means in this Place, the Words themselves do fhew: For the Rod of Correction is proper to drive away no other Foolishnefs, but that which is of a moral Nature. The Word rendered Bound, fignifies, as is obferved in Pool's Synopfis, a clofe and firm Union. The fame Word is used in Chap. vi. 21. Bind them continually upon thine Heart. And Chap. vii. 3. Bind them upon thy Fingers, write them upon the Table of thine Heart. To the like Purpofe is Chap. iii. 3. and Deut. xi. 18. where this Word is ufed. The fame Verb is used, 1 Sam. xviii. 1. The Soul of Jonathan was knit (or bound) to the Soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own Soul.-But how comes Wickedness to be fo firmly bound, and ftrongly fixed, in the Hearts of Children, if it be not there naturally? They having had no Time firmly to fix Habits of Sin, by long Custom in actual Wickednefs, as thofe that have lived many Years in the World.

The fame Thing is fignified in that noted Place, Gen, viii. 21. For the Imagination of Man's Heart is evil, FROM HIS YOUTH.-It alters not the Cafe, whether it be tranflated For, or Though the Imagination of Man's Heart is evil from his Youth, as Dr. T. would have it; ftill the Words fuppofe it to be fo as is faid. The Word tranflated Youth, fignifies the whole of the former Part of the Age of Man, which commences from the Beginning of Life. The Word in its Derivation, has Reference to the Birth or Beginning of Exiftence. It comes from Nagnar, which fignifies to fhake off, as a Tree fhakes off its ripe Fruit, or a Plant its Seed: - the Birth of Children being commonly represented by a Tree's yielding Fruit, or a Plant's yielding Seed. So that the Word

here

here tranflated Youth, comprehends not only what we in English moft commonly call the Time of Youth, but also Childhood and Infancy, and is very often used to fignify thefe latter. A Word of the fame Root is used to fignify a young Child, or a little Child, in the following Places; 1 Sam. i. 24, 25, 27. 1 Kings iii. 7. and xi. 17. 2 Kings ii. 23. Job xxxiii. 25. Prov. xxii. 6. xxiii. 13. and xxix. 21. Ifai. x. 19. xi. 6. and lxv. 20. Hof. xi. I. The fame Word is used to fignify an Infant, in Exod. ii. 6. and x. 9. Judg. xiii. 5, 7, 8, 24. 1 Sam. i. 22. and iv. 21. 2 Kings v. 14. Ifai. vii. 16. and viii. 4.

Dr. T. fays, p. 124. Note, that he "conceives, "From the Youth, is a Phrase fignifying the Great"nefs or long Duration of a Thing." But if by long Duration he means any Thing else than what is literally expreffed, viz. from the Beginning of Life, he has no Reason to conceive fo; neither has what he offers, fo much as the Shadow of a Reafon for his Conception. There is no Appearance in the Words of the two or three Texts he mentions, of their meaning any Thing else than what is moft literally signified.-And it is certain, that what he fuggefts is not the ordinary Import of fuch a Phrase among the Hebrews: But that thereby is meant from the Beginning, or early Time of Life, or Existence; as may be feen in the Places following, where the fame Word in the Hebrew is used, as in this Place in the eighth of Genefis. 1 Sam. xii. 2. I am old, and grey-headed —and I have walked before you from my Childhood unto this Day: where the original Word is the fame. Pfal. lxxi. 5, 6. Thou art my Trust from my Youth: By thee, have I been holden up from the Womb. Thou art he that took me out of my Mother's

Bowels.

me.

Bowels. ver. 17, 18. O God, thou hast taught me from my Youth; and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous Works: Now alfo, when I am old and grey-headed, forfake me not. Pfal. cxxix. 1, 2. Many a Time have they afflicted me from my Youth, may Ifrael now fay: Many a Time have they afflicted me from my Youth; yet have they not prevailed against Ifai. xlvii. 12. Stand now with the Multitude of thy Sorceries, wherein thou haft laboured from thy Youth. So ver. 15. and 2 Sam. xix. 7. That will be worfe unto thee, than all the Evil that befel thee from thy Youth until now. Jer. iii. 24, 25. Shame bath devoured the Labour of our Fathers, from our Youth.-We have finned against the Lord our God from our Youth, even to this Day. So Gen. xlvi. 34. Job xxxi. 18. Jer. xxxii. 30. and xlviii. 11. Ezek. iv. 14. Zech. xiii. 5.

