Part I. METAPHORS FROMHUMANSENSE. Efpecially the Verb to fee, is ufed to denote a real Experience of Promilcs of great Things, !fa. 1111. 11. lx. 5· and lxvi. I4. and ofPunijbment under Commmauon, lfa. xxvi. llo 2 , It is transferred to the Mind and Intellefl, and fignifies to know or underfland, Gen. xlii. 1. Eccl. i. 16. Jer. ii. 31. 111att. ii. 16. and ix. 2, 4· Rom. vii. 23. with Verfe ~. Rev. i. 12. 'J'o think or confider, Gen. xx. 10. and xlix. I5· Eccl. i. I4. lfa. xxii. 9· and v. 12 .. Matt. vi. 26. (fee. Luke xii. 24.) Ro'!'. xi. 22. Col. iv. 17. James i. 25. 'I'o provtde carefully, Gen. xl1. 33, &c. or, Avozd hurt, Matt. IX. 30. Mark xii. 38, &c. 3 . It fignifies JPiritual Vijion, as the Prophecies, Numb. xxiv. 16, 17. 1 Sam. ix. 9• Ifa. xxx.. IO. &c. . . It is (aid of Angels that they difire ""P"•u-¥a• to look mto the Myjimes of the Go.fPel, 1 Pet. i. I2. that is, they coveted a full and perfect Knowledge of it, fuch is the Majefly and Beauty of that bleifed Myflery. To Sight is oppofed Blindnefs, by which the Want of true Faith and Gofpel Illu– mination is noted, !fa. xlii. 1M, '9· Lam. iv. 14. Matt. xv. 14. and xxiii. 16, 24, 26. John ix. 39· Rom. ii. 19. 2 Pet. i. 9· 1 John ii. 11. Rev. iii. 17. BLINDNESS attributed to the Wicked denotes .three Things, as; 1. 1 John ii. 1 1. Darknefs bath blinded his Eyes, this is the proximate and immediate Caufe, viz. a corrupt Mind and Will expreifed by the Term Darknefs, (See Eph. iv. 18.) 2. 2 Cor. iv. 4· It is faid that the God of this World bath blinded the Eyes of them that beliew not, &c. this is the lirfl Caufe of all Evil and Condemnation, viz. the Devil feducing and hardening Men. 3· John xii. 40. It is fa id, He (that is God) bath blinded their Eyes, in what RelpeEts this is attributed to God the great and foie Fountain·of Goodntfs and Mercy, you may find expounded in Gram. Sacra. p. 285, z86. It is faid E>od. xx•ii. 8. '!'hat Gifts blind the Seeing, that is, Bribes corrupt the Wife and Skilful ro pervert Jufl:ice. And therefore Blindnefs with the fynonymous Terms is afcribed to the Wicked that will not take Counlel, Deut. xxviii. 28. !fa. viii. 21, 22. and lix. 9, 10. Zeph. i. 17. The ObjeCt of Sight are Colors. Of thefe Whitenefs, is a mofl exaCt Symbol of in– ward Purity and cleanfing from Sin, PJal. li. 7· Ifa. i. 18 Rev. 7· 14. A Metaphor taken from Linen, which when foul is reflored to its Color, by wafhing, and cleanfing it from all Spots. Outward Whitenefs, as by rubbing ofChalk or wafhing with Lime, denotes ll]pocrify, Ails xxiii. 2. See Matt. xxiii. 27. Ezek. xiii. 10. and xxii. 28, &c. Of the whitt Stone, Rev. ii. '7· we will treat anon. REDNESS, or a red Color is attributed to Sin, Ifa. i. 18. where the Propha means Blood as Verfe 15. by which, not only Homicide or killing of Men is metony– mically underflood, but allo all enormous Sins by a Synecdoche. For as Blood rafhly fpilt, contaminates the Homicide, and renders him guilty, 1Kings ii. 5, 6, 31, 32, 33· So Sins are nothing but an abominable Spot and Contamination in the Sight of God. To this curled Rednels, the bleifed Blood of Chrifl is oppoled, which expiates Sin, and converts it into Whitmefs. See Rev. i. 5. and vii. 14, &c. BLACKNESS, with Comelinefs, is mentioned as the Beauty of the Spoufe, Cant. i. 5· The lirfl dent1ting Sin and Affliction, the latter divine Grace which regenerates and re– news, Augujiin * lays, Black by Nature, fair by Grace; black in original Sin, fair by Regeneration. Beda, upon the Place, "Black by the Adverfity of Oppreffions, but fair " by the Beauty of Virtaes." Whitenefs and Rednefs are attributed to the heavenly Spoufe, Cant. v. 10. denoting extraordinary Beauty, Lovelinels, and Health, the native Sign of which that Color is. Some fay, that he is called white, with Refpett to his Divinity., and red, with RelpeB: to his Humanity: White, becaule of his Purity, and "'"l'"f1"""' (that is, being .without Sin) and red, becaule his Blood was poured out, &c. • Serm. 8, de tTemp. HeariJJg
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