Part I. METAPHORS FROM THE OLIVE-TREE AND ITS FR\J!T. I35 A REED is a weak Shrub, eafily agitateJ or !haken by a fmall Guft of Wind, 2 Kings xiv. '5: fometimes _?enotes Men that are unconftant, light~ and of a doubtful Faith, Matt. XI. 7· Luke VII. Lf. fometimes Men afll£tcd and pemtenr, called a bruifed Reed, lfa.. xlii. ~-viz. a Reed. of itfelf frail and weak, is much more weak if it be fhaken and bruikcl. Our Sav1or therefore prom1fes that he will not by any Means break fuch but rather flrcngthen, confolidate and heal them. S;metimes it fignifies Men, great indeed, but unable ro help, that are more mifchiev– ous and nauo-ht, on which fame arc apt to rely or depend, though to their Lofs, as fuch do who 0 lean on a weak and broken Reed, tO their own Ddiruc'l:ion, 2 Kings xviii. 2 1. lfa. xxxvi. 6. Ezek. xxix. 6, 7. A RUSH or Bulrujh fignifies Men of the bafeft and loweft Condition, lfa. ix. 1 4· and xix. r 5· WORJV!WOOD, beca1,1fe of its ungrateful Tafte and extreme Bitternefs, is by a Me– taphor brought to fignify, fometimes Sin and Evil~. Deut. xxix. I 8. Amos v. 7· and vi. 12. See Deut. xxx11. 32. lfa. v. 20. Rev. vm. 11. Sometimes Punijhment or Torment, Jer. ix. 15. and xxiii. 15. Lam. iii. 15, 19. See Prov. v. 4· So much of the Species of Things growing out of the Earth, which yield any Meta– phors, to which we may fitly fubjoin, where Mention is made of the containing Subjefl; Which is, (1.) AWood. (2.) A Garden. A WOOD, inaflnuch as it contains many barren Trees, is a Symbol of Infidelity and Impiety, lfa. xxxii. 15. and becaufe it is full of Trees and Shrubs, it carries the Notion of an enti re Army, lfa. x. 34· Of both of which we have fpoke before in the 10th Chap. where we fpoke of Carme! and Leban011. A GARDEN is the Place of the moft eminent and choiceftPlants and Trees, efpe– cially that fir!l: Garden which we call Paradife. The Ch:1rch of Chri!l:, Cant. iv. 12. is called a Garden inclofed (or barred.) A Garden, becoufe of its fpiritual Fruitfulnefs; barred, becaufc hid to the World, bid with Chrifl in God, Col. iii. 8· '!'he World knoweth us not, 1 Jolm iii. 1. The fame Church with its Fruits of the Spirit, Verfe '3· is called Paradife. Of which elfewhere. HEAVEN, or etemai.Life is called Paradife, Luke xxiii. 43· 2 Cor. xii. 4· Re-v. ii. 7· The Reafon of the metaphorical Appellation being drawn from the extraordinary Plea– fantnefs of that Garden, and the great Plenty of good Things there. Metaphors taken from the Olive Tree and its Fruit. AMONGST the Things growing in the Land of Canaan, three are moft eminent, by which its Goodnefs, Fruitfulnefs, and other Excellencies may be known, viz. The Olive, which is a Tree-The Vine, which is a Shrub--And Grain or Corn of all Sorts. All which are joined together, Deut. xiv. 23. and xviii. 4· Pfal. civ. 14, 15, r6, &c. ]er. xxxi. 11. Hof ii. 8, 2 2. Joel ii. 19. and in the common Verfion, Gen. xxvii. 37· Pfal. iv. 7• 8. where the Syriac Interpreter expre!fes all three. From each of thefe, and Things that bear Affinity or Relation to them, there are a great many delicate Metaphors deduced in Scripture. The People of lfrael are called an Olive, becaufe of the great Dignity with which they were invefted by God, Jer. xi. 16. '[he Lord called thy Name, a green Olive 'l'ree, fair and of goodly Fmit; as if he had faid, thou hall: been like a green and leafy Olive, ' which moll: beautifully flouri!hes, giving extraordinary Hope of its Fruit. But the /lntithejis follows- With tbe Noife of a great Tumult (or Tempefts) be bath kindled Fire upon it, and the Branches of it were broken, that is, as Junius and 'l'remel/ius have in· terpreted it, they !hall Be like encountering Storms of Winds, which ru!hing into this Place !hall !hake down th~ Flowers, break the Branches, that is, they will deihoy fmall and great. Afterwards they will confume with Fire the very Town, as if it were the Stumi> of a Tree: That thefe Things were tranfac'l:ed, the ]aft Chapters of the Kings, Cbro11icles, and Jeremiah do fully make it our. Verfe 17. ThisOli-ve is faid to beplanted by the Lord, &c. Zech.
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