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

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?