11. Canaan is called Immanuel's certain, Noah did not retire to these tand, or the Lord's land. It enjoyed eastern regions before the building the peculiar care, protection, pre-of Babel, and not evident that he did sence, and ordinances, of our Re-so afterwards, we cannot give into deemer, and in it he long dwelt in this opinion. When we observe the our nature, Isa. viii. 8. It was a simplicity and emphasis of the Heland of promise, as given by promise brew tongue; when we consider how to Abraham and his seed, Heb. xi. exactly the Hebrew names of ani9. It was a land of upright:ess; as mals suit their natures, and how prethere, men having the oracles of God, cisely the names of persons suit to the ought to have walked uprightly to- reason of their imposition, we canwards God and man, Isa. xxvi. 10. not but declare for the Hebrew. It Egypt is called a land of trouble and is absurd for the Chaldaic, Assyrian, anguish, because there the Hebrews Arabic, or Ethiopic, to be put in were exceedingly distressed, and it competition in this claim. Every has long been a scene of terrible ca- unbiassed observer will plainly see lamities. Isa. xxx. 6. Babylon was them but dialects of the Hebrew a land of graven images; idolatry tongue; and perhaps they, as well as mightily prevailed in it, Jer. 1. 38. the Phenician, were for many ages The land of the living, is this world, almost quite the same with the Hein which men are before death, and brew. As the Jews lived in a manthe heavenly state, where no death ner so distinct from other people, ever enters, Psal. cxvi. 9. and xxvii. they bid fairest to preserve their lan13. The grave is the land of guage uncorrupted. As we have no darkness and of the shadow of standard book in the Hebrew, bedeath, Job x. 21, 22. and of forget-sides the Old Testament, the signi fulness, as men are soon forgotten fication of not a few of its words, after they are buried, Psal. Ixxxviii. seldom used, is not altogether certain to us; but by tracing them in LANES, the narrow passages in similar words of the Arabic, &c. we a city, where poor people generally may arrive at what is very probable. dwell, Luke xiv. 21. How God confounded the language LANGUAGE, a set of words of mankind at Babel; whether he made use of by the people of any made them forget the meaning of particular country or countries, to their words, and put one for another, express their thoughts. No doubt or whether he inspired the most of God at first inspired men with lan- them with new languages, is not eaguage. Without supposing this, we sy to say. It is certain, the ancient see not how they could so early con-language of the Gomerians, Huns, verse with God, or the man with his Greeks, &c. did not a little resemble wife. While men lived so long, and the Hebrew; and that there are applied only to the more simple me- other languages, such as the Sclathods of life, as before the flood, vonic, and sundry of America, betheir ideas were few, and their lan-tween which and the Hebrew we guage was easily preserved without can scarcely trace the smallest realteration. For some time after the semblance. Into how many lanflood, mankind were still of one languages speech was divided at Babel, guage and speech; but what it was, it is impossible to say. Alstedius is not so readily agreed. Could we, enumerates about 400; but makes with Shuckford, believe that Noah only 72 distinguished ones, and five went almost directly eastward to chief ones, viz. the Hebrew, Greek, China, we should readily imagine, Latin, Germanic, and Sclavonic. At the Chinese language, which is but present, a sort of Arabic mightily simple, and its original words very prevails in western Asia, and in the few, was the first one. But as it is north of Africa. Mingled dialects

13.

