Chap. i. !ln LKfoftion upon the Book of J O B. Vert 6. ` . --- his outward eflate, that was the matter wherein he was arflided; Then it is laid down negatively, in thole words, Only upon him- feltput nótforth thy hand. godBoth fet him out how far the atHietion fhall.go;in the things that he bath thou fhalt afflict hitn, but thou (halt not meddle with his perfon, with his body,or with his Soul. Thirdly, The final caufe of fob's afi5fion, and that is, the practical and experimental determination, decifion or Rating ofa great queflion that was between Godand Satan concerning fob's rincerity. God tells Satan that fob wasa good and a juft man ; Sa- tan he denies it,and faith that job was an hypocrite.Now the de- termination of this queflion was the general final caufe of job's affli ,ion. When on the one fide God affirms it, and on the other fide Satan deníes,how (hall it be tryed?Who (hall be theModerator and Umpire between them ? Satan will not beleive God, and God had no reafon to beleive Satan : How then (hall this be made out ? It is as ifSatan had Paid, Here isyour Tea and myNay, this queflion will never be endedor decided between us, unlefs you will admitfóme courfe to have Job foundly aflieled : This will quickly difcover what enettal theman ismade of; therefore let him come to the tryal, faithSatan. Let him with God ; beholdallthat he bath is in thy power, do thy ztorfi tohim, only upon his perfon put not fort h thy hand. So that, I fay, the general final caufe of fob's af$iffion is the determination of the queflion, the decifionofthe di(pute betweenGod and Satan, whether yob was a fincere and holy manor no. And all this (to give you the furn of thole fix Verts a little further) is here let forth and defcribed unto us after the manner of men, by an Anthropopathy, which is, when God expreffes him- felf in his ations and difpenfations with and toward the world, as ifhe were a man. So God Both here, he prefents himfelfin this bufinefs after the manner offotne great King fitting upon his Throne, having his fervants attending him,and taking an account of them , what they had done, or giving inftruûions and eon-midi-ions to then what they fhali do.This,1 fay,God doth here after the mannerofmen,for otherwife we are not to conceive that God Both make certain days ofSefíion with his creatures, where- in he loth call the good and bad Angels together about the affairs of the world ; we lima not have filch grofs conceits of God, for he needs receive no information, from them, neitherBoth he give them u
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