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. XXVII.

HAving spoken against the whole City of Tyre in the two former Chap∣ters, here he cometh in particular to charge the prince with intoler∣able pride and self-conceitedness in respect of his great riches and imaginary * 1.1 wisdom, whereby he gat them, he holding himself for this to be a God. Jerom, August. Ambros. Isidor and Tertull. because no man is so mad, or ever was, to say * 1.2 thus of himself, understand it as spoken of the devil under the name of the prince of Tyre. But as Esa. 14. he speaketh so of Belshazzar, as that his speech is mixt, something being said of the devil properly, and some things of the King of Babylon in allusion to him; so it is here. His heart was so proud that he thought there was no God above him, or more excellent then he, so did he dote upon his own wit and wealth, and he was consident, that God would not deturb, or bring him down from his high honour; yea if we shall say, that that man spake so of himself, it is no more then Caius Caligula a Roman Emperour did, and Heliogabalus, and Julius Cesar suffered divine ho∣nours to be done unto him, and Nebuchad. set up his image to be all worship∣ped. And Optat. Milevit. applyeth this of the prince of Tyre to Donatus, a bi∣shop, * 1.3 who thought himself in holiness to excel all other men, and therefore he would not suffer any to come unto him but with most low reverence, and

he would have them called by his name Donatists, and he was Bishop of Tyre a colony of Carthage, and so a spiritual prince. But none ever more no∣toriously [Note.] lifted up himself as a God, then the Popes of Rome, especially some of them have done, as he that suffered the Sicilian Embassadors to use these words unto him, Domine deus papa miserere nostrum, and they generally take upon them to forgive sins, not ministerially, but potestative, to make laws about divine things, and to dispense with express laws of God, and to set up and depose Kings, which none but God can do; but Calvin, Zuinglius, and the like to them were no such, as the Jesuite chargeth them to have been.

Thou art wiser then Daniel; Here he seeks to make him ashamed of that his most insulse boasting by deriding him, and ironically telling him, Ah thou * 1.4 art wiser then Daniel? as if he had said, art thou not ashamed to compare with God, I will name unto thee a man, who by the consent of Nebuchadnezzar was the wisest of men, if thou thinkest thy self a God, thou must needs then much more think thy selfwiser then he was, which is most ridiculous, For he as wise as he was, attributed nothing to him, but all his understanding to God alone. v. 12. Thou sealest-up the sum full of wisdome and perfect in beauty, * 1.5 Vulg. Thou art the seal of the similitude, ful of wisdom and perfect in comliness, Heb. thou sealing the sum or number; some also render it similitude, but it cometh from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signifying to weigh or to number, the meaning is, thou (O King of Tyre) are a very patterne of perfection, and full of wisdom and glory in thy own conceit. He prosecutes the same argument against the pride of that in∣solent King, who said that he was a God, for what is such a one, but a pat∣terne of perfection, and most wise and glorious? For a seale hath in it the perfect form of him, that is hereby represented; and then is a letter written perfected, when the last act of setting to a seale is done to it, wherein he goeth on further ironically to taxe his foolish pride.

Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God, every pretious stone was thy covering, &c. * 1.6 Here another point of felicity, like that of Adam in the state of innocency, is mentioned, for he through his pride thought himself for being prince of so rich and magnifical a City most happy, and therefore adorned himself with all manner of pretious stones, and it in to be noted, that the stones here named are the same, that were in the place of the high priest, but in num∣ber they came short, there being in it twelve, in his crown but nine, which Gregory noteth to have been to set forth Lucifer, the most glorious sometime * 1.7 of the Angels, of whom there were nine orders, for he as others applyeth all this to the devil, but it is better, as I said before, to understand it, as was spoken, in way of allusion to the devil, but properly of the king of Tyre, who was so like unto him in pride, vaunting himself as a God, as he did, and a patterne of perfection to other Kings and Princes, and equal to Adam in Paradise, and to the high priest in the pretious stones of his diadem, no more yet being reckoned up then nine, and the rest left to be understood, v. 14. Thou art the annointed Cherub that covereth, &c. thou walkest up and down in the midst of stones of fire. Here the prophet goeth on still in setting forth the exceed∣ing * 1.8 great worldly glory of this King, that being set up so high, but for his pride and other sins brought down, his misery in falling might be the more aggravated, and so appear to be just matter of doleful lamentation to all his friends and such as stood in relation to him, as followeth v. 19. He is said to be a Cherub anointed in allusion to the Cherubims of Gold in the most holy place spreading their wings from one side to the other, which sanctuary or most holy place stood upon the holy mountaine of Zion, intimating the ex∣tent of his dominion to all parts about, and that, as God in his providence had appointed, as the Cherubims were by him appointed to be made, and so placed: For his walking amidst the stones of fire that was having the diadem upon his head set with pretious stones, as was before said, that sparkled * 1.9 like fire, and shined brightly, thus also Lyra.

Thou wert perfect in thy wayes from the day that thou wert created, till iniquity was f••und * 1.10

in thee. This is not meant of any righteousness before God, or in his wayes, but of his posterity in worldly things, and therefore it is said, in thy wayes, he had perfect prosperity, when God set him up to be so glorious a king, which is intimated by saying, in the day that he was created. But being in this height of worldly honour, for his iniquity now he sheweth, that he should be brought down.

Then v. 16, 17, 18. he declareth his iniquities violence and pride, to which he fell by reason of his greatness together with many other sins not * 1.11 expressed. And he should with his City, he sheweth, be burnt to ashes to the astonishment of all beholders, that had before known Tyrus so magni∣fical. * 1.12

Next unto Tyrus was the City of Zidon in wealth and prosperity, belong∣ing * 1.13 to Tyrus, as may be gathered, ch. 27. 8. And both these Cities, he intima∣teth to have been also vexing enemies to Israel as were the Ammonites and Philistims, v. 24. Because he saith, that there should be no more a pricking * 1.14 briar or throne to Israel round about. And if it should bedoubted, how this could be spoken, for somuch as Israel was now far enough off from these Nations, viz. in Babylon, he saith, that the children of Israel should return, &c. thus prophesying of their coming out of captivity againe, as Jeremiah his colleague had done before, in speaking of the Nations round about as * 1.15 briars and thornes unto them; He alludeth to that of Moses touching the Ca∣naanites, [Note.] that should prove, if they remained, as thornes in their eyes and goades in their sides. And such must the people of God alwayes expect, that superstitious people suffered amongst them should be unto them, and there∣fore they are not to be tolerated, but to be rooted out.

Notes

• * 1.1

  V. 2.
• * 1.2

  Hieron. Aug. de Civi. 11. 15. Isi∣dor. de summo bone.
• * 1.3

  Optatus l. 3.
• * 1.4

  V. 3.
• * 1.5

  V. 12.
• * 1.6

  V. 13.
• * 1.7

  Greg. in orat.
• * 1.8

  V. 14.
• * 1.9

  Lyra.
• * 1.10

  V. 15.
• * 1.11

  V. 16.
• * 1.12

  V. 19.
• * 1.13

  V. 22. 23.
• * 1.14

  V. 24.
• * 1.15

  V. 25. 26.