of the Latin and Teutonic, &c. most- and figures, and which, if they rise ly prevail in the west of Europe. naturally from the subject and from The French and English are the most the genius of the speaker, and are esteemed. When God cast off the but sparingly used, and that only to Gentiles, he confounded their lan-express thoughts of proper dignity, guage; when he called them back tend not a little to explain a subject, to his church, he gave his apostles and to embellish the style, by renthe miraculous gift of speaking with dering it more copious, more digtongues, Gen. xi. Acts ii. The lan-nified, more expressive, and more guage of Canaan, or a pure language, picturesque. Metaphor, hyperbole, is a proper manner of speech in personification, address, comparison, prayer to God, and edifying conver-interrogation, exclamation, vision, sation with men, Isa. xix. 18. Zeph. repetition, and amplification, are the iii. 9. As the use of language is to principal figures of speech. To preconvey ideas from one to another, serve the world from counterfeit that must be the best style which writings, God has endowed every conveys them in the most just, clear, man with a style, or manner of lanand affecting manner, suiting at guage, peculiar to himself; and this once the subject spoken of, and the is concise, diffuse, perplexed, manly, person speaking, and those to whom smooth, sprightly, smart, gloomy, or he speaks. To render language per- dull, &c. according to the turn of the spicuous, every word and phrase, if person's passion or imagination, and possible, should be pure, belonging his habit of thinking. To hide pride to the idiom in which one speaks; from man, scarcely any possess all the should be proper, authorized by the graces of language; few towering best speakers and writers in that writers are very correct, and as few language; and should precisely ex-very correct writers have much fire: press the idea to be conveyed, with- nay, few authors write always like out any foreign or superfluous cir- themselves; but even the elegant somecumstance added thereto. In sen- times sink into the frigid, or soar into tences, there ought to be clearness; airy bombast.-As sublimity of style the words, especially those which lies in the expression of grand thoughts express the principal ideas, being so in few and plain words, it must inplaced as to mark the relation of one deed be opposite to airy bombast, or idea to another, without the least high-swoln language, without sentiambiguity there ought to be unity, ment, or clothing puny and common the principal object being still kept thoughts; and to childish conceits, silunchanged, and no way obscured or ly puns, forced and unnatural antithewandered from, by a mention of things sis, unnatural and self-opposing comslightly related to it, whether in-parisons, affected jingles of sound, cluded in parenthesis or not: there-and to every ill-timed elevation or ought to be strength, so as it may fall of the language, that corresponds make the more impression; useless not with the rise or fall of the thought; words ought to be rejected, and the but it is so far from being contrary to principal words placed where they real simplicity and plainness, that appear most brightly, and the mem- simplicity is one of the principal bers of the sentence made to rise in beauties of sublime language; and their importance: there ought to be nothing is more contrary to the true HARMONY, the words being so cho-sublimity of style, than the airy bomsen or disposed, as the sound may bast, and pert conceited manner, be expressive of the sense, at least which some absurdly imagine to be the not disagreeable to the ear. In every perfection of language. In respect language, especially of the eastern of ornament, style is either dry, nations, whose imaginations were where there is scarcely a word to emwarm, there is a great use of tropes bellish, or plain, or neat, or elegant, or

:

Aorid. As both the first and last are gure, than the oracles of God. As extremes, the first approaching to the historical part is in general pecuthe frigid and grovelling, and the liarly plain, so the poetic and other last to the airy bombast, neither is parts are decked with all the finery much to be coveted. of true ornament. Tropes remove

As the true propriety of language the words used from their natural has in it suitableness to the subject, signification, to another someway and the persons concerned, nothing connected therewith. These in scripcan be supposed more proper to be ture, are drawn from things obvious used on religious subjects, or more and well known, and represent the truly sublime, than the style of the on-object expressed under the intended ly wise, and the most gracious God, idea. When the name of the cause in his word. Nor can I imagine, is put for that of the effect, or that what can tempt any to think other- of the subject for that of the adjunct, wise, except it be their vain affecta- or the reverse, it is called a metonotion of idle romances, or their igno-my, Rev. i. 10. Zech. xi. 1. 1 Joha rance of the scriptures, especially in i. 3. When more universal terms the original tongues, and a hatred are put for such as are more restrictof their Divine Author.-Can lan-ed, or a whole for a part, or the conguage more beautifully correspond trary, it is called a synecdoche, Matt. with its subject? In the descriptions iii. 5. John xix. 42. Psal. i. 1. Acts of God, and his appearances, how ii. 41. When more is signified than grand and majestic! Exod. xv. 1-the expression necessarily bears, it 18. Deut. xxxiii. 2—43. Psal. xviii. is a mciosis, or abatement, as is often 1-18. Isa. Ix. 10-28. and Ivii. 15. the case in negative precepts and Amos iv. 13. Hab. iii. In describ-promises, Exod. xx. 3-17. Isa. xlii. ing the overthrow of nature, cities, 3, 4. When less is meant than the or nations, how noisy and terrifying! expression naturally bears, it is an 2 Pet. iii. 9, 10. Rev. vi. 14-18. hyperbole, or excess of the language, Isa. xxiv. Jer. 1. and li. Nah. i. 3-6. Gen, xi. 4. and xiii. 16. Job xxix. and ii. 1-10. and iii. 17, 18. In 6. 2 Sam. i. 23. When the conpainting forth the Messiah, and the trary of what the expression natuglory and peace of his kingdom, how rally signifies is meant, it is an irony, sweet and delightful! Isa. xi. and xii. Deut. xxii. 38. Eccl. xi. 9. 1 Kings and xxxv. In gospel-invitations to xviii. 27. When one thing is rereceive him as the free gift of God, presented in words that natively how soft and captivating! Psal. mean a thing somewhat similar, it is xxxiv. 8. and lxxvi. 10-12. Deut. a metaphor, John x. 9. and xiv. 6. xxxii. 39. Prov. i. 23. and ix. 4, 5. A metaphor continued, or often reand xxiii. 26. Isa. i. 18. and Iv. 1, 3, peated, forais an allegory, or parable, 7. In expostulation, how rapid and Song i-viii. Luke xv. Figures urgent! Prov. i. 22. Ezek. xxxiii. relate to a whole sentence. Their 11. Isa. Iv. 2. In lamentation, how principal kinds are, (1.) Exclamapathetic and tender! as if every word tion, whereby, as with an outcry, the was a groan, Jer. ix. 1. Lam. i.-v. vehemence of some particular pasMatt. xxiii. 37. Luke xix. 41-44. sion is expressed, Zech. ix. 17. In the discourses of Jesus, and the Rom. vii. 24. (2.) Doubt, where a epistles of John, how familiar, but debate in one's mind what he should never frigid, grovelling, or gathered do, is expressed, Gen. xxxviii. 30. up from the rabble! In God's pro-(3.) Correction, whereby one retracts mulgation of the ten commandments what he had said, as too little, or too from Sinai, how plain, but truly sub-much, or as an entire mistake, Gal. lime! ii. 20, 1 Cor. xv. 10. (4.) SupNo book has its style more adorned pression, when one stops before he with every beautifying trope or fi-finishes his sentence, as overwhelm,

