and defects in grace, Rom. vi. 19. to help and defend themselves, Isa. Failings and mistakes committed xi. 8. through surprise, and want of spiri- WEAPONS. God's weapons of intual courage and strength, Rom. xv. dignation against the Chaldeans, were 1. The weakness of God is stronger the Medes and Persians, by whom than men: the contemned method of he executed his just vengeance in salvation through the death of Christ, destroying that people, Jer. xiii. 5. is more effectual to render men holy and 1. 25. The not carnal, but mighty and happy, than all the supposedly weapons of warfare, used by gospelwise schemes of men, 1 Cor. i. 25. ministers, are earnest prayer, and the The weakness and infirmity of Christ faithful preaching of the gospel for that he had, was his frail human na- the purpose of conquering our hearts ture, and the various reproaches, to Jesus Christ, and the reforming our temptations, and troubles, he was lives according to his law, 2 Cor. x. compassed with, 2 Cor. xiii. 4. Heb. 4. When the wicked flies from the The weakness of the ceremo-iron weapon, the bow of steel strikes nial law, that occasioned its abolish-him through; when he shuns one cament, was its insufficiency to justify, lamity, he falls into another more sanctify, or save men, Heb. vii. 18.1 dreadful, Job xx. 24.

v. 2.

Christ took our infirmities on him, and To WEAR out the saints, is grabare our sickness; he bare the pun-dually to destroy them till none be ishment of our iniquity; he tender-left, Dan. vii. 25.

ly sympathizes with his people, and WEARY, (1.) Fatigued in body, testified so much by his curing of the 2 Sam. xvii. 2. (2.) Desirous to be distressed, Matt. viii. 17. Heb. iv. rid of a thing, as if it was a burden, 15. The Holy Ghost helps our in- Gen. xxvii. 46. (3.) Slack, carefirmities; he graciously heals our less, Gal. vi. 7. (4.) Sore afflicted, spiritual diseases; and daily ena- having great need of rest, Isa. xxviii. bles us to worship and serve God, 12. God is wearied with men's iniRomans viii. 26. We ought to quities, and made to serve with their bear with the infirmities of the weak; sins, when he has been long proexercising patience and love towards voked with grievous transgressions, the weak, by kindly endeavouring and even a turning of his kindness to help them, Romans xv. 1. The and grace into licentiousness, and saints glory and take pleasure in his judgments may be expected to their infirmities and troubles, not be quickly executed, Isa. i. 14. and in themselves, but as they are means vii. 13. and xliii. 24. Men are of glorifying God, and occasions weary and heavy laden, when they of his communicating his fulness to have spent their strength in carnal them, 2 Cor. xii. 5, 10.

and wicked courses, or can find no WEALTH. See RICHES. rest in them, but are laden with the WEAN. It seems the Jewish guilt and domineering power of sin, children had three weanings: one or with a ser se of it, and with fears from the breasts, when they were and cares about happiness, Matt. xi. about three years of age, or far sooner 28. David was weary of his crying, in most cases; the second from their when he had continued instant in dry nurse, at seven years of age: prayer, till he could scarcely pray and the third from their childish man- any more, Psa. Ixix. 3. Jeremiah ners, at twelve. The saints are li- was weary with holding in and forkened to weaned children, to denote bearing: he could get no ease, but their humility, teachableness, keep-in a way of faithfully declaring the ing within the bounds of their own threatenings of God against the station, and quiet contentment with wicked Jews, Jer. vi. 11. and xx. the will of God, Psa. cxxxi. 2. or to 9. Men weary themselves for very vapoint out their weakness and inability│nity, when they take great labour and

