Chap. 5. An Expofition upon the Book of O B. Vest. 5. 209 or what danger foever he incurrs for it. For as a man is Paid to fetch a thing out ofthe tire, or out of the Lyons mouth, when he.E fpintí, hoc gets it withmuch peril and hazzard ; fo what a man gets withefl, è magna much difficulty and labour, he is Paid toget it out of the thorns. P"int" fKUt And the reafon is th_is,becaufe.rnen were wont when they hadga- t8 d`ïâm thered in theirbharveft (take it efpecially about that, and in pro- Drue portion about any thing"elfe) they were then wont (I fay) to fe kyrivie inter cure it with a thorn -hedge, or to lay bathes about their }tacks, to fpinar abdn keep off cattle gr any other annoyances. We read among the iúr f ffan ut Lawes given by Mojes, fomewhat anfwerable to this prattice, me Exod. 22.6. If fire breakout and catch in thornes,fa that the. flacks of corn, or Banding corn, or thefields be confamed therewith, he that kindled the fire }hall make refritution. This Law intimates it for anancient cuflome, to make fences of thornes about corn brought home or ftackt up ; And that fields while the corn was ftanding were hedged about with thornes. To either ofwhich, theallufì- on may be make by Eliphaz : So that, to fetch his harveft out of the thornes, is to fetch it through the fences made to fecure his harvefl, to fetch it, though it coil (as we fpeak proverbially) a fcratchtface, orfcratchtfingers. We fay, hunger breaks through Runewalls, certainly then therehungry ones, will break through a thorn hedge. When the Lord would keep his Church fromwandring in fin- ful paths, he refolves thus, Hof. 2.6. Iwill hedge up her way with thornes : there are pleafures that the would go fetch, but as men fence their ground and paftures with thornes, fo will I do with her, I will hedge up her way with thornes: foe}hall pay dear, (he fhallfmartfer her pleafures ere¡become at their. And therefore, as it fhcws the extreame intenfivenefs and refblvednefs of a man to fin , when a man will fin, though God hath hedged up his way with thornes, that is,when a man will break thorough many dan- gers, and run .hazzards to fatisfie his lufis ; fo here in this place, the hungry mans taking it out of the thornes, notes a refolvedigets and eagernefs offpirit, to have the eflate of this rich man,let him fecure it by all the power and policies he can. From this Expolition, we may obferve lirlì, the praEice of worldly wife men ; when they have gotten riches, they donot leave them loofe and open to furprifal, they keep themamong the thornes; they will fecure their clines as much as they can. As they get riches with thcrnes,fo they will keep tithes with thorns, E e that
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