b 7. e. Either, r. His Sin, which may be called zhe plague of his heart, in oppoſition to the other Plagues here mentioned, which afflit only the Body, or outward Man ; So the ſence is, Who, by their AfiQions are brought to a true and ſerious ſence of their worſe and inward plagues of their Sins,which are mot fitly calleq the plague of the heart, becauſe that is both the principal Sear of Sin, and the Fountain from whence all a&tual Sins flow. Matth: is: 19.
Or rather, 2. His Afflition ; for ſo this is Explained in the paral- lel place, 2 Chron: 6; 29. ( which is the more conſiderable, becauſe this Book was written after this.to explain what was dark or doubt-. ful, and to ſupply what was lacking in this ) when every one ſhall know h15 own ſore, and his own grief ; which is not unfitly called, the plague of his heart, becauſe it was thar plague which his Hearr was moſt Afflited with, which pained him at the very heart ; as the Phraſe is, Fer 4: 19. compare Pſat; 55: 4- which cauſed him moſt
Numb. 5. 12, 15, &c- m For here God, who was appealed |
' more hope and confidence, becauſe I do nor deſire that thou wouldlr
vexation or grief, which 1s a Paſſton of the Hearr : and fo the ſence is, who thall know, 2z. e. be du'y and deeply ſenſible of his AF- flition, and the haad of God in it ; and his Sin as the cauſe of it : for Words of Knewledze in Scriprure,do very frequently note ſuch a kind of Knowledge as affects and changeth the Hcarr, and reforms the whole courle of a Mans Life ; for which cautl:, Men of ungodly Lives are frequently ſaid in Scripture mor #0 know God, or Chrift, or his Word, ©c. And therefore no man hnows bis fore in a Scripture-
him, and ſincerely ſecketh to the Lord for Rchliek.
9 Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways c, whoſe heart thou knoweſt 4d, ( for thou, even thou only knoweſt the hearts of all the children of men. ) | |
c According to his Repentance, or Impenitency. I pray with
deliver tuch as are infenſible of thy Judgments, and their Sin 5 bur only thoſe who truly know the Plague of their own Heart,in ; H manner
I ape VIII. I. manner before explained. d thou knoweft who are truly Peni- tent, and who are not ; and therefore the granting of my Requeſt will be no diſhonour to thy Government, nor injury to thy Holy
Nature. | 40 That * they may fear thee e all the days that
they live in the land which thou gaveſt unto our fa- thers.
e That when thou haſt firſt ſmitten them, and then ſo eminent- ly delivered them, and that in anſwer to their Prayer, they may hereby be taught to fear Thee, and thy Juſtice, and thy Good- neſs.
41 Moreover concerning a ſtranger that zs not of
thy people Iſrael, but cometh out of a far country for
thy Names fake f;
F This may note, either 1. The end of his coming, that he may Workkip,and Glorife thy Name : or rather, 2. The motive,or oc- caſion of his Coming, which was the fame of God's Greatneſs, and Power, and Kindneis to his People ; as the following words Ex- Plain it»
\ 42 ( For they ſhall hear of thy great Name, and of thy ftrong hand, and of thy ſtretched-out arm ) when
he ſhall come and pray towards this houſe.
42 Hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place, and do according to all that the ſtranger calleth to thee for g : chat all people of the earth may know thy Name, to Fear thee, as do thy people Ifrael 5, and that they may know that + this houſe, which I have builded, is cal-
led by thy Name z. |
g To wit, Aggreeable to thy Will and Word : for he would not have-them heard, if they had prayed for any thing diſhonourable to God, or deſtruftive to his People. Ir is obſervable, That his prayer for the Strangers is more large, and comprehenſive, than for the [aelites ; that thereby he might both ſhew is Publick-ſpi- ritedneſs, and encourage Strangers to the Worſhip of the 'Truc God. + Whereby we ſee, how lincerely and heartily the ancient and godly Jews deſired the Converſion of the Gentiles ; whereas, the latter and degenerat Jews, in the days of Chriſt, and of the Apoſties, did Envy, Oppoſe it, and Fret at it. 7 z, e. Is owned, not only by us,burt by thy ſelf,as thy Houſe 3 the only place in the World to which thou would vouchlafe thy Preſence and ProteCti- On, and wherein thou wiltſt be Publickly and Solemnly ſerved.
--'44 « if thy people go out to battel againſt their enemy, wg © vn thou ſhalt ſend*them &, and ſhall pray, unto the LORD 7+ toward the city which thou
aſt choſen m, and zoord the houſe that I have built
for thy Name »:
& 7,-e. In a Juſt Cauſe, and by thy Warrant or Commiſſion. Whereby he implies, That it was unlawful for them to undertake any War mecrly for their own Glory,or Luft ; or to enlarge their Empire beyond its due bounds; and that they could not with fafe
: Conſcience pray to God for his Bleſſing upon ſuch a War. /Where- by he inſtrudts them, That they ſhould not truſt, either to the Strength or Juſtice of their Arms, but only to God's Help and Blefling, which they were to pray for- = To wit, For thy Dwel- ling-place, and the Seat of thy Temple. » For to it they were to turn their Faces in Prayer ; partly, thereby to proteſs themſelves to be the Worſhippers of the true God,in oppoſition to Idols ; and that they ſought help from him,and fiom no other: and partly to ſrrengthen Faith in God's Promiſes and Covenant, the Tables whereof were contained in that Houſe.
45 Then hear thou in heaven their pray Feonnd their ſupplication, and maintain their || c2uſe 0. o Declare: the Juſtice of their Cauſe, by giving them the Vi-
Pal. ©, 4
Heb. 7 Name ts led upon
us hnuſe.
Heb. way of city,
Or,right. Heb. agment. & Chron. . 36. rov. 20 . Eccl .20. Jam.
26 1Joh.
ory. ; 46 If they ſin againſt thee, ( * for there is no man
that ſinneth not p) and thou be angry with them, and * deliver them to the enemy, fo that they carry them away captives unto the * land of the enemy, far or near:
p The univerſal Corruption of Man's whole Race and Nature, * makes me preſage, that they will fall into Sins; and withal,makes me to hope, that thou wiltſt not be ſevere to deal with them as their Sins deſerve. ;
47 Tet if they ſhall + bethink themſelves q in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make ſupplication unto thee, in the lard of them that carried them captives, ſaying r, We have ſinned, and have done pervesily ; we have committed wickedneſs ;