760 Chap. 3 x. !In Expofttion open the Took of J o a. Vert 39. the fruit of your land without money, when you unduely with- hold(thoughbut a mite)what is due to there whohave laboured for it. fobit feemes was fo tender in this poynt that he could not eate a morfel of bread while be thought the labourer was ian. payd. If 1(faith he) bave eaten the fruit thereofwithout woneis Or have eaufed the owners thereof to loafe their life. There is fome difficulty in there words. Two things are chicle- ly enquired for the right underftandingof theta. F,rft; who are meant by there owners of the land. Secondly, what is meant by looting their life. Theword which wetrantlate owners, may beexp .ended three wayes. Firft, Some take it, for the former poff.fTors, or propricters Locupleten qui As if fob had fayd, I have not come to the poff..fiìon of my !and foe mercede by undoing and ruining thofe chat were rightly pofffled ofir. jráudant, colo. Secondly, Others underfand by owners the lhbourers, who nos riooc; ntumt having a right to the wages which they have earned by their Terre ¡'offI rs) works, are here called owners or Motie,-.r of the lard, becaufe fo forri es June, farre as their labour comes to, they ought rohove a livelyhood non /ècrsr ac fi out of it, as well as the proper owners or Land-lords. exa oenir agrir Thirdly , Say force, thee owners are the poore, the hanger, f act e- the widdow, and the fatherleffe, who allo may be called owners our f soda de- + cerperenr.Merl: ofthe rich mans land, becaufe a fhare is due to them, as Solomon Indigenter vo fpeakes expreffely ( `Pro: 3. 27.) Withhold not good from them to can:ur ',VD whom it is due, we put in the Margin, The owners thereof, which bo.t7 domino cannot with any congruity of kneebe meant of thofe who were boot. legal and proper owners, becaufe'tis cleare ( from the fcope of the place ) that the admonition is given to, not concerning filch owners ; who yet ought to know that even the pooreare owners and Matters of a part with them, and that they ought not to de- ny them a part, when (as that Scripture concludes) it k in the power oftheir hand to doe it that is, when they have Tome over- plus of eftate by them which they may (asoccafon offers it felfe) expend upon charitableufes. The poore have a right in charity to the pof l ffiions ofthe rich ; and though when the rich will part with nothing to them, the !awes ofmen fbould takeno hold of it, yet the lawofGod doth ; that will certainly cafe and condemns fuch narrow-hearted and clofehanded rich men as having
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