4 Unjuft, unreaſonable or inconvenient: e Not that he leaves them to their liberty, wherher they would ſerve God or Idols; for Joſhua had no ſuch power or liberty himſelf, nor could give it ro any other ; and bath h: and they were obl'ged by the Law of Moſes, to give their worſhip to God only, and to torbear all Idolatry in them- {elves, and ſeverely to puniſh ic in others; hut it is a Rhercrical and powe:fu! infinuation, whereby he both impiies, That rhe worſhip of God :s fo nighly reaſonable, fo necclary ani beneficialz and the ſervice of dols is ſo abſurd, and vain, ard permiciovs, that if it were left free to all men io make their choice, every man in his right Wirs muſt needs chuſe the Ser-ice of God, befor» thar of Tils; and provokes them to bind themi: Ives faſter :o God ty their own choice. See ſuch manner cf ſpecci:es in Ruch 1:8, 15. 1 Kings 18.
21. f But know this, ir you ſhou'd all be fo baſe and brutiſh, as to prefer ſenicleſs aud umporenrt Id. ls befoie rhe True and Living God, iris my firm purpoſe, Thar I wil',, and my El1'dren 5nd Servants C 5 as I can influence chem ) ſhalbe conſtant and faitiiful ro the LO *
26 And the people anſwered and {aid, God forbid that we ſhouid forſeke the LORD, to ſerve other gods.
17 Forthe LORD our<:od he ir ;5that brought us up, and our fathers out of the land of Egypr, from the houſe of bondage, and which did thcſe great ſigns in our ſight, and preſerved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we paſied.
18 And the LORD drave out from before us all the
being oft ſaid fo be done both in Scriprure and other Authors, fore will we alſo ferve the LORD, for he is our God.
wi:ich were. only deſigned or intended, as here v. 11. Gen: 37: 21* |
Ezcks 24% 13. Mat: 58 28. Joh: 10:32, 33: And theold Lawyers note,
19 And Joſhua faid unto the people, Ye cannot ſerve
Chap. XXIV. ||
* chooſe ye this day whom ye will ſerve e, whether the Joh: 6;67
That he is rightly called a Thief or an Adulterer, &c« who wanted wthing_ the LORD g : for he is an holy God: he is a jealous
but vccaſim to b» ſo. | ; to Bur I would not hearken unto Balaam q, there- ! your fins»
fore he bletſed you {till ; fo I delivered you out of his| & He ſpeaks nor of an abſolute impoſſibility, ( for then both his hand r. ; reſolution to ſerve God himlielf, and his exhortarion to rhem to do
' ſo, had beea vain and ridiculous) but of a moral impoſlibility, or q Who hereby 6.11 to hav APE” ns leave w Outs Og a very great difficulty, which he alledgerh nor ro d:tcourage them and pan en eas | wk, = yr ; - io Hera 7 wan IMP'Y : from Gods ſervice, which is- his great deſign to en;;age them in; but ro go, was highly angry wit'' hum Weary Fm " eg b Dll o::1y to make rhem more conſiderate and cantious in vbliging theme rene, _—_ 22; 20g 22, Z2. r ( lo Co ) rom Balaks malicious [1 1gn: ſeives ; and more circumfpe& and reſolved _ anſwering chals abs. agiinlt you. 1: And * ye went over Jordan, and came unto ”
gations, The meaning is, Gods ſervice is not, as you ſeem ro fancy, a : a flighr and eafie rh.ng as ſoon done as ſaid; but it is a work of
richo : and * the men of Jericho tought againſt you 5s, ! greac difficulty, ard requ'res giear carey and courage and reſolution; the Amornes,and the Perizzites,and the Canaanites,and i and when I coaficecr the m ure purity of God, thar he will nor be che Eittices, and the Girgaſhires, the Hivites,and the Je- | **<&d or abulrdylanglwitball your grear and often manifelied ; = - | pPr-nencfs to Super{tition and Idolarry, even during the Life of Mo» bulites z, and I deiivered them into your hand. Jer, and in ſome of you, whilſt I lice, and while# the ovl:gat'ons s Made oppſition againſt y ou by ſhutting their Gaces, by EN- ! wich God hath !ail upon you in this Jand, are freſh in remem- deavouring t cur off your Spies &c. they Wa:red againit yous 1f | brance ; [ cannot bur fear char afrer my Decesſe you wUl think rhe not by an Offe..live, yet by a Deferſive War. 7 To wit, ſuccelive=; Service: f God to9 hard and burdenſom for you, and theref:re will ly ; for in theſe few words be lecms to compriſe all their Wars, ! caſt it «M, and revole from him, :f you d& (wr doub'e your Watch, which being ſo freſh in their M<mory, he thought it needleſs par-, and carefully avcil all occaſions of Ico'atiyy whict: I teac you will ticularly ro men 10n. : not co, but 1 do hereby exhoit.you rodo. h He will nocendure a 12 And * I {ent the hornet « before you, which drave| corrival,or partner in b1\ Worſhip;yeu cannot ſerve him ane Idols to- them out from before you, ever the two kings of the A- | gether,as you will be inclined & .empreil to do./If you who own your
rites: 1 j* * Wi | ſelves for bis People and Servants, tha] wick:dly and wilfully tran. morires : but * not with thy _—_ > analy thy bow x, | refs his Lacy by BENS ve ocher Crlmem "#4 we” Ps ere bo np « Eicher fizuratively, z. e. errors and Plagues, or otter deſtroy- { unpuniſhed in you, as he doth in other Nations; Therefore cor ſi- ; der what you do when you take the LORD for your GOD; weigh your advanteges and u:ccnveriencies together ; for as if You be fin- cere and faithful in Gods { rvice, you wiil have admirable berefirs by it; ſo if you be falſe to your own Prof. flions, and fort.ke him whom you have to {:}:mnly avouchzd to be your Ged, he will deal more ſeverely with you, than with any people in the World.
25 If ye forfike the LORD, and ſerve ſtrange gods,
And this being doae betore Joſbhuz's ent: ance into Canaan, it is not Nrange if it be not mentioned 1n this Book or Record of Jeſhuas | ations. x For though thou didſt fight with chemy and prevail a- | gainſt them in Battel, yer this was nor becauſe thou hadit more-force or Courage than they ; bur becauſe by my Hornet which I ſent Ike an Harbinger before t:e2, I bad both broken their ſpirits, and greatly diminithed cher Numoers, and particuliriy cut off thoſe G1ants, or others who were like to give thee moſt trouble and dif- ficuity; whence? it comes to paſs that we read of ſo few Giants in that Land which was called the _ and of Giants, Deut: 35 13.
13 And [have given you a land for which ye did not
you after that he hath done you good 7.
k (i.e.) He will alter tvs courſe and tre manner of his dealing wirh you, and w:}l be as ſevere as ever he was kind and gracious. / He will repent of all his former kindnefs, and his goodneſs abuſed will be turned into fury.