4.2. Chap: r. aán Ea:pefitionupon the BookofJ O B. Vert; 3. Scimus 9uiJ bear it;fora man to have but little that never had much,is nogreat mojonen ciao tryal ofhis patience :but for a man to have nothing at all,that had rem eommoeot as it were all things,and tobe patient under it,this thews theproof Geg. majora. of patience. To. a man that is bornaflave, ora captive, captivity Multo foalius and bondage is no trouble : it doth never exercife his patience,he ef! non habita is fcàrce fenfible of the evil, becaufe: he never knew better.. But repudiare,quam for a King that is born free,andhath power over others;for a King pr.(/efa annrte- that is in the height offreedom and liberty to become a(lave and re.Fug. a captive, in fuch;aone;patience bathaperted work,ifhe bear it. So for job, a man that once abounded in all manner of outward good things, and be outed. and emptied afall, that tryed his pati- ence to the full. . 3. It was to give all the world a teflimony, that job was a through godly andholy man; that he wasa man ofextraordinary ttrength ofgrace ; why ? becaufe he held his integrity, and kept uphis fpirit in the wayofholinefs, notwithftandinghe was lifted up with abundanceof outward bletlings. To be very great, and very good, thews that a man is good indeed : Great and good, Stich and holy , are happy conjunctions, and they are rare conjunfrrions. ìlfually riches impoverilh the Soul, and the world eats out all care of Heaven ; therefore jobwas one ofa thoufand, being at once dins great in riches, and thus rich in goodnefs. He was rich ingrace, that was fo gracious in the midit of fo much x ingentibus riches;_ thegodlinefs ofjob was naric lied by his riches : it argued lobi diviiiù that fob's godlinefs was very great, and very right, becaufe he valde lonrple_ continued right in the midli ofall his greatnefs. How often do tatureius Sar.riches caufe fòrgetfulnefsofGod, yea kicking againft God ? How flitas.Pined* often are they made the bellows of pride, the fuel of unclean- in loc. Deut. 32. ucfs, the infiruments ofrevenge ? How often do rich men con- teren,defpife,.and opprefs their weak, and poor brethren ? But tomake riches the fuel of our graces, and the inftruments of duty both toGod, and man; to have the houfe full ofriches,and . the heart full ofholinefs, thefe united are admirable.- Extreams are verydangerous ;- to be extream poor, or extream rich, is an extream temptation,: There the wife man Agur, Prov, 30. v. 8. prays, give me neither poverty nor riches: Lord ( faith he) I wouldnot be inany oftheextreams: It is a fore temptation to be far oneither hand ; to be far on the hand of riches, or . tar on the hand of poverty, Tobe very poor, and very holy, is a rare thing ; that man bathgreat treafuresand riches ofgrace, who
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