Exercitations Divine, Book 1 · Exercitation 11
EXERCITAT. XI.
Of the Stile of the Scriptures.
Ioh. 7. 46.
Never man ſpake like this man.
VVHen we deſcribe a mans ſpeech, firſt we deſcribe it by that which is naturall, as whether he be foreign, of a weake voyce, or foreign foreign.of a ſlow tongue. Secondly, in what language hee ſpeaketh. Thirdly, in what Dialect he ſpeaketh. Fourthly, whether it be Soluta oratio or foreign. Fiftly, the Property of the ſpeech. Sixtly, the Evidence of the ſpeech. Seventhly, the Fulneſſe of the ſpeech. Eighthly, the Shortneſſe of the ſpeech. Ninthly, the Coherence, and laſtly the Efficacie of the ſpeech.
Firſt, we deſcribe that which is naturall, and proceedeth from ſome defect of the organs, as if he ſpake with a weake voyce, or be of a ſtammering tongue, or thicke lippes, which Exod. 6. 12, are called Vncircumciſed lippes: Contrary to this is a thinne lippe which is a ſigne of Eloquence, Iob. 12. 20. for theſe who have thinne lippes, commonly are Eloquent. Moſes the Penman of the holy Ghoſt, although he was defective in ſpeech; yet read his writings, and yee ſhall ſee ſuch The writers of the Scriptures although weake in perſon yet powerfull in words.eloquence in him, that no Heathen could ever match it, and as it is ſayd of Paul, when he was preſent in perſon he was weake, 2 Cor. 10. 10. and his ſpeech baſe and contemptible yet his letters were weighty and powerfull: ſo whatſoever want or infirmity was in Moyſes perſon, yet there was no want or defect in his writings.
Secondly, in what language hee ſpeaketh. The holy Ghoſt ſpake and wrote in Hebrew in the Old Teſtament, The Old Teſtament was written in Hebrew, and the New in Greeke.and in the New in Greeke. Hee wrote the Old Teſtament in Hebrew, a language which had this bleſſing ſpoken of in the Law, Deut. 28. 12. Thou ſhalt lend and not borrow, ſo this language lendeth to many Nations, but borroweth of none. Hee wrote the New Teſtament in Greeke, a moſt copious and fertile tongue, The Hebrew tongue lendeth to many, but borroweth of none.which was then Lingua communis to the Iewes although not vulgaris.
Thirdly, in what Dialect he ſpeaketh. The Dialects of the Hebrew tongue were ſundry, firſt, Dialectus Hieroſolymitana, that Dialect which was ſpoken in Ieruſalem and about it, Ast. 1. 19. foreign. In their owne foreignDialect, or proper tongue. So the Dialect of the Ephramites, who ſayd, Sibboleth & not Shibboleth, Iud. 12. 6. and the Dialect of the Galileans, as Peter ſpake in the Galilean Dialect, Matth. 26. 73. So in the new Teſtament there are ſundry Dialects as Ionick, Dorick Attick, &c.
Fourthly, whether it be in proſe or in verſe. The Iewes divide the Old Teſtament according to the ſtyle into Charutz; rithmum; Shir carmen, & Halatza, Orationem ſolutam, that is proſe.
Charuz is Soluta oratio, but in fiue Rithmo colligata; that foreign Rithmus.is, it beginneth in proſe, but endeth as it were in meeter, ſuch is Iob.
Shir, canticum; writen in meeter, as the Pſalmes foreign Carmen.and Canticles.
Hallatza, written in proſe; ſuch are the Hiſtories and foreign Oratio ſolutathe moſt of the prophets.
Fiftly, the property of the ſpeech. The phraſe in Hebrew is much to be obſerved, for in the Hebrew it will ſignifie one thing, and in other languages, another thing.
Example, Num. 19. 20. Dies numeri, ſignifieth A few Dies numeri quid apud Hebraos.dayes, ſo Homines numeri, Gen. 34. 30. A few men, Deut. 4. 27. Ezek. 12. 16. So Eſay 10. 19. The reſt of the Trees of his Forreſt ſhall be number, that a child may write them, that is, They ſhall be few. In other languages this phraſe would ſignifie many men, and many trees, &c.
