tempeſtuous round abour him 5. | Theſe words are uſcd here, as they are alſo Heb, 12, 29: empha- tically. The Prophet ſpeaks this in the perſon of the Iſraelites and Worſhippers of God, whereof he was one, and thereby takes off their fond pretence, as if b:cauſe God was#heir God,in covenant with them, and nearly related to them by Abraham his Friend for ever. he would bear with their Miſcariages,and would not deal ſo ſeverely with them, as ſome fancied : which alſo was their conceit, er. 7+ 4- &c, Mat 3. 9, «0. No, faith he, though he be our God, yet he will come to ex-cute Judgment upon us, g Either 1. From Heaven, his dwelling place, 'o Zim, to fit in Judgment there, Or 2. Out of Z on to ſome other plice,as was ſaid on v.2. h So the Senſe is, he will no lopger forbear to connive at the hypocrifie and prophaneneſs of the Profeſſors of the true Religion, but will now ſpeak to them in his Wrath. and will effeQually reprove and chaſtiſe them. But becauſe the Plalmiſt is not now deſcribing what God did, or would ſay againſt them, which he doth below, v.7, &c- but as yet continues in his deſcription of the preparation or coming of | the Judge to his Throne, it ſeems more proper to tranſlate theWords. as ſome do, he will not ceaſ2 ( for this Verb ſignifies no enly a ceſſa- tion from Speech, but from Motion or Aion, as it doth 2 Sam, 15. 11. Pſal. 83. t- Tſaiah 42,14, 15. ) (Ct e ) Not neglet or de- lay to come. So here is the ſame thing expreſſed, both effirimatively and negativelic ( as is frequent inScripture, whereof divers inſtances have been tormerlie given ) for the greater atiſurance of the truth of the thing, 7 Thisis a farther deſcription of that terrible Majeſtic wherewith God clothed himſelf when he came to his Tribunal, in to- ken of that juſt ſeverity which he would uſe in his proceedings with theme He atludes to the manner of Gods appearance at Sina, Exo4. 19. and intimates to them, that although Zjan was a place of Grace and Bleſſing to all true Ijraelites, yet God would be as dreadful there, to the Hypocrites among them, as ever he was at Sinat. Sce 1ſata!) 33- 14+
4 Heſhal call to the heavens from above, and to the earth &, that he may judge lis people /.
k Either to the places themſeives, and ſo it is a Figure called ?re- Jſopop#ia : Or tothe inhabitants of them, all Angels and Men, whom he calls in for Witneſſes and jndges of theEquity of his preſent pio- ceedings, Comp. Deut. 4.26, and 31, 28, and 32, 1, 1 To wit, in their preſence and hearing.
5 Gather m my {aints » together unto me : thoſe that have made a covenant with me by iacritice o.
m O ye Angels, ſummon and fetch them to my Tribunal. Which is poetically ſpoken 3 notas if they were attually to do ſo; but on- ly to continue the Metaphor,and repreſcatation of the Judgment here mentioned. # The Delinquents, the !ſraelites, whom he calls Saints; partly becauſe they were all by profeſſion an holy People, as they are called Oeat 14 2 par:ly by an Irony, iptimating how unworthy they were of that Name: and partly as an Argument or Evidence a- gainſt them,becauſeSod had choſen &ſeparatedthem from all theNati- onsof the Earth to be an holy & pec»liar people to himſelf, and they alſo had ſolemnly and frequently conſecrated and devoted themſelves to God, and to his faithful Service 3 all which did greatly aggravate their preſent Apoſtacy. » 7. e, Which have entred 1nto Covenant with me, and ha-e ratified that Covenant with me by Sacrifice, not only in their Parents, Exod, 24. 4, %c but alſo in their own per- ſons from time to time, even as oft as they offer Sacrifices to me. This Clauſe ſeems to be added here, to acquaint them with the proper Nature, uſe and end of Szcrifices , which «cre principallic appointed to be Sigos and Seals of the Covenant wade between God and his peo- ple; & conſequzatly tro convince them of their great miſtake&wicked- neſs in tr»ſt1nz to their outwardSacrifices,when they negſc the very Life and Soul of them which was the keeping o! their Covenant with God 3 and withall to dimiaiſh thai overweening Conceit which they had of Sicrifices and to prepare the way for the abolition of them, as bzing only neceffary to confirm the Covenant 3 which being once for all confirmed by the Blood of Chriſt, they might w:thout any in- convenience be laie afide and abrogated.
6 And * the heavens ſhal declare his righteouſneſs p : for God zs judge himſelf. Selah 9.
p Which they were called to witneſs, v. 4+ So was the Earth alſo, But here he mentions the Heavens only, as 1 humbly conceive, be- cauſe they: were the moſt impartial and conſiderable Witneſs in the caſe ; f-r men upon Earth might be falſe Witnefles, either through J2norance and Miſtake, or through Prejudice and Partiality, and Paſſion : But the Angels underſtand things more throughly and cer- tainly, and are ſo exa&'y pure and finleſs, tnat they neither can nor will tell a lye for God ; and therefore their teſtimony is more valuable. Or the meaning i-,that God would convince the people ofhisRighte- ouſneſs, and of their own Wickedneſs,by terrible Thunders and Light- nings, and Storms or other dreadful Signs wrought by him in the Hea- ven or the Air : by which hedid convince his people in two like Ca» ſes, Deut. 5. 22, 2., &c, 1 Sam. 12+ 17, 18, 19. 9. In his own perſfor., or immediately. God will not now reprove them, or covtend with them by his Prieſts or Prophets, with whom they may eaſily ftrive, as they ufed to do, but he will do itin an immediate and extraor41narie manner from Heaven ; and therefore they ſhal be
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: Pſal.
Covenant made af Sinai; whereby IT avovched thee to be my peculi- ar people, and thou didfſt ayouch me to be thy God, Det, 26, 17, 18,
8 I will not reprove the * for thy ſacrifices, or thy burnt-offerings w«, to have been x continually before INCe
u I do not charge thee, or at leaft this is not the principal matter of my Charge, that thou haſt negleRed Sicrifices which thou ſh ulg- eſt have offered; for although thou haſt many times omitted thy Du- ty 10 thar kind, yet I have greater things than theſe to charge thee with. x Or they have been, T confeſs thou haſt been frequent in that work, and haſt laid too great a ſtreſs upon it, and ſatisfi:d thy Con-
ſcience with it, as if thereby thou hadit made me amends for thi Er- rors of thy Life.
9 *T willtake no bullock out of thy houſe, or he- *wic. 5,5