Commentary on the Pentateuch, Commentary 2 · Chapter 23 – Chapter 24
CHAP. XXIII. Ver. 1. Thou ſhalt not raiſ]
NEither raiſ nor receiv it; neither bee the tale-bearer, nor tale-hearer: the one carrie's the divel in his tongue, the other in his ear. Not onelyonly thoſe that make a lie, but thoſe that love it when it is made to their hands, are ſhut out of heaven. Rev. 22.15. Solomon make's it an ill ſign of a graceleſs man, to bee apt to beleev ſcandalous reports of godlie perſons. Prov. 17.4.
Ver. 2. Thou ſhalt not follow a multitude] The waie to hell is broad and well-beaten. Per viam publicam nè ingredere, was one of Pythagoras his precepts: Do not as the moſt do, leſt thou bee undon for ever. Argumentum turpiſſimum eſt turba, ſaith Seneca. To live according to the courſ of the world is to bee acted by the divel. Epheſ. 2.2.
Ver. 3. Neither ſhalt thou countenance] Spare not the great for their might, nor the mean for their miſerie.
Ver. 4. Ox, or his aſs going aſtraie] How much more his ſoul? See the Notes on Jam. 5.20. Jude 22, 23.
Ver. 5. Thou ſhalt ſurely help with him] So the Spirit help's with us; or liſt's over againſt us. Rom. 8.26. foreign.Hee look's ut acti agamus.
Ver. 6. The judgment of the poor] I have ſeen (ſaith one) the King of Perſia manie times to alight from his horſ, The Preachers Travels by J. Cartwright.onelyonly to do juſtice to a poor bodie. Cauſſes are to bee heard and not perſons: the Athenian Judges paſſed ſentence in the dark.
Ver. 7. Keep thee from a falſ matter] Stand aloof of, keep at a diſtance. See Iſa. 33.15. A publike man ſhould bee above all price or ſale: and everie man ſhould carefully keep himſelf from the occaſions of ſin. A good man dare not com near the train, though hee bee far off the blow.
Ver. 8. And thou ſhalt take no gift] Rain is good, and ground is good; yet Ex eorum conjunctione fit lutum, ſaith Stapleton: So giving is kinde, and taking is courteous, yet the mixing of them make's the ſmooth paths of Juſtice foul and uneven.
Ver. 9. Thou ſhalt not oppreſs, &c.] See the Note on Exod. 22.21.
Ver. 10. Thou ſhalt ſow thy land] Here the wiſe man's counſel would bee remembered, Laudato ingentia rura, exiguum colito. To bee called a good husbandman, was of old an high praiſ.
Ver. 11. But the ſeventh year] That they might learn to live by faith, and bee at good leiſure to wait upon God. Deut. 31.10, 11, 12. Let everie of us keep a ſpiritual Sabbath, ſaith Ignatius, foreign, Ep. 3. ad Magneſ.Better apaid of the meditation of the Law, then of the relaxation and reſt from labor.
Ver. 12. Six daies] See the Note on Chap. 20.8.
Ver. 13. Bee circumſpect] Or warie, keep you cloſe to the rule, and up to your principles. See the Note on Epheſ. 5.15. [Of the names of other Gods] ſc. Without diſlike. The Primitive Chriſtians would not call their daies of the week, Dies Martis, Mercurii, &c. as Mercurius Triſmegiſtus had named them; but the firſt, ſecond, third, &c. daie of the week, Deaſtrorum nomina nè nota quidem eſſe voluerunt inter Chriſti cultores, ſaith one. They deſired that Chriſtians ſhould ſpit out of their mouths thoſe dunghill-deïties with utmoſt contempt, as David did. Pſalm 16.4.
Ver. 15. Thou ſhalt keep the feaſt] Let us alſo keep the feaſt, or Holie-daie. 1 Cor. 5.8. See the Note there.
Ver. 16. And the feaſt of harveſt] Pentecoſt, when their wheat-harveſt came in. [In the end of the year] See the reaſon of this law. Deut. 11.12. It was a land which the Lord cared for: the eies of the Lord were alwaies upon it from the begining of the year, even unto the end of the year.
Ver. 17. All thy males] The female are not required to appear, becauſ they were weak, and not ſo fit for travel: they were alſo the houſ-keepers, and ſanctified in their husbands. Howbeit manie of them came up to theſe feaſts, as Hannah. 1 Sam. 2.19. And the virgin Marie. Luke 2.41. And this was well accepted as a Free-will-offering.
Ver. 18. Of my ſacrifice] Eſpecially of the Paſſover. See Exod. 34.25. Lev. 2.1, 2, 3.
Ver. 19. The firſt of the firſt-fruits] The beſt of the beſt is not to bee held too good for God. His ſoul hath deſired the firſt ripe fruits. Jer. 2.2. [Thou ſhalt not ſeeth a kid] Hereby ſeemeth to bee forbidden either crueltie, or curioſitie to pleaſ the palat. See my Common-place of Abſtinence.
Ver. 20. Behold, I ſend an Angel] i. e. Chriſt. Immediately after God had given the Law (by the rule and threats whereof God the Father in his government was to proceed, Mr. Th. Goodwin.ſaith a Divine) and after they had tranſgreſſed it. Exod. 33.2, 3, 4. hee could not go along with them, for hee ſhould deſtroie them: but his Angel, that is, his Son, hee would ſend with them; who alſo would deſtroie them, if they turned not, nor repented according to the rules of his Law, the Goſpel.
