z 1.e. Hence it appears that he knows all their evil works, be- cauſe he judgeth them for them, God or Men are ofc-times ſaid in Scripture, to know or do a thing, when they only manifeſt their knowing and doing of it. Or, Becauſe, &ce as this prrticle is uſed, 1a. 26+ 14+ and 61. 7. So this 1s ſubjoined as the ground or reaſon why he puniſheth them, as is related both in the foregoing, and in the tollowing words, becauſe he ſees all their wicked defigns and actions» are When they are at reit and ſecure; at mianight, as It 1s v- 20- *Or, he turneth, or bringeth upon them che night, to wit, of Calamity and Tribulation, as the next words explain it, and as the words 1:ht and darkneſs are oft uſed. Or, he turneth the night to wit, into day, i- e+ He knoweth all their deeds of darkneſs, an bringeth them to light. See above v. 22. 6b Heb: aud (or then, or therefore ; for both thele ways this Particle is ſometimes uſed) zhey ſhall be deſtroyed, or broken to picces,
26 He ſtriketh them as wicked men c F in the open ſight of others d.
c ie» As heuſeth toſmite wicked men, with a grievous and ter- rible ftroke- Compare 1/a. 27. 7- Or, for wicked men, or becauſe they are wicked men, therefore he deſtroys them without any regard to their quality. 4d In publick view for their greater ſhame, and for the greater glory of God's Juſtice, and for the greater terrour of 0+« ther Oppreiſours, and comfort of the Oppreſſed. ,
27 Becauſe they turned back F from him e, and * would not conſider f any of his ways g.
e From the God, whom they or their Progenitors had owned ; and his Laws, which God hath written in the mind of all men, Rom. 2:14,15- and ir may befrom the praftice of the true Religion which
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| ſometimes they profeſled. f Or, underſtand. They did not deſire
nor endeavour to know them, at leaſt praQtically or to any good purpoles g Either 1. God's Providential ways. - They did not lay ro heart any of God's Judgments inflited upon ſuch Oppreffours as themſelves, which ſhould have given them warning, bur boldly per- ſiſted in the ſame wicked courſes Or, 2. His Precepts ; oft called his Ways, becauſe he hath appointed them for us to walk in. For theſe way's they were in a Ipecial manner obliged to conſider and
_ praiſe : And the next verſe giveth us an inſtance of their back-
iliding from theſe ways.
25 So that they cauſe the cry of the poor to come b unto him z, and he heareth the cry of the afflicted &.
þ Heb. To bring, &c. which is ambiguous, and may be read.,either 1+ That he, 1+ & God, might bring, &c, So this is a reaſon why God ſmote them, &C+ as 1s ſaid, v. 26. Or, 2.That they, i- e- thoſe wick- ed men, might bring, &c. and ſo theſe words contain either 1. A reaſon of what was laſt mentioned, to wit, why they would notcon-
| ſidernor walk in God's ways, becauſe they were reſolved to opprelſs
the Poor, and give them cauſe to cry unto God ; Which they nei- ther would nor could have done, if they had throughly underſtood and conſidered God's ways. Or 2. An evidence or inſtance of it .
flb:hy 20 In a moment 5 ſhall they & die, and che people / '%a; take ſhall be croubled m2 at midnight zz, and paſs away 0: and
avay th age : oy” "els + the mizhty {hall be taken away p without hand 9.
wherein it did appear, that they had turned back from God, &Cce, Ek FR . . . 3 7 1.6: Unto Gdd, as the following word's imply, it being God's work to hear the cry, and plead the cauſe of the affuzied or oppreſſed. Otners, Upon him, or upon them, or Fact of them, to wit, of the Oppreſ-
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or People unjuſtly, no nor our of his meer pleaſure and abſolute pro:;. 23;
Soveraignty (to which Job ſeemed to impute his Calamities ) but 8 15. 3- i
for their ſins, which God ſees exaQtly, alchough they uſe all poſ- Jer;16.17 n
22 * Thers js no darkneſs, nor ſhadow of death, « pq, I 39s I2. 5 They may flatter themſelves, or cheat others by covering Amos 9-24
they cannot deceive God, nor keep their hearts and ways from Heb. 4.1
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wp. XXXIV., 7 0 [ ſours ; upon whom the cry of the oppreſſed is ſaid to come, becauſe the vengeance of God is by that cry brought down upon them. k He delivereth the oppreſſed by raking the Oppreſſour away.
29 * When he giveth quietneſs /, who then can make trouble »? and when he hideth his face », who then can behold him 8? whether it be done againit a na- tion, or againſt a man only p. ;
l - * ahiy. 4 the poor and oppreſſed Perſons laſt mentioned, or to any other Perſon or People, as it follows. #2 No Man or Creature can hinder God's deſign and wock. » i-e. Withdraws his favour and help fem them, and thereby expoſeth them ro all Opprefſions or Calamities- 0oi- e« Who can look up to God with cheartuIneſs or confidence, to deſire or expe& his help? Or rather, who then wil fook upon him, or regard him, to wit, ſoas to pity or ſuccour him! If God be againſt him, what Man will or dare be for him? Al men will forſake and oppoſe him, and ſo he will be utterly loſt- For this (who) anſwers ro the (who) in the former branch of the verſe,
and both of them ſpeak of Man and hisa&s oppoſed unto God,and to his att. p The caſe isthe ſame in both: God can carry on his work either of Mercy or Juſtice, as eaſily and irrefiſtibly upon an whole Nation or People as upon one particular Perſon 30 Thar the hypocrite reign not, leſt the people be
en{nared 9. ; |
q Having ſaid that God could and would carry on his own work and deſign cff-&ually, whether againſt one Man, or againlt a whole Peop!e, he now procceds to give a further inſtance of God's migh- ty Power above and againſt the greateſt Monarchs, in whom their own and tiie Peoples ſtrength ſeem to be united, yer all together cannot oppoſe God in his work. God when he pleaſeth can and doth ſo order affairs, that the hypocrite ( 1 e- the profane wicked Prince, as one of the Kings of Judah is called, Ezek- 21» 25+ Bad Princes being called Hypocri#'s, becauſe they do commonly cover all their
Oppreſſions, and Injuries, and Impicties too, with the ſpecious pre-
tence of Juſtice and the Publick wood, and the diſcharge of their Tru# and Duty) may not reign, (i- e- may not conrinue his Reign and Tyranny, that he may and ſhall by his Soveraign Power and