Commentary on Prov Ecc SoS Isa Jer Lam Eze Dan, Jeremiah · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
Ver. 1. AT that time they ſhall bring out the bones] They ſhall not ſuffer the dead to reſt in their graves, Maximè propter ornamenta in ſepulchris condita, chiefly for the treaſure, the Chaldees ſhall there look for: See 2 Chron. 36.19. Neh. 2.3. Joſeph Antiq. lib. 13. chap. 15. Baruch 2.24. For extremity of deſpite alſo,A. D. 897. dead mens bones have been digged up. Pope Formoſus was ſo dealt with by his ſucceſſour Stephanus the ſixth: and many of the holy Martyrs, by their barbarous perſecutors.Act. & Mon. 1905. Ibid. 1784. Cardinal Paol had a purpoſe to have taken up King Henry the eighths body at Windſor, and to have burned it, but was prevented by death. Charles 5. would not violate Luthers grave, though he were ſolicited ſo to do, when he had conquered Saxony. But if he had, it had been never the worſe with Luther: who being asked where he would reſt? anſwered ſub caelo: Caelo tegitur qui caret urnâ. Of all foule, we moſt hate and deteſt the crows: and of all beaſts, the Jackalls (a kind of foxes in Barbary) becauſe the one digs up the graves and devours the fleſh, the other picketh out the eyes of the dead.
Ver. 2. And they ſhall ſpread them before the Sun] Whom theſe Idolaters had worſhipped whiles they were alive, and thought they could never do enough for, as is hinted by thoſe many expreſſions in the text.
Whom they have loved, and whom they have ſerved, &c.] Innuitur poena talionis, ſaith Piſcator: their dead bodies ſhall lye unburied in the ſight of theſe their deities, who could do them no good either alive or dead.
Ver. 3. And death ſhall be choſen rather then life] They being captives and ſorely oppreſſed, ſhall ſing that doleful ditty,
— O terque quaterque b…ati,
Queis ante ora patrum Solymae ſub moenibus altis
Contigit oppetere.—
Oh how happy were they that periſhed,Vae victis. during the ſiege, or in the ſurpriſal of the City! Life indeed is ſweet, as we ſay: and man is a life-loving creature, ſaid that heathen: but it may fall out that life ſhall be a burden, and a bitterneſſe: how oft doth Job unwiſh it? and how fain would Eliah have been rid of it? ſo little cauſe is there that any good man ſhould be either fond of life, or afraid of death.
Ver. 4. Shall they fall and not ariſe?] Or, when men fall, will they not ariſe]? Or, will not one that hath turned aſide, return? To fall, may befall any man: but ſhall he lye there, and not aſſay to get up again? to loſe his way may be incident to the wiſeſt: but who but a fool would not make haſte to get into the right way again? Errare humanum eſt: perſeverare, diabolicum. And yet theſe ſtubborn Jews refuſe to riſe or return.
Ver. 5. Why then is this people of Jeruſalem, &c.] Why elſe but becauſe they are voyd of all true reaſon, and quite beſide themſelves in point of ſalvation? their pertinacy or rather pervicacy in ſinning is altogether inſuperable. Monoceres interimi poteſt, capi non poteſt.
They hold faſt deceit] They hold cloſe to their falſe Prophets, or rather a falſe heart of their own hath deceived them, as ver. 11. a deceived heart hath turned them aſide, as Eſa. 44.20. See there.
Ver. 6. I hearkened and heard] Or, I have liſtened to hear; but could not yet hear them liſp out one ſyllable of ſavoury language.
No man repented of his wickedneſſe] No nor ſo much as reflected, or turned ſhort again upon himſelf to take a reveiw of his former evil practices: which yet is the very firſt thing in repentance, 2 Chron. 6.37. Luk. 15.17.
Saying, What have I done] The Pythagoreans once a day put this queſtion to themſelves. And the Oratour thus beſpoke his adverſary Nevius, Si haec duo tecum verba reputaſſes Quid ago? reſpiraſſet cupiditas & avaritia paululum: Cicero orat. pro Quintio.that is, hadſt thou but ſaid thoſe two words to thy ſelf, What do I? thy luſt and covetouſneſs would thereby have been cooled and qualified.
