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. IV.

IN this chapter is set forth another Vision or Dream of Nebuchadnezzar, and the interpretation thereof made by Daniel, whereupon he maketh another * 1.1 declaration full of piety towards God, as if he had now been converted indeed, vers. 1, 2, 3. Here all things are so plain in the dreame, the interpretati∣on of Daniel being added, that I shall not need to expound any thing herein, onely vers. 13. it is said, Behold! a Watcher and Holy one came down from heaven, hee * 1.2 cryed aloud and said, Hew down the tree and cut off his branches, &c. This watcher was an Angel of God, so called, because the Angels are alwayes vigilant and ready at every command to goe about the execution of Gods will, as we also ought to be, and specially the Ministers of God, as it is said to Ezekiel chap. 3. And he saith, Cut down the tree, to shew that Nebuchadnezzar set forth hereby, should be put down from his kingly dignity, and live like a beast a long time, and this was the plucking off of his branches, which are ornaments to a tree, and therefore fitly representing a kings royall accommodations making him to shew glorious. Now when the Angell cometh to expound this verse 16. hee saith, Let the heart of a man be taken from him, and a beasts heart be given unto him, in * 1.3 which words he maketh the vision so far forth plain, as that it might from hence be known, that a man was meant by this tree, and a man not to be me∣tamorphozed into an oxe, as Josephus saith, Nebuchadnezzar was, but retaining still the shape of a man, and changed onely in his understanding, by which means he was so transported from himself, that he was no more as a man for any reason, but as a brute beast in all his doings, in so much as that his cour∣tyers not able to indure a beast any longer, drove him out of the house into the fields amongst other beasts, with whom he fed, and amongst whom he lay * 1.4 in the open air seven years, and the food, upon which he fed, is said to be grasse which he ate like an oxe. Touching this strange change in this king, Dorotheus * 1.5 and Epiphanius say, that internally he was not changed in his reasonable soul, but was herewith indued still, and that his change was in his body, his former

part being like an oxes, his posteriour like a lion, having the head and horns of an oxe, but the main ••nd tail of a lion; contrariwise the text saith, that his heart was changed, but for any change in his body, it speaketh nothing, whereby is not meant, that his reasonable soul was taken from him, for that is the form of a man, and therefore being taken away, a man ceaseth altogether from being a man, and the soul of a beast being put into him hee is really a beast In saying therefore, that the heart of a man was taken from him, and the heart of a beast put into him, nothing else is meant, but that this phantasie and appetite were changed to, that upon a strong imagination that he was a beast, he had affections carrying him in all things to doe accordingly. A like story to this hath Aben. Ezra of a melancholick man in Sa••d••nia, who forsaking the * 1.6 company of men, went amongst De••r, and lived, and eat grasse with them a long time. And for this exposition is Thomas Aquinas, who saith that there * 1.7 were no shape in his bodily shape, but onely he seemed to himselfe to be a beast. And Franciscus Valesius saith, that it was a melancholick disease, which God * 1.8 laid upon the King: and Hieron M••rcurialis, that by means of this disease some have become madde, doing as it they were the very creatures, which they ima∣gined themselves to be, some who thought themselves dogges, barking, some cocks crowing, some wolves, going out amongst the graves to feed upon dead bod••es. One, saith Le••••nius, i〈…〉〈…〉ining himselfe to be dead would eat no * 1.9 meat seven dayes together, so ••••at he was almost dead, to whom being in this desperate condition, the Physitian prescribed this remedy that a few men clad all in white should come into the chamber where he lay, and eat meat in his sight, which he seeing them asked what they were, they answered, dead men, but said he, doe dead men eat? they saying, yes, that they did when they could get it, he hearing this started up from his bed, and fell to eating with them, and so was recovered. Mic••a••l Medina conjectureth, that as by witchcraft * 1.10 some are transformed in shew, a mist being cast before the spectatours eyes, so that they seem to be what they are ••o••, so it was done by the Almighty power of God to Nebuchadnezzar; but this is onely a conjecture & improbable, because no such thing is here said but onely touching his heart, wherein all the change in appearance was, and it is not good to ascribe such deceitfull doings to God, as jugglers use by the help of the devill to beguile mens eyes. Of this strange judgement laid upon Nehuchadnezzar, none of the ancient writers of the heathens speak, but Alpheus briefly saith, that Nebuchadnezzar being rapt with madnesse presently vanished out of the company of men, when he had first foretold the overthrow of the Caldee Monarchy, as he is cited by Euselius. * 1.11

