1To be bitter in soul, notes deep intrinsical or inward sorrow; the greatest sorrow, makes the soul bitter: As in Scripture, when we find Soul added respecting the evil of an estate, or the good of an estate, evil and good are meant in the highest degree; As when Christ saith, Mat. 26.38. My soul is exceeding heavy, or exceeding sorrowful even unto death; that is, I am in the lowest deeps of sorrow: Sorrow unto death, is sorrow within one step or degree of death. My soul is sorrowful, there can be no sorrow but in the soul, the body (take it as a distinct from the soul) is not capable of sorrow; sorrow is a passion or an affection of the soul, an affection of the mind, and therefore all sorrow is seated in the mind; yet when our Lord Christ saith, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, It is far more then to have said, there is sorrow or exceeding much sorrow in my soul. So here, this phrase, To him that is bitter in soul, or whose soul is bitter; Notes the most bitter and grievous sorrow. When the Psalmist would set forth the great sorrow of Joseph in prison, Psal. 105.18. One translation saith, that the iron entered into his soul, and the Hebrew, word for word is this, his soul came into iron: We know the soul is so pure and spiritual that iron cannot enter it; We know that only the body can be bound with chains; The soul could quickly slip from the most watchful keeper, and break out from the strongest irons, were it not to keep company with the body. Whereas then it is said, his soul came into irons, it is only to show, that Joseph was under very sore affliction, even the sorest affliction of the body. As on the other side, when Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, my spirit rejoiceth in God my Saviour. We know, nothing properly can magnify the Lord, or rejoice, but the spirit or the soul; yet when she saith, my spirit doth rejoice, this notes a deep, pure, internal, spiritual joy, with which, she was ravished at that time: And as they who rejoice in soul, would even willingly be rid of their bodies, they are above the body: So they who are bitter in soul, are desirous to be rid of their bodies; the body is a burden when the soul is bitter. This bitterness of soul, caused those bitter complaints before, and now this vehement expostulation, ⟨p. 443⟩Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery?
1To be bitter in soule, notes deep intrinsicall or inward sorrow; the greatest sorrow, makes the soule bitter: As in Scripture, when we find Soule added respecting the evill of an estate, or the good of an estate, evill and good are meant in the highest degree; As when Christ saith, Mat. 26.38. My soule is exceeding heavy, or exceeding sorrowfull even unto death; that is, I am in the lowest deepes of sorrow: Sorrow unto death, is sorrow within one step or degree of death. My soule is sorrowfull, there can be no sorrow but in the soule, the body (take it as a distinct from the soule) is not capable of sorrow; sorrow is a passion or an affection of the soule, an affection of the mind, and therefore all sorrow is seated in the mind; yet when our Lord Christ saith, My soule is exceeding sorrowfull, It is farre more then to have said, there is sorrow or exceeding much sorrow in my soule. So here, this phrase, To him that is bitter in soule, or whose soule is bitter; Notes the most bitter and grievous sorrow. When the Psalmist would set forth the great sorrow of Joseph in prison, Psal. 105.18. One translation saith, that the iron entred into his soule, and the Hebrew, word for word is this, his soule came into iron: We know the soule is so pure and spirituall that iron cannot enter it; We know that only the body can be bound with chaines; The soule could quickly slip from the most watchfull keeper, and breake out from the strongest irons, were it not to keepe company with the body. Whereas then it is said, his soule came into irons, it is only to shew, that Joseph was under very sore affliction, even the sorest affliction of the body. As on the other side, when Mary said, My soule doth magnifie the Lord, my spirit rejoyceth in God my Saviour. We know, nothing properly can magnifie the Lord, or rejoyce, but the spirit or the soule; yet when she saith, my spirit doth rejoyce, this notes a deepe, pure, internall, spirituall joy, with which, she was ravish'd at that time: And as they who rejoyce in soule, would even willingly be rid of their bodies, they are above the body: So they who are bitter in soule, are desirous to be ridde of their bodies; the body is a burden when the soule is bitter. This bitternesse of soule, caused those bitter complaints before, and now this vehement expostulation, ⟨p. 443⟩Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery?
- 1[Greek or Hebrew] Qui prae calamitate animo sunt acerbo & in perpetua maestitia. Merc.〈non-Latin alphabet〉 Qui prae calamitate animo sunt acerbo & in perpetua maestitia. Merc.
