A Key to Open Scripture Metaphors, Book 1 · Chapter 10 · Part 5
Metaphors taken from Time.
THE other effect of the luminaries of Heaven, is the differencing of Time, from which differences some Metaphors are deduced.
Day.(1.) A [Day] is taken for the profit and benefit of the time allotted or granted by God, 1 Sam. 25.8. We come in a good Day, that is, seasonable and for our profit, your preparation and store being such as that you can relieve our want, John 9.4. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day, that is, while the allotted season lasts, for that purpose given by Heaven. Upon which Erasmus paraphrases, I am therefore sent into the World, that I should by Deeds of this kind purchase Glory for God, by convincing unbelievers that I speak true, that they may believe, and be cured of their blindness. This Command I must diligently follow, while it is day; for men that have any thing to do, work by day, the night being unseasonable for labour, in the mean while therefore, while the present day affords an opportunity of acting what is necessary for the obtaining of eternal Life I must not give over. For the Night is coming wherein men neither will nor can work. See Luke 13.31, 33. John 11.9, 10. and 12.35. Rom. 13.11, 12, 13. 2 Cor. 6.2.
2. For the knowledge of God and the season of grace, Rom. 13.12. The night is far spent, the day is at hand— Here is an opposition between an unconverted state, which is compared to night, and a state of Conversion to the Kingdom of Christ, which he calls Day, for the reason before given, 1 Thess. 5.5, 8. Ye are the Children of light, and children of the day: We are not of the Night, nor of darkness— But let us who are of the day be sober— In this text there is an elegant Antanaclasis— for the word Day, ver. 2.4. is to be understood of the day of Judgment, and ver. 5. of the gift of Gospel restauration by Christ, to which ver. 7. the mention of the natural night opposite to the Day is subjoyned, 2 Pet. 1.19. until the Day-dawn arise, &c. here life and eternal Glory seem to be noted, that in the words of the Apostle there may be an opposition between this Life, and that which is to come, this life being compared to an obscure place which needs a Candle to light it (which Candle is the Prophetical Revelations) but life to come is compared to a clear Day, in which Christ our foreign, (phosporos or) light-bringer shall illuminate the Eyes of believers with a most full and bright radiance. And thus the great perfection of the Prophetical Scriptures (as also of the Apostolical, which are exactly conformable to them, and as it were an explanatory light to them) is proved, because most sufficient (with the help of Divine Grace,) for the obtaining of Everlasting life, &c.
The parts of the day are the Morning, Noon, and Evening, Psal. 55.17. Evening and Morning and at Noon will I pray, &c. The morning season metaphorically denotes diligence, sedulity and care, because men rise early to go about such business as they are careful of, and are much upon their hearts, Job 8.5. Psal. 5.3. and 92.2. and 101.8. Prov. 8.17. 2 Chron. 36.15. Jer. 35.4. Zeph. 3.5, 7. The Watchman said the morning cometh, and also the Night, &c.Morning Some understand that the morning is here put put for Prosperity, as if he had said to Dumah or the Idumeans, The yoke of the Israelites being shaken off of thy Neck (as it is said, Gen. 27.42. You shall enjoy liberty, prosperity, and plenty of good things: But another Calamity hangs over thee from the Assyrian by which, as with the darkness of night thou shalt be obscured. Others take the word morning properly, but not unlike the former sense; the morning indeed comes, (as ye ask ver. 11. Watchmen what of the night? that is, when shall the day-dawn come? And what will happen then?) But together with it, that night comes, which is more dark and terrible. For when the days are calamitous, there arises with the Sun, as it were, a new light, yet ending in a night more full of calamity then the former. Illyricus, says, Although the Morning properly taken will come, yet the metaphorical morning will not come, but it will be a metaphorical Night.
The Chald. takes it metaphorically, but applies it more generally; thus it paraphrases the whole verse— The Prophet said there is a reward provided) for the just and vengeance for the wicked, if you will repent, do it, while you may.
