782 .. Chap. 34. An Expoftion upon the Book of ] ® B. Verf.30. better, then for the enfnaring of the. people ? A hypocrite is of a private fpirir, he is all for himfelf, and therefore mot} unfit for publick truft. We may fay of the hÿpoerire, as the Prophet (Ezrk, t -5. 3.) of the Vine, Shall wood be taken thereofto do any work? or, will men take aproof it, tohang a veffel thereon ? No, it is not fitfor that mean purpofe or fervice, ,much leis would a man take a Vine to hew a beam or a pillar for ahouf: out of ir. Magifirates, are aspillars of the houfe,or like great beams,to hold up and fallenall the hypocrite isfo far from being fit Timber to make apillar of the houle, thathe is not fit tomake apin to hang a veflel on upon the wall. Power is never fo improperly employed as in riskingfnares, and yetthat's the ufual employment or improve- ment which hypocrites, high or low, put it to. ur regflare I have thus far opened the Texr, and given thefe Notes from ficit hominem ir, according to our reading ; yet before I pats from it I fhall hypocritam minde you of another reading or verfion of this wholeverfe, propret offendi-which carryeth the fencequite into another channel. Thus cula populi. who (meaningGod) makeíh (or fuffereth at leali) thehypocrite, Vulg. to rei3ne becaufe of the offences or finsof the.people. The Chaldee Conflituens re, geai hominem Paraphrafe, the Septuagint, and Vulgar Latine agree in this, and delatorern pro- the,dependance (for clearingofit) may be made out thus. pterfcandala Elihu having (hewed in the 29thverfe, that if Godgiveth qui- in populo. etnejy none can make trouble and that if he hidethhis face, none Nonid, can behold him whether it be donea ain a Nation or a ain t`I9nfuntitare g g ptgnantes hæ a reranonly, proceeds inthis verfe to thew the jut/ice of Ç"od in interpretatio, punishing the people, by putting power into thehypocrites hand. nes,quin una The learned Mercer, I grant, is not fatisfied with this ren- exginger um- dying as not being fo futable to the Grammatical conftru6lionof fequatur.Alamfr n> non finit Doue the HebrewText ; yet,holding the fir(}, he makes this as acon- diurius regnarefequent of it ; confeffing that it maybe taken in this fente ; That hypocritam, thehypocrite reigne not who didonce reign, heckle ofthefins of the cette áliquan- people and fo it intimates the fins bothof the Prince and eo- drufinít ; dag' pie Thus both readings correfpond, and arenot repugnant but eirfmregesin P, n P . Tram. Merl. fubfervient to each other. For if God fuller not the hypocrite to reigne any longer, 'tis anargument that for a time he futfered him to reigne for the fins of the people, that is, tobe an infiru- ment of his wrath and vengeance upon them for. their fins. The fame word lignifies both a fnare, and fin a fnare fet by others, and an offenceor fincommitted by our felves; and well is may, feeing
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