The LXX reads it, Thou hast made me clay. 1The word signifies cement or mortar, which are mixed of earth & water, Thou hast made me as tempered clay. When the original of man is described,2 it is said, The Lord formed man dust out of the ground, or, of the dust of the ground (Gen. 2.7.) here Job saith, Thou hast made me as the clay, or, Thou hast made me of the clay; the sense is near the same, whether we take clay for the matter out of which man was made, or for the similitude according to which man was made. Job speaks of himself with respect to creation: for,3 according to the ordinary course of generation, man is not made of clay. The first man was made of clay, and of him all men are. We derive our pedigree from the dirt, and are a kin to clay. Job might say, and so may any man, Thou hast made me of the clay. However Job was, and man now is made as the clay; that is, frail, brittle and weak. We are composed of materials, which will quickly crack and break. When the holy Ghost would describe how easily Christ can shatter to pieces all the opposites of his Kingdom, it is said, He shall dash them in pieces like a potters vessel: A potters vessel will not bear blows, especially not the blows of such an instrument, as is there spoken of, an iron rod: He shall break them with a rod of iron (Psal. 2.9.) we may break a potters vessel with a little wand, or a weak reed, how then should it endure the weight and hardness of an iron rod? The Spirit of God seems to delight in this allusion, and therefore takes it up often, Read, Isa. 45.9. Isa. 64.8. Rom. 9.21. We have the state of the Jews, described under this notion (Jer. 18.4.) The Lord bids Jeremiah go down to the potters house, he obeys, and found the potter working a work on the wheel, And the vessel that he made of clay, was marred in the hand of the potter, so he made it again another ⟨p. 504⟩vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then, the Word of the Lord came to him, saying, Cannot I do to you as this potter? saith the Lord, Behold, as the clay is in the hand of the potter, so are ye in my hand, O house of Israel. I can form you, and I can break you, I can put you into what condition I please, and ye ought not to be displeased at it. A potters vessel is an emblem of the strongest Kingdoms, How much more of the strongest men?
The LXX reads it, Thou hast made me clay. 1The word signifies cement or morter, which are mixt of earth & water, Thou hast made me as tempered clay. When the originall of man is described,2 it is said, The Lord formed man dust out of the ground, or, of the dust of the ground (Gen. 2.7.) here Job saith, Thou hast made me as the clay, or, Thou hast made me of the clay; the sense is near the same, whether we take clay for the matter out of which man was made, or for the similitude according to which man was made. Job speaks of himself with respect to creation: for,3 according to the ordinary course of generation, man is not made of clay. The first man was made of clay, and of him all men are. We derive our pedigree from the dirt, and are a kin to clay. Job might say, and so may any man, Thou hast made me of the clay. However Job was, and man now is made as the clay; that is, frail, brittle and weak. We are composed of materials, which will quickly crack and break. When the holy Ghost would describe how easily Christ can shatter to pieces all the opposites of his Kingdom, it is said, He shall dash them in pieces like a potters vessel: A potters vessel will not bear blows, especially not the blows of such an instrument, as is there spoken of, an iron rod: He shall break them with a rod of iron (Psal. 2.9.) we may break a potters vessel with a little wand, or a weak reed, how then should it endure the weight and hardnesse of an iron rod? The Spirit of God seems to delight in this allusion, and therefore takes it up often, Read, Isa. 45.9. Isa. 64.8. Rom. 9.21. We have the state of the Jews, described under this notion (Jer. 18.4.) The Lord bids Jeremy go down to the potters house, he obeys, and found the potter working a work on the wheel, And the vessel that he made of clay, was marred in the hand of the potter, so he made it again another ⟨p. 504⟩vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then, the Word of the Lord came to him, saying, Cannot I do to you as this potter? saith the Lord, Behold, as the clay is in the hand of the potter, so are ye in my hand, O house of Israel. I can form you, and I can break you, I can put you into what condition I please, and ye ought not to be displeased at it. A potters vessel is an embleme of the strongest Kingdoms, How much more of the strongest men?
- 1[Greek or Hebrew]. Sept. [Greek or Hebrew]〈non-Latin alphabet〉. Sept. 〈non-Latin alphabet〉
- 2Propriè significat cementum, vel terram aqua mixtam.
- 3In memoriam revoca, ut me è luto primùm, i. e. primum hominē unde orti caeteri formaris. figuli more. Merc.In memoriam revoca, ut me è luto primùm, i. e. primum hominē unde orti caeteri formaris. figuli more. Merc.