So ſome phraſes of the Scripture have a contrary Some phraſes with the Hebrewes have a contrary ſignification.ſignification with the Hebrews, as Zack. 11. 24. Aſcendit viſio a me, that is, It periſhed. So Ier. 47. 15. Moab is ſpoyled and gone up out of her Cities, that is, Shee is deſtroyed. Sometimes againe it ſignifieth to waxe and increaſe, as 1 King. 22. 35. Bellum aſcendit, The battell increaſed. So Pſal. 74. 23. The tumult that ariſe up againſt thee aſcendeth, that is, Increaſeth continually.
So Levare peccatum is to take off the burden of ſinne, Exod. 10. 17. and Iohn alludeth to this, 1. 29. Behold the Lambe of God that taketh away the ſinnes of the world. foreign Lapidare. ElapidareAnd Levare peccatum, Is to take up the burden of ſinne, Levit. 5. 1. So Sakal, Lapidare & Elapidare, ſignifieth eyther to caſt ſtones upon a thing, as Deut. 22. 24. or to take away the ſtones out of a place, as Eſa. 62. 10.
Another example, I am like a drunken man whom the wine hath gone over, Ier. 23. 9. that is, whom the wine hath overcome, but Matth. 26. 39. Let this cuppe paſſe over me, that is, let it not touch me; in a contrary ſignification. So Gen. 25. 18. Cecidit coram fratribus ſuis, He dyed in preſence of his brethren, but the Seventie tranſlated it The New Teſtament uſeth often times the Hebraiſmes of the Oldforeign, He dwelt before his brethren.
The New Teſtament uſually followeth theſe Hebraiſmes of the Old Teſtament as Hoſ. 8. 8. A veſſel in which there is no pleaſure, Rom. 9. 21. A veſſell of diſhonour. So 1 Sam. 21. 5. The veſſels of the young men are holy, 1 Theſſ. 4. 4. That yee may know to poſſeſſe your veſſels in holineſſe. So Exod. 1. 8. there aroſe a new King in Aegypt who knew not Ioſeph, Matth. 11, 11. there aroſe not a greater then Iohn the baptiſt.
So in the New Teſtament there are many peculiar phraſes which are found in no other Greeke writers, and here we muſt diſtinguiſh inter Helleniſmum & Graeciſmum. Difference betwixt Helleniſmus & Graeciſmus. Helleniſmus quid.Helleniſmus is that ſort of phraſe which the Seventy uſe, for they tranſlating the Scriptures for the uſe of the grecizing Iewes, followed the Hebrew Chaldee and Syriacke in many things: ſo that they have a peculiar ſtile which is not to be found in other Greeke writers, The Seventy follow the Hebrew, Chaldee and Syriacke in many things.example foreign in the New Teſtament ſignifieth wrath and poyſon Reve. 18. 3. Ex vino veneni, that is, poyſoned wine. So Iob 4. 6. The reaſon of this is, becauſe Hbema in the Hebrew, ſignifieth both wrath and foreign ira. venenum.poyſon. Another example, 1 Cor. 5. 45. Death is ſwallowed up into victory: the Seventy hath it foreign In perpetuum, but foreign doth not ſignifie perpetuum amongſt the Heathen, why doe they then tranſlate it, For ever? becauſe Amos 8. 7. and 2 Sam. 2. 26. Lament. 5. 20.the word Netzahh, ſignifieth both Victory and Eternitie. A third example, Gen. 8. 21. Dixit ad cor ſuum dominus; foreign Victoria. Aeternitas.but the Chaldee ſaith, Bemeria foreign which phraſe the Evangeliſt Iohn followeth; but this is not a foreignphraſe uſed amongſt the Greekes. A fourth example, Give us this day, our daily bread, Matth. 6. 11. The Greeks ſay, foreign Panem quotidianum, but the Syriacke hath it foreign, Craſtinum panem, that bread which may feede us to day and to morrow. So Iam. 4. 6. The Lord exalteth the humble, but according to the Hebrew and Syriacke phraſe, to Exalt, is to lift up on the Croſſe, Ioh. 8. 28. When yee have lift up the Sonne of man, or exalted the Sonne of man, that is, lifted him up on the Croſſe. Theſe particular phraſes uſed by the Seventy would be marked. And beſides theſe, if we ſhall looke more nearely to the ſtile of the Scripture, as to the ſimplicity of it, then we The ſimplicity of the ſtile of the Scripture is admirable.ſhall much more admire it, 1 Cor. 2. 4. My preaching was not with inticing words of mans wiſedome, but in demonſtration of the Spirit, and of power.