toil to no good purpose. Thus the (of seven days; such a week of nup-. Chaldeans fatigued themselves, in tial feasting for Leah's marriage, Jaendeavouring to quench the fire of cob finished, ere he obtained Ratheir city, Hab. ii. 13. chel, Gen. xxix. 27. A prophetic week WEASELS are of two kinds, the is the space of seven days, a day for house weasel, and the field weasel or a year. Nor was this method of calfoumart; they are considerably sub-culation abtruse to the Jews, who tle, and though of small size, have a had their seventh year a Sabbath, as good degree of strength; they are well as their seventh day: and who, enemies to serpents, moles, rats, and at the end of seven prophetical mice, and no friends to poultry: they weeks, had their Sabbatical jubilee, will sport with hares till they have That the 70 weeks mentioned by Dawearied them, and then they kill niel, denote weeks of years, is agreed. them: they bite worse than a dog, by every sensible commentator, but when they are provoked. It is said not the time when these 70 weeks or the females carry their young ones 490 years began.-It is plain, they daily from one place to another, that began from an edict or warrant to none may catch them. They were build the city of Jerusalem, and not unclean by the ceremonial law, Lev. from an edict to rebuild the temple: xi. 29. they could not therefore begin at WEATHER, the temper of the the edict of Cyrus or Darius for reair, Prov. xxv. 20. Fair weather building the temple; but at the edict cometh out of the north; with God is of Artaxerxes Longimanus for reterrible majesty; might be rendered, pairing the city, either in the sethe gold-like glancing lightnings venth year of his reign, when he come out of the north on God is a gave Ezra his commission to that robe of terrible majesty, Job xxxvii. 22. effect, Ezra vii. and viii. or in the WEAVERS are such as work 20th year of it, when he gave NeWEBS of cloth, of which the threads hemiah his, Neh. ii. The edict in that run from end to end are called the seventh year of his reign was the WARP, and the threads that run most favourable, and was ratified by from side to side are the wooF: but the counsellors, as well as by the it seems, from the account we have king, and appears to have been just of our Saviour's seamless coat, that 490 years before our Saviour's death, they then understood the art of knit- wherein he finished transgression, and ting cloth in the way we do stock-made an end of sin, by his complete ings, nay, perhaps they had looms for atonement. Of these, seven weeks, working garments without any seam or 49 years, were spent in rebuildat all. Hezekiah compares God's ing the city and its walls, amidst no eutting off his life to the weaver's small trouble, and these ended about cutting his web out of the loom when the death of Nehemiah. Sixty-two it is finished, Isa. xxxviii. 12. more weeks, or 434 years, elapsed ere the public ministry of John or Christ began; and after confirming the covenant with many, Jesus, in the last half of the seventieth week, that is, at the end of it, made the sacrifice and oblation to cease in point of obligation. If, with Mercator and Petavius, we should allow Artaxerxes to have reigned ten years along with his father, and so the 20th to be but the 10th after the death of his father Xerxes; then 483 years elapsed between that and the commencement

WEDDING, the celebration of MARRIAGE, Luke xiv. 8. Matt. xxii.

3.

WEDLOCK, the tie of marriage; and to break it is to commit adultery, Ezek. xvi. 38.

WEEDS, that grow among corn, or herbs. The weeds were wrapt about Jonah's head; he was in the depth of the sea, where the seaweeds grow; or, weeds swallowed by the fish might be wrapt about his head, Jon. ii. 5.

WEEK, a natural one is the space

of our Saviour's public ministry, and serves and judges them, that he may in the midst of the 70th week, or punish or reward them in a proper about three years and a half after, manner, Dan. v. 27. Prov. xvi. 2. the sacrifices were abolished by his Isa. xxxvi. 7. 1 Sam. ii. 3. He sets death. If we date the commence- a weight for the winds, when he ment of these weeks from the 20th determines them to blow precisely of Artaxerxes after the death of his with such force, and from such a father, the death of our Saviour hap-quarter, and during such a time, as pened 478 years after, in the middle he pleaseth; or when he checks of the 69th week; and we must leave them with the pressure of a thick the 70th for the events at the de- cloud pregnant with rain, Job xxviii. struction of the Jewish nation, be- 25. A WEIGHT, is what is heavy, tween A. D. 65 and 72, in which, and weighs much. So carnal affecafter making covenants or leagues tions and sins, lying on the conwith a variety of the eastern princes, science, and prevalent in the heart, Vespasian, and his son Titus, entire- or temptations thereto, are a weight ly overturned the Jewish church and that oppresses the spirits of men, state. But, after all, it must be al-and disqualifies them for running the lowed, that the chronology of that Christian race, Heb. xii. 1. Eternal period is not so absolutely fixed and glory is called a weight, because of its clear as to occasion any warm dis- unspeakable abundance and degree; pute about a few years; so that to nor could one subsist under its deme, it appears a small matter whether lightful pressure, 2 Cor. iv. 17. And these 490 years be reckoned from the what is of great force or importance 7th or 20th year of Artaxerxes Lon- is called weighty, 2 Cor. x. 10. Matt. gimanus, Dan. ix. 24-26. xxiii. 23.