And it is to be obferved, that according to the Manner of the Hebrew Language, when it is faid, fuch a Thing has been from Youth, or the first Part of Existence, the Phrafe is to be understood as including that firft Time of Existence. So, Jofh. vi. 21. They utterly deftroyed all, from the Young to the Old, (fo it is in the Hebrew) i. e. including both. So Gen. xix. 4. and Efther

iii. 13.

And as Mankind are reprefented in Scripture, as being of a wicked Heart from their Youth, fo in other Places they are spoken of as being thus from the Womb. Pfal. Iviii. 3. The Wicked are eftranged from the Womb: They go aftray as foon as they be born, Speaking Lies. It is obfervable, that the Pfalmift mentions this as what belongs to the Wicked, as the SONS OF MEN: For, these are the preceding Words; " Do ye judge uprightly, 66 O ye

"Oye Sons of Men ?Yea, in Heart ye work "Wickedness." (A Phrafe of the like Import with that in Gen. viii. 21. The Imagination, or Operation, as it might have been rendered, of his Heart is evil.) Then it follows, The Wicked are estranged from the Womb, &c.. The next Verse is, Their Poifon is like the Poison of a Serpent. It is fo remarkably, as the very Nature of a Serpent is Poison: Serpents are poisonous as foon as they come into the World: They derive a poifonous Nature by their Generation. Dr. T. p. 134, 135. fays, "It is evident that this is a "fcriptural figurative Way of aggravating Wick"edness on the one Hand, and of fignifying

66

early and fettled Habits of Virtue on the other, • to speak of it as being from the Womb." And as a probable Inftance of the latter, he cites that in Ifai. xlix. 1. The Lord hath called me from the Womb; from the Bowels of my Mother he made Mention of my Name. But I apprehend, that in Order to feeing this to be either evident or probable, a Man must have Eyes peculiarly affected. I humbly conceive that fuch Phrafes as that in the 49th of Ifaiah, of God's calling the Prophet from the Womb, are evidently not of the Import which he fuppofes; but mean truly from the Beginning of Existence, and are manifeftly of like Significa tion with that which is faid of the Prophet Feremiah, Jer. i. 5. Before I formed thee in the Belly, 1 knew thee: Before thou cameft out of the Womb I fanctified thee, and ordained thee a Prophet unto the Nations. Which furely means fomething else befides a high Degree of Virtue: It plainly fignifies that he was, from his firft Exiftence, fet apart by God for a Prophet. And it would be as unreasonable to understand it otherwife, as to fuppofe the Angel meant any other than that Samfon was

fet

fet apart to be a Nazarite from the Beginning of his Life, when he fays to his Mother, Behold, thou shalt conceive and bear a Son: And now drink no Wine, nor frong drink, &c. For the Child fhall be a Nazarite to God, from the Womb, to the Day of his Death. By thefe Inftances it is plain, that the Phrase, From the Womb, as the other, From the Youth, as used in Scripture, properly fignifies from the Beginning of Life.

Very remarkable is that Place, Job xv. 14, 15, 16. What is Man, that he should be clean? And be that is born of a Woman, that he should be righteous? Behold, he putteth no Trust in his Saints; yea, the Heavens are not clean in his Sight: How much more abominable and filthy is Man, which drinketh Iniquity like Water? And no less remarkable is our Author's Method of managing of it. The 16th Verse expreffes an exceeding Degree of Wickedness, in as plain and emphatical Terms, almoft, as can be invented; every Word reprefenting this in the ftrongest Manner: How much more abominable and filthy is Man, that drinketh Iniquity like Water? I cannot now recollect, where we have a Sentence equal to it in the whole Bible, for an emphatical, lively, and strong Representation of great Wickednefs of Heart. Any one of the Words, as fuch Words are ufed in Scripture, would represent great Wickedness: If it had been only faid, How much more abominable is Man? Or, How much more filthy is Man? Or, Man that drinketh Iniquity. But all these are accumulated with the Addition of-like Water,-the further to represent the Boldness or Greedinefs of Men in Wickedness: Though Iniquity be the most deadly Poison, yet Men drink it as boldly as they drink Water, are as familiar with it as with their common Drink, and