EG M$ 12 * Bleſled :s the man whom thou chaſteneſt, O *Heb. LORD, and teacheſt him outof thy law 4. 12.11, q And whereas theſe ungodly perſons eſteem themſelves the only happy men, and conclude thy people to be of ail men the moſt miſcerable,becauſe of the manitoid peritecutions and afflitions which they commonly ſuffer, and upon this account diſpute againft thy Providence, ſo far is theiropinion from the truth, that the contra- ry is moſt certain, that asthetr proſperity is a real miſchiefto them, ſo thoſe afflittions of good men, which are accompanied with divine ++ png are great and true Bleſſings to them, themſclves being JuUdAgese 13 That thou mayeft give him reſt from the days of adverſity, until the pit be digged for the wicked 7. 7 For their preſent and ſhort troubles prepare them for, and lead them to true reſt and bleſſedneſs, whilſt the teeming felicities of the wicked make way for thoſe tremendous Judgments which God hath prepared for them. 14 * Forthe LORD will not caſt off his people S, * 1 Sam. neitherwill he forſake his inheritance. I2. 22, 5 Though God may for a time corrett his people, yet he will Rom. 17, not utterly deſtroy them. as he will their Enemies, but will in his 1» 2+ time put an end to all their Calamiries. T5 But judgment ſhall return unto righteouſneſs : : and all the upright in heart + (hall follow it «. {Heb. hal t Butalthough the World is now full of unrighteous Judgments, # afteri., andeven God himſelf ſeems not ro judge and adminiſter things juſt- ly, becauſe he ſuffers his people ro be oppreſſed, and the wicked to triumph over them, yet the ſtate of things ſhall be otherwiſe orde- red, God will declare himſelf to be a righteous Judge, and will ad- vance and eſtabliſh Juſtice in the Earth, and eſpecially among his
waters, as this Hebrew word ſignifies. d Grievous, and inſolent, and intolerable words againſt thee and thy people ; blaſphemous, malicious, contemptuous and minatory words. c Boat of their in- vincible power, and proſperous ſucceſs in their wicked deſigns.
5 They break in pieces thy people, O LORD, and afi& thine heritage f. ; _ f Thoſe righteous perſons whom thou haſt choſen for thy portion or inheritance. |
People. « To wit, juſt Judgment reſtored ; they will all approve
; of ir, and imitate this Jultice of God in all their ations, whereas | the wicked will ſtill do wickedly, as is ſaid Dan. 12, 10. and in @ land
and ſtate of uprightneſs will deal unjuſtly, and will net behold the majeſty of the Lord, as itis 1a. 26. 10. Oth. ſball folew him, to wit, the Lord: expreſſed v.14. whoſe att it is to bring Judgment to Juſtice. Whilſt the wicked forſake God, theſe will cleave to him, as being confi- dent that, howſocever he may ſuffer them to be oppreſſed for a ſeaſon, yet he will in due time plead their cauſe, and bring forth their
6 They ſlay the widow and the ſtranger, and mur-
der the fatherleſs g. £ g Whom common humanity oblidged them to ſpare, and pity and relieve.
7 * Yetthey ſay, The LORD (ball not ſee 5: nei- ther ſhall the God of Jacob # regard er.
þ Their impunity and proſperity intheir impious and barbarous praQtices makes them ready to doubt of, or to deny the Providence "of God in the government of his Church and of the World. i So they call him ſarcaſtically, He who taketh that name to himſelf, but hath no regard to his people, bur gives up bis Jacob to the ſpoil], and to the rage of their Enenyes. ,
8 * Underſtand, ye brutiſh among the people &: and
ge fools, when will ye be wile ! :
k You who though you think your ſelves the wiſeſt of men, yet in truth are the moſt brutiſh of all people ; for the Hebrews oft ex- preſs their ſuperlativesin this manner, as Prov. 3. 30.Cant. 1.8.0. You that have only the ſhape, bur not the underſtanding, of a man in you.
9 * He that planted] the ear, ſhall he not hear »» : he that formed » theeye ſhall he not ſee !
I The word is very emphatical,ſignifying the excellent ſtruQture of the Ear, orthe ſeveral Organs or Inſtruments belonging to the ſenſe of Hearing, and the exa& poſition and firm fſertlement of all tboſe parts in their proper places ; which is juſtly admired by a)l that underſtand it. m He muſt neceſſarly hear. 'The truth of the inference depends upon that evident and undeniable principle in reaſon, that nothing can give to another that which it hath nor et- ther formally or more eminently in it ſelf, and that no effett can exceed the vertue of its cauſe. » By which word he ſeems to inti- mate the accurate and moſt curious workmanſhip of the Eyewhich is obſerved by all that write upon that ſubjeQ.
10 He that chaſtiſeth the heathen, ſhall not he corret 2n'he that teacbeth man knowledge », ſhall not he know 0 . » Hewho, when he pleaſeth, can and doth puniſh the Gentiles or Nations oftke World, is he not able to puniſh you for your wicked ſpeeches and ations ? Or, He that p ay wr or teacheth ( as . this word ſignifies, Prov. g. 7. Iſa. 8. 11, &c. ) thenations ( not 0n- Iy the Jews bur all other people, all mankind, as this clauſe 1s ex- plained by the next,h+ that teacheth man knowledge) ſball not he correft or - reprove ? and therefore muſt not he diſcern and know all your hard + ove gp and wicked aQtions? "Thus the conſequent ſeems to be put or the antecedent, as is frequent in Scripture, and that not with- out emphaſis, to imply that God does not know their fins with a ſimple or ſpeculative knowledge, but ſo as to proceed upon that knowledge to judge aud puniſh them. = By giving him under- ſanding, and the knowledgeof many excellent things by the Light of Nature. « To wit, mens thoughts, of which ſee v. 11. and their words and ations, of which he ſpoke, wv. 6, 7. Theſe words arenot in the Hebrew Text, but are eafily underſtood out of the foregoing clauſe. . And the like defeQs we find elſewhere,as 2Sam. 5. 8. comp. with 1 Chron, 11. 6. epocially in vehement commoti- 10n
ons of the mind, when a mans pa ſtops his ſpeech, as it is here, and Pſal.6 3. and in other Authors. p T
1x * The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man p, that they are vanity.
f This is an Anſwer to the foregoing Queſtion, ſhall not he know? Yes, he knoweth all things, yea even the moſt = Spry end a the thoughts of men; and in particular your atheiſtica] thoughts, and _— _ doth he now youf ted protiicg,