ed with wonder, grief, rage, &c. xx. (16.) Comparison, whereby | Psal. vi. 3. (5.) Omission, when things similar are likened to one anoone seems to pass what he plainly ther to illustrate one of them, Song but briefly hints, Heb. vi. 1. (6.) ii. 2, 3. of this kind are parables. Address, to persons or things, Psal. (17.) Lively description, wherein, by xxxv. 10. 1 Kings xxii. 28. Job a nice arrangement of the principal xvi. 18. (7.) Suspension, when the ideas, the thing is almost as clearly principal point is reserved till the represented as if it were before our last, and the reader or hearer kept eyes, 2 Pet. iii. 9, 10 (18.) Vision, in expectation of it, Luke xvii. 26, or image, whereby things distant, or 30. (8.) Interrogation, when ques-unseen, are represented in a lively tions are asked, and sometimes an- and emphatic manner, to raise wonswered in a discourse; to which ex-der, terror, compassion, care, Rev. postulatory reasoning with one, may xviii. 9-19. Heb. xii. 1. (19.) be reduced, John iii. 4. Gen. xviii. Personification, when qualities, or 14. Isa. Iv. 2. and x. 3. (9.) Pre- things inanimate, are represented, vention, where an objection is directly as if thinking, speaking, hearing, or or indirectly started and answered; acting, as rational persons, Isa. i. 2. to which may be joined premunition, and xiv. 8-12. Rom. viii. 22. Job whereby one, in the beginning of xxviii. 22. (20.) Change of person his discourse, guards himself against or time, as when a speaker puts himthe prejudice and misapprehension of self for others, or the present time those he speaks to, Rom. ix. 1-6, for the past or future, &c. Isa. xvi. 19-23. (10.) Concession, in which 9. and liii. 12. To this may be resomething is granted in order to in-duced, introduction of persons speakfer some other thing from it, Job ing, Isa. iii. 7. and iv. 1. (21.) xix. 4. Rom. ii. 17-24. James ii. Transition, from one subject to ano 19. (11.) Repetition of the same ther, in which a subject tending to ideas, in the same or in different illustrate the principal, is sometimes words, Psal. xviii. 1-3. and xxii. 1. abruptly introduced, 1 Cor. xii. 31. Isa. Ixi. 10. (12.) Circumlocution, Isa. xi. and xii. Rom. xiv. 1. (22.) whereby, to avoid indecency, or the Sentence, is a short and lively remark like, a thing is described in words on what is treated of, Rom. iii. 31. more in number, or less plain, Jer. To which may be reduced, ipophenexxii. 28. Job xviii. 4. (13.) Ampli-ma, or a concluding remark on a disfication, when every principal ex- course, Rom. xi. 33.