Againe the Evidence of the ſtile, the judgements of foreign oculata fides cum qu… ipſe videt.God are ſet downe, ſo vively in the Scripture, as if a man were looking on with his eyes, this is called foreign by the Greekes, as we may ſee in the deludge, the overthrow of Sodome, and the miracles in the Wilderderneſſe, ſet downe ſo clearely before us, as if we had beene eye witneſſes of them. See a notable example, Pſal. 7. 12. 13. By a borrowed kind of ſpeech he ſetteth forth the judgements of God which were to over take the wicked, as if we were looking on. If he turne not he will whet his Sword, he hath bent his bow, and made it ready, he hath alſo prepared for him the inſtruments of death: he hath ordained his arrowes againſt the perſecutors.
Eightly, the Fulneſſe of the ſpeech. The Greekes foreign.call this foreign wherein nothing is wanting, neyther in the enumeration of the parts, or explication of the cauſes, or reciting of the circumſtances: for the holy The holy Ghoſt ſetteth downe all circumſtances belonging to the purpoſe whereof hee intreateth.Ghoſt ſetteth downe all the circumſtances belonging to the purpoſe. So the Apoſtle Rom. 1. deſcribeth at large the vanity and impiety of the Gentiles. And Rom. 2. the hypocriſie of the Iewes, and Cap. 3. he maketh a full deſcription of the corruptions of man, reckoning up the parts. There is none righteous, no not one, verſ. 10. There is none that underſtandeth, there is none that ſeeketh after God, verſ. 11. They are all gone out of the way, they are altogether become unprofitable, there is none that doth good, no not one, Verſ. 12. Their throate is an open Sepulcher, with their tongues have they uſed deceit, the poyſon of Aſpes is under their lippes, Verſ. 13. Whoſe mouth is full of curſing and bitterneſſe, Verſ. 14. Their feete is ſwift to ſhed blood, Verſ. 15. Deſtruction and miſery are in their wayes, Verſ. 16. And the way of peace they have not knowne, Verſ. 17. And there is no feare of the Lord before their eyes, Verſ. 18.
Ninthly, the Shortneſſe of the ſpeech: and here we cannot enough admire the fulneſſe of the ſtile and the ſhortneſſe of it, & that which Cicero ſayd of Thucycides Every word of the Scripture carrieth a weight.may here be applyed fitly, Eum eſſe adeo plenum refertum que rebus, ut prope verborum numerum, numero rerum exaequet, That every word carried a weight with it, and therefore we may call it Laconica Scriptura.
Tenthly, the Coherence: all things in the Scriptures are fitly joyned and coupled together. The Heathen All things in the Scripare fitly joyned.ſayd that there were three things unpoſſible, Eripere, Iovi fulmen, Herculi clavam & Homero verſum; to pull Iupiters Thunder-bolt out of his hand, Hercules Club out of his hand, and a verſe from Homer: for they thought, that there was ſuch a connexion betweene Homers verſes, that not one verſe could be taken away without a great breach in the whole worke: but this may bee much more ſayd of the Scriptures of God which have ſuch a dependance and connexion, that if yee take away but one verſe, the whole ſhall be marred.
But it may be ſayd that there are ſentences which Ob. ſeeme not to cohere or agree fitly together, Gen. 48. 7. And as for me when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the Land of Canaan in the way, when there was but yet a little way to come to Ephrath, and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath, the ſame is Bethlehem, Verſ. 8. And Iſrael beheld Ioſephs ſonnes. How doth this cohere with that which goeth before; it would ſeeme that there is no dependance here.
