k The Law of God is called often a Covenant, becauſe it contai. neth the will of God which he w-u'd have then do,- ro which ( whether they expreſs their conſent orno) they are bound to con- ſent and agree. But to the Fews all Gods Laws given on Mount Sinaz were a formal explicite Tovenint, Godexplicitly teiling them what he would have them to do, and they as explicitly promſing they would do it, Exod: 24. 3. {Here was a double aggravation of their ſin, in breaking this Covenant made between God and chem, 1. From the conſideration of God's kindneſs, in bringing them our of Ezypr. 2, Frem the conſideration of their having been Bond-men in Egy>*, which ſhould have taught them to krow the Hearts of Bondmen, ſo as to have compaſſionared them whom they kept in the like diſtreſs in which they bad been themfelves,and from which God had delivered them. We ſtand concerned to remember the Vows we make to God in our diſtreſs, for God will nor forget them, Gen: 35. 1. asalſoro compaſſionate them, »who fall into the ſame Diſtreſſes that we have been in, and out of which God hath ſaved us. God expeCteth that we ſhould ſhew the ſame compaſſion to others, Matth: 18. 33.
I4 At the end of ſeven years, Jet ye go every man
thee; and when he hath ſerved thee ſix years, thou (halt let him go free from thee 2: but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear ».
4 = This is but a Repiricion of the Law, Exod: 21.2. Deut: ig. 12
which concerned ſuch Perſons as were ſold by others, or had ſold themſelves. God would not have his People take advantage of the ſudden and raſh a&s of their Brethren, which were the effe&s of Paſſion. » Notwithſtanding this Law the Jews who were always a very covetous griping People, did otherwiſe.
15 And ye were + now turned o, and had done right
in my ſight, in proclaming liberty every man to his
in the houſe + which is called by my name 9.
Servants. q And you male a covenant 1n my Preſence to that purpoſe, and that in the Temple, where ir ſeemerh this Covenant wag
made.
16 But ye turned, and polluted my name r, and cau- ſed every man his ſervant and every man his handmaid, whom be had ſet ar liberty at their pleaſure to return, and brought them into ſubjeion, ro be unto you for ſervants and for handmaids s.
r You again licked up your Vomit, and profaned my Name ſwearing by it to do that which you have nor done, and / forced your Servants, though diſmiſſed, to return again unto their former Bondage and ſubj:&tion to you.
17 Therefore thus ſaith the LORD, Ye have not hearkend unto me in proclaiming liberty every one to ' his brother,and every manto his neighbour z: behold,
| T proclaim a Liberty for you, faith the LORD to the ſword, and to the peſtilence, and to the famine, and T will make you F to be * removed, into all the king-
neighbour p, and ye had made a covenant before me ;
|| Or, Berk
his brother an Hebrew, which hath been ſold || unto ſold kimſe
t Heb.
AYs Heb?
whereupoti
0 That is, reformed in this particular, in which you had done my name the thing which I command you. p prochiming a liberty to your is called:
doms of the earth «. + Heb, fir ; They had turned and given a liberty, ver: 20s how doth God "ano ' ſay here they had not ? So God accounteth none to have done 6 —_ s
thoſe good aQts, which they do ina fit, or meerly to ferve them- ſclvesof God ; he ſaith, they had nor done it, becauſe they did not perſiſt to do ir, in tuch a caſe Mens Righteouſneſs ſhail by God
never be remembred,but they ſhall die in the fins they have come» mitted.
29. 21.
PEeY
OO A TS Na it", ET WE TOELS
Ch
®
33» i6.
—_
EO OT Rena is nr EAT Ls
Chap. XXXV.
witred. u Seeing you have refuſed to manumiſe your Servants at my command, I will manumiſe you, and fer you free from my prqteGion and care, You ſhill periſh by the Sword, Famine and Peſtilence, and thoſe of you who eſcape rhem,ſhill ſee how pleaſant a thing it is to be Slaves, and in Servitude, for you ſhall be ditper- ſed in many Nations ; and be Servants to the Rulers of them.
18 And I will give the men that have tranſgeſſed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant, which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain,and paſſed between the parts there- of w.
w This was a Ceremony which they uſed in making of Cove-
nants,not without ſomething ofa Warrant from a Divine Preſidenr, Gen. 15.9, 10. It is ſaid ver: 19. That ſame Day the Lord made a Covenant with Abraham (C that Covenant was a Promiſe that Aran ham's Seed ſhould poſſeſs the Lind of Canaan) Yer. $8. Abraham ſaid unto God, Whereby jball [know thas I ſhall inherit it, V.r, 9, God bids him take an heifer of three years old, and a ſhe-got of three years old, and a ram of three years old, &c. Ver: 10. it is ſaid, that he took them, and divided them in the midſt, and laid each piece one aga:nſt another. In- deed we read nothing there of the Parties Covenaating, paſling be- twixt the parts of the Beaſts ſo divided, but this was afterwards uſed in making Covenants b?twixt Men, which had in it a ſecret impre- cation or wiſhing that they might be cut in pieces like thoſe Beaſts, if they did not keep the Covenants which they made. Ir ſhould ſeem that theſe Jews in the making of their ſolemn Promiſe or Co- venant with God abour releafing their Servants uſed this Rite; they cauſed a Calf, or Heifer to be cut in pieces, and the parts to be laid in the Temple right over againſt one another, then they recited this Covenant, and in the way of a ſolemn Promiſe, or confirmati- on of their Reſojution ro make their promiſe good, they paſled be- ewixt the parts of tie Calf, or Heiter ſo cur; fileatly agreeing that God ſhould cut them in pieces like that Beaſt if they did not make their words good. Hence is the Hebrew phraſe of cutting a Covenant, for making it. This was a Ceremony ordinarily uſed alſo amongſt the Heathens, as we are informed by Cicero, Livy,and others.
19 The princes of Judah, and the princes of Jeruſa- lem, the eunuches, and the Prieſts, and all the people of the land, which paſſed betwixt the parts ofthe calf.
20 I will even give them into the hand of their ene- mies, and into the han. of them that ſeek their life,and their * dead bodies ſhall be for meat unto the fowls of
the Heaven, and to the beaſts of the earth x