pression in a passage, adds plain- LANGUISH, the world, or earth, ness, strength, or grandeur, to what languisheth, when its surface is wiwent before; to which climax, or thered, its cities destroyed, and ingradation, where the term or phrase habitants killed, Isa. xxiv. 4. and conclusive of the former expression xxxiii. 9. Vines, olives, flowers, begins the next, may be added, Isa. and other vegetables, languish, when i. 22, 23. Rom. viii. 29, 30. (14.) they wither and fade, Jer. xxiv. 7. Omission of copulatives, to mark ea- Joel i. 10. Nah. i. 4. Persons langerness of passion, Rom. i. 29-31. guish, when they become weak, and and sometimes frequent repetition of their comeliness fades, Jer. xv. 9. copulatives, renders a sentence so- Psal. xli. 4.

lemn, and every verb or substantive LAODICEA, just people. There therein emphatic, Rev. v. 12. (15.) were at least six cities of this name; Opposition, whereby things different, but the scripture mentions only or contrary, are placed together, that that of Phrygia, on the river the nature of either, or both, may Lycus, near Colosse. It was anci be shown with more clearness and ently called Jupiter's city, and then force, 1 Tim. i. 13. 2 Cor. v. 7. Rhoas; but Seleucus, or perhaps Rom, viii. 1. Mark xvi. 16. Ezek. Antiochus, the Syro-Grecian king,

rebuilt it, and called it Laodicea, af-black-breasted Tringa, with a hangter his wife. Though Paul never ing crest or top on its head. It is a preached in it, yet a Christian beautiful bird, about the size of a pichurch was early planted here. geon, and very common in fen counThey were in the same danger of tries through most of Europe. On false teachers as the Colossians, and each foot it has four toes, connected therefore Paul orders his epistle to as those of the duck. It is very dexthe Colossians to be read to them. terous in decoying persons, or dogs, He also mentions a letter from Lao- from its nest, Lev. xi. 19. decia; but whether it was the epis- LARGE. Assyria was a large, tle to Timothy, or that to the Ephe- extensive country, or place, Isa. sians, which the Laodiceans had had xxii. 18. Hos. iv. 16. David was the perusal of, or whether it was set in a large place, or room, when he some letter the Laodiceans had sent had great liberty and comfort, and him, we know not. There is still was advanced to extensive power extant, a letter pretended to be that and authority, Psalm xviii. 19. and of Paul to the Laodicean church; but xxxi. 8. and exviii. 5. it is agreed to be spurious, and Ti

LASCIVIOUSNESS. See WAN

motheus, a priest of Constantinople, TON.

says, it was forged by the Mani- LAST, (1.) Late, later, or latest chees, Col. ii. 1. and iv. 15, 16. in time, Gen. xlix. 1. God is the About A. D. 96, the Christians of La-first and the last; is from eternity to odicea were become extremely igno-eternity, Isa. xliv. 6. (2.) Worst in rant, proud, self-conceited, and care- condition: Many that are first shall less about eternal things: Jesus be last, and the last shall be first: the Christ therefore directed John to Jews, that were first brought into a write them an epistle, for their con-church-state, and had the gospel viction and amendment. At present, first preached to them, shall in the Laodicea is not only unchurched, but end be most miserable; and the is a mere desert, with some ruins Gentiles, that were last called to the scarcely sufficient to mark that ever fellowship of God's Son, shall, mulsuch a city was in the place, and is titudes of them, be for ever most called Eskhissar by the Turks, Rev. happy, Matt. xix. 30. and xx. 16. i. 11. and iii. 15-21.

The LATIN tongue, was the lan LAPWING. Calmet thinks the guage of the ancient Romans, though Duchiphah is the hoopohoo, which is now in general it is only learned in a bird about the bigness of a thrush. the schools; but the Italian, French, Its beak is long, black, thin, and a Spanish, and in part the English and little hooked. It has a tuft of fea- Portuguese languages, are derived thers on its head, which it raises or from it, John xix. 20.

lowers as it pleaseth. Its legs are LAUD, to praise, extol, Rom, grey and short; its neck and sto-xv. 11.

nach reddish; its wings and tail LAVER, a vessel for washing. black, with white streaks; its wings The Mosaic laver was made of the roundish at the point; its flight slow. fine brazen looking-glasses, which In northern countries, it is seen but the Hebrew women brought to Moses about three months of the year; dur- for the service of the tabernacle. ing the rest of it, it probably re- This laver held the sacred water for moves to warmer regions. Its form the priests to wash their hands and is beautiful, but its voice is hoarse feet with, by cocks, at which it and unmusical. It generally makes seems the water ran into basons. It its nest in old ruins, or on way sides. stood between the altar and the enIt feeds much on worms, and on hu- trance of the tabernacle, Exodus man dung, and makes its nest there- xxxviii. 8. Solomon made ten new of: Others take this bird to be the lavers. According to Calmet, these