A treatise of the necessity of humane learning for a Gospel-preacher shewing the use of I. Languages, II. Rhetoric, III. Logic, IV. Natural philosophy, V. Moral philosophy, VI. History, VII. Chronology, VIII. Arithmetic, IX. Geometry, X. Astronomy, XI. Geography, and the benefits of learning in all ages : also this question is determined, whether grace be essential to a minister of the Gospel? / by Edward Reyner ...

SECT. II. Of Tropes.

FIrst the Kinds, of them which are four: 1. A Metonymie, 2. Irony, 3. Meta∣phor, 4. Synecdoche.

Secondly, the Affections of them, which are four also:

1. Catachresis, 2. Hyperbole, 3. Meta∣lepsis, 4. Allegoria.

First, Of the kinds of Tropes.

A Trope is an Elocution, whereby a word is changed from the proper or native Sig∣nification to another, for ornament sake. Tropes are condimenta orationis.

I. Of a Metonymie, which is fourfold, scil:

• 1. of the Cause.
• 2. Effect.
• 3. Subject.
• 4. Adjunct.

Of the Cause and that either

• 1. of the efficient.
• 2. of the matter.

1. Instances of a Metonymie of the ef∣ficient, when the Author, or Inventor, is put for the thing effected:

As Ancestors for their posterity, as Ja∣phet and Shem, Gen. 9.27. Jacob and Is∣rael, Psal. 135.4.

—Moses, and the Prophets are put for their books and writings, Luk. 16.29, 31.

—The Spirit is put for a Revelation, or Do∣ctrine, 1 Joh. 4.1. 1 Cor. 14.32.

—The Holy Ghost is put for the variety of Gifts in men for the edification of the Church, Joh. 7.39.

2. Of a Metonymy of the matter, when the name of the Matter is put for that which is made of it:—as Dust for a Man, Gen. 3.19. and 18.27.

—And Seed for a Son, Gen. 4.25. 2 Sam. 7.12.

2. Of a Metonymy of the Effect, when the Efficient is signified by the Effect. Thus God is said to be our Reward, Gen. 15.1. our Life, Deut. 30.20. Light, Psal. 27.1. Strength, Psal. 18.1. because he is the Author, or Cause of these.

—The Devil is said to be dumb, Luc. 11.14. and a spirit of infirmity, Luc. 13.11. because he made dumb and infirm.

—Thus Faith is our Victory, 1 Joh. 5.4. i. e. the Means and instrument of it.

—Wine is said to be a Mocker, and strong drink is raging, Prov. 20.1. because it makes men so.

—Thus Bread is put for Corn, the matter of it, Isa. 28.28.

3. Of a Metonymy of the Subject,

when the Name proper to it is brought to signifie the Adjunct of it.—Thus the Place is put for the Inhabitants, as Jeru∣salem, Judea, and the Region about Jor∣dan, Matth. 3.5.

—Heaven for God, who dwels in heaven, Psal. 73.9. Matth. 21.25. Dan. 4.26.

—House is put for children, or oss-spring, Exod. 1.21. 2 Sam. 7.11.

—For family, Act. 10.2. Luc. 19.9.

—Sea is put for those that coast or dwell by it, or trade upon it, Isa. 60.5.

—Thus Princes, and Governors are put for their jurisdictions, Matth. 2.6. which place, thus understood, is best reconciled with Micah 5.2. for so the Princes, and the Thousands of Judah come both to one.

—The Cup is put for the Wine, 1 Cor. 11.25. Continens pro contento.

—Power over the head is put for a Veil, the sign of it, 1 Cor. 11.10.

4. Of a Metonymy of the Adjunct, when subjects are signified by the Names of their Adjuncts. Thus

—Adjuncts are put for their Objects: so God is said to be our fear, dread, praise, considence, hope.

—Christ is called the desire of all Nations, Hagg. 2.7.

—The Sign is put for the thing signified; as the anointing for the priesthood, Numb. 18.8.

—Bread and wine for Christ's body and blood.

—To sit is put for to teach, Matth. 23.2. and to rule, Psal. 110.1. 2 Thes. 2.4. that being the posture of Teachers, Matth. 26.55. and of Judges, Judg. 5.10.

—To lift up the hand is put for

• to swear, Gen. 14.22. Revel. 10.5, 6.
• to pray, Psal. 28.2. and 63.5.

—Thus the Scepter is put for the King∣dom, Gen. 49.10.

—The Sword for Magistracy, Rom. 13.4.

—The Keys for the power of the Church, Matth. 16, 18, 19.

—The Abstract is put for the Concrete, as wickedness for the wicked, Job 5.16.

And righteous∣ness for righte∣ous, 2 Pet. 3.13. The Names of Virtues, and Vices, are put for the persons, to which they are adjoyned.

Paul was was called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Act. 24.5. a pest, for a pestilent fellow.

—Thus pride is put for the proud man, or city: as Babylon, Jer. 50.31. Behold I am against thee, O pride.

—Days denote Old men, Job 32.7.

