Chap. a, An Ex,pofition upon theBvo(afJ OB. Verf. 2-2. 2 i 5 rence towhat he did, and to what he fpake. In all this, in rent- ing bid- mantle, in (having his head , in falling to the ground, in worfhipping, in laying, alJaked came I ant ofmy mothers womb, and naked (hall I return thither. the Lord bath given , . the . Lard bath taken away ; bleffed be the rrawe cf the Lord. In..all this Job finned not, neither chargedGodfooiifhly.God himfelfputss all the anions and all the fpeeches of lob into the ballance,and findsnot any lightnefs in them, he bringeth all that he had done,and all that he had laid to the touchftone, and finds them pure mettal. The Holy Ghoft, the great and infallible moderatour of this caule and que- Ilion between Job and Satan, determines, That in all this Jobfinned not, neither did he charge Godfoolifhly. But it will be objencd, is there any man that finneth not ? Or is there any man that finneth not in every thing? How then are we to undcritand what the Holy Ghoft pronounceth, In all this Job finned nee ? Is any man fo holy, or can his heart be kept in foholy a frame, as to do and fpeak fo much, without any touch of fin,( without any (pot of defilement ? jobs queftion Cap. 9. affirms,' that ño man can do any one an purely pure : Who can bring a clean thing out of that which is unclean ? Now Job himfelfin his nature was unclean, he had uncleannefs in him, how then was a clean tiling brought out front Job ? Whence had he fuch a pri- viledgeabove his brethren, as not to fin in doing and flittering lo many things? There are Come Popifh Commentators, who would build the Tower of perfenion upon this and other the like Scriptures, fci That a manmay in this life be freed from fin. For the refutin this feule, and clearingof the text, J will give you the refolution, in diftin lion or two. Firft, if we confider finful anions, they are oftwo forts. There are anions finful in the matter, when the very thing done is a fin, as to fteal, to lye', tobe drunk, to commit adultery, and the like the very thing done is a finmaterially. There are other anions that arc finful in the formality or manner ofdoing ; fo a good work in the matter may be finful in the manner of doing. We do not affert that all the works of regenerate perlons are fins, as if they were finful anions, or that all they do is finful laa. the matter, for that were a reproach to the Spirit of Chrift, that were to reproach the grace ofChrift, by which they being rege- neratedan, and do thefe things. But we pofitively affìrm,that to the
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=