374 OfEM/ion. ~~------~--------------- ~ 1. ~· who accordlflg to hi4 tJbtmd,mt mercy, hr~th 6egottm H4 agai!l, unto Like : BooK IV. And Oh! Blefl our God yt ptople, which holdrth our So11/s in Life: So the ~ Pfalmift here: Yea, if we do narrowly eye the words in either, both Peter and the P!almifl do blefs God for both at once: Ble!Ted be God for begmi11g Ul: Who'"' .'J/jo kept 6y tht power rf God: So it follows in Pettr : In the Pfalmifl, both are comprehended in this one word: s. Which [ptiflrth J out Souls in Life: [So the margents, out of the Hebrew:] that is, who puts Li:e into your Souls at the fir!t, as he did into Ad,•m, when he made him a l.ving Soul: 2. And then, which holdrth, that, is continueth our Sol1ls in that Life: So the Tranflators render it alfo, accordi~ to the Pfalmifis $cope: And Ob 1Blejf tbe Lotd, faith the Pfalmi!l there; for thefe, and both thefe. This P(alm is fuppofed to have been penned by fome holy Prophet, upon occa!ion of God's prefervation of his People under the great Trials they under– went from the B,,byloma~s, and under that Captivity. And this holding their Souls in life, may be under!\ood in two rc– fpeds: 1, As refpeding 6od1/y Life, and the concernments of it, continued all along from great dangers that m1ght have come upon them from lo cruel an Enemy. 2. In relation unto the fpirituallife of Grace in their Stuls, (which is and was to them the infinitely far greater Mercy of the two; ) And this life, as preferved in the want of Ordinances, and living in the mid{\ of an Heathen J. dolatrous Nation, a"d a wicked Generation ruling over them. And the hazard of the extindion of either, and their Trials and Temptati– ons in both rcfpeds, is reprefented here to have been very great: For, 1.He compares them unto the trial whrre6y Silwr is tried; which Phrafe is uf~d to exprefs the foarefi of Trials; Ezek. 22. 22. As filver is melted i11 tht midfl of tht Fur11ace, fo jhalt )'t 6e melted i11 the midfl thereof; a11d )'' {ball kllOW that I tht Lord havt pourtd out my f11r~ upon ) 'Ott. Yea, when our trials are of a leffer fort and degree, and more tolerable, they are laid to be, not tJ4 jilwr, or with filver, Ifai. 48. 10.- 2. They arc further fee out in Vtrjt 11. Thott haf16ro11ght us into the Nrt, thou hafllaid a.ff/Jt]JoiJ up– Oil our loins : that is, the affiidion God laid on their loins, was as a Net, that encompaffed them round, wherein they had lain tcl1ing and tumbling, l1ke Bulls in a Ntt, (a• the Prophets phrafe is, I{ai. 51. 20.) and found oo way out whereby to efcape, 3• He caufedmtn to ridt ovtr thrir htads, ver(e 12. that is, th~y were in amanner perfed llaves, at the will and pleafuro of wick· ed and cruel men, their Enemies; for by that very Phrafe isJiavery exprr!Ted: For the manner was to ufe Slave• thus, to carry them on their necks and backs, as riders on them, refling themft!ves meon while ever their heads; 1(,1i. 5t, 23. Bt111 will p11t it into tht handof thrm thflt a.f!Mlrher: which have [aid to thy Soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and tho11 hafllaid thy kody as the ground, andas the flrret to thtm th~t Wellt OVfr. 4• There was a great variety of fuch porils, and not only of feveral, but of contrary forts; vtrfe 11. we went through fire a11d water; <it her of which lingle and alone, when but one of thefe befall men, note out extremity of evils. Thus throttgh walrr, Pfal. 6g. 1, 2. Save mt, 0 God, for the watrrs are come tip– on my [ot~l. I jiuk indftpmirt, whrre there istJO flarJdiug; I am come into thedupwaters, where/be ftoodsovtrf/owmt, Or through/ire; Ezek. '5·7· And I will {et myface agaiuflthem, that they jhaltgo 0111 from one firt, and another {irtjbalt dwour them, a!ld.)'t jhall know that I am the Lord, whm I jtl myfact ag"i•iflthtm. But when through both fuccefJively, one after 1hc other, this notes out an Accumulation of miferies or trials indeed ; as we read lfi•i. 4~· 2. wiih God's Promife to his People in fuch Cenditions: U'hw thc11 taJTeflthrougb the water, l wilt /;e withthu; and through the rivers, they fb 11/ 11ot overft;wthee; whm thou walk~flthrough the fire, thott jb,llf'Jot h bNrnt, neither jht~lt the ff,•m• kindle upon thee. Which Promife is here, you fee, acknowledged by the PF•Irnifl, to have been performed. God was" itl1 the three Children when they watktd thrortgh the fire, in the very letter ~f l{ai:1h'•
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=