Ca% 3 t. from , ver. 3S. t® 41. (ha leaf} mer- cy, faith Jacob, is more worth 'than I, & more weighty than 1 Lams 5. 9. 76b was a nor- fuch in regard of thofe perfe- aiOns and de- grees of grace, of integrity, of tanCity,thathe had attained to beyond any o- ther Saints in the world,in his time -and day. A Box ,of precious .Ointment = Or, God, the more low that man will be in his own eyes : D uft and afhes are poor, bafe, vile; worthlefs things, and fuck a thing as tilde was Abraham in his own eyes. So Jacob was a plain man, an upright man ; and lo, what a low efteem had he of himfelf, I an.; net mcrthy of the leaft of all the mercies rehich thou hag fbei.3,ed unto thy fervant; 8tc. In the Hebrew it is, I am little before thy mercies ; for the Hehrews have no comparative, and therefore they are wont to exprefs this by a pol3tive and a prepofition. When Jacob had to do with h-! pleads his merits, but when he has to do with God, he pleads nothing but grace, fetting a very low efteem upon himfelf ; he looks upon himfelf as lets than the Ieafl of mer- cies, and as worfe than the worft of creatures ; the leaft of my mercies are greater than I deferVe, and the greateft of my troublzs are lets than deferve, faith facob. The langu- age of a plain hearted Jacob is this; 0 Lord, 'I might with Job have been fiript of all my comforts and enjoyments at a clap, and fot upon a dunghil, I might with L,Fx.,gr3s have been begging my bread from door 'to door, or I might have been getting my bread with, the peril of my life, becaufe of the. (word of the wildernefs, or I might have 'been with Dives in hell, a crying out for a drop 'of water to cool my tongue. A fincere Chritliarrcannot tell how to fpeak good enough of God, nor ill enough.of himfelf. "tor was one of the wifeft and holieft men on earth,and fee how greatly he debafes him- felf ; Surely I am more brutifb than any man, and have not the underftanding of a man. Agur had feen Ithiel (God with me and gca/ (God almighty) and this made him fo vile and bafe in his own eyes ; this made him villifie, yea nullifie himfelf t the utmoft. You know, no man ever received a fairer or more valuable certificate under the hand of God, or the brod Seal of heaven for his being afoul famous in upright= nefs and holinefs than Job, as you may fee, Job 1. 8. And th Lord laid unto Satan, h,:f . thou confidered my fervant Job, thou there is none 1 it e him in the earth, a ,perfell and an upright man one that feareth God and efcheveth evil. Job was high in worth, and humble in heart, Job 42. 5, 6, I have heard of thee by the hearingof the earbut nova mine eye feeth thee ; T ahhor ray [elf
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=