Chap: 32. ' An Expofition upon the B00%, of j o s. Yerf. 6. 43 hewas a manbold fpirited enough, but mode{lymade him afraid to fhew his opinion. There is agreat elegancy in tholewords; (rt ef4ferpe. Idurst not fhew mineopinion ; They imply,he hid his fpeech,as Ser -"re /C denotat pents hide themfelves when men approach. {Micah . i7.) tímorem fer- Serpents which are a terrour to men, and make themafraid, are r ntf um& alto afraid ofmen, their appearance caufeth them to run andhide videri metuen their heads. The Rabbins take much paines in their Cririciftnes tium. Aben about this word to exprelfe a vertuous modefly. As it is a duty to Ezra. be (as Chrifl exhorts his Difciples to be) efpecially in times of perfecution ( Math: to. r o. ) wife as Serpents, fo it is avertue tobe fearefull as Serpents, even to feare as much tobe heard by fome men, as Serpents feare tobe feene by anyman. Thus Elihu Reptilium mo- held downe his head, he was afraid and dt rfl not fhew his o?ini- re dimijil ; on fuddenly, declare his judgement inthe cafe,for the reve- tiDgatus } rec!dít;Demiffri rence he bare to thofe graver and elder heads. capire veritus fum. Drufs Note hence. Piro , Toeing menare apt to run intomiftakes, their heat ufually exceeds their light. Youth drives furioufly, and commonly carrieth prefumption with ir, or is it {elfe hurried by prefumption. Though God hath given a young mana good underfianding, quickparts,and a ready tongue, yet he wants much, becaufe he hath not feene much, and fo is very liable to mifcarriage. He cannot look through, nor fee to the end of things; for as it is the great and foie priviledme of God to cati an eyé quire through all intermediate , both ac.}i- ons and revolutions, and to fee the end from the beginning : fo it is more peculiar to thofe that are aged and long experienced, to fee much of the end of things in their beginnings, or to fee what is like to be as well as what is. 'Tis the part of a wife man toconfider what may come, and whether things tend ; there is much weaknefs and deficiency in young men as to this. As mofi young men want fences exercifed (.as the Apoflle fpeakes of all un- improved Chriflians of what age foever (Heb: 5. i g.) as I fay, moll young meinwant fences exercifed) ro difcerne what is good or evill ; fo they want fences exercifed to difcerne what good or evill is liketo be, they rarely fee etfe&s in their cafes, orr events in their prognoflicks. Therefore Elihu might well fay, Iam young, therefore 1 4r. not venture to firm tine opinion. G 2 Paul
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