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.

CHAP. VII.

HEre the Prophet after a most earnest exhortation to turn from their sins, * 1.1 and to amend their lives, to move them the more to repentance, pro∣pounds the example of Shiloh where the Ark stood of old, 1 Sam. 4. but be∣ing carried out and taken by the Philistims, it never came thither again, but that place lay ever after desolate. So he sheweth, that they also should be dealt withall, their Temple being destroied the City Jerusalem should be left desolate, and although after the first destruction by Nebuchadnezzar it was re-built at their return out of Captivitie, yet it was again destroied by the Romans, after which it could never be built any more.

Therefore pray thou not for this people. This may seem strange, when as at * 1.2 other times an intercessour to avert judgement is required, as Isa. 59. 16. Cha. 64. 7. Chap. 43. 3. Ezek. 32. 30. But this is so spoken, to shew that praier shall not prevail, unless it be fervent and with perseverance, when God seemeth by denying the requests of his servants, or not granting them a long time, to forbid them to trouble him any more with such Petitions, as Matth. 18. Jam. 5. 16. He therefore that persists fervently to ask, when he prevaileth nothing, shall finally prevail. 2. That the praiers of the best are of no force, if they for whom, go on still obstinately in their sins, Ezek. 14. Calvin scanning this * 1.3 prohibition saith, that it was not for any of that people, for there was a rem∣nant for whom he was to pray, but that the state of the Kingdom should continue, to pray he was forbidden, it being unalterably determined, that for their sins it should be pulled in pieces, and their Temple destroied. I prefer the former, both because he saith, Chap. 5. He could not finde a man, and in many places before-cited the Lord intimateth his desire in this matter to finde some one or more opposing him by their praiers, as Moses Exod. 32. as a thing wherein he delighted; and the word, opposing me, is here used after praying and crying spoken of and forbidden. Whereby the power of a righte∣ous mans praier appeareth, the Almighty is by it opposed, and his hands, as it were, tied from smiting.

To make cakes to the Queen of heaven. Some for the Queen of heaven, have * 1.4 it, The host of heaven, because 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is the word here used, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signi∣fieth a messenger or minister, therefore they will have the Ministry of the hea∣venly host meant. But this word signifying nothing but to reign, is best tran∣slated Queen, whereby Jerom saith, the Moon is meant, by the Heathens * 1.5 thought to be wife to the Sun; and therefore the cakes made of flower and oil for an offering to her, had the figure of the Moon made upon them. And what diligence and care the superstitious Jews did use in making them in the most exact manner, he sheweth, saying, The children gathered sticks, the fathers [Note.] made the fire, the mothers kneaded them. O that we were so intent to the wor∣ship of the true God of heaven, both fathers, mothers and children, with uni∣ted forces doing the best service to him, that possibly we can in our meetings, otherwise these shall rise up in judgement against us and condemn us.

My anger shall be poured out upon man and beast, upon fowls and trees. This is * 1.6 not so threatned, as if God raged against beasts and senslesse Trees, but that in smiting them men might be the more terrified, as they were made for man, so for his sins being destroyed, that he looking hereupon might be dismaied.

Put your burnt Offerings to your Sacrifices, and eat flesh. Having threatned * 1.7 them with destroying judgements, vers. 20. now that they might not deceive themselves by holding up as a Buckler of defence their outward performan∣ces, by offering to the Lord many Sacrifices, he beateth down this confidence by telling them, that they might do so, and yet be no whit the more acce∣pted, no more account of their Sacrifices being made on Gods part, then if they did but kill and prepare and eat flesh together in feasting one another in a carnal manner: for it was not to him that they did this, because not done according to his will, whilst they sacrificed, they neglected to yield him due obedience, which was the main thing required by him at his bringing them out of Egypt. Vers. 22, 23. I spake not to your fathers concerning Sacrifices, * 1.8 &c. This may seem not to be true, because the errand that Moses came up∣on to Pharaoh at the first, was, That the people might be permitted to sacri∣fice three daies in the wildernesse. But the meaning never was, That Sacrifi∣ces should be offered, and obeying Gods Commandments neglected, which was now done by the Jews, and therefore he speaks thus ironically unto them, and to intimate that obedience was the chief thing required, he first gave the Law of the ten Commandments, then afterwards of sacrificing.

