FORGIVE, to pardon an offence, Gen.
50:17. God only
can forgive the sins of
men; as they are directly violations of
His holy law, and committed against His
infinite Majesty, Exod. 34:7; Mark
2:7. JesusChrist forgiving sins in His
own name, and by His own authority,
was regarded as blaspheming by the
scribes and Pharisees: but He proved
by this means His Messiahship and Divi-
nity, Matt. 9:6; Acts 5:31.
FOUNDATION, the groundwork of a
building, as a house or temple, 1 Kings
5:17; Ezra 3:10; 5:16, or of the earth,
Job 38:4; Heb. 1:4: the commence-
ment, as of a nation or kingdom, Exod.
9:18. Jesus Christ,
in the perfection of
His work of redemption, as the Mediator
between God and men, is the only foun-
dation for the hopes of a sinner; and He
is so called in various parts of the Scrip-
tures, Isa. 28:16; 1 Cor. 3:11. The [local] church is said to be "built
upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ himself being the chief
corner stone[,]" Eph. 2:20, as the pro-
phets and apostles were the only inspired
teachers to deliver the gospel to man-
kind; while Christ is the chief subject
of all divine revelation, and He sus-
tains and unites the whole church in
one glorious body, as the living temple
of God.
FOUNDED, did originate or colonise, as
a nation in a province, Isa. 23:13.
FOUNDER, a maker, especially one
who works in metal, casting them in
various moulds, as for the purpose of
idols, Judg. 17:4; Jer. 10:9-14.
FOUNTAIN, a source or spring-head of
water, Gen. 7:11; Deut. 8:7: the
right ventricle of the heart, as the spring
of animal life and spirits, Eccles. 12:6.
God is "the fountain of living
waters,"
as He is the source of our being and of
all our blessings, Jer. 2:13. Christ's blood is the "fountain opened for sin
and uncleanness," as its sacrificial virtue,
being infinite, cleanses from all sin, Zech.
13:1; 1 John 1:7.
FOUR, twice two in number, Gen. 2:10;
Acts 21:9, 23.
FOURFOLD, four times told, 2 Sam. 12:
6; Luke 19:8.
FOURSCORE, four times twenty, Exod.
7:7; Luke 2:37.
FOWL, birds, winged animals, Gen. 1:
26; 7:3. Divine wisdom and goodness
are wonderfully evident in the adapta-
tion of fowls to their peculiar modes of
life. Those which fly have large wings;
while such as wade in mud have long
legs, bare of feathers; and ducks, and
such as swim, have webbed feet. Such
as live on prey have crooked bills to tear
flesh; and those which pierce trees for
insects have them strong and sharp;
while those which grope in the mud
have flat bills, with nerves reaching to
the extremities, possessing the quickest
sense of feeling. Moses was directed, in
his inspired laws, to prohibit the use of
various fowls as unclean, and unfit for
food to the Israelites, Lev. 11:13-20;
Deut. 14:11-20.
FOWLER, a catcher of birds by means
of nets and snares, Prov. 6:5. Satan,
the tempter of men, is represented as a
fowler, on account of his snares, Psal.
91:3; 124:7.
FOX or JACKAL, an
animal remarkable
for its cunning, Neh. 4:3; Matt. 8:20:
a crafty hypocrite, as our Saviour cha-
racterised king Herod, Luke 13:32. Palestine swarmed with these animals,
Sol. Song 2:15, so that without miracle
or difficulty Samson might easily, in a
short time, have obtained three hundred
of them, as recorded in Judg. 15:4.
FRAGMENTS, broken pieces, Matt. 14:
20; John 6:12.
FRAIL, weak, infirm, decaying, Psal.
39:4.
FRAME, a case, constructed for the
purpose of enclosing things: Ezekiel, in
vision, beheld the frame of a city, Ezek.
40:2: the human body, Psal. 103:14.
FRAME, to form, as the mouth to speak
correctly, Judg. 12:6; or the life in holi-
ness, according to the will of God, Hos.
5:4: to contrive, as calamity, in punish-
ment for sin, Jer. 18:11: to speak or
practise, as evil, Psal. 50:19; 94:20.
FRAMED, formed, Isa. 29:16: cre-
ated and arranged, Heb. 11:3: appointed
and placed as the several members of
the [local] church of Christ, Eph. 2:21.
FRANKINCENSE, an aromatic resin or
gum, distilled from a tree growing in
Arabia and Syria: it was used in the
sacred incense, Exod. 30:34; in various
offerings, Lev. 2:1, 2, 15, 16; and rich
perfumes, Matt. 2:11. Frankincense is
still used on the altars of both pagan
and popish priests, Rev. 18:13; and
an inferior kind of it is obtained at pre-
sent from the East Indies.
FRANKLY, freely, kindly, Luke 7:42.
FRAUD, deceit or dishonest artifice,
Psal. 10:7; Jam. 5:4.
FRAY, to drive away, Deut. 28:26.
FRECKLED, spotted, as the skin by
being exposed to the sun, Lev. 13:39.
