Exposition of the Laws of Moses, Exegesis 1 · Part 25
EXERCITAT. XXV. The Jewes might not kill the damme ſitting upon the young ones. A ceremoniall appendix of Command. 5.
Levit. 22.6. If the damme be ſitting upon the young, or upon the egges, thou ſhall not take the damme with the young, &c. That it may be well with thee and that thou maiſt prolong thy dayes.
God made choiſe of Canaan after a ſpeciall manner.The earth is the Lords, and the fulneſſe thereof. Pſal. 23.1. Yet the Lord made choiſe of Canaan in a ſpecial manner, and therefore he ſaith, the Land is mine, Levit. 25.23. Thence it is called Emmanuels Land, Eſay. 8 8. and other Lands the Lord calleth polluted Lands, Amos. 7.17. Thou ſhall dye in a polluted Land. So the people who dwelt in Canaan were the Lords, after a ſpeciall manner, and all that which belonged unto them, therefore he forbiddeth to take uſury of his people.
The damme fitting on the yong ones was not a type.When the Lord forbiddeth them to kill the damme with the young ones; the damme ſitting upon the young ones, was not a type to the Iewes here, no more then the oxe when hee trode out their corne; but there was a tropologicall ſenſe here, to teach them manners; but Canaan it ſelfe was a type to them.
By this Law the Lord taught them mercy to all men, and reverence to their parents.God will have them to ſhew mercy upon the beaſts, and the birds, and he will not have the damme, and the yong killed together; and Targum Ionathan paraphraſeth it thus, as your heavenly Father is mercifull in heaven, ſo be ye mercifull in earth. The fartheſt extent and meaning of this Law is, that they ſhould abſtaine from cruelty, Hoſ. 10.14. Gen. 32.11. To kill the Mother, and the Children, for as God hath not regard of Oxen, 1 Cor. 8.9. his chiefe regard was not to the Oxe, when he forbiddeth to muzzle his mouth, but that the Miniſter ſhould have maintenance: ſo the Lords chiefe regard, is not here that the Damme be ſpared, but that Parents be reverenced.
God taught the Iewes in their infancy ſundry wayes. Firſt, he taught them by their apparell,God taught the Iewes many wayes. that they ſhould not weare Linſey wolſey; ſo that the Prieſts ſhould weare linnen in the Sanctuary, and wooll out of the Sanctuary, Ezek. 44.17. and ſo by their meates, putting a diſtinction betwixt clean and uncleane; and ſo by their houſes, when he commanded the Law to be written upon the poſts of their doores, and by the Battlements to be put about their new houſes, and ſo by their husbandry, when he commanded them not to plow with an Oxe and an Aſſe, and not to ſow their fields 'with divers ſorts of ſeede? So by their flocks to offer their firſt borne of them to him; and here when they were walking in the fields, if a birds neſt were before them in the way, either in a tree, or upon the ground, they were commanded to ſpare the damme; to teach them reverence to their Parents; whereſoever they lookt, they had ſome inſtruction before them.
He forbiddeth them to kill the Damme and the yong ones together;Why God would not have the Iewes to kill the Damme with the yong ones. he commanded them to eate fleſh after the flood, but here he would reſtraine their appetite, that they ſhould not kill both the Damme and the yong ones; and which is more, the Lord forbiddeth when they are about to ſacrifice, that they kill not the Cow or the Ewe, and their young ones both in one day, Levit. 22.27. So the Iewes ſay that they might not kill the damme upon the young ones although it were for cleanſed of the Leproſie, Lev. 14.4. And if he will not have this done for his owne worſhip, farre leſſe will he have men do it for their own private uſe, God will have mercy and not ſacrifice, Matth. 9.13. he forbiddeth them to kil the Dam, but they might take the young ones; he will not have them like the Pythagoreans who thought it unlawfull to kill any beaſt or fowle, neither will he have them like Barbarians who kill all without reſpect, but he will have them kill the young ones and ſpare the old, to teach them reverence towards their parents;No creature but man may make uſe of it. there is no creature, but man may make ſome uſe of it, either to make it the object of his pity, or elſe to imitate it, as the Storke, the Crane, and Swallowes, Who know their times, Iere. 8.7. yea the Lord ſendeth the ſluggard to the piſmire to learne, Prov, 6.6.
Honour thy father and thy mother, is the greateſt Commandement in the ſecond table, and it hath this promiſe annexed unto it, that they who honour their parents ſhall live a long life; and here the Lord joyneth it to the meaneſt of all the Commandements which the Iewes call Praeceptum leve, the Lord ſet the ceremonies [Sejag Latorah] as a hedge about the Law;foreign and as the hedge is a fence to keepe out beaſts; ſo were theſe ceremonies ſet as a hedge to keepe the Iewes, that they ſhould not breake in to violate the morall.
This law to ſpare the Damme upon the yong ones, binds us not now.If a man ſhould find a bird fitting in this land upon her yong ones, he is not bound by this Law to ſpare her, more then he is bound, when he reapeth his field to leave the gleanings ungathered; yet he is bound by the Morall Law to ſhew pity to his beaſt, and ſo upon the foule, neither could he promiſe to himſelfe longer life, if he ſhould doe ſo: but onelyonly he muſt looke to the morall precept, which obligeth man ſtill, when theſe ceremonies are aboliſhed.
Object. It may be ſaid, where the reaſon, or the promiſe annexed to the Law is perpetuall, there the law is perpetuall, but this promiſe is perpetuall, long life to the obedient child; therefore it might ſeeme that this law is perpetuall.How the promiſe is annexed to this ceremoniall precept, and to the morall precept. Simile.
Anſw. The promiſe is properly annexed to the morall Law, and but accidentally to the ceremoniall Law: a father hath a child whom he mindeth to make his heire, he biddeth his child doe ſuch and ſuch things, which are but trifles, and then he promiſeth unto him, the inheritance, there are more weighty conditions included in this promiſe; but for the childs nonage, and becauſe as yet he is not capable of the greater conditions, therefore his father ſetteth downe thoſe meaner conditions unto him; the inheritance is promiſed unto him eſpecially if he obſerve the maine conditions; but the meaner are ſet downe for the preſent to him: ſo dealleth the Lord with the Iewes here.
The keeping of the whole Commandements hath this promiſe of long life annexed unto it, Prov. 3.1.2. my ſonne forget not my law, but let thine heart keepe my Commandements, for length of dayes, and long life and peace, ſhall they adde unto thee, ſo Deut. 8.1. and 30.16. But it is more particulary annexed to this Commandement, and it is called the firſt Commandement with promiſe, Epheſ. 6.2.