Explication of the Judicial Laws of Moses, Part 1 · Chapter 2 – Chapter 3
CHAPTER II. An Explication of Iothams Apologue.
IVDG. 9. 8. The trees went out on a time to anoint a King over them, &c
THe Holy Ghoſt teacheth us in the Scriptures by Similitudes,God teaches us by Similitudes, Parables, and Apologues. Parables, and Apologues; and as a cunning Painter, the more vive that his Colours are drawn in the purtraiture to expreſſe the image, wee commend Simile. him the more; but when wee ſee an Image made by ſome Archimedes, that is foreign, to mooue it ſelfe, nod with the head, and roll the eyes, we commend that much more; So all the compariſons and ſimilitudes in the Scripture, are laid out as it were in vive Collours to us. But there are two Apologues brought in in theTwo Apologues onelyonly found in the Scriptures. Scriptures, this of the trees Iudg. 9. and that 2 King. 14. 9. how the Thiſtle of Lebanon propounded mariage to the Cedar in Lebanon, where the trees are brought in walking and ſpeaking, which affect the mind more than plaine Similitudes; and in theſe we muſt not ſo much looke to the Letter, as to that which they call foreign, or the thing ſignified by the Apologue.
Iotham bringeth in here the trees anointing a King,All the trees refuſe the Government. and they make choiſe of three moſt excellent trees; the Oliue, the Figge, and the Vine-tree, and they all refuſed, and then they make choiſe of the Bramble. TheThe trees deſcribed by their properties. three excellent trees which refuſe the government, the Oliue, the Figge, and the Vine-tree, are deſcribed by three properties; the Oliue for his fatneſſe, the Figge-tree for its ſweetneſſe, and the Vine-tree becauſe it cheared God and man: The Oliue Iudg. 9. 9. ſaith, ſhould I lea…e my fatneſſe, wherewith by me they honour God & man; in the Hebrew it is Hehhadalti, as if it ſhould ſay,foreign ex hiphil & hophal compoſitum, ſenſus eſt, veſtriſ…e verbis perſuaſa ita miſſam facere pinguedinem m… am, juxta hiphil, & …a ipſa quo que priver & deficiar juxta hophal, nihil que amplius h…b…m in me commendabile. The trees ſerue for a naturall, civill, and religious uſe. will yee perſwade me with your faire words to l…aue my fatneſſe, that I ſhould be altogether deprived of it, ſo that I hauehave nothing left in me worthy of commendation.
And if we will compare theſe three trees together, we muſt conſider them firſt as they ſerue for naturall uſes; ſecondly, as they ſerue for civill uſes; and thirdly, for religious uſes; and then we ſhall ſee the excellency of theſe trees.
Firſt, in their naturall uſe; conſider the wood of the Oliue how farre it excelleth the wood of the Fig-tree,The wood of the Oliue tree excelleth the reſt. or the Vine-tree; The Cherubims were made of the Oliue tree, 1 King. 6. 23. which was a wood both of indurance fit to be carved or cut, better than the Algum or Almug trees which Hiram ſent to Salomon, 1 King. 10. 11. and it was better than the Cedar of Lebanon; the wood of the Fig-tree was but a baſe ſort of wood, but the Vine-tree is the baſeſt of of all, Ezek. 15. 2. 3. will a man take a pinne of it to hinge any veſſell, it ſerveth for no vſe if it be not fruitfull; it is like the ſalt, if it looſe the ſavour, it is good for nothing, Mat. 5. 13.
Secondly, conſider the fruit of theſe trees; the Vine isTheir uſe in naturall things. uvifera, the Oliue is baccifera, and the Figge-tree is pomifera, and they ſerue for moſt excellent uſes in nature; the Wine ſerveth to cheare the heart of man, Pſal. 104. 15. and Pro. 31. 16. giuegive Wine to him that is of a ſad heart, ſo the Oyle maketh the face to ſhine, Pſal. 104. 15. and it is good for the anointing of the body. A Romane being asked how it came to paſſe that he lived ſo long? he ſaid intus melle, & foris ol…o: it is fit for the anointing of theforeign qui ungebat, foreign qui unctus fuit, ab foreign ungo. body: therefore thoſe who wreſtled of old were called Aliptae.