WEEP. See MOURN. WEIGHTS, denote standards for To WEIGH, to examine the hea-weighing things in merchandise. viness of things. A cubic foot of As neither the Jews, nor any others, common water, which is near 17 had any coined money for a long Scotch pints, weighs 1000 avoirdu- time, they weighed it in their traffic. poise ounces; a cubic foot of pure The shekel, the maneh, and the tagold, 19,637 ounces; one of guinea lent, were all originally names of gold, 17,793, of quicksilver 14,000, weights. We can find no foundation of lead 11,325, of standard silver for supposing the Jews to have had 10,535, of copper 9000, of plate-two kinds of weights, the one sacred, brass 8000, of steel 7852, of iron and the other common, and the latter 7645, of block-tin 7321, of proof only one-half of the former. The spirits 928, of pure spirits 860.weights are denominated from the All stones are, in different degrees, sanctuary; as a shekel of the sanctuheavier than water: wood is for the ary, because the exact standards of most part lighter, and accordingly weight and measure were kept in the swims. A cubic foot of common air sanctuary; even as we call exact weighs 507 grains, or one ounce 27 measure, Linlithgow measure. Divers grains. God's weighing the moun-weights and measures, forbidden by tains, imports his exact knowledge the divine law, are unjust ones; a of, and power over them, Isa. xl. larger to receive things with, and a 12. He weighs men, or their spi-less to give them out, Deut. xxv. 13. rits and paths, when he exactly ob- Prov. xx. 10.

The less ancient Grecian and Roman weights, reduced to English Troy

18 134

192 48 16

8

576 144 48

ལ་

21 Duella

24 8 6 4 3 Uncia 0 0

10

6912 1728 576 288 9672 18 36 12 Libra 0 The Roman ounce is the English avoirdupois ounce, which they divided into seven Denarii, as well as eight Drachms; and since they reckoned their Denarius equal to the Attic Drachm, this will make the Attic weights one eighth heavier than the correspondent Roman weights. Note, The Grecians divided their Obolus into Chalci and Lepta. Some, as Diodorus and Suidas, divided the Obolus into six Chalci, and every Chalcus into seven Lepta or Mites: others divided the Obolus into eight Chalci, and every Chalcus into eight Lepta or Minuta.

11

0

62 60 467 Talentum Attica comm. 56 Note, There was another Attic Talent, by some said to consist of 80, by others of 100 Attic Minæ.

Note, Every Mina contains 100 Drachmæ, and every Talent 60 Minæ ; but the Talents differ in weight according to the different standards of the Drachmæ and Mine of which they are composed. The value of some different Minæ and Talents in Attic Drachmæ, Minæ, and English Troy weight, is exhibited in the following table:

MINA, or Pound.

The most ancient weights of the Greeks were a Drachma, weighing 6 pennyweights, 2 grains; a Mina, weighing 1 pound, 1 ounce, 444 grains; and a Talent, weighing 65 pounds, 12 penny-weights, 5 grains.

Jewish Weights, reduced to English Troy Weight.

Note, In reckoning money, 50 shekels made a Maneh; but in weight 60 shekels.

WELL. See FOUNTAIN.

about Whitsuntide; and their writers WELL, (1.) Rightly, according say, their best wheat grew in Michto rule, Gen. iv. 7. (2.) Happily, mash, Mezonichah, and Ephraim; Deut. xv. 16. and so happiness or but it seems, that of Minnith and Panprosperity is called welfare, Exod. nag, was every whit as good, Ezek. xviii. 7. (3.) Fully, Acts xxv. 10. xxvii. 17. With us, wheat is geneand so Christ is called well-beloved, rally sown soon after the end of harbecause his Father and his people vest, and is nine or ten months in esteem, desire, and delight in him, the field. Jesus Christ is a corn of above all things, Mark xii. 6. Isa. wheat; how substantial and durable; v. 1. Well-pleasing, is what is very able to endure winters of trouble! acceptable and pleasant to one, Phil. and what precious, nourishing, and iv. 18. God is well pleased in Christ, pleasant fruits of righteousness and and for his righteousness sake ; O his infinite delight in his person, office, and in his full atonement for us! and he is kindly reconciled to us in him, and for the sake of what he has done as our Mediator, Matt. iii. 17. and xvii. 5. Isa. xlii. 21.

WEN, a wart, a hard knob within the skin. It unfitted an animal for sacrifice, Lev. xxii. 22.

blessings, he brings forth to men, in consequence of his death and resurrection, John xii. 24. The saints are called wheat, to mark their solidity, usefulness, and good fruit, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ, Matt. iii. 12. The word of God is likened to wheat; how sweet, substantial, and nourishing, is the fulness of Jesus therein included and communicated to our soul, Jer. xxiii. 28. To be fed with the finest of the wheat, is to possess great happiness WHEAT, a grain well known and comfort, Psal. lxxxi. 16. The for its durableness, and delightful Jews sowed wheat, and reaped thorns; and nourishing substance. Part of when their apparently well-planned it grows with long awns at the ear schemes of alliance with Egypt, thereof, and part of it without them. and the nations around, and the The Jews began their wheat harvest like, did but in the issue increase

WENCH, a young girl, 2 Sam. xvii. 17.

WHALE. See LEVIATHAN.