They cohere well enough with the words going before; for Iacob had adopted two of Ioſephs children, Anſ. How ſentences in the Scripture ſeeming to diſagree cohere very well.then hee giveth the reaſon of this adoption in theſe words; as if he ſhould ſay, whereas I might have had moe children by my firſt wife Rachel, if ſhee had lived; it is great reaſon that I ſupply this defect in her, by placing ſome in ſted of theſe children, which ſhe might have borne to me; and I adopt thoſe thy ſonnes ſince ſhe is dead.
The ſecond place which ſeemeth to have no coherence with things going before, Eſa. 39. 21. Take a lumpe of figges, and lay it for a plaiſter unto the boyle and he ſhall recover, verſ. 22. Ezekias alſo had ſayd what is the ſigne, that I ſhall goe up into the houſe of the Lord. What coherence is betwixt theſe words, and the words going before?
There is a right coherence here, and hee ſetteth downe that laſt, which was firſt for brevities cauſe; which is more at large ſet downe in the booke of the Kings; and therefore Iunius tranſlateth it well, Vajomer, foreignIn pluſquam perfecto, Eſay had ſayd.
Ier. 40. 1. The word which came to Ieremiah from the Object. Lord, &c. The words following ſeeme not to cohere with the former.
The beginning of the fortieth Chapter, with the ſeventh Anſw. Verſe of the fortieſecond Chapter, and theſe things which are inſert betweene them, doe containe but the occaſion of the propheſie, to wit; when Godoliah was killed, the reſt of the Iewes would have gone into Aegypt, which Ieremiah forbiddeth them to doe. And it came to paſſe ten dayes after, Chap. 42. 7, &c. This ſhould be joyned with the firſt Verſe of the fortieth Chapter, and all the reſt ſhould be included in a parentheſis.
As we have ſpoken of the ſtile of the Scripture in generall, ſo let us obſerve the ſtile of ſome of the writers in particular. Eſayes ſtile differed much from the ſtile of Amos, he being a Courtiour, and he but a Neat-herd. So the ſtile of Ezekiel differed from the ſtile of the reſt of the Prophets: he calleth himſelfe The Sonne of man, not becauſe it is a Chaldee phraſe, but becauſe of the excellent viſions which he ſaw, therefore he is called the Sonne of man, that is, an excellent man; as Ieſus Chriſt in the New Teſtament is called The Son of man, that is, an excellent man. So this is peculiar to Iohn the Evangeliſt, to call Chriſt the Sonne of God foreign, for the Chaldees and the Talmud uſually call him ſo: Iohn oppoſed himſelfe to Ebion and Cerinthus two Iewes who denyed the divinity of Chriſt, wherefore he hath uſually the word foreign, 1 Ioh. 7. 5. which was frequent in the Chaldee paraphraſt, and read often by the Iewes.
So there are ſome things peculiar to Paul; for hee uſeth ſome words according to the manner of the ſpeech in Tarſhiſh and Cilicia, as Colloſ. 2. 18. foreign in their language, ſignifieth inſidioſe alteri praeripere palmam. So 1 Cor. 4. 3. Mans day according to the phraſe of Tarſhiſh, is put for the time of judgement; becauſe they had ſome appointed times for judgement.
The Concluſion of this is, here we may admire the Concluſion. wiſedome of God, who gave moſt excellent gifts to his Secretaries for the edification of his Church. Moſes was a man of a ſlow ſpeech, and of a ſlow tongue, and Aaron God gave excellent gifts to his Secretaries, for the good of his Churchmuſt be his ſpokeſman, Exod. 4. Yet Moyſes was mighty in words and deeds, Act. 7. 22. It is ſayd of Paul that his bodily preſence was weake, but his letters were weighty, 2 Cor. 10. 11. By his preaching he converted many, from Ieruſalem to Illiricum, Rom. 15. 19. but by his letters hee converted moe, both in Europe Africa and Aſia; ſuch Paul converted moe by his writing, than by his preaching.was the majeſty and grace in his writing, that they acknowledged it to be from the Lord.