-a.... Chap. 27. AnExpofition upon the Book, of j o st. Verf. t. 7 feed, &c. holding forth the growing power of Grace. It isfaid of Abraham, that 67 faith he ofered up Ifaac, accotenting that God to ,ro el e hn was able to raife him from the dead,from whence a fobereceived bim in afigure, or parable (Pleb. a 1. 79,) There was an Image or Similitude of deathupon Abraham, in reference to that blef sing ; his own bodywas dead,and Sarah was dead too as to child- bearing But he considering those deaths out of which he had his fon, was willing to offer his fon ro death when God called him to it , becaufe he knew God was able to ralle him even from the dead, from whence he at firfi received him in a figure. And if we expound Abrahams receiving of lfaac from the dad, not of his firß receiving him from his owneand Sarah:dead body, but of his fecond receiving him, after he at Gods command had bound him upon the Altar,ready to be Elaine and offered up in facrifice, it makes no differenceas to the poynt in hand ; That being Alfas an illutfrious parable, or figure of death , and of a refurreì.ion from it. Again, parables are called Similitudes or Similyes, becaule they refemble, and beare (as it were) the express Image oftheir wifdome, gravity, modefly, and truth, who fpake and held them forth. All words are or should be the Image of the mind , and Parables are a beautiful Image of the beautiful mind, A para- ble is taken four wayes in Scripture. Firff, for anyDivine Maxime, Axiom, or Principle, which Promrbium, generally obtaineth and is retained among all forts of men. quail' probatum (Pro,26. s4s the feet of the lame arenot a salt fo is a Para_ verbum. Gr'ece 7) f f 9 ' votanarre ble in the mouth of afool ; that is a Divine holy fenrence, agrave yrti, Ong. and wife fenrence,is an uncomely thing in the mouth of awicked put . man. A Parable in his mouth is like a hearte in a fwines fnout. kid' publicodo. Secondly, A Parableis a dark and a hard Paying r they Paid cond, munere untoChrifl now (peakefi than plainly, and daefiz not fpeak a Para- ex `4uthorrteta fungelatttur ble. A Parable is there oppofed to a plain fpeech ; there is anproprio nomino outwarddarkneffe of words incompaffi-ng-that light ; andhence dicebastur a Parableand a dark Paying are put together, as expreffing each ll2èéeliúi i0e; t°other.(Pfal,49, 4. )Iwill encline mine care untoa Parable,and o- paraboliganter. pen my darkehying upon the harpe ; the darke Paying in the latter Servwfiguratus part, is the parable in the former part. So (Pfal.7S. 2.) Iwil1Metaphoricue openmy mouth ina Parable, I will utter darke faytngs of old. A 4l1egoricoa d?- Parable is a kind of a riddle, or as we may weil expreffe it, a paciturparabola. cable
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