Esa. 47.11. Therefore shall evil come upon thee, the morning thereof thou knowest not (so the Hebrew) that is, whose sudden coming or beginning thou that shalt not at first mind, as in the morning betimes, the Sun rises, and darts out its beams upon a sudden. Some think that the Prophet derides the vanity of the Chaldean Astrologers. Others thus, the morning or day break gives an indication of the Suns coming, so this evil that was to come upon Babylon was not without its marks and tokens that went before it, which were as illustrious as the dawn that ushers in or harbingers the day. But not known to Babilon because of its blindness and conceited security, Hos. 10.15. In a morning shall the King of Babylon be utterly cut off, that is, swiftly and suddenly. He speaks of Hosea the Son of Elah, 2 Kings 17.1, 5. &c.
This term moreover denotes divine grace to believers, because of the beauty and sweetness of the springing and arriving light.Ps 110.3. From the womb of the morning, &c. For as the morning brings the beginning of day light after the tedious sadness of a dark night, and is no little comfort to them (especially if sick) that are weary of darkness, and earnestly long for day, so the grace of divine consolation does wonderfully recreate and refresh the hearts of such as are troubled and afflicted, &c. Of which take two examples, Psal. 110.3. From the Womb of the morning, thou hast the Dew of—Of which place many have said many things. It is certainly to be expounded by a metaphor, denoting the Grace of God given in his Word, which is compared to the Morning, Esa. 58.8. Hosea. 6.3. A Womb is attributed to the morning, because of the mystery of God in his spiritual begetting of his Children— The unfolding of this Trope is thus, as the Dew by a wonderful and invisible way, as it were, born of the Womb of the morning, that is, it plentifully falls at that time, without any help or assistance of man, Job 38.28. So by the grace and mercy of God, and by the power of his heavenly word, (but in a far more abstruse and mystical manner) the youth of the Messiah, that is, that willing people in the day of his power. and in the beauties of holiness, of which the Psalmist speaks in the same verse. See Psal, 22.30, 31. Ps. 87.4, 5. Esa. 53.10. and 54.1. Micah 5.7. John 1.12, 13. and 3.5, 8. Jam. 1.18. &c.
Esa. 8.20. Who have no Morning &c.The other place is Esa. 8.20. where the morning is put for the grace of God, and that comfort and peace of spirit which flows from it, the words in Hebrew are, because there is no morning in him— But Interpreters do not agree whether this is to be understood of men, or the perverse Doctrines of such as consulted them that pretended to foretell things to come, by a devilish or familiar Spirit. If it be referred to men, it bears this sence— To the Law and to the Testimony: If they speak not according to this word, they shall have no morning that is true light. This is true in it self, but the letter of the text is not altogether conformable to it, for it is not in the plural to them, but in the singular to him (or it.) But others expound this text better thus— *Note that this explication of the Hebrew text which is word for word as here Englished.[To the Law and the Testimony] that is, recourse must be had, thither for the Law and Testimony must be consulted according to the Will of God, [otherwise] (that is, if they do not speak the truth of Divine Grace there) [let them speak,] an Ironical concession joyned with indignation: let them speak, because they will not do otherwise, though seriously and frequently admonished, let them speak (I say) according to this word, (viz.) in which there is no morning] that is, no light of Divine Grace or Comfort, ver. 21. And let him pass through it (the Earth) hardly bestead and hungry (the singular for the plural) and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their King and their God, &c.
Now whereas the Prophet calls this speech of that wicked People, (viz. that they were to seek Councel of them that had familiar Spirits, &c. and not of the Law and Testimony) a word without a morning, or void of the light of divine Grace and Consolation, it certainly follows according to the intention of the Prophet, that that morning of Grace and Comfort is to be found in that word of the Law and Testimony alone, with sure and safe counsel in Tribulations and Afflictions, which to distressed minds is like the morning sweetness, or the pleasure of a lovely day-spring. Such as neglect or reject this Word, walk in darkness, and are involved in errors, and perish everlastingly. The other Interpretation in substance agrees with this.