Secondly, they hauehave good uſe in curing of wounds, the Samaritane powred Wine and Oyle in the mans wounds, Luk. 10. 34. and the Figge is good to mature a boyle; the Lord commanded to lay a lump of Figges to Hezekias boyle, Eſay. 36.
For civill uſes, the Oyle excelleth the Wine and theunguentum militare. conv…vale. funebre. Figge, for by me they honour man, Iudg. 9. 9. There is Vnguentum militare, wherewith their Kings were anointed to goe out as their Captaines before them to the Battell; ſo David was anointed amongſt the midſt of his brethren to be their Captaine and King, 1 Sam. 16. 13. Secondly, there was Vnguentum convivale, Eccleſ. 9. 8. Let not Oyle be wanting to thy head, and let thy clothes be white. And thirdly, was Vnguentum funebre, as that box of Oyntment which was powred vponupon Chriſts head, Math. 26. 12.
Now let us conſider them in their ſpirituall uſes, asThe ſpirituall uſe of theſe trees. they ſerved for the worſhip of God; vnderunder the old Teſtaments the Wine and the Oyle were uſed in their Sacrifices, the Oyle in their Meat-offering and the Wine in their Drinke-offering; ſo in anoynting their High Prieſts; but the Figge had no uſe in their Ceremoniall worſhip; but in his worſhip under the Goſpel the Wine goeth before the Figge or the Oliue, for it is the ſigne of our Lords bloud in the Sacrament.
The Oliue, the Vine, and the Figge tree, fitly repreſentTheſe trees fitly repreſent a good King. a good King; the Oliue for his fatneſſe to cure and heale their wounds, Eſa. 3. 7. Non ero Hhobhes, I will not be a healer. The Seventie tranſlateth it, foreign ligator vulnerum; foreign Ligator vulnerum.it is the part of a good Prince to powre Oyle in the wounds of his wounded Subjects. Secondly, the Figge tree for his ſweetneſſe repreſenteth a good King. 1 King. 12. 7. If thou wilt be a ſervant unto this people, and ſerue them this day, then they will ſerue thee for ever. So David ſpake mildly and ſweetly to the people, 1 Chron. 28. 2. Heare me my brethren and my people. Thirdly, the Vine-tree repreſenteth a good King; the Wine gladdeth the heart, ſo the light of the Kings countenance is life, and his favour is a cloud of the latter raine, Prov. 16. 15.
When theſe trees which were excellent for their fruitThree refuſed the Government, Debora, Gideon, and Iephthe. had refuſed the Government, then they made choiſe of the Bramble for their King; the Bramble repreſented a bad King. Firſt, the Bramble bringeth forth no fruit; Secondly, the Bramble hath no ſhadow to ſhadow theThe many evils which the Bramble brought with it. reſt; thirdly, Rhamnus the Bramble is full of prickles, whatſoever it toucheth it holdeth faſt, and it maketh bloud to follow; it was with this ſort of thorne wherewith Chriſt was crowned; the Italians call it Spina ſancta: Fourthly, the fire came from the Bramble and did not onelyonly burne the ſhrubs of the field, but alſo the Cedars which were tall, which might hauehave ſeemed to be exempted▪ from this tyrannie.
The Perſians ſaid of Cyrus their King, that he was their Father, and Darius their King was foreign, a Vintnerforeign. who ſold them, but Cambyſes their King was foreign their Lord who hardly ruled over them.
The concluſion of this is, a good King is much to be Concluſion. honoured for the great good he doth to his Subjects: Firſt, he is the head of the people, and as all the members of the body will hazard themſelues for the ſafetie of the head, ſo ſhould the ſubjects for the ſafety of their Prince. Secondly, he is the Shepheard, and the Subjects are his flocke, but who feedeth a flocke and eateth not of the milke, 1 Cor. 9. 7. Thirdly, he is the husband and his Subjects are his wife, and therefore ſhe is called a widow when ſhe wanteth her King, Lament. 1. 1. What great lamentation doth a widow make when ſhe wants her loving huſband Ioſias, then ſhe poured her liver out vponupon the ground, her eyes failed with teares, and her bowels were troubled, Lament. 2. 11. Laſt, the Prince is the ſoule and the Subjects are the bodie, and the body ſhould doe all things for the good of the ſoule; he is the breath of our noſtrils, Lament. 4. 12. We ſee how many obligations the Subjects owe to their King.
