e Orftranger, yea though a proſelyte. For 1. They are ofc called by this name, as Ger: 17. 12. Ruth 2+ 10. 2, Though proſelytes were admitted to the Church-priviledges of the 7razlites, yet they were not admitted to all their civil immunirtiesor priviledges. See 1 Chron: 22. 2. and 2 Chron: 2.17. 3- Such were not then freed from their perſonal debt, to wit, of their ſervice, Levit: 25. 44. Dent: 15. 12. Jer: 34: 14. therefore not from their real debr. f To wit, by right though lent to him. | ul
4 || Save when there ſhall be no poor among you g ; Or, of For the LORD ſhall greatly bleſs thee þ in the land end ra which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheri- #-ere bY cance, to poſlels it, ras
Z So the words are an exception to the foregoing clauſe, which Jos they reſtrain to the poor, and imply that if his brother was rich, he might exaCt his debr of him in that year- And indeed this Law ſeems to be chiefly, if not wholly, deſigned and given in favour to the poor and to the borrower, as is manifeſt from werſes 6,7,8,9, 10, 11. But the words are and may be rendred thus, as in the margent of our Bibles, To the end that there be no poor among you. And ſo they contain a reaſon of this Law, to wit, that none be impoveriſhed and ruined by a rigid and unſeaſonable exaftion of Debts. They may alſo be tranſlated thus, Nevertheleſs of a truth, or aſſuredly (as the par= ticle chi is oft uſed) there ſhall be no poor among you, and the ſenſe may be this, Though I impoſe this Law upon you, which may ſeem hard and grievous, ,yet the truth is, ſuppoſing your performance of the conditions of God's Covenant, you ſhall not have any great occaſi- on to exerciſe your charity and kindneſs in this matter, for God will greatly bleſs you,&c.ſo as you ſhall be in a capacity of lending, and tew or none of you will have need to borrow, and thereby to ex- poſe his brethren to the inconvenience and burden of this Law. Thus the connexion is plain and eaſie, both with the foregoing and following words. Objet#. It is ſaid, the poor ſhould never ceafe, werſe 11. Anſw: Thatalſo is true, and affirmed by God, becauſe he fore- ſaw they would not perform their duty, and therefore would be- reave themſelves of the promiſed bleſſing. þ And therefore this will be no great inconvenience nor burden to thee.
5Oaly if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to obſerve to do all theſe command- ments, which I command thee this day.
6 For the LORD thy God bleſſeth thee, as he promi- {ed thee, and * rhou ſhalt lend unto many nations z, but thou Malt nor borrow ; and thou ſhalt reign over many nations, but they [hall not reign over thee.
7 Thou ſhalt be rich and able to lend not only to thy poor bro-= ther, bur even to ſtrangers of other Notions, yea to many of them.
7 If there be among you a poor man, of one of thy brethren, within any of thy gates, in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou ſhalt not harden thy heart, nor ſbutthine hand from thy poor brother :
8 * But thou ſhalt open thine hand wide unto him and ſbalt ſurely lend him ſufficient for his need, which he wanteth,
& (i.e.) Deal bountifully and liberally with him, giving him as it were by handfuls. a
9 Beware thatthere be not a | thought in thy + wick- + Hobs ed heart 1, ſaying, The ſeventh year, the year of releaſe 5, is at hand, andthineeye be evil »z againſt thy poor bro- + Heb. | ther, and thou giveſt him nought, and he cry unto the #61. LORD againſt thee, and it be fin » unto thee.
I Suppreſs the firſt riſings and inward motions of ſuch unchari- tableneſs. m2 (7; e.) Envious, unmerciful, unkind, as this phraſe is uſed, Prov: 23.6: Matth: 20. 15. as a good eye notes the contrary diſpoſition, Prov? 22.9. # (5. e.) It be charged upon thee as a fin, and as a great fin, as the word ſz ſometimes ſignities, as Prov: 24:
9: John 15: 24: James 4: 17. | : :
10 Thou ſhalt ſurely give him, and thine heart ſhall not
be grieved when thou giveſt unto him 0: becauſe that for
this thing the LORD chy God (hall bleſs thee in all thy works, and in all chat thou putteft thine hand unto p. o (i:e:) Thou ſhalt give, not only with an open hand, but with
a willing and chearful mind and heart,Rom: 12: 8: 2 Cor: 9g: 7: with out which thy very Charity is uncharitable, and not accepted by God, who requires the heart inall his Services. p (:: e:) In all thy works, as before, for the hand is the great inſtrument of a&ion.
11 For* the poor ſhall never ceaſe out of the land g: *Mat. x6 therefore I command thee, ſaying, Thou ſhalt openthine ,'*** * hand wide unto thy brother, ro thy poor, and to thy Joh. 12.8; needy in the land. q God by his Providence will ſo order it, partly for the puniſh- ment of your diſobedience, and partly for the tryal and exerciſe of your obedience to me, and charity ro your brother, both which are beſt diſcovered by your performance of coſtly duties.
I2 And * if thy brother,an Hebrew man, or an He- *F;. 21.2. brew woman be ſold unto thee r, and ſerve thee ſix Jer.34-14. years s, then in the ſeventh year thou ſhalt let him go
free from thee.
y See on Exod: 22; 3. 5 Tobe computed, Either, 1: From the year of releaſe; As they gather from hence that perſonal and real debts were both releaſed together. But that ſeems to be ſuppoſed rather than proved ; Nay there is a manifeſt difference between rhem, for the releaſe of real debts 4sexpreſly mentioned and required in the year of releaſe, bur ſo is nor the releaſe of the perſonal debr of ſer. vitude, either here or elſewhere. Or rather, 2. From the beginning of thir tvirade, which is every where limited unto the ſpace of ſix years, as here and below. __ 18. and Exod. 21, 2. Jer, 34 14.
Ang
*chap: 12. 44.4
. k, *Matth: in that ,, Luk:
34, 35s
Þ
Mp. XV1. | | And ir ſeems a ſtrange and forced expoſition, to take theſeſi.z years, | for ſo much of the ſix cars as remains until the year of releaſe, which poſſibly might nor be one quarter of a year, whereas an hired ſer- vant ſcrves for a far longer time, and this is ſaid to be worth # double hired ſervant, in regard of the longer time of his ſervice, werſe 18. Add to this, that it is mentioned as the peculiar priviledge of the year of Jubilee, that ſuch ſervants were then freed though their fix years of ſervice were not expired. _
12 And when thou ſendeſt him out free. from thee,
chou ſhale not let him go away empty.