A commentary upon the whole Old Testament, added to that of the same author upon the whole New Testament published many years before, to make a compleat work upon the whole Bible. Vols. 2-4. Wherein the divers translations and expositions, literall and mysticall, of all the most famous commentators both ancient and modern are propounded, examined, and judged of, for the more full satisfaction of the studious reader in all things, and many most genuine notions inserted for edification in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. A work, the like unto which hath never yet been published by any man, yet very necessary, nor only for students in divinity; but also for every Christian that loveth the knowledge of divine things, or humane, whereof this comment is also full. Consisting of IV parts. I Upon the Pentateuch, or five books of Moses. II Upon the historical part, from Joshua to Esther. III Upon Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Solomons Song. IV Upon all the prophets both great and small. By John Mayer, doctor of divinity.

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A commentary upon the whole Old Testament, added to that of the same author upon the whole New Testament published many years before, to make a compleat work upon the whole Bible. Vols. 2-4. Wherein the divers translations and expositions, literall and mysticall, of all the most famous commentators both ancient and modern are propounded, examined, and judged of, for the more full satisfaction of the studious reader in all things, and many most genuine notions inserted for edification in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. A work, the like unto which hath never yet been published by any man, yet very necessary, nor only for students in divinity; but also for every Christian that loveth the knowledge of divine things, or humane, whereof this comment is also full. Consisting of IV parts. I Upon the Pentateuch, or five books of Moses. II Upon the historical part, from Joshua to Esther. III Upon Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Solomons Song. IV Upon all the prophets both great and small. By John Mayer, doctor of divinity.
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Mayer, John, 1583-1664.
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London :: printed by Robert and William Leybourn, and are to be sold at most Book-sellers shops,
M DC LIII. [1653]
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"A commentary upon the whole Old Testament, added to that of the same author upon the whole New Testament published many years before, to make a compleat work upon the whole Bible. Vols. 2-4. Wherein the divers translations and expositions, literall and mysticall, of all the most famous commentators both ancient and modern are propounded, examined, and judged of, for the more full satisfaction of the studious reader in all things, and many most genuine notions inserted for edification in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. A work, the like unto which hath never yet been published by any man, yet very necessary, nor only for students in divinity; but also for every Christian that loveth the knowledge of divine things, or humane, whereof this comment is also full. Consisting of IV parts. I Upon the Pentateuch, or five books of Moses. II Upon the historical part, from Joshua to Esther. III Upon Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Solomons Song. IV Upon all the prophets both great and small. By John Mayer, doctor of divinity." In the digital collection Early English Books Online 2. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A88989.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 15, 2024.

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CHAP. XXIV.

WHy, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know * 1.1 him not see his dayes? vulg. The times are hidden from the Almighty; but Hebr. it is interrogatively, Are they not hidden? So that in the vulg. inter∣pr. there is a manifest presumption in that, eleaveth out the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 why although it be done, least Job should be thought to have spoken atheisti∣cally, an interrogation having the force of an affirmation, if it be affirma∣tive, or of a negation if negative, and therefore if it be read, Are not the times hidden from God? it had been, as if he had sayd, They are. But there is no need of this shift, the sense of the words, as they go in Hebrew being manifestly this: Why, or what reason can be given by these, that boast so much of the knowledge of God (that he knowing to distinguish times, and to deale with men accordingly, suffering the wicked in their greatest wickedness oftentimes here, but appointing a time to judge them thereafter) they should be so ignorant as not to know this, but run headily on in condemning the righteous that suffer here, as if this were a certain sign of Gods Wrath against them, and the prosperity of others a sign of his fa∣vour: The N. Tr. then interlacing the word seeing for the making of the sentence more full, is rather to be followed, and Cajetan also hath it so. In these words then Eliphaz and his fellowes are derided, as professing them∣selves to be such as know, and yet were ignorant of this distinction of time, which all know, that have the true knowledge of God and of his wayes: And all others are hereby convinced not to know God aright, who do as if [Note.] they knew not this, but if they prosper in this world, blesse themselves, as Gods favorites, and looke upon the faithfull that are under great crosses, as hated by him, and hereby discovered to be hypocrites: For the true know∣ledge of God is to know and consider, that he hath two times, the one wherein all things fall out alike unto all; and the other when the goats shall be seperated from the sheepe; that is, the wicked from the righteous, and then these shall weepe no more, but have everlasting joy, and those that laugh now shall waile and weepe.