CHAPTER III. Why was God angry with them for chooſing of a King.
1 SAM. 8. 7. And the Lord ſaid unto Samuel hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they ſay unto thee, for they hauehave not reiected thee, but they hauehave reiected me that I ſhould not reigne over them.
KIngly Government being the beſt Government,God was not angry ſimply with the Iewes for chooſing of a King, but becauſe they prevented the time. why was the LORD then angry with the Iewes for chooſing of a King?
He was not angry with them ſimply for deſiring and chooſing a King, but for the manner of their choiſe; for God was minded to hauehave given them a King, but they would not ſtay the Lords leaſure, but anticipated the time; therefore the Iewes ſay of them, comederunt immaturam uvam, the grape was not ripe enough as yet; wee may ſee that God was minded to hauehave given them a King, Deut. 17. becauſe he telleth them what ſort of King they ſhould chooſe, and what he ſhould doe; and they ſay, that he gaue them three things in commandementThree things given in commandement to the Iewes when they entered into Canaan. when they entered into Canaan; firſt, to chooſe a King; ſecondly, to roote out the Canaanites; and thirdly, to build a Temple for his worſhip: God was angry with them that they ſought a King ſo long as good Samuel ruled over them; he was angry with them becauſe they would hauehave a King to reigne over them after the manner of the Nations, Deut. 17. 14. I will ſet a King over me like all the Nations round about me, but thou ſhalt ſet them over thee whom the Lord thy God will chooſe: If they had ſaid to Samuel, giuegive one to reigne over us after thy death, becauſe thy children are corrupt, 1 Sam. 8. 3. or giuegive us one who may governe us in equitie; this had beene no offence to God: but ſimply to deſire a King like the Kings of the Nations, this was their ſinne, and herein they rejected not Samuel, but God himſelfe, 1 Sam. 8. 7.
How was God rejected when they choſe a King, Queſt. ſeeing Kings reigne by him, Prov. 8. and the Kings throne is Gods throne, 1 Chro. 29. 23. & 1 King. 2. 15.
The Lord did reigne over them in both theſe ſorts of Anſw. Government, but when the Iudges commanded and ruled them, they had not ſuch an abſolute GovernmentThe Iudges had not ſuch abſolute government over the people as the Kings had. as when the Kings reigned over them; the Iudges might make no Lawes, nor take tribute of the people as the Kings might doe; therefore the Lords immediate Government did more appeare when the Iudges ruled them, Iudg. 8. 23. I will not rule over you, neither ſhall my ſonne rule over you, the Lord ſhall rule over you. And when they rejected Samuel here they ſaid in effect, as the Iewes ſaid when they diſclaimed Chriſt, We will hauehave no King to reigne over us but Caeſar, Ioh. 19. 15. When the IudgesGods power did more appeare when the Iudges ruled, but his goodneſſe and merciemercy appeared more when the Kings ruled. ruled over them then Gods power did more appeare helping them by weake meanes; but when the Kings reigned over them, then Gods wiſedome and his goodneſſe did more appeare in ſetling a government amongſt them, and making their Kings types of Chriſt. And as in Gods miracles his power did more appeare, but in his ordinary courſe working by nature his wiſedome and goodneſſe appeared more; ſo in theſe two formes of Government, his power did appeare more when the Iudges ruled over them; but in ſetling the Kingly government amongſt them, his goodneſſe and his wiſedome did more appeare.
The concluſion of this is, happie is that Kingdome Concluſion. when the King reigneth a me, per me, & propter me: a me when he is ſent by the Lord; per me, when he is ſuſtained and upholden by the Lord; and propter me, when he ſerues to glorifie God in his Kingdome.