Oh i || towards this place : and hear thou in heaven thy dwel- | 0. 4, ing-place h, and when thou heareſt, || forgive 5. favourably, # Which he adds,that the People might nor Idolize the Temple, % Gr nor preſume upon it, as if God were now faſt tied xo them, as " having noother dwelling-place; and to dire& them in all their Ad- drefſes to God in this Temple, to lift up their eyes above it, even to Heaven, where God's moſt True, and moſt Glorious Dwelling- place is. i To wit, the Sins of thy people, praying, and even of their Prayers ; which, if not pardoned. will certainly hinder the Succeſs of all their Prayers, and the courſe of all thy Bleſſings __ Upon them. Ne” ; + Heb. 31 4 + If any man treſpaſs & againſt his neighbour, —_— } and an oath be laid upon him 5, to cauſe him to ple Ge, Iwear, and the oath come before thine altar in this
THeb:and houſe »: be require K& 1, e. If he be accuſed of a Treſpaſs. 7 Either by the Judge, a oath of or by the Party accuſing him, or by the accuſed Perton himſelf:
him, or, Which was uſual, when there were no Witneſfes. See Ezod. 22. 8, Fender an 11.
0arhto him to as Witneſs, was eſpecially preſent. Hence the Heathens uſed to Swear at their Altars.
32 Then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy ſervants, condemning the wicked, to bring his
way » upon his head, and juſtifying the righteous, to y FP b ) Yung 5 n | ſence, but he who hears the rod, who turneth unto him that ſmitteth
give him according to his righteouſneſs 0.
7 7. e. The juſt Recompence of his wicked Afftion and Courſe. o Tovindicat him, and to manifeſt his Integrity-
33 4 When * thy people Iſrael be ſmitten down Deu:zg, before the enemy, becauſe they have ſinned againſt 25. thee, and * ſhall turn again to thee, and confels thy *Lev:26. Name p, and pray, and make ſupplication unto thee SP [| in this houſe : Fard. _ þ Give Glory to thy Name, by acknowledging their Sins and thy Juſtice ; and by accepting the puniſhment of their Iniquity 5
and by truſting to thy power and Goodneſs alone, for their Des» liverance,
|
:
N G 8. | Chap. Vil 4 Then hear'thou in heaven, and forgive the ſin of
thy people Ifrael, and bring them again 9 unto the 'and, which thou gaveſt unto their fathers.
q From the Land into which they are ſuppoſed to be carried by their Enemies, into Canaan. Queſt, If they were Baniſhed in- to a ſtrange Land, how could they pray in this houſe, as they are ſaid to do. wer. 33. Anſw 1. That may be rendred to, or, towards this heuſe, as jt 1s expreſſed, wer. 29, 3o. The Hebrew Prepoſetion Beth, in, being oft put for El, #0, or, cowards, 2, This may be underſtood of divers Perſons ; and ſo the ſence is this : when the People of Iſrael be defeated in Bartel, and many of chetc Brethren be taken Priſoners. and carried into Captivity ; if then their Brethren remaining in the Land, ſhall heartily pray for their Cap- tive Brethren, they ſhall be dehvercd. 5 }
35 5 When * heaven r is ſhut up s, and there is no * Lev:all r:1n, becauſe they have ſinned againſt thee ; if they 19- Deulff pray towards this place, and confeſs thy Name, and ** ?3-|
turn from their ſin, when thou afflicteſt them rt :
r The lower Heaven in which the Clouds are ; as Deut. 11.17. Pſal. 147. 8. s The Heaven is compared to a great Srore-Houſe in God's keeping, our of which nothing can be had, fo long as it is cloſe ſhur up. t Do not reje& their Prayers, becauſe they are torced from them by their Affffliftions, as thou may'ſt juſtly do.
26 LIhen hear thou in heaven, and forgive the ſin of chy ſervants, and of thy people Iſrael, that thou teach thems the good way x wherein they ſhould walk, and give rain y upon thy land which thou haſt given co thy people for an inheritance.
u That their Sin being Pardoned,and thou being Reconciled uns» to them, may'ſt vouchſate to teach them. Or rather,as our Tran« flators render the very ſame Words, 2 Chron: 6: 27 When thou ſhalt teach, or haſt taught them, not only by thy Word, for that was done before ; but by their AfffMflictions, which is one of God's Schools ; and elpecially, by thy Spirit, enlightning their minds, and enclin- ing their Hearts,that they may learn,and profit both by the Word; and by their Afffi&tions. And this is here fittly added,to ſhew,thar. he could not expe&, and did not deſire from God the Pardon of their Sins, but upon God's Terms,to wit,upon their True Repen= --NCC- & z.e. The way, or Will of God ; or the way of their Duty,as the following woxds explain it,which is moſt rightly called the good way here, and 1 Sam. 12. 23+. becauſe it is both Juſt and Holy, and therefore good in it ſelf ; and good, that is, both!De- I:ghtful and Profitable, to thoſe that walk in ir. The meaning: When thou haſt effeQtually taught them, and, they have through! learned how to pleaſe and ſerve thee acceptably, and to walk be- - fore thee in the way which thou haſt preſcribed them.. y The order of Solomon's Prayer is very obſervable ; firſt and chiefly, he prays for their Repentance and Forgiveneſs, which is the chief Blefling, and the only ſolid Foundation of all other Mercies : and then he prays for the Temporal Mercy : thereby teaching us what to mind and defire principally in our Prayers ; which alſo Chriſt hath taught us in his perfe@ Pattern and Form of Prayer ; wherein there is but one Petition for outward, and all the reft are for Spiritual Bicſhags. | | |
37 | If © there be in the land famine, if there be * Ley. pelitilerce, blaſting, mildew, locuſt, or if there be ca- 16, 26. cerpiilar z: if cteir enemy beſiege them in the land of C—_ their || cities, whatſoever plague a, whadſoever ſickneſs ,g} there be ; || Or,
z 7. e. The Plague or Locuſts, or Caterpillars, infeſting a Land riſdi#i by their great numbers, and venomous or noxious qualities : of f Heb: which ſce, Exod. 10. 4, 5. Dent. 28. 42. Pſal. 105. 34,35. s That gatss. chieily ſignifies, an extraordinary Judgment ſent from God.
35 What prayer and ſupplication ſoever be made b any man, or by all thy people Iſrael, which ſhall know every wan the plague of his own heart 6, and ſpread forth his hands toward this houſe :