6 Chap, á. An Exiooftion upon the Boob, of J O B. Vert: 7a either by forming andcreating a voice in the ayr ; fo God is faid t o fpeak fometirnes : As when Chriß was baptized, there came a VoicefromHeaven, laying, This it my beloved Son, &c. So Joh. 12. 28. There Came a Voice front Heaven, Paying I have glorified thee; which all the people heard founding in the ayr. Secondly, God is fad to fpeak, when he manifefts and declares himselfeither to thefpitits ofmen, or unto Angels who are fpitits. God doth fpeak unto care fpitits ofnien, fef ie-tunes without any forming of a voice: fo the phrafe is ufaal in the Prophets ; The word of the Lord carne unto me; which is to be underftood, that the Lord did fecretly reveal himfelf to the fpiritsofhis Prophets,and not by any external audible voice ; it was an inward, notan outward word. So when the Lord (peaks unto fpirits-or Angels, be they good or evil Angels, you mutt not underftand it of a voice formed or fathi- oned into-audible words and fyllables,but it is a manifeftation. ora declaration ofGodsWill and Mind unto the Angels mind,good or bad,as God willeth. For the will ofGod todeclare himfeif unto an Angel, is the fpeech ofGod unto an Angel. Somuch as God intendethofhis mind fhouid be known to the Devil, is a fpeaking to theDevil. The intentiorrofone fpirit is as plain to another fpi- rit,as thevoice of one man is to anotherman,there is the very fame proportion. So here in this place whea c it is faid,the Lordfaidun- to Satan, this was only a manifeftatio-- ofGodS will, as he willed' untoSatan ; God did manifeft himfcif thus far' to Satan, that it Was his pleafureto know ofhim whence hecame; this will was- his fpeech. To pats from the manner offpeaking, we will look upon the Matter spoken ; And the Lord faid unto Satan, Whence comfit thou ? That's the firft queftion, This queftion is hereput,not for information,as if theLord did not know.whence he came, as men ufually queftion that they may be informed. But queftions in Scripture(efpecially when the Lord putteth them) are tobe underftood infome ofthefe fences: Firft, To exaC.f a confe(fionfrom the mouth of the party. He Said unto Satan, Whence comefk thou ? not that he needed al infor- ination, but that he might receive a confellion from the mouth of Satan. So he queftioned Adam, Gen. 3. Adam, where art thou ? .Who told thee that thou waif naked ? Haft thou eaten of the Tree whereof I commanded thee thou fhouldfl- not eat ? There nnswere not to inform God, but only that Adam might give Mat. 3. 17.
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