gqgTteous JVlan.r gain. 3 And the other Complaint he cakes up over the Living, choie that are living(( and furvive them, they care not though Heaven and Earth be mingled together,l hough they lofe all their props, whereby theEarth is fupported, They never cox- liner it. I begin with the firfl of there. And that is ; The fiat part 7 hecomplaint that is taken up over the Righteous mane departure. ofthe Text. In that I confider two things; Firfl, look co the meaning of the words, The meaning And then fee, what were the motives that made the Prophet take up this corn- ofthewords. oint and Lamentation: That whereas others wanted it, the Prophet fhould fup.. ply ic, and fhould give teftimony to their departure; The Eigbteoees are taken ,wad. Ertl for the meaning of the words. It is a Propofition, and there are three parts of it. The fubjeéh of the Propofition, Merciful men. The Pfediear, s.4re taken away. The Affix annexed ro ir, From the evil to come. Briefly, lock upon the.meaning of all theft, and they will all afford us tome in- aruetion. The Ertl is the fubjetl of this Propofition ; It is Paid here ( and it varieth from the former )Merciful men. A man would wonder why he fhould alter the liile, except is were, becaufc the Spiric of God delighteth to fee out godly men, according to the multitude of their Titles, The righteous and merciful men : Otherwife the fame term might have been kept in the laetet parr, for they are both the fame in effect. He that is a merciful man, is a Righteous man, and he that is Rigbtereau will be merciful: Yet the Prophet varieth it, R.ighteotu menperifh, andmerciful menare taken away. There is fome fpecial reafonof the variation. I conceive it is oneof theft three, or all. The fief+ reafon why heufeth this word(merciful men) in the latter part is. For the greater Conviction of their flupidity. They were fach as were not affehted with thecondition, or lofs ofrighteous and holy men ; nay, they were fo fl upied, that theywere not affected with thelofs of mercifulmen, that is more. If there were any fenfe of piety that fhould for Gods caufe grieve at the lofs of godly men : But if their wereany fenfe of their own good, there fhould be grief for the lofs of merciful men. Generally (if it be poffible to ferve them) the world hash more mifs of merciful men, than of righteousmen: Every man (houldmourn for their departure, and mils :hem, though piety and righteoufnefs may go unmourned for. But thefe were come to that flupidicy, that they had no fight nor fenfeof their own good: Being a merciful man,it is likely there were manynaked that he had cloathed,, many flarved Souls that he had fed ; therewere parched Bowels that he had fimpa- thined with, he ufed to mourn with chafe that mourn, to lament with chofe that lament. Many Interpreters would have it fpoken, that lfaiab laid this ofhimfelf, n regard of the Perfecution that he fuffered, (he was taken away by the Saw:) sut whether it were of one merciful man, or of all, a manwould think that mer- ciful men (hould go out of the world without Mourners: There are Orphans Ind Widows, that will mourn for merciful men, that havebeet relieved by them. Yet this flupidicv fo benumned them, in their own fenfes they were fo frozen, -hat they had no fimpathy at all, neither refpect topietyor mercy : R. ghteous men' are taken away, and they looked not on that fide, Mercifulmen are taken aways snd they looked not on that fide neither. So it is an agravation of their flapi- dity. Secondly; another realms why he varieth the word, Righteous men firfi, and merciful men after, is this; To thew howmuch god honoureth the works of mer- cy. Though it be a glorious tide,( A righteous man) yet the Spiritof God willnot et him gowithout another title, A merciful man. Rigbteoufnefs is belt known o God, but Mercifeilne(s to men. vYtercifulnefs is an evidence of piety and godlinefs, t. Of she fubjeft: Mer- ciful men.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=