Oyi$ Chap.31. An Expojition upon the Book of Io n Verf.33, ved or perfwaded me to fpre and bring)thern, and I was over- wrought by their perfwafi on. So/ was King, it was Soh place tocommand and the peoples to obey but he was willing to fpeake ofhimfelfe as obeying the peop:e, that he might excite his owne fin in difobeyingGod. It wasthe perfwading voyce of the people which prevailed with him, and by that he tboualst himfelfe exorable, yea and flood it out a great while with Sa. :fusel ( v. 20,21. ) Ihave (faith he ) obeyed the voyce ofthe Lord, andhavegone the way which the Lord font me, and have brought digag the king of Atvelek, and have utterly defiro_yed the "¡male- kites. But the people toeize of the fpoyle, &c. to facrifice unto the Lord thy godin As ifhe had fayd, Why deft thoucharge this finfoflrifily upon nse ; ifthe ail be evil/ , yet it can fcarce be called mine, Ididit at thedefire ofthepeople, Ionly yeilded to them, & wet born down by their importunity.And el us Aaelio,the High- Prieft being challenged by Mg/es for making the golden Calle Exod. 32. 2, r. ) put it upon the people ( v. 22.) 4.4nd Aaron jayei, let not the anger ofmy Lord wax bot : thin this peo- ple, that they are fee on milchiefe ; for'they ['aid unto me , make au Oswhich fball goe before us for 4,1 for ¡leis (Moles, wee tv.t not what is become of him : As if Aaronhad fayd, 7b fin is theirs, and ut: n:ine, not my will, but their wtkfull.0ffe which forged ¡hit Calfe. Againe, when Pilatehad awarded an unjufl fentence againft Chrift, it feemes his confcience checked him for it, yet he had this helpe, this plaifter for the fore, he hoped to eafe him(eife by calling it upon the people, and therefore ( Math:. 27.24.) he called for water, and wafhed his hands, by which ceremony, he would declare his oxne integrity, laying, Lew inte,cent of the bloodo f this jufl per/on, fieye to it ;I have condemned him indeed; but ít was upon your perfwafion. Thus we fee, how Adam firft, and the fons of Adam all along have taken up this plea But was Adam excufed, becaufe he finned by the perftvalioreof his wife ? was Saul acquitted, beeanfe he difobeyed God upon the perfwa- lion of the peop!e ? was Aleasr held faultleffe, becaufe he mace the Calkupon the urgency ofthe Ifraelites ? or Pilate, becaufe hecondemned Chrift upon the out-cry of the fewer ? were any ofthere held guiltlafs as to their tranfgreffions; becaufe they bad this plea, the importunity ofothers? TheScripture tells us thefe were coverings too fhort and too narrow tohide their tranfgref- lions ;
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