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

When you are in your pleasant warm chambers and soft beds, think of the cold, loathsome dungeons and hard boards, in which, and on which many of them lie. And when you hear the voice of love, and such speaking, to you, who have the law of kindness in their tongues, Prov. 31.26. then remember those who hear the voice of the oppressor. From which take this second observation,

When you are in your pleasant warme chambers and soft beds, thinke of the cold, loathsome dungeons and hard boards, in which, and on which many of them lie. And when you heare the voice of love, and such speaking, to you, who have the law of kindnesse in their tongues, Prov. 31.26. then remember those who heare the voice of the oppressour. From which take this second observation,

That the words of oppressors are wounding words. The voice of an oppressor is a terrible voice; And therefore Job puts this in, as a special privilege that the poor prisoners shall have in the grave, They shall not hear the voice of the oppressor; who can rest where they speak, or hear their words and not be troubled? therefore not to hear the voice of the oppressor, is a circumlocution,¹ noting full liberty: The wild-Ass is so described, Job 39.7. he regardeth not the crying or the voice of the driver, the Original word is that in the Text, he regardeth not the voice of the oppressor, or of the exacter: This is the liberty of the wild-Ass, which was never in hand or under burdens; whereas other Asses that are in hand, and are employed to bear and travail, they must be at the voice of the driver, they hear the voice of their oppressors: And some men are very unmerciful to their beasts; It is grievous to the poor cattle to hear the voice of such drivers; and the groans of those beasts will rise up in judgement against their drivers: And if so, how then will the groans of the Saints rise up against theirs drivers. We have lately heard of oppressors turned drivers, they have driven their poor brethren as beasts or cattle before them; and more cruel then any such drivers, they have not suffered them to drink of the puddled water through which they passed; And yet more, the words of these drivers, as goads and staves beat their ears, and pricked them to the very hearts in their passage. The voice of these oppressors, is the voice of scorn, the voice of slander and reproach; and David shows us from his own experience, how reproaches work, (