An exposition with practical observations continued upon the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters…

Call now] or, Call I pray thee. What we translate, now, is sometime a particle of insulting, but most usually of persuading or entreating. We render it as an Adverb of time, but it rather imports a request. So Gen. 12. 13. Abraham entreats Sarah, Say I pray thee, thou art my sister. The word (Kara) which we translate, call, signifies first to cry aloud by way of preaching or proclamation, Isa. 58. 1. Cry aloud, lift up thy voice like a trumpet. Secondly, by way of prayer or invocation, as Psal. 50. 15. Call upon me in the day of trouble. but it rather signifies, and that more properly, to call by way of appellation, or by way of nomination, As Ruth 1. 20. Call me not Naomi, but call me Marah. So here, Call now that is, look over the names, or call over the names of all the Saints, as we use to say, when many should meet together, and we would know whether they are all met: or as Stewards when they pay many hired servants their wages, take the Bill and call over their Names, and so pay them one by one; Mat. 20. 8. In the evening, the Lord of the vineyard saith unto his Steward; call the labourers, that is, call them by their several names, and give them their hire. Thus we may understand the phrase in this place, read the catalogue of the Saints, call every one by his name, and put the question to them, ask them whether ever they had such afflictions as thou hast? or ask them whether they behaved themselves under their afflictions as thou hast done? I believe thou wilt find none to answer thee. To this sense Mr. Broughton translates, Call now if there be any that will defend thee, that is, be thy patron or advocate, in word, or in the example of their lives.

Call now] or, Call I pray thee. What we translate, now, is sometime a particle of insulting, but most usually of perswading or intreating. We render it as an Adverbe of time, but it rather imports a request. So Gen. 12. 13. Abraham entreates Sarah, Say I pray thee, thou art my sister. The word (Kara) which we translate, call, signifies first to cry aloud by way of preaching or proclamation,