we remain yer eſcapedq, as ## is this day : behold we are _. V before thee in our treipaſſesr : for we cannot ſtand. will be with thee ; be of good courage, and do jt.
? A juſt and holy God. who doit hare. and wilſt infallibly pu.
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E £& A.
d To wit, into ccnjux al ſociety with ovr ſelves. e la caſe of our repentance, and refo1 mation. Therefore let us not ſorrow like perſons without hope, ner lit down 1n d-ipair, bur ler us fall upon action, and amend cur errours, and then truſt to Gods mercy. :
3 Now therefore ler us make a covenant with our- God, f to put away all the wives f, and ſuch as are t Heb.
born of them g, according to the counſel of my lord þ, 7s for, and of thoſe that tremble at the * commandment of our ,, ot? God z, and let it be done according to the Jaw &. |
f Which though it may 'eem harſh. yet is net unjuſtyif it be con« ſidered, r. That Marriages made between ſome prohibited Pers ſons; as ſupp>ſe, between a Father, and his Daughter, a Brother and a Sifter, are not orly unlawful but void Marriages, atid -pſo facto. null, by the Political Laws of Civil Narions, And therefore theſe Martiages with Idolarrous and Heathen Women being exs preily and ſever'y forbidden by God» might well be diſannulled. And it was one of good Theodoſins his Laws, that thoſe actions which were done againſt Jaw, ſhould be accounted not only unlawful, bur null. 2, That there were many peculiar laws given to the Jews cons cerning 1he marrying, and putting away of Wives. as hath been obſerved before in their proper places, and therefore it is nor ſtrange, it there be ſomething more in this caſe, than is now uſual with us 3+ Suppoſing the Matrimonial Tye had continued, yer they might be excluded from co-habitation with them, as a juſt pu« niſhmenr upon rhem for the wi'ful breach of a known and poſitive Law of God. g This may ſeem harder than the former, but many things may be ſaid; 1, What ever evil befeleither them or their Children, they had all reaſon to accepr it as the juſt and deſerved
ſuffer, at leaſt cemp» ral evils. for their Parents ſins, or upon occa« ſion of them, ismoſt evident, both by the Scriprure inſtances, and . by the Laws and Uſages of Nations in ſome caſes. 3, This may ſeem to have been a neceſſary part of ſeverity,partly as a proper puniſhment of the Pirents fin herein, andro deter others more ef fecrually tiom rhe like practices: partly to prevent the corruption of their other Children by the Converſation and Society of this unz godly and idolatrous Brood : and partly, leſt ſuch Children, being continu-lly preſent with them, and ſtealing into their affections, might at Iaſt prevail with them to take their ejected Wives again, 4+ Theſe Chil.iren were only caſt out of the Families and Commons wealth of 1/-ael, bur wefe not utterly forſaken and ruined, but due - care was probably taken by Authority, that they ſhould have ſome, proviſion made tor them, and ſome care taken abour their Educati- ' en in the Jewiſh Religion, &c. hþ Either 1. As thou counſelleſt ard deſireſt us to do» Or, 2. Let us doit in fuch manner as chou ſhafy' thirk fit and agreeable to the Law, asir follows : for it requires great caution, as being a matter of no ſmall difficulty. #5 And of other ſerjous and religious perſons, who may with rhee confider and
the bufineſs, 1:t rhat be done which the Law requires ; let them be Rules cf Gods Law. { Beciuſe thou haſt both $kill to manage it, and authority both
; from God, and from the Perſian King to do it. 5 Then arote Ezra, and made the chief prieſts, the
Chap. X. mated ro be ence, that he durſt ſo free'y and ſu''y dNcharge ris Cuty, V heree Or 2 The | by he ſhcwed, that he hor oured Ged mare thin his nearcſt and
f H-b., Wepre #8 great Weeps 3g,
nith tin and ſinners, 'Or, thou art m.rcifil, as appzars from hence,
us, but lefc a remaant of us, The Hebrew word here rendred r:zhce- ous, is ofr uſed for merciful, as'is w=1l known to all rhe Learned. 7 | Or, though we remain &c. i. e. Though thou haſt yer ſpared us in Part, yer thou art righteous, and therefore wilt certainly puniſhand deſtroy us acccrding to our deſer's, if we do nor repent us, and reform this great wick:dneſs. r We are here in thy preſence. and ſo are all our fins ; we are arraigning our ſelves betore thy Tribu- nal acknowledging our ſeives te b- vile offenders, and thee ro be juſt, if thou deſtroy us. s To wit, in Judgment as that word is oft uſed, as Pſal. 130. 3. Compare Pſal. 1 5. we muſt needs fall and periſh at thy preſence, as the phraſe is, Pſ#l. 9. 3. ; Becauſe of this Our great guilt, and the aggravations of 1t. ; _- 3 dv Shecaniah encourageth Ezra to r:-form th* flrange Marriages, 1 4+ * All Tjrael ſwear to do accordingly, 5. Exra mourning, ofſcmbleth the p eple, C 8. The people at the exhorta'ion of Ex'!a repent, and pro- miſ: amendment, 9 14. Their care to perform ity 15, 16. The names of them that married flrange wives, 17 44. N Ow when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confeſſed, weeping and caſting himſelf down be- fore che houle of God, rhere afſembied unto him our of Hrael, a very great congregation of men, and women,
and children «: for the people Þ wept very ſore 6.
a Awakened by the words and example of this hoiy Prieſt, an d great Potentate. So inexpreflible is the good, which is done by the good example. and the evil, which 1s done by rhe bad example of a great Perfon, or of a Miaiſter. This fame of his great paſſion of grief, and of his many end publick expreſſions rhereofin the Courr b-tore the) Temple being in an inſtant diſperſed over all the City, brought a grzat company together. & Being greatly affected with |
falem 3
Gods
and for # che great rain 9.
that norwithſtanding all our ſins thou inſt not urrerly deſtroyeil Levires, and all Ifrael to ſwear, that they ſhould do according to this word. And they ſware.
6 Then Ezra roſe up before the houſe of God, and went into thc chamber ws of Johanan the ſon of Elia- ſhib : and hen he came thither, he did eat no bread nor drink water: for he mourned becauſe of the tranfſ- greffion of them that had been carried away.
2 That he with the Princes-and Elders, as it follows wv. 8. might cenſulr abour the execution of rheir Reſolution:
7 And they made proclamations throughout Judah and Jeruſalem, unto all the children of the captivity, that they ſhould gather themſelves together unto Jeru+