» Who hath given him this diſpoſition that he leves freedom,and avoids and hates that ſubje&ion which other Creatures quietly and contentedly endure? » Which is not to be underſtood privatively,as if God took off the bands which Men had put upon him,bur Nega- tively,that he keeps him fromreceiving the bands, and ſubmitting to the ſervice or Man. Who hath made him fo unrraftable and un- manageable ? Which is the more ſtrange,becauſe home-bred Afffes are fo tame and traQtable.
6*Whoſe houſe LI have made the wilderneſs s,and the
rren land p his dwellings.
o Who uſeth and loveth ro dwell in Deſert Lands, Jer; 2; 24: Hoſ: 8: 3:9. p Called barren, not ſimply,for then he muit be ſtarved there, but comparatively, unmanaged,and therefore in a great mea- ſure unfeuitful Land.
7 He ſcorneth g the multiude of the city r, neither
regardeth s he the crying f of the driver .
q Either 1. hefearerh them not when they purſue him, becauſe he is ſwifr, and can eaſily efcape them. Or, 2+ he values them nor, nor any proviſions nor advantages which he may have from them, but prefers a vagrant and ſolitary lite in the Wilderneſs before them. Or, 3. he diſdains to ſubmit himfelfre them, and reſoluce- ly maintains his own freedom. r He mentions the City rather than the Country, ly,becauſe there is the greateſt Multitude of Peo- ple to purſue,& overtake,and ſabje& him : and partly becauſe there is the greateſt plenty of all things ro invite him ; the Fruits of the Country being laid up in Cities in eſt abundance. s Heb. heareth,.3.e. obeyeth. © Heb. o' che Tackmaſter, or Exaftor of Labour, 7. e. He will not be brought to receive his Yoke, nor to do. this Drudgery, nor to anſwer to his cries or commands, as tame Aſſes are forced to do.
8 The range of the mountain «is bis paſture, and he |
ſcarcheth after every green thirg.
u Thes which heſearcheth out, or findeth in the Moxntains, He prefers thar mean proviſion and hardſhip with his freedsm, before the farteſt Paſtures with Servitude, Why ſo weak and harmleſs a Creature
DU.
as the wild Aſs ſhould be untameable, when the moſt Savage Lions & Tigers have been tamed;and how there comes tg be fo vaſt a diffe- rence between the tame and the wild Aſs, thou canſt give no rea- ſon, but muſt refer wholly to my good pleaſure, ro which alſo thou ſhouldſc upon the ſame grounds refer all rhe various merhods of my providence and dealings with thee, and with other Mcn,and not ſo boldly cenſure what thou doſt not underſtand. ;
9 Will the Unicorn x be willing to ſerve theey, or abide by thy crib z, ?
x Iris mth diſputed among the Learned, bur is not needful to be known by others, whether there be, or ever was ſuch a Creature as we call the Unicorn ; or whether this Reem,which is the Hebrew Name of it, be the Rhinoceros, as ſome would have it; or a certain kind of wild Goat, called Oryx, which is very tall and ſtrong. and untraQtable; or one of that kind cf wild Oxen or Bulls, called Us ; Which may ſcem moſt probable, borh from the deſcription of this Creature here, and elſwhere in Scripture, which exattly agrees with its deſcripticn given by other Authors ; and from the deſcripticn of his work in this place ; which muſt in all reaſcn be agreeable to Creatures ef that general kind ; and from the conjunttion of this Creature with Bullocks in Scripture, Deut: 33: 17: andeſpecially 1/a; 34: 6, 7: where having put Lambs, and Goats, and Rams together, v: 6: az Creatures of the1ame, or very like ſort ; he mentions Bultocks, and Bal, and Reems, wv: 7: as belonging to the ſame general ſort of Creatures. Bur this I ſhall nor poſitively deterniine here, He that would know more, may ſee what the Reverend and Learned Mr. Cary! hath upon this Text out of Boorizs and: others,and my Latin $y- ropſis on Numb; 23; 22. y Canſt thou tame him, and bring him into ſubje&ion to thy command. z Will he ſuffer himſelfto be ried cr confined thereall night, and to be reſerved ro the work of the next day, asthe Oxen do? Surely no. And if thou Cant not rule ſuch a Creature as this, much leis art thou able to govern the World, or to teach me how to govern it, which thou preſumeſt to do.
ro Canſt thou bind the Unicorn with his band inthe furrow a ? or will he harrow the valleys b after thee ?
4 i.e, Inthy furrowed Field, by a Meroxymy. Or, to, or for (as the prefix Bech is oft uſed, as Gen: 11; 4: Levit: 16: 22: Job 24: 5: ) the Furrow, i. e. to make Furrows,or to Plow : for which work Cat- te] uſe to be bound together, that they may be dire&ed by the Hus- bandman, and may make right Furrows. b To wit, the low. Grounds ; which are moſt proper for, and moſt imployed in the work of Plowing. c Under thy conduQ, following thee ſtep by ſtep. 1x Wilt thou cruſt him 4 becauſe bis ſtrength is
great e? orwilt thou leave thy labour f to him g ?
d To wit, for the doing of theſs works ? e Becauſe he is very able for thy work- And wilt thouby thy power make him willing; or force him to put forth and ſpend his ſtrength in thy ſervice ?
f Either, r thy work of Plowing and Harrowing. Or, rather 2.
the Fruit of thy Labour, or the Goods gotten by thy labour.as this word 1s oft uſed, as Deut: 28: 33: Jeb 20: 18: Pſal: 78. 46: & 128: 2: Joh: 4: 38; towit,the frui's ofthe Earth procured by God's Blef- ſing upon thy induſtry» g To be brought home by him into thy Barnes, asthe next Verſe explains it.
I2 Wilt thou believe him that he will bring home
thy ſeed b, and gather 3s ito thy Barn ?
þ Heb, will returnchy Seed; either 1. by Plowing and Harrewing thy Land ſo well that it ſhall make a good return to -thee for thy ſeed. Or rather, 2. by bringing into thy Barn, as it follows, thy feed, 2z.e. the produtt of thy feed, orthy ſheaves of Corn, as this word 1s uſed, Hag: 2; 19.
13 Gaveſt thous the goodly k wings I unto the Pea- cocks: ? or || wings and feathers unto the Oftrich » ?
z; The ſtile of this Bookis very conciſe, 2nd ſome Verb is mani- feſtly wanting to ſupply the ſenſe; and this ſeems to be ficly un-
derſtood out of v: 19: where ir is exprefled. & Or, triumphant, that *