For the leaving of the stump of his roots in the earth, vers. 15. hereby was meant, that he should not be driven from his kingdome, but that hee should return to it again, as the stubble of a tree, after it is cut down, having life still in it shooteth out again, even with a band of iron and brasse in the tender grasse of the field, that is, leave it as it were, thus bound by Gods irrevocable decree, till the time here spoken of be fulfilled, the allegory of a tree cut down being herein followed, which springeth not again, but by the dew falling upon it, and al∣though ordinarily a tree cut down shooteth out again the next spring, yet if bands be upon it, through which it cannot pierce, it shooteth not out, till they be taken off, so could not this King, but then he did.

This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones. * 1.12 vulgar, the sentence is the decree of the watchmen, and this is the speech of the Saints and the petition. The first agreeth best with the originall, it being meant, that it was the decree appointed by God to be published by his watchmen the An∣gels, whereupon they demand, why it is so, and have answer in the next words, that the living might know, that the most High ruleth in the Kingdomes of men, and giveth them to whom he pleaseth. Iunius to these words, the word by the demand of the holy ones, addeth usque dum adducatur ut agnoscant, till he be brought to that, that * 1.13 they acknowledge, that is, Nebuchadnezzar to that low ebbe, that all men living hearing of it, and after this, of his restitution again to his kingdom, acknow∣ledge

the kingdomes of the world to be at the Lords disposing, and that hee giveth this great Monarchy, to whom he will, and setteth the most abject of men therein, that is, this most proud man after his so great abasement, to be King and Ruler thereof again, thus also Lyra according to the letter. But he saith fur∣ther, * 1.14 that some will not have this to be literally understood, but mystically of the devill, who for his pride was the most abased of all others, yet shall here∣after be restored to his pristin glory of an angell of light again. And they ar∣gue against the literall understanding of this of Nebuchadnezzar. 1. Because he retaining his humane nature still, could not goe and live upon grasse as a beast so long a time. 2. Because being taken with such a disease, as was a kind of madnesse, they would doubtlesse rather have shut him up, then driven him out into the fields, as is used to be done to mad men. 3. Because the wild and savage beasts would, when he had come amongst them, have devoured him. 4. So large an Empire would not have been so long without a King, and if another King had been once set up, it is not probable, that he would have given way to him to return to his Throne again. But to beleeve, that the de∣vill shall be restored again to his first glorious condition of an angell of light, is most contrary to the holy Scriptures, wherein it is said, that hell fire is pre∣pared * 1.15 for the devill and his angels, and that it is everlasting, and the angels, who kept not their first standing he hath reserved in everlasting chains of darknesse. For the objection made. 1. No reason can be drawn from the common condition of a man, to this man, having this judgement laid upon him by the Almighty, who can sustain the life of man without means as long as he pleaseth, as he did Moses 40 dayes, and Elijah, and the children of Israel 40 yeares in the barren wildernesse, and experience hath taught in some, whose bodyes have been distempered, that they have used coals and other things, wherein there is no nourishment, for most delectable food, and there is an history of a woman, that are & lived upon spiders, and some upon locusts; therefore if God would have Nebuchadnezzar fed with grasse, what is he that dares say it was not possible, and likewise upon his hands and feet to goe about as the beasts? 2. It is not to be doubted, but that when this judgement befell him, Daniel certified the Nobles hereof, perswading them rather to help put in execution what God had decreed, then to hinder it. 3. The same God that appointed his restituti∣on after this fastened the stump of this tree in the mean season, so as that it was not in the power of any creature to pull it up, for which it is said to be bound with bands of brasse and iron, and it is observed in the ordinary course of na∣ture, that a madde dogge will not bite a foole or a mad man, to say nothing of the acquaintance, which hee gat with the beasts by conversing amongst them, so that they took him going upon all four, and feeding as they did, to be a beast as they were, although in shape differing from them, as a monster a∣mongst them. 4. It is said, that Evilmerodach the sonne of Nebuchadnezzar reigned a while in his stead in this time of his exile, but playing the tyrant was by his subjects shut up in prison, where Jehoiakin the captive King of Judah was, with whom he by this means gat so good acquaintance, that immedi∣ately after Nebuchadnezzars death, he comming to the Throne lifted up his head, and dealt so favourably with him, as is said, 2 King. 25. & so the kingdom was at Nebuchadnezzar returning to his understanding again void and fit for him to resume; and if it were not so, Daniel with the assistance of the Lords governed it for the time in certain expectation of his returne at the time by God prefixed.

