Chap. 33. An Expofstion upon the Book,of o s., Verf. r heare ; to heare is barely to receive the found of words ; but to hearken is to take up the fenfe of them, or as it were to fuckout . the flrength and fweetnefÌe of them ; tóhearken is to weigh or ponder every tittle fpoken, and take the value of it. The word in the text, which lignifies to hearkn, bath a Gngular elegancy in it.. One of the Rabbïns renders; Eare my words ; hearemy words and Eare them. The fame word which in the verbe lignifies to hearken; which is the worke of the Bare, lignifies alfo the care, or inflrument of that worke in the nonne. To eare words , notes the moil diligent attention, as to eye a thing, notes the moll ac- curate infpe6tion. The word lignifies alto the beam of a bal- lance, becanfe by the eare, or by the two ears ( asby a ballánce ) words are tryed and poyfed, whether they are weighty and fo- lid, or light and chaffy ; when Elihu faith, hearken tor-weigh my words, he intimates that he meant to fpeak wordswhich had worth in them , or that he meant ro fpeak matter more then words. And therefore he wouldnot have aword loft, Hearken, faith he, To all my words. To all, not to thisor that only, but to all ; As if he had fayd, I intendnot, andI hope I fhallnot fpeak one needleffe or anufefull words; not a word betide the bulineffe. Therefore hearken to all my words. Hence note ; Firf+. They whofpeakto infirnEtion, admonition or exhortation, Amid not ufeone word more then is rfefull, not aword more then -is to the,pnrpofe. seeing, every idle word that menfha,l fpeak, they (hall give ac- count for" it in theday of fndgerrtent, ( Math: t 2.36.) How should every man take heed of fpeaking an idle word, a word of which he can give no good account for any good it is likely to doe. Idle wordswill make fad worke one day, and words of no value or. account, will turne to a heavy account in the great day. That's an idle word,whichdoth neither worke the heart for good,4or,(Ireng- then the hand to or in agood worke.. And if we fhouid be.carefull not to ipeake one idle word, or not one word ùnworthy to be heard, how fhouldwe avoyd evilswords, or wordswhich corrupt the hearers. V 'Se- 545
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