# Burſt. Where, or when did God fay this ? Anſwer, Either, r, | When he made that promiſe for the perperuarion of the Prieſthood. in Aarons Family, Exod. 28; 43- and 29- 9. Objr#. Tf Eli and all his Family had been cut off, yet thar promiſe: had been. made good in Eleazar's Family-: how. rhen was that promiſe recalled/by this Sen-. tence againſh Br > Anſwer'It was Recalled and! made void, though not abſolutely and univerſally to alt Azron's Family ; yer reſpe&ti- vely to. Eli and his Family, which were wholly excluded fiom the benefit of it, wherein otherwiſe they ſhou!d have ſhared, Even as Gods keeping of the Iſraelites out of Canaan, and in the Wilderneſs for forty Years, and deſtroying them there, is called his breach of promiſe, Numb. 14. 34 although the promiſe of Canaan was not ſimply made void to all the !ſrae/ites, but only to that evil Genera- tion of them : Or, as Gods Covenant with David, and with his Seed, of which God faith, that it ſhould ſtand faſt, Pſal. 89. 28. and that he would nos break nor alter it, v. 34+ yet is ſaid to be made void, v- 39. to wir, in regardof ſome particular Branches, or Members of that Family. Or, 2 To EU: himſelf, or to his Father, when che Prieſthood was tranſlated from Eleazars to Ithamars Family for ſome cavſe nor mentiened in Scripture. bur moſt probably for ſome great miſcarriage of ſome of them. If ir be ſais, That there 1s no ſuch promiſe recorded: in Scriptare; it may be fo replied, That there are many Sayings avd Doingsnored in Holy Scripture, which were not ſpoken of in their proper times and places as Gen. 24 51- and 42. 21. Hoſ. 12. 4: Luks 11: 49: As 20. 25. So the ſenſe of the place may be this, That promiſe and priviledge of the perpetuati- on of the Pricſthood in Phinehas and his Family, made tc them, N:mb. 25. 12. namely upon condition of his and their Fairhfulneſs in their Office, which is plainly underſtood, -I now take away from that Family for their wickedneſs, and I rransfer it to thee and thine, and will fix it there upon the ſame condition. x i» e Miniſter ur = to me as High-prieft. Walking is oft put for Diſcharging cnes Of- fice ; before me, may ſignifie that he was the High.prieſt, whoſe ſole prerogative it was to miniſter before God, or before the Ark, in che moſt holy Place »y As long as the Mofaical Law and Worthip
taſted, as that Phraſe is oft uſed. £ To wir, to fulfill my promiſe; which I repent of, and hereby rerraft, @ That Worſhip and ſerve me with Reverence and godly Fear, and according to my Will, which I eſteem as an Honour done to me» 6 I will advance
them to Honour, and maintain them in it- c Not formally and di- re&ly ; for ſo E's Sons did not deſpiſe Gcd; but indireQly and by conſequence, by preſumpruous Diſovedience of my Commands ; by defiling and diſgracing my Worſhip and Ordinaces, either by tranſgrefſing the Rules I have given them therein, or by their un- godly and ſhameful Converſatien ; and by making my Service con- temptible and abominable to others through their Scandals ; all whichare manifeſt Arguments of contempt of God, and are ſocal- led, as Numb. th 20- 1 Sam. 12. 9, 10. Mal. 1: 8: and all which were eminently found in El:'s Sons. &d Both by God and men.
31 Behold, * the days come, thatI will cut eff thine * 1 Kings arm e, and the arm of thy fathers houſe f, that there 2: 27 ſhall not be an old man in thine houſe g. — Tack.
e i. e I will take away thy ftrength, which is oft ſignified by the +5. arm, as Job 22. 8. Pſal. 37; 17: or all that in which thou placeſt thy Cenfidence and Security ; Either. 1. The Ark, which is called God's ſtrength Pſal. 78: 61« and was El's ſtrength, who therefore nd 22 was not able to bear the very ridings of the loſs of it, chap. 4. 18. "2 Vc; Or, 2. His prieſtly Dignity or Employment, whence he had all his wks Honour and Subſtance. Or rather, 3. His Children. to whom the words following here, and in the ſucceeding Verſes, ſeem ro con- fine itz whoare the ſtrength ef Parents: See Ger. 49. 3. Dent. 21s
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17. Pſal. 127. 445+ f i-e. Thy Childrens Children, and all thy : Family: which was in great meaſure accomplifhed, 1 Sam. 22. 16, : &, g They ſhall generally be cur cur off by zn untimely death; { before they be old. ' 32 And thou ſhalt ſee||an enemy iz my habitation, 1 Or, the | in all :be wealrb which God (hall give Iſrael &, and there ofidion of { ſhall not bean old * man in thine houſe for ever ; the Tabere hþ So the ſence is, Thou fbalr ſee, nct in thy perſon, but in thy Po- nacle, for ſterity ; ( ir being moſt frequent in Scripture to attribute thar to #7 *F* Parents, which properly belongs to the:r poſterity only ; as Gen, 929%#h _ 17. 8: and 27: 29, 40.) an enemy; ive. Thy Competitor ar him who which God ſha)l poſſeſs thar place of high Truft and Honour which now thoy 9794/4 have enjoyeſt ; ( ſuch perſens being through Mans corrupt Nature eſtee- £/Y% Iſe med as a Mans worſt Enemy: ) in my habitation ; 7. e. in the San- 19% Qtuary. And then he adds by way of Aggravation, that this ſaq *S**Z*cÞ* Accident ſhould happen, iz al the wealth which God ſhall give Iſrael; 3: 4: (i e.-) in a time when God ſhou'd eminently bleſs 1-ae!, and make good all his promiſes to them, which was in Solomons days when Abiathar of Eli's Race was. put out of the High-prieſthood,and Zadok was pur in his place, 1 King. 2. 27, 35- when the Prieſthood was moſt glorious, and moſt profitable, and comfortable ; and there» fore the lols of it more deplorable. But the words may be other- wiſe rendred, as is noted in the Margent of our Engliſh Bibles ; Thou ſhalt ſee, to wit, in thy own perſon, zhe affi#:on, or oppreſſion, or Calamity of my havjtation; te. either of che Land of //ras/, where-
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