Chap. 4. An Exrofition upon the Book of JOB. Verf z 3 a word of truth is written in their hearts, not a letter laid up in their minds : and that's thereafon, whynot a word is to be ties in their lives; How can they hold out the word in a pure couver- fation, whohave not received it into a pure confcience ? Io: thoughtsfront the viftonr of the night, when deep fleepfalleiis onmen. ticlpefi nes noFiH, fiat diciraur ticaw dprandio, fie Hof 6. 2. vel in cogitationi Aso vífenum no£lil,ut Merl, Genitivaas in- licar. 3'1>>rmt rL'7 c`Byv The former. Verfe (hewed us the manner how , that thing. was brought to Eliphaz, a thing wasfecretlybrought tome ; this thews the time when it was brought, it was (faith he) in tbìughtsfrom the vifions of the night, when deepfleepfailed! on men. In thought! from the vifions of the night.] Soule read it, in the thoughts which 1 had, after the vifions of the night. So Hof. 6. 2. From two dayes, Pleb. After two dayes; or,in thoughts which I bad in the v:fans of the night, or, in thoughts of the vifions ofthe night ; The Original bears any of thefe readings. In thoughts.) The Hebrew word (ignifies properly the boughs of a free; and fo fome tranllate ; In the boughs, (prigs, or bran- ches of the vifions of the night : but we render it well, in the thoughts: And thoughts are called boughs or branches; Firfl, becaufe thoughts grow from the mind, fprout and (hoot up from the mind, as branches from the Bock of a tree ; From the root or dock of a mans uuderftanding, a branch of thoughts growsup, fometimes like a tall Cedar ofLibanus,as high as Heaven.Sccond- ly, the boughs and branches ofa tree aremany, thick, interwo- ven, and croffìng one another; fuch are the thoughts ofa man, he hath many. even multitudes of them ; In the multitude ofmy tboughts,(àitlr David? The mind puts forth many branchesand twigs, they fprout and (hoot forth every way; thoufatids of various thoughts are moving, upon various objeds,and tovarioús ends; fouie are earthly, Come heavenly. The branches of tome minds, are but bryars and thorns ; others bear the Lillyandtbe Itfe,their r out is in Heaven, and theygrow heavenward. Third- ly,thoughts arc called branches,becaufe the branch, or the bouggh, bring:, forthand bears. the fruit ; the flock, or the body of a tree, brings forth finit at the branches : So all the fruit of our fouls, is born upon, or fromour thoughts ; our aEtions are the fruits of our thinkings: Thoughts are pofiible actions; look what a man thinketh, that he Both, or woald do: And fuch as our thoughts are
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=