comforteth those that are cast down 2 Cor. 7.6 those that are forsaken of their hopes Jer. 30.17 That keep my Sabbaths Which who so do not are worthily deemed to have no true goodnesse in them at all And choose the things that please me Chuse them upon mature deliberation and good advice as Moses did Heb. 11.25 By a free election as Psal 119.30 so shewing themselves wise Eunuchs Ennius such as have their name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Scaliger deriveth it i. e. well-minded men egregiè cordati homines And take hold of my Covenant By a lively faith which is said to have two hands one wherewith she layeth hold on Christ and another whereby she giveth up her self unto him and although the Devil rap her on the fingers for so doing yet she is resolute and holds her own Ver. 5. Even unto them will I give in mine house In the Church of the New Testament Ephes 2.19 20 21. A place Heb. a hand A door-keepers place in Gods House is worth having Psal 84. this was that one thing that he so dearly begged Psal 27.4 And a name That new name Rev. 2.17 that power or prerogative royal that heavenly honour Nonnus there calleth it Joh. 1.12 viz. to be the Sons of God and so to be called 1 Joh. 3.1 to have both the comfort and the credit of it this is nomen in mundo prastantissimum none to this 2 Cor. 6. ult for if sons then heirs c. Rom. 8.16 17. Ver. 6. Also the sons of the stranger that joyneth Relinquishing his heathenish superstition and devoting himself to my fear The Levites had their name from the word here used and Leviathan whose scales and parts are so fast joyned and joynted together To love the name of the Lord to be his servants Plato could say Parere legibus est Deo servire haec summa est libertas To obey the laws is to serve God and this is the chiefest liberty this is perfect freedom But Plato never knew what it was to love to be Gods servant In Psal 1. Lex voluntarios quaerit saith Ambrose All Gods Souldiers are volunteires all his people free-hearted Psal 110.3 they wait for his Law Isa 42.8 See Deut 10.12 Every one that keepeth the Sabbath See on ver 2. Ver. 7. Even them will I bring unto my holy mountain i. e. Into my Church and Church-Assemblies Quaere whether Eunuches and strangers were made partakers of all holy services in the second Temple according to the letter Sure we are that that holy Eunuch Acts 8. and the rest of the Gentiles had and still have free admission under the Gospel And will make them joyful in mine house of prayer by their free accesse unto me and all good successe in their suits Pray that your joy may be full Joh. 16.24 Draw water with joy out of this well of salvation Isa 12. Rejoyce evermore and that you may so do Pray without ceasing 1 Thes 5.16 17. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine Altar Their Evangelical Sacrifices of prayer praise alms obedience c. shall be accepted through Christ Heb. 13.10 15. who is the true altar that sanctifieth all that is offered on it Rev. 8.3 4. For mine house shall be called c. See on Mat. 21.13 Ver. 8. Which gathereth the out-casts of Israel According to that ancient promise of his Deut. 30.4 None of his shall be lost for looking after he will fetch back his banished as that witty woman said 2 Sam. 14.14 Yet will I gather others to him Strangers Eunuches all mine other sheep that are not yet of this fold Joh. 10 16. together with all my straglers those that are relapsed will I recover Ver. 9. All ye beasts of the field come to devour Statim quasi vehementer ira accensus c. All upon the suddain as one much enraged against
friends in Judah 1 Sam. 30.26 Great Alexander when he had prevailed at the river Granicum and was now ascended into the upper parts of Asia sent back many gifts to assure them of his love in Macedonia The like doth God to his Church by sending them Pastours with such two adjuncts as are here 1. Adherent his own approbation 2. Inherent skill to teach the people See Eph. 4.8 with the Notes Ver. 16. They shall say no more the Ark c. When the Gospel shall be preached Paulus ea vocat stercora rudera the ancient ceremonies shall be abolished This was not so easily beleeved and is therefore here again and again assured Ver. 17. They shall call Jerusalem i. e. The Church Christian The throne of the Lord The throne of glory chap. 4.21 So Exod. 17.16 because the hand upon the throne of the Lord that is say some Amalecks hand upon the Church which is elsewhere also called the Temple of God Neither shall they walk any more c. i. e. Not at random but by rule Eph. 5.15 Heb. not any more after the sight of their heart i. e. as themselves thought good but as God directeth them Ver. 18. In that day shall the house of Judah walk with the house of Israel All the Elect shall be reunited in Christ unless we shall understand it of the last reduction of the Nation into one Isa 11.13 Ezek. 37.16 22. Hos 1.11 And they shall come together out of the land of the North i. e. Out of the place of their captivity whereby was figured our spiritual captivity c. Ver. 19. But I said How shall I put thee among the children How but by my free grace alone sith thou hast so little deserved it the causes of our Adoption see Eph. 1.5 6. And give thee a pleasant land The heavenly Canaan which is here fitly called a land of desire or delight an heritage or possession of goodliness a land of the Hâ—sts or desires of the Nations And I said thou shalt call me My Father And My Father affectionately uttered is an effectual prayer As Pater I brevissima quidem vex est sed omnia complectitur saith Luther i. e. Ah Father is but a little word but very comprehensive it is such a piece of eloquence as far exceedeth the rowlings of Demosthenes Cicero or whatsoever most excellent Orator Ver. 20. Surely as a treacherous wife c. This ye have done but that 's your present grief and now you look upon your former disloyalties with a lively hatred of them holding that the time past of your life may suffice to have wrought the will of the Gentiles c. 1 Pet. 4.3 Ver. 21. A voyce was heard upon the high places Where they were wont to worship Idols now they weep for their sins and pray for pardon For they have perverted their wayes This is it that now draweth from them prayers and teares See Chap. 31.18 Lam 5.14 Oi nalanu chi chattanu Wo worth us that ever we thus sinned Some understand those words A voyce is heard as shewing Gods readiness to hear penitent sinners so soon as they begin to turn to him even before they speak as the Father of the Prodigal met him c. Ver. 22. Return ye backsliding children Give the whole turn and not the half-turn only So Act. 2.38 Peter said to them that were already prickt at heart Repent ye even to a transmentation and chap. 3.19 Repent ye and be converted that your sins may be blotted out Repent not only for sin but from sin too be through in your repentance set it be such as shall never be repented of 2 Cor. 7.10 It is not a slight sorrow that will serve Apostates turn it must be deep and down-right And I will heal your back slidings Pardon your sins and heal your natures I will love you freely and cause your broken bones to rejoyce Hos 14.4 Isa 19.22 Oh sweetest promise I what wonder then that their hard hearts were forthwith melted by it into such a gracious compliance as followeth Behold we come to thee See Zach. 13.9 with the Note Ver. 23. Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills Heb. Truly in vain from the hills the multitude the mountaines it is like to that Hos 14.3 Ashur shall not save us neither will we say any more to the works of our hands Ye are our gods See the Notes there Truely in the Lord our God They trust not God at all that not alone Ver. 24. For shame hath devoured the labour of our Fathers That shameful thing Baal hath done it Chap. 11.13 Hos 9.10 he hath even eaten up our cattle and our Children of whom if any be left yet there is nothing left for them And this we now see long and last poenitentia ducti nostro malo edocti having bought our wit and paid dear for our learning And may not many ill husbands amongst us say as much of their drunkenness and wantonness See Prov. 5.9 10 11 12. with the Notes Ver. 25 We lye down in our shame We that once had a whores forehead ver 3. and seemed past grace are now sore ashamed of former miscarriages yea our confusion covereth us as Psal 44.15 because we have sinned against the Lord our God we and our Fathers from our youth unto this day and have not obeyed the voyce of our God Lo here a dainty form and pattern of penitent confession such as is sure to find mercy Haec sanè omni tempore Christiana est satisfactio non meritoria aliqua Papistica atque nugivendula Only we must not acknowledge sin with dry eyes Zegedia but point every sin with a teare c. CHAP. IIII. Ver. 1. IF thou wilt return O Israel As thou seemest willing to do and for very good reason Chap. 2.22 23 24. Thou art but a beaten rebel and to stand it out with me is to no purpose thou must either turn or burn Neither will it help thee to return fainedly for I love truth in the inward parts and hate hypocrisie halting and tepidity If therefore thou wilt return Return unto me Return as far as to me not from one evil course to another chap. 2.36 for that is but to be tossed as a ball from one of the devils hands to the other but to me with thy whole heart seriously sincerely and zealously for Non amat qui non zelat To a tyrant thou shalt not turn but to one that will both assist thee Prov. 1.23 and accept thee Zach. 1.2 And if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight i. e. Thine Idols out of thine house and out of thine heart Ezek. 14.3 4. Then shalt thou not remove But still dwell in the land and do good feeding on faith as Tremellius rendreth that Psal 37.3 Ver. 2. And thou shalt swear The Lord liveth Not by Baal shalt thou swear or other Idols but by the living God or by the
and from your sins and by beleeving the Gospel Defaecantur enim mores ubi medullitus excipitur Evangelium Amendment of life is an upright earnest and constant indeavour to do all that God commandeth and to forbear what he forbiddeth Ver. 4. Trust ye not in lying words Or matters sc that will deceive you The ships Triumph Cic. in Vatinuim or Good-speed may be ventorum ludibrium and miscarry upon the hard rocks or soft sands so fair shews and bare titles help not Vatinius that wicked Roman professed himself a Pythagorean and vicious Antipater wore a white cloak the ensign of innocency This was virtutis stragulam pudefacere said Diogenes wittily to put honesty to an open shame The Temple of the Lord the Temple are these i. e. These buildings or these three parts of the Temple viz. the most holy place the Sanctuary and the outer Court. To these are made the Promises of Gods perpetual residence Psal 132.14 therefore we are safe from all danger whilest here we take sanctuary See Mic. 3.11 The Romish crew in like manner have nothing in their mouths so much as the Church Ecclesiam ad ravim usque crepant catholicam the Church the Catholick Church and therein like Oyster-wives they out-cry us Many also amongst our selves cry the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord who do yet nothing care for the Lord of the Temple They glory in external priviledges and secure themselves therein as the Jews fable that Og King of Bashan escaped in the flood by riding astride upon the Ark without But what profiteth it Respicere ad phaleras nomina vana Catonum Esse Christianum grande est non videri saith Hierom. It 's a great priviledge to be a Christian but not to seem only to be so An empty title yeeldeth but an empty comfort at last Ver. 5. For if ye thoroughly amend your wayes If ye thoroughly execute judgement If ye be serious in the one and sedulous in the other See ver 2. Ver. 6. If ye oppresse not the stranger c. Turtures amat Deus non vultures See on Isa 1.23 Ver. 7. Then will I cause you to dwell in this place Not else Gods Promises are with a condition which is as an oar in a boat or stern of a ship and turns the Promise another way Ver. 8. Behold ye trust c. See on ver 4. Ver. 9. Will ye steal murther c. Heb. will ye stealing steal murthering murther c. i. e. drive a trade with the devil by these soul practises allowed and wallowed in quasi examen malorum facinorum nihil obsit modo domum Dei ingrederemini as if you could set off with me and make amends by your good deeds for your bad Ver. 10. And come and stand before me in this house This was worse then to do as the Circassians a kind of mongrel-Christians of the Greek-Church at this day who as they baptize not their children till the eighth year so they enter not into the Church the Gentlemen especially till the sixtieth year but heare divine service standing without the Temple Brâ—erw Enquir that is to say till through age they grow unable to continue their rapines and robberies to which sin that Nation is exceedingly addicted And say We are delivered i. e. Licensed Hoc idem dicunt qui cogitationes inter peccato non numerant saith Oecolampadius Ver. 11. Is this house which is called by my name Is it become impiae gentis arcanum Aâ—x omnium turpitudinum as Florus afterwards spitefully called it or a professed Sanctuary of roguery as the Papists maliciously say of Geneva Or a receptacle of all abominations as Pompey's Theatre in Rome was once said to be Become a den of robbers To such it should have been said by the Porters Gressus removete profani In the mystical sacrifices of Ceres no profane person was to be admitted for the Priest going before uttered these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is be packing every wicked person So the Roman Priests had their procul ô procul este profani Ver. 12. But go ye now Non passibus sed sensibus Summon the sobriety of your senses before your own judgments and consider what I did of old to Shiloh a place no less priviledged then yours and wherefore I did it and be warned by their woes Alterius perditio tua sit cautio Seest thou another shipwrackt look well to thy tackling Reason should perswade and therefore lodgeth in the brain but when reason cannot perswade example should and mostly will Ver. 13. And now because ye have done Worthily are they made examples to others that will not take example by others that will not alienâ frui insaniâ make benefit of other mens miseries Rising early As good husbands use to do and as Plutarch reporteth of the Persian Kings that they had an officer to call them up betimes and to mind them of their business Ver. 14. Therefore will I do unto this house Which ye fondly think that I am bound to hold and uphold The Disciples also seem to have had a conceit that the Temple and the world must needs end together hence that mixed discourse of our Saviour now of one and now of another Mat. 24. See ver 3. of that Chapter with the Note V. 15. And I will cast you out of my sight Heb. from against or over against my face As I have cast out your brethren For your instance and admonition I hanged them up in gibbets as it were at your very doors but nothing would warn you Ver. 16. Therefore pray not thou for this people For I am unchangeably resolved upon their ruine and I would not have thy prayers those hony-drops spilt upon them Their day of grace is past their sins are full the decree is now gone forth and it is irreversible therefore pray not for this deplored people there is a sin unto death and who knows but their sin was such sure it is the Prophet was silenced here and that was a sad symptom Neither lift up cry Verbum aptum precibus est lift up is a very fit expression and the word rendred cry comes from a root that signifieth clamare voce contentâ efficaci to set up the note to some tune as we say Ranan unde ranae ut aliqui volunt Neither make intercession to me Interdicit ti ne intercedat Here and elsewhere God flatly forbids the Prophet to pray See chap. 14.7 11. and yet he is at it again ver 19 20 21 22. So Exod. 32.11 12 13. Let me alone saith God The Chaldee there hath it leave off thy prayer but Moses would not These were men of prayer and could truly say of themselves as David once did Psal 109.4 but I gave my self to prayer Where the Hebrew hath it But I prayer as if he had been made up of it and had minded little else The Lord also they knew
was a prayer-hearing God Psal 65.2 O thou that art hearing prayers so the Hebrew hath it alwayes hearing some and ready to hear the rest Our God is not like Jupiter of Creet that had no cares nor as those other heathen-deities of whom Cicero sadly complaineth to his brother Quintus in these words I would pray to the gods for those things but that they have given over to hear my prayers Jeremy could upon better ground pray then ever he in Plato did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In English thus Great God the good thou hast to give Plat. in Alcibiad Whether we ask't or no Let 's still receive no mischief thrive To work our overthrow Ver. 17. Seest thou not what they do And hast thou yet an heart to pray for them and should I yet have an heart to pitty them there is only this hope left sometimes that something God will yeild to the prayers of his people Ratio additur quasi digito ad Jeremiam extenso even when he is most bitterly bent against them Flectitur iratus voce rogante Deus Distribuunt inter se munera Ver. 18. The children gather wood All sorts sizes and sexes are as busie as bees Sed turpis labor est ineptiarum Oh that we were so intent with united forces to the worship of the true God of heaven Vae torpori nostro Oh take heed of industrious folly dispirâ—t not your selves in the pursuit of trifles c. Scilicet tenui popano corruptus Osiris Juven Sal. 6. To make cakes Popana cakes stampt with stars To the Queen of heaven i. e. To the heavenly bodies and as some will have it to the Moon in special The Hebrews have a saying that God is to be praised in the least gnat to be magnified in the Elephant but to be admired in the Sun Moon and Stars And if the Jews in the text had stayed here who could have blamed them but to deifie these creatures was gross Idolatry and an inexpiable sin Epiphanius telleth us of certain heretikes called Collyridians that they baked cakes and offered them to the Virgin Mary whom they called the Queen of heaven and do not the Papists at this day the very same Haeres 79. saying that hyperdulia is due unto her not to speak of Bonaventure his blasphemous Lady-Psalter Bernard Bauhusius the Jesuite hath set forth a book in praise of the Virgin Mary by changing this one verse Tot tibi sunt dotes Virgo quot sidera caelo A thousand twenty and two wayes according to the number of the known stars The Jesuites commonly write at the end of their books Laus Deo beatae Virgini Praise be given to God and to the blessed Virgin but this is the badge of the beast Let us say Soli Deo Gloria and yet not in the sense of that Persian Embassadour who whensoever his business lay with Christians was wont to have Soli Deo gloria very much in his mouth but by Soli he meant the Sun whom he honoured for his God Why the women here and chap. 44. should be so busie in kneading cakes to the Moon these reasons are given 1. Because the Moon was a Queen 2. Because the women at their labour were most beholden to the Moon who by her great moisture mollifies the secundines and makes the passage easie for their delivery This custom of offering