An exposition with practical observations upon the three first chapters of the book of…

And it is observed (especially in these latter acts of this gradation) that Job alludes to the custom of those times, wherein unnatural women left their children upon the cold earth, naked and helpless, as soon as they were borne: or casting them out, expose them to misery, or the casual nursery of nature lent them by beasts, more merciful then those beastly mothers, who would not afford them knees to prevent, nor breasts to give them suck. As in that place, Ezek. 16.4, 5. the woeful condition of such an infant is expressed, to shadow out the sinfully polluted and woefully helpless estate of that people, and of all people by nature, till the Lord prevents them by the knees of free grace, and suckles them with the breasts of his consolation. Thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite, (of a barbarous people, and what then?) In the day thou wast borne, thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou ⟨p. 398⟩washed in water, thou wast not salted at all nor swaddled at all, none eye pitied thee to do any of these unto thee, but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the loathing of thy person in the day that thou wast borne. ¹Now this is a certain rule, that such parabolical and allegorical Scriptures are grounded upon known customs and things in use; It is certain there were some so unnatural to their infants, that they would bestow no care upon them when they were borne, neither wash nor cleanse nor bind them up, but cast them out, (as the Prophet speaks) to the loathing of their persons. ²The Heathen Romans had a special goddess or deity, whose name imported her care and office, that children when they were borne, should be taken up from the earth and set upon the knee. And for the preventing of this unnatural cruelty, (very frequent as it seems amongst them) the Thebans made an express law, that infants should not be neglected or cast out when they were borne, though the parents thought they would be a burden to them by reason of the charge, or no delight to them by reason of their deformity.

And it is observed (especially in these latter acts of this gradation) that Job alludes to the custome of those times, wherein unnaturall women left their children upon the cold earth, naked and helplesse, assoone as they were borne: or casting them out, expose them to misery, or the casuall nursery of nature lent them by beasts, more mercifull then those beastly mothers, who would not afford them knees to prevent, nor brests to give them suck. As in that place,