[Noon] is taken for things most evident, Deut. 28.29. The Latines have a Proverb, meridiana lux, Noon light, which is put for a most clear and evident thing. There is a comparison with the Noon time, when there is mention made of the light and splendor of felicity, Job 11.17. And (thy) time shall arise above the Noon day, (so the Hebrew) that is, thy most illustrious Glory shall shine all round or about thee. See Psal. 37.6.
The [Evening] is elegantly opposed to the [Morning,] when the speech is of the vicissitude of Calamities and Comforts which God observes in Believers, Psal. 30 5. Weeping may endure for a night (or as the Hebrew, may lodge for an Evening) but joy (cometh) in the Morning: that is, the Godly are compelled to weep in the darkness of the Cross and Sufferings, but the most joyful morning and light of Divine help will come again. See John 16.20, 22. Psal. 126.5, 6. So the word Vesperascens drawing towards an Evening, is used for ceasing, Esa. 24.11. The Sun-setting in the Evening leaves the darkness of night to succeed it, so when joy ceases it leaves Calamity and Mourning.
To the day is opposed [Night] by the same Reason almost as darkness is,Night. which in a Moonless Night and cloudy sky invade us, Job 17.12. They change the Night into day: The light (they said) is near because of darkness; he speaks of his thoughts, which ver. …1. he called the possessions of his heart, because of his hope and expectation of good as Christ commands us, Luke 21.19. In patience (and hope) to possess our souls— Therefore he said that his Thoughts or Possessions of his heart were broken of, denoting that all hope of good perished; and then adds that the same cogitations turned night into day, and that light was near (with respect to those dark dispensations—) that is, he certainly hoped that those Calamities (which he compares to an obscure night) should be turned into prosperity, which he shews by the word Day, and that the light of long expected peace is near. This explication agrees with what follows, ver. 13. If I wait, the Grave is mine house, &c. ver. 15. And where is now my hope? As for my hope who shall see it? ver. 16. They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when (our) rest together is in the dust: As if he had said, my expected hopes together with my body shall ere long be carried to the Grave, and expire with this Life, Job 35.10. But he said not where is God thy maker? Who giveth Songs in the Night; that is, who in adversity giveth help and deliverance, for which Praise and Glory becomes due to him. See Micah 3.6. &c.
Sometimes the Night signifies the Reign or Dominion of Impiety and Hell, Rom. 13.12. But what we find, 1 Thes. 5 7. (For they that sleep, sleep in the Night, and they that are drunken are drunken in the Night,) is understood by some of natural sleep and night, but others interpret it of spiritual sleep, that is, carnal security in wickedness (Rom. 13.11. Eph. 5.14.) and the night of infernal power. Erasmus in his paraphrase elegantly joyns both, and thus unfolds this Apostolical text— The Day (of the last Judgment) is to be dreaded by those, who are blinded by vice, and lead a life like Nights— But you that are Brethren are not to fear it, because it shall not find you unprovided; for all you that follow Christ do not belong to the Kingdom of darkness but to the Kingdom of light and God, especially if in piety and reality ye walk close to the rule of your Profession, and so live as that it may appear, that ye watch in the light and not snort in darkness. There if we would not be oppressed, let us not sleep as others do who have not known the light of Christ: But let us be watchful and sober, having always a circumspect mind, that we admit not any thing through incogitancy, which may prove offensive to the Eyes of God or men. For as such as sleep a natural sleep, do it by night, and such as be drunk with wine, are usually so in the night; so they that sleep in sin, are involved in darkness of mind, and such as are drunk with carnal desires and delights (so called) are entangled in the mists of a dark mind. But it becomes us to whom the light of the Gospel day hath shined, to be sober and watchful, &c.