4n Expofition upon the Bookof J O 1. Verf. s. vage bealfs (Gen. 37. 33 ) when Jacob bewaileth the lots ofhis ion jofeph, he faith, an,evil beaft bath devoured him. Fourthly, the cruelty of perfecutors (in whom wild beafts, and (word and fire are all met, if not fwailowed up.) The cruelty, I fay, of per- fecutors is expceffed by this word, They eat up my people like bread, Pfal. 14. 4. Wildheaths, andfword, and fì:re,andabove all the per- fccutingJrrits of men, are the moll hungryandfpeeedydevourers;fueb a devouringfliali centume the harve(t cf thefe fooli(h men, The hun- gry Iball ear it:atp Here we may obferve, That, They who confrme others 'hall at 14 be confirmed themfelves. Such as have railed themfelves upon the ruines ofothers, thali raife others by their own ruine.God will fend devourers to eat up the ellateof thole, who have devoured the elfates of their bre- thren ; efpecially, if they have devoured the effaces of his own people. The Apotile, Gal. 6. 7. gives this general law, Whatfo- ever a man foweth, that /hall he alfo reap,He that (owes oppreflion, or makes his feed- tirne,atobe the reaping of his neighbours bar- veil, may ,find reapers, which he hired - not,rn his field at harvel%. The Prophet Ifaiah denounceth a woe againff thole, that joyne houle to houle by opprefl"ion, and..what is the woe? Their houfes fhall be made deflate ; So Zepb. 3, 19. I will undoe all that aliel there. And fer. 30. 16. 7hej, that devour thee(ball be devoured; and they thatfpoile thee 'hall be a jpoil, and all thatprey upon thee will 'givefor aprey; It isjuft with God (2Thef 1. 6.) to re- compence tribulation to them that troubleyou. The rich man who hoards up that for himfelf and for his Children, which he hath pulled out of the bellies of others, thall have his meat devoured from his table, and pulfd from betweenhis teeth. The hungry ,eat .up bis harvelf, but where doth he find it ? He takes it even out of the thornes. There is force difficulty in that expreflìot. Mr.Broughton reads =''.13 it, The hungryfhall eat up his barveft whichbe bathgotten thorough Sdu , ah u: the thornes, And others thus, he 'hall fetch it out from among the Sundei 9S armes or weapons. The Hebrew word which we tranfla.te thornes, r , clype. gives occafion of t hefe various readings, which fame derive front Tfinnah, which Lignifies a fhield, and fo by a trope, it notes any kind of armes or weapons. If we take the word in the firff fenfe, for therms, a threes fold interpretation may be given of this claufe. Era, as Mr. Broughton reads it) which he bath gotten thorough the
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