Explication of the Judicial Laws of Moses, Part 1 · Chapter 30 – Chapter 31
CHAPTER XXX. Of their civill Contracts, and manner of writing them.
IERE. 32. 7. Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth, for the right of redemption is thine to buy it, &c.
IN this contract and bargaine betweene Ieremie and his Vncles ſonne Hanameel, conſider firſt the manner how the contract was written; and ſecondly, how this teſtimony is cited by Matthew, Cap. 27. 7.
Firſt, for the manner of writing the contract, he whoS…ali…r in Elen…ho. was to buy the ground wrote two Inſtruments, the one he ſealed with his owne Signe…, the other he ſhewedTwo Inſtruments written at th… buying of Land▪ one clo…ed and another no… cloſed. uncloſed to the witneſſes, that they might ſubſcribe and beare witneſſe of that which was written: this the witneſſes did ſubſcribe upon the backe of the incloſed inſtrument, and theſe two Inſtruments were almoſt alike in all things, ſaue onelyonly that in the ſealed Inſtrument ſomething was concealed from the witneſſes, the thingsWhat things were concealed from the witneſſes in the cloſed Inſtrument. concealed were theſe, the price of the Land, and the time of the redemption, theſe they concealed, (for none knew theſe but the buyer and the ſeller) in caſe that the Goel or the next of the kindred knowing the time of the redemption, and the price, and the Morgager not being able to redeeme it at the day, it was lawfull for the next of the kindred to hauehave redeemed it; theſe two being concealed, there was place ſtill for the poore man to redeeme his Land after the day, therefore they ſet downe in the incloſed Inſtrument, onelyonly the bare diſpoſition without the price or time of redemption. So amongſtC…lius Rodogineus. the Romanes, when they ſealed their latter will, they concealed the name of the heire, leſt any wrong ſhould be done unto him.
It may be asked how theſe words are cited by Mathew, Queſt. chap. 27. 9. Then was fulfilled that which was ſpoken by Ieremie the Prophet ſaying, and they tooke the thirtie peices of ſilver the price of him that was valued, which they of the children of Iſrael did value, and gaue them for a p…tters field, as the Lord appointed me; he alledgeth Ieremie, but the words are ſpoken by Zecharie▪ chap. 11.
This teſtimonie in Mathew is made up of the ſaying Anſw. of Ieremie and Zecharie, and yet Ieremie is onelyonly citedThe New Teſtament c…teth two places out of the old to make up one teſtimonie. by Mathew: for it is the mann…r of the new Teſtament to make up one teſtimonie of two cited out of the old Teſtament, although written in divers places in the old Teſtament. Example. Peter Acts 1. 20. maketh up but one teſtimonie of divers places collected out of the duplicate page duplicate page Pſalme 69. 17. and 109. 8. ſo 1 Pet. 2. 7. this teſtimony is made up of diverſe teſtimonies out of the Pſalme 118. 22. and Eſay 8. 14. So Chriſt, Math. 21. 5. maketh up one teſtimony out of Eſay 62. 11. and Zach. 11. 11. So Mat. 21. 14. made up of Eſay 56. 7. and Iere. 7. 11.
Secondly, this is the manner of the New Teſtament,The New Teſtament …ing of two Prophets, expreſſe him who …th the chiefe part of the teſtimonie. when teſtimonies are cited out of two, they leaue out the one and expreſſe onelyonly the other, and they cite the whole teſtimony as written by one: example, Mat. 21. 5. there is a teſtimony cited out of two Prophets, yet they are cited but as one teſtimony, it is cited out of two Prophets, Eſay 62. 11. and Zach. 9. 9. Yet the Evangeliſt ſaith, that it might be fulfilled which was ſpoken by the Prophet; the firſt words are Eſayes, the latter are Zacharies, and yet they are cited as if they were the words of Zachary. So Mark. 1. 2. As it is written in the Prophets; this teſtimony is written both in Eſay and Malachy, Behold I ſend my Meſſenger before thy face, &c. yet Mat. 3. 3. Eſay is onelyonly cited and not Malachy.