Every one turned to his courſe as a horſe ruſheth] Heb. ruſheth with as much violence as an overflowing flood. Hinc apparet fructus liberi arbitrii, ſaith Oecolampadius: See here the fruit of free-will, and what man will do being left to himſelf. Carnal affections are forcible and furious: Plato himſelf ſaw, and could ſay as much,In Phad…o. when he compared concupiſcence to an headſtrong horſe, that runneth away with his rider, and cannot be ruled.
Ver. 7. Yea, the ſtork in the heaven knoweth her appointed time] Theſe fouls, though wanting reaſon, know well when to change quarters: whether againſt ſummer as the ſtork, turtle and ſwallow; or againſt winter as the crane.
But my people know not the judgement of the Lord] Whether his ſummer of grace offered, or his winter of puniſhment threatened; to embrace the one, or to prevent the other. See a like diſſimilitude and oppoſition, Iſa. 1.3.
Ver. 8. How do ye ſay We are wiſe?] If ye were ſo, ye would never ſay ſo. Surely I am more brutiſh then any man, ſaid holy Agur, Prov. 30.2. This only I know that I know nothing, ſaid Socrates. Neither know I ſo much as this that I know juſt nothing, ſaid a third. How could theſe in the text ſay, We are wiſe, when the fouls of the ayr outwitted them? confer, Job 35.11.
The Law of the Lord is with us] Vox eſt Phariſaeorum. So the Jeſuites at this day (as of old the Gnoſticks) will needs be held the only knowing men. The Empire of learning belongeth to the Jeſuites, ſay they: a Jeſuite cannot be an heretick;Caſaub. ex Apologiſta. Jungantur in unum, dies cum nocte, lux cum tenebris, &c. i. e. Let day and night be jumbled together, light and darkneſs, heat and cold, health and ſickneſs, life and death; ſo may there be ſome likelihood that a Jeſuite may be an heretick, ſaith one of them. The Church is the ſoul of the world, the Clergy of the Church; and we, of the Clergy, ſaith another.
Lo certainly in vain made he it] i. e. The Law, for any good uſe, that this people or their leaders put it to. See Hoſ. 8.12. Rom. 2.17,—25.
Ver. 9. The wiſe men are aſhamed] They have cauſe to be aſhamed of their groſſe ignorance and folly, ver. 7, 8. and greater cauſe then ever humble Auſtin had to ſay Scientia mea me damnat, my knowledge undoeth me.
Lo they have rejected the word of the Lord] As to any holy practice: their knowledge is only Apprehenſive and notional, not Affective and practical.
And what wiſdom is in them] q d. None worth ſpeaking of: they loſe their civil praiſes, becauſe not wiſe to ſalvation.
Ver. 10. Therefore will I give their wives] For a puniſhment of their rejecting my Word, which ought to be received with all reverence and good affection.Dilher. Elect. lib. 1. cap. 2. The Turkes do ſo highly reſpect the Alchoran (which is their Bible) that if a Chriſtian do but ſit upon it though unwittingly, they preſently put him to death.
For every one, &c.] See chap. 6.13.
Ver. 11. For they have healed] See chap. 6.14.
Ver. 12. Were they aſhamed] See chap. 6.15.
Ver. 13. I will ſurely conſume them, ſaith the Lord] Texitur hic quaſi tragoediae ſcena; here followeth a kind of Tragedy, ſaith an Expoſitour; God is brought in threatening, the Prophet bewailing, the people deſpairing, and yet bethinking themſelves of ſome ſhelter and ſafeguard, if they knew where to find it, &c.
There ſhall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs] But inſtead thereof I will give them waters of gall to drink, ver. 14. Tremellius and Piſcator read it thus, There are no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the figtree, yea the leaves are fallen: that is, ſay they, there is no power of godlineſſe found among them, no not ſo much as any profeſſion, neither fruit nor leafe.
And the things that I have given them ſhall paſſe away] I will curſe their bleſſings, Mal. 2.2. and deſtroy them after that I have done them good, Joſh. 24.
Ver. 14. Why do we ſit ſtill] Here the people ſpeak (ſee on ver. 13.) being grievouſly frighted upon the coming of the Chaldees; and thereupon conſulting what courſe to take: but all would not do, ver. 16.
