Page 71
Annotations.
GOd spake] The Law was given by the mini∣sterie of Angells, Hebr. 2. 2. Act. 7. 53. out [unspec 1] of the midst of fire, cloud and darknesse, with a great voice, which shooke the earth, Deut. 4. 22. Heb. 12. 26. all these words] these tenne Commande∣ments following; and he added no moe, Deut. 5. 22. wherefore they are called the ten Words, Ex. 34. 28. that is, the ten Commandements; as the Word of God, Marke 7. 13. is the commandement of God, Matth. 15. 6. See the notes on Exod. 34. 28. The Apostle calleth the Law, the voice of words, Heb. 12. 19.
Vers. 2. I Iehovah] understand, I am Iehovah, as [unspec 2] the Greeke explaineth it: or, I Iehovah am thy God. The words I Iehovah, note the unity of the God-head, as elsewhere he saith, Iehovah our God, Ieho∣vah is one, Deut. 6. 4. what the name signifieth, is noted on Gen. 2. 4. Exod. 6. 3. thy God] though he is so by creating us, yet here he specially inten∣deth the covenant of grace, made with his people; whereby they are blessed that have Iehovah for their God, Psalm. 33. 12. From hence ariseth his authority to command; and this is a reason of our obedience, because he is Iehovah, and our God: therefore as it is here prefixed to the first comman∣dement, so is it annexed to the rest, as to the second in Lev. 19. 4. 31. to the third, in Lev. 19. 12. to the fourth, in Lev. 19. 3. 30. to the fift, in Lev. 19. 3. 32. to the sixt, in Lev. 19. 16. to the seventh, in Lev. 18. 6. &c. to the eighth, in Lev. 19. 11. 12. to the ninth, in Lev. 19. 16. and generally to all the commandements, Lev. 18. 5. and 19. 37. of ser∣vants] the Greeke and Chaldee saith, of servitude, or bondage: see Exod. 13. 3. Egypt was a furnace of iron, Deut. 4. 20. a figure of our spirituall bondage and misery under Satan: and the deliverance from it figured our salvation by Christ, Coloss. 1. 13. Luke 1. 71 74. 79. Acts 26. 18. from these graces are forcible arguments to perswade us to faith and obedience: Ye are my witnesses, saith Iehovah, &c. that ye may know and beleeve me, and understand that I am ••e. I, I am Iehovah: and beside me there is no Sa∣viour. I have declared and have saved, Esay 43. 10. 11. 12. I am Iehovah thy God, the Holy one of Israel, thy Saviour, I gave Egypt for thy ransome, &c. Esay 43. 3.
Vers. 3. Thou shalt not have] or, There shall not be to thee: but this Hebrew phrase the Holy Ghost [unspec 3] changeth into another equivalent; as, There is not to us, Luke 9. 13. that is, We have not, Matth. 14. 17 This and most of the other precepts are prohibiti∣ons, forbidding the evill, expresly commanding the contrary good inclusively: for wee must both 〈◊〉〈◊〉 evill and doe good, Psalme 34. 15. But Gods forbode bindeth most strictly, and alwayes, and we are borne in evill and are prone unto it, rather then to good; and are therefore called by these commandements from all corruption, unto the in∣tegrity wherein God first created us. other gods] the Chaldee explaineth it singularly, other god: and so the Scripture also expresseth it, in Exod. 34. 14. Psal. 81. 10. For, Is there a god beside me? saith the Lord, Esay 44. 8. There is none other god but one; though there bee many that are called gods, 1 Cor. 8. 4. 5. unto whom the vaine heart of man falsly attributeth deity: for whatsoever the Gentiles sacrificed, was unto devils, and not to god, 1 Cor. 10. 20. Levit. 17. 7. Deut. 32. 17. And the gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens, Ier. 10. 11. Hereby on the contrary wee are commanded to have Iehovah for our God: which is, to know him, and to serve him with a per∣fect heart, and with a willing mind, 1 Chron. 28. 9. to love him with all the heart, and with all the soule, and with all our might, Deut. 6. 4. 5. to feare, beleeve, honour, obey, and cleave unto him, Deuter. 6. 13. 2 Chron. 20. 20. Psal. 22. 24. 1 Sam. 15. 22. Deut. 11 22. before my face] or against my face, that is, against, or before mee: the Greeke and Chaldee translate it, but me. After, in verse 23. Moses saith, with me. It implyeth also all time and place: as, be∣fore the Sunne, Psal. 72. 17. is, so long as the Sunne endureth; so here before me, is so long as I am, for ever and ever. And all place, as, Whither shall I flee from thy face (or presence?) Psal. 139. 7. There∣fore also the face or presence of God is here mentio∣ned, because he beholdeth the secrets of the heart, Psal. 44. 21. 22. and 139. 23. 24. and the Law (and so every precept) is spirituall, Rom. 7. 14. and bin∣deth the whole man, body, soule, and spirit; the underdanding, the will, and the effects of them both, for ever.
Vers 4 Thou shalt not make] As the former pre∣cept [unspec 4] forbade all feigned gods, so this forbids all feigned service, whether it be to the true God, or any other: and commandeth to worship God in spirit and truth, Iohn 4. 24. In the Chaldee para∣phrase called Ionathans, this is expresly said to bee the second Commandement; and such is the gene∣rall opinion of the Iew Doctors; as Philo in exposit. Decalogi; Iosephus antiq l. 3. and others: yet some now would make this but a part of the first Com∣mandement. So the Sabbath is by him and other ancient Rabbines called the fourth precept, (as is observed on Gen 49. 12.) which by the others ac∣count must be the third. Making, here meaneth not onely with the hand, but with the heart or imagi∣nation; for we ought not to thinke that the godhead is like unto gold, &c. Act. 17. 29. And to worship the Sunne or Moone, or any creature, is to make an I∣doll of it, Deut. 4. 17. 19. unto thee] to (or for) thy selfe: to wit, without commandement from God; for by his commandement Moses made the Cherubims in the sanctuary, Exod. 25. 18. and the brazen Serpent in the wildernesse, Num. 21. 8. And this forbiddeth not all images of creatures for civil use, (which are allowable, Matth. 22. 20.) but for religious. So the Law explaineth it; as, ye shall not set up any image of stone in your land, to bow downe un∣to it, Levit. 26. 1. and the Prophets phrase of Ima∣ges which ye made unto you, Amos 5. 26. is expoun∣ded thus, which ye made to worship them, Acts 7. 43. But to make any image of the invisible God, is al∣together unlawfull, and unpossible, Deut. 4. 12. 15.