Chap. 3, AnExpofition upenthe BookofJ OB. Verf, 15. 4t7 as well as Princes that put their treafure into their Tombs with them. That it was.a caflom to put in much treafure into Tombs , is obferved by Jofepbus in his r 3.Book ofAntiquitie.r,and r 5.Chap< jofeph.l 13. ter, [hewing how Hircanus opened David: Sepulchre, and took Antiq.c:+5 -& outthree thoufand Talents : And in his id. Book. Chap. i 1. he 1.1(5. c. z s. notes, that afterwardHerod opened the Sepulchre of David, and thought to have found a great deal of treafure there , but found only fome precious garments, &c. And the ftory is famous out of Herodotus concerning Semiramis , That the havingbuilt a (lately Tomb, makes this Infcription upon it, Whatfoever King fball Hercdot.1-a. fumedhere, and wants money, let himopen this Tomb, andhe [hall bave enough to ferve his turn; Which Darius in after -ages be- ing in fireights for want of treafure attempting to -do, inllead of money found only this Reproof written and laid up there; Vnlefs thou hadff been extreamly covetous , and greedy of filthy lucre,, thou wouldit not have opened the graves of the dead to feeI,for money. The Lord threatens by the Prophet Jeremy, that the,Chaldeans (hall bringout the bones of the King of Judah, and the bones of his Princes, and the bonesof the Priefts , and the bones of the Prophets, &c. out of their graves, Chap. 8.- r. It is conceived , that the Reafon why the Chaldeans.dig'dup and raked in the graves-of the Jews, was.not fo much from cruelty as from covetoufnefs; they having heard that the Jews ufed toput rich ornaments upon the dead, or riches into their graves with them. Or this might be, as a jut' punifhment of that greedinefs after gain, fo eminent in the Jews, that the Prophet in the very Chapter where this is threatened, chargeth them thus, verf. a o. Every one from the leaf[ to the greateft, is given to covetouf ofe Thusit is clear,that there was a cuff= to put riches and treafure into thegrave with the dead , to which jobmight allude in this place. So -much for the opening of thewords from the fence given. Obferve, firfl, That neither, power, nor wifdom, nor riches, are anypriviledge at all againft the ftro1 e of death. Here are Kings, men that have great power ; Counfeilors , men full of wifdom-; Princes that have riches fo muchgold that they can fluff their graves with it, yet three cannot defend themfelves againfl death : Death will not obey the.Authority of Kings, nor loth it fear their frowns ; the H h h
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=