2 Though I could not find out all the ffreams of wickeIneſs and their infinite windings and turnings in the World, yer I havediſ covered the fountain of it,to wit,Original fin,.and-the corruption cf Nature which is both in Men and Women.f God made our firſt Pa- rents, Adamand Eve, g Heb. right, without ary imperfe&ion 0: corruption, conformable'to his Nature and Will, which is the rule of righr,after his own likeneſs underſtanding,and holy, and every
way good. þ Our firſt Parents,and after them their Poſterity trea« ding in their ſteps, # Were not contented with their preſent ſtate,
26 * And I find h more bitter 5than death, the wo-.
made man-f upright g ;- but they bhave ſought out ad
TASTES: Chap. VI1L.
but aimed at higher things,and ſtudied new ways of. making them- icIves more wife and happy, than God had made them, ard readily hearkened to the ſuggeſtions of the Devil to.that end. And we their ſinful and wretched Children after their example are {till prone to forſake the certainrule of Gods Word, and'rhe true way to hap= pineſs,and to ſeek new Methods and Inventions of attaining to it,even ſuch asSolomon hath diſcourſed of in this Book.
CH AP. VIIEL”
Kings to begreatly reſpeFed, 5. Our times uncertain ; Death not tobe reſifted, 6 8. tn evil Magiſtrate buried and forget, gy 10+ Mcn harden in fm, becauſe not preſently puniſhed £ but they ſhal not eſcape, but it ſhall go ill with them, 1——- 13. 85 it doth alſo ſometimes with the righteous whilſ# the wicked proſÞ*r, 14. Mirth therefore, and a contented Enjoyment of Gods gifts preferable to immoderate care and ſearch, 15, 16. Goa's work herein paſt finding out, 17.
Ho 3s as the wiſe man «? who knoweth the in- terpretation of a thing þ? * a mans wiſdom , makech his face to ſhine c,and F the boldneſs of his face £494; 4 ſhall be || changed e. | See Acts
a Who is to be compared with a wiſe Man ? He is incomparably 6: x5. the moſt excellent Man in the World. Or rather,who is truly wiic? + Heb: the The Particie, as being here not a Note of fimilitude, bur of reality, ſrength, as1t 1S Jopn 1.14,andin many other places as hath been noted,There || Or, dove are very few or no rruly wiſe men in this World. This ſeems beſt led, to agree with the next clauſe, which is not, is as he that knoweth, but whoknoweth, &c b How few are there who underſtand the rea= fons of things and can rightly expound the word and works ofGod, and inftru& and farisfie himſelf and others in all the dcubrful and and difficult caſes of humane a&ions ? c Maketh a Man illuſtrious and venerable, chearful, and mild;and amiable in his carriage to 0 thers.The face is put for the mind or inward frame, becauſe the mind diſcovers it ſelf in the Countenance, 4 The roughneſs or fierceneſs, the pride or impudence of his diſpoſition as this Phraſe is uſed,Deuz.
28; 56. Provi7; 13, and 21:29, Dan: 8: 23- e Into gentleneſs and humility,
2 I counſel thee f to keep the king's commandment Lg, and *hat in regard of the oath of God hb.
f Which Verb is neceffarily underſtood to make the ſenſe full and compleat. See the like defetts of ſpeech, Þſ: 1204 7. 1ſa: 5. 9, &c/ £ Obſerve and obey all his commands. Which is not to be under. ſtood univerſally, as if the King ſhould have commanded them to deny or blaſpheme God, or to worſhip Idols, in which caſe every Chriſtian Man,who reads and believes the Bible,muſt needs confeis that the J/raelites eſpecially were obliged to obey God rather than Man,bur only offuch commands asarenot contrary to the will of God,h Either 1.Becauſe of that Oath which thou haſt taken to keep all. Gods Laws, whercofthis of Obedience to Superiors is one, Or 2. becauſe of that Covenant or Oath of Fealty and Allegiance whereby thou haſt engaged thy ſelf ro him.of which ſee x Chron. 't1: 3, and 29: 24. Ezek:17 16,18. Though this may alſo be underſtood,and is by 1ome learned Interpreters taken s a limitation of their Obedis ence to Kings,tke wcrds being thus rendred,as the Hebrew will ve= ry well bear,but according to the word of the Oarh of GodzObey theKings commands, with this cauticn that. they be agreeable and not con=
Jcrary to the Laws of God which thou arr obliged by thy own and by
thy Parents Oaths oft renewed,:o obſerve in the firit place.
2 * Be not a to go out of his fight # : ſtand not in *Ch:ro; an evil thing &, for be doth whatſoever pleaſeth him/.
# Heb: 7o gofrom hus face, or preſence, to wit, in diſlike or in dif content,withdrawing thy ſelf from thy King's ſervice or obedience, as malecontents uſe to do 3 for this will both provoke himgand lead thee by degrees into Sedition or Rebellion. & If thou haſt offended him, perſiſt not in it, but humbly acknowledge thine offence, and beg his pardon and favour. 1 His power is uncontrolable in his Do- minions,and therefore thou canſt neither reſiſt nor avoid his fury.
4, Where the word ofa king is, there is power mm; and who may ſay » unto him, What doeſt thou ?
1 Whatſoever he commandeth he wants not power nor .inſtru- ments ro execute it. -and therefore can eaſily puniſh thee 45 he plea- ſeth, » Heb. Who ſhal ſay ? Who will preſume or dare to.fay ſo? He doth nor affirm that it is unlawful to ſay ſo, for Samyel ſaid ſo to Saul, 1 Sam; 15« and Nathan to David, 2 S«m: 12. and ſeveral other Prophets to the Kings of Judahand Iſrael, but only that it is difficult and dangerous.
5 Whoſo keepeth the commandment o Þ ſhall feel no + Heb evil thing p * anda wiſe man's heart diſcerneth both j, time and Judgement 9.
o Either 1. of the King, of which he hath hitherto ſpoken: Or 2, of God, for the Word, or Commandments,or Law are oft uſed em+ phatically for the Word, Law, or Command of Ged,as' hath been for- merly and frequently obſerved; and the Commanament 1s put for rhe Commandments, as is very uſual. And ſo Selomen paſlerh from his for- mer to a new ſubje&;p Shal be delivered from thoſe miſchiefs which befal the diſobedient- q Both when, and how far, and in what manner he may or muſt keep the commands of the king'or God, For the word here rendred judgment doth ofc ſignifie right,as Deut: 21: 17. as-alſo a cauſe or contreverſie, as Numb: 27: '5, and the manner or rule of ations as Judz. 13: 12. The ſenſe is, A wiſe . Man knows both what he ought to do,and what are the fitteſt ſeaſons ' for doing it, which he ſecketh and embraceth. '
6 Becauſe to every purpoſe there is time and Judge-
ment r,therefore s the miſery of-man is great upon him.