Now let us conſider here why the Evangeliſt citeth here Ieremie rather than Zacharie, the Evangeliſt wouldWhy Matthew rather cites Ieremie than Zacharie. giuegive a reaſō here, not ſo much why Chriſt was bought by the Scribes and Phariſies, as of the feild which was bought for ſuch a price; Zachary ſpeaketh nothing of the field that was bought, wherefore it had not beene pertinent for the Evangeliſt to hauehave brought in the teſtimony of Zachary here. Ieremie in his thirtieth ſecond Chapter telleth when the Captivitie was now approaching, he is commanded to buy ſuch a field, and in buying ſuch a field there was ſome ſecret myſtery; ſecondly, there was ſome analogie, for this feild bought by Ieremy was a type of the Potters field, whereof Matthew ſpeaketh, and the analogie conſiſted eſpecially in this, the field which Mathew maketh mentiō of, was bought to be a buriall for ſtrangers, and this was typed in the field which was bought by Ieremy, for Ieremy was commandedWhat time Ieremiah bought this field. to buy this field at that time when he was taken priſoner, and when there was little or no hope for him to come out of priſon, and when the City was beſieged by the Chaldeans; the buyer might thinke now that he had but ſmall reaſon to buy that land, which was preſently to be taken by the Chaldeans; Ieremie might hauehave ſaid unto the Lord, the Citie is to be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans, and thou bidſt me buy the field for ſo much money, & the Lord ſaith, I will deliver this Citie into the hand of the Chaldeans; hence it may ſeeme that this field was bought rather for ſtrangers than for the buyer himſelfe, or any that belonged unto him; therefore Lament. 5. 2. Ieremie ſaith, our inheritance is turned to ſtrangers, our houſes to Aliants.
But how could Anathoth be turned into a buriall place? Queſt.
It is anſwered, the feild which was in Anathoth was Anſw. aſſigned to the Levites, Ioſh. 21. 18. Theſe Cities which were aſſigned unto the Levites, they had no feilds which were arable about them, to beare Corne, but ſome ground for the feeding of their Cattle; and it is moſt probable that they had ſome Gardens wherein they buried their dead; as we reade of Ioſeph of Arimathea, who had a Garden neare the Citie in which Chriſt was buried: Secondly, this feild by Matthew is called the Potters feild, & here we may ſee ſome reſemblance betwixt this feild and the feild ſpoken of by Ieremie; for after the writs were perfected, Ieremie ſaid to his Scribe Baruch, take theſe writs and put them in an earthen pot, that they may continue there for many dayes, verſ. 14. There muſt be ſomething typed by this, that he biddeth take theſe writs and put them in an earthen pot, for men uſe to put their writs in Cheſts and boxes and ſafeſt places; and as this buying of the field was ſet downe as an argument to ſtrengthen the Iſraelites, that they ſhould returne out of the Captivitie, and poſſeſſe their own lands; ſo it was a type of that which Matthew ſpeaketh; & as this feild which Ieremie bought was turned into the uſe of ſtrangers, ſo was the field which Mathew ſpeaketh of made a buriall for ſtrangers; and as the writs were hid in the earthen pot in Ieremies time, ſo was this feild which Matthew ſpeaketh of, a Potters feild. In Zachary there is no mention made of the buying of the feild with the thirtie peices of ſilver, but Matthew ſpeaketh of buying of the feild, and ſo doth Ieremie, therefore the Evangeliſt pertinently citeth Ieremie and not Zacharie.
From the citing of this teſtimony we may draw this Concluſion. Concluſion, there are many things written in the old Teſtament, which at the firſt ſight might ſeeme to look no wayes to the new; but if we looke neerer and neerer unto them, we ſhall ſee how they agree together, therefore we ſhould ſearch the Scriptures, which beare teſtimony to Chriſt, Ioh. 5. 39.
