Chap, 3 2 . An Expeltion upon the Baekof J o s. Verf. i 3. 8 3 his afflicted man. The word isoften fed in Scripture to 6ñniñe faying with boaíling, or fpeaking inpride of fpirit. The Baptift (Math: 3, 9.,) tells thePharifees., 7 hanke not to. fay withinyour felves, we have Abraham to our father ; his meaning is, doe not fpeakeof your pedegree boáflingly nor proudly that ye are:A- brahams childrenwill doe you no good, unleffe ye are good, like your father Abraham, and doe as he did. So here, Left ye fhould Real acu tléi- ;( proudly ) fay, we havefound out wifdome ; we have found the mn+ & ipfum myflery of thewhole matter, we have found out tie key, which eardinuminçsio unloéks this fecret, or as MrCalvins tranflaterwittily as well as Iota controver- truly expreffeth, we havefound eat