3© Chap. 244 .épi Expoftion upon the Book of J OB. Verf .o. e/Egypt,hecommanded them ro bemuttered or numbred (117ùm. 1, 2, 3.) Thus alto when they returned from the Babylonian Captivity,they were numbred againe (lice. Chap. 2 Neh.Chap. 7) Now thofe records in which their names were written, are conceived to be thewritings of the h oft of Ifrael menioned in this 13Th ofEtekiel,as al io, rk..e Bool¿cf the living or to lfe, in the fourth ofl¡aiah, at loft that both there Scriptur.s allude to thofe records.And it was the cuttorneof the 7eepes,that when any of them a&ed wickedly,his namewas rafed out of those records as unworthy to be remembred among the people of Cod, and was looked upon as a dead man, yea as a damned man, who bath no name in the booke of life fo often mentioned in Scripture, or whole name might be Paid to be blotted out of it. From all which it appeares how great a curie it is to he no more remembred, with refpedf and honour, which lob affirmes (hail be the conditionofwicked men. Which he further confirmes in the lati claufe of theverfe. 11ndwickedne fefh2ll be broken as a tree. Here the abftfst& (as elfewhere frequently in Scripture) is put for the concrete, That man who obtinately perfeveres in fin, is not only wicked, but wickedneffe it felfe. (` )cal. 107. 42.) All iniquityfhalflopher mouth, that is, filch men as are full ofiniqui- ty, chill have nothing ro fay or obje& àgainft the righteous deal- ings ofGod, but (hall be fi lent in darkenes. So ( jib 3 5. 13. ) men extreamely vaine are called vanity, and we dually call crafty mencraft,covetous men covetoufneffe, and proudmen are called pride ; Soa man much given to peace, is in Scripture language called peace, (T¡al.120 7.) I am peace,or Ipeace,but they snake themfelvei readyfor warre. They who are much carryed to or in any thing,are fometimes called by thename ofthat thing,or they take the tame of it upon themfelves. Thus David fpake(Pf 1 og; 4.1, For my love they are myadverfaries het ¡give my felfe to prayer; The Hebrew is. Iprayer. David was fo much fit upon prayer, that he wasprayer it felfe ; anda wickedman is fo let up. on wickedneffe,that he is wiekednetfe it felfe. Wickednef eJ. ll be broken as a tree. What tree ? TheText determines nor,but fpeakes indefinitely, as
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