John Dod (1549-1645) was a learned Reformed Puritan minister and Hebrew scholar. In a treatise on 2 Samuel 24, Dod explains David’s grievous sin of numbering the people. He shows that in actions of good intent, there can still be great sin, and causes God to act in judgment. Christians often perform activities that seem to glorify God, but are in fact a course of sin, especially when they are not recognized as sin. In diagnosing any sin, the first step to true repentance is to be wounded in our hearts for it against the holiness of God. Annexed to Dod’s work is Robert Cleaver’s (d. 1613) brief tract on godly zeal. Cleaver shows that whatever Christians are zealous for must in fact be lawfully good and for God’s glory. In being zealous, Christians must make the greatest account of the weightiest matters in religion. This work is not a scan or facsimile, has been carefully transcribed by hand being made easy to read in modern English, and has an active table of contents for electronic versions.
