Exposition of the Moral Law, Book 1 · Commandment 2 · Exercitation 16
EXERCITAT. XVI. The reaſon why the Lord will not ſuffer idolatrie. Commandement II.
Exod. 20.5. For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God.
AS theſe words, I am the Lord, The Lord to ſhew his authoritie to command, ſetteth his name to every one of the commandements.are prefixed to the firſt commandement; ſo they are annexed to the reſt: they are prefixed to the firſt by way of preface; I am thy Lord thy God. Exod. 20.2. So they are annexed to the ſecond; as here, and Levit. 19.4. Turne yee not unto idols, nor make to your ſelves molten gods: I am the Lord your God. To the third, Levit. 19.12. Ye ſhall not ſweare by my name falſly, neither ſhalt thou prophane the name of thy God: I am the Lord. To the fourth, Verſ. 30. Ye ſhall keepe my ſabbaths, and reverence my ſanctuarie: I am the Lord. To the fift; Verſ. 3. Ye ſhall feare every man his mother, and his father, and keepe my ſabbaths. I am the Lord your God, and Verſ. 32. Thou ſhalt riſe up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and feare thy God; I am the Lord. To the ſixt, Verſ. 16. Neither ſhalt thou ſtand againſt the bloud of thy neighbour: I am the Lord. To the ſeaventh, Levit. 18.6. None of you ſhall approach to any that is neare of kin to you, to uncover their nakedneſſe: I am the Lord. To the eight, Verſ. 19. Thou ſhalt not defraud thy neighbour, &c. I am the Lord. So to the ninth, Verſ. 16. Thou ſhalt not goe up and downe as a talebearer among the people, I am the Lord. And generally to all the Commandements. Levit. 18.5. Ye ſhall therefore keepe my ſtatutes and my judgements, which if yee doe ye ſhall live in them. I am the Lord. He hath ſet his name to every one of them, to ſhew that hee hath power to command.
Deus Deus tuus, he is God of all creatures, but hee is Deus tuus of his Church.
God both lendeth and borroweth from man.I am a jealous God, the Lord whoſe delights were with the ſonnes of men, Prov. 8.31. will interchange with man, he will both lend ſome things to him, and borrow ſome things from him.
Some things are ſpoken properly, which ariſe either from his underſtanding or from his will.Things ariſing from the underſtanding and will of God, are firſt ſpoken properly of himſelfe. From the underſtanding, as his knowledge, and providence, theſe are firſt ſpoken properly of God; and then attributed to man. So theſe which ariſe from his will, as his goodneſſe, merciemercy, and grace, hee communicateth himſelfe by creation to all his creatures; and therefore hee is called the father of them.Father properly is given to God. Iob. 38.28. Pater pluviae, the father of raine. This word father is properly attributed to him.foreign. Epheſ. 3.15. Of whom all fatherhoods in heaven and earth are named, and it is borrowed from him and given to creatures; either when men beget a ſonne, or when they make a thing, they are called the father of it. Gen. 4.20. borrowed from him who is the father by eternall generation of his ſonne; or father by creation of all the creatures.
Somethings firſt proper to the creatures, and then attributed to God.There are other things which are firſt proper to the creatures, and then attributed to God by way of metaphor, ſuch as are ſpoken of God foreign as when we attribute hands, feet, and eyes to him. Secondly ſuch things as are ſpoken of him, foreign, when the ſcripture bringeth in God angry after the manner of man,Things proper to the creatures attributed to God three wayes. Pſal. 18.8. There went up a ſmoake out of his noſtrils. Thirdly theſe things that are ſpoken of him foreign, when paſſions are attributed to God after the manner of men; and they are either ſimple or compounded paſſions: Simple, as anger, hatred; compounded as jealouſie, which is made up of love and hatred.
This word Kinne ſignifieth either to be jealous or zealous, foreign Zelotypus fuit, zela, affectus, cum p…p. ל conſtructu… in … ſumitur, Cum ב vel foreign fere in m… n, ut not…t A…. Eſ….and it is taken either in a good ſenſe or an evill ſenſe: In a good ſenſe when it is conſtrued with Lamed, as Num. 25.13. Kinne le lohan, he was zealous for his God. But when it is conſtrued with Beth or Eth, then it is taken in an evill ſenſe. Num. 5.14. Vekinne eth iſhto, foreignand he be jealous of his wife.
Iealouſie is a mixed affection of love and hatred,foreign therefore it is called the fire of his jealouſie. Zeph. 1.18. God, becauſe he hath married the Church to himſelfe,Iealouſie what. he is jealous of her,God is jealous of his Church here. left ſhe ſhould goe a whooring from him after other gods. In heaven hee onelyonly loveth the triumphant Church, he is not jealous of her; in earth he is jealous often times of his militant Church, but hee hateth her not; but he hateth the children of this world altogether.