cakes to the Moon saith one our Ancestors may seem not to have been ignorant of Greg. Posth 202. to this day our women make cakes at such times yea the child is no sooner born but called cake-bread Add that the Saxons did adore the Moon Ibid. 132. to whom they set a day apart which to this day we call Moonday The same Author telleth us that he who not long since conquered the Indies perswaded the Natives that he had complained of them to their Moon and that such a day the goddess should frown upon them which was nothing else but an Eclipse which he had found out in the Almanack Ver. 19. Do they provoke me to anger i. e. Hurt they me by their provocations or hope they to get the better of me and to cause me to lay down the bucklers first Surely as Vlysses his companions said to him when he would needs provoke Polydamas may we better say to such as provoke the Almighty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or as the wise-man contend not with him that is mightier then thou meddle with thy match man Ver. 20. Mine anger and mine fury A very dreadful doom denounced against these daring monsters Those that provoke God to anger shall soon have enough of it It is a fearful thing to fall into the punishing hands of the living God Heb. 10. Oh keep out of them Ver. 21. Put your burnt-offerings to your sacrifices and eat flesh Congerite ingerite digerite egerite take away all your sacrifices wherewith ye fondly think to expiate your sins and feast your carcasses with them for I wot well that you offer them to me ventris potius gratiâ quam internae pietatis rather of gourmandise then good devotion You have therefore my good leave to make your best of them for I account them no other then ordinary and profane food such flesh as is bought and sold in the shambles So Hos 9.4 their meat-offering Lev. 2.5 is in scorn called their bread for their soul or life that is for their natural sustenance And no better are the elements in the Lords Supper to the unworthy Receiver whatever he may promise himself by them Videlicet solum aut simpliciter Ver. 22. For I spake not unto your Fathers I gave them not those holy rites as the substance of my service or that ye should thus hold them up against my threats for your rebellions as a buckler of defence Sacrifices without obedience nec placent nec placant Deum Ver. 23. But this thing I commanded them i. e. I principally commanded them giving them therefore first the Decalogue and then afterwards the ceremonial Law which was or should have been their Gospel Ver. 24. But they hearkened not nor inclined So crosse-grained they were and thwart from the very first In the imagination of their evil heart In sententia animi sui pessimi Trem. Heb. aspectu cordis ut Deut. 19.9 They went backward and not forward As Crabfish do as vise Apostates in pejus proficiunt grow every day worse then other being not only averse but adverse to any good they dayly grow worse and worse deceiving and being deceived seipsit indies facti deteriores Islebius first became an Antinomian and the Father of that Sect and then a Papist and lastly Atheist and Epicure as Osiander testifieth Whilest he was an Antinomian only Cent. 16. pag. 802. he many times promised amendment being convinced of his errour but performed it not After that he condemned his errour and recanted it in a publike auditory and printed his
inditement written against us within and without and spred before Thee Do it for thy Names sake Heb. Do. A short but pithy petition so ver 9. leave us not Ver. 8. O the hope of Israel the Saviour thereof In prayer to pitch upon such of Gods Attributes as wherein we may see an answer is an high point of heavenly wisdom Why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land As a stranger at home and as one that is loth to be too busie in aliena republica where he hath least to do That turneth aside Into some diversorium Inne Ver. 9. Why shouldest thou be as a man astonished That knows not which way to take first he goes one way and by and by he returns again Tremellius rendreth it ut vir fatiscens as one that fainteth hath done his utmost and can do no more Yet thou O Lord art in the midst of us leave us not Extingui lucem nec patiare tuam This was to stirre up himself to take hold of God Ver. 10. They have loved to wander Therefore now they shall have enough of it yet not wander so wide as to misse of hell Psal 95.10 11. what wonder that God seemed a stranger to them who had so far estranged themselves from him Ver. 11. Pray not for this people See on chap. 7.16 Ver. 12. When they fast I will not hear their cry At their fasts they were wont to pray earnestly and to make their voyces to be heard on high Sed defuit aliquid intus their hearts cryed not Ver. 13. Ah Lord God The Vulgar Latine hath it A a a Vide diligentissimam intercessionem He seeketh somewhat to excuse the people by laying the blame upon their false Prophets Like whereunto were those Popish Priests in Gersons time who preached publikely to the people that whosoever would come to hear a Masse he should not be struck blind on that day neither should he dye a suddain death nor want sufficient sustenance c. But I will give you assured peace Heb. Peace of truth Thus these deluders had learned to speak the language of Gods true Prophets of the high-soaring pretended spiritual language of Familists and some other Sectaries one saith well That it is a great deal too high for this world and a great deal too low for the world to come Ver. 14. The Prophets prophesie falsely in my name c. These are certain signs of Impostors in the Church in all ages against whom now if ever the Temple-doors had need be well guarded and the Pulpit-doors have written on them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let no unworthy wight presume to come here Ver. 15. Yet they say Heb. they are saying this is all their song though the present famine doth in part confute them but the people were willing enough to be deceived and were therefore worthily punished Being infatuated they were seduced and being so seduced they were justly judged as Austin somewhere The blind led the blind and both fell into the ditch though it befel the blind guides to lye nethermost Ver. 16. And the people to whom they prophecy shall be cast out They shall be no more excused by their having been deluded then he that in his drink committeth adultery or murther is excused by his drunkenesse A drunkard saith Aristotle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ethic. l. 3. c. 5. deserveth double punishment first for his drunkennesse and then for the sin committed in and by his drunkennesse so here See on ver 15. Ver. 17. Let mine eyes run down This the Prophet did doubtlesse in good earnest like as Samuel mourned for the rejection of Saul and our Saviour wept over Jerusalem And let them not cease Heb. be silent for teares also have a voice Psal 39.12 and doe oft prove very effectual Oratours Ver. 18. If I go forth into the field The Prophet here sets forth the seige as present though it was many years after the more to affect the people Yea both the Prophet and the Priest goe about into a Land that they know not Or go about the land sc begging their bread or flying these miseries and men know them not though men of such rank and quality Ver. 19. Hast thou utterly rejected Judah So as that I may not put up one prayer more for them I cannot hold whatever come of it Let not my Lord be angry if I shoot this arrow also after the former Ver. 20. We acknowledge O Lord our wickednesse We the better sort of us do so and so the Saints have ever done in their interdealings with God falling low at his foot-stool for pardoning and prevailing mercy Ver. 21. Do not abhor us for thy Names sake This was to continue instant in prayer Rom. 12.12 This was to pray on and not faint Luke 18.1 If thy suit be not honest never begin it and if it be never leave it Do not disgrace the throne of thy glory The Temple and the Ark in it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dion Hailcar l. 2. The Romans held the extinction of the Vestal fire a signe of the destruction of their City be the cause thereof what it will We may well think the same of the losse of Gods Ordinances which therefore we must deprecate as here with all our might For as Bodin said well of obtaining so likewise for retaining Religion Non disputationibus sed regationibus c. the businesse will be the better effected by requests then disputes Pray therefore for the peace of Jerusalem yea take no nay Deus ipse qui nullis contra se viribus superari potest preâ—ibus vincitur Hieron The invincible God is overcome by the power of prayer there is a kind of Omnipotency in it saith Luther Remember break not thy Covenant with us Lo this is to be Gods faithful Remembrancer Isa 62.6 7. suggesting unto him seasonable Items Ver. 22. Are there among the vanities of the Gentiles i. e. The Heathen Idols wickedly worshipped by the Jews That can cause to rain Pluit ningit supple Deus These Impersonals imply that the Ancient Romans looked upon Rain Snow c. as Gods work Sure it is that they come by a Divine decree Job 28.26 Not Jupiter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whatever the Poets fable nor the Heavens themselves without the Divine concurrence can give rain but it is God Almighty who both prepareth it Psal 147.8 and withholdeth it at his pleasure Amos 4.7 the second causes do but serve the Divine Providence in these common occurrents Therefore we will wait upon thee For seasonablâ— showers in this our great necessity We will wait or if thou see fit want of our will so that thy will may be done for that 's best For thou hast made all these things Both the constellations and rain or drought caused thereby CHAP. XV. Ver. 1. THen said the Lord unto me In answer to my prayer he replyed Thou hast well prayed sed stat sententia I am set I am
as the motion of the heart and lungs is ever beating and t is a pain to restrain it to hold the breath so here Strangulat inclusus dolor atque exaestuat intus Ovid. Trist Cogitur vires multiplicare suas Ver. 10. For I heard the defaming of many fear on every side This passage is borrowed from Psal 31.13 See the Note there Some render the text I heard the defamation of many Magor-missabibs many of his complices and Coryphaei spies set a work by him to defame and bespattle me Report say they and we will report Calumniare audacter broach a slander and we will blazon it set it afoot and we will set it afloat give us but some small hint or inkling of ought spoken by Jeremy whereof to accuse him to the King and State and we desire no more Athanasius was about thirty times accused and of no smal crimes neither but falsly The Papists make it their trade to belye the Protestants their chieftaines especially They reported of Luther that he dyed despairing of Calvin that he was branded on the shoulder for a rogue of Beza that he ran away with another mans wife c. And for their Authors they alledge Baldwin and Bolsecus a couple of Apostates requested by themselves and as some say hired to write the lives of these Worthies their profest enemies But any thing of this kind serves their turn and they cite the writings of these runnagates as Canonical All my familiars Heb. every man of my peace from such there is the greatest danger Hence one prayed God to deliver him from his friends for as for his enemies he could better beware of them Many friends are like deep ponds clear at the top but all muddy at the bottom Ver. 11. But the Lord is with me as a mighty terrible one Instar Gigantis robusti Vt formidabilis heros Pisc as a strong Giant and mine only champion on whom I lean Here the Spirit begins to get the better of the Flesh could Jeremy but hold his own But as the ferry man plyes the oar and eyes the shoar homeward where he would be yet there comes a gust of wind that carryeth him back again so it fared with our Prophet See ver 14.15 c. Ver. 12. But O Lord of hosts See chap. 11.20 and 17.10 Let me see thy vengeance on them Some pert and pride themselves over the Ministery as if it were a dead Alexanders nose which they might wring off and not fear to be called to account therefore but the visible vengeance of God will seise such one day as it did Pharaoh Ahab Herod Julian For unto thee have I opened my cause Prayer is an opening of the souls causes and cases to the Lord. The same word for opened here is in another conjugation used for uncovering making bare and naked Gen 9.21 Gods people in prayer do or should nakedly present their souls causes without all cover-shames or so much as a ragge of self or flesh cleaving to them Ver. 13. Sing unto the Lord praise ye the Lord Nota hic alternantis animi motus estusque Here the Spirit triumpheth over the flesh as in the next verses the flesh again gets the wind and hill of the Spirit Every good man is a divided man For he hath delivered the soul of the poor i. e. Of poor me as Psal 34.4 Ver. 14. Cursed be the day wherin I was born What a suddain change of his note is here out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing My brethren saith James these things ought not so to be Jam. 3.10 But here humane weakness prevailed and this part of the Chapter hath much of man in it The best have their outbursts and as there be white teeth in the blackest Blackmore and again a black bill in the whitest swan so the worst have something in them to be commended and the best to be condemned See on ver 7. Some of the Fathers seek to excuse Jeremy altogether but that can hardly be neither needeth it Origen saith that the day of his birth was past and therefore nothing now so that cursing it he cursed nothing This is lâ—ke those amongst us who say they may now without sin swear by the Masse because it is gone out of the Country c. Isidor that Jeremie's cursing is but conditional if any let that day be cursed c. Ver. 15. Cursed be the man Let him have a curse for a reward of his so good news Thus the Prophet in a fit of impatiency carrieth himself as one who being cut by a Surgeon and extreamly pained striketh at and biteth those that hold him or like him in the Poet Aeneid l. 2. Quem non incusavi amens hominumque Deumque Surely as the bird in a cage because pent up beats her self so doth the discontented person Look to it therefore Satan thrusteth in upon us sometimes praying with a cloud of strange passions such as are ready to gallow us out of that little wit and faith we have Resist him betimes The wild-fire of Passion will be burning whilst the incense of Prayer is in offering this scum will be rising up in the boyling pot together with the meat See Jon. 4.1 with the Note 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exinde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jon. 4.4 Ver. 16. And let that man be A most bitter curse but causelesse The devil of discontent where it prevaileth maketh the heart to be for the time a little hell as we see in Moses Job David Jeremy men otherwise made up of excellencies These sinned but not with full consent A godly man hath a flea in his ear somewhat within which saith Dost thou well to be angry Jonah Ver. 17. Because he slew me not c. Why but is not life a mercy a living Dog better then a dead Lion See on Job 3.10 10.18 19. Vincet aliquando pertinax bonitas Rev. 2 10. Ver. 18. Wherefore came I forth c. Passions are a most dangerous and heady water when once they are out That my dayes should be consumed with shame Why but a Christian souldier may have a very great arrear 2 Tim. 4.7 8. CHAP. XXI Ver. 1. THe word that came unto Jeremiah from the Lord This History is here set down out of course For Jerusalem was not besieged till chap. 32. and Jehoiakim reigned Chapter 25. It was in the ninth year of Zedekiah that this present Prophecy was uttered Est hic hysterologia sive praeposterus ordo 2 King 25.1 2. This Zedekiah was one of those semiperfectae virtutis homines as Philo calleth some Professours cakes half-baked Hos 7.8 no flat Atheist nor yet a pious Prince Of Galba the Emperour as also of our Richard the third it is recorded that they were bad men but good Princes We cannot say so much of Zedekiah Two things he is cheifly charged with 1. That he brake his oath and faith plighted to the King of Babylon
Greeks of the Persians the Romans of the Greeks the Gothes and Vandals and now the Turks of the Romans such an aestuaria vicissitudo there is in earthly Kingdoms such a strange uncertainty in all things here below Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly feare Heb. 12.28 Let us serve Him and not serve our selves upon him as self-seekers do Ver. 8. And it shall come to passe that the Nation c. It is better then to serve a forrein Prince then to perish by the sword famine or pestilence It should not be grievous to any man to sacrifice all his outward comforts to the service of his life And that will not put their neck under the yoke The Lord disposeth of the Kingdoms of the Heathens also though in such a way as may seem to us to be meer hap-hazard That Nation will I punish By seeking to shun a lesse mischief they shall fall into a greater if they escape frost the shall meet with snow Ver. 9. Therefore hearken not ye to your Prophets Whom the devil setteth a work to perswade you otherwise to your ruine as he is an old man-slayer and hath his breathing devils abroad as his agents such as are here mentioned Ver. 10. To remove you far from your Land So it would prove and such would be the event of their false prophecies Ver. 11. But the Nations that bring their neck When God bids us Yoke it is best to submit In all his commands there is so much reason for them that if God did not enjoyn them yet it were best in self-respects for us to practise them sith in serving him we shall have the creatures to serve us c. Ver. 12. I spake also to Zedekiah See on ver 1. Bring your necks under the yoke Better do so then worse if ye will not be active in it ye shall be passive and that because ye would not take upon you the lighter yoke of mine obedience Deus crudelius urit Quos videt invitos succubuisse sibi Tibul. Eleg. 1. Ver. 13. Why will ye dye thou and thy people Ecquae haec pertinacia If thou hast no mercy on thy self yet pitty the State which is like to perish by thy pertinacy Josephus highly commendeth Jeconiah for his yeelding to go into captivity for the safety of the City Tertullian giveth this counsel to Scapula the Persecutor If thou wilt not spare us yet spare thy self or if not thy self yet thy Country Carthage which is like to smoke for thy cruelty for God is the avenger of all such Ver. 14. Therefore hearken not unto the words of the Prophets Quantâ opus operâ saith Oecolampadius what a businesse it is to beat men off from fale Prophets and Seducers but let the end and the evils they lead to be remembred Cavete à Melampygo Ver. 15. For they prophesy a lye When they speak a lye they speak of their own as it is said of their father the devil Joh 8.44 See chap. 23.21 22. Ver. 16. Behold the vessels of the Lords house c. Notorious impudency but it hath ever been the lot of the Church to be pestered with such frontlesse rake-shames who dare affirm things flat opposite to the truth and flatter men in their sin to their utter ruine Those who are of God can do nothing against the truth but for the truth 2 Cor. 13.8 Ver. 17. Harken not unto them