Some remove the Land marks, they violently take away the flocks and feed * 1.2 thereof. Now Job beginneth to reckon up the horrible sinnes of the wicked, which are so plain, that they need no explication, according to the Letter. But as nototious wicked men and oppressours, do some of them one of these things and some another, so heretickes do them being spiritually under∣stood. * 1.3 They remove the Land Marks by teaching, that of the Church there are other markes then hee hath set downe in his holy word, viz. hearing Christs voice, and obeying and teaching that only to others, and what hee * 1.4 revealed to his Apostles for them to teach. Thus then Euthusiasts re∣move the land markes, who pretend Revelations and new lights, and they that follow the traditions of the Elders, without examining them by the word, that is, the Canons of the Apostles, the Decrees of Counsells, and De∣cretalls of Popes: And as the Removers of Land markes literally under∣stood, are accursed, so and much more are these. Wherefore Anabaptists, and all of the reformed religion, that seperate from the Churches reformed, be∣ing but some Phantasticall particular persons, that out of an affectation

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of singularity, take into these wayes, are manifestly Hereticks and accursed: And so are Papists that obtrude other markes of antiquity, visibility, and universality, in all which yet their Church of Rome saileth, as I have shewed in my Catechisme and Antidote against Popery. For the next par∣ticular sin, they take away the Flocks: This is done by seducing Christians out of the right way, by persecution raised up against those that they cannot seduce, and offering violence to them in their Goods or persons, or both, thus making a prey of them, whereupon they feed and fill them∣selves.

They drive away the Asse of the Fatherlesse, and take the widdowes Oxe to * 1.5 pledge: By the Fatherlesse here understand also the true Christian, who is sayd to be fatherlesse, because, as it were, without a Father, in this world, because he is not yet come to his Fathers house Heaven, whilst he liveth here; and in like manner we may understand the Widdow to whom the Law, her first Husband as it were, is dead, that shee might be marryed to ano∣ther, even Christ, to whom shee is here espoused indeed by beleiving, and * 1.6 prepared against the day of marriage, that is, the last day, but is like a widdow alone in this world till then, and so lyeth open to the violence of these persecutors; to set forth more sorts of the Goods of such taken away by whom, unto the flocks he here addeth their asses, and Oxen, of the vio∣lent taking away of all, which Job had wofull experience.

They turn the needy out of the way, the poor of the earth hide themselves * 1.7 together. vulg. They subvert the way of the weak, and oppresse the poor toge∣ther. The first clause in N. Tr. is according to the Hebrew. The other, The poor of the Earth are hidden together: That is, such Christians as are meek by nature and lowly, they work upon through their deceit, who thinke them to know more then they do, and therefore are the more apt to be lead by their examples and perswasions, but they be but earthly, that are seduced by them, and are lead as it were blindfolded, for which he sayd, That they are hidden together under a black vaile, as it were, being blindly lead, as the Apostle sayth of the Gentiles, before their Conversion. * 1.8

Behold as wild Asses in the Wildernesse, they go forth to their work, rising * 1.9 betimes for a prey, the desert yeildeth food to them and their Children. Here he plainly pointeth at the Arabian Robbers, living, In Arabia deserta, and maintaining themselves and their Children by Robberyes, which they commit, partly upon passengers, and partly upon Neighbouring places, which are more fruitfull, from whence they coming in com∣panies take cattell, and live thereupon. And this also doth Gregory expound mystically of arch Hereticks, who that they may procure the more reverence to themselves for their austerity of life, live not amongst o∣thers, but go alone into solitary places, to which others being drawn by the admiration of them, they take their opportunity to work upon them, and to draw them to their own superstitious wayes. A very right description truly of the Popish Eremites, who go this way to worke, and perswade others to do the like; and these are, as it were their Children, for whom, and themselves even in such barren places they get food enough of such silly people as come unto them from time to time, V. 6.

