All [things come] alike to all
That is, all outward things in this life, good and bad men share
in alike; which proves that neither love nor hatred can be known
by them: so the emperor Mark Antonine, in speaking of life and
death, of honour and dishonour, of pain and pleasure, riches and
poverty, says F19, all these things happen alike to
good men and bad men; [there is] one event to the righteous
and to the wicked;
the same prosperous ones happen to one as to another, as riches,
honour, health, wisdom and learning, fame and reputation: if
Abraham was rich in cattle, gold, and silver, so was Nabal, and
the rich fool in the Gospel; if Joseph was advanced to great
dignity in Pharaoh's court, so was Haman in the court of
Ahasuerus; if Caleb was as hearty and strong at fourscore and
five as ever, it is true of many wicked men, that there are no
bands in their death, and their strength is firm to the last; if
Moses, Solomon, and Daniel, were wise men, and of great learning,
so were the idolatrous Egyptians, and so are many God is not
pleased to call by his grace; if Demetrius had a good report of
all men, so had the false prophets of old: and the same adverse
things happen to one as to another as the instances of Job,
Lazarus, and the good figs, the Jews carried into captivity,
show; of whom the Midrash, and Jarchi from that, interpret this
and the following clauses: "to the righteous and to the wicked":
to Noah the righteous, and to Pharaoh, not Necho, as Jarchi, but
he whose daughter Solomon married, who, the Jews say, were both
lame; to the good, and to the clean, and to the
unclean;
who are "good", not naturally, and in and of themselves, but by
the grace of God; and who are "clean", not by nature, nor by
their own power, but through the clean water of divine grace
being sprinkled on them, and through the blood and righteousness
of Christ applied to them; and who are "unclean", through the
corruption of nature, and the pollution of actual sins, they live
in. Some understand this of a ceremonial cleanness and
uncleanness. The above Jews apply these characters to Moses, who
was good; to Aaron, who was clean; and to the spies, who were
unclean; and the same thing happened to them all, exclusion from
the land of Canaan; to him that sacrificeth, and to him
that sacrificeth not:
that serves and worships the Lord, and who does not, one branch
of service and worship being put for all; and whether they offer
themselves, their contrite hearts and spiritual sacrifices, or
not. The Jews exemplify this Josiah, who sacrificed to the Lord;
and in Ahab, who made sacrifice to cease; and both were slain
with arrows; as [is] the good, so [is] the
sinner;
alike in their outward condition and circumstances, whether as to
prosperity or adversity; [and] he that sweareth, as [he]
that feareth an oath;
the common swearer, or he that is perjured, and has no reverence
of God, nor regard to truth, nor any concern to make good his
oath; and he that is cautious about taking one does it with awe
and reverence of the divine Being, and is careful of keeping, it,
even to his own hurt. The Jews stance in Zedekiah and Samson; the
former broke his oath with the king of Babylon, and the latter
was a religious observer of an oath; and yet both had their eyes
put out; but it does not appear that Samson ever took an oath:
the opposition in the text seems to be between one that is ready
to take an oath on every occasion, without considering the
solemnity of one, and without due care of what he swore to; and
one that is cautious about taking an oath, and chooses to be
excused from taking one, on any account, could he be excused;
preferring such advice as is given, ( Matthew 5:34
) ( James
5:12 ) , "swear not at all"; the counsel about swearing,
which Isocrates F20 gives, seems worthy of notice;
``take an oath required on two accounts; either to purge thyself from a foul crime charged with, or to save friends in danger, and deliver them out of it; but on account of money (or goods) swear not by any deity, no, not even if thou canst take an oath safely; for by some thou wilt be thought to be perjured, and by others to be covetous.''The word in Hebrew for swearing is always passive, because a man should not swear, unless obliged; and the same form of language is used by Latin writers F21; and the Hebrew word for it comes from a root which signifies "seven", in allusion, as some think, to seven witnesses required to an oath; the Arabians, when they swore, anointed "seven" stones with blood; and, while anointing them, called on their deities {w}; see ( Genesis 21:30 ) . It may be observed, that all men are here divided into good and bad; this has been the distinction from the beginning, and continues, and ever will.
F19 De scipso, l. 2. c. 11.
F20 Paraenes Demonic. p. 10.
F21 "Juratus sum", Plauti Corculio, Act. 3. v. 88. "Fui juratus", ib. Act 4. Sc. 4. v. 10. "Non tu juratus mihi es? juratus sum", ib. Rudens, Act. 5. Sc. 3. v. 16, 17.
F23 Herodot. Thalia, sive l. 3. c. 8.
