_ 7 Or, for the future ſhalt do well, ( 7: e:) repent of thy Sin,amend lency. tiiy Lite, offer thy Offerings with a willing and cheerful Mind, | and honeſt Heart, in Faith and Love, as Abe! did. s Or pardoned ject unto received into favour. Or, exalted, and either preſerved in, or re- *hce. ſtored unto thoſe rights of the firſt-born, which thou art conſcious , to thy {elf that thou haſt forfeited ? Or, elevated, in thy looks,7: c: would not, or ſhould nor,thy Countenance have been upright and pleaſant, which now 1s ſad and dejefted? * Sin is here taken,either 1. Properly ; ſo the ſenſe is, Sin will be growing upon thee ; one Sin will brizg in another, and that malice and purpoſe of revenge againſt thy Brother, which now lies hid in the ſecrer Chamber of thy Mind and Heart,lies at the Door ready to break forth into the view of the World in open Murder. Or, 2. For the punithment of Sin, as it 1s taken Ger. 19.15. Levit: 5: 1: and 20: 20: Numb:18:1: 2 Kings 7: 9: Zech. 14: 19. So the ſenſe is, if thou wilt- go on in Sin, and executethy wicked purpoſe, which I perceivelies working in thy Heart, be ſure thy ſin will find thee out, as it is ſaid Numb:3 2:23. Thou ſhalt not longenjoy the fruits of thy Wickedneſs, but a dread- ful Judgment ſhall tread upon the heels of thy Sin, and lie like a furious Maſtive Dog at the very door of thy houſe, to ſeize upon thee atthy firſt coming in or going out. For that perſon or thing which 1s very near to us, or at hand, is ſaid to be at the doors Matth: 24: 33: James 5: 9. nt Thoſe two clauſes may relate eithcr 1. To Sin, which may be here ſpoken of as a perſon, as it is Rom. 7. 8,9, 11, Oc. So the place may be rendred and expounded thus, The deſire of ſin 7s to thee, ( 7: e: ) to afſaulr, ſeduce, conquer and de- ſtroy thee : As it is ſaid, Luke 22: 31. Satan hath deſired to have you, that he may ſift zou, &c. Or thus, its deſire, objettively, nor ſubjeaively taken, (7: e: ) thy defire, intention, or reſolution of Sinning ; thatevil motion of thy heart againſt thy Brother, ſha/ be 2g2inf (as the Hebrew particle c/ oft ſignifies ) thee, (i: e:) how- ſocver at preſent it pleaſeth thee, yetir is really not only againſt him, bur againit hy ſelf,and will certainly turn to thy own ruine : But ( for ſo the particle and is commonly taken ) If thou be wiſe, give no place to it, but reſiſt it, do thou rule ( for the future Tenſe is oft pur imperatively, as in the Ten Commandments, and it frequent- ly ſignihes not what a Man can or ſhall do, bur his duty or what he ought to do, as is evident from Gen: 20: 9: Mal: 1: 6: Luke3:14. ) over zt, i.e. Conquer and ſubdue it, which is thy duty : Or, thou ſhalt rule over it, (7. e. ) by my grace aſtifting thy endeavours, thou ſhalr b>-enablcd to fubdue thy evil Concupiſcences and Paſſions, and ſo over-rule, prevent, or remove thoſe Punithments, which o- therwiſe Sin will infallibly bring upon thee. Or, 2. To Abel, and ſo the ſenſe is, 2nd (as for thy Brother 46c!, to whoſe Faith and Picty I have given this publick and honourable Teſtimony, which thy naughty itcart makes an occaſion of envy and malice, and in- tention of Murther, that thou may{tnot by a miſtake be led to the perpetration of ſohorrid a Crime ; know, that this favour of mine concerns only his fpiritual Priviledge,and the happineſs of the Life ro come, which thou deſpiſeſt ; bur it makes no change in civil " Rights, nor doth it transfer the Dominion from thee, whoſe it is by Birth, unto him; nor doth he ſo underſtand it; for notwith- ſtanding this ) to thee ſhall he hzs defire ſubject, ( 7: e: ) he ſhall and
: . . 1 <5: vs hen the c might benow, as there was afrerward among the jews, more tviemn Wo. {hip and Sacnfices : The word days,
-> probabiy at the end of the days of the weck, or uLon
” 7 . 4 L « = aur = C- i | = Ps . ' Neh. 13. the fevenrh and la% day,of the weck, Saturday,wiich then was rhe
5. $:bbzrh day, which befo:e this time was blefied and fantiificd,Gen: 44.24.22. 2: 3. þ Eitacr to the, place appointed for the-ſfolemn Worſhip of
*x.2.23. God : Qr, ro his Father, who at thar time was both king, anu Pro- - pher, and Pricſt. Or trought, 7: e: offe: ed. EE | ; 4 Ard Abel, he ailo brought of rhe firſtlings 5 of his + {ock,and of the Far chereof &:; and che LORD had * reſvect | unto Abel zz and to his oflering.
7 Either 1, The firlt-born, which God reſerved to himſelf both at this t:me, and afterwards by an expreſs Law, Evod: 13: 2: Numb: 2: 13. Or, 2. The choiceFand moſt eminent of the Flock: For the belt of any kind are oft called firſt-born, as Job 18:13: 7er:31:19: Beb: 12: 23: k L.ither 1. Properly, the fat being properly now re- quired by Go1, as afterwards was exprefled, Ex: 29: 13, 22: L204: 5: 3: Or, 2. The bcft of them, as the word fat 15 often uſed, as Gen: 45: 18: an41 49: 20: Numb: 18: 12: Nebem: 8: 10: Pſal: 147: 14. 1 Or, hobed to him with a grecious eye, kindly acc-pred ana owned hiza and his Sacrifice, and teſtified this, Hyb: 11: 4: ro Can and all there preſent, citaer by expreſs word,o: by ſome viſible ſign ; pro- bably y conſuming his Sacrifice ty fire from Heaven,as the Fathers
| EE Heb.ſbecp
heo.11.
will nevertheleſs yield to thce as his Superiour, and thou according to thy own Hearts deſire, ſha!t rule ever him. Tf it be ſaid,: the name of Abel is not here mentioned, it may be anfivered, that this is ſuffi ciently included in the Pronouns is and him, and it is not unuſua] to put thoſe relative Pronouns alone, the antecedent being nor ex- preſſed, but to be gathered either from the foregoing or following Words ; of which ſee my Notes on Gen. 3. 1. $ And Cain + talked with Abel his - brother »:
and it came to pals, when they were in the field 7, | Heb. that Cain roſe up-againft Abel his brother, and * ſlew /{*% zo, Um 2: _ ; y FM 23
x Either 1. Familiarly and friendly, as he uſed to do, thereby to + - 1 Johns make him ſecure and careleſs: Or by way ofexpoſtulation and con- : Hh - tention. y Into which Abel was led, either by his own employment, Jude - ' or by Cain's perſwaſion; this being a fir place for che execution of his wicked purpoſe. z Poſſibly with Stone or Club, or with ſome Iron Tool belonging to Husbandry. 9 And the LORD ſaid unto Cain, Where 5s 4bel a thy brother b? And he ſaid, I know not « 4m I my k
brothers keeper c ? S