g6 PROSOPOPEIA. Book I· J. When the Name of Virgin is attributed to the People of God, fame fay, it is with RefpeCI: to the true Worfhip of God, obferved by them, withoUt Corruption, be– caufe fuch as depart from its Purity, are called whcrijh and adulterous, upon which Jerome * fays, Sion and Jerufalem is therefore called a Virgin and Daughter, becaufe whm all other Nations adored Images or Idols, this alone preferved the Chaflity of Religion, and the Adoration of one Divinity,; but Drujius denies this (Lib. 16, obfer. Cap. 5.) from two Reafons, Firft, becaufe with RefpeCl: to Ifrael fi1e is rather called the Wife of God and when ilie worfi1ips other Gods, a Whore. Secondly, becaufe the Scriptures calls Ifrael a Virgin even when Ihe adores falfe Gods, Amos v. 2. and Ver. xviii. 13. '{he Vir– gin of Ifrael batb done a very horrible Thing, others and a third Reafon, becaufe Baby– Ion and Egypt are alfo called Virgins as before, which yet were full of Idolatry and Im– piety. But Drujius thinks ilie was called a Virgin before the Captivity; and was fo no more when ilie was fubjeeted to a ftrange Yoke. Brentiust fays, 'l'hnt Jerufalem was tailed a Virgin, either becaufe its Kingdom was a free Monarchy, and did not ferve any fo– reign King, but had a King of its own Nation, as a Virgin is not fubjefl to ·the Yoke of any Jlrang<' Nian : Or becatfe, as aVirgin yet untouched or uncorrupted by Man, the City Jerufalemwas notyetjpoiled by any E;zemy, nor her Citizens tranjlated elfewhere. But Dru– jius objeCts that Place, Jer. xviii. I·3· to himfelf, for Jeremy prophefied after the ten Tribes were carried away, and yet he calls lfrael a Virgin, which Doubt, fays he, may be refolved by underftanding by Virgin the People of the Jews, fo called in Specie, as not yet exhaufted by a total carrying away, as Verfe 11. But although this may fa– tisfy that Doubt, yet Lam. ii. I :J· ftrongly confutes this Interpretation of Drtjtus, where Jerufalemis called the Virgin anti Daughter of Sion after its total Deva(btion by rhe Ba– byloniatls. So that Virgin is put for the Congregation of the People, under what Cir– cumftance foever they were by a Profopopeia. And hence the Chaldee trannates it a Con– gregation, People or Kingdom. 2. By Ifrae/ we are to undedland the Land, and by Virgin or Daughter the Inhabitants, for the Ancients were wont to call their Country, their Mother. 6. The Scripture fpeaks of certain ACCIDEN'l'S, as if they were };felt, and had a Body, which Kind they call Somatopeia, as Gen. iv. 7· And if thou dojl not well, Sin lieth at the Door. Sin is here propofed as lying at the Door like a Night vVatchman; whereby is noted that a fure Puniiliment will follow ill-doing, as a vVatchman ileeps not, but obferves all Things' and difcovers what is evil or hurtful, in order to pu– niiliment. There are other Places where the Bad)•, as it were a Perfon, and its Actions are attri– buted to Sin, as !fa. lix. I2. Jer. xiv. 7· Afls vii. 6o. Rom. vi. 6. It is emphati– cally called the Body of Sin, becaufe it ftruggles with fo great Force, foliciting us ftrongly to do Evil, as if it were a living Body, or fomething exifting by itfelf. Rom. vii. 9· Sin revived and died. By the Knowledge of the Law, Sin is known, then Confcience makes a Man tremble, and a fearful Confternation follows, by which Man fees nothing before his Eyes, but eternal Death as the Reward of his Sin, for the Con– fideration of the Commandment broken by it, makes it exceeding finful, Verfe 13. And in the following Verfes it is brought in as a cruel Tyrant detaining the miferable Sinner c>ptive, dwelling in him, and warring againft the. Spirit, not that it will be a perpetual Conqueror in the Regenerate, for that will not be, Rem. vi. 6, I2, 14, &c. but for that unavoidable Repugnancy which naturally remains in the Fleili againft the Spirit, whilft the Regenerate Man lives in this Life, Verfe 24. See Col. ii. I 1. and iii. 5· Where the Members of this Body of Sin, are recited as Fomication, Uncleannefs, inordinate AJfeflions, evil Cnilcupifcmce, Covetuoufnefs, &c. by which the Will and Rea– fan are depraved, as the Body by its Members. Compare the following Texts toge– ther, Jam. i. 14, IS, 18. 1 Pet. ii. I 1. Jam. iv. 1. Rev. xviii. 5· To this Clafs alfo belong, Gen. xxx. 33· So .fhall my Righteou.ftufs anfiur (or wit– nefs) for me when it .fhall come for my Hire before thy Face, that is, the future Event fi1all declare that God has an Account of my Righteoufnefs, which you fhall then evidently fee, &c. here witne.lfzng which is the proper ACtion of a Perfon is attributed to Righ– teonfne.JS. Punifhments are called Witnejfes, Job. x, I7· with xvi. 8. • Conuntnlary 11pon Ifa, uxv~. t In Ifo. xxxvii. 22. Pfal.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=