ven(fo the Sun is called) ftaid his courfe to bear witneffe how God fought for Ifrael. We may truly fay to Ifrael, Tibi militat ather: Observe the words of the Prophet, how well they follow the history in Zobua. Habukkuk faith, The Sun and Moon stood still in their habitation, they stood in their feverall fphear wherein they move, for thefe be their habitations,and note that they both ftood ftil, Sun and Moon, For the Moon borrowing all her light of the Sun, had the kept her courfe while the Sun had ftood ftill the length of a day, there had been great irregularity of motion in thefe Cæleftiall bodies, from the conftant order fet them by their Maker in their Creation. Obferve alfo, that he doth not fay the earth ftoer in 5 10 still, but the Sun: it had been, as fome faid, the Earth and the Moon ftood ftill as the Sun and the Moon, and our understanding would have as foon apprehended, if that new Aftronomy had had been then revealed, which fome of our Empericks, and Journeymen in that excellent Science of Aftronomy have of late revived in their Almanacks, telling the world that they have long been in a wrong belief, that the Sun moveth, and the earth is fixed, for they believe that the Sun is fixed, and the earth is moved. And to evade the cleer evidence of this text, which tels it for a wonder that the Sun ftood ftill, they fay, this is fpoken to our capacity, becaufe to our fight it fo feemeth, that the Sun moveth, and the earth is fixed, but indeed it is otherwife.. 70-4 TH Our capacity I think hath much wrong done in this, for if the Word of God had told us, that God had created the Sun to ftand ftill, and the Earth to move, it is more likely that we fhould have taken his Word for it, and have believed it as it is, as well as now we believe it, as it appears. T We are neither incapable nor incredulous, but that against the letter of Scripture have written, and made more Hamany believe, that the Sun ftands ftill from the creation. from the creation The common defence of this opinion grounded upon Gods application of himself, to humane capacity, doth make figures in in ftory where is no need, and maketh David a man of small judgment in the knowledge of the Sun, who faith, that God bath fet a tabernacle for the Sun in the Heavens, (called here) an habitation, which is a Bridegrome comming out of his chamber, and rejoyceth, as a strong man, to run his race. His going forth is from the end of the Heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it. Doth not this Prophet speak of the glory of God, declared in the motion, not the ftation of the Sun? or in the glory of God fhewed in our opinion of the Suns motion, not in the 'truth thereof. Greater fecrets then this are revealed in holy Scripture, which are againft the vouchie of the outward fenfe, or the rationall difcourfe of man, and no doubt, but if the Sun had ftood ftill, and the earth that we live upon had moved, when this miracle was by the spirit of truth recorded, it had been fo fet down to us, as followeth: > [At the light of thine Arrows they went, at the shining of thy glittering spear.] The meaning, I conceive, to be this, that the Sun and Moon did not now keep their ordinary motion appointed in their Creation, but by a miraculons difpenfation they atttended the arrows of God and his fpears. For God declared himself in this war, to be the God of Ifrael, by fhining arrows and glittring fpears, he meaneth not onely the arms of Ifrael his people, but the apparent demonftration of his owne miraculous and extraordinary power declared in this war war For you heard in the ftory, that God caft down great frones from Heaven upon them, which flew more then Ifraels fword did. Thefe were arrows of God, and his fpears with which he fought for Ifrael, they are called bright and gliftring both. Because the Sun-fhining upon these great hailftones reflected a dazeling light from them, as experience telleth us, both in fnow, ice, hailftones, and all waterie bodies. 2 And becaufe in this judgment, there was fo manifeft appearance of the immediate hand of God in this war. Thus Thus Mr. Calvine doth understand thefe words, and faith, Sol retentus eft, ut daret locum fagittis & hafta Dei. Onely, he feemeth to me fomewhat too ftrict,when he faith, per fagittas & haftam nihil aliud intelligit,quam arma populi Dei. Yes fure, he meaneth his own weapons too, with which he fought from heaven, and those rather, as the more fhining and glittering. Montanus, alfo upon these words, faith, Solem & Lunam curfus fuos ad commoditatem exercitus facri temperaffe. Junius also and Beza do conceive that thefe hailftones fell not without thunder and lightning which are the terrours of heaven, and the voice of God, it followeth. [Thou diddeft march through the Land in indignation, thou diddeft thresh the heathen in anger] this, (as I conceive hath reference to the following victories, by which all the land of Canaan was fubdued to Ifrael, for the Church here confeffeth, that as God by deed of gift, had long before affured this promised