—Thus Time is put for Things hapning or existing in it, 1 Chron. 29.30.—theTimes that went over David signified the vari∣ous occurents, that fell out in his Time, See 2 Tim. 3.1, &c.

—And a day is put for some remark∣able good, as Hos. 1.11. the day of Jezreel: or evil, as Job 18.20. the day of the wicked. Ezek. 21.29. and 22.14.

—Thus joy is put for Heaven, the place of it, Mat. 25.21, 23.

The second Trope is an Irony, which is a Speech by Contraries; when it is sharp, or biting, it is called a Sarcasm.

This is used,

1. By God himself to Adam, Genes. 3.22. Behold, the Man is become as one of us, &c.—to Israel, Judg. 10.14. —go, and cry to the gods whom ye have served; which was an Ironical upbraiding of them for their Idolatry. See the like in Jer. 22.23. Amos 4.4.

2. By Christ to the Pharisees, Mark 7.9.—full well ye reject the Commandments of God; he means, they did very ill in so doing:—and to his Disciples, Matth. 26.45. * 1.1 Sleep on, and take your rest.

3. By good Men, as Elijah to the Wor∣shippers of Baal, 1 Kings 18.27. and Job

to his self-conceited Friends, Job 12.2. and 26.2, 3. Solomon to the young man, Eccles. 11.9. Paul to the Corinthians, 1 Cor. 4.8.

The third Trope is a Metaphor, when the like is signified by the like. It is a Simili∣tude contracted to one word.

—So Eyes, Hands, Feet, Grief, Laughter, Repentance, and other Parts, Affections, Actions, and Adjuncts of the Creature, especially of Men, are attributed to God by a kinde of Similitude.

—So God is called a Rock, Buckler, Horn, high Tower, Psal. 18.2. a Sun, and a Shield, Psal. 84.11. a fountain of water, Jer. 2.13. a consuming fire, Heb. 12.29. a hus∣bandman, Joh. 15.1.

—So Christ is call'd a Shepherd, a Door, a Lyon, a Lamb, a Vine—a bright morning-Star, Rev. 22.16. a foundation-stone, Isa. 28.16.

—So the Spirit, and the graces and opera∣tions of it are set forth by water, John 4.10 14. and 7.38, 39.

—and by sire, Matth. 3.11.

—Yea, all the Mysteries of the Gospel, and what ever is spiritual, is Metaphorically ex∣pressed in the holy Scripture; as Repent∣ance, by washing, Isai. 1.16. by circum∣cising the foreskin of the heart, Jer. 4.4.

Faith by eating Christ's flesh, and drinking his blood, John 6.47, with 54. Pardon of sin, by blotting it out, Isai. 43.25. and by God's casting it behinde his back, Isa. 38.17.

See many Instances together in Mat. 16.18, 19. 2 Cor. 10.4. Eph. 6.14, to 17. Revel. 3.18.

—So the Church is called God's house, 1 Tim. 3.15. God's Husbandry, 1 Cor. 3.9. the righteous are called Wheat, Mat. 3.12. Jewels, Mal. 3.17. Sheep, Joh. 10.

—The wicked are called Dogs, Swine.

—Seducers are called Wolves.

—The Devil a Serpent, a Lion.

—The Scripture sometimes gives the parts and properties of Men to other things, and so represents them as persons; as hands to the Spider, Prov. 30.28. mourning and weeping to the Ground, Job 31.38. Joel 1.10.

—Thus blood is said to cry, Genes. 4.10. the pastures to shout and sing, Psal. 65.13.

—the trees to clap their hands, Isai. 55.12.

—the waters to see and be afraid, Ps. 77.16

Add Psal. 19.1, to 6. Isai. 59.14.

The fourth Trope is a Synecdoche, which is fourfold: Of the

• 1. Genus.
• 2. Species.
• 3. Whole.
• 4. Part.

1. A Synecdoche of the Genus, when the Genus is put for the Species, or a Gene∣ral for a Particular. So the living, Gen. 3.20. and all flesh, Luke 3.6. Rom. 3.20. and every creature is put for all men, Mark 16.15. Col. 1.23.

—Thus a common Name is used 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 for a proper; as the seed of the woman, and the Son of man, for Christ. A Prophet for Moses, Hos. 12.13. — the river for Eu∣phrates, Gen. 31.21. Josh. 24.2, 3.

2. A Synecdoche of the Species, when the Species is put for the Genus, or a Parti∣cular for the General.

—So the Greeks are put sometimes for all the Gentiles, in opposition to the Jews, Rom. 1.16. and 2.9.

—Bread for all kinde of food, Gen. 3.19.

—Peace is put for all good things, Temporal, Ps. 122.6, 7. and Spiritual, John 14.27. Rom. 1.7.

—The washing one anothers feet, for the whole exercise of love and humility, John 13.14.

—Removing of mountains, for performing any thing difficult, and seemingly im∣possible, Mat. 17.20.

3. A Synecdoche of the whole, when that is put for a part. Thus the World is put for the Roman Empire, Luke 2, 1. or for the

Land of Canaan, as some understand Rom. 4.13. —for the Gentiles, in opposition to the Jews, Rom. 11.11, 12. 1 John 2.2.

