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. XXII.

IN this chapter the sins of the Jews inhabiting Jerus. which were laid * 1.1 open Ch. 20. for which the Lord asked the prophet saying, wilt thou judge them? are with the same preamble first made further declared, And they were first idolatry and bloodshed, v. 3, 4, 5, 6. making the holy City infamous * 1.2 amongst the heathen, for which the princes are specially accused. 2. Dis∣honouring * 1.3 parents and oppressing strangers and widows, v. 7. 3. Despising Gods holy things, that is, his sacrifices, which was done as is shewed, Mal. 1. when they counted any thing good enough to make an offering of the blind, * 1.4 and torn, &c. and prophaning his Sabbaths. 4. Eating upon the mountaines, and carrying tales to shed blood, of eating upon the mountaines enough hath been spoken before, Ezek. 18. and of talebearing, Levit. 19. 16. 5. Incest with a * 1.5 mans fathers wife, after the manner of Reuben, and as 1 Cor. 5. and going in to a menstruous woman, Ch. 18. 6. Adultery, incest with daughter in law, and * 1.6 with sister, of which see Levit. 18. 7. Bribes taking, usury and extor∣tion.

I have smitten my hand at thy dishonest gaine, &c. that is, to set thine enemies, the Caldees upon thee, as ch. 21. 17. * 1.7

Thou shalt take thine inheritance in thy self in the sightof the heathen, the Vulg. I wil possess thee, the Cald. I will sanctifie thee, being expounded by such as follow * 1.8 that reading. I will again possess thee, as mine inheritance and sanctifie thee, after thy sufferings before spoken of, and by means of them; Aquila and Theodot. I will defile thee, others, I will wound thee, because 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signifieth to wound, but the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signifieth possess as an inheritance: Heb. Thou shalt possess in thee, * 1.9 unless deriving it from calal to pollute we render it, being prophaned or polluted in thy self in the sight of the heathen thou shalt know that I am the Lord, and this stands best with sense. Thou polluted City having in thee so much sin, and pun∣ished accordingly by being given over into the hands of the heathen, and made to dwell in misery in an heathen countrey shalt be made by experience to know that I am the Lord justly judging thee thus, who wouldest not by any means be brought to repentance and amendment of life.

Having shewed, what they should suffer in the land of the heathens, now * 1.10 he sheweth what they should suffer in their own land before their going into captivity during the time of the siege, viz. they should be as lead, brass and iron, in the midst of the ardent fire of Gods wrath burning, and kept here till they were as silver and these baser metals melted together by the famine, pestilence and sword, and the burning of the City and the Temple.

Finally, silver also being named, v. 20. more then before to set forth the * 1.11 righteous perishing together with the wicked, as Ch. 21. 3. but they were on∣ly such righteous ones, as were like reprobate silver, seeming to be such, as is there shewed, but not such indeed.

Thou art the land, that is not cleansed or rained upon in the day of indignation. * 1.12 Having set forth the state of the Jews by one comparison to base metals, brass, whereby as Lyra saith, such as seemed to be gold are set forth, as by pewter * 1.13 they that seemed to be silver, by lead that is easily melted carnal persons ha∣ving the love of God in them turned into the love of pleasure, and iron men obdurated in sin, by silver the righteous perishing also corporeally together with them, which last yet I have shewed to be against that of marking such to be preserved, Ch. 9.

For the words of this verse, the Vulg. hath it, thou art an unclean land, terra non compluta, expounded by Lyra, unclean in regard of many foule sins before * 1.14 commemorated, and not rained upon (by non compluta, it being meant, terra, super quampluvia non descendit, as Esai. 5. I will command the clouds, that they shall not raine upon it, the vacuity of all goodness.

Then followeth the cause making it so, v. 25. There is a conspiracy of prophets * 1.15 in the midst thereof ravening the prey, like a roaring lion, they have taken the pretious things, &c. that is, of false prophets there is a compiracy against the true, a•• of Hananiah against Jeremy, and of the priests also, as v. 26. viz. Pashur and other priests, who also conspired against Jeremiah, and having persecuted the true prophets of God to the death they took the spoiles, here called the pretious * 1.16 things, and so made their wives poor widows, as is added, they multiplyed widowes in the land, v. 27. he proceedeth to princes, and v. 29 to the people in general, charging them all with intolerable oppressions.

Then v. 30. he saith, that he looked for one to make up the hedge, to stand in the gap, but I found none: Here the Lord sheweth, how that notwithstanding sin so greatly abounding in Jerus. if he could have found some righteous persons there that had by servent prayer sought to make up the hedge, and as Moses stood in the gap, that sin had made there, by earnest opposing themselves against evil, seeking the reformation of the City, he would not have proceeded to bring the judgements threatned. If there had had been but one godly prophet more besides Jeremiah, a few priests, one or two godly princes, and some few godly people amongst those many thousands, that were so grossely tainted with sin, according to the foure sorts mentioned before, v. 25, &c. to v. 30. For it is * 1.17 not likely, that he meant precisely one, as also Lyra saith, for there was Jeremiah and Baruch, and some godly persons more, that there were marked in their foreheads, ch. 9. yea ch. 14. he expresly saith, although Noah, Job and Daniel had been there, he would not have spared the City, but them only, wherefore I assent rather to him holding, that by one a competent number is meant, as in Sodom, the Lord said, if there had been found ten righteous, he would spare Sodom for their sakes: Whence note, that sin makes a gap or breach in the hedge of Gods providence about a state. 2. When it is thus, [Note.] God looks that his faithful servants should make it up againe by prayer and opposing sinful courses, and so being himself righteous, he is a maker up of the breach. 3. There must yet, for the saving of a state from utter ruine, be a competent number of such men therein, and then Gods mercy is such, that for their sakes, the whole shall be saved in the most dangerous times, yet none wicked shall for anothers sake be saved eternally, but only temporally, there being for all such another time of reckoning, when they shall not escape everlasting destruction both of soul and body, which may make us still to live in hope, that England shall stand, wherein I doubt not, but that there be some in every place, and many in populous places throughout the land, that fear God, and pray and labour earnestly against sin daily, the number of whom God increase.

Therefore have I powred upon them the fire of mine indignation, &c. Because it was not * 1.18 so in Jerusalem, but righteous men faded altogether, the Lord here threatneth them with a flood of judgements according to the overflowing of their sins, and he speaks of this, as a thing past, although to come for the certainty of the judgement.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ch. 20. 4.
• * 1.2

  V. 3.
• * 1.3

  V. 7. V. 8.
• * 1.4

  V. 9.
• * 1.5

  V. 10.
• * 1.6

  V. 11. V. 12.
• * 1.7

  V. 13.
• * 1.8

  V. 16.
• * 1.9

  Junius.
• * 1.10

  V. 18. 19.
• * 1.11

  V. 20.
• * 1.12

  V. 24.
• * 1.13

  Lyra.
• * 1.14

  Lyra.
• * 1.15

  V. 25.
• * 1.16

  V. 27. V. 29.
• * 1.17

  Lyra.
• * 1.18

  V. 31.