Life and death is let in by the eare Isa 55.3 Take heed therefore what ye hear Serve the King of Babylon And so long as ye may have liberty of Conscience upon any reasonable terms be content and not as the bird in the cage which because pent up beateth her self Ver. 18. Let them make intercession to the Lord of hosts Let them pray in the Holy Ghost by whom they pretend to be inspired Let us see what answer So Elias called upon the Baalites to call aloud unto their god and forasmuch as he heard them not the people were satisfied that they were false Prophets God will fulfil what he hath foretold but then he looketh that his servants should make intercession Elias had foretold Ahab that there should be store of rain after a long drought but then he went up into Mount Carmel to pray for that rain I came for thy prayer said the Angel to Daniel Gods Prophets are his favourites and may have any thing of him Ver. 19. Concerning the sea and concerning the pillars c. Of these see 1 King 7.15 23 27. And concerning the residue of the vessels All the goodly plate whether sacred or prophane that the moderation of the Conquerour had lest in the City Ver. 20. Which Nebuchadnezzar took not See on ver 19. Diod. Ver. 21. Vntil the day that I visite them Till by my providence I appoint a great part of them to be brought back again and to be new consecrated to my service Ezr. 1.7 7.19 CHAP. XXVIII Ver. 1. ANd it came to passe the same year sc Wherein Jermiah spake to Zedekiah and the Priests cap. 27 12. In the beginning In his first year dividing his reign into three parts That Hananiah the son of Azur the Prophet i. e. The pretended Prophet Dictum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Priest he seemeth to have been by his Country Gibeon Josh 21.13 17. and a Prophet he taketh upon him to be preacheth pleasing things through flattery and for filthy lucre likely He saw how ill Vriah and Jeremy had sped by telling the truth He resolveth therefore upon another course These false Prophets would ever with the Squiril build and have their holes open to the Sunny-side ever keep in with the Princes and please the people Ver. 2. Thus speaketh the Lord of Hâ—sts the God of Israel Thus this wretch makes over-bold with that Nomen Majestaâ—ivum holy and reverend Name of God whom he entileth also to his falsities with singular impudence that he may passe for a Prophet of the Lord when as the root of the matter was not in him Ver. 3. Within two full years Jeremy had said seventy Hananiah a man of prime authority some say High-priest within two years This was some trial to good Jeremy to be thus confronted Jeremy's discourse was so much the more distasted because he not only contradicted Hananiah and his complices but also perswaded Zedekiah to submit to the King of Babylon and afterwards to yield up the City when as the Prophet Isay not long before had disswaded Hezekiah from so doing Ver. 5. Then the Prophet Jeremiah said Without gall or guilt Like the waters of Siloah at the foot of Sion Isa 8 6. which run softly he made but small noise though he heard great words and full of falsehood In the presence of the Priests and in the presence of the people Publikely he took him up though mildly because he had publickly offended See Gal. 2.14
Church which cannot be ruinated CHAP. XXXII Ver. 1. THe word that came to Jeremiah What this word was see ver 26. In the tenth year of Zedekiah The City had now been a year at least besieged Notanda est tam diutina populi pertinacia and yet these sinners against their own souls went on to do wickedly and held the Prophet prisoner for the faithful discharge of his duty Full forty years had he been prophecying to them and for many years he had foretold this seige and the following deportation but could never be believed and now he is imprisoned but not left destitute by God of prison-comforts such as made his Prison a Paradise and his sleep sweet unto him as chap. 31. Ver. 2. And Jeremiah the Prophet was shut up in the Court of the prison Where he had some liberty more then at some other times chap. 37.16 20 21. So had Paul at Rome Acts 28. Bradford in the Counter c. this was a mercy and so they esteemed it Good people were suffered to come about them and they made use of that opportunity to do what good they could Ver. 3. For Zedekiah had shut him up He who before had set him at liberty and thereby haply hoped to have stopt his mouth but that might not be Behold I will give this City This holy City as the false Prophets stiled it and therefore held this Prophecy little better then Blasphemy Ver. 4. And Zedekiah King of Judah shall not escape As he hoped to have done either by his wiles or by his wealth and accordingly attempted it but all in vain And he shall speak with him mouth to mouth This was no small punishment to Zedekiah that he must look him in the face from whom he had so persidiously revolted even against oath and hear his taunts before he felt his fingers How then will gracelesse persons do to stand before the King of Kings whom they have so greatly offended at that great day See Rev. 9.17 Ver. 5. And there shall he be untill I visit him sc With death but the Prophet useth a general term that might be taken either in good part or bad for his own safety sake Ver. 6. The Word of the Lord came unto me saying He had Gods Word for his warrant and this bore him out against the jeares of the ungodly who would easily think it a very simple part in him who prophesied a desolation of the whole land to go about to buy land Ver. 7. Behold Hanameel the son of Shallum This Shallum and Hilkiah the Father of Jeremiah were brethren And it was no lesse an honour to Hanameel to have such a kinsman as Jeremy then afterwards it was to Mark to be Barnabas his sisters son Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth The Priests though they had no corn-fields yet they had meadows for their cattle gardens and orchards in the suburbs of their Cities which in some cases they might sell one to another till the year of Jubilee howsoever Some say that if such a field were so sold to a kinsman as here it remained to him for ever But the possession of the Levites might at any time be redeemed Lev. 25.32 For the right of redemption is thine See Levit. 25.25 32. Ruth 3.12 4.3 4. Ver. 8. So Hanameel my uncles son came to me God ruleth and boweth mens wills and all second causes according to the good pleasure of his will he doth also so frame and contemper them among themselves that there may be an harmony and correspondency betwixt them Then I knew that this was the Word of the Lord Or that it was a businesse of God sc for the better settling of the faithful in the assurance of a return out of captivity Ver. 9. And I bought the field This was bravely done Liv. lib. 26. Plutar. in Annib Flor. l. 2. c. 6. to make a purchase at such a time when the enemy was seizing upon all That Roman is famous in history who adventured to purchase that field near Rome wherein Annibal had pitcht his camp Verum eorum res non erant ita deploratae but the Romans were nothing near so low at that time as the Jews were at this And weighed him the money That was the manner of payment in those times Olim moneta librabatur Pater puellae id aurum in dotem viro appendit Vnde nomen marcharum bodie nobis superest Zegedin Hence the Hebrew Shekel from Shakel to weigh Gen. 23.16 our English word Scale seemeth to come from it the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ponderare Exod. 30.13 Mat. 27.9 or of statera for a balance the Dutch and English Mark cometh from a like Original Even seventeen shekels of silver No great sum not much above fourty shillings but it might be as much as the thing was worth considering the times especially Ver. 10 And I subscribed the evidence Heb. I wrote in the book and sealed it Men love to be upon sure grounds in things temporal oh that they were as wise for their souls Ver. 11. So I took the evidence of the purchase both that which was sealed c. There were then two copies of these contracts and covenants for preventing of after-claimes and quarrels Ver. 12. And I gave the evidences of the purchase unto Baruch Who was Jeremiah's houshold servant and his Scribe or Notary such as was afterwards Paulus Concordiensis to Cyprian In the sight of Hanameel c. Here was good husbandry Fullers Church hist which Bishop Andrews was wont to say was good Divinity Before all the Jews who sat in the court of the prison Whither they came likely Act. Mon. 1457. to hear the Prophet as the well affected here did to hear and see the Martyrs in Queen Maryes dayes To Mr. Bradford by his keepers courtesie there was such resort at his lecture and ministration of the Sacrament that commonly his chamber was well-nigh filled therewith Ver. 13. And I charged Baruch See on ver 12. Ver. 14. That they may continue many dayes Even beyond the seventy years of Captivity and then be produced again Ver. 15. Houses and fields and vineyards c. How unlikely soever it may seem like as it did to Moses that the people should eat flesh a moneth together He thought that God had made an unadvised promise and prayes him to consider that the people were six hundred thousand footmen and that the flocks and herds would not suffice them Jeremy seemeth to object some such matter in his following prayer especially ver 25. But God answereth them both alike viz. that his hand was not waxen short that nothing was too hard for him that he was never non-plust c. See ver 27. with Num. 11.23 Ver. 16. I prayed unto the Lord saying His heart began to boile with unbelief and carnal reasonings he therefore setteth himself to pray down those distempers As a man may sleep out his
drunkennesse so he may pray away his perturbations It was Jobs restraining of prayer Eliphaz thought that made him so far to forget himself and to out-lash chap. 15.4 Ver. 17. Ah Lord God This Interjection in the beginning of his prayer sheweth that his heart was greatly grieved and perplexed Neverthelesse he reigneth in his passions and runneth not out into a brawle instead of a prayer as Jonas did chap. 4.1 See the Notes there Thou hast made the heaven and earth by thy great power God 's Might and mercy are the good souls Jachin and Boaz whereon it ever resteth These two doth Jeremy in this prayer of his chiefly plead and fly to And there is nothing too hard for thee Heb nothing is hidden from thee or wonderful with thee But for my part I am at a great stand neither know I how to bring both ends together Ver. 18. Thou shewest loving kindnesse See on ver 17. And recompensest the iniquity Thou art not made all of mercy neither as silly folk are apt to conceit it Into the bosom of their children Who have it in full measure long though it be first sometimes Such Parents are parricides The Great the mighty God Surgit hic oratio Let us learn to represent the Lord to our selves in prayer under fit notions and attributes This will both increase faith and inflame affection Ver. 19. Great in counsel and mighty in work See on Esay 9.6 and 28.29 For thine eyes are upon all the wayes of the sons of men Oh that we could alwayes look upon these eyes of God as looking on us it would be a notable retentive from evil and incentive to good To give unto every one according to his wayes Gods providence which is nothing else but the carrying on of his decree is that helm which turneth about the whole ship of the universe Ver. 20. Who hast set signes and wonders Psal 74.43 and 106.22 and 135.9 Oâ—os lib. 1. cap. 10. Even unto this day Orosius writeth that the tracks of Pharaohs charet-wheeles are yet to be seen at the red-sea Fides sit penes Authorem And hast made thee a name As Esay 63.12 ver 21 22 23. See Psal 136.10 11 12 c. and 105.44 Neh. 9.24 26. Ver. 24. Behold the mountaines Raised by the enemies as high as the walls that they might fight with the besieged upon even ground Ver. 25. And thou hast said unto me Which now I cannot but seriously wonder at seeing how things are carried yet I have obeyed thee without sciscitation For the City is given Or though the City be given Ver. 26. Then came the Word of the Lord See on ver 1. Ver. 27. Behold I am the Lord the God of all flesh Yea of the spirits of all flesh Num. 16.22 but what can weak flesh do against the Almighty Is there any thing too hard for me See on ver 15.17 Still God is careful to confirm and comfort his Ministers And here he doth Jeremy much what in his own words Ver. 28. Behold I will give this City as ver 3. Ver. 29. With the houses upon whole roofes Such was their impudence and so far was this now from being as once the holy City It was become a very Poneropolis excessively superstitious as was afterwards Athens Acts 17.22 Ver. 30. Have only done evil before me Have made it their whole practice to provoke me like as ver 23. they are said to have done nothing of all that God commanded them to do so crosse-grained they were and to every good work reprobate Ver. 31. From the day that they built it Ever since Solomon beautified it and made it the Metropolis Neverthelesse Hegesippus was out in saying that Jerusalem was so called quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Solomon made it famous by his magnificence but odious by his idolatry there Ver. 32. Because of all the evil Their omissions ver 23. and commissions ver 30. doing evil as they could Ver. 33. And they have turned unto me See chap. 2.27 Though I taught them See chap. 7.13 and 25.3 and 26.3 Ver. 34. In the house which is called by my Name Templi Periphrasis haec est emphatica atque argumentosa Ver. 35. And they built See chap. 7.31 and 19 5. Ver. 36. And now therefore Or yet now notwithstanding when God thus cometh in with his Non-obstante what may not he do Ver. 37. Behold I will gather them See chap. 16.15 and 23.3 This was fulfilled especially in that golden age and perpetual Jubily of the Gospel that began five hundred years after Ver. 38. And they shall be my people See chap. 24.7 and 31.33 Ver. 39. And I will give them one heart Onenesse or singlenesse of heart in my service and unanimity among themselves untill they all come unto that onenesse of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man c. Eph. 4.13 That they may fear me for ever This the Jews say but falsly a man may do by the power of nature See ver 40. and Ezek. 36.26 27. Ver. 40. And I will make See chap. 31.31 Ezek. 39.29 Ver. 41. Yea I will rejoyce over them Volupe mihi erit it shall be as great a pleasure to me to bless them as it can be to them to obey me See chap. 24.7 Ps 119.2 10. Ver. 42. So will I bring upon them chap. 29.10 and 31.28 Ver. 43. And fields shall be bought For an assurance whereof I have caused thee to buy this field now Ver. 44. Men shall buy fields for money All shall be statu quo prius in that great restauration of all things And with this Chapter endeth the Commentary of Hierom upon Jeremy CHAP. XXXIII Ver. 1. MOreover the Word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah the second time To the same purpose with the former chap. 32. which is reckoned his fourteenth Sermon as this his fifteenth by both we see that the Word of God is not bound though the Preacher may 2 Tim. 2.9 It runs and is glorified is free and not fettered 2 Thes 3.1 While he was yet shut up God forsaketh not his Prisoners but giveth them oft extraordinary comforts Philip Lantgrave of Hesse being a long time held prisoner by Charles the fifth for the defence of the Gospel was demanded what upheld him all that time he answered Divinas Martyrum consolationes se sensisse that he felt in his soul the divine consolations of Martyrs in whom as the afflictions of Christ do abound so do comforts by Christ abound much more 2 Cor. 1.5 Ver. 2. Thus saith the Lord the Maker thereof i. e. Of the promise of restauration chap. 32. Or of Jerusalem which he is said to make in the sense that he made Moses and Aaron 1 Sam. 12.6 that is advanced them The Lord is his Name Jehovah the Essectiator who giveth being to all things and particularly to his Word Ver. 3. Call unto me and I will answer thee Thou hast a promise and I will
performe it but so as that thou Jeremy and such as thou art Daniel Ezekiel Nehemiah c. pray over the promise The Angel told Daniel he came for his prayer-sake chap. 10.12 And shew thee great and mighty things Or abstruse and reserved things Gods praying people get to know much of his mind above others like as John by weeping gat the book opened and Daniel by prayer had the Kings secret revealed unto him in a night vision Dan. 2.18 19. Bene orasse est bene studuisse said Luther who as he had much communion with God by prayer so holy truths were dayly more and more made known unto him he knew not how nor which way as himself said Ver. 4. Which are thrown down by the mounts Or Catapults or engines of demolition used to batter with See chap. 32.24 And by the sword Or mattocks sc after that the enemy had entred the City and cryed as Psal 137.3 Destruite ex imis subvertite fundamentis Down with it down with it even to the ground Ver. 5. They come to fight with the Chaldeans But they fight not in Gods Name for he hath for all their wickednesse hid his face from them therefore they fight with such sorry successe the houses which they would defend are filled with their dead carcasses This whole verse would be hemmed in with a Parenthesis Ver. 6. Behold I will bring it health and cure Vna eademque manus vulnus opemque feret This is Gods usual method and manner of dealing with his people Hos 6.1 as a skilful Physician primo pungit deinde ungit Enecat ut possit vivificare Deus Revelabo 1. vt ipsa exhibebo And I will reveals unto them abundance of peace and truth Why then feri Domine feri such gold as peace and truth cannot be bought too dear The Chaldee here hath it Revelabo eis portam poenitentiae I will reveal unto them the gate of repentance and shew them how they may walk in the way of peace and truth Ver. 7. And I will cause the captivity of Judah As chap. 24.5 and 30.3 and 32.44 they shall be as if I had not cast them off and I will hear them Zach. 10.6 Ver. 8. And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity Which must therefore needs be a filthy and loathsom thing else what need cleansing Christ for this cause came by water and blood And I will pardon all their iniquities This clause expoundeth the former and containeth the mother-mercy Ver. 9. And it shall be to me a name of joy i. e. An honour that I shall take singular delight in Iâ— nomen latum 1 laetificum And they shall fear and tremble for all the goodnesse Which bodes no good to them for the Churches welfare is ever joyned with the downfal and destruction of her enemies Ver. 10. Again there shall be heard in this place God loveth to help his people when they are forsaken of their hopes Ver. 11. The voyce of joy See chap. 7.34 and 16.9 The voyce of them that shall say Praise the Lord of hosts for he is good This carmen intercalare the Jews sang joyfully at their return from Babylon Ezra 3.11 and the Saints shall have cause to sing throughout all eternity And of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise Even the calves of their lips giving thanks to his name Heb. 13.15 together with other Evangelical sacrifices as contrition Psal 51.17 Confidence Psal 4.5 Almesdeeds Heb. 13.16 the obedience of faith Rom. 15.16 selfdenial Rom. 12.1 c. The Talmudists