Chap,a7. An Expofition upon the Book ofJ OB. Verf.6. 447 commutative. And as thofe proverbial Sentences which di. ref,} Jutlice and good Manners, are ofgreat command and au- thorityamong men to likewife are thofe which had their rife from the reproof ofany mans injutlice , or evil manners. lfonce a man be made a by word ( whether the grounds of it be true or falle, make no matter as to this point ) it will Click by him, andovercome his credit ; let him do what he can,he that' hardly claw it offagain as long as he lives, Thou haft made me a byword. Further, to clear the Text, we may confider that the word Byword in the Hebrew is of the Infinitive Mood, and fo Tome Inparabohiire render it, Thou ha made mefor theparabolizing of the eo le; populorum, ft f P f p p Nrmeßinfini or that the people make Parables and Proverbs ofme, which tum,q.d. ut we render fully to the fente, Thou haft made me (a.Parable, a fhnilis prover- Proverb, or) a by -word to the people. Two things are ufu- bio vulgi ally im I ed when a man is Paid to bea by word. tabula, vul ut Y P Y Y de me prover- Fitt}, That he is in a very low condition ; fame men are biamfieant >. fo high, that the tongues of the common people dare not Mere. climbe over them;; but where the hedge is low , every man goesover. Secondly, That he is in a defpifed condition : to be a by- word carries a reflef.}ionof difgrace. He that is much fpoken of, in this Scare, is ill fpoken of, and he is quite loft in the opinionof men, who is thus found in their difcourle. Ir is pollìble{though rare ) for a man to be in a low, or bad cosh dition, and-yet to be well fpoken of, yea tobe highly honour red ; tome are had in precious etleem , while they lye upon the Dunghil : but ulually aman greatly afflicted is little va- lued, and he whole flare is laid low in the World, his perfon is alto low in the opinionof the World. Job was at that time a By- word in both thefe Notions; he was low in fine, and he was lower in etleem. Hence Oblerve. Firtl, Greatfufferers in the things of thin- World,áre the com- ,Ferifolctur monfubjeii of difeo,urfe, and often thefit/jai ofdi/grace. iniigner viro- Such evils as few men have felt or Peen , all men will be ran illufiriurn (peaking of. Great forrows , efpecially if they be the for- "l arrnitaes in rows of great men,are turned into Songs, and Poetry ¶playes benedequz its' its part with the faddetldifafiers. When Sihon King of thepan/eanúc® Arnorites had taken many thongCities from theKingof llloab, ties. Merl.. the
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=