292 Chap.' 2. An ExpofLion upon the Bnokof JOB. V He removeth away the speech of the trail!). The Hebrew is, He removeth the lips of the truffy. The fame word fignifies lips and fpeech,becaufe the lips are the inítrument Labium ponitur of fpeech (Gen. i i.t.) All the earth wasof one .t eech,or ofone pro legxela. lip, that is, they all fpake one language. He removeth the s eech of The true. msvet jermo- The word bath a double reading,according to a dòuble deri nem eloquenri vation in the Hebrew. For fome derive it from a root which bus. Jun. fignifies towalk. Taking it fo, the fenfe is, He bereaveth Ora- 'ust?f? torsof their eloquence, or (as Mr.Broughton, clofer to the letter)' grad: út?4 Hebereaveth'the Orator of lips,H mak,s them liIee men dumb or Dixit locums tongue-tied, who were once all voiceand tongue. etocutus fuit. - Thus job touchethuponall thofe evils which haften the ruine dab.iïipchi. of a people ; One whereof, and that a great one, is this, when God takes away fpeech from men, whole very trade it is to fpeak. When God threatned to break the Ftaf of Ifrael, he faith, Iwill take away the eloquent Orator (Ifa.3.3.) Kingdoms with all their blefngs are as much,ifnot more upheld or cafedown by tongues, than they areby hands. God is faid to remove or take away the fpeech of the Orator two ways. Firft, When betakes the Orators away, his picking Inch out ofcouncels by death,hatha fad prefage in it,of the approaching funerals of'publick profperity. Secondly,When though he leaves the fpeakers,yet he difables them to fpeak : When though he -leaves the Orator,yethe takes awayhis oratory,fo that he cannotdeliver himfelfwith anycom- Pericies (o- mand over the attentions and affectionsof his hearers:that's the lymph's pro excellencyoforatory to carry the heart by the ear, tomake eve- pter eloquenti- ry fentence perfwafive,every word a nail or a goad, a nail to fa- an di£ítu) ful- lien refolution or a goad to quicken unto a&ion. It was faid of $n mbar into- 9 g 1 nabar, confin- a Grecian Orator, who was alto agreat fouldier, that he thun- debar Grsc "ram. dredand lightned, moved and awakned all when he fpake. But Plutarch. in if Göd . once take away the eech ofthe Orator,. he. may fpeak vita Perk. his hearers into'a , f eep. Hence Obferve, Firl}, .chat ability of !leech is a sfiecialgift. of God.'.
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