Chap. i. 4n Expofition upon the Boo{,of J O B. Verf. 5,4 have Ihewed in the opening of the former points about the time when job lived : ) now in thofe times the Father, or the Elder of the Family, was as a Priefi to the whole Family : and he had the power,and the right to performall holy family duties; as the duty offacrificing, and the like ; this you may fee carried along in all the times before the Lawwas given, hi the holy fories of the Pa- triarks, they hill offered up the Sacrifice. But it may here be further enquired, Ifit were before the Law was given, who taught job to offer Sacrifice ? Where had he the rule for it ? I anfwer, this was not mill-worfhip, though it was not written - worfhip. For howfóever jobdid offer Sacrifice before the Law. of Sacrificingwas written, yet he did not offer a Sacrifice before the Lawof Sacrificing wasgiven ; for the Law of Sacrificing was gi- ven from the beginning,as all the other partsof worship ufed from the beginning were. God could never bear it, that men fhould "contrivehim a fervice ; therefore lobdid not offer up anoffering unto God, according to his own will, a thing that he had invent- ed to pacifie and topleafe God with : God had been fo far from accepting , that he could not have born fuch a deviled worfhip. God loth never truh man with the makingof Holy Inflitutions; There-is nothing doth pleafehim in anyad"ofworthip, unlefs he fees himfelfobey.d. Obedience it better then Sacrifice, and there- fore a Sacrifice which is not out of obedience cannot be accepted , he that facrifrccth doth but offer up a beaf,but he that obeyeth, of- fereth up -himfelf,'fkcrificeth his own will. It could not be there- fore, but that job hàd a word,a word as all the world had at that time ; a word given by God, and focarried down fromone to an- other by tradition (as it was for more then 2000 years. ) All the will that. God would reveal, or had revealed to them, was carried from hand to hand, or from heart to heart, from the Fathers to -the Children, till at the Taft the Lawwas written, and the Scri- pture penned by Mores. So then job offered Sacrifice according to an Inflitution ; - though it was not an Inftitution written, yet it was an Inftitution Pent forth and given by God Him- fell. Yet there is a thirdpere upon it : Suppofe that there was an " Inflitution ofGod for facrificing, why did God call for Sacrifices ? What is his meaning ? Path God delight in the blood of Bulls and Pfa1, Goats ? Thou delighteff tipt in Sacrifices ( faith David) thou de f"
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