CHAPTER XXXI. What things the Goel was bound to doe to his kinſman, and what things were done to him by his brethren.
PROV. 23 10 Remoue not the old land-marke, and enter not within the feild of the fatherleſſe, for their Redeemer (or Goel) is mightie, and he will plead their cauſe.
HE that was the Goel in Iſrael, was bound to doeThe priviledges of the neereſt kinſman. three things for his brethren; firſt, he was vindex ſanguinis, the revenger of the bloud; ſecondly, he redeemed the morgaged lands of his kinſman: thirdly, he delivered him out of priſon. Theſe three things he was bound to doe jure propinquitatis, becauſe he was his neereſt kinſman.
Now let us apply theſe to Chriſt our Goel, firſt our Goel, or vindex ſanguinis, the revenger of our bloud,Chriſt our neereſt kinſman hath taken all their priviledges upon him for us. revengeth all our wrongs. When the heart of the revenger of the bloud was hot within him, Deut. 19. 6. it was a terrible thing for the manſlayer to meet him, he purſued eagerly after him. So Ieſus Chriſt purſueth after his enemies, who ſhed the bloud of his Church.
Secondly, the Goel redeemed the morgaged Land, Ruth 4. 4. and Iere. 32. 7. Ieremie couſin to Hanameel redeemed his morgaged Land; we hauehave morgaged our inheritance in heaven, but our Goel Ieſus Chriſt, who is fleſh of our fleſh and bone of our bone, will redeeme it to us againe.
The the third thing which the Goel did to his kinſman, was to relieue him out of priſon. So we being condemned to that everlaſting priſon, Chriſt hath bailed us.
Now the priviledges which the firſt-borne who wasThe priviledges of the neereſt kinſman as he was firſt borne. the Goel had done to him were two; Firſt he had the double portion of his Fathers goods; And ſecondly, his ſecond brother was bound to raiſe up ſeed to him.
Ieſus Chriſt our eldeſt brother, he is annointed with gifts aboue his fellowes, Pſal. 45. and from him we receiue grace for grace, Ioh. 1.
The ſecond thing which was due to the Goel wasVVhat the ſecond brother was bound to doe for the eldeſt. this, if he died without children then his ſecond brother was bound to raiſe up ſeed to him: and if he refuſed to doe it, they pulled off his ſhoe and ſpit in his face. The application of this is; Chriſt our Eldeſt brotherMiniſters are Chriſts ſecond brethren. ſhall never want a ſeed in his Church to the worlds end. When Onan refuſed to raiſe up ſeed to his brother, then Selah was bound to doe it, Gen. 38. So there ſhall be ſtill ſome who ſhall performe this dutie to our Eldeſt brother.
Againe the children were not called their children, but the eldeſt brothers children The application is, the Preachers are Chriſts younger brethren, therefore they ſhould beget children to Chriſt, and not ſeeke their owne honour.
If they refuſed to raiſe up ſeed to their brother, thenThe portion of a ſloth…ull Miniſter. their ſhoe was pulled off, and they did ſpit in their face. Great ſhall be the ſhame of theſe who refuſe to doe this dutie to their elder brother Chriſt: their ſhoe ſhall be pulled off, and they ſhall looſe their part of that heavenly inheritance.
The Church having ſuch a Goel, men ſhould be loth to meddle with her. Prov. 23. 10. Remoue not the old Concluſion. markes, and enter not within the field of the fatherleſſe, for their Goel, or redeemer, is mightie, and hee will plead their cauſe: here he alludeth to that place, Deut. 25. 8. The Lord is a Goel to all his poore and diſtreſſed members: he was Ioſephs Goel when he was in priſon: The armes of his hands were made ſtrong by the hands of the mighty God of Iacob. Gen. 49. 24.