Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37. v1

458 Chap.3. An Expofition upon the Bookof J OB. VerC23. whofe way, is hid, and whom God bath hedged in ? Mr. Broughton readeth it without the queftion (Why it light given 1) thus The Wight, or manwboJe way is hid,over whom thepuiffant cafleth a covering. To a man whole way, is hid.) Job fpeaks not here ofa way ina; proper fence , the way wherein men travel and pats in their jour- neys from place to place : but the way, is a way, in a Metaphor ;. And fo in Scripture, the wayofa man is taken; Fîrft, for the pur- pole or intention ofa man ; Secondly, for the courfe and conver- 1 ti)n ofaman : and that either for the courfe, wherein we walk .toward ethers, or for the courfe wherein others wálk towards us: When it is laid here, Why it lightgiven to a man whofe way it hid? theway, is either the court&wherein Job walked, refpeding God, or thecourfe which God took re.fpeding job , Why it light given to a man whole n'ay it hid? The way ofa man,in his walkingbefore God,is two-fold.. Fill}, Internal. Secondly, External. There is an internal, an inward way, which the Soul treads in co,verf. with God, afecret path, a path whichno eye hatk feen. And then there is the outward way ofwalking. That fpeech of God to Abraham takes in both , Walk before me,andbe perfetl, that is, converfe and carry thy_felf uprightly before me, in thyal- feEtiois and in thy actions. Now when Job fáith,hir way was hid, he means neitherof thefe : for though the internal way, whether. it be the way offin, or the wayofobedience, be a path fo fecret, as that it is alwayes hid from the eyes ofmen , - yet Job knew well e- nough that God law even that way, and therefore he could not 'complain that his moll fecret way was hid from God. Yea in an- other place he comforts himfèlf with this,-- that God knew the fe- cret wayes ofhisheart:For whenhis friends accule him and charge him with hypocrite, hefupports liimfelfwith this , Mywitnefs ís. above,, andmy record is in Heaven , there is one there that know- eth theway, the fecret wayof my fpirit withhim, to be fincerity, though you charge the way of my fpirit with hypocrifie.The Soul hath many wayes -ofcommunion withGod, which are altogether hidden from the eye ofman; man cannot fee or difeern-the private paffages. between God and the fpirit, either when the Soul ap- proves it felt to God,or rejoyceth and exults in God. And as con - cerning this waythis inward way,as ob knew .that it was not hid from

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=