land of the heathen to his Ifrael, fo he gave them a full poffeffion thereof by marching through the land, and by threfhing the inhabitants thereof. Thus the Church confeffeth. We have heard with our ears, O God, our Fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the time of old. How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedft them in, how thou didst afflict the people and caft them out: For they gate not the Land in poffeffion by their own fond, neither did their own arme fave them, but thy right hand and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, becaufe thou hadst a favour unto them: this phrafe of marching through the Land doth expreffe God in arms for Ifrael. But the other phrafe of threshing, the heathen doth imply victory, and full power over them, even to the ftripping them out of all. [Thou wenteft forth for the falvation of thy people, even for salvation with thine annointed.] The cause why God put himself into this quarrel was the prefervation of his people,where Ifrael is twice call'd the people of Rrr God, Deut.7.7. Ver.8, God, which must be understood of the adoption of grace, for by right of creation all people of the world are Gods people. This was Ifracls glory, and it was also their fafety, that they were Gods people, and how they came to be fo, Mofes will tell. The Lordd not fet his love upon you, choose you, because ye were more in number then any people (for ye were the fewest of all people.) But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath that he had worn unto your Fathers: that is, He loved you, because he loved you. But he addeth, thou wenteft forth with thine annointed. Which Mr. Beza doth understand of David, and so maketh a long ftride from the conqueft of Canaan, to the reigne of David, and from thefe victories to Davids victories many, many years after. And Tremelius and Junius do fo apply the text, Mr. Calvine lead them all into this Expofition Others conceive, that the former commemoration is continued, and they that are before called Gods people, are here called Gods annointed: for wherefoever there is election, there is unction, and we may fay of Ifrael,, that God armoined them with the oile of gladneffe above all their fellow nations, for David faith; Non fecit taliter. αυτό, I am fure the Seventy read and understand the text thus, for they read, that God went forth, a sus xpiss duño, the Latine reading is, Cum Chrifto tuo, and the originall Hebrew is his Meffiah, which moveth me to refer this to Chrift, who was the bond of that love which knit God fo to Ifrael, for whofe fake, God was fo favourable to Ifrael. Master Calvine doth confeffe, that this hath reference to Chrift, and includeth all the favours of God declared to l rael; from their coming out of Egypt to the laft mercy fhewed to them, to have come to them, non nifi interpofito Mediatore, not without a Mediatour. But he addeth, that the promife of Chrift did more cleely appear, and was more manifeftly revealed in the reigne of David then before,which might give comfort to the Church in diftreffe, that makes Master Calvine go fo low as Davids reigne, to apply these words. But But the next words fhew, that the former hiftory of the wars of Ifracl, to fettle their poffeflion in Canaan, and not yet at an end. So then I understand that God went forth with his anointed, that is,with Jefus Christ,to fave his people, and there is the the life bloud of all the comfort in this whole Pfalme of the Church; and by this faith,by faith in this Meffiah the just shall live. It followeth, [Thou wounde ft the head out of the house of the wicked. ] By the house of the wicked, the land of Canaan is here meant, and by the head that God wounded, either the wisedome and policy, or the fovereignty and power of the Land is meant;for none of the Kings of the land could ftand before Ifrael, fo that the very head of the house was wounded. [By difcovering the foundation to the neck.] This was the manner of Gods working against the head of the house of the wicked, by making the foundation naked; that is, digging up the very roots thereof, by an utter extirpation of the Inhabitants of this land. It was Edoms cry against ferufalem, Rafe it, Rafe it: the Pía 137.7. Margent: make bare even the foundation thereof, as before you heard,out of Pfal.44. Thou hast caft out the Nations, and placed them in: It followeth. [Thou didst ftrike through with his staves the head of the Villages.] That is,thou didft overthrow the Inhabitauts of the land with their own ftaves: As the Poet faith, Suis & ipfa Roma viribus ruit. He declareth here the extent of the victory not onely to their walled Towns, and defenced Cities, but even to the Villages and Hamlets of the Land: fo that no part or corner of the Land escaped the hand of God,or the poffeffion of Ifrael, but God who promife them that land,gave it them, and gave it all into their hands."" This, as it hath a general extent to the whole ftory of Ifraels conquefts, fo it may have a more perticular reference to the Rrr2 ftorv |