contrary to God's Will, | | . 6 B #:Nons
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| ® Prov. 1. = , ; "BY" © 16. Rom. ſſiedinnhocent blood: their thonghts? are thoughts ofini-
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4 None callech for juſtice z, nor a»y pleadeth for *.
er. 9.4. truth: they truſt in vanity 6, and ſpeak lies ; * they 3
conceive miſchicf, and bring forth iniquity &.
Z i. e. None ſeck to redreſs theſe wrongs, and violences ; they comfnitall rapines, and frauds under impunity: Either 1. Becauſe the Judges are corrupt. Or, 2. Becaule none will warn the Judg- es of ther Duty. Or, 3. Becauſe none ſeek to bring offenders to Juſtice. Or, 4 Becauſe none will plead a Righteous Cauſe, or plead it Righteouſly, or. couptenance Goodneſs, and this the next expreſ- ſion tavours, and ſo Juſtice ſuffers, which the Hebrew word miſpas being 1a the paſſive voice, ſeems to intimate ; The ſenſe is the ſame, and whereas it is ſaid zone, it is as much as to ſay. very few, as we fay few or none; the like, Pſalm 14. 3. Q:.How could this be char- ged upon them, when in the time of their Captivity they had no Courts? - 4/w. It is pcobable they nad Courts among themſcIves, td judge between one anather by leave of the Babyloniſh Kings. þ Ether, 4. Relating to their lies, whigh are words empty, and void of all conſiſtency, and ſo it is the ſame with the next Expreſ- fidn, axd ſpeak lies. Or, 2. In their Idols, which are ſtocks and ſtoqes, and fo oft c2led vanity and nothing, 1 Cor. 8. 4- For even an Babylon, they worſhipped Idols as appears by Jer. 16. 11, 12, 18. Or rather, 3. In their power, and craft, and policy, whereby, laying alide Juſtice, my
can oppreſs others, and ſo he calls it va- nity by a Meronymy of the Adjun&, becauſe it would. prove all vain in the end, and either, 1, Frultrate their ends. Or, 2..Not Juſtifie them againſt God's proceedings with them. Or, 3. Bring all into emptineſs and confuſion ; the word is tou, whereby the confuſion, aad mingling of all things is expreſſed, before the World was brought into Order and Form, Gen. 1. 2. # It mayre- fer both co Judges, and to the Lawyers, and falſe Prophets, that tell them they ſhall not go into Captivity ; They ſpeak that which they know to be, falſe. k Theſe two words of Conceiving, and Bringing forth, note their whole contrivance, and perfeQing their ' wickedneſs : The former nores their plotring,. the latter their exe- cution of miſchjcf, whatever is in the mind only out of fight, war- med and formed there by cogitating and meditation, is called Con- ception, which being ripe, and produced to view, is called a Birth, intimating that the wicked ſin not occaſionaly, and accidentally, bur premeditatingly, and profeſſedly ; they grow big with it. The Expreſſion is Alegorical, and in the two next verſes compared to the Cockarrices Eggs for the wickedneſs of it, and to a Spiders Web for the vanity of it.
5 They hacch || cockatrice-eggs 1, and weave the ſpi- ders web m : he that eateth = of cheir eggs dieth, and |]
that which is cruſhed, breaketh our into a viper 0. I Or Adder, or Baſiiick; one kind put for any venemous erea-
'ture, a proverbial ſpeech ſignifying by theſe Eggs miſchievous de-
ſig us, and by hatching them their putting them in praftice ; This is roſhew; that milchicf is natural re them, and they can do no otherwiſe, as poiſon is natural to theſe Eggs. m Another pro- verbial ſpzech, whereby is taught, both how by their plots they weave nets, lay ſnares indufriouſly with great pains and artifice, whereby they may eatangle, and involve their poor Neighbours, 12 intricacies, =; perplexities, and ſo devour them, as the Spi- der weaves her web to catch flies, and then to feed on them: And alſo how that they contrive nothing but what will tend to their
own ruine, as the iſfue of the Viper is the death of the Mother ;
and they, and their deſigns will come to nothing, and not anſwer theirend, as the Spiders web is ſoon ſwept away, and 1s ſeen no more; which doth well agree with what fo!lows. » Here is a
atachreſtical alluſion noting, that he who hath commerce with thei, and approves their Counſels, which are te Eggs which they hatch, will be poyſoned with them. 0 If and be copularive here, then the ſenſe is either, if any ſeek to cruſh, 2nd diſappoint their plots, or if they be ſprinkled, or diſperſed abrozd (as the margin ſeems to favour) they will ſeek his ruine, will be as Viper to him : But if and be Cauſal, as it often is, and may be here, then the ſenſe is, 9. d. he dieth, becauſe the Eggs being cruſhed, a poy-
| ſonous Viper proceeds from it: the more you partake of their
counſels, the more you are infe&cd there lies ſuch a deadly poy- ſon embodied in them. |
6 * Their webs. ſhall not become garments p, nei- ther ſhall they cover themſelves with their works : their works are works of iniquity 9, and the adt of violence
7s 1n their hands r. ]
Þ i.e. Their contrivances, and deep deſigns ſhall not advantage them, they being like a thin, and raw garment, cither through which all their wretchedneſs, and malice will appear, as the next words intimate; Or, for want of Solidity, and Subſtance, ſhall nor be able to defend them from their impending evils. q 1.c. Works of juſtice, whereby they grieve and vex their Brethren; which the next words do clear. r i. e. They exerciſe themſelves in all aAs of violence, and oppreſſhon. 2-| |
* Their feet s run to eyil, and they make haſte co
quiry, waſting and + deſtruction are in their paths «.
5 This ſeems to be taken from Prov. 1. 16. See the note there. He had ſpoken of their Hands, Lips, and Heart, Scc. before, and now of their Fer, . to ſhew that they, were wholly ſer upon miſ-
chief. # i-e Their heart, and mind, is ſer upon doing wrong, and injury, they not .only do.evil, but do it deliberately. You have the wicked deſcribed by this kind of working of their
thoughts, Pſalm 64 6. They medirate on little or nothin elſe, «x A Metaphor pur for the behaviours and carriages of Men ; in what way or work ſoever they are engaged, it all rends to ruine and deftruftion. A Metaphor taken from an overſpreading torrent, or fweeping Plague, or Beaſts of prey, that tear and devour whats ſocver comes in their way. | | | I