and thy brow brass; and thou shalt Beat in pieces many people: If they offer to go about one mountain, they will be sure to meet with a higher one in their aboutgate: Peter tried it in denying his master, and found it so encountering, another as high above the former, as the anger of God is above that of the creature, and which was like to crush him, Matth. xxv. 75. He went out and wept bitterly.
Thirdly, Therefore worm Jacob falls a threshing mountains, combating the difficulties the Lord lays in his way.—He puts on a brow for a bargon, and resolutely bestirs his weak hands, and goes threshing forwards, maugers all oppositions, Gen. xxxii 26. Mat. xi 22.—For there is a spirit in worm Jacob more daring and venturous than ever was in any unbelieving hero, a spirit for threshing of mountains, while they did but scatter molehills, Numb. xiv. 24. Prov. xvi. 32.
Fourthly, They continue the combating of difficulties resolutely and patiently.—Threshing is a continued action, confiding of repeated strokes; it takes some time to thresh a sheaf, how much more to thresh a mountain.—It is the ruin of many that they are not able to endure: If a stroke or two would do the business, they would bring their matters to a good account; but they have no heart to be threshers.—But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing, James ii. 4. He that shall endure to the end shall be saved, Matth. xxiv. 13.
Lastly, Worm Jacob has many mountains to thresh. One wound is enough, we would think, to the worm, bur there is a plurality of them.—The truth is, this world is full of mountains to the people of God; and when they have threshed one, they will have another to fall to, till they be out of his mountanious country. Having passed one difficulty, they will get another to grapple with, till they be within the gates of the city. So they must have a threshing life-time of it, if they come there.
2. A