say that the sacrifice of praise here mentioned shall continue when all other sacrifices are abolished and this we see verified in the Christian Church Ver. 12. In all the Cities thereof shall be an habitation of Shepherds i. e. Several sorts of buildings yea even sheep-cotes and lodges for Shepherds and their flocks All these promises are Antitheta opposite to those menaces chap. 7.34 and 16.9 and 25.10 See chap. 31.24 Ver. 13. Shall the flocks passe again under the hand of him that telleth them As shepherds use oft to tell their sheep Christ the great Shepherd and Bishop of souls knoweth all his sheep and calleth them by name he hath them ever in numerato for he numbreth the stars also See Joh. 10.3 11 12. Ver. 14 I will perform that good thing Praestabo verbum istud optimum as Tremellius well rendereth it I will perform that best word or promise viz. concerning Christ in whom all the former and future promises are Yea and Amen to the glory of God 2 Cor. 1.20 Haec dicendâ— bono sunt bona verba die Ver. 15. I will cause the Branch of righteousnesse See the same chap. 23.5 This sweet promise concerning Christ can never be too often repeated The Greek and German versions have that clause here also as there And a King shall reign and prosper or understand Ver. 16. And this is the name wherewith she shall be called The Lord is our righteousnesse Heb. this is that he shall call her Jehovah our Righteousnesse Called the Church shall be by Christs own name which is a very high honour as being his Spouse and making up one mystical body with him Hence she is called Christ 1 Cor. 12.12 and the fulnesse of him who filleth all in all Eph. 1. ult See chap. 23.6 with Ezek. 48.35 Ver. 17. David shall never want a man The Man Christ Jesus Luke 1.32.33 Ver. 18. Neither shall the Priest want a man The same Man Christ Jesus who is as a King everlasting so a Priest for ever after the order of Milchisedech and his sacrificing of himself once is more then equivalent to the daily perpetual sacrificing Whereunto may be added the continuance of an Evangelical Ministry in the Church to the worlds end Mat. 28.20 Eph. 4.11 12 13. Ver. 19. And the Word of the Lord c. Iterum de perpetuitate regni Christi tractat jurat saith Oecolampad Once more he treateth of the perpetuity of Christs kingdom and assureth it as by oath Ver. 20. If ye can break my Covenant of the day God hath hitherto kept promise with nights and dayes that one shall succeed the other and will he not then keep touch with his people Ver. 21. Then may also my Covenant See ver 17.18 The Poet hath somewhat like this Jungantur ansè saeva sideribus freta Et ignis undae tartaro tristi polus Lux alma tenebris râ—scidae nocti dies c. Sen. in Octavia Ver. 22. As the host of heaven See Gen. 13.16 15.5 So will I multiply the seed of David True believers And the Levites godly Ministers See Psal 68.11 Ver. 23. Moreover Or Again Idem repetit the same thing is repeated that it may be the better believed Ver. 24. Consider thou not what this people have spoken This unbelieving misgiving desponding people of mine The two families Judah Israel habentur pro peripsemate Ver. 25. If my Covenant
of an asse wherewith he had formerly been threatened chap. 22.19 His father Josiah was one of those few that lived and dyed with glory but he did nothing lesse Ver. 31. And I will punish him and his seed See on ver 26. The like is threatened to Zedekiah chap. 21.7 who was therefore the worse because he should hove been warned by his brothers miseries And I will bring upon them See chap. 35.17 Malis horrendis adobruentur omnes Ver. 32. Then took Jeremiah Who is therefore famous for his obedience which is then only right when it is prompt and present ready and speedy without delayes and consults as here And there were added besides unto them many like words So little is gotten by relucting against the Word of God and persecuting his messengers What do wicked men hereby but intangle themselves more and more as one that goeth amongst bâ—yars Did not my Word take hold of your fathers Zach. 1.6 See the Note there what do they else Oâ—pressus Christi Spiritus robustior in se coactus exilit Oecol but as she in the history who mâ—stâ—king her looking-glasse for shewing her truly the wrinckles in her old withered face brake it in displeasure and then she had for one glasse many every piece thereof presenting to her the decay of her beauty which she was so loth to take notice of The best way is to passe into the likenesse of the heavenly pattern See Mic. 2.7 with the Notes there CHAP. XXXVII Ver. 1. ANd King Zedekiah the son of Josiah This also and the next Chapter are as the former historical and so easy to be understood that to set long notes upon them were A Lap. saith One rather to obscure them then to explain them Ver. 2. But neither he nor his servants did harken And this was theis undoing sc that they humbed not themselves before this holy Prophet speaking unto them from the mouth of the Lord 2 Chron. 36.12 Ver 3. Pray now unto the Lord our God for us This King would seem to have some more goodnesse in him then his brother and predecessour Jehojakim but he played the hypocrite exceedingly as in other things so in this that he obeyed the Prophets prayers but would not obey his preaching The like did Pharaoh Saul Simon Magus c. Hezâ—kiah sent to the Prophet I say for prayers but withal he humbled himself and lived holily which Zedekiah did not Ver. 4. Jeremiah came in and went out He was yet at liberty as the Saints have some Halcyons yet are never unexercised as we see in the Apostles but especially in Paul Acts 5.13 For they had not put him in prison Not yet they had It was in our late wars a like difficult thing to find a wicked man in the enemies prisons or a godly man out of them Ver. 5. Then Pharaoh's Army was come out of Egypt This then seemeth to be the occasion that moved Zedekiak to send to the Prophet for his prayers viz that God would be pleased to prosper the Egyptians coming to raise the seige and to keep off the Chaldeans from returning to Jerusalem But God had before signified his will to the contrary and the Jews trusting to humane helps took not a right course for their own presevation See chap. 34. Ver. 6. Then came the Word of the Lord In answer to the messengers that came to request prayers Ver. 7. To enquire of me Or to seek to me to set me a work for you at the Throne of grace Behold Pharaoh's army c. The Talmudists tale here of what frighted back the Egyptians is not worth the telling It may be read in Corn à Lapide upon ver 6. Ver. 8. And the Chaldeans shall return See cha 32.12 29. Ver. 9. Deceive not your selves As too too many do qui praesumendo sperant sperando pereunt For they shall not depart sc For altogether not for any space of time or to any purpose Like hereunto is that Mat. 9.24 the damosel is not dead Ver. 10. For though ye had smitten Pro Anxesi ad icit Hyperbolen he useth an Hyperbolical supposition for illustration And there remained but wounded men amongst them God cannot be without a staff to beat a rebel Virum malum vel mus mordet saith the Proverb A mouse will bite a bad man Milez Cobelitz a Christian souldier sore wounded and all bloody seeing Amurath the great Turk viewing the dead bodies after a victory rose up out of a heap of slain men Turk Hist 200. and making toward the Conquerour as if he would have craved his life of him suddenly stabbed him in the bottom of his belly with a short dagger which he had under his coat and so slew him Yet should they rise every man in his Tent It is God who strengtheneth or weakeneth the arm of either party Ezek. 30.24 Those that fight against spiritual wickednesses in their own strength are sure to be foiled and although the unclean spirit may seem to be cast out yet he will return to his old house and bring seven worse with him Matth. 12. Ver. 11. For fear of Pharaoh's army Or rather because of Pharaoh's army whom now they drew off to encounter Ver. 12. Then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem Where he saw there was so little good to be done by his Ministry This some think was an infirmity in him Mr. Greenham upon such a ground as this was perswaded to leave his charge at dry Draiton in Cambridgeshire and to go to live at London where he dyed of the plague and as some reported repented on his death-bed of having so done To go into the Land of Benjamin To Anathoth his own home and if he went thither for his one safety or conveniency sake why might he not To separate himself thence in the middest of the people Vt lubricificaret exinde in medio populi that he might slide or slip away thence in the throng undiscerned Pagnin Vatab. Ver. 13. Irijah the son of Shelemiah the son of Hananiah Of that Hananiah say the Rabbines whose death Jeremy foretold chap. 28.16 17. This Irijah ferox adolescens as Josephus calleth him a fierce young man bearing Jeremiah a gradge layeth hold on him in the gate and layeth treachery to his charge Tacâ—tus unicum crimen eorum qui crimine vacabant Saying Thou fallest away to the Chaldaeans Jeremy had spoken much of the Chaldaeans power and foretold their victory Hence he is here falsely accused of falling away to them and being false to his Countrey Indeed if the Chaldees could have fetcht off Jeremy as the French King Lewis did Philip de Comines from the Duke of Burgundy whose affaires thereupon declined immediately they might have made very good advantage of him But he was far enough from any such compliance with them and could better have said then ever Tully did Ne immortalitatem contra Remp. acciperem I would not be false to my Countrey for
Job 20.12 15. Yea the wall of Babylon shall fall Which yet was strong to a miracle as being two hundred cubites high of the Kings cubites which were larger then ordinary and fifty cubites thick having a hundred brazen gates and many stately towers c. All shall down saith the Prophet Ver. 45. My people go ye out of the midst of her This is much pressed chap. 50 8. ver 6. and it was but need for many of the Jews were as hardly drawn to depart thence as a dog ab uncto corio from a fat morsel Ver. 46. And lest your heart faint Or And let not your hearts faint And ye fear for the rumour sc Of Cyrus his coming fear it not all 's for the best to you your redemption draweth nigh A rumor shall both come one year sc Of Cyrus his preparation and then another of his expedition toward Babylon Ruler against Ruler i. e. Cyrus against Belshazzar so Constantine against Maxentius Maximinus Licinius c. this was for the best to the poor Church of Christ Ver. 47. I will do judgement c. See chap. 43.12 13. Exod. 12.12 Est Hyperbolica Prosopopaesa And all her slain shall fall Her dancers One rendereth it their merry dance shall end in a miserable downfal Ver. 48. Then the heaven and the earth c. shall sing There shall be as it were a new face set upon the world and all the creatures shall appear to be well-apaid at the downfal of Babylon under the oppressions whereof they even groaned and laboured See what a like general joy there will be at the ruine of Rome Rev. 18. Ver. 49. So at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth Or rather of all the land i. e. of all Babylon or Assyria When God once cometh to make inquisition for the blood of his Saints woe to the wicked c. Ver. 50. Ye that have escaped the sword sc Of the Medes and Persians who at the taking of the City killed all promiscuously Goe away stand not still Haste home to your own Country for therefore hath the Lord delivered you from so many deaths and dangers See ver 25. Remember the Lord afar of Should not we mind heaven and hasten thither Plotinus ap Augâ—st de civ Dei l. 9. c. 16. If a Heathen could say ought not we much more Fugiendum est ad clarissimam patriam ibi Pater ibi omnia Haste we home to heaven there 's our Father there are all things Ver. 51. We are confounded because we have heard reproach This is the Jews lamentation as in the next verse we have the answer to it Ver. 52. Wherefore behold the dayes come So soon is God up at the cry of his poor people Psal 12.5 I will do Judgement See ver 37. 49. Ver. 53. Though Babylon should mount up to heaven As her walls are said to have been of an incredible height see on ver 44. and her tower to have been little lesse then four miles high threatning heaven as it were Ver. 54. A sound of a cry commeth from Bâ—bylon See chap. 48.3 Ver. 55. Because the Lord hath spoiled Babylon Heb. is spoiling for it was long in doing but as sure as if done together and at once In like sort many of the promises are not to have their full accomplishment till the end of the world as those about the full deliverance of the godly the destruction of the wicked the confusion of Antichrist c. And destroyed out of her the great voice Of the revellers and roaring-boyes or of their enemies as some rather sense it breaking in upon them Ver. 56. For the Lord God of recompences Princeps ille arbiter justae taelionis God who loveth to retaliate Lib. 16. Ver. 57. And I will make drunk See ver 39. Ver 58. The broad wals of Babylon See on ver 44. Or Lib. 6. c. 26. the walls of broad Babylon that greatest of all Cities saith Strabo the compasse whereof within the wals was near upon threescore miles saith Pliny Ver. 59. The word which Jeremiah the Prophet commanded Seraiah This is now the last part viz. a type used for confirmation of this prolix preceding Prophecy uttered at Jerusalem haply in the fourth year of Johejakim which was the first of Nebuchadnezzar and now to be read at Babylon in the fourth year of Zedekiah which was seven years before the destruction of Jerusalem and above Sixty years before the destruction of Babylon God loveth to fore-signify but Babylon would not be warned which was a just both desert and presage of her ruine When he went with Zedekiah In company with him say some out of the Jewes Chronicle at which time Nebuchadnezzar who had made him King took an oath of him to be true to him which he afterwards brake and was punâ—shed accordingly 2 Chron. 36.13 Others think that Seraiah went not with Zedekiah but for him and from him with a present to Nebuchadnezzar that he might keep his favour or that he might be reconciled unto him after his revolt from him 2 King 24.20 And this Seraiah was a great Prince One that opposed the rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar or a peace-maker at Court or the great Chamberlain Heb. a Prince of rest or Prince of Menucha a place so called Judg. 20.43 or a quiet honest and humble Prince otherwise he would not have been thus commanded by a poor Prophet especially in a matter of so great danger as it might have proved if publikly noticed Ver. 60. So Jeremiah wrot in a book all the evil For Babylon's commonition if at least the book were read publickly as some hold it was and the Jewish captives consolation Ver. 61. When thou comest to Babylon and shalt see sc The sinfulnesse as well as the statelinesse of that City And shalt read all these words Or then shalt thou read all these words They who hold he did it publickly extol the authority of the Prophet the boldnesse of Seraiah and the mildnesse of the King of Babylon somewhat like that of the King of Nineveh Jon. 3. but the most think he read it privately yet not in some closet a part by himself but in some private house to his country-men who came unto him Ver. 62. Then shalt thou say O Lord c. The promises are to be prayed over and then we may expect their accomplishment Prayer also added to the outward sign according to Gods holy Word maketh it a sacramental sign Ver. 63. Thou shalt bind a stone to it See the like Symbol or Chria Rev. 18.21 Where by the mighty Angel Alcazar understandeth the Prophet Jeremy Ver. 64. Thus shall Babylon sink Ceremonies are to little purpose unlesse they have divine expositions annexed unto them And they shall be weary That seek either to save it or to restore it Thus far are the words of Jeremiah sc Concerning Babylon See the like concerning Moab chap. 48.47 CHAP. LII Ver. 1. ZEdekiah was one
God let the Church therefore pray in hope to be heard and to speed the better for the others insolencies These by wall understand the people within the wall Others O Mure qui nunc es merae ruinae O poor shattered wall or O City which art now nothing but bare walls without housing and inhabitants Ver. 19. Arise cry in the night A fit time for meditation and prayer as we read of David Psal 119. and of the son of David Luk. 21. In the beginning of the watches When others are in their first which is their deepest and sweetest sleep break thy self of thy rest that thou mayst give God no rest Esa 62.6 7. Omnibus signis et modis miseriam tuam expone Domino bestir thee every way alâ—'s but little enough Pour out thine heart like water That is saith Sanchez weep till thou hast wept thy very heart out if it were possible Or as others poure out thine heart to God in humble and ingenuous confession and supplication but then pour it forth as water whereof every drop will come out and not as oyle whereof some will still stick to the sides of the vessel Tundens pectus non effundens vitia ea consolâ—dâ—t saith Austin He who pretendeth to repent and yet parteth not with his sins doth but increase them Lift up thine hands toward him But withal thy heart chap. 3.41 For the life of thy young children See on ver 11 12. Ver. 20. Behold O Lord and consider to whom thou hast done this Even to thine own inheritances who suffer harder and heavier things commonly then any others And why Ingentia beneficia ingentia flagitia ingentia supplicia their offences are increased their punishments are aggravated by their obligations Shall the women eat their fruit children of a span-long 2 King 6. Joseph de bel l. 7. cap. 8. That they did so in the siege of Jerusalem by the Chaldees it appeareth by this question In the famine of Samaria under Joram they did likewise as also at the last destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans and at the siege of Sancerra in France Anno 1572. See the sad effects of sin and shun it if but for the ill consequents of it Shall the Priest and the Prophet be slain in the Sanctuary of the Lord It seems they were so but who they were we read not although God had cautioned Touch not mine annointed and do my Prophets no harm Priests were slaughtered where they used to slaughter beasts for sacrifices but it may be they were nothing better then Thomas Becket the devils Martyr here Act. Mon. and Adam Beton that butcherly Archbishop in Scotland who when himself was butchered cryed out Kill me not for I am a Priest Ver. 21. The young and the old lye on the ground in the streets Oh the woe of war oh the bloody work that the sword maketh wheresoever it is in commission Well may it be called an evil an only evil by an Antonomasie Esa 45.7 Ver. 22. Thou hast called as in a solemn day my terrours i. e. My terrible enemies the Chaldees being called in by thee their Generalissimo came on as chearfully as if they had come to a solemn feast or some merry-meeting and not to a siege and to a bloody war which they cannot but know to be utrinque triste such as both sides usually suffer by Those that I have swadled and brought up Singula haec verba ponderanda sunt singula enim ingens habent pathos Here every word is very ponderous and pathetical Indeed this whole book is so which