Explication of the Judicial Laws of Moses, Part 1 · Chapter 39
CHAPTER XXXIX. Of their proceeding in judgement before they executed the malefactor.
EZEK. 9. 10. Goe through the midſt of Ieruſalem, and ſet a marke upon the forehead of thoſe that ſigh &c.
THoſe who were appointed to be ſaved amongſt the people of God, he uſed to ſet a marke uponThoſe that were to bee ſaved, the Lord cauſed to marke them. them, Exod. 12. When the Egyptians were to be deſtroyed, the Lord commanded his people to ſprinkle the bloud of the Paſchall Lambe upon the lintels of their doores; and from this as Epiphanius marketh, theLib. 1. cont▪ har. 18. Egyptians uſed at the Equinoxe in the Spring, to take vermilion and to rubbe over all their trees and houſes with it, ſaying that, at that time of the yeere the fire had almoſt burnt up all Egypt, and therefore they uſe this as a ſigne in remembrance of their deliverance. So the Lord commanded Ezekiel to ſet a marke upon thoſe of Ieruſalem that mourned, whom he was minded to ſaue. Ezek. 9. 4.
But what was the reaſon that he ſet not a marke of Queſt. deſtruction upon them that were to be deſtroyed, as he ſet upon theſe who were to be ſaved?
The reaſon was, Anſw. becauſe of the great number that was to be deſtroyed,God did not marke thoſe who were to be deſtroyed, becauſe of their great number. in reſpect of the handfull that was to be ſaved, for where there was one to be ſaved, there was a hundred to be deſtroyed; there were but ſeven thouſand who bowed not their knee to Baall, and of the great multitude that came out of Egypt, onelyonly two entred into the land of Canaan. And Revel. 7. 4. of all the Tribes of Iſrael there were but one hundred and fortie foure thouſand ſealed in the fore-head. And in Ieremies time it was very hard to find one that executed judgement in all the ſtreetes of Ieruſalem, Ier. 5. 1. There were a few good men at that time, as Ieremie himſelfe, Ebedmelech the Blackmoore, Vriah the Prophet, and the Rechabites▪ But the moſt of the reſt were naught, and if Ieruſalem had beene ſearched few had been found in it. And this was a griefe to the Prophet Micah, which made him to complaine, that hee could not get a cluster to eate, Mica. 7. 1. meaning that the good men were periſhed out of the earth.
The Heathen learned this of the people of God, to marke thoſe who were to be ſaved with the letter …tau, and theſe that were condemned with the letter … theta. ItThe heathen marked the condemned with theta, and them that were abſolved in judgement with ta…. Aſcon. ped: was the cuſtome of the ancient warriors, when they returned from battaile, he who kept the regiſter of their names, marked the names of thoſe who returned ſafe with the letter tau, and the names of thoſe who were wanting with the letter theta, the Latines learned this from the Grecians, the Grecians from the Egyptians, and the Egyptians from the people of God. Perſius
Si potis es vitio nigrum praefigere theta.
They put not two to death in one day, except theyThe Iewes put not two to death in one day, but for the ſame crime. were guiltie of one crime, and they giuegive this example; If a man had lien with the Prieſts daughter, he and ſhe were not put to death both in one day, becauſe ſhe was guiltie of a greater ſinne then he, therefore ſhe was to be burnt quicke, but he was not to be put to death that day, neither was he burnt quicke as ſhe was.
How came it to paſſe then that they put Chriſt and the two theeves to death in one day, ſeing Chriſt▪ was Queſt. condemned for affecting the Kingdome, and the theeves for theft?
Chriſt and the two theeves were condemned Anſw. for one fault becauſe they were foreign,foreign ſeditioſi Mark. 15. 7. a foreign ſediti… factio▪ troublers of the peace of the Kingdome; and therefore the theife ſaid, thou art foreign in the ſame condemnation, Luke 23. 40. Barrabas was a murtherer and ſo ſhould hauehave dyed byforeign Effractores. the ſword, but becauſe he made inſurrection and troubled the common peace, therefore he was to be crucified. And the Hebrewes call theſe [perizim] effractores, and the Rabbins called them liſtin, from the Greeke word foreign, they tooke armes to trouble the peace of the Common-wealth, and they uſed to crucifie all theſe who troubled the Kingdome and made inſurrection.