Chap. aa. ítn Exn,rrinn u>3m che BaoZof I O B. Verf. z7. 257 be bleffed with a fruitfull and plentifull liarveft.Thewicked make many adventures, many voyages by prayer, fuch as it is, heaven- wards,yet cone homewithout lading,without any fraight at all. Their prayers are all loft, and turn to no proficiand indeed theirs are not prayers but words,or babling rather.But holy prayer,the prayer ofthe holy is prevailing ; Thofe fhowersof prayers and At gsibra : en rears which beleevers fend up to heaven, are like the raise (as the TP? lam rue Prophet fpeakes, Ifa. 55. to ) r hich cometh dowse, and the f ew dr¡eccator o fromheavers and returnetb not thither, butwatereth the earth, ter, verunr + cm eJf nungaaro mak,eth it bring forthand bud, that it maygivefeed to the f ter, & exandiri icrca. bread to the eater.Even thus the word of-prayer which goeth out rore-n ex digni. ofthe mouths, or hearts rather of he!eevers,returns not to them rareß "F"?,' void, but profpersin the thing whereto they fend it. AsaP' fesd a euxrmgy peares yet more fully in the next wordsof this verle fpoken byris d3' tniferi- E"liphat; He¡hall bear thee; What then csrdia. Bold: .-1nd thou ¡bait pay thy Vowes. That is, Godwill give thee the mercies which thou didít pray f.r,and thereby give thee occafion to pay the vowes which thou did(} mike tohim ir, cafe he performed thy defire in prayer. Eli- phax. is not exhorting 74 (direftly) to pay vowes; but he is a;íu- ringhim char. his prayer shall be heard,and fo fully anfwered,that he than fee reafon and have aboundant caufe to pay them, and to pay them both fully and chearfully. Thou¡halt pay thy Vowes. The vord l'i nifies free votive premifes made to God.yitobligatory i7i TtJ' fga upon man ; for howfoever as the word imp!yeths there ought to "'hear vorivto be the greatefi freedom and voluntarineffe in making a vow,ver a fa agone ode. vow being made, there is an obligation, a bond or Lye upon himógnr, cecrer:a- that made it to performeor pay it ; He that voweth binds him -thri nee folvi felfe,but he cannot Unbind or abfolve himfelfe from his vow nor pro¡risarrht- can he Tetra& or call in his lawfuil vow. rl atepojfWnr. Eliplaáz, I fuppofe, here mentions the payment ofVowes, be- Bold' caufe the godly in thofe times did often make Vows.When 7accb (Gen. z8.zo.) fled from his brother Efau, he in cafe ()fills fafe return, vowed a vow, faying, IfGod will be withme, and will keep me in thie tray that Igo, and will give me bread to eat, andrayment to piton, [el that I c,,me to my fathers hoof again in peace, then M m 2 !hall
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