The Period of the Persian Monarchy, Chapter 9 – Chapter 10
CHAP. IX.
THis shewes that Nehemiah was the penner of this Booke.Nehem. 1. v. 1. The words of Nehemiah, the sonne of Hacheliah, &c. And therefore it is a mistake in kGenebrard. lib. 2. The Engl. Argument on the Book of Nehemiah.those, who make Ezra to be the writer of this Booke of Nehemiah. And this appeares further, in that he speaketh often of himselfe in the first person (I Nehemiah) and not in the third person. For though some, that are makers of a Booke doe sometimes speake of themselves in the third person (as Matthew and Iohn doe in their Gospels, and Moses in his history) [Matthew said, Iohn said, Moses spake] yet he that is not the author of a Booke never speaks of himselfe in that Booke, in the first person; as in this Booke often Nehemiah doth. Neither is it any argument that Ezra wrote it, because in the Hebrew editions, it is called Ezra; sith the Ebrewes did this to tell up the iust number of twenty foure Bookes of the old Testament. Both the Bookes of Samuell stand under his name; yet Samuell was not the writer of all, but part was written by lSixtus Senensis Bibl. lib. 1.Samuell, some by Nathan, and some by Gad.
Vers. 6. Both I and my Fathers have sinned.The conclusion is cleare, That we ought to confesse the sins of our fathers: but first,mVid. Fewerbornij disputat. An Deus posteros puniat ob Majorum suorum flagiti…? not to have a pardon for them, when they are dead and gone.
2 Nor that God pardons us their sins, The nEzek. 18.soule onelyonly that sinneth, that shall dye. No guilt necessarily passeth from the father to the sonne; but that of Adam, together with the sinne. There is but one only Originall sinne.
The sonne is not guilty of the fathers sinne, any further than he doth make it his owne sinne also, by some consent; either affirmative, by doing or liking what his father hath done in point of sinne; being glad of the broth wherein the abominable thing was sodden, & so subscribes to it, by a tacite and interpretative consent: Or
2 Negative, when we doe not dissent. A childe is bound to humble himselfe for his fathers sins upward, as farre as ordinarily hee may come to the certaine knowledge of them; which sometimes is, to the third and fourth generation. Now if he bee not humble and take them to heart, there is a secret consent; because he doth not by this act of humbling shew his dissent: And had such a childe the occasions and tentations his forefathers had; he would doe as they did. And thus he sets his fathers sins on his score; and makes them his owne. According to that of Daniel to Belshazzar, cap. 5. ver. 22. And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this. viz. Nebuchadnezzars sinne and punishment. In the Legall Covenant of workes, the guilt, together with the fault and corruption, did convey it selfe to the Posterity. Originall sinne descends by force of that Covenant: And that Commination to visit the sins of the Fathers, hath an eye to the Covenant of the Law. But now in the Evangelicall Covenant of grace, the sinne, and the wrath of God, goes no further than the very persons offending: Only God doth sometimes make the fathers sinnes an occasion, never a cause of punishing the child with some greater measure of punishment▪ should personall sins in the guilt, descend from fathers to the children: wee should have more Originall sinnes than one.
When then in the Word they oLevit. 26.40.were commanded to confesse, together with their owne sinnes, the sinnes of their forefathers: it was not that their forefathers sins, that went no further any way than their forefathers persons, should be remitted to their forefathers being dead, or to them being aliue, but that such sinnes, which they themselues had also in their owne proper persons by occasion of the example of their forefathers committed by act or some consent, might be forgiven unto them. So Psal. 79.8. [Remember not,] against whom? Our forefathers? No: But, Remember not [agaist us former pforeign Iniquitates praecedentium. Rainold. (which we and our Fathers have committed) genev. …ote. [Le. iniquita depassati Ital.] i. e. de nostri maggiori, è predecessoni, le quali no… halliamo, seguitate. Deodat.iniquities; that is, such sinnes as wee hauehave committed through the example of our forefathers, at least hauehave one way or another made our owne. The Translation reades it [former Iniquities.] Word for word it is in the originall, [The Iniquities of those that were before us:] i. e. of our Ancestors.
CHAP. X.
Cap. 2. v. 8. And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the Kings 1. King. 5.6. …orest, that he may give me timber to make beames for the gates of the Palace, which appertaines to the House, and for the Wall of the Citie, and for the house thatTHat is; *I shall …ter into.For the house that he himselfe was to have, being made governour by the King.
It appeares by Ezr. 6.15. and Nohem. 2.1. that the Temple was built before the walls of the Citie. The wals of the Citie were first broken downe, and last built up; and that 14. yeares after the Temple. And one reason hereof is given: for that before in all the former edicts made in behalfe of the Iewes by Cyrus or any other, there was no word as touching the reedifying of the City, but onelyonly to build againe the Temple. Paraeus rather is in the truth, who holds, that Cyrus did by edict give leave to build the Citie: Orat. de 70. hebdom. Dan. but by reason of so great resistance, they could doe little or nothing to the Citie. And therefore Nehemiah gets Letters Patents to build the Citie, and the wals of the Citie. And the truth is; That the Iewes after their returne, grew secure and carelesse, fell to rVid. Calvin. in Zach. cap. 1. v. 3.marrying strange wives, and other disorders, till the Lord stirred up the spirit and zeale of our Nehemiah, and he never gave over till hee had finished the worke. So much good may one man of place, power, and zeale, and courage doe for the Church. Neither was the Lord wanting to him in his blessed enterprize; But hee sent in Haggai and Zachariah, a paire of noble Prophets to encourage the people in the worke of the Lord: Neither will the Lord be wanting to any of us in things that are good, if we be not wanting to him and our selves.
As if hee should say;Vers. 11. Should such a man as I flie? and who is there that being as I am, would goe into the Temple to save his life? I will not go… in. It is not for mee that hauehave a calling from God to doe what I doe, which calling is a sufficient testimonie of his assistance and protection, for feare to leave the worke begun, and so to discover disobedience and diffidence toward God. Iunius is of opinion, that hee being a stranger, (i. e.) not a Priest, was not by law to goe into the Temple: As 'tis Numb. 3.38. But I rather follow Deodate, who seemes to like better to say, That hee would not flee to the Temple, because it was for malefactors, who used to take sanctuarie there to shift for their lives. Exod. 21.14. 1. King. 1.51. & 2.28. S…majah, who perswaded him to run to the Temple, was a Priest, and he did put a colour of retyred Religion on it too. So that even Priests were found ready to hinder the building of the Wals. But Nehemiah did looke to God and not to Man, and therefore in the next verse he saith: He perceived that God had not sent him, for that he went about to draw him from his vocation, which had a sure foundation. Wee must not suffer, no not Divines themselves, to turne us out of our callings, places, and duties.