Break off thy sins by righteousnesse and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor, if * 1.16 it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity, vulg. it may be God will forgive thy de∣lights; that is, if thou dost thus, happily thy sins wherein thou hast taken such pleasure may be pardoned, and this judgement escaped: but herein the sense is more respected then the signification of the words, and if it be lengthening tranquillity, the sense will be good thus, being spared from this expulsion and disturbance thou maist haply live still quietly in thy kingdom. The vulg. for break off thy sins by righteousnesse, hath also, redeem thy sinnes by almes-deeds, and so

hath the Sep••uagint translation but erroneously, for neither doth 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 sig∣nifie redeem, nor 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 almes, but break off and righteousnesse, yet upon this erroneous translation, some infer the merit of almes-deeds, as if for them men were worthy of pardon, so Cornelius a Lapide saith, sins are by almes redeemed, because the fault being therefore forgiven, temporall punishments are ex con∣digno, remitted also. Again, they merit, if not the remission of everlasting, yet of temporall, and lastly because they dispose a sinner to grace, and to the pardon of sin, as prayer deserving and obtaining of it. Wherefore he stiffly main∣taineth the vulgar translation, saying, that although 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signifieth not to redeem, but to break off, yet to shew that this breaking off is by redeeming, a Redeemer is in Caldee called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and for the word righteousnesse, to give almes is a great part of righteousnesse, and therefore it may well be rendered by almes. But against him and all that make such Papisticall constructions I oppose Polanus, who excellently sheweth that 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 hath only two significati∣ons, * 1.17 1. to break off; 2. to pluck a mans selfe out of danger, but not to re∣deem, which indeed cannot be said to be done in respect of sins, but of per∣sons, seeing sins are not capable of punishments, but persons sinning. Methur∣geman Eliae writing upon this word, saith, it signifieth to break off, and for proof hereof alleadgeth Exod. 32. 2. Break off your golden rings, but for re∣deeming he can bring no place, where in Hebr. or Caldee it is so used. And a∣gainst redeeming, as by a Prince given, which might satisfie in respect of any punishments due for sin, maketh the redemption by Christs bloud, and not * 1.18 by gold and silver, if we had millions thereof to give amongst the poor. The meaning therefore is nothing else, but whereas thou hast been an oppressor, do [Note.] henceforth righteously & make restitution to those whom thou hast wronged, and over and above this, be charitable and give aboundantly of thy goods to the poor. From whence, although no redemption from sin by almes-deeds can be proved, yet it may wel be proved that no man is a true Convert, or shal find favour at Gods hands, who turneth not from unjust and deceitfull dealing to righteous in all things, and from hard heartednesse to charitablenesse. For in both these Zaccheus was a most exact pattern, & Cornelius to add the more force * 1.19 to his prayers, was much in almesgiving, and the Apostle having spoken of the sacrifice of praising God, addeth to distribute and to give forget not, for with * 1.20 such sacrifice God is well pleased, whereby is intimated that prayer and praise is then a well pleasing sacrifice to God, when accompanyed with almes-deeds. For the last words here, if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity, because Da∣niel speakes doubtfully, the Papists following the Vulgar, gather from hence, that no man can be certain of his sinnes being pardoned, or consequently of his salvation. But as hath been before said, the words are not rightly rendred, it may be God will forgive, but, if haply there may be a prolonging of thy peace or rest, the temporall judgement threatned against thee being prevented. And ac∣cording to this Ierome noteth, that an whole year passed, before that it was * 1.21 executed, and Nebuchadnezzar sinned again by his proud vaunting of himself of his great Babylon. Whence saith he it is probable, that he did for a time, as Daniel had counselled him, and so was spared, and had his quiet resting in his palace lengthened out twelve moneths after this. But if the vulgar tran∣slation were true, yet it followeth not from this his conditionall speaking, that he doing so as was prescribed could have none assurance, because such words are often used by way of perswading to beleeve the thing spoken of, as 2 Tim. 2. 26. Instructing with meeknesse the contrary minded, if God at any time will give them repentance, which is as much as if he had said, thou doing thus may upon good ground beleeve that a good event will follow. And for any man or Nation turning from sinne, when judgements are threatened there is a certain ground of confidence, Ier. 18. 6. Ezek. 26. From Daniels example, [Note.] not onely expounding to Nebuchadnezzar his Dream, but also exhorting him to repentance, note that every Minister of God ought to doe likewise, and not to sooth up men in their sins, so daubing with untempered mortar, or * 1.22 having expounded the word to leave it without application.