A loving husband firſt beginneth to ſuſpect his wife,How jealouſie is bred, and how it proceedeth. then he becommeth jealous of her, and laſt he cometh to hate her and caſt her off: but before hee come to caſt her off, hatred ſaith, I will caſt her off, becauſe ſhe hath played the harlot; but love ſaith, I am loath to caſt her off, becauſe ſhe hath beene the wife of my youth. Shee is the mother of my children, and ſo love prevaileth for a while, but at laſt when ſhee continueth in her adulteries, then hee turneth her away, and giveth her the bill of divorcement, and hateth her more than ever hee loved her: ſo doth God deale with his Church before he caſt her off.
This iealouſie is a ſtrong paſſion. Cant. 8.6.Iealouſie is a ſtrong and rooted paſſion. Iealouſie is cruell as the grave: The grave ſpareth no man, and there is no redemption from the grave: So the iealous huſband, nothing will ſatisfie him: and as it is a dangerous thing to meet a beare robbed of her whelpes. Prov. 17.12. and the revenger of bloud in his heat. Deut. 19.6. So it is to meet a iealous man in his rage.Why the offering of the adulterous woman is called the offering of memoriall. Prov. 6.34. Iealouſie is the rage of a man: therefore he will not ſpare in the day of vengance. He will not regard any ranſom, neither will he reſt content though thou giveſt many gifts.
So this paſſion is a rooted paſſion: under the Law the ſacrifice which was offered for the woman ſuſpected of adultery, is called oblatio recordationis, the offering of memoriall. Num. 5.18. in all other ſacrifices iniquitie was purged and forgotten, but in this ſacrifice the wrong is remembred, and they ſay, there are three things which can hardly be cured, iealouſie, frenſie, and hereſie.
The Lord ſetteth this attribute of jealouſie before the Church here, to warne her to abſtaine from idolatrie, and ſpirituall adulterie.Why the Lord ſetteth this word jealouſie to this commandement. If the wife would remember the rage of her husband, it would terrifie her; and if ſhe would remember his love, this would keepe her in obedience: the adulterous woman when ſhee enticed the young man to adulterie. Prov. 7.19. She ſaith, The man is not at home, hee is gone a farre iourney, hee hath taken a bagge of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed. She ſaith, the good man will come home, but not my jealous husband will come; neither thinketh ſhe thus with her ſelfe, what if he come home and take me in the act of adulterie?A difference betwixt God the husband of his Church, and other jealous husbands.
God is a jealous husband, marke a difference betwixt him and other jealous husbands. Ier. 3.1. They ſay if a man put away his wife, and ſhee goe from him, and become another mans wife, ſhall hee returne unto her againe? ſhall not the land bee greatly polluted? but thou haſt played the harlot with many lovers, yet returne againe to me, ſaith the Lord; and if ſhee will returne to him as to a father and guide of her youth, hee promiſeth to accept of her. Verſ. 4. Whereas no other husband may accept of his wife backe againe, after hee hath put her away being married to another.
When the Church committeth adulterie whether ceaſeth ſhe to be the ſpouſe of Chriſt or not? Queſt.
She ceaſeth to bee his ſpouſe upon her part, Anſw. The Church may ceaſe to be a ſpouſe upon her part, but not upon Gods part.becauſe ſhe hath committed adultery; but ſo long as hee giveth her not the bill of divorcement, he accounteth of her as his ſpouſe: therefore the Lord ſaith of Iuda, Where is the bill of your mothers divorcement? Eſay. 50.1.foreign averſatrix. foreign prevari…trix. as if he would ſay, I never gave her a bill of divorcement, but ſhe went willingly from me of her owne accord, when I would have kept her ſtill. Iuda and Iſrael are compared by the Prophet. Ier. 3.11. he called Iſrael Meſhubha, the backſliding Iſrael, and he calleth Iuda Bagodah, treacherous Iuda, when Iſrael fell away hee gave the bill of divorcement to the ten tribes, but he did not repudiate treacherous Iuda for all her adulteries.
Firſt he was the guide of her youth,When the Lord gave Iſraell the bill of divorce. and he loved her becauſe he remembred ſtill the kindenes of her youth, and the love of her eſpouſals. Ier. 2.2. that is, when he remembred the love of the Patriarchs, & their ſinceritie in worſhiping of him. Then they committed adulterie and fell away from him; yet they repented, therefore he caſt them not off; But after that they had crucified the Lord of glory, then Paul ſaid, hee would goe to the Gentiles. There was a little remnant of the Iewes who beleeved in Chriſt, they were to bee gathered in, and to theſe Peter went to Babylon. 1. Pet. 5.13.When he gave Iuda the bill of devorce. And a few in the Weſt ſcattered abroad in Pentus, Aſia, and Bithynia, and to theſe Peter wrote. 1. Pet. 1.1. and about the time of the deſtruction of Ieruſalem the Lord gave them abſolutely the bill of divorcement, and then hee counted them not a people.
The concluſion of this is,Concluſion. jealouſie is onelyonly joyned to the ſecond commandement, he is angry for the breach of any commandement, but he is iealous when his worſhip is corrupted, & his glory given to creatures, wherefore this muſt be a high tranſgreſſion.