within the larger limits ofthe land belonging to 1/rael by God's grant or deed of gift, Gen. 15. 18. Jef. r. 4. partly becauſe by their hoſtile carriages they had given (rae! a right to much more of theirs, than 2 few Servants that might poſſibly run away from their Mafters ; and eſpecially becauſe both Maiters and Servants of theſe and other Nations are unqueſtionably ar the diſpoſe ef rhe Lord their Maker and Soveraign Ruler. 3. Of ſuch as upon enquiry appear to have Deen unjuſtly oppreſſed by their Maſters, as is implied by that phraſe of his, making an eſcape, which ſuppoſeth a deliverance from lznger or vexation.Ncw it 1s not ſtrang« nor unjuſt, if the greatGod, who hates all Tyranny, and ftiles himſelf the refuge of the oppreſſed, loth intrpoſe his auchority and help to reſcue ſuch perſons from their cruel Maſters, who otherwiſe would be too ſtrong for them. +. Of ſuch ascameto them our of a deſire to embrace the true Re- 1g10n, which poſſibly his Maſter perceiving, endeavoured by force to reſtrain him fiom, as it may be probably thought from his chuſing and liking to live among the 1/aelrtes, expr-fſed v. 16. Now if this great and ſupreme Miſter, to whom all other Maſters are but Ser- vants, and they and theirs are abſolutely in his power, ſhail receive and protect one that gives up himſe!f ro*kis Service againſt the Will of: the under-maſter, who in rhis caſe rebels againſt his Soveraign Lord, what ſhadow is there of injuſtice in the caſe ?
16 He (hall dwell with you, eve» among you in that place which he ſha'l chuſe, in one of thy gates where ir + liketh him beſt : thou ſra't not oppreſs him e.
e Taking advantage from his low and afflifted condition to be 7
unreaſonable or injurious to him, |
17. There (ball be no || whore f of the daughters of
[ſraelg, nor a Sodomite b of the ſons of 1{rael. f No common proſtitute, ſuch as were tolerated and encouraged oy the Gentiles, and uſed even in their religious Worſhip. g Not tha* ſuch prattices were allowed to the ſtrangers among them, as is vident from many Scriptures and Reaſons, bur that it was in a pecu'iar manner, and upon ſpeci: reafons, forbidden ro them, as »:ing much more odious 'in them than in ſtrangers. Though the w-wrds may be rendred among the daughters, and 19 in the following clauſe, among the (ons, for the Hebrew Mem is ſometimes uſed inthar ienſe, as Numb. 32. 22. Pal. 31. 12. and ſo it notes that none of that {ort ſhould be permitted among them, whether Jews or Strangers. h Or buggerrer, who defileth or ſuffereth himſelf to be defiled with
mankind, See Gen, 19, 5. Lev. 18. 12, 1 Kings 14, 24. and 22. 47. Rom, 1.27.
138 Thou (balt not bring the hire of a whore s, or the price of a dog 4 into the houſe of the LORD thy God for any vow 3: for even both theſe & are abomina- tion unto the LORD thy God. ; :
£ This is oppoſed to rhe praftice of the Gentiles, who al'owed both
ſach perſons and their oblations they made our oftheir wicked and infamous gains ; and ſome of them kept lewd Women, who proffi-
-uted themſelves in the Temples, and to the honour of their falſe
gods, and offered parr of their profit to them. See Mich. x, 7. Baruch 6. 43. Herod. in the end of his firſt Book, and Strabe in his eightn Book. þ Either 1. Properly; the dog being a vile and con= temptible creatwme in thoſe Eaſtern parts, 1 Sam. 17.43. and 24.15. and 2 Sams. 3. 8, Eccleſ. 9g. 4. and unclean by God's deſignation, which yer ſhould have bzen redeemed by virtue of thar Law, Num. 18. 15. nad 1t nor been for this prohibition. And this may be here prohibited, «ither r. Thar by this one inftayce, put for all athers of the like kind, they might be taught not to offer to God what 'coft them nething, or was worth nothing : or e. to bring contempt vpon the Creature, which divers of the Gentiles offered up to their gods, and the Egyptians worthipped as gods. Or, 3. That by comparing Whores any Dogs together, and equalliing the prices of them, he mighs expoſe Whores to rhe higheſt d:ſgrace and infamy. Or, I. Metaphorically, as that word is oft uſed in Scripture, as 1 Sam.24.14. P/al. 22. 16,20. Iſa. 56. 10, 11. Mat. 7. 6. Phil. 3.2, and particularly it is uſed for unclean or filrhy perſons, 2 Per. 2.22. Revel, 22. 15. as Horace alſo calls Whores Bitches, Which name doth moſt properly agree ro them in reſpe& of that umpudence and filthineſs, and infatiableneſs, for which both of them are branded. Ad this ſenſe may ſeem moſt proper in this place, becauſe it agrees with all the orher expreſſions, and as the hire of a whora anſwers to the where, v. 17. ſothe price of 3 dog may ſeem to anſwer to the Sodomite,v.17. and fo all concern the ſame thing, whereas the price of a dog, properly fo called, may ſeem to be quite incongruous and foreign to the place. Ir is true which is obje&ed, that Law-givers uſe to deliver their Laws in proper and not. in metaphorical terms, to prevegt miſtake and ambiguity. Bur
there ſeems 'te beno great danger of miſtake here, where the Meta-
phor 1s ſo clearly explained and determined by ſo many words joyned with it. 7 And much lefs in other ſacrifices, which being of an higher Nature, and prefcribed by God, muſt needs require more D 2 Ha4 | exatnsſs
Chap. XXIIT.
CY any th;1g.
+ Heb. n2- keaneſs of
* x Sam: 39: IFo
Heb. «
good for him.
|| Or, Sodge
miteſs,
Chap. XXIV. | exaRtneſs than thoſe which depended much upon a mans Will and thotes, 25 vows and free-will-offerings did. & ( 5.e. ) The Whereand
| the Dog, and therefore the price of either of them cannor be accept- able. And this may ſeem to favour the latter opinion, that the Dog is here taken metaphorically rather than properly, becauſe there 15 no mention'in the Law ( favein this place which is in queſtion ) of any abeminableneſs of a dog unto God, morethan of an aſs, or any other unclean creature ; but how abominable Sodomites are to God 15 ſufficiently evident fromother Scriptures, and from undeniable Rea- fons.