43o Verf. 18. An Expofition upon the Bookof j" O P. Chap.,, .flannah.in her long, r Sam. í. 9.) Jhall be filent indarknefs ; The ' wicked will tin while they have any light to fin by, therefore God puts out their candle, and fends them down into darknefs, and there they will be quiet, The wicked (hall be filent in darl,,nef , Theywill fin against the light ofthe Word, as Iong as they enjoy the light of the World,and do the works of fpiritual darknefs,till they are ahut up in penal darknefs. It follows, There theprifoners ref} together, they hear not the voyce of the op. preffor. Here is another fort, TheprifHers.] The word is, thofe that are bound: And thefe prifonersmay be of two forts. Firff, Slaves and captives, who arc under hard task-maffers, fuch as let them to hard labour; or men that are indebt, and put into prifon by cruel creditors : Prifoners in either ofthefe refpc s are at reef, or they tea together in the grave ; when they have payd that debt to Na- tute,all their other debts are difcharged ; death is their debt to Na- ture,and when they have payd that debt, they_(faithlob) receive an Acquittance, (a quietus eft) they reff together, when they have done that work, the work of dying, poor captives and prifoners have doneall, and payd all. Jr is added, They hear not the voyce of the opprefr. 7 The word which we tranfate an Oppreffor, fignifieth by violence to corn- pel one to work, or to pay a debt ; So the Task -matters, Exod. 5. are faid to compel the people with violence to go on about the work. The fame word fignifieth both an Exaeloand an Oppref for ; An Exactor of Debt, an Exador of Tribute, an ExaóÌ or of Labour; in all thefe wayes the word is ufed : and becaufe thofe three, (Tribute,.Debt and Labour) are demanded many times a- gaintf Right andEquity, often with much violence and cruelty, therefore the word lignifies alto an Oppreffor; Exa6ion is alwayes within a lfep of Oppretlion,and is often put for the fame ; and be- caufe Oppreffors ufe bitter words, and hard fpeeches, wounding with their tonguesas much as with their hands , therefore poor prifoners dying, are laid to be freefrom the voyce of the Oppreffor : 'Poor prifoners hear not the voyce of the Oppreffor in the grave; there they arc beyond the found, andout of the hearing of thofe vexing, railing Task-matters, or'exa:ingCreditors. Hence ob- fcrve,, first, That an effate ofbondage is a miferable,refflefeffate. There thepri- fohers
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=