And therefore he cuts himself off from using any more or higher decipherings of it, of any kind, if any could have been found, as being all but mere Metaphors, too light, and holding no weight with that far exceeding weight of Misery, he felt (as the Apostle on the contrary, comparing present Afflictions and the Glory to come together, speaks) but Job here, he gives it clean over as a thing unexpressible. And in stead of all Essays that way, he chooseth rather to speak and show the Cause thereof the same, which I in this Treatise have endeavoured to do. And thereby he sets forth in a Reality, the dreadfulness of it indeed; And more than by all things whatever, that his Grief could have been compared unto. This you have in these Words. [For the Arrows of the Almighty, are within me,] he had sores without, in his Body; and Afflictions in his outward Man or Condition; Fears without, and Terrors within: he complains not, that you ⟨p. 183⟩hear of them at all. Oh but they are these Arrows that are within me, (says he) the Arrows of the Almighty. That is, which none but an Almighty Hand could shoot, and shoot so deep: such Arrows, as could come out of no other Forge or Quiver. The Soul of a Man is a Spirit of a vast depth, and God, and God alone can shoot up into it, unto the Arrow Head. And yet again, besides the strength of the Arm that shoots them, and the forkedness of the Arrows themselves, they were all, as Arrows that are dipped in Poison, envenomed with the guilt of his Sins (which as Chap. 13. 23. & 26. God had now set on upon his Soul, Thou makest me possess the Sins of my Youth:) Thus it follows in the next Words, [And the Poison thereof drinks up my Spirit.] They do not only let out the Spirits, (which Wounds made by other Arrows use to do) but they drink them up. The Strength and Violence of the Venom of them, had such an Efficacy on his very Soul, and the very Spirit and Life thereof, as they drank all up. Again it follows, [And the Terrors of God have set themselves in array against me.] God drew forth his Wrath (as it were) into an ordered Army, into Rank and File, at once to fall upon him. If one Man had an whole ⟨p. 184⟩Army set against him, and each armed Man therein were to shoot a Bullet, or an Arrow into him at once; and if withal we could make the Supposition, that that Man should have his Life still renewed after each Wound given, so as never to dye;
And therefore he cuts himself off from using any more or higher decipherings of it, of any kind, if any could have been found, as being all but meer Metaphors, too light, and holding no weight with that far exceeding weight of Misery, he felt (as the Apostle on the contrary, comparing present Afflictions and the Glory to come together, speaks) but Job here, he gives it clean over as a thing unexpressible. And in stead of all Essays that way, he chooseth rather to speak and shew the Cause thereof the same, which I in this Treatise have endeavoured to do. And thereby he sets forth in a Reality, the dreadfulness of it indeed; And more than by all things whatever, that his Grief could have been compared unto. This you have in these Words. [For the Arrows of the Almighty, are within me,] he had sores without, in his Body; and Afflictions in his outward Man or Condition; Fears without, and Terrors within: he complains not, that you ⟨p. 183⟩hear of them at all. Oh but they are these Arrows that are within me, (says he) the Arrows of the Almighty. That is, which none but an Almighty Hand could shoot, and shoot so deep: such Arrows, as could come out of no other Forge or Quiver. The Soul of a Man is a Spirit of a vast depth, and God, and God alone can shoot up into it, unto the Arrow Head. And yet again, besides the strength of the Arm that shoots them, and the forkedness of the Arrows themselves, they were all, as Arrows that are dipt in Poyson, envenomed with the guilt of his Sins (which as Chap. 13. 23. & 26. God had now set on upon his Soul, Thou makest me possess the Sins of my Youth:) Thus it follows in the next Words, [And the Poyson thereof drinks up my Spirit.] They do not only let out the Spirits, (which Wounds made by other Arrows use to do) but they drink them up. The Strength and Violence of the Venom of them, had such an Efficacy on his very Soul, and the very Spirit and Life thereof, as they drank all up. Again it follows, [And the Terrors of God have set themselves in array against me.] God drew forth his Wrath (as it were) into an ordered Army, into Rank and File, at once to fall upon him. If one Man had an whole ⟨p. 184⟩Army set against him, and each armed Man therein were to shoot a Bullet, or an Arrow into him at once; and if withal we could make the Supposition, that that Man should have his Life still renewed after each Wound given, so as never to dye;