They reap every one his corn in the feild, and gather the vintage of the wic∣ked: the vulg. They reape the feild which is not their own, and cut down the * 1.10 vintage of them whom they have oppressed: But in the first clause the word Not, is not in Hebr. but is inserted in vulg. to make the sense to hold the better. For what evill imputation is it for a man to reap his own Corn: therefore it is rendred, Agrum non suum, his own, because by violence made his own, and such as these Robbers made account of as their own, although the corn feild of another. Whereas also the vulgar hath it, They reape the feild, this is all one with the corne in the feild, for the next clause, of them whom they have oppressed, herein although the vulg. go∣eth

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also from the Hebr. Yet in the sense there is no difference, if by the wicked we understand the oppressed by them, whom they count their wic∣ked Enemies, and therefore worthy to be thus dealt withall; or if by the wicked we understand, such as they were, their impartiality in getting booties is hereby set forth, like hungry dogs they ranged about, and were so greedy of making a prey of other mens goods, that they spared not the vine∣tage of another, but served all mens Yards alike that came in their way. Some because the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 here used cometh of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 The later Raine, understand it, as if it had been sayd, they keep all men so in awe, that none dare to gather the vinetage of their wicked Companions, but let * 1.11 their Grapes hang till they be full ripe by the later rain, and they note, that this word is opposed to that which went before of cutting down Corn feilds, for that cometh of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 to streighten, and implyeth an hasty cutting of them down, even before the Corn was full ripe, for fear of being preven∣ted by the owners cutting, and carrying it away before them. Some will have the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Wicked a Numinative, rendring it thus, and the wicked gather the vintage, that is, not Corne alone will suffice these Robbers, but they steal away the Grapes also, and whereas the Verb being a Plurall seem∣eth to make against this reading, the Noun being a singular, they say by the Noun 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 may be understood the multitude of the wicked, that do thus, they being all as one, and therefore are accordingly spoken of; For my part I think it is best to read it, The vintage of the wicked; and that is so called because they gathered it, that were wicked Robbers, and being thus taken away it was theirs, as the Corn feilds before spoken of were theirs, that is entred into and taken as their own, but woe to them, that thus take and make other mens Goods their own, for they shall be judged [Note.] for it another day, which God hath set, although they be merry herewith for the present.

They cause the naked to lodge without cloathing, that they have no covering * 1.12 in the cold. That is, they exercise not their rapine only against men that have feilds and vineyards, but even against them that have nothing but clothes on their backs, and to cover them with, when they sleep in the night, the highest degree of savage cruelty that can be, especially that being also ad∣ded which followeth, v. 8.

They are wet with the showers of the mountaines, and imbrace the rock for want of a shelter. That is, being thus denuded, they are driven also from * 1.13 house and home, being forced to live in the mountaines and desert places in extream misery, ver. 9. 10. Greater cruelty in them is yet spoken of, their rage against Orphans, and against the naked before spoken of, who having nothing but a few Ears of Corn, upon which to feed, by rubbing them in their hands, having them also pluckt away from their mouthes, being thus fami∣shed.

Which make wine within their walls, and tread winepresses and suffer thirst. * 1.14 The vulg. Inter acernos corum meridiatisum, Commonly expounded of these robbers made rich by Rapine, and dining merrily herewith in the midst of abundance, the poor that tread their winepresses having yet so little for their labour, that they have not enough of the sayd wine which they make to quench their thirst: but N. Translat. goeth so, as if all this were spo∣ken of their poor Servants only, whom they have taken away from the Widdowes, their Mothers making them to work in making their wine, but keeping them most Poorly. For the Words here used 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signifieth Walls, that is of a City, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 to shine, whence 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 cometh signi∣fying Oyle, light, or noon day, for which Jerom rendreth it, Meridiati sunt, by a word taken from noon day, which is commonly put for dining plenti∣fully and then resting; but I rather prefer making oyle for these Robbers of the Olives taken away by them, and then treading their Wine presses with great labour, but kept short in respect of necessary food, because it

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followeth immediatly after the description of men, brought to misery by them, Vers. 9. 10. as pertayning to the same.

