Chap. 18. An Expofitienupon the Book, of Jo B. Vert. 13. 8 r extraordinary death, for an extreame bitter death ; For as it is among our children, there is the firft-borne, the eldeft, and then the younger, as they ftand in their degree but among them all, the firft-borne is chiefe ; fo here, That death which among all other deaths is the chiefeft, fuch a death is thefirfl-borne of deatb, and fuch a death ¡hall feaze upon the wicked man. And hence alto Mr. Broughton (as I conceive) avoyding the letter of the Originali ( which he feldome doth, yet here he doth it,) inftead of the.farfl-borne of death, faith, aorange death fhgll Bate thebran- ches ofbis body. And we finde inScripture this ufage ofthe word Sriptrna ob applyed toothers, inwhom there is an eminency, or a high de- 7itiorúmrpm - gree in any kinde though not literally the firft-borne, becaufe ailsfitiú privi- the firft-borne bath the preheminence above the reft ofhis Bee- legia vocarefo- thren ; as acob faith ofReuben,his reali firft-borne ; Thou art my let pritrogenitïe might,and the beginning ofmy firength,&c. And the Law provided, qurequrd to fus that a double portion íhouldbe given to the firft-borne yea geceat.a1Boida though he lay under force accidentali difadvantages, ( Deut, Zr., 17.) He "hall act; nowledge the Son of the hatedfor the firfi-borne, by giving him animble of all that he hath;though he werea fon ®fa wife that he hated, yet this mutt not be pleaded as a bar to his priviledge. Though the mother was hated, yet the fonnemuff be honoured. Where note (by theway) that he fpeakes compara- tively ofhatred, that is, though the were a wife whom her huí band did not love with ftrength ofaffee`tion, yet if fhe bath borne hirni his ftrength, his firft-borne, he mutt acknowledge his right, by giving him a double portion. According to this Analogy we are to underftand the Prophet Ifaiah fpeaking ofthe firff-borneof the peore,(Chap.i4.z9, 3o) Rejoyce not thou whole Paleflina , be- caufe the rodof him that fmote thee is broken ; for out ofthe Serpents roste (hall come forth a Ccckatrice, andhisfruit /hall be afiery flying Serpent,and the firfi-borne of the poore lhall feed:, and the needy "ball lye downe infafety. The firfl-borne of thepoore, is not to be inter- preted oftheeldeft fonofthe poore , but by the firfl-borne of the poore, the Prophet means thole who were molt poore, extreme- ly poore, thofe who were fo farre from having a double portion ofworldly things, that they had no portion at all. Or they are called thefirft-borne of the poore, becaufe theyhad onely a double portion of want and poverty, or were opprefÍed under the very ftrengthofit. l'vf Now,
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