()I' A. ME T A p H 0 R IN GENE R AL. Book I. LEAVEN expreffes the wonderful Force and pare/rating Virtue of the Word, and Kingdom of God, Matth. xiii. 33· With refpetl: to its piercing and diffufive ~~alirv; bur it is applied to corrupt and evil DoEtrine, Matth. xvi. 6. 1 Cor. v. 6, 7· Becaufe 'of its malignant and fouring Quality, vohich is alfo very fpreading; and infinuates irfelf into all the Parts. SLEEP mefapl;orically denotes the q\1iet and peaceable Death of the Godly; 1 'I'hefJ. iv. 13, 14. And the carnal Secu,-ity, Carele!Iilef~, and Infidelity of Sinners, Rom. xiii. 11. Eph. v. 14. '!'he SUN among!l: other Things denotes Happineft, becaufe of its Light and Splen· dor, Judg. v. 3'· and Infelicity or Misfortune becaufe of its fcorching and excdiive Heat, Pfal. cxxi. 6. Matth. xiii. 6, 2r, &c. A SHADOW lignifies Protection again!l: Evils, as !fa. xlix. 2. and many other Places; becaufe it defends from intemperate Hear. It alfo denotes great Perils and Calamir:es (as Pfal. xxi1i. 4· Luke i. 79·) becaufe of its Darknefs and Fogginefs, which are Sym· bols ofSorrow and Evil. A RIVER metaphorically denotes Plenty of good and defirable Things, Pfal. xxxvi. S.-xlvi. .j.. !fa. lxvi. 12. becaufe ofthe ilbundance of its Waters and the Ufefulnefs thereof well.known. It alio denotes '!'errors, Perils, and Overwhelmings, Pfal. xviii. 4· and cxxiv. 4· becaufe of the Danger of its rapid and fudden Inundarwns. '!'he HARVES'I' is tJfed· in a good Senfe, Pfal. cxxvi, +, 5, 6. Matth. ix. 37· and elfe– where, becaufe of the great Profit and Neceflity of the gathered Fruit. lt is alfo ufed in a bad Senfe, Jcr. li. 33· Joel iii. '3· becaufe it is cur down and ddhoyed. '!'REASURE and '!'REASURER is alfo to be underftood in a good Senfe, Mattb, vi. 20, &c. and in a bad Scnfc, Ram. ii. 5· both are joined, Matth. xii. 35· Sometimes Metaphors taken from dive;Je Things, arc joined together, where there. is a Neceffiry of a di!l:intl: Enumeration; an evident Exa:nple of this we have, Lam. iii. to the 16th Vcrfe. Where Metaphors are taken fometimes from Men of different Cir– cum!l:ances and Capacities; fometimes from Beafts to fer forth the Punilhments inflicted by God. So in Epb. ii. 20. The Metaphors taken from civil Society, and from Building are joined together, to fer forth the myllical Conjunction of rhe Godly in Chrift, &c. 3· As to the Variety of the Metaphors Bartholinus •·ighrly fays, That they may be taken from all Things in the World, whether Sub!l:ances or Accidents, natural or ar– tificial Things. And Oicero fays, Nihil ift in rerum Natura, tmde jimile duci non po.!Jit*, that there is nothing in Nature from whenco a Similitude may nor be brought, adding, that a Variety ofJvfetaphors is almoft infinite. Others fay, that it is as po.!Jible to empty the Sea with a Sieve, as to reduce or con– fine Metaphors to certain Claffis or Bounds. The like may (in a Manner) be faid of the Metaphors in Holy Scripture. But in as much as it is very profitable for fuch as are ftudious in that facred Writing, it !hall be endeavored fo to difpofe of moO:, if not all, the Metaphors (as much as may be done among fuch a Multitude of them} found there, efpecially the moft frequent and illufhious, as that they may be reduced to a certain Order, under their refpe~ive Heads, which will enable us to give a found J udament of the moll: elegant and rhetorical Part of the Bible. And if any be mif– :fing~ the Harveft being large, it may ftir up others to gather up and improve the Gleanings. 6. As to the right Dijlribution or Dijli!illioll of Metaphors into their r;gllt Claffis o~ Heads, fome take the Method of Plutarch and f.tuintilian (who to avoid Confulion in "' Li!;, 3• it Or~li~lllo fuch
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