—All in Scripture is often taken for some of all sorts, distributively; not collectively, for all of every sort. 1 Tim. 2.4. Thus God will have all men to be saved.

—So Gen. 7.14. Mat. 4.23. Luk. 11.42.

—Thus the plural Number is used for the singular, as sons for one son, Gen. 46.23. daughters for one daughter, vers. 7. that was Dinah, vers. 15.

—Thieves for one of them, Mat. 27.44. with Luke 23.39, 43.

—The Prophets (Acts 13.43.) for one of them, scil. Habakkuk, chap. 1.5.

4. A Synecdoche of the Part, when a part is put for the whole; as soul (Gen. 46.26, 27. Rom. 13.1.) for the whole man. So is the body, Rom. 12.1. and the blood, Mat. 27.4. and the heads, Prov. 11.26. The roof is put for the house, Mat. 8.8.

—Gates for a City, Gen. 22.17.

—The singular Number is put for the plu∣ral, as Man for Men, Job 14.1. and beast for beasts, Eccles. 3.21.

—Thus a certain number is put for an un∣certain, that is the usual Phrase of Scrip∣ture; as Job 5.19. in six troubles, yea, in seven, i.e. in many. Amos 1.3. Prov.

24.16. 1 Sam. 2.5. Jer. 15.9. Eccles. 11.2. Revel. 4.5. Zech. 3.9.

So much of the kinds of Tropes.

Secondly, The Affections of Tropes follow, which are four.

I. A Catachresis, which is a harsher or more strained manner of speech, that seems to come in vi, non precariò.

—Thus wings are put for beams, Mal. 4.2.

—So the Priests are said to prophane the Sabbath, Mat. 12.5.

—The Israelites savour to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh, Exod. 5.21.

—Thus the people are said to see the thundring as the noise of the trumpet, Exod. 20.18. and John to see the voice that spake with him, Rev. 1.12.

II. An Hyperbole, which is the boldness of a Trope coming into one extreme, either by Amplification or Extenuation.

1. By way of Amplification, when our speech increaseth the thing, or is above it, which is called Auxesis.

—Thus Abraham's seed are said to be like the dust of the earth, Gen. 13.16. and the stars of Heaven for number, c. 15.5.

—Jacob is said to hate Leah, that is, to love her less then he did Rachel, Gen. 29.30, 31. Luke 4.16. with Mat. 10.37.

—Saul and Jonathan are said to be swift∣er then Eagles, and stronger then Lyons, 2 Sam. 1.23.

—Thus it is said, that in Solomon's days silver was as stones, 1 King. 10.21, 27.

—That the world it self could not contain the books, if all was written, which Jesus did, Joh. 21.25.

—That David made his bed to swim, Psal. 6.6.—That Job washed his steps in butter, and the rock poured him out rivers of oil, chap. 29.6. See the like in Deut. 32.13. Gen. 49.11. Judg. 5.5.

—That our light affliction, &c. works for us 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, an exceeding ex∣cessive eternal weight of glory. But, as one saith, Nec Christus, nec coelum patitur Hyperbolen. Here it is hard to Hyperbo∣lize.

2. By way of Extenuation, when our speech lessens the thing, or is beneath it, which is called Meiosis or Tapinosis. So Da∣vid calls himself a dead dog, a slea, 1 Sam. 24.14. —a weak despicable person. So did Mephibosheth, 2 Sam. 9.8.

—God takes no pleasure in wickedness, Psal. 5.4. i. e. he abhors and abominates it. —Lazarus sleeps, he means, is dead, John 11.11.

—God chooseth things that are not, 1 Cor.

1.28. i.e. that are of small esteem, or of no account.

III. Affection of a Trope is Metalepsis, that is, the multiplication of a Trope in one word, Psal. 85.1. Thou hast been favourable unto thy land—the land is put for Judea, by a Synecdoche of the Genus, and for its inhabitants by a Metonymie of the Subject.

—So Gen. 3.15. the seed of the woman is by a Metonymie of the Matter, put for her off-spring, and by a Synecdoche of the Genus for Christ.

IV. Affection of a Trope is an Allego∣ry, that is the continuation of a Trope, when more Tropes of the same kind are put in a sentence, as in Ezek. 16.3, &c. Eccles. 12.2, to 7. Here is a contex∣ture of Tropes, Prov. 5.15, 16, 17. 1 Cor. 3.6, to 16. Eph. 6.11. Rom. 11.16.

—The whole book of the Canticles is Alle∣gorical.

—Hither Proverbs are referred, and Para∣bles (by some) and Allusions to other pas∣sages in Scripture, as in 2 Cor. 3.13, &c. Gal. 4.22, &c. 1 Cor. 5.7, 8.

But these places (as also Eph. 5.31, 32.) are accounted Allegories in another accep∣tion, (scil. as the word is opposed to the

literal sense of Scripture, (whether proper or tropical) i. e. the representation of the mystical sense of some things related in the Scripture, which had a true literal meaning besides.

So much of Tropes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Bexa.