An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty-eighth, thirty-ninth, fortieth, forty-first, and forty-second,…

And though it be said, that, as the neck is not reckoned among the instruments of speaking in man, so it cannot be conveniently reckoned among the instruments of neighing in a Horse, that properly belonging to the throat; and though I grant that when the Scripture saith (Psal. 75.5.) Speak not with a stiff neck; the word neck is not there to be taken, for the means or instrument of speech, but notes only the manner of speaking; namely, that there the Lord forbids wicked men to speak scornfully, pertinaciously, or as Hannah expresseth it in her Song (1 Sam. 2.3.) that they should talk no more so exceeding proudly, nor let arrogancy come out of their mouth: Yet the throat being placed in and being a part of the neck, we may by a common synecdoche, of the whole for the part, avoid that difficulty. Nor doth the metaphor of clothing (though, I confess it, most suitable to the first interpretation, that of the mane) oppose this third of neighing; For when a Horse neighs strongly, the sound coming out of his mouth compasseth him, his neck especially, round about as with a garment. David describing a wicked man, saith, he clothed himself with cursing (Psal. 109.18.) Cursing goes out of the mouth of a wicked man, as neighing out of the mouth of a Horse; and therefore, as when a man is much in cursing, he may be said to clothe himself with cursing, as with a garment, so a Horse which neigheth much, may (I conceive) be said to have his neck clothed with neighing.

And though it be said, that, as the neck is not reckoned among the instruments of speaking in man, so it cannot be conveniently reckoned among the instruments of neighing in a Horse, that properly belonging to the throat; and though I grant that when the Scripture saith (Psal. 75.5.) Speak not with a stiff neck; the word neck is not there to be taken, for the means or instrument of speech, but notes only the manner of speaking; namely, that there the Lord forbids wicked men to speak scornfully, pertinaciously, or as Hannah expresseth it in her Song (1 Sam. 2.3.) that they should talk no more so exceeding proudly, nor let arrogancy come out of their mouth: Yet the throat being placed in and being a part of the neck, we may by a common synecdoche, of the whole for the part, avoid that difficulty. Nor doth the metaphor of cloathing (though, I confess it, most sutable to the first interpretation, that of the mane) oppose this third of neighing; For when a Horse neighs strongly, the sound coming out of his mouth compasseth him, his neck especially, round about as with a garment. David describing a wicked man, saith, he cloathed himself with cursing (