is the reason that there is no great cohaerence in some places thereof to be discovered For as he that is under some grievous affliction without observing of order now cryes now prayes now laments now complains c. so doth the Prophet here in the name of the Church pour forth himself tumultuarily in a flood such words as his grief ministred unto him and grief is no methodical speaker CHAP. III. Ver. 1. I Am the man Here Jeremiah in the name and place of all the Jewish people setteth forth his sufferings very passionately and elegantly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Synesius for nothing is more Rhetorical then a man in misery See on chap. 1.12 Oecol By the rod of his wrath i. e. Of Gods wrath whom yet he nameth not prae magnitudine affectus but referreth to him all his sufferings and alludeth here say some to that rod Jer. 1.11 Ver. 2. He hath led me and brought me into darknesse Perstat semper in Metaphora pastoritiâ— say some who by rod in the foregoing verse understand Gods shepherds wand wherewith when he is displeased he driveth his unruly sheep into dark and dangerous places See Psal 23.3.4 Mic. 7.9 Hinc inde continenter verberat Jun. Ver. 3. Surely against me is he turned Metaphora a colaphizantibus a Metaphor from buffetters who double their blows beating their adversaries on both sides as the smith doth his red-hot iron upon the anvil till he hath shaped it Ver. 4. My flesh and my skin hath he made old Withered it and wanzed it so that I am not like my self facta videbor anus as she said See Psal 32.3 He hath broken my bones Decayed and impaired and that with greatest torment as befalleth when bones are broken Ver. 5. He hath builded against me Bulwarkes and batteries And compassed me with gall and travel Or with venom and vexation See Jer. 8.14 In these and the like hyperbolical expressions we must note that words are too weak to utter the greatness of the Saints grief when they lye under the sense of Gods wrath and heavy displeasure Ver. 6. He hath set me in dark places Dungeons haply which are a kind of graves and where poor prisoners lye as forgotten The Persians called their prisons 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 oblivions And Ezekiel saith that Babylon was to the Jews as a grave where they lay for dead till those dead bones lived again chap. 37. As they that be dead of old Free among the dead and forgotten It may be said of a Saint in some cases that Vivit est vitae nescius ipse sua Ver. 7. He hath hedgd me about Surrounded me with troubles brought me into straits inextricable and importable Ver. 8. Also when I cry and shout As poor Prisoners use to do for relief and release He shutteth out my prayer Or shutteth his eare to my prayer This was very grievous to any good heart more then it could be to Tully a stranger to the true God who yet bewaileth the matter to his brother in these words I would pray to the gods for those things but that alasse they have given over to hear my prayers Ver. 9. He hath enclosed my wayes with hewn stone i. e. Most strongly and closely so that none can come at me He hath made all my paths crooked So that all things go cross with me and although they
happy We should be oft counting of this coyn telling of this treasure Ver. 25. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you He alludeth to the legal purifications especially that made by the ashes of a red cow mixed with running water wherewith the people were sprinkled and so cleansed from legal defilement Num. 19. Semblably the Saints sprinkled with Christs blood from an evil conscience by the byssop-bunch of faith and so washed with clean water Heb. 10.22 in baptisme the saving vertue whereof is permanent 1 Pet. 3.21 are justified and sanctified 1 Cor. 6.11 This blessed sprinkling David prayeth for Psal 51. The Baptist also and others sprinkled those whom they baptized both to answer the â—â—pes of the Law Epist 83. and this prediction of the Prophet understood by Hierom of Baptisme which is a visible sign and seal of our being washed from the filth of sin by the merit and Spirit of Jesus Christ Tit. 3.5 Ver. 26. A new heart also will I give you For the old heart will never hold out the hardship of holiness the old fabâ—ike must be taken down and a new set up See chap. 11.19 a new man both in constitution and conversation one must be or else he is no man in Christ 2 Cor. 5.17 And I will take away the stony heart The natural heart which is hard and refractary to every good work reprobate Hord is that which resisteth the touch The old heart is inflexible to Gods Spirit insensible of his word and judgements and impenetrable to his grace Aug. Where then is mans freewill Garriant illi nos credamus there is no such thing beleeve it Nature is wholly stony it is God alone that of these stones raiseth up children to Abraham And I will give you an heart of flesh i. e. Tractable and capable of Divine impressions ready to every good work Tit. 3.1 Ver. 27. And I will put my spirit within you Qui mulcendo molliendo who by melting and mollifying your hard hearts shall bring you to a better obedience And cause you to walk in my statutes Lex jubet gratia juvat God undertaketh for himself and his people too viz. to work in them what he requireth of them Therefore it is an everlasting covenant ordered in all things and the fruits of it are sure mercies compassions that faile not c. See on chap. 11.20 A Lap. Ver. 28. And ye shall dwell in the land i. e. In Judaea or rather in the Church which began in Judaea saith the Jesuite well the Church of Rome then is not the mother-Church no though we take it in its Primitive purity Ver. 29. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses This is oft promised because not easily beleeved No article of our Creed it so much opposed by Satan as that of the forgiveness of sin by Christs merits which is the very life and soul of a Church All the former Articles of the Creed are perfected in this and all the following articles are effects thereof hold it fast therefore And I will call for the corn I have it at my call and a Mandamus from me will do it at any time See Hos 2.21 22. with the Note And lay no famine Which comes also at God Almighty his call Psal 105.16 Ver. 30. That ye shall receive no more reproach The heathen were oft twitting Gods people with their outward wants and crosses as if caused by their Religion So the persecutors did by the Primitive Christians and so the Papists still deal with the New-Gospellers as they scornfully call the reformed Churches Ver. 31. Then shall ye remember The goodness of God shall lead you to repentance so many mercies heaped upon so undeserving nay so ill-deserving creatures shall bring you to a deep detestation of your iniquities Your own evil wayes and your doings that were not good There are some things saith one that we can hardly forget viz. our sorrows and our pleasures as Esau some things we can hardly remember as our faults and our friends as Josephs Butler Augustine was famous saith another for two of his works his Retractations which are the confessions of his errours and his Confessions which are the Retractations of his life See chap 20.43 And shall loath your selves Or Litigabitis intra vos contra stagitia vestra ye shall look upon your selves as worthy to be destroyed Or ye shall scold within your selves against your iniquities Ver. 32. Not for your sakes See on ver 22. Be ashamed Abashed and abased as was Ezra chap. 9.6 Ephraim Jer. 31.19 the Publican Luk. 18. Ver. 33. I shall have cleansed you See on ver 29. I will also cause you to dwell See ver 28. Ver. 34. And the desolate land shall be tilled As now blessed be God it is in the Palatinate and other parts of Germany though now is no small danger of a new war quod Dominus avertat Ver. 35. This land Such a change can God soon make for worse or better Fear him therefore fear the Lord and his goodness Hos 3.5 Ver. 36. Then the heathen Haec jam ex parte facta sunt saith Oecolampadius This day is this Scripture fulfilled in our eyes the ruined Churches are reedified and the matter well amended by this blessed Reformation and Rome knows it Ver. 37. I will yet for this be enquired of i. e. Though I have promised my people all these boones yet I look they should put my promises in suit by praying them over Prayer is an indispensable duty and must not on any pretence whatsoever be neglected I will encrease them with men like a flock Plenty of men and store of children is a great blessing of God yet some are ready to say of them as that Rustick did of his afflictions when he was told they were Gods love-tokens Luther Ah quam velim alios amare non me Ver. 38. As the holy flock The sheep that came up for sacrifice at the Passeover especially so will I multiply the sheep of Christ the true Shepherd CHAP. XXXVII Ver. 1. THe hand of the Lord i. e. The force and impulse of the holy Spirit Theodoret Manus est impellere manus est organum agendi fitly called the hand of the Lord because holy men of old spake and acted as they were moved or carried out by the holy Ghost 2 Pet. 2. ult In the spirit i. e. In a spiritual rapture And set me down Not really but visionally In the midst of the valley That same valley some think where chap. the first he saw that glorious vision Prophecies were oft received and prayers are best made in one and the same place Which was full of bones So it appeared to him in his ecstasy Ver. 2. And lo they were very dry Ex vetustate carie This added to the miracle Ver. 3. Can these bones live In the resurrection at the last day he knew they should for amongst the Jews that was generally beleeved
and palm-trees Viz. Upon the partition-walls This was to teach Christians who are the Temples of God 1. To live like Angels for holinesse 2. To suffer as Palm-trees any pressures or pains for his sake with invincible patience By their piety in their lives and patience at their death the Primitive Christians won much upon their their Persecutors Ver. 19. So that the face of a man See chap. 1.10 And the face of a young Lion towards the Palm-tree The Palm-tree as it grew best in Judaea so it is probable that from the Temple at Jerusalem it came at first that the Heathens put the Palm for a sign of victory and that the picture of Victory amongst them had in the one hand a Palm and in the other an Olive branch Wisdom the praise of a man and courage the property of a Lion zeal and discretion as they make a good mixture so they conquer and carry it Ver. 20. And on the wall of the Temple Yet this is no warrant for the use of Pictures in our Churches whether for worship as Papists or for ornaments only as Lutherans Mr. Burr on Hos vol. 1. pag. 465. At a consultation held not many years since at Hamborough by Lutheran Ministers concerning the cause and cure of Germanies calamities they concluded it was because their images were not adorned enough which therefore they would procure done A sad businesse Ver. 21. The Posts of the Temple i. e. Of the doors of the Temple were not round or arched but square as are at this day the doors of the Pantheon in Rome saith Vilalpandus built of old in honour of all Gods and now consecrated by the Pope to the honour of all Saints with like superstition The largeness of this Altar above that of old sheweth that the Saints under the Gospel would make much more improvement of the Lord Jesus in prayer and make use of his mediation and intercession by Faith in their heavenly sublimated supplications then the Saints of old were ordinarily wont to do Cobbet of Prayer pag. 235. Ver. 22. The Altar sc That for incense whereof see Exod. 30.6 but here of a much larger size See on chap. 40.1 This altar of wood and foursquare was a Type of Christ not of the Crosse as Vilalpand doteth in whom our prayers come before God as incense and He is the propitiation for our sins 1 Joh. 2.2 See Exod. 30 1. Psal 141.2 Rev. 5.8 This is the Table One and the same Christ is All in All to his people an Altar to sanctify them and their offerings a Table also to feed and feast them with the most precious provisions See Psal 23.5 6. 36.9 65.5 Prov. 9.1 2. Isa 25.6 7 8. Ver. 23. Had two doors Understand hereby the Means of Grace and Ministers dispensing the same whereby souls are brough home to Christ Ver. 24. Two leaves There are variety of Ordinances Ver. 25. Cherubimes and Palm trees Let Ministers resemble Angels and they shall be victorious and well rewarded The Palm is a symbol of constancy and of a crown Ver. 26. And thick Planks i. e. The heads or ends of thick beam◠or joyses supporting the rafters We see what use there is of Architecture among other Arts in expounding Scripture Vilalpand saith he bestowed two and twenty years study upon this fabrike of the Temple here described CHAP. XLII Ver. 1. THen he brought me forth into the utter Court sc Of the Temple at both ends and on either side whereof there were spacious places in manner of our Church-yards saith One. Sequitur locus valdè confusus muliò impeditissimus saith Castalio this is a very dark and difficult Chapter the sense whereof I would fain learn of some other for I know not what to make of it Thus He. Oecolampadius also to like purpose after R. Solomon and thus prayeth Suggerat Dominus conanti quae ad gloriam illius certè quae non officiant precor c. i. e. The Lord help our honest endeavours that we may do what may be for his glory and not for the hurt of any Reader That was an holy prayer of his Colleague Zuinglius in like case and may it be ours also Deum Opt. Max. precor ut vias nostras dirigat c. I beseech Almighty God to direct our wayes and if at any time Zuing. Epist l. 3. Balaam-like we shall obstinately resist the truth let him set his Angel against us who with the terrour of his sword may so dash this asse our ignorance I mean and presumptuous boldnesse against the wall that we may feel our feet that is our carnal sense and reason crusht and broken that we no longer dishonour the name of our Lord God Ver. 2. Before the length of an hundred cubits The measure mentioned in this Chapter The calling of the Jew by Finch and whatsoever followeth touching the division of the land the seats of the Tribes the portions allotted to the Prince Priests and Levites the manner of their sacrifices and oblations are all new varying from that which is in Moses though for their weaknesse by those outward things he shadoweth heavenly to shew both the abrogating of the legal ceremonies and the establishing of a spiritual Christian Church the magnificence whereof is here set forth to the Prophet by the Lord Christ qui Mystagogus noster est who is our God and will be our Guide even unto death Ver. 3. Which were for the inner Court Viz. Of the Temple this was a figure of the Church invisible as the outward Court described in this Chapter was of the visible and external The pavement which was for the utter Court Which might signify that those who would enter into heaven must keep themselves unspotted of the world undefiled in the way Psal 15. 24. Ver. 4. A way of one cubit A narrow way but such as led them into spacious walkes of ten cubits bredth inward Strait is the gate and narrow the way that leadeth unto life eternal Mat. 7.14 but they that hit it hold it shall once walk arm in arm with Angels Zach. 3.7 See the Note there Through many tribulations we must enter into Gods Kingdom Acts 14.22 but there God shall set our feet in a large room as Psal 31.8 we shall walk at liberty on the everlasting mountains Let it be remembred that this narrow way is but short it is but of one cubit c. Ver. 5. Now the upper chambers were shorter As being a kind of cock-lofts and not so fit for habitation Ver. 6. Therefore the building was straitned As the rules of Architecture direct and as right reason required Ne structura pondere dissiliret left the building should shrink under its own burden Ver. 7 8 9 c. Here the Rabbines call again for the help of their Elias See on chap. 40.6 Ver. 13. They be holy chambers Or cells of the Sanctuary belonging to those that serve in the Sanctuary God
shadow Psal 39.6 Ye shall be cut in pieces Practisers of unjust flatteries do oft meet with unjust frowns Ver. 6. Ye shall receive of me gifts and reward This was that they gaped after but missed of and therefore out of envy called not Daniel and his companions as some think lest they should share with them And great honour Great learning deserveth great honour Aeneas Sylvius was wont to say that popular men should esteem it as silver Noblemen as gold Princes prize it as pearles Ver. 7. They answered again and said Let the King c. Thus these proud boasters vaunt of a false gift and become like clouds without rain as Solomon hath it Prov. 25.14 See ver 4. Ver. 8. I know of certainty There 's no halting afore a cripple Politicians can sound the depth of one another Dan. 11.27 That ye would gain the time Chald. buy or redeem it that is make your advantage of it to evade the danger And indeed if these sorcerers could have gained longer time much might have been done for either the King might have dyed or been employed in war or pacified by the mediation of friends c. Time oft cooleth the rage of hasty men as 1 Sam. 25.33 How Hubere de Burgo Earl of Kent escaped the Kings wrath by a little respite see Godwins catalogue of Bish p. 193. Ver. 9. There is but one decree for you But that was a very tyrannical and bloody one T is dangerous to affront great men though in a just cause Eccles 10.4 Saevum praelustri fulmen ab arce venit Ovid. Procul à culmine◠procul à fulmine Till the time be changed The Latine hath it till there be another state of things See on ver 8. Tell me the dream and I shall know that ye can show me the interpretation thereof If you cannot tell it surely you cannot interpret it sith they are both of a divine instinct and nothing is hid from God Ver. 10. There is not a man upon earth Yes there is But this is the guise of worldly wisdom fingit se scire omnia excusat ac ocoulit suam ignorantiam it would seem to know all things and to be ignorant of nothing that is within the periphery of humane possibility Ver. 11. And it is a rare thing Exceeding mans wit Except the gods whose dwelling is not with flesh They cohabit not with men that we might converse and confer with them Here these wisards 1. Superstitiously affirm a multitude of gods which the wiser heathens denyed Thales Pythagoras Socrates Plato Chrysippus c. 2. They deny Gods Providence as did also the Epicures who held that the gods did nothing out of themselves The Peripatetikes also held that they had nothing to do with things below the Moon yea the Platonists and Stoikes placed the gods in heaven only and other spirits good and bad in the aire which conversed with men and were as messengers betwixt them and the gods Thus these famous Philosophers became altogether vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened Rom. 1.21 3. They seem to affirm that man can know nothing of God unless he cohabited in the flesh with him But we have the mind of Christ 1 Cor. 2.16 and the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him Psal 25.14 this is a Paradox to the natural man 1 Cor. 2.14 Lastly they deny the incarnation of Christ that great mysterie of godliness God manifested in the flesh 1 Tim. 3.16 Joh. 1.14 Ver. 12. For this cause the King was angry and very furious A cutting answer