Exposition of the Moral Law, Book 2 · Commandment 5 · Exercitation 14
EXERCITAT. XIIII. Of the promiſe annexed to the fift Commandement.
Epheſ. 6.7. Honour thy father and thy mother (which is the firſt commandement with promiſe,) that it may be well with thee, and thou mayſt live long on the earth.
THe Lord commanded the Iewes to reverence their parents, and hee addeth the reaſon, that their dayes may bee long in the land. Deut. 22.6. Thou ſhalt not take the dame with the young ones, that thy dayes may be prolonged in the land; they were commanded to ſpare the dame, becauſe ſhee repreſented the parents in bringing up of her young ones; and if their dayes ſhould be prolonged for ſparing the dame, much more for honouring their parents.
That thy dayes may be long in the land, foreign prolongabunt dies tuos tranſitivè, vel prolongabuntur dies tui intranſitivè.in the Hebrew it is, that they may prolong thy dayes [Iarichun jamecha] Parents are ſaid to prolong the dayes of the children, becauſe they are inſtruments of the prolonging of their dayes by praying to God for them, and they teſtifie that they would have them to live long, and in this ſenſe Miniſters are ſaid to ſave themſelves and thoſe that heare them. 1. Tim. 4.16. or, that thy dayes may bee long in the land, that is, may be prolonged, prolongentur. So Luc. 12.20. This night they ſhall take away thy ſoule, that is, thy ſoule ſhall be taken away.
Parents prolong the dayes of their children by their prayers.Parents prolong the dayes of their children by their prayers: learne hence what a good cuſtome it is for children to bee taught to ſeeke their fathers bleſſing, for the parents bleſſing hath great force to convey the bleſſing to the children.foreign cum benedictionibus foreign hic ſignificat cum & non ſupra. Gen. 49.36. The bleſſings of thy father are with the bleſſings of my progenitours; all the bleſſings of the predeceſſors concurring with the bleſſings of the father have great force.
What it is to die in an old age.They ſhall prolong thy dayes. Long life is a bleſſing of God, thou ſhalt come in a luſtie old age to the grave. Iob. 5.26. this the Greekes call foreign, and the Hebrewes made a feaſt when they were paſt ſixtie yeares of age; Calah is abundance of dayes, thou ſhalt goe to thy grave in abundance of dayes; and age is promiſed as a bleſſing, not a troubleſome old age, but a luſtie and ſtrong old age. Gen. 25.8. Then Abraham gave up the Ghoſt, and died in a good old age, an old man and full of dayes, Iob ſaith, thou ſhalt come to thy grave in a full age. Deut. 33.25. As thy dayes are, ſo ſhall thy age be, that is, thou ſhalt be in thine old age, as thou waſt in thy young yeres; and it is ſaid of Moſes, Deut. 34.7. That he was an hundred and twenty yeares old when he died, and his eyes were not dimmed, nor his naturall force abated; that is, his humidum radicale, or naturall moiſture was not abated,foreign Humidum radicale. foreign Gena, maxilla. or as Hierom readeth it, his eyes were not dimme, nor his teeth looſed.
Thou ſhalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a ſhocke of corne cometh in, in his ſeaſon. Iob. 5.26. Marke an excellent compariſon here betwixt reaping and death. Firſt, the woman conceiveth the ſeed in her wombe,A compariſon betwixt reaping and death. and it is formed there, then the child is borne; herbeſcit in peritia, he groweth up like a tender plant in his young yeares; then adoleſcit, he ſhooteth up and promiſeth ſome fruit; and then hee groweth old, withered, and white; then death cutteth him downe, and then hee is threſhed and winnowed, and all his goods taken from him. Laſtly, he is laid up in the grave as in a barne, to be brought forth in the ſpring time at the reſurrection.
How is this promiſe fulfilled? Queſt. for wee ſee often that good children who are obedient to their parents die ſoone, and the wicked live long.
There is a twofold reckoning of a mans life in the Scriptures: Firſt, Anſw. How the promiſe of long life is fullfilled.when they are old in yeares and have made no progreſſe in grace; young in yeares and old in grace: of old they commended the wiſdome of the aged in youthes, and they called it foreign, as he would ſay, young old; ſuch a one was Salomon, when hee was young in yeares, yet he was old in grace; and Ioſias while he was yet young, began to ſeeke after the God of David his father. 2. Chron. 34.3.
There are others who are old in yeares but have made no progreſſe in grace: the Lord obſerveth theſe two, Eſay. 65.20. There ſhall be no more thence an infant of dayes, nor an old man that hath not fulfilled his dayes, for the children ſhall die an hundred yeares old, but the ſinner being an hundreth yeare old ſhall be accurſed.
