Chap. 4. An Expofttion upon the Book of OB. Verf.8. 45 So then this ploughing noteth two things cheifly ; Firlt, the pains and labour which wicked men take in.finful courses; every one that fins doth not plough fin, or is not a worker ( which is an equivalent phrafc)of iniquity.Secondly,it implies the black Art and hellih skill of wicked then in finning.To plough is a skill,and fo is Come kind of finning though to fin in general beas natural as to fee,and needs as little teachingas the ear tohear:fome men(as we may fay) are bunglers in finning, others are their craftfmafters at this plough,and can laya furrow of iniquity fo ¡trait, doan aft of fil thinefs fo cleanly, that you caw hardly fee any thing amiss in it. Thofe words in the New Testament, To commit fin,to work iniquity, an abomination, or lye, Rev. 21.27,&c. are anfwerablc to this in the Old Tettament, a plougher ofisetgnity. And Come tranflate this Text fo ; the vulgar reads it thus,They operantur who werkiniquity; all whichexpreflions fer forth and elegantly iniquitetem. describe Cuch, who f n refolvedly, induftriouíly, cunningly, curi- oufly,fuch as have theart(and will (pare nopains)to do wickedly; Theft have ferved an apprentifhip to their lulls, and are now as Freemen of Hell, yet trill Satans Drudges, and aáivc Engineers to plot and execute what God abhors. Note thisfurther, that ploughing inScripture refers both to good adtions and to bad ; there is a ploughing for good,the Meta- phor is foapplyed, Prev. 4. 27. Do not they err that devife evil ? (that plough evil) but mercy and truth 'hall be to them that devife good, (to them that plough good) the fame word is ufcd in both , and itintimates (as before) both the pains and the skill which a godlyman bellows and (hews about holy things : the great work ofrepentance is often allegorized byploughing,B reakup thefallow ground : and our obedience to the Gofpcl, whether in the prclfcf- lionor preaching ofit, is called ploughing, Luk: g. 62. He that putteth hit hand to the plough and looks back, it not fitfor the king- dom ofGod. Grace is as attive and as accurate. as Luft can be. It follows, Andfow wicke,dneft, reap the fame, Elipbaz goes on with the Metaphor,after ploughing comes (owing, and after feed time, reaping time or harvest. Sowing in Soripture is divers waycs applycdunto theacáions of men. First, there is a fowing which is the workof charity, when we difpenfe and diftribate to the helpofthe poor, efpecially to the Saints ; fo2 Cor. q. 6. He thatfewctbjparingly ; that is he that gigeth unto the poor fparingly, Sca
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