Let us be ſilent] Sic ſilent pavidimures coram fele.
For the Lord our God hath put us to ſilence] Hath expectorated our courage, and ſtopped our mouths.
And hath given us waters of gall to drink] Succum cicutae, our bane, our deaths-draught: ſo that now we know, by woful experience, what an evil and bitter thing ſin is: for a drop of honey we have now a ſea of gall.
Ver. 15. We looked for peace, but no good came] Our falſe Prophets have merely deluded us. So poor ſouls, when ſtung by the Friers Sermons, were ſet to pennances and good deeds, which ſtilled them for a while, but could not yeeld them any laſting comfort. The ſoul is ſtill ready to ſhift, and ſhark in every by-corner for eaſe: but that will not be, till it comes to Chriſt.
Ver. 16. The ſnorting of his horſes was heard from Dan] See chap. 4.15. this cauſed in the Jews hearts a motion of trepidation: confer Job 39.20, It is the priviledge of believers in nothing to be terrified by their adverſaries, Phil. 1.28. but with the horſe ſpoken of Job 39.22. to mock at fear, and not to turn back from the dint of the ſword.
Ver. 17. Behold I will ſend Serpents, Cockatrices] i. e. Chaldees, no leſſe virulent then ſerpents, as violent as horſes. Serpentum tot ſunt venena quot genera, tot pernicies quot species, tot dolores quot colores, ſaith an Ancient: Serpents are of ſeveral ſorts,Iſidor. lib. 12. cap. 2. but all poiſonful and pernicious. The Baſilisk or Cockatrice here inſtanced (the worſt ſort of ſerpents, ſay the Septuagint here) goeth not upon the belly as other ſerpents: but erect from the middle part, and doth ſo infect the aire, that by the peſtilent breath coming therefrom, fruits are killed, and men being but lookt upon by it, and birds flying over it: ſtones alſo are broken thereby, and all other ſerpents put to flight.
Dlod. Piſc.And they ſhall bite you] There is an elegancy in the original.
Ver. 18. When I would comfort my ſelfe, &c.] Or, as ſome render it, O my comfort againſt ſorrow, i. e. O my God; others, my recreation is joyned with ſorrow.
Ver. 19. Behold the voyce of the cry] This was it that broke the good Prophets heart, the ſhrieks of his people.
Haec eſt querela hypocritarum. Oecol.Is not the Lord in Zion?] Thus in their diſtreſſe they leaned upon the Lord, as Mic. 3.11. and enquired after him, whom in their proſperity they made little reckoning of.
Why have they provoked me to anger?] q. d. The fault is meerly in themſelves, who have driven me out from amongſt them by their Idolatries.
Ver. 20. The harveſt is past, the ſummer is ended] They had ſet God a time, and looked for help that ſummer at fartheſt: but the Lord, as he never faileth in his own time, ſo he ſeldom comes at ours. Let us think we hear our poor brethren in Piedmont, Poland, Pomeraenia, complaining to us in this ſort, and be excited to help them, by our prayers and reliefs, &c.
Ver. 21. For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt, I am black] Or, I go in black, mourner like: or I am denigrated and contemned for bewailing my peoples miſery, who neither feel nor fear hurt.
Ver. 22. Is there no balm in Gilead?] Yes ſurely, there or nowhere: in Gilead grew a balſom good to make ſalves for all ſores, they ſay. This balſam grew there only in two large gardens, which belonged to the King. The nature of the tree could not abide iron but preſently dyed, if cut never ſo ſmall a depth: they uſed therefore glaſſe, bone-knives, ſharp ſtones, to get the gumme out of the tree.
Is there no Phyſician there?] Or, no Chirurgion there, where this medicinal ſimple ſo aboundeth? but this peoples ſorrow is immedicable, their diſeaſe deſperate—doctâ plus valet arte malum. The balm of the ſoul is Prayer, ſaith the Chaldee Paraphraſt; is Repentance, ſaith Hierom… is Chriſt applyed by faith, ſay we: Sanguis medici eſt curatio phrenetici. To this Almighty Phyſician, no diſeaſe can be incurable.