DW humiliation and abatement ; As often in Scripture, to fit down in afhes, is as touch as to repent and humble our felves deeply be- 264 Chap. 2. An ;Expofition upon the Book,of J O B. Vert S. fore God, to lie in the very duft ; as it is expreft of job, (Chap.. 42. 6.) when he had fees God, Iabhorredmyfelf, faith he, and I repent in duff and afhes ; Alluding to that cuftome of fitting in afhes when they did repent. So you find in that folemn humilia- tion of the Ninivites, Jon.3.6. that whenword came to the King of Ninivic (namely,that Jonah had prophefied the ruineof the City within forty days) he rofefromhis Throne,and he layed his robefrom him, and coveredhirnfelfwith fack- cloth, andfate in afhes. Chrift upbraiding Chorazinand Bethfaida, tells them, that if the mighty works which were done in them hadbeen doneinTyre andSidon,they £ "19 r had repented long ago infact-cloth andafhes, Mat. i I.22. In great £laps ev xa mournings,the Heathenufed tofit in; or fprinkle themfelves with afhes. As Homer reports of VlyfJes after 'a Ship-wrack, and of o- thers, whom Drufius hathobferved on this Text, Ifa. 61. 3. the .promife is, that God will give beauty for afhes, that is, they that humble themfelves and lie in afhes, (hall have a happy and com- fortable reftauration. So that this adof Jobmight bevoluntary, and a geflureofrepentance,fitting down among theathes,to hum- ble and abate himfelf before God. The Papifis are fuperflitioufly ceremonious in thispoint at this day : Annually obferving a day which they affet to can Afhwed-, nefday, on which they fprinkle themfelveswith athes,asa prepara- tory to theirfortner LentonRepentance. But we have notf o learned Chrift. Secondly, We may take it for a neceffitatedad, that he was for- ced to this, to go and fit among, the afhes (or, as moll- from the Septuagint translate it, to fit downupon a dung-hill) and that in two refpeCs Fir11,, in regard of his poverty and want, as if he were fo bereft and deftitute ofall outward things, that he had not a houle to put his head in, nor any other conveniencies to make rife of, but was confirained to go out, and lit upon the dung -hill or amonga the afhes. Secondly, others rather conceive , that the necellity did arife, from the contagion and loathfomnefs ofhis difeafè, fò that he was forced to go out ofdoors, he filled the houfe with filch a noifome fineII. Or he was forced to go out as a Leper, concerning whom the Law AIM
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