Darziel underſtinding by books the time of the captivity, mabeih corfeiſion of ſins, prayeth for the reſiauration of Feruſalem, 1 Ig, Gavriel informeth him of the 70 weeks ; ar the end whereof deliverance fooul.! be wrovchr by the Meſſiah, 20 27.
DANDTELDT.
*Ch-1-21.3 JIN the firſt year x of * Darius the ſon of Ahaſue- - - _ rus, of the ſced of + the Medes y, || which was made "arty king over the realm of the Chaldeans z ;
17
11 Or. in X Thatis, immediately after the Overthrow of the Kingdom of Ba- which he, bylon, which was allo the Year of the Fews Deliverance from their 70 &c, Years Captivity, theretore punctually here {et down. The Lord hath carefully recorded the ſeveral Periods of Time that relate to his Church, and the fignal Providences both of Mercy or Judgment exerciſed to wards it : for hereby God 15 glorified in the fignal diſplaying of his Attributes, and the Saints Graces exerciled, eſpecially Faith and Pati- ence, by calling to mind what God ati doae in time paſt, Pjal, 77. £, 6,7. y This Darius was not Darius the Perfiay, unler whom the Temple was built, as Pory{yrius would have it, that thereby he might perſwade unlearncd Men that Dariz! lived long after the time that he did live in. Therefore this is called Darzus the Mede, and by the
Greeks culled Cyaxares, 2 Ani this is confirmed by Xenophon. 2 In the firſt yer of ks raign, 1 Daniel underſtood by books a the number of the years, whereot the word * Jer. 25-of the LORD came to * Jeremiah the prophet, thar 12-X©29- he would accompliſh ſeventy years in the deſolations of
ICs
Jeruſalem b. | 4 By ſacred Books, both of Feremy the Prophet, 5 er. 25. 11, 12: and 29» 1c. fo allo the Pentateuch, which he had, as 13 plain, v-r. 19, 31, 12, *2, &c. by which we ſee this great Prophet did nit dildain to ſtudy the Word of God, and the . tatz of the Churci of ull, tho gh he had the Converſe ad Revelation of Angel, and though he was in 2 Heathen Court, and in h gh Office. which required great Attendance. b Fer. 7. 34. and 22.5. and 25. 15. 3 T And | ſet ;ny tice unto the Lord GOD, to ſecz by prayer and ſujpplicaticns, with taſting, and ſackcloth, and aſhes c. c Obſerve two things. 1. That d:ep revolting and deep Affffiidti- ons call for dzep ani folema Humiliation. 2. God's Decrees and Promiſes do not excuſ* ns from Duty and i'rayer, but include it and re- quir? it, God will b; inquired 0: ior thoſe things which he hath pur- poſec and promiſed tv give his People, Ez-t. 36.37. And if it be ob- jefted by any, (as it is by Calovius) that Gud's both Threats and Pro- miles are ablolute and not Hypcthetical,as they will prove by Fer. 25. II, 12, and 29. 10+ It's anſwered, that, 1. Though it be ſpoken pe- remp! orily and abſolutely, yet uot without a tacit Condition and ſe cret Reſerve in God, For. 3.4. 2 God often ſpeaks poſitively,to put Sinn:rs in the more awe ot his Judgments, and to drive them to Re- pentance, Fer.18. 7, $,9,10- 23. It God give a Reaſon of his Threat- ning, viz. becauſe they have deſpiſed his Word, and abuſed his Pati- Ence, 2 Chron.3 6. 15,16. Luke 19. 42,43, 44+ then the Threat is ab- ſolute. 4. And it God add upon his Threatnings ſuch Words as theſe, 1 will not hear yu, pray not for 1hs Pcovle, of which we have many In ſtances, then it's peremptory. $5. When the Threat and the Judg; ment threatned is the Fruit of God's Decree, then it is irreverſab/c ; not elſe, Mind all theſe Rules wcll in this Cafe,
4 And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made
* Deut. 7-my confeſſion d, and ſaid, O * LORD, the great and 0 1s, dreadful God, keeping the covenant e, and mercy 50 & 5. 32, them that love him, and to them that keep his command - ments -
d By this it appeareth, 1, He prayed m Faith, to the true. God,
and his God. 2. He made Contetfion of Sin when he prayed tor Deli-
verance becauſe hereby he juſtified God in the Captivity of his Pcople.,
3. He knew if God vouchlafed Pardon of vin, upon this Contcfhon,
that would be a {ure Foundation of future Mercy. 4. He ſet down
Abuſe of Ambaſſadors hath by the Law of Nations ever been high'y
i1clented ; 2 Sam. 10. and 12. 29, 3O, ZI. 7 O LORD , righteouſneſs || belongeth unto thee 19, but unto vs confuſion of faces, as at this day ; to the tet;
men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jeruſyem and unto all Iſrael that are near, and that are far
through all the countreys whither thou haſt driven then ?
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becauſe of their treſpaſs that they have treſpaſled zgaing: thee.
8 O LORD, to us belongeth confuſion of face, to or kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, becauſe we haye
ſinned againſt thee z.
z Here the Prophet, after he had arraigned himſelt and his Pegyje upon their Guilt, paſſeth Judgment, for in this caſe every true Peg;. tent fits in Judgment, and proceeds judicially, that is, ſolemnly ang impartially; 1 Cor. 11. 31. for he judgeth for God, and proceed; ac. cording to God's Law,and Conſcience is Witnels © and this God takes notice of, and takes w-1l, for it prevents his judging of us, See 2 Cyr, 7. Ii, and is a true Sign of true Repentance.
9 To the LORD our God beloug mercies and forgive. neſles k, though we have rebelled againſt him 1.
þ How did God ſhew himſelf merciful, when he puniſh-d them ſeverely ? Anfw. 1+ becauſe it was leſs than their Sin deſerved, for jt was Rebellion. 2. Becauſe ti:z-ir Puniſhm=-nt was God's Chaſtiſement which to his People is an Att of Love and Mercy, as ye ſee, eb, 12, 6, 7.8,9. 3+ Becaufe God preſerved them in their Captivity, an
delivered them from it. / They therefore that yray to God under their Sin and Miſrry,muſt eye God's Mercy's as well as his Juſtice, P/al;1,, an1 130. 4. For as the one doth caſt them down, ſo the other bears them up, and gives them Hope, or elſe we might be ſwallowed up of too much Sorrow and Deſpair, 2 Cor, 2. 7. 11. wherein Satan would be too hard for us, as well as in Dedolency or want of godly Sorroy, 10, Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORY our God, to walk in his laws which he ſet before us his ſervants the prophets m.
m (1.) To be large in Confeſſion of Sin, eſpecially in a Day of Kr. miliation, is no vain Repetition, for we offend commonly in being ſlight and pcrfunQory in our Confeſſions ; and God will have all au, and make us own it. (2.) It was God's Mercy not only to give ti; People a Law, which he did {olemnly by Moſes, but ſet it plainly ar