Ver. 21. My name is in him] i. e. Hee is of the ſame nature with my ſelf. See Phil. 2.6. Heb. 1.3. with the Notes there.
Ver. 22. An enemie to thine enemies] There is a Covenant offenſive and defenſive betwixt God and his people. Tua cauſſa erit mea cauſſa, ſaid that Emperor to his wronged friend: So ſaith God to his.
Ver. 23. For mine Angel] Heb. Malachi, which is by tranſpoſition of letters Michael, as ſom Rabbins have obſerved.
Ver. 24. Thou ſhalt utterly overthrow them] As Hen. 8. began here to do in demoliſhing the Monaſteries, and ſaying, Corvorum nidos eſſe penitùs diſturbandos nè iterùm ad habitandum convolent. This Sanders relateth and exagitateth.Schiſm. Angl. lib. 1.
Ver. 25. Bleſs thy bread] God's bleſſing is the ſtaff of bread and ſtrength of water. See the Note on Mat. 4.4.
Ver. 26. The number of thy daies] Thou ſhalt die; as Abraham did, with a good hoar head: bee ſatur dierum as Job, fall as a full-ripe-apple into the hands of God the gatherer.
Ver. 27. My fear before thee] Strike a panick fear into the hearts of thine enemies, ſo that they ſhall flee at the noiſ of a driven leaf, they ſhall bee made à corde ſuo fugitivi, as Tertullian hath it.
Ver. 28. Hornets before thee] Underſtand it either literally as Joſh. 24.12. or figuratively, of the ſtinging terrors of their ſelf-condemning conſciences.
Ver. 29. In one year] God's time is beſt: and to preſcribe to him is to ſet the ſun by our dial. His help ſeem's long, becauſ wee are ſhort. Wait upon him, who wait's to ſhew us merciemercy. Iſa 30.18.
Ver. 30. By little and little] God crumble's his mercies to us; wee have his bleſſing by retail. So the cloud emptie's not it ſelf at a ſudden burſt, but diſſolv's upon the earth drop after drop.
Ver. 31. The ſea of the Philiſtims] i. e. the Mediterranean.
Ver. 32. No covenant with them] becauſ devoted to deſtruction; and they will bee drawing thee to Idolarrie, as it alſo fell out, Judg. 1. & 2.
CHAP. XXIIII. Ver. 1. Worſhip yee afar off]
THus under the Law, but now by grace wee draw nigh with boldneſs, and have acceſs with confidence by the faith of Chriſt. Epheſ. 3.12. See the Note there.
Ver. 2. But they ſhall not com nigh] But half-waie onelyonly. Verſ 19. See the Note on Chap. 19.12.
Ver. 3. And told the people] So hee became a Mediator. Gal. 3.19. Non redemptionis ſed relationis. [Will wee do] God's people are willing. Pſalm 110.3. But weak through the fleſh. Rom. 8.3. See the Note on Heb. 13.18.
Ver. 4. An Altar] Repreſenting God on the one partie, as the twelv pillars did the people on the other partie. So here was a formal covenant.
Ver. 5. Young men] The firſt-born of the families. Exod. 19.12.
Ver. 6. Half of the blood] Having mingled it firſt with water. Heb. 9.19. See 1 John 5.6. with the Note.
Ver. 7. Will wee do, and bee obedient] Chriſt will enjoie his ſpouſes love, by a willing contract, not by a raviſhment.
Ver. 8. On the people] The repreſentative people, the elders: or, as others will, the twelv pillars. See Verſ 4.
Ver. 9. And ſeventie of the elders] See Verſ 2.
Ver. 10. And they ſaw God] A glimpſ of his glorie. See the Note on 1 Tim. 6.16.
Ver. 11. Hee laid not his hand] i. e. They came off without hurt, which is reckoned as a great merciemercy: ſith no man (ordinarily) can ſee God and live: beſides the infinite diſtance that is betwixt God, and the greateſt Nobles. [And did eat and drink] i. e. They were much acheared and made merrie in the Lord. Others ſenſ it thus: Though they had ſeen God, yet they turned again to temporal pleaſures; they ſoon after ate & drunk at that idolatrous feaſt of the golden calf, and roſe up to plaie. It is ſet as an aggravation of Solomon's ſin that hee departed from God that appeared to unto him twice. 1 King. 11.9.
Ver. 12. Tables of ſtone] To ſhew 1. the ſtonie-hardneſs of the people's hearts. 2. The laſtingneſs of the Law.
Ver. 13. And Moſes went up] Joſhua ſtaid the while in ſom convenient place.
Ver. 14. And Hur] See the Note on Chap. 17.10.
Ver. 16. Six daies] The people had but three daies of preparation to receiv the Law; Moſes hath ſix. Singular holineſs is required of Miniſters: the meaſures of the Sanctuarie were double to the ordinarie; as the ſhekel, cubit, &c. Miniſters had need wiſh, as Eliſha did, a doubled and trebled ſpirit, that they may ſave themſelvs, and thoſe that hear them.
Ver. 17. Was like devouring fire] So it is ſtill. Heb. 12.29. which ſo terriſieth the ſinners in Sion, that they run away with theſe words in their mouths, Who among us ſhall dwell with the devouring fire? Who amongſt us ſhall dwell with everlaſting burnings? Iſa. 33.14.
Ver. 18. Fortie daies] All which time hee neither ate nor drank. Deut. 9.9. and ſo better merited the ſirname of Neſteutes the Faſter, then that proud Prelate John Biſhop of Conſtantinople.