At the end of these dayes my understanding returned unto me, and I lifted up mine eyes * 1.23 to heaven, thus I have translated it, not as the words lye, for his lifting up of his eyes is placed first, and then the returning of his understanding to him: but so it is hysteron proteron, the last put first, for his understanding must first needs return unto him, and then, and not before he lifted up his eyes and bles∣sed God, sith the heart of a beast cannot doe this, and hereby it is plain, that the judgement laid upon him was in his minde, and not in the transmutation of his body any otherwise, then as this beastiall minde made him to go and do like a brute beast. From this relation of Nebuchadnezzar, we learn, that man, [Note.] who is as a tree flourishing by prosperity, is so fascinated hereby, that forget∣ting God he equalizeth himselfe in his imagination unto him, then as pride goeth before a fall, God who is very vigilant to look to the swelling heart of such a man cutteth him down by sicknesse, or taking his worldly estate away from him, thus making him base and vile, and thus haply he liveth and go∣eth on either like a stupid beast a long time, not considering, wherefore Gods hand is so heavy upon him, or murmuring against God, but in fine, if hee belongeth to God, he considereth his former high thoughts and wickednesses, and repenteth, and is either lifted up again, as Nebuchadnezzar, and Iob in this world, or in the world to come, although after this he be kept alwayes low here. And then what doth he? blesse and praise God to the ut∣termost of his power, seeking also to make others by his speaking of his praises and wonderful gests done for him, to acknowledge him to be the only true God, and therefore to fall to the magnifying of him also, and to living in all holy obedience to his will, to his glory.

And thus as Lyra saith, it is not to be doubted but Nebuchadnezzar after this proceeded to do to his dying day & so was saved. Whereas that which is spo∣ken * 1.24 of him, Esa. 14. 12. may seeme to make against it. He answereth, no more is there said, but what came to passe here touching his cutting downe to the ground, and the debasing of him in this world for his pride, he being so left, as a wretched man, suffering still in his body after death. This Isaiah saw should come unto him for his intolerable pride, but his finall conversion was hidden from him and not revealed, til now in Daniels time. But forsomuch as after this testimony given of his serious penitency, nothing is more spoken [Note.] of him, but this his history is concluded, it is to be held, that whatsoever his life had formerly been, was forgiven, and in the end he was received to mercy, that no penitent sinner, who now turneth to do the works of God, may de∣spair of mercy, how foul soever his life hath formerly been. But touching a∣ny grace or mercy to sinners delaying their repentance neither doth this or▪ a∣ny other history speak one word of comfort, and therefore they build their hopes upon shadowes, that being such hope to come to the like comfortable end, especially such as have glorified God and been well affected, but are faln away: for although he did again and again, yet there is now a bar put against Apostates, so that there is no hope for them to doe the like, because it is im∣possible * 1.25 for the inlightened that fall away, to be renewed by repentance; al∣though an heathen being affected with miracles, and hereupon confessing the true God once, yea twice, falling after this away again, were renewed, for it is no more given to such to repent, although it were given to this man.

Notes

• * 1.1

  V. 1, 2, 3.
• * 1.2

  V. 13, 14.
• * 1.3

  V. 16.
• * 1.4

  V. 25.
• * 1.5

  Doroth. in Sy∣nops. Epiphan. in vita. Dan.
• * 1.6

  Aben. Ezra.
• * 1.7

  Tho. Aquinas.
• * 1.8

  Vales. de sacra Phil••s••p. c. 80. Hi••••. M••••cur. l. 6. c 20. varia∣rium Lection.
• * 1.9

  Lemnius de complex.
• * 1.10

  Mich. Medin. l. 2. de side.
• * 1.11

  Euseb. l. 9. de praepar. Evangel. V. 15.
• * 1.12

  V. 17.
• * 1.13

  Junius.
• * 1.14

  Lyra. Origen.
• * 1.15

  Matth. 25. Jude v. 6.
• * 1.16

  V. 27.
• * 1.17

  Polanus.
• * 1.18

  1 Pet. 1. 18.
• * 1.19

  Luke 19. Act. 10.
• * 1.20

  Heb. 13. 15, 16.
• * 1.21

  Hie••on.
• * 1.22

  Exek. 14.
• * 1.23

  V. 34.
• * 1.24

  Lyra Nebuchadnez∣zar saved.
• * 1.25

  Heb. 6. 4.