Men groaned from out of the City, and the Soule of the wounded cryeth out, yet God layeth not folly to their charge. Vulg. God suffereth him not to go unrevenged. Hebr. God putteth not an insulse, or unsavoury thing. For * 1.15 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signifieth In sulsum, aut insipidum, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 from whence 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 cometh, signifieth either to put, or dispose; and so the meaning is, These horrible wickednesses are committed, God permitting it to be done so, and yet it shall appeare in the end, that nothing is unsavoury or corrupt, a meat without salt, in all his doings; the punishment and revenge to be ta∣ken upon such, being deferred til the day of judgment: At which sense the Vulg. looking with regard to the proper signification of the words, ren∣dred it, as was said before, but even so, it should be: Will not suffer him to go unrevenged: Because the word is a future, for our N. Tran. it is al∣together from the sense, and it would be read thus; God disposeth not, or will not dispose of any thing unjustly; Although for the present it be thus: and all this is spoken to shew, that the ground whereupon Eliphaz and his fellowes meant, was false, Viz. That God laieth not so great sufferings as he did upon Job, upon any just man, for if by his permission wicked men come so much to abound with worldly wealth, on the contrary side, righte∣ous men may be here impoverished, and suster greivously: The one having his judgment deferred, and the other the reward of his righte∣ousness til the last day: For the thing here spoken of, the violence of wicked robbers is shewed to be so great, that they not only do the out∣rages before spoken of, in feilds and Vineyards, and to such as dwell soli∣tarily; but also sometimes invade and kil, and wound in the greatest fre∣quency of people, causing lamentation and sorrow amongst them.

They are of those that rebel against the light. Here by light some understand the light of nature and reason, contrary to which they do in sinning, as was before said; sith that it is against conscience, placed in every natural * 1.16 man thus to do: Some understand God who is light, and in him is no darkness, whereby he should be hindred from seeing any thing done by men, and some light properly taken for the light of the day, which they decline and go in the dark, to do these works of darkness: But this last is too much feared, forsomuch as it is one thing to decline the light, and an∣other to rebel against it: But it may be taken either of the other two waies; for they that wrong the poorest and weakest of Gods Servants rebel against God, and shall be proceeded against accordingly by God, yea take the poorest and most impotent in general, such as poor fatherless child∣ren and widdows be; and what wrong or oppression is done to them, God taketh as done to himself: And for that light called Conscience, against this, wicked doers rebel, because it telleth them that they ought not so to * 1.17 do; and when they presume yet to go against the dictate hereof, it judg∣eth and condemneth and troubleth them many times so, that they can have no quiet, although they want no worldly thing: But when I looke up∣on Vers. 14. The murtherer riseth with the light and killeth. And V. 15. * 1.18 is, having spoken of that, which they do in the night, he concludeth, tha•…•… They know not the light. I conceive that by their rebelling against the light * 1.19 is principally meant, their doing of such horrible wickednesses, even in the day time, when one would think, that the light arising, should awe then and make them afraid, they yet in dispite hereof, as rebels against their Soveraign, whom all other men feare, feare it not, and against the command thereof, break out into the most crying sinnes of all others, murther: But be∣cause they cannot come to commit the foule sin of adultry, but in the dark; nor break through into some houses, but when all in the house are asleep, he saith, they observe the darkness of the night for these.

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For the morning is to them as the shaddow of death, if one knoweth them * 1.20 they are in the terrours of the shaddow of death. Heb. For together, or all one to them, is the morning the shaddow of death. That is, The morning and the shaddow of death are all one to these Night-Owles that go about, and their wickednesses in the night: And for the next words, they be 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 because he is known, the light morning coming on, is as the Terrours of the shaddow of death, a true description of a Theef that breaketh into an house and stealeth in the night, but the light of the morning coming, where∣by he is found out, he is stricken with feare through the guiltiness of his conscience, because he must dye for it, as all breakers into houses must, so that he is even already as a dead man.

