Vines

VINES, Vineyards, Vintage. There were in Palestine many excellent Vineyards. The Scripture celebrates the Vines of Sorek, of Sebamah, of Jazer, of Abel. Profane Authors mention the excellent Wines of Gaza, Sarepta, Libanus, Saron, Coripp. l. 3.Ascalon, and Tyre,

—— Dulcia Bachi

Gen. xlix. 11.Munera, quæ Sarepta ferax, quæ Gaza creârat.

Jacob, in the Blessing he gave to Judah, says, binding his foal unto the vine, and his asses colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his cloaths in the

VOL. III. blood of grapes. And this was to shew the Cant. i. 13.abundance of Vines, that should fall to his Lot. The Spouse in the Canticles, compares her beloved to a Cluster of Cypress that grew in the Vineyards of En-gedi. The Cypress is a Shrub that bears Grapes that are very sweet-scented. See the Articles COPHER and CYPRESS, before. Those that came from En-gedi were of great Reputation. These Vineyards of En-gedi were not therefore Vineyards of Grapes to make Wine, but of Plants of Cypress. ‘Twas at the same Place that the Plants of Balsam grew, which may be put into the Rank of Vineyards.

Gen. ix. 20.Noah planted the Vine after the Deluge, and was the first that cultivated it. Many are of opinion, that Wine was not unknown before the Deluge, and that this Patriarch only continued to cultivate the Vine after this great Catastrophe, as he had done before. But the Fathers think¹ that he knew not the Force of Wine, having never used it before, nor having ever seen any one use it. He was the first that gathered the Juice of the Grape, and reduced it to a potable Liquor. Before him, Men only eat the Grapes, like other Fruit.

John xv. 1, 2, 3, &c.God often compares his People to a Vine,² which he had brought out of Egypt, and planted in Palestine, as a good Soil, but which, instead of bringing forth good Fruit, brought forth only bitter Fruit, and wild Grapes. Jesus Christ tells us, that the Housholder having lett this Vine to Tenants, who ought to have rendered him the Fruit of it, instead of that, they abused his Servants, and killed his own Son, who went to require the Payment of what was owing to him. In another Place our Saviour says to his Disciples, I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

The Law of Moses did not allow, that whoever planted a Vine should eat of the Deut. xx. 6. Levit.xix. 24, 25. Levit.xxv. 3, 4. Deut. xxiii. 14.Fruit of it before the fifth Year. They also did not gather their Grapes on the seventh Year; the Fruit was then left for the Poor, the Orphan, and the Stranger. A Traveller was allowed to gather and eat Grapes in a Vineyard as he passed along, but he was not permitted to carry away. It was also forbidden to sow any thing else in a Vineyard: Thou shalt not Deut. xxii. 9.sow thy vineyard with olive seeds.

Wild³

Wild VINE, Labrusca. It grew without any Culture, near the Highways and Hedges. Its Fruit was a very small Grape, which became black when it was ripe: But often it did not ripen at all. See WILD GRAPE, and Isai. v. 2, 4.

The Wild Vine mentioned 2 Kings iv. 39. was not the Labrusca, but the wild Gourd, a Plant that produced the Coloquintida, a Fruit of a deadly Bitterness. See COLOQUINTIDA.

The Vine of Sodom, mentioned by Moses, Deut. xxxii. 32.is a Vine of a Plant from Sodom, which brings forth only bitter Grapes, and of which no use can be made: Wine as bad as the Gall of a Dragon; Grapes as bitter as Gall: Fel draconum vinum eorum. Uva eorum uva fellis, & botri amarissimi. It is well known that the Fruits which grow about the Dead Sea are all rotten within; and when they are open are only full of Dust: Cuncta sponte edita aut manu sata sive herbâ tenus aut flore, seu solitam in speciem adolevêre, atra & inania velut in cinerem vanescunt.⁴

Naboth’s Vineyard is passed into a Proverb, to express an Inheritance usurped by an high Hand from a poor Man, who is unable to defend it. See the Story, 1 Kings xxi. 1, 2, &c.

To express a Time of publick Tranquility, of profound Peace, ‘tis said that every one lives in quiet under his own Vine, and under his own Fig-tree. All the Time of the Reign 1 Kings iv. 25.of Solomon, Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine, and under his fig-tree, from Dan even to Beersheba. And the Prophet Micah; They shall sit every man under Mic. iv. 4.his vine, and under his fig-tree, and none shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it. And under the Government of Simon the High-Priest, Then 1 Macc. xv. 8,-12.did they till their ground in peace, and the earth gave her increase, and the trees of the field their fruit. The ancient men sat all in the streets, communing together of good things, and the young men put on glorious and warlike apparel. He provided victuals for the cities, and set in them all manner of munition, so that his honourable name was renowned unto the end of the world. He made peace in the land, and Israel rejoiced with great joy. For every man sat under his vine, and his fig-tree, and there were none to fray them.

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