Cut off thine hair (O Jerusalem.) The word Hair, Hebr. is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signify∣fying * 1.9 also a Crown, from whence the Nazarites Numb. 6. had their name, and these for their holiness, the sign whereof was their long hair, which they did not cut, were the glory and crown, as it were, of the Jewish Nation. In * 1.10 bidding Jerusalem then cut her hair, he meaneth, that her Nazarites now might as well cut their hair as nourish it, for they should not for this be any whit the more accepted, no more then for their many Sacrifices: Thus also Calvin, adding that cutting off her hair, is also spoken of, as a token of sor∣row, for which she is in the next words bidden to make Lamentation in the high places, Because God hath forsaken the generation of his wrath, whereby he intimateth, That Gods wrath should in that Generation come upon them, as indeed it did. The Prophet therefore doth not here exhort them to repent∣ance again, as he had divers times before done, but as against desperate im∣penitent persons denounceth judgement that should make them most certain∣ly to howl and cry, when upon high-places, they should see the unresistible forces of their enemies coming against them or camping about them on every side, neither should any pretended outward holiness or worship help them. By cutting off hair, that sorrow is set forth which is extream, see Job 1. 10. Isa. 15. 2. Ezek. 27. 31. the same hath been used to be done to servants, and therefore both the lowest ebb of misery and servitude to their enemies, into which they should come, is hereby set forth, Isa. 3. 17. the Daughters of Jeru∣salem that were so proud, are threatned with baldness, Chap. 7. 20. Micha 1. 16. Habak. 3. 13. And amongst the Heathen it was common in extream sor∣row to pull off the hair, and to shave servants and slaves; whereupon it is in Aristophanes said, Tu dum servus es comam nutris. And that it was a base thing for a woman especially to be shorn, appeareth 1 Cor. 11. and for men too, according to Ovid,

Turpe pecus mutilum, turpis fine gramine campus, Et sine fronde frutex, & sine crine caput.

Therefore Demosthenes willing to keep at home against the importunity of his friends shaved his head, because that in this case they knew he could not go in∣to any company for shame. 3. There is another cause of cutting the hair, viz. when a man comes out of prison and misery, as Joseph being sent for to stand * 1.11 before Pharaoh, and Evilmerodach lifting up the head of Jehoiakin, they both

cut their hair, and changed their garments, but this is nothing pertinent to our purpose here. Many think these words [Cut thy hair] to be directed to Jeremiah, as if he should do it in a figure, but when he is bidden to do any thing in this sense, he is plainly spoken to. Here although Jerusalem be not named in the Hebrew, yet she is manifestly meant, for the words run as to a She, in the Feminine gender, and so Jerusalem is commonly spoken of, The Daughter Jerusalem.

They have set their abominations in the house called by my Name. This, as is * 1.12 generally agreed, is spoken of that which was done, 2 King. 21. 4. in the daies of Manasseh, and likewise that which followeth of Tophet, vers. 31. and therefore of this see there, that I may not repeat the same again. But it may seem strange, that in the time of Josiah (who defiled Tophet and purged the Temple, yea Manasseh himself, after his return from Captivity, did pull down the abominations that before he had set up) these things should be charged upon the Jews in his time. For the better understanding hereof therefore, we must look into 2 King. 22. 3. and Chap. 23. and we shall finde that Josiah did not that worthy work of removing the abomination out of the Lords house, and of defiling Tophet till Anno Regni 18. but these words were spoken Anno 13, as appears Chap. 1. And if Manasseh had done it upon his repentance, he had a wicked son Amon who could set them up again, and the people still most probably, though living under godly Josiah, were bold, whilst he was yet very young, to go on in their old wickedness, and for this they are here taxed.

They shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place. This is spoken, to shew how * 1.13 vain their endeavours were about sanctifying this place for divine worship, for in saying that it should be a burying place, he meaneth that it should be all polluted, because dead bodies pollute the places where they lie, for which cause such superstitious persons would not endure that any dead should be buried near unto places which they consecrated to the worship even of Idols. But of this worship the Lord had said before vers. 31. that he commanded it not, neither came it into his minde, hereby giving us an hint of a singular good Note, That the rules of Divine Worship prescri∣bed [Note.] by God in his holy Word are allsufficient, and whosoever presumes to go further, this is enough to condemn him, God never commanded this, therefore it is an abomination; apply this to the many inventions of the Church of Rome, and they are all hereby condemned, and it is well done of the Church of England, that she hath of late cast them all out. Only it were to be wished that we might have so much discretion as to distinguish be∣tween Novas species pietatis, & ejusdem magis velminus exercitatas, and then whosoever holdeth, That in sacris non est satietas cannot condemn the keep∣ing of Christs birth-day to his honour, as many now adaies do, because it is not expresly commanded, or said to have been kept in the Apostles daies. And to conclude this Verse, the defiling of Tophet here prophesied of, was in the eighteenth year of Iosiah in part, 2 King. 23. 10. and in part afterwards, Ierusalem being destroyed, as followeth vers. 33, 34. and brought into desolation, when dead bodies shall lie round about in all places, as meat for the beasts of the field, and fowls of the air. And this shall be the end of all Idolaters, when Gods judgements come they shall perish unhappily, [Note.] and not enjoying so much as a buriall, rot as dung upon the earth, and the places which they have doted upon, as thinking they could ne∣ver honour them enough, shall be rendered most infamous, as was some∣time the house of Baal, that was turned into a Jakes in the dayes of zea∣lous Iehu.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Vers. 12.
• * 1.2

  Vers. 16. Ezek. 13. 5.
• * 1.3

  Calvin.
• * 1.4

  Vers. 18. Ier. 44. Scptuagint.
• * 1.5

  Hieron.
• * 1.6

  Vers. 20.
• * 1.7

  Vers. 21.
• * 1.8

  Vers. 22, 23.
• * 1.9

  Vers. 29.
• * 1.10

  Calvin.
• * 1.11

  Gen. 41. 2 King. 25.
• * 1.12

  Vers. 30.
• * 1.13

  Vers. 32.