He is swift as the waters, their portion is cursed in the earth, and he be∣holdeth * 1.21 not the way of the vineyards. Heb. He is light upon the face of the wa∣ter. And thus it is rendred in Vulg. Lat. The meaning is, they are as a light thing upon the streames of water running swiftly and carrying it away with speed, for so doth the foule adulterer and theef, so soon as the light appeareth, that none can overtake or lay hold upon them: Some, that it is spoken in respect of their swift passing on, from one wickedness to an∣other, or their never being setled after such wickedness committed, but al∣waies ready to be overturned, as a ship that is unballanced, and so to be drowned in the Sea, which seemeth to be the best; and this may be taken as spoken of Pirates that rob at Sea, and the next passage of robbers by Land, whose portion is said to be cursed upon earth, for they that get Goods unjustly, get the curse of God together withall: He beholdeth not the way of the Vineyards. That is say some, to run away by them, which were common waies to Cityes, but by some other obscure by-way, that he may not be found: Some because Vineyards were planted in most tempo∣rate and comfortable places; he shall not have any comfort at length of his stolen Goods: Some, he shall not possess Vineyards, but in his own or his childrens time, if he hath gotten great wealth, come to great poverty: Gregory will have the walking in the way of the Vineyards, for so the * 1.22 Vulg. rendreth it, to be in the way of the Church; which is often compared to a Vineyard, in the right faith and doing good, as therein is continually faith taught, this way the wicked, whom the God of this World hath blinded, see not, because they see it not to walk herein to be * 1.23 saved, and therefore perish everlastingly: And as he applieth it, Here∣ticks see not, because they are blinded with errour, and so are in the num∣ber of those that are cursed also: This allegory is good, but for the lite∣ral sense, because hee in the words before going said; His portion is cursed upon earth, This I conceive, is added to shew, that he hath no portion of the Vineyards, that is, wheresoever he dwelleth and hath his possession upon earth, it shall not be like a Vineyard yeilding sweet fruites, of which he shall have any true comfort, and which is fenced about by Gods pro∣vidence and carefully kept, as Vineyards are; but cursed ground, as the earth was to Cain, that fel into the like sin; and therefore when he filled * 1.24 the ground, it yeilded no increase, but Briars and Thornes, whose end is to be burned, and ground left to be troden under foot, and destroyed * 1.25 by wilde Beasts, as it is threatned to Judah, bringing forth for sweet grapes, * 1.26 soure and wilde grapes.

Drought and heat consume the snow waters, so doth the grave those that * 1.27 have sinned. Hebr. Heat, yea drought consume snow waters, Hell his sin. The vulg. His sin passeth from snow waters to overmuch heat, and even to Hell. Whereupon many of the Fathers have taught, that the wicked are torment∣ed in Hel with extream cold, as well as with extream heat; applying al∣so to this, that saying of our Lord, There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, which is an effect of cold. But I see nothing in this text, for which to take occasion to enter into this dispute; for the comparison is made betwixt

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heat and drought and Hell, and snow and sin; sin therefore is as snow, and Hell, wherein the sinner shall be punished, as drought and heat, whereby the snow water, that is cooling and refreshing in the time of Summer, to those that live in places where it is even then to be had, is consumed by heat coming, and no drop thereof any more appeareth: So shall it be with wicked robbers and murtherers, here they may have somewhat to cool them, when in travelling about such abominable wickednesses they have heat themselves, but there is not a drop of water to cool them, being tormented in those slames; as appeareth by Dives craving it, but having it unto him * 1.28 denyed: Here by their wicked courses they have gotten wherewith all to live for a moment in pleasure, for to drink wine or water, as their necessity required at their pleasure, but there must indure extream drought and heat, and have no remedy against it any more, their sin being now quite consumed; that is, The things of this life, in getting which they so fowly sinned, and wherewith they refreshed themselves: For so is the golden Calfe, which the children of Israell worshipped, is called their sin; and for the like reason, the comfortable things of this life gotten by rapine, may be called his sin, that thus getteth them. Junius will have this compari∣son * 1.29 to hold thus, When death cometh, the name and memory of the wicked vanish, as snow waters, which are the lightest waters, before the heat of the Sun in a dry time. Calvin, they persist in these their sinnes, wherein they * 1.30 have been nuzzelled up, even to their graves. Gregory reading it, Let him passe from snow water to heat, or let his sin passe, and even to Hell. Saith, That by snow water, which is extreamly cold, is meant a wicked life, where∣in appeared no heat of vertue; for to be extreamly cold is to live in sin, without all sense of piety, or feare of God; in which sense it is said of the Angel of the Church of Laodicea. I would, that thou wert either hot or cold. * 1.31 And by heat, an evil heat, as in those that are hotly set upon errour, before they were frozen as it were, and had no motions in them towards goodness, but being intoxicated with errour, they are carried on madly in the wor∣ship and service of God; shewing the greatest heat of zeal that can be: But all things are done according to their erronious conceptions, and in this way they go in unreclaimably, even til they come in Hel: For he ap∣plieth all things as allegorically spoken, in alluding to Hereticks, under the persons of these wicked ones: And although I see not, how this can well be gathered hence, yet it is true, that he saith, There are such, that first are [Note.] most wicked, then taken with errour, wax most fervent in that way, and from this they never turn, til they come in Hel; that some such at the least may be moved to consider of it, and repent.

