ther, 1, Hyperbollically ; even from their tender years Or 2. Stri&- ly and pr y. So the ſenſe is: No wonder they att ſo unrigh- reouſly, for their very Natures and Principles are corrupt, even from their Birth: They are the wicked offipring cf ſinful Parents« And this hereditary and native corruption, though too common to all Men, he particularly aſcribes to theſe men ; Either becauſe their immediate Parents were ſuch as did not only convey a cor- rupt nature to them, but greatly improved it by wicked Counſel and Example: Or becauſe they themſelves had improved that ſtock of Original Corruption, and in ſtead of mortifying it, had made it their great deſign, and conſtant buſineſs to gratifie and obey it || By aQtuel fins, the fruit of their original ſin. ; From their Childhood, as ſoon as ever they were capable of the exerciſe of Reaſon, and the pradtice of finning,
4 * Their poiſon & 5s F like the poiſon of a ſerpent 7; they are like the deaf || adder that ſtoperth her ear :
Their virulent and malicious diſpoſition. 7 Partly in it ſelf, being natural and inveterate, and incurable ; and partly in its moſt + Heb-a6 pernicious effetts. : cording t
5 Which will not hearken to*the voice of charmers, ;;e lik
[| charming never ſo wiſely m. weſs.
»m This ſimilitude doth neither juſtifie the pra&ice of Charm- [|Or, Af, ing, which in the very word here uſed, is condemned, Dezt. 18. *Jer8. 1: 1- No more than thoſe which are drawn from. the unjuſt Steward, Or, 6th Like 16- 1, &Cc- and 18. 2, &c+ and from #& Thief, Rev. 16. 15. Charm nor yet affirm the truth of what is reported, concerning the Aſps never ſe or Adders, which are ſaid to lay one Ear cloſs to the ground, and cuuning; to cover the other with their Tail, that ſo they may avoid the dan-
ger of Enchantment; but only was taken from the common Opi-
nion, which he pvetically mentions to this purpoſe : As they com-
monly ſay of the Aſps or Adders, &c. ſuch really are theſe Men :
Deaf to all my Counſels, and to the DifQates of their own Con- ſciences, and to the Voice of God's Law. And yet of the charms
ing or inchanting of Serpents, mention is made both in other places
*PC: 36. 5 and 71. 19, and 8. 2; and ro8.,, *Verl. 5,
YP(18.57
*Pſ. 140.3: Eccleſ#10.
thors, Antient and Modern, Hebrew and Arabick, and Greek and Latin, (Of which ſeemy Latin S20pſir.) And particularly the _ | Foe
ot Scripture, as Eccleſ. 10+ 11+ Jer. 8+ 17. and in all forts of Aue bi
Pſal. Lv,
; Pal. 1
* Job. 4 19-
*P[,64:
[
*ob, Jo 16.
+ Heb. 4 Living 4a Wrath.
Mm 4 «ac a Lb
Pal. LIX- Pp $ 4 4 bick Writers to whom theſe Creatures were beſt known) name ſome | ſorts of Serpents ; among which the Adder is one, which they call deaf, not becauſe they are dull of Hearing, but, as one of them ex- preſly faith, becauſe they will not be Charmed. 6 * Break their teeth », O God,in their mouth:break
out the great teeth o of the young lions, O LORD. | n Their Power and Inſtruments of doing Miſchief. He mentions | Teeth ; partly, becauſe the Adders poiſon lyes in its Teeth ; and partly, to make way for the following Metaphor. o Called the Grin- ders ; Which are more ſharp and ſtrong than the reſt, and more uſ- ed in breaking and rearing what they are about to eat. ; -7 Let them melt away as waters, which run continu-
*Pſ64i3- ally p : * when he q bendeth his bow roſhvot his arrows,let
them be as cut in pieces 7. | p As waters ariſing from melted Snow, or great Showers, or ſome other extraordinary cauſe, which at firſt run with great force and noiſe, and throw down all that ſtands in their way,butare ſud- denly gone, and run away and vaniſh, and return no more. 9 To wit, any or every one of mine Enemies, as appears from the fore- going and following words. 7, e Like Arrows broken aſunder, whilſt a Man ſhoots, which can do no hurt. 8 As a ſnail which melteth 5, let every one of them paſs away * : like the untimely birth of a woman, rhat they
may not ſee the ſun ?. BY
s Which thruſts forth ; and ſeems to threaten with 1ts Horns, but is quickly diſſolved : For when it goes out of its ſhell, 2t ſpends its vital Moiſture, until by degree it waſte away and periſh.Which indeavouring violently and unſeaſonably to break forth from the Womb is choaked in the attempt, and doth not live to fee the Light of the Sun.
9 Before your pots can feel the thorns #, he ſhall
take them x away as with a whirlwind y, Þ both living,
and in hss wrath z.
u i. e. The heat of the Fire. kindled by the Thorns put under them for that purpoſe : Before your Pots can be thoroughly heated. * To wit, mine Enemies; whoſe ſudden deſtruction he deſcribes under this ſimilitude. » 7 e. Violently and irrefiſtibly. z Heb-«s living ( i. e Alive, as he did Korah, Numb. 16- the Particle, 4s being here not a Note of Similitude, -but of Truth or Aſeveration, as it 3s John 1. 14. and oftelſewhere, as hath been noted : ) as in ( which propoſition is frequently underſtood ) wrath, 5. e. As a Man mov- ed with great Wrath aeſtroys his Enemy wirthour Mercy, and is ready to devour him alive, if it were poſſible : Or, both that which 3s raw ( as the Hebrew word Chai ſignifies, Lev. 13. 16. 1 Sam. 2+ 15. to wit, the raw Fleſh, which is ſuppoledto be put intothe por, that it may be boyled ) avd the burning Fire. There is indeed great variety of conſtru@ion and interpretation of theſe Hebrew words ; which is not ſtrange, eſpecially conſidering the conciſeneſs ofthe He. brew Language, and that this 1s a Proverbial Speech ; nor is it of any great importance, becauſe it is not in any great point of Faith, and becauſe the Senſe of it is agreed, the only difference being about the manner and ground of the Phraſe. The learned Reader may ſee more upon this place in my Latin Synopſes.
10 The righteous ſhall rejoyce when he ſeeth the
vengeance: * he ſhall waſh his feet in the blood of the
wicked ||» ; | * 7. e. The Vengeance of God upon his 1mplacable Enemies: not ſimply for himſcW, bur for the bleſſed effeRts of it ; the vindication of Gods Honour, and the deliverance of himſelf and of all good Men. || 7. e. There ſhall be ſo great a {laughter of bis Enemies that he might, if he ſo pleaſed, waſh his Feet in their blood. See the ſame or like Expreſſions, P/al. 68. 23. I/a. 63- 3. Revel. 14, 20. 1x So that a man ſhall ſay, Verily there is fa reward
for the righteous:verily he is a God that judgeth in the
earth T7.