may mar a good cause Prov. 15.1 See on ver 9. And commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon So rash is rage it is no better then a short madness Cicero Sed de vita hominis nulla potest esse satis diuturna cunctatio saith the Orator In case of life and death nothing should be determined without mature deliberation for like as Saturn the highest of the planets hath the slowest motion of them all Willet So saith one should Princes which sit in their high thrones of Majesty be most considerate in their actions Ver. 13. And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain And the wise men were slain saith the Vulgar Latine some of them likely were cut off The end of worldly wisdom is certain destruction And they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain Wicked decrees are wrested to the butchery of the Saints as was that of the six Articles here in Henry the eighths dayes Tremel Ver. 14. Then Daniel answered with counsel Retulit consilium causam he conferred with Arioch the chief slaughterman giving him good reasons wherefore to defer further execution This good turn he did for the Magicians and Astrologers who were his utter enemies Ver. 15. Why is the decree so hasty from the King Daniel though now in danger of his life forgetteth not his old freedom of speech and God so wrought that the King who was stiffe to the Magicians was tractable to Daniel ver 16. Ver. 16. Then Daniel desired the King to give him time Not to study or deliberate but to pray with fervency and perseverance which is the best help to find out secrets Jer. 33.3 And that he would shew the King the interpretation Beatus ait Plato qui etiam in senectute veritatem consequitur he is happy who findeth out the truth though it be long first saith Plato Ver. 17. Then Daniel went to his house A house then he had though he had lost house and home for God and thither he repaireth as to his Oratory well perfumed with prayers And made the thing known to Ananiah c. That they also might pray setting sides and shoulders to the work as country men do to the wheel when the cart is stalled Ver. 18. That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven All Gods children can pray Cant. 5.8 Those daughters of Jerusalem though not so fully acquainted with Christ yet are requested to pray for the Church But these three were men of singular abilities no doubt and were themselves deeply concerned Concerning this secret In case of secrets and intricacies or riddles of Providence prayer is most seasonable as being Tephillah the usual Hebrew word for prayer a repair to the Lord for enquiry or for his sentence Gen. 25.22 23. Ver. 19. Then was the secret revealed Oh the power of joynt prayer It seldom or never miscarrieth Act. 4. while the Apostles were praying together the house where they prayed shook to shew that heaven it self was shaken and God overcome by such batteries Alb. Mag. In a night vision Vigilia noctis as he watched in the night for he watched as well as prayed Eph. 6.18 Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven Who had not turned away his prayer nor his mercy from him Psal 66. ult They that pray heartily shall never want matter of praise
locum Heyl. Geog. that it should not be lawful for housholders to pray with their families and that of the Jesuites at Dola forbidding the common people to say any thing at all of God either in good sort or in bad That whosoever shall ask a petition of any god or man What not of their own gods nor yet of Cyrus who was compartner with Darius in the Kingdom But like enough these complotters might think hereby the rather to ingratiate with the old dotard Darius who feared the virtue and valour of his Nephew and colleague Cyrus and would say with tears as Xenophon reporteth that Cyrus was more glorious then he and had more applause of the people Ver. 8. Now O King establish the decree Confirm it that it may receive the force of Law According to the Law of the Medes and Persians that altereth not This was too much to be given to any law made by man so mutable a creature I have read of a people whose laws lasted in force but for three dayes at utmost This was a fault in the other extream The Persians laws were therefore irrepealable because they worshipped Truth for a goddesse to whom Inconstancy and Change must needs be opposite and odious But this was no good reason neither unless the Lawmakers shall be supposed such as cannot erre nor will any thing unjust which can be truely attributed to none but God only Ver. 9. Wherefore King Darius signed the writing As well enough content to be so dignified yea deified So was Alexander the Great Antiochus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Herod Domitian Dominus Deus noster Papa Vah scelus Ver. 10. Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed Which he knew not belike till it was proclaimed and published and then it may be he did as much against it as Latimer did herein like case by writing his mind unto King Henry the eighth after the Proclamation for abolishing English books See his letter in the book of Martyrs and marvel at his heroical boldnesse and stoutnesse Act. Mon. 1591. who as yet being no Bishop so freely and fearlesly adventuring his life to discharge his conscience durst so boldly to so mighty a Prince in such a dangerous case against the Kings law and Proclamation set out in such a terrible time take upon him to write and to admonish that which no counsellor durst once speak unto him in defence of Christs Gospel He went into his house He left the Court as no fit aire for piety to breath in and get him home Exeat Aulâ— qui vâ—lit esse pius where he might more freely and comfortably converse with his God Tutissimus est qui rarissime cum hominibus plurimum cum Deo colloquitur saith a good Divine that is he is safest who speaketh seldom with men but oft with God And his windows being open in his chamber This was his wont belike at other times and now he would not break it to the scandal of the weak and the scorn of the wicked who watched him and would have charged him with dissimulation should he have done otherwise Say not therefore What needed he thus to have thrust himself into observation could he not have kept his conscience to himself and used his devotions in more secrecy our Politick-Professours and Neuter-passives indeed could and would have done so But as Basil answered once to him that blamed him for venturing too far for his friend Non aliter aware didici I never learned to love any otherwise so might good Daniel here have done his zeal for God would not suffer him to temporize or play on both hands It shall well appear to his greatest enemies that he is true to his Principles and no flincher from his religion His three companions were alike resolved chap. 3. and Paul Act. 21.13 and Luther when to appear at Wormes and many more that might here be mentioned Toward Jerusalem For the which he was now a petitioner sith the time to favour her yea the set time was come Psal 102.13 There also sometime had stood the Temple not without a promise of audience to prayers made in or toward that holy place 1 King 8.43 which also was a type of Christ c. He kneeled upon his knees Constantino the Great as Eusebius telleth us would have this as his portraiture a man on his knees praying to shew that that was his usual practice and posture Three times a day At morning noon and night thus constantly beside other times also upon emergent occasions All the power and policy of Persia could not keep God and Daniel asunder no not for a few dayes Philip. 3.20 Ephes 2.19 't is a part of our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our City-employment or spiritual-trading with God to pray and if prayer stand still the whole trade of godliness standeth still too Clean Christians therefore typed by those clean beasts in the law Levit. 11.3 must rightly part the hoof rightly divide their time giving a due share thereof to either of their callings as Daniel did sanctifying both by prayer and at hours of best leisure Psal 55.17 And prayed and gave thanks before his God Chald. Confessed either his sins that he might get pardon thereof or else Gods benefits the glory whereof he thankfully returned unto him Prayers and praises are like the double motion of the lungs Let every breath praise the Lord. As he did aforetime An excellent custome doubtlesse and most worthy to be kept up Arist Ethic. lib. 8. cap. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ver. 11. Then these men assembled But for ill purpose as did also our Saviours enemies Luk. 22.6 and Stevens Act. 7. the Popish Councels at Rome they have a meeting weekly de propaganda fide for the propagating of the Romish Religion and abolishing of heresie as they call it And found Daniel praying The Sun shall sooner stand still in heaven then Daniel give over to pray to his Father in heaven Ver. 12. Hast thou not signed a decree But should wickednesse be established by a law Psal 94.20 See on ver 7. So in France there was published an edict whereby the people were forbidden on pain of death D. Arrowsus Tact. Sacr. p. 89. to have in their houâ—â— any French book wherein the least mention was made of Jesus Christ Ver. 13. That Daniel He was principal president and deserved a better attribution then That Daniel But ill will never speaketh well of any Which is of the Captivity This also is terminus diminuens q. d. This royal slave whom thou hast preferred above us all and hast moreover some thoughts to set him over the whole realm ver 3. New men shall be much spighted 'T was therefore no ill counsel Fortunam reverenter habe quieunque repâ—â—te Auson Dives ab exili progrediere loco Regardeth not thee O King Chald. putteth no respect on thee This is common falsely to accuse Gods most faithful servants as
Principalities Thrones c. And hath shut the Lyons mouths Though they were savage and hungerstarved yet Daniel was kept from the paws and jawes of these many fierce and fell Lyons by the power of god thorough faith Heb. 11.33 How the Angel stopt the Lyons mouths whether by the brightness of his presence or threatening them with his finger Num. 22.27 33. or by making a rumble amongst them like that of an empty cart upon the stones Ariâ—â—ot Plin. or by presenting unto them a light fire which things Lyons are said to be terrified with or by causing in them a satiety or by working upon their phantasie c. we need not enquire The Lord well knoweth how to deliver his 2 Pet. 2.9 and one way or other will not faile to do it Psal 34.19 Archimedes the great Mathematician was slain by a common souldier who was sent for him notwithstanding that Marcellus the Roman General had given charge that he should be spared The Temple of Jerusalem was burnt though Titus the Emperour had commanded the contrary When one told the Duke of Parma that he had shot Sir Philip Sidney instead of a reward he cursed him for killing so incomparable a man of whom though an enemy he heartily wished that he had been preserved all that are dear to God are sure to be protected he will rather work miracles then they shall be forsaken Jon. 2.10 And also before thee O King have I done no hurt Though I have not obeyed thine edict to the wounding of my conscience It was therefore an unadvised speech of Philip King of Spain who said that he had rather have no subjects then Protestant subjects and out of a blind bloody zeal he suffered his eldest son Charles to be murthered by the cruel inquisition because he seemed to favour the Lutherans How well might this young Prince have said as here Against thee O King have I done no hurt Ver. 23. And commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den Pull him up with cords as they did Jeremy in like case chap. 38. Mos priscus Christianorum fuit ut in suis sepulchris inter alia Resurrectionis symbola Danielem in lacu inter leones stantem sculperent A Lapide in loc So Daniel was taken up out of the den A lively type of Christs resurrection from the pit So was Joseph taken from prison and made Lord of Egypt Sampson breaking the bars and carrying away the gates of Gaza David so oft oppressed by Saul and yet exalted to the Kingdom Jonas his being drawn out of many waters Mat. 12.39 Because he beleeved in his God Of such force is faith of such power is prayer for it may well be thought that he prayed hard with David Psal 22.21 Save me from the Lions mouth so will I declare thy name unto my brethren The prayer of faith shall save the afflicted and questionlesse justifying faith is not beneath miraculous in the sphere of its own activity and where it hath the warrant of Gods Word Let such as desire a special providence believe wait and walk uprightly 2 Chron. 16.9 Ver. 24. And the King commanded and they brought these men which had accused Daniel Chald. which had accused accusations against Daniel Now they shall lick of the same whip 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hesiod and find to their small comfort the truth of that divine proverb Whose diggeth a pit shall fall therein c. Prov. 26.27 See Eccles 10.8 Psal 7.16 with the Notes They cast them into the den of lions A just and proper punishment yet not executed without too much severity as some think because their wives and children were cast in with them But for that others say that as these were part of their goods so by consent at least they were partakers of their crimes and therefore justly perished with them Heb. 10.31 And the lyons had the mastery c. It is a much more fearful thing to fall into the punishing hands of the living God Such shall have the cauls of their hearts torn in sunder Psal 50.22 c. Oh consider this ye that forget God seast he tear you in pieces c. Ver. 25. Then King Darius wrot See on chap. 4.1 Ver. 26. I make a decree It is the honour of Princes to make laws for the maintenance of religion 2 Chron. 30.4 5. And his Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed Daniels dialect touching Christ and his Kingdom chap. 2.44 7.14 27. By conversing with that good man Darius had learend something as those that walk much in the Sun are apt to be tann'd and discoloured Ver. 27. He delivereth and rescueth By this and the foregoing Verse it may be evidently seen that Darius was acquainted with Nebuchadnezzar's two dreams and affected with them Ver. 28. So this Daniel prospered And still sollicited the Churches cause And in the reign of Cyrus the Persian Under whom he affronted the Counsellors hired against the returned Jews Ezra 4.5 with Dan. 10.1 3. He lived also under Cambyses but was out of credit with that rakeshame CHAP. VII Ver. 1. IN the first year of Belshazzar Here beginneth to speak properly the Prophecy of Daniel or rather the second Part of Daniel's works which is concerning visions exhibited of God by divine Revelations not to others but to himself This vision is the subject and ground-work of the rest that follow to the end of the Prophecy One not unfitly compareth it to a general Map of the whole world the rest to particular tables of several countries Daniel had a dream and visions of his head God renewed unto him the same thing by vision which he had exhibited before by dream Jun. in recompence of his religious care to know the matter and to record it for the Churches comfort Then he wrot the dream 'T was Gods will the visions of the Prophets should be written Isa 30.10 and published to the Church Isa 31.10 Ver. 2. Daniel spake and said His writing is called his speaking Willet to teach us to receive the writings of the Prophets and Apostles with no lesse reverence then if we had heard them speak with their own mouths I saw in my vision by night The night doth in Scripture frequently signify trouble This vision by night was of troublesome businesse viz. hurlyburlies in the world and persecutions in the Church And behold the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great Sea i. e. There was a huge bussel upon the earth by means of the four successive Monarchies See Rev. 13.1 11. The World is fitly called the great Sea ever unquiet and full of commotions which are also called winds for their boisterousnesse contrariety of nature and inconstancy Ver. 3. And four great beasts Regnorum feritas bestiarum nomino demonstratur saith Hierom The fiercenesse of the four Kingdoms is set forth by the name of beasts Bellum à belluis Monarchies are mostly gotten kept Regna
humble confessions as doth David Ezra Daniel O Lord the great and dreadful God It is good in the beginnings of our prayers to propound God to our selves under such attributes and spiritual notions as wherein we may see the very thing we pray for Haec est ars orandi mendicandi Ver. 5. We have sinned and have committed iniquity and have done wickedly and have rebelled Mark how full in the mouth the good Prophet is and how he exaggerateth confessing against himself and his people laying on load Good men extenuate not their offences every sin swelleth as a toad in their eyes Ver. 6. Neither have we hearkened Sins of omission are in a special manner to be lamented in prayer Jer. 9.1 10 13. for as omission of diet breedeth diseases so of duties Ver. 7. O Lord righteousnesse belongeth unto thee Let God be justified in all his Judgements say of him as Deut. 32.4 Deo da claritatem tibi humilitatem Aug. A God of truth and without iniquity just and right is He. But unto us confusion of faces Whilst we look upon flagitia aequè ac flagella nostra our sins and miseries we cannot but blush and bleed before thee Ver. 8. O Lord to us belongeth confusion of face The same again is acknowledged not without a special Emphasis q. d. We are extreamly abashed and abased to the utmost Ver. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercyes and forgivenesses Matchlesse mercyes pardons ready prepared for poor penitents not for proud Pharisees such as Bellarmine was if at least it be true that is reported of him that when the Priest came to absolve him he could not remember any particular sin to confesse till he went back in his thoughts as far as his youth Vae hominum vitae quantumvis laudabili saith an Ancient Woe to the best unlesse they may find mercy with the Lord. And Fuligat telleth us that Bellarmine when he came to dye indeed begged of God to reckon him among his Saints non aestimator meriti sed veniae largitor not weighing his merits but pardoning his offences Ver. 10. Neither have we obeyed See on ver 6. The voice of the Lord our God It is the Lord who speaketh in and by his Ministers This because men either know not or weigh not they run another way when God calleth to them as young Samuel did 1 Sam. 3.5 Ver. 11. Yea all Israel There is a general defection the whole body of Israel hath deeply revolted a rabble of rebels have taken up arms against heaven even a Giantlike generation Therefore the curse Confirmed by oath by adjuration and execration Is poured upon us As by whole pailefulâ— the Vulgar hath it stillavit super not maledictio the curse hath dropped upon us There may be much poyson in little drops howsoever Because we have sinned against him This he hath never done with but still holdeth his finger on this sore as his greatest grievance Ver. 12. And he hath confirmed his words What he had spoken with his mouth he hath fulfilled with his hand There is an infallibility as in Gods Promises so in his Menaces And against our Judges By whose remisnesse all was out of order hence they smarted afore and above others For under the whole heaven This verse is an Abridgment of Jeremy's Lamentations Ver. 13. All this evil is come upon us But unlesse God set in and sanctify his hammers afflictions do but beat upon cold iron Jer. 2.30 Yet made we not our prayer Little or no right prayer was made by the Captives all those Seventy years and yet they had their set yearly fasts Zach. 7. because they failed therein both quoad fontem quoad finem See the Notes of Zach. 7.5 That we might turn from our iniquities This they had no mind to therefore they lost those prayers they made they faâ—ted to themselves and not to God Zach. 7.5 See on Joh. 3.10 And understand thy truth Those that turn from their iniquities shall know more of Gods truth The pure in heart shall see God Mat. 5.3 Ver. 14. Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil To bring it at the just time and when it might do us most mischief but all in a way of Justice Isa 31.2 as Daniel acknowledgeth in the next words For the Lord our God is righteous See ver 7. For we obeyed not his voice Neither that of his word nor that of his rod Jer. 31.19 Mâ—c 6.9 Isa 9.13 14. Ver. 15. And now O Lord God that hast brought thy people Thanksgiving is an artificial begging and every former mercy is a pledge of a future 2 Chron. 20. â—0 7.12 And hast gotten thee renown Heb. made thee a name and yet a greater name hast promised to make thee by bringing us back from Babylon Jer. 16.15 We have sinned we have done wickedly Such as desire mercies must first deny their worthinesse of them 2 Sam. 5.18 confessing their sins with utmost aggravation Ver. 16. O Lord according to all thy righteousnesse Not that of equitie but the other of fidelity 1 Joh. 1.9 Thy holy mountain So Jerusalem is called because dedicated to the Holy One who also chose it for the seat of his royal resiance the place of his holy Oracle Thy people are a reproach And this reflecteth upon thee as needs it must sith they do quarter armes with thee Ver. 17. Now therefore O our God Sith thou hast shewn us our sins and seen our reproach whereof we are sure thou art very sensible Psal 79.4 Hear the prayer of thy servant Who assumeth the boldness to plead his interest in thee and his relation to thee And his supplications Which are nothing else but prayers redoubled and reenforced as Gen. 32.11 Esay 63.16 And cause thy face to shine upon thy Sanctuary Do it oh do it now for the time to favour Zion yea the set time is come And this I can tell because thy servants take pleasure in her stones and favour the dust thereof Psal 102.13 14. See the Notes there That whole Psalm being a prayer for the afflicted may seem to have been made by this Prophet Daniel For the Lords sake i. e. For thine own sake or for thy Son Christs sake the Mediatour and Advocate of his people for so he was in the Old Testament also Heb. 9.15 like as still he is the high-Priest of the New And as whil'st the people were praying without the Priest was offering incense within the Temple Luk. 1.9 10. So is Christ interceding for us whil'st we are praying Whatsoever therefore ye do in word or deed do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God and the Father by him Colos 3.17 Ver. 18. O my God incline thine ear and hear open thine eyes and behold c. Thus growing to a conclusion of his prayer he prayes more earnestly he stretcheth out his petitions as it were upon the tenters with those good souls Act. 12.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
he stirreth up himself and taketh better hold as resolved not to let him go without the blessing The like before him did good Hezekiah with whom he concurreth in the very letter of his request Esa 37.17 See the Notes there For our own righteousnesses Which are nothing better then a rotten rag a menstruous clout such as a man would not dain to take up or touch But for thy great mercies Through the merits of the promised Messiah Ver. 19. O Lord hear O Lord forgive This was to pray yea this was to strive in prayer Luk. 13.22 to strive as those of old did in the Grecian exercises some whereof were with fists and batts to strive and struggle even to an agony as the Greek word signifieth and as the Lord Christ did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luk. 22.44 who being in an agony prayed yet the more earnestly he sweat and sweltered out as it were his soul through his body in prayer Be we now followers herein of Christ as dear children and of Daniel here who is a worthy pattern to pray by Cold suitours who want the aspiration of the spirit to pronounce Shibboleth do but beg a denial O Lord hearken and do defer not This is coelum tundere preces fundere Tertul. misericordiam extorquere as those Primitive Christians did to bounce at heaven gates Beneficium se putabit accepisse cum rogaretur ignoscere Ambr. orat de exit Theod. to tug hard with God to wring the blessing out of his hands who looks to be importuned and counts it for a kindness to be asked forgiveness as Ambrose saith of Theodosius the Emperour Ver. 20. And whilst I was speaking and praying When haply I had now new done and yet not so done but that my heart was yet lifting and lifting as a bell-rope is oft hoysing up after men have done ringing the bell And confessing my sins So precious a Saint was not without his sins These therefore he confesseth that he might be the fitter to beg mercy for the Church having first made his own peace with God and so in case to lift up pure hands in prayer The like doth David Psal 25 and 51. For the holy mountain of my God This was his main request and to God marvellous acceptable Surely if the Lord saw us Daniel like studying his share more then our own we might have what we would and God even think himself beholding to us as one phraseth it Ver. 21. Yea whilest I was speaking in prayer This he recognizeth and celebrateth as a sweet and singular mercy God sometimes heareth his people before they pray Isa 65.24 Psal 21.3 David was sure up betimes when he prevented the Lord with his prayer Psal 88.13 and 119.147 sometâ—mes whiles they are praying as he did those Act. 4.31 and 12.5 17. and Luther who came leaping out of his study where he had been praying with Vicimus Vicimus in his mouth that is we have gained the day got the conquest but if not so yet certainly when they have now prayed Isa 30.12 Jon. 2.1 Jer. 33.3 Mat. 7.7 Luther affirmeth that he oft gat more spiritual light by some one ardent prayer Ipse ego in una aliqua ardenti oratione meae plura saepe didici quam ex multorum librorum lectione aut accuratissima meditatione consequâ— potuissem Tom. 1. According to the account of Astronomers it must be abâ—ve 160. millions of miles from heaven to earth All this space the Angel came flying to Daniel in a little time then ever he could do by the reading of many books or by most accurate meditation thereupon Even the man Gabriel i. e. The Angel Gabriel in mans shape Whom I had seen in the vision And whom I had good cause to remember the longest day of my life for the good offices he had done me formerly Being caused to fly swiftly Heb. with wearinesse of flight Not that the Angels flee as fouls though a certain Frier a lyar certainly undertook to shew to the people a feather of the Angel Gabriels wings or that they are ever wearied with speeding Gods commissions and commands for the Churches good Sed datur hic assumptae speciei but these things are spoken to our apprehension Touched me With a familiar touch in token of encouragement prensando mimirum ut solent qui contactâ—â— familiari promptam benevelam que mentem indicant About the time of the evening oblation When the joynt prayers of Gods people were wont to come up before him quasi manu facta and Daniel hopeth they may do so again Qui nihil sperat nihil orat Ver. 22. And he informed me and talked with me Rather then the Saints shall want information and comfort God will spare one out of his own train to do them any good office Luk. 1.19 Gal. 3.19 neither will the greatest Angel in heaven grudge to serve them I am now come forth to give thee skill Not by infusion for so the Holy Ghost only but by instruction as was before noted It is well observed by one that this following Oration of the Angel containeth an Abridgment of the New Testament and a light to the Old for confirming Daniel is touching the ensuing deliverance out of Babylons captivity he further advertiseth and assureth him of the spiritual deliverance which Christ shall effect by his Gospel at his coming and therefore describing the times most accurately he plainly setteth forth the salvation of the Church Christian and the destruction of the stubborn and rebellious Jews who judge themselves unworthy of eternal life Ver. 23. At the beginning of thy supplications Thy prayer was scarce in thy mouth ere it was in Gods eare The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his eares are open unto their cry Psal 34.15 See the Note He heard at the very first but answered not till Daniel had tugg'd with him See Jam. 5.16 17. For thâ—â— art greatly beloved Kimchi readeth it a man of measures a man every inch of thee But the word is not Hamiddoth but Chamudoth a man of desires a favourite in heaven Rerum expetendarum cupidâ—â— Vatab. De deratissimâ—â— es Trem. because desirous of things truely desireable Christ is said to be totus totus desiderabiliâ— lovely all over Can. 5.16 The Saints are also so in their measure as on the contrary the wicked are not desired Zeph. 2.1 but loathed and abhorred Prov. 13.5 Therefore understand the matter Good men shall know Gods secrets Gen. 18.17 19. Psal 25.14 Ver. 24. Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people i. e. Seventy weeks of years ten Jubilees which make up four hundred and ninety years Thus the very time is here particularly foretold when the Messiah should be revealed and put to death The like hereunto is not to be found in any other of the Prophets as Hierom well observeth This therefore is a noble Prophecy and many great wits have been exercised about it Cornelius a Lâ—pide speaketh
dispersion say some to the end of the world say others with whom I concur A thing was revealed unto Daniel Who now must needs be very ancient yet at those years an hundred or more gave himself to understand and search into divine secrets The more any one knoweth of God the more he would still know Moses newly come from the Mount cryeth to God to shew him his glory David that gulf of holy learning is oft at his Teach me thy statutes c. And the thing was true i. e. Plain and proper not as former visions figurative and obscure But the time appointed was long sc Till all be fulfilled which will not be till the last judgment And he understood the thing And so was the better able to propound it to the Church For what a man doth not himself understand he cannot well and fitly deliver to others And had understood the vision sc Given unto him for unlesse God give us both Sight and Light we perceive not heavenly doctrine neither indeed can doe Ver. 2. In those dayes I Daniel was mourning Though a great man still and in great account yet not now so great at Court as to hinder and defeat the malicious designs of Cambyses his Counsellors who being bribed by the Jews Adversaries put a stop to the Temple-work at Jerusalem Ezra 4.1 2 3 4. This disaster cast good Daniel into his dumps so that he fasted three full weeks à tanto tali Abstinet ab omni cura cultuque corporis sua sponte See the like 1 Sam. 31.13 sed non à toto and longer might had not the Angel taken him off by an answer of peace ver 12. Three full weeks Heb. weeks of dayes to distinguish them from those Seventy weeks of years chap. 9.24 Ver. 3. I ate no pleasant bread Bread he ate for Animantis cujusque vita in fuga est life will fail if not maintained by food but course bread panem cibarium atrum siligineum and no more of that neither then needs must He voluntarily abridged himself of lawful delights macerating and mortifying his flesh that he might communicate with his poor afflicted brethren and pray the harder for them Fasting enflameth prayer and Prayer sanctifieth fasting Neither did I annoint my self at all All delights of sense must be laid asâ—ide in a time of solemn humiliation but yet without annoyance and uncomlinesse as musick mirth perfumes brave apparrel 2 Sam. 12.20 Jon. 3.8 Exod. 33.4 5 6. 1 Kings 21.27 chearfulnesse outward joy and pleasure Marke 2.20 Luke 5.35 with Mat. 9.15 Judg. 20.26 1 Sam. 7.6 It is spoken of as a foul sin Isa 58.3 behold in the day of your Fast ye find pleasure Ver. 4. And on the four and twentieth of the first moneth The day is thus noted because the matters here revealed were most memorable As I was by the side of the great river Meditating likely because the City was full of noise and tumult and praying as Acts 16.13 Broughton giveth this reason because Seleucus Nicator founder of the Seleucida much spoken of in the ensuing vision built his chief City upon this river Which is Hiddekel i. e. Sharp-swift called also Tigris from the swiftest of all beasts the Tiger Plin. l. 6. c. 7. but Curtius and Pliny say that Tigris in the Median language signifieth an Arrow Here Daniel was personally present and not visionally only See ver 7. Ver. 5. Then I lift up mine eyes and looked Viz. After my long fasting praying and meditating So Moses and Elias those great Fasters met together with our Saviour gloriously in the Mount at his Transfiguration It is abstinence not fulnesse that makes a man capable of heavenly visions oâ— divine glory Behold a certain man Heb one man a singular man a glorious person Messias the Prince described here by his habit and parts as a Judge say some or as a Priest say others See chap. 12.6 7. Rev 1.13 14 15. 10.5 Cloathed in linnen To shew his innocency and purity as also his righteousnesses Imputed and Imparted wherewith he cloatheth his Saints Rev. 19.8 that fine white linnen and shining Whose loins were girded with fine gold of Vphaz Or of Ophir Peru haply or Malaca or Sophala This golden girdle about his loines denoteth Christs strength and alacrity Psal 93.1 Luke 17.8 Ver. 6. His body also was like the Beryl Of an azure colour like the heavens The second Adam is the Lord from heaven 1 Cor. 15.47 Some render it the Chrysolite which is of the colour of the Sea to note say they his power to purge the Church by his Word Spirit and Judgements as by the water of the Sea And his face as the appearance of lightning Which both shineth and terrifieth and soon appeareth from the one end of the heaven to the other Matth. 24.27 Christ suddenly discovereth all things though never so remote Psal 90.8 Ezek. 1.13 And his eyes as lamps of fire To note his omniscience his wrath also and readinesse to revenge Jer. 32.19 And his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brasse To note his omnipotency in the execution of his wrath whilst he trampleth on his enemies Scintillantes purissimè as he that hath brazen arms and feet can easily break in pieces a potters vessel Ser pitus 1. Maris And the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude Or as the noise of many waters Rev. 1.15 noting the efficacy of Christs doctrine See Acts 2.4 Ver. 7. And I Daniel alone saw the vision Holy Prophets alone are capable of holy visions 2 Pet. 1.19 For the men that were with me saw not Sensible they were of some alteration upon the waters and somewhat wrought upon not for their information but separation from Daniel that he might more freely undergo the heavenly rapture See the like Acts 9.7 But a great quaking fell upon them Through sense of sin and fear of wrath This served to shew the truth of the vision Ver. 8. Therefore I was left alone Daniel though much affrighted keepeth his station when the rest fled and hid themselves Good is the counsel of the Apostle Heb. 12.13 Make straight steps unto your feet lest that which is halting be turned out of the way but let it rather be healed For my comlinesse c. See chap. 7.15 28. 8.27 Ver. 9. Yet heard I the voice of his words What these words were is not here expressed but by comparing they may be gathered to be the same with those chap. 8.18 bidding Gabriel to draw near and speak unto the Prophet Then was I in a deep sleep See chap. 8.18 The more the outward man is bound the fitter he is for holy Communion with God 2 Cor. 12.2 3. Ver. 10. And behold an hand touched me i. e. The hand of the Angel Gabriel who was sent by Christ to dictate unto Daniel the Prophecy following It is Christs use to signify Prophecyes by his Angel Rev. 1.1
