r Baſe and worthleſs Men. Heb: the fool: which in Scripture. uſe commonly ſignifies a wicked Man. o Or, Noble, or a Prince, or Lord, as this word is uſed, Pſal. 118: 9. and 14C: 3+ and elſe- where. The Senſe of the placeis, Either, «, Unworthy Men ſhall not be advanced to places of Honour and Power, as -the Seventy, and ſome others underſtand it ; for, zo be called, is oft put in Scrip- ture for, 70 be, as hath been frequently obſerved. Or, 2. vicious and worthleſs perſons ſhall no longer be reputed honourable and vertuous, becauſe of their high and honourable places, as com - monly they are under wicked Princes, by means of Flatrerers ; but wickednets ſhall be diſcovered and puniſhed whereſoever it is, and Vertue ſhall be manifeſted and rewarded ; and all things ſhall be managed with ſincerity and ſimplicity : which was eminently fulfilled under the Goſpel ; by the preaching whereof, and by Chriſt's Spirit Hypocrites are detected, and men are enabled to dil- cern between good and evil, both perſons and things. p The for- did and covetous Man which is a great Vice in any Man, but e- ſpecially in Magiſtrats; who therefore muſt be Men hating coverou/= zeſs, Exod: 18. 2x, But under this one Vice, all Vices are under- ſtood by a Synecdoche, very frequent in Scripture, and in other Au= thors ;'as under the oppoſite Vertue of Bountifulneſs, all Vertues arc comp rehended.
6 For the vile perſon will ſpeak villainy q, and his heart will work iniquity r, to practiſe hypocriſie 5, and to utter error againft the LORDxe, to make empty the {foul of the hungry, and he will cauſe the drink of the
thirſty ro fail «. FD q-So this is a Reaſon of the Affertion, ver. c. either thus, Such ſhall not be advanced to places of Truſt and Digniry ; for it they
of Hezekian, who rebelled againft the King of 4ſria, as ts faid, 2 Kings
» pe j r , * x Ps. . 18: 17. & was too prone to zrufs ron rhe Raff of Exy77.,95 the 4jrian
vecre, they would abuſe them by upjuſt Scagences and practices :
O:
XXXIF. (Or, he Joe. THeb: hea again! Vy F poor 11 judge 1 Or, be fabliſhea ; F Heb: ba« ly, [| Or, thn ganily. | Heb:d-ys #vve a War, [[Or,hon04s rable» | | THeb: #be his of den f v, . tap.346 Hor z 9. 6. l [Or $ bur. vs wor,
« I fOr, when he ſpeaketh againſt the poor 78
| ijaagreent.
|
Chap. XAT.
1 NOr, be e- fabliſhed,
- ft
#34
Oc thus, Men ſhall no longer be miſcalled; for every one will dif- cover what he is by his words and Affions; which alſo ſhall be narrowly obterved, Burt theſe and the following words are, and may be otherways rendred . Buz ( as this Particle oft ſignifies ) he ſhall be called or ſaid to be ( which words are eaſily underſtood out of the former Verſe, as is very frequent in Scripture ) a fool, who ( which Relative Particle is underſtood in very many places ) ſhall ſpeak willany, and whoſe heart ſball work iniquity, &c« r He will from tim® to time, be deviſing Wickedneſs, that he may execute it when he hath opportunity. s to do bad things, but with a pretence of Religion and Juſtice, which he ſhall uſe to keep himſelf from the disfavour of his Prince, and from the laſh of the Law: Or, topra- &iſe prophaneneſs or wickedneſs, as this word, at leaſt ſometimes, ſeems ro lignifie» £ To paſs unjuſt Sentences, which is dire&aly contrary tothe will and Command of God. « Whereby they take away the Bread and Drink of the Poor, and give it to their Rich Oppreſ-
ſors. 7 The inſtruments alſo of the churl are evil x, he de-
viſeth wicked devices y to deſtroy the poor with lying
words z, even ||when the needy ſpeaketh right.
x Heb: The Yeſſels, &c. which is a word of a very general figni- fication among the Hebrews, and ſignifies any perſon or thing, which is employed in a Man's uſe and ſervice, i iy perſow, for the name of veſſel 1s given to-ſuch Perſons as are inſtrumental to another, as to the Babylonians, who were God's Inſtruments in executing his vengeance, 1a: 13. 5. to God's Miniſters, As 9. 15. 2 Cor, 4: 5. and to uſeful Chriſtians, 2 Tim: 2.- 20; and to Wives, 1 Pet. 3. 7. And ſo it may be here noted, that ſuch covetous or wicked Princes moſt willingly chuſe, and employ wicked Men 1n their Afffairs, be- cauſe ſuch Men will, without any regard to Conſcience or Juſtice, ſerve ail their exorbitant deſires or Luſts* But withal, ir ſeems to include his Counſels and PraQtices, and Arts, which are here decla- rcd to be generally evil. But this Verſe is, and may be otherways rendred, as the former was ; nd ( repeat, he ſhall be called) a churl ( as indeed heisone ) whoſe inframents are evil, and who deviſeth, &c. which agrees with the order of the Words in the Hebrew Text, and with the order of the foregoing Verſes : For as he ſpeaks of the wile perſon,and of the Churl,ver, 5eSo he gives a deſcriprioa ofthe vile Per- ſon, ver. 6. and then ef the churl, 1n this Verſe. y He uſeth all his Wir and Art to do Injury to others, without any inconvenience to himſelf. z Withfalſe and unrighteous Decrees. 4 When their Cauſe is juſt and good, |
$ But the liberal deviſeth liberal things, and by libe- ral things ſhall he || ſtand 5.
4 He who istruely liberal and vertuous, will ſhew it by deſign- ing and praGiſing liberal or vertuous Attions: And he who doth ſo, will not deſtroy himſelf thereby, as wicked men ſafely ſuppoſe, but eſtabliſh and advance himſelf. But this Verſe alſo, as well as the former, is, and may be otherways rendred : 4nd ( repear, he ſhall be called, as before ) liberal, who dew:ſeth liberal things, and perſiſteth, or continueth in liberal things, IF it be thought ſtrange. that ſo many Veries ſhould be ſpent in affirming that which in effet, was ſaid, wer. 5. it muſt be conſidered,that theſe Verſes do not only contain an Affirmation, that they ſhould be called wile perſons, or churls, or liberal, that were ſo; bur alſo a Deſcription of their Qualities and Praftices, which was uſeful for their ConviQtion, and for the In- ſtruction of others.
9 Riſe upc ye women that are at eaſe 4, hear my voice ye careleſs e daughters f, give ear unto my ſpeech.