836 Chap. 21. An Expoftion upon the Bookof J o m. Verf. 33., As there are ¡numerablebefore him. Et ante ei lxtn The Text word for word-is thus rendred ; Before hisfacen, Heb, number; that is, as all m:n are following, or drawing after him that dyeth, fo thofe are innumerable that are already dead. This manner of(peaking (no number) in the Hebrew, isfometirues the denial! of any number, fbrntimesoft!! r,um- Ut non nu- ber or numerability. To fay of fuch a thing, There is nonnm- memo negoret ber cfit,is either to fay there is no fuch thing, or but oneofir, numernm own which indeed makes no number, or at moil but very few, which nxmerabt /hart', in common account are no number. Some applying thefe ilu1171,en1 I) Inc words to the burial! of the poor, give the meaning thus ; rich pattern verb's, de fepubxra men draw many after them, or have great numbers attending patsperwm. them.to their graves, but the poor man bath no number, or road, but a very (mall number offollowers.to his grave. But I con- ceive, the plain (cope of?ob puts this expofìtionofno number qui-e out ofthe number ofthofeexpoficions which are fuitable to this place. And that therefore nonumber doth not lignifie thole who are fo few, chat they fcarce make a number, but thofe whoare fo many that they can hardly be numbred. His bufineffe being to (hew the innumerablenes of thole whether rich or poorwho are already dead, not the fewneffe ofthofe who follow the poor to the grave when theyare dead,St.ohn (Rev. 3. 9.) hay,ngipoken Arithmetically of the fealed ones of the twelve Tribes, afcribing to each of them twelve thou Áand, (which though it ibeweth that the number of the eles ewes is certain, yetis d ,ch not inferre, that the number there fpecified is thecertain number, but Sr. ?ohs; havirigheard this numb;r)fhuts upwith,After tbïe 1 beheldand loe agreat mul- titude which no man could number, &c. So here ( when fob faith) Before him no number: his meaning is, A great multitude are gone before him, which no man can number.Or as we retie V: 4171114 n'. der it clearly ; Thereare innumerable gone before bims met° cast; fir_ Hence take twodeduftions; deluntil, :Qtto- cirra plores Fir ft, That the deadare more then the luring. tocanr'r: ande_ ad plures no. This bath been a truth ever lince the fief ages of theworld. grace nom we; Ant glom, When the world was young, or in its non-age, the living , iventes.Idruf. were more then the dead: but the elead of rratny ages muff needs
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