2. and this Angel is accordingly strengthened by Michael ver 21. that is by Christ Which set me upon my knees In a praying posture but yet he continued trembling ver 11. and was not raised and restored but by certain degrees the better to frame and fit him to a religious attention and docility Ver. 11. O Daniel a man greatly beloved Such shall know Gods secrets Prov. 3.32 See chap. 9 23. Stand upright Heb. stand upon thy standing God by his Grace and Word will raise up those that humble themselves in his presence Dejicit ut relevet Ver. 12. Fear not Daniel Disquieting and expectorating sears should be laid aside 1 Joh. 4.18 For from the first day See on chap. 9.23 Let us but find a praying heart and God wâ—ll presently find a pittying heart though he may delay for a season to send in an answer Though Danel heard nothing of his prayers for three-weeks space yet was the Angel at work all that while for the removal of impediments Daniel in the mean-while wrought hard with God as it is elsewhere said of Jonathan 1 Sam. 14.45 And I am come for thy Word Brought hither by thy prayers God will come but he will have his peoples prayers lead him into the field as it were Ver. 13. But the Prince of the Kingdom of Persia withstood me By this Prince of Persia some understand wicked Cambyses Melancthon Osiander Pappus Others an evil Angel that by his suggestions swayed Cambyses to oppose and retard the reedifying of the Temple There is a principal devil Prince of this world and there are as some hold Princes or Principal spirits in Countries and Nations under him Eph. 6.12 But loe Michael one of the chief Princes i. e. Christ the Lord of Angels head of the Church chap. 12.1 Rev. 12.7 By these chief Princes may be understood the three Persons in Trinity or the created Angels The Septuagint translate the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the chearful ones who serve the Lord readily freely and joyfully in his wars making Sion as dreadful to all her enemies Psal 68.17 as those Angels once made Sinai at the delivery of the Law And I remained there with the Kings of Persia With Canmbyses and his Councellors to represse their rage and to blast their designs against the Church which when it is opposed the holy Angels interpose Psal 34.7 Ver. 14. Now I am come As it were with wearinesse of flight as chap. 9.21 See there Comfort will come at length Heb. 10.37 In the latter dayes Toward the end of their politie and not long before the coming of the Messiah who shall begin another age and as it were a new world Ezek. 38.8 Heb. 2.3 Ver. 15. I set my face toward the ground and I became dumb Cohorrui totus vox faucibus haesit See how deeply Gods darlings are eftsoones affected at the hearing of his holy Word Hâ—bâ—k 3.16 Ver. 16. And behold one like the similitude i. e. The Angel in humane shape as ver 10. Touched my lips Restored unto me my speech Good affections wanting expression shall have Gods furtherance And said unto him that stood before me i. e. To Christ whom he had seen ver 5 6. My sorrows are turned upon me Heb. my bowels which are even strained and straitened And I have retained no strength It is ordinary with Gods people in their prayers to complain much of their own weaknesse Jer. 31.18 Ver. 17. For how can the servant of thâ—s my Lord Qui tantulus sum tam imbecâ—llis Gods praying servants use to speak as broken men They well understand 1. Their Distance 2. Dependance Talk with this my Lord Prayer is a holy interparlance with the divine Majesty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 2.1 Neâ—ther is there breath in me I am hardly able to bear up or breathe Humane frailty cannot endure Gods presence without fainting Rev. 1.17 Ver 18. Then there came again and touched me Not all at once but by four degrees was Daniel raised 1. He is set upon his knees and palms of his hands ver 10. an Emblem or Prayer 2. He is caused to stand upon his feet though trembling and silent ver 11.15 3. His mouth is opened to speak though not without much weaknesse fears and sorrows ver 17. 4. He is fully strengthned here Park God loves to hold his praying people long in request He is also a God of Judgement Isa 30.18 one that well understandeth when and how to bestow his favours Blessed are all they that waâ—t for him Ver. 19. Be strong yea be strong Holy Angels are ready to strengthen such as are ready to faint in holy duties Ver. 20. Knowest thou wherefore I came unto thee q.d. I told thee that before ver 14. and I look thou shouldest remember it I will return to fight with the Prince of Persia To defeat and prevent his tyranny and cruel intents against thy people see ver 13. not without the devils hand and help And when I am gone forth sc Out of Persia Loe the Prince of Graecia Great Alexander whom I will fetch in so that the Persians shall have henceforth little leisure or mind to meddle with the Jews There were other Grecian Captains also before Alexander who found the Persians somewhat to do as Leonides Miltiades Themistocles but he overturned their Monarchy Ver. 21. In the Scripture of truth i e. Ex usu sorensi In Gods infallible and unchangable decree which for our apprehension are here compared to court rolles and Records And Gods Providence which is nothing else but the carrying on of his decree is that Helm which turneth about the whole ship of the Universe And there is none but Michael your Prince But how many reckon we him at as that King once said of himself to his fearful soldiers He alone is a whole army of men Van and Rear both Isa 52.12 CHAP. XI Ver. 1. ALso I i. e. I Gabriel the Angel glad of such an office for the good of Gods people whereunto also I was sent by Christ ch 10 9 10. In the first year of Darius the Mede Who now began to think of sending home the captive Jews but had some hesitations and fluctuations of mind about it I stood to confirm and to strengthen him Angels cannot inlighten the mind or powerfully incline the will of man for so the Holy Ghost only doth but as instruments of the Holy Ghost they can stir up phantasms of the Word read or heard they can also propose truth and right to the mind advise and perswade to it as Counsellors and inwardly instigate as it were by speaking and doing after a spiritual manner suggesting good thoughts as devils do evil Yea they can strangely wind themselves into mens imaginations so as to appear to them in their dreams Matth. 1. Ver. 2. And now I will shew thee the truth The plain naked truth in proper and downright terms dealing with thee more like an
the cross b. 306 Pauls painfulness b. 166 Peace spiritual is a Jewel a. 116. the wickeds peace unsound b. 154 Perjury punished b. 438 Persecution befalleth the best a. 318. wicked hate them b. 196. conspire against them b. 50. are Gods rods b. 51. terrour of 88. b. 120. Persevere in well-doing a. 262 Plain-dealing best a 106. See Arnulph Plato detained the truth b. 138 Persians Laws why irrepealable b. 546 Policy enemy to piety b. 107 237 355 Worldly wisdom flat folly b. 526 Popeâ— his pride b. 467 553. downfall 495 496. the number of his name 544. his blasphemy 556. he joyns with the Turk against the truth b. 493 Poverty excuseth not from duty a. 42. t is disregarded a. 86. forgot a. 287. deprecate it a. 204 Pragmaticalness censured a. 174 Praise the Lord for all b. 58. for recovery out of sickness b. 124. wicked cannot do it b. 126 Prayers power of prayer a. 63. 94. it ever prevaileth a. 102. pray in humility a. 166. with importunity a. 203. constancy ibid. b. 547. in few words a. 246. what to pray for a. 203. pray oâ— b. 205. though but broken petitions b. 125. in secret a. 337. God heareth his and why b. 212. he hearreth not the wicked a. 5. carnal prayers a. 146 Pride hatefull a. 32. self-conceited a. 68. breeds brawls a. 75. swelleth b. 467. breaketh a. 109. b. 98. 475. 530. mischief of pride a. 141. purse-proud a. 150. self-conceited foiled a. 271 Profess Christ wisely and boldly a. 343 b. 141. openly b. 547. to the last a. 353. good words and no more b. 261 Promises they are full of sweetness a. 329. b. 479. suck sweetness out of them b. 215 Proverbs of Solomon praised a. 1. 50. See Solomon Providence ordereth all a. 106 113 138 150. This Heathens doubted of denyed b. 130. One event to all a. 228 282 286 Publike Spirit a common blessing a. 60. honour of publike benefactors b. 190 Prosperity in sin a plague b. 34 559 Punishment of sin God befools those whom he will destroy b. 338. he loves to retaliate b. 78. he hath variety of plagues b. 88. he begins at his Sanctuary b. 415. See Sin Purity love of it a. 150 Q QUakers cross-grained b. 132 R RAin is of God b. 241 Raptures spiritual a. 331 332 Reformation wrought here by degrees b. 496 Remission of sin is free b. 140. full b. 143. plentiful b. 178. above all that we can think 179. Sin unpardoned lyeth heavy b. 279 Renovation the new creature b. 163. all things new in Christ a. 222. the change a. 345 Repent b. 233 234. throughly b. 7. speedily b. 80. lest All too late b. 247. Repentance the best defensive weapon b. 83. It reingratiateth with God b. 516. It is twofold b. 19 Reproaches We are naturally impatient of them b. 452. slight them a. 220 Reprobation a. 105 Reproof a friendly office a. 263. if fitly performed a. 167. bear it well a. 103. love a faithfull Reprover a. 48 63. Many are thereby enraged a. 95 96 Restitution b. 199 Resurrecton proved b. 94 95. See b. 490 Revenge is bloody a. 85. crossed b. 426 do not avenge your selves a. 16. 137. 164 Riches profit not a. 58. protect not 64. stave not off death 252. are uncertain a. 251. ill-gotten bring a curse a. 226 Money the Monarch of this world a. 296 Rivers Good meetings at Rivers sides b. 392 Rome must be burnt a. 207. See Pope Papists S SAbbath kept and broken how b. 191. scorned b. 370 Sacrament of the Lords Supper sweet to Saints a. 323 Sacrifices Evangelical b. 320 Sacriledge a. 138 sacrilegious buildings b. 287. See b. 541 Saints their excellency a. 72 274 275. beauty and bravery a. 322. safety b. 119. dignity b. 200. sobriety b. 527. their love to Christ a. 340. eager desires after him 341. they will not lie b. 203. their sins are soon ripe b. 223. A Saint is homo quadratus b. 504. much honoured b. 158 Saracens whence b. 357 Satan foretelleth not things future b. 133 Scandal Shun scandalous practices a. 289 Scriptures their worth a. 75 76. sweetness 110. extolled 309. a Rule of life b. 109. blasphemed b. 122. Two Testaments a. 315. distinction of verses but alate b. 111. Scripture is plain a. 43. profitable b. 498 Scorners odious a. 160. b. 183 184. See Mocking Security precedeth destruction b. 61. 101. t is a spiritual judgement b. 104 Seedsmen of sedition a. 32. Make-bates a. 69. 112. Shun such and why a. 163 Seducers a. 185. dangerous creatures a. 292. Foxes and why a. 338. shun them a. 320 smell them out ibid. they lead to Atheism b. 293. See Hereticks Self-conquest the best a. 113 Self-delusion b. 143. deadly a. 83 111 Self-flattery pernicious a. 140 Self-love sinful a. 143 Self-examination b. 381 382 Sensualists hardly converted b. 515. they shall smoke for it a. 201 202 Separation a great sin a. 122 Severity sometimes necessary a. 138 Shame for sin double b. 11 Silence seasonable a. 235 Sin the bitter-sweet of it a. 136 272. hath punishment at the heels of it a. 27 70 255. b. 13 17 18. it destroyeth whole States a. 91. freedom from guilt and filth of it b. 8. Saints sins turn to their good a. 319. upbraid them not with sins repented of a. 111. they work out sins scum b. 459. Hide not sin a. 186. bewail the sins of the times b. 452 Sincerity of Saints a. 357. 't is perfection b. 92. known by uniformity a. 172 Slander slurreth the best a. 264 Sycophants are Serpents a. 293. b. 283 Solomon his great wisdom a. 217 218. his three books a. 153. his Proverbs praised a. 1 2. his Ecclesiastes a. 218. Canticles a. 312. his Observations are lost a. 223. his Fasciculus temporum a. 232. he was well taught a. 229 Sorrow godly bettereth the heart a. 261. Mourn for sin b. 67 Soul is of God and returneth to God a. 307 Spirit is Gods hand b. 412. puts mettle into the Saints a. 330. his still voice b. 110. he is of a fiery nature b. 23. why compared to water b. 58 Submission appeaseth a. 108. submit to Gods holy hand a. 267. consider 268. submit to superiours a. 275 Superstition grosly mistaken b. 347. superstition of fore-fathers is to be abandoned b. 447 Suretyship unadvised dangerous a. 28 T TAle-bearers frown upon them a. 170. they are murtherers b. 452. See Slanderers and Seedsmen of Sedition Tears sow in tears a. 233. sorts of tears a. 238. Crocodile tears b. 340 Thoughts evil b. 236. rid them ibid. they are not free a. 100. See Heart Tillage very useful a. 249. 't is of Gods teaching b. 103 Time discern it a. 277. redeem it a. 300. make the best of it a. 232. waste it not on trifles b. 176. our time is short our task long a. 285 Tongue govern it a. 127. be advised what you speak a. 101 198. gracious language a. 214 335. Tongue mischievous to many a. 57 93 Treason comes to light a. 296. Traitors Meed b. 117. good men oft charged with treason b. 332 Trent-Council discovered b. 413. their high-presumption b. 505 Trinity a. 302. made man ibid. Trust God only a. 10. rest on him b. 108 make him thy refuge a. 124. they are happy that so do a. 109. creature-confidence disappointed a. 125 169 Truth prize it a. 158. it seeketh no corners b. 147 Turkish Empire Vaste b. 95 V VAin-glory naught a. 170. See Boasting Victories of English over the Spaniard b. 436 Union with Christ affect it a. 315 339 Vows make and keep them a. 247. a vow for holiness b. 522 D. Ushier preached sixty years b. 221. his Prophecy of Irelands desolation b. 403 Usury unlawful a. 184. b. 440. 453 W WAR wasteth people a. 89 wisdom best manageth it a. 145. Sword in commission b. 352 Wigelius an Antiacademian Widgin b. 521 Whirlwinds violent b. 393 Whoredom pernicious a. 8 9.23 24 25 34 35 36 39 40 41 151 273. costly b. 433. Harlot and Whore whence ibid. Two adulterous Priests punished b. 308. Whoredom how punished in sundry Nations b. 434 456. a beastly punishment of it b. 433 Wicked are dross a. 165. uncounsellable a. 190. uncorrigible a. 181. ambitious of destruction a. 66. they stink a. 323. yet oft they live long 208 279. they are restless b. 186. desperately naught b. 228. wilfully b. 244 praise them not a. 182 Widows Gods Clients a. 100 Wife good and evil 64. a. 80. Good Wife pretious a. 127 130. rare 212. described and praised a. 212 213 215 216. an evil Wife a great plague a. 143 144 Wine comforteth a. 211 Wisdom true what a. 65. wherein it consisteth a. 76. it doth much in War 145. saveth and sacketh Cities a. 287 288 Women unfit for Government b. 18. they oft sway their husbands ibid. they are still made use of by the Devil b. 346 347. their pride and luxury punisht b. 19 20 Word of God powerfull in operation a. 153. b. 2. 57. accompanied with the spirit b. 194. t is pure a. 202. add not to it ibid. it shall be accomplished b. 8 9. It is light b. 45. loathed a. 178. a famine of it a. 195. blasphemed a. 202. t is fire b. 294. a hammer ibid. will still shew men their faults b. 330. abuse of it is dangerous b. 282. Scripture-poetry b. 364 Works of God God is much seen in them b. 28. the wonder of the Sun a. 220. of the winds ibid. rivers ibid. of mans body 299 306 World a Wilderness a. 345. all here is vanity a. 219. unsatisfactory a. 221. empty a. 227. vexatious a. 229 changeable b. 64. World wheels about b. 394. See 558. Worship of God prepare to it a. 244 be not slight and overt in it a. 245 246. grow not secure after it a. 342. Speak reverently of holy things a. 173. Mens persons must first be accepted a. 140 Y SErve God in Youth a. 303 Z ZEal be resolute for God b. 533. Laurence his Zeal ibid. God hateth the Luke-warm b. 296 FINIS
inexorable Though Moses That Chancellour of Heaven as One calleth him who not only ruled with God but over-ruled Exod. 32.11 â—14 Numb 14.19 20. And Samuel A mighty man likewise in prayer See 1 Sam. 7.9 called therefore Pethuel as some think Joel 1.1 that is a God-perswader These two were famous in their generations for hearty love to and prayers for that rebellious people and did much for them But so the case now stood if these favourites were alive and should intercede their utmost for them it should avail nothing See Ezek. 14.14 Yet my mind could not be to this people This is spoken after the manner of men q. d. I am implacably inraged I am unchangably resolved against them Cast them out of my sight Tell them that I have utterly rejected them and I will ratify and realize thy speeches See on chap. 1.10 And let them go forth Or let them be gone q. d. I am the worse to look upon them Ver. 2. If they say unto thee As they will be apt enough to do in a jeare Such as are for death i. e. For the pestilence commonly called mortality because it is so deadly a disease Those at Genoa have lately found it so And yet it is here reckoned first as the least and lightest of all the four threatened Judgements which must needs be had enough when the Pest is the best of them all The Turks shun not the company of those that have the Plague but pointing upon their foreheads say it was written there at their birth when they should dye and of what disease These in the text could as little avoid the deaths they were assigned to as Aeschylus the Tragedian could his being knockt on the head For when as he was foretold that he should dye with a stroke coming from above Alian Val. Max. he shunned houses and was wont to remain in the open air but he was killed by a Torroise falling from the mouth of an Eagle upon his bald head mistaken for a stone Ver. 3. And I will appoint over them four kinds Heb. families or kindreds i. e. quatuor cognata carnivera dogs birds and beasts being added to the former four evils ver 2. quasi per Auxesin Ver. 4. Because of Manasseh Because of his sins Idolatry and bloodshed especially wherein the people partaked and persisted and were therefore justly punished The son of Hezekiah but altogether degenerate He was therefore the worse because he should have been better and yet the worse again because he was author publicae corruptelae a ringleader of rebellion to others as was Jeroboam Ver. 5. Who shall be moan thee Heb. who shall come out of his place to comfort thee or who shall shake his head in commiseration to thee Ver. 6. I am weary with repenting Patiendo ac parcendo I have so oft revoked my threats that unlesse I should wrong my justice I can do so no more Deo gratias quod lingua Petiliani non sit ventibabrum Christ Hieron Ver. 7. And I will fan them with a fan Not of Purgation as chap. 6.29 30. but of Perdition Such as that chap. 51.2 In the gates of the land As men use to winnow corn at a windy door where the chaff is blown quite away Ver. 8. The widdows are increased to me Or before me or in my sight Above the sands of the seas Hyperbole A spoiler aâ— noon-day Nebuchadnezzar that choice young man for so some render the text and so he was when he came against Jerusalem and burnt it viz. in the eighteenth year of his raign And terrours upon the City Or terrours even the City that is say the Sept. and Chaldee the Army of the Chaldees which for their numbers and order of pitching their Tents seemed to be a City Ver. 9. She that hath born seven languisheth Jerusalem that maâ—r multipara a fruitful mother She hath given up the ghost Heb. she putteth out her soul as Job 11.20 We read of some mothers who hearing of their sons to be slain in battle have fain down dead in the place Her Sun is gone down See on Amos 8.9 A Christian when at worst can sing Non omnium dierum Sol occidit I look for better daies yet Ver. 10. Wo is me my mother that thou hast born me sc In such an age wherein I may not pray for my people not can preach unto them to any good purpose Buchanan bewailed it that he was born nec coelo nec solo nec saeculo erudito Camd. Elis Jeremy lamenteth here for a worse matter Surely be might well say for his manifold sufferings Littora quot conchas quot amaena rosaria flores Ovid. Trist Quotque soporiferum grana papaver habet Tot premor adversis c. A man of strife and a man of contention Generally opposed and quarrelled for my free and faithful discharge of my duty Virum arguentem Arab. This is the worlds wages to godly Ministers whom they usually make their but-mark But God be thanked saith he with Hierom quod dignus sim quem mundus oderit That I am worthy whom the world should hate Lutherus pascitur convitiis saith he of himself Luther is fed with reproaches I have neither lent on usury i. e. I have neither bought nor sold as we say medled nor made with them I have had as little to do with them any way as was possible Vsura praecipuum fomentum litium I have kept my self close to my calling and yet I cannot avoid their variance and virulencies To preach is to derive upon a mans self the hatred of the world saith Luther Ver. 11. Verily it shall be well with thy remnant Heb. if it be not well q. d. then trust me no more thy latter end shall be comfortable Psal 37.37 the end of that man is peace be his beginning and middle never so troublesom Verily I will cause the enemy to intreat thee well Or I will intercede for thee with the enemy See this fulfilled chap. 40.4 God can speak for his in the hearts of their enemies and make their foes to favour them as many of the Papists here did Wickliffe and after him Bradford Ver. 12. Shall iron break the Northern iron and the steel That is say some shall these hard-hearted Jews be to hard for me or for thee Jeremy whom I have made an iron-pillar and brazen walls against the whole land chap. 1.18 Never think it Brighten thee they may but not break thee The Northern iron is noted for the best and toughest Ver. 13. Thy substance and thy treasure This is spoken by an Apostrophe to the people who are here told again what to trust to for their national sins Ver. 14. And I will make thee to passe with thine enemies Or to serve thine enemies for there is a double reading of the text Ver. 15. O Lord thou knowest Jeremy had begun a complaint ver 10. not without some tang and tincture of humane infirmity