So that wee may obſerve men of three conditions,Some young in yeare, and old in grace. ſome are young in yeares but old in grace, as Salomon and Ioſias. Secondly, ſome old in years and old in grace.Old in yeares and old in grace. Prov. 16.31. The hoary head is a crowne of glory if it bee found in the way of righteouſneſſe, and Eſay. 46.4. And even to your old age I am he, and even to your hoary haires will I carry you. Levit. 19.22.Hoarie head put for a wiſeman. Thou ſhalt riſe up before the hoary head, the Chaldee paraphraſt paraphraſeth it, thou ſhalt riſe up before the wiſe, Old in yeares but not in grace.for then the age is honourable when it is found in the way of righteouſneſſe. And thirdly, ſome old in yeares, but not in grace; as Ioab. 1. K… 2.6. Let not his hoary head goe downe to the grave in peace. When an obedient ſonne to his parents dieth young,How children are ſaid to die an hundreth yeare old. his young yeares are reckoned as an hundred yeares to him, but when a diſobedient ſonne liveth an hundred yeares, yet he is accurſed before God; & diu fuit, ſed non diu vixit, that is, he hath been long, but he hath not lived long; for even as a ſhip when ſhe is toſſed to and fro in the ſea by ſtormie winds and tempeſts,Simile. we doe not ſay that ſhe hath ſailed long, but that ſhee hath beene toſſed to and fro, but when ſhee tendeth directly to the harbour, then ſhe is ſaid to ſaile: So although a wicked man be here long upon the earth, yet hee is not ſaid to live long, but to be long toſſed to and fro; and he is accurſed before the Lord, and the obedient ſonne hath his young yeares reckoned to him as an hundred yeares.
That thy dayes may be prolonged in the land, it is meant here of a good age, which hath both a naturall life and the ſpirituall life, for Godlineſſe hath the promiſes both of this life, and of the life to come. 1 Tim. 4.8.
Diſobedience to parents cut ſhort the life of the children.Diſobedience to parents cutteth ſhort the life of the children, as Hophui and Phineas for diſobedience to their father Eli, and Abſolon for his diſobedience to his father David: Obſerve what judgements light upon ſuch diſobedient children. Firſt they are accurſed as Ham was, Gen. 9. Secondly they die a miſerable and violent death. Prov. 30.17. The eye that mocketh at his father, Light or lampe put for the poſterity.and deſpiſeth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley ſhall picke it out, and the young eagles ſhall eate it. Thirdly, Hee that curſeth his father or his mother, his lampe ſhall be put out in obſcure darkeneſse: that is, he ſhall die childleſſe, and ſhall not have one to ſucceed unto him to continue his name. So the Lord ſaid that hee will give Salomon one Tribe, that David may have a light alway in Ieruſalem: that is, one to ſucceed in his kingdome, ſo the woman of Tekoah called her …e her cole, 2. Sam. 14.7. They ſhall quench my cole wh… … left, and ſhall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth. And Nadab, and Abihu, becauſe of their rebellion, dyed before the Lord in the wilderneſſe, and they had no children. Numb. 3.4. and 2 Chro. 24.2.
The bloodie and deceitfull man ſhall not live out halfe his dayes, Pſal. 55.23. and Iob. 15.32.How the bloody man liveth not halfe his dayes. Hee ſhall be cut off before his time. So Eccleſ. 7.17.Mori in tempore non ſuo quid. Why ſhouldeſt thou die before thy time. A man dieth before his time when hee ſhortneth the ordinary courſe of his life by ſinne, as when the bloody man is cut off for murther by the Magiſtrate, hee dyeth before his time: for by the courſe of nature he might have lived longer. Secondly, hee dyeth before his time, when hee is not ripe fruit to the Lord; the wicked are never ripe fruit to God, Hoſea. 9.10. I founde Iſrael like grapes in the wilderneſſe, I ſaw your fathers as the firſt ripe in the figge tree at the firſt time.
Whither thou art to goe, No typicall holineſſe now in one land more then in another.but the Apoſtle when he repeateth this promiſe, ſaith onelyonly, That thou mayeſt live long on the earth, Epheſ. 6.3. but hee leaveth out, whither thou art to goe, becauſe now there is no typicall holineſſe more in one land than in another.
This ſheweth the folly of the Iewes who hold that they who are buried out of Canaan, at the reſurrection ſhall be carried thorow the cavernes of the earth, untill they come to the holy land of Iſrael, and there they ſhall riſe: & this they cal [gulgulmehhilloth] volutatio cavernarū.foreign volatatio cavernarum.
Secondly it refuteth the ſuperſtitious conceit of many who thinke that there is more holineſſe in Canaan than in any other land, and many bloody battles have beene fought for it; whereas now it is no better than any other land.