The womb shall forget him, the worm shall feed sweetly on him, and he shall be no more remembred, and wickednesse shall be broken as a tree. That is, For his * 1.32 name upon earth, when he is thus dead and gone into torment, that shall be nothing, but as a Tree that is fallen down by tempest, and rent up by the roots, is burnt in the fire, and then no more thought upon, so shall it be with the wicked: And to the same effect, Jude speakes of wicked He∣reticks, as of Trees twice dead and plucked up by the rootes. And he speaks * 1.33 of the womb forgetting him, taking his whole life together, from the first to the last, and what he hath done, whereby he thought to purchase to himself an honourable remembrance amongst posterity, shall all be buried in oblivion: And for this body, that he hath fatted up, it shall be but meat for the wormes.

He evil intreateth the barren, that beareth not, and hath not done good to the Widdow. Vulg. He hath fed the barren, whereupon some expound it of * 1.34 wicked mens feeding Whores, and maintaining them for their pleasure. Gregory of feeding the flesh, which is barren in respect of goodness, but neither of them speak here to the purpose: For the word here used, signi∣fieth, not to feed, but to do evil, and although there be another word

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〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 like unto it, signifying to feed, yet it is a word signifying also to teare and to break, wherefore it is such a feeding, as whereby that which she hath is fed and lickt up, and she is made yet more miserable, who was afflicted before in that she had no Children: The meaning then is, according to Vatablus, the Wicked before spoken of, have also this Wickedness in them * 1.35 which is against nature, that he who hath a wife that is barren, whom he had need to comfort, useth her the more unkindly therefore, and not like Elkana, that loved Hannah, or Jacob more loving Rachel, or following the proper signifycation of the word, their cruelty in oppressing is so great, that it extendeth even to women most afflicted, that have no Children to comfort them, or Husband living to provide for them.

He draweth also the mighty with his power, he riseth up and no man is sure of life. vulg. Detraxit fortes in fortitudine sua, Expounded of his Tyran∣ny, * 1.36 exercised not only over silly weak women, but as his authority and pow∣er is, he useth it against the greatest, whom he hath brought under him: For this is the manner of Tyrants, to have a care that none live in their do∣minion that be mighty, unlesse they will live in all servile subjection to them. If any dare do otherwise, when such rise by coming to have power, or wrath ariseth in them, his life shall immediatly be in great danger, as Naboths was who durst deny to Ahab, what he desired; And this is to be considered by men of might, as a most wicked thing, making them consorts with these [Note.] notorious wicked men before spoken of, both in sinn and punishment, that shall come: In the translations there is no difference in respect of the sense, and the word, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signifyeth to draw, or to draw forth.

Though it be given him to be in safety, whereupon he resteth▪ yet his eyes be upon their wayes: vulg. God hath given him place for repentance, and he abu∣seth * 1.37 it to pride, but his eyes be in his wayes. Hebr. It is given to him to be safe, and he leanes upon it, so that the vulgar too much differeth herein, neither doth it attain the sense in any measure, which is, he that is the tyrant before spoken of, having drawn other mighty men to his part, secu∣reth them by his promises, and unto this they lean, but still he is mistrust∣full, and hath an eye to their wayes, that if he can take any of them tripping, he may hereupon pick a quarrell, and cut them off, when he hath made them most confident; so Iunius, whose rendring the Hebr. may well bear the word Though, only being prefixed, Though he giveth him security where∣upon he leaneth, For Tyrants and Userpers have guilty consciences, and here∣by they are made always suspitious.

They are exalted for a little while, but are gone, and brought low, &c. They * 1.38 are cut off as the tops of the eares of Corn.

For the former part of this verse it needs none Exposition: For the later it may be understood of the like violence, whereby Tyrants shall be cut off, by which they have cut off other mighty and great men; for many write of Tarquinius, that he sent one to his Sonn, who should have raigned af∣ter him, that might draw him into his Garden to talk with him about the Establishing of his Kingdome, and he, when he was come thither struck off with his staff, the heads of many Poppyes, hereby giving him to under∣stand, that he must deal so with his Nobles, and then should sit sure. Thus also Trasibulus the King of the Milesians is sayd to have done, to make the like Demonstration, by striking off with his staffe certain Eares of Corne.

Notes

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