- even to their third and fourth Generation ;or if ir may be further, yet he will not utterly 100t them out, which is the great -thing thou feareſt or laboureſt ro prevent. And this very phraſe here uſed, we have in Jer: 3o: 11. and repeated Jer: 46: 28. where though Interpreters generally render it, 1 wi!! not leave thee altogether
( 1. } Becauſe hereby theſe words exactly anſwer ro the ioregoing clauſe, yet will 7 no; make a full end of thee, and 'io the fame thing 1s elegantly repeated in other words, which is very frequent in Scripture. ( 2. ) Becauſe here is an oppolition between the ſeverity God uſeth to orher Peo- ple, and the kindneſs he uſerh ro his own People, which is ma- nifeſt in the former member of the ve:ſe, and therefore moſt pro- bable and agreeable in this. 5. This is much confirmed from * Numb: 14: 18. where Moſes, pleading with God for tte Pardon of his People's Sin,uſeth this very Phraſe and Argument, as taken out of God's Mouth,which in this ſenſe is very properand prevalent, Thou haſt ſaid,that even when thou doſt viſit Initquity, &'c. thou wilt not utterly deſtroy them. And God anſwers him, verſe 20. 1 have par- + doned according to thy word, 1. e. ſo as not utterly to deſtroy them: But truly as T live, &c. werſe 21, 22, 23+ 7. e. Bur T will ſeverely pt- niſh them. Bur if this had been Sh meaning, Lord thou haſt faid,-----thou wilt by no means clear the guilty, as we render ir, it was
a moſt improper Argument, and put a Sword into the Loid's Hand ro flay them even by vertue of this conſideration.
8 And Moſes m2de haſte, and -bowed his head to- ward the earth, and worſhipped.
9 And he faid, If now I have found grace in thy ſight, O LORD, let miy LORD, I pray thee, go a- mongfit us, ( for it is a ſtiit-n:cked people 1, ) and par- don our iniquity, and our fin, and take us tor thine
but to reſtrain the preſumption and curioſity of the people,by this argument, that even the Beaſts that come too near ſhall be deſtroyed, and much more Man, whoſe knowledge aggravatcs his fin and pu- niſhment. :
4 < And he hewed two tables of ſtone like unto the
firſt, and Moſes roſe up early in the morning, and went] up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of ſtone.
5 And the LORD deſcended in the cloud 4, and ftood with him there e, and proclaimed the Name of the LORD..
d In the cloudy Pillar, which ordinarily ſtood up in the Air above the Mount, but came down to the top of it, when God ſpake with Moſes. See Exod: 33: 9. Numb: 11: 17, 25+ e To wait, in the Mount, verſe 2, 4. and the clift of a Rock, Chap: 33: 22. which was in the Mount, and near the top of ir, as appears by comparing theſe places together.
6 And the LORD paſſed by before him, and pro- claimed, The LORD, the LORD God f, merciful, and gracious, long-ſuftering, and abundant in good- neſs and truth g,
f This Title ſhews his glorious Being,Power and Authority; the following titles note his Goodneſs to Men. g In fulfilling all his gracious promiſes made to 4b;2ham, and to his Seed, and to all his People ; wherein he is ſaid to be abundant, becauſe he generally is betrer than his word, and gives more then he promiſed. There is a truth in Divine Threatnings, but here the ſcituation of this word In the midſt oftheAttributes of Divine Goodneſs plainly ſhews that it is to be reſtrained to the Promiſes ; this being uſual and reaſon- able, that general words have their ſignification limited by the con- text. And indeed here ſeems to be a Henadyadis, goodneſs and truth, for true, ſmcere and hearty goodneſs, as mercy and truth are oft put for true and real mercy. See Pſa!: 25: 10: and 57: 3, Oc.
7 Keeping mercy for thouſands b, forgiving iniqui- ty, and tranſgreflion, and fin z, and * that will by no means clear the guil'y k,* viſiting the iniquity of the fa- thers upon the children, and upon the childrens chil- dren, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
| Þþ The Chaldee, and ſome others render it for 2 thouſand genera- Hons. t Sins of ail ſorts and ſizes, ſecret or open, infirmities or preſumprions, againſt God or Men, as the heap of various words here put together ſignifies. k This is commonly eſteemed a title of Juſtice or Vengeance, which is here added by way of corre&ion leſt Men ſhould miſtake or abuſe God's mercy. God is moſt gra- c1ous indeed, but fo as he is alſo juſt, and will not pity nor ?pare impudent and impenitent Tran'greflors, but will ſeverely puniſh them. And the Jewiſh Doors hereupon obſerve, that the Mercy of ets doth tar exceed his Jultice ; here being, as they number them tnurteen Attributes of Mercy, and bur one of Juſtice. But rhis Tranſlation and interpretation is rejected by ſome late learned Inter- P1eters, who make this an Attribute of God's f;oodne{s or Clemen- cy, and render the word; thus, arſtroymng he will not utterly deftroy though viſiting, &c. q. 4. He is ſo gracious, that though he will ſe- verely punith the Laiquity of the Fathers,and eſpecially their Idola- try, upon themſelves, and upon their Children, &c. as he hath ſaid Exod, 20: ©, yet 12 Judgment he w fl remember Mercy, and will nor utterly deftroy his people for their (11:Ss There are maiy thin $ which favour this Interpretation. | Solicitude and Prayer forthe Veople of Ijrael, would not utterly deſtroy them, as he threatned to do ſenſe beſt ag:ces with God's Promiſe, chap: 31: 19 *y gooan.ſs to paſs befpre thee ; which genere! harly explained and performed in theſe two v;
w
2. This I wil make all Promitc is particus
I- This ſuirg moſt with Moſes his | which was, that God |
Tk mi 3*. , ; (].. s Ry __ by Hes. 3, This place { 17 Thou {att mate thee no molten gods 7, | R 7
inheritance m. |
| And therefore need thy gloricus and powerful Preſence to rule them. Or rather, though it be a ſliff-necked people, as thou fait, yet forſake them not. The Hebrew Particle, chi, oft ſignifies though, as Exod: 5: x1. Iſa: 54: 6. m (35. e.) Deal with us as Men do with their Inheritances, dwell among us, proteCt us, improve us.
10 4 And he ſaid, Behold, * I make a covenant # :; before all thy people I will do marvels, ſuch as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation : and all the people amongſt which thou art, ſhale ſee the work of the LORD : for it is a terrible thing that T will do with thee o. x FE 16