6 For he (ball be * like the heath in the deſart, and ſhall not ſee when good cometh, bur ſhall inhabit the parched places in the wilderneſs,z» a {alt land and not -inhebiced k&. |
& The ſum is, he ſhall not thrive, norproſper, but be like the Heath, by which is meant ſome barren Shrub or Tree, about which the various gueſſes of Interpreters ( which the Reader that is curi- ous may fiid in the Engliſh Annotations ) are but incertainties, and this planted in the Wilderneſs too whichis a barren ſoil, which Tree -or Plant is never the better for all the moifture that comes from Heaven,nor for all the Beams of the Sun;bur ſtands in a dry and falt
lace, not inhabited by Pcople. The ſcope is to let us know, that finners who depart from God, and do not place their confidence in him in times of danger, but truſt in Creature-aids and aſfliſtan ces, ſhall miſs of thoſe very good things which they might have had if they had expeted them from him, from whom alone they could have een obtained,
**pplz 12 #7 * Bleſſed zs the man that truſteth in the LORD,and & 34 2®- whoſe hope the LORD is /. S 125. f. 7} Truſting in the Lord neceſſarily implieth alſo a walking cloſe Prov-16. with him,and not in heart departing from him ; for ir is naturally 20, impoſlible, that any thould repoſe a confidence in another for any IQ. 30.18- 920d things, which that other hath promiſed under any condition, without ſome ſatisfaction in himſelf, that he h:th in ſome meaſure 4 - fulfilled the condition upon which the promiſe is made. But that Man that truely traſteth and hopeth in the Lord is, and ſhall be a ble1- ſed Man. **7ob8.16. $ For he ſhall be as a * tree planted by the waters, *Pfal. x: 3. and zhat ſpreadeth out her roots by the river, and bal; 4 not ſee when heat cometh, bur her leaf ſhall be green and (hall not be careful in the year of || drought, nei-
|| Or, r«. ther ſhall ceaſe from yielding fruit -.
ftraint, m The ſum is, he ſhall be proſperous and ſucceſsful in his Coun- ſels, and Undertakings ; like a Tree planted by the ſide of a River, which is nor affectedwith drought,but in a time when the leaves of Trees ſtanding indry mountainous places parch and wither, its leaves hold their greenneſs,and its colour is not altered by drought, neither doth it ceaſe from yielding fruit, but bringeth foith much Fruit when other Trees are wholly unfruitful
9 T The heart zs deceitful above all :hings,and deſpe- rately wicked s, who can know it ?
n The words tranſlited deceitful, and deſperately wicked, are very variouſly Tranſlated, fraudulent, perverſe, ſupplanting, he ſpeaks ro the Jews, that they might not lean too much ro their own Coun- ſels, Fanctes or Underſtandings; butit is a propoſition true con- cerning the Hearts of all the Sons and Daughters of Men ; there is noth.ng ſo falſe and deceirful as the Heart of Man ; deceitful in its ppeemaſons of things,in the hopes and promiſes which it nou- riſhech, 1n the aſſurance that it gives us, &c. unſcarchable by 0+ thers, deceitful with reference to our ſelves, and abominably wick- ed, ſo that neither can a Man know his owa Heart, neither can any other know our Hearts. |
19 I the LORD * ſearch the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and ac-
cording to the fruit of his doings o.
0 Leſt theſe Hypocrites ſhould pretend that their Hearts were /-- not departed from God, or ſhould ſay who then can judge us if & _ — none knoweth the Heart?SaithGod,though noCreature knoweth the _& 20 1 Heartof another fellow Creature, yet I know the Hearts of all , — *27+ Creatures, I ſearch the ſecret Thoughts, and Counſels and Deſigns — EV + 2:23. of allmy Creatures, for I will judge them according to their Thoughts and the ſecret Motionsand Affections of their Souls,ac- |
hap! : 14.
cording to all their ways, and the fruit of their doings. You can- —_ therefore mock me, and tell me your hearts are not departed rom me. Y
M 1 4 H.
IT Asthe partridge || ſitteth on eppe, them not p: ſohe that getteth riches, and not by right oung * (ball leave them in the midſt of his days q, and at his wh jp,
end be a fool r. hath nat p It is no wonder if we cannot be certain as to the ſenſe of theſe ought , words ſo far as they concern natural Hiſtory, when we are not cer. j9't?. _ tain what Bird it is to which they relate; we tranſlate the word Par- * Pal: 55 triage. Others will have it the Cuckow ; but certain it is that it is 23+ the ſame word which we tranſlate Partridge, 1 Sam. 26, 20: and Cuc« kows uſe not to be much hunted after. How the Partridge -is ſaid to fit on Eggs and hatch them not, is yet a greater,queſtion. It may be occaſioned fo many ways, viz. either ſitting upon Winad-eggs, or being killed before the Eggs are hatched, or having is Eggs deſtroyed by the Male Partridge,or by ſome Dog, or other Vermine 3 or its Neſt being found having her Eggs taken from her, thar it is hard to de- termine which the Prophet means ; of all other I leaſt approve of that which Hierome makes the ſenſe, though the thing be true. (if we may believe Caſſodorws, and ſeveral natural Hiſtorians, Aldrovan- aus, &c.) That Partridges have ſuch a love and defire to hatch young ones, that having loſt their own Eggs, they will ſteal the Eggs of other Partriadges and hatch them, which Birds being hatch ed, the young ones knowing the cry of their proper Dams, hearing them call, leave the Parrr:age that hatched them; ( which is one thing quoted by Aldrovanaus to ſhew the ſagaciry of that Bird ) but if this were the ſenſe the words would be as the Partridge fit= teth on Eggs, and hatcheth them, but enjoyeth them not, whereas they are, hatcherh them not ; that is,having loſt them either by ſome Man that hath taken them from her, or by ſome Yermine or wild Beaſt, r So he that g=tteth an Eſtate by oppreſſion or any cozenage or un- righteous Actions, ſhall loſe it again before he cometh to die, and "when he comes to die, ſhall underſtand what a Fool he was to take lo wuch pains to no more purpoſe. : 12 \ A glorious high chrone from the beginning, #5