Chap. 9. An Expofitionupon the' Bookof J O 13. Vert. ï79 feats are raft down before they faw any hand touching them ; the _ whore ofBabylon, and mother of fornièations, who tits uponfè ven mountains ( Rev. 17,9.) faith in her heart, t fit a pen and am no widow, and (hallfee noforrow, (key. 18. 7. ) Thereforefball herplagues come inone dajì,death,and mourning,andfämine,&c.( ver. 8.) Ifher plagues cone in a day, the (doubtlefs ) thought not of them a day before. Babylons (even mountains thall be removed, the not:knowing it ; and as Babylons mountains (ballbe removed, when the fnall not know, that is, fufpeL it; fo, which ismore firange, Jerufalems mountainwas removed,ana the did not know, that is; perceive it. The Prophets are exprefs (Ifa.42.25.) There- fore be bathpoured upon him (namely, Jacob or Ifrael) the fury of his anger,and theftrength ofbattei, and it bathfet him on fire round about, yet he knew it not ; and it burnedhim, yet he laid it not to heart. They were unobfervant of thofe terrible things the Lord did among them. Some little anger paifes often without notice, but here was thefury ofanger ; dome flight skirmifhes make no ,great noife, but here was theftrength ofbattei ; and not Torre few drops of both thefe, but either of them poured upon him by whole bucket-fuls, and thefe buckets of burning fury let him on fire, and that not in force one corner or out-houte, but round a- bout,yet he knew it not. Which is expounded in the next words It burnedhim, yet he laid it not to heart. The Prophet Hofea (Chap. 7.9.) (peaks as much ofjerufalem under the iia'ine ofEphraim, Strangers have devoured his firengtb, and he k.nowetla it not;gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he. knoweth it not. Strangers devour his firength, that is, according to thelanguage ofjjob,the mountains whereinhis ftrengthdid con- tiff, were devoured and overthrown by {rangers, and yet he knew it not, he did not obferve the handof God in the hand of man again(( him. Gray hairs are here anchhereupon him;gray hairs area great change; gray hairs note the moil dfcern`able change or a mans life. There are twoRates of a man, eafily diflinguithed, Youth,&Old-age,and gray hairs make the moil vitible diitinetion between thefe two;fo that to fay,Gray hairs are upon him,is to fay there is fuch a change upon his eftate, as is between a young roan and anold man, and yethe knows, he obferves itnot.Ofall things a man is mòft apt to take notice of his own natural gray hairs : atsd many are fo troubled at the firft fight of them ( becaufe they tell us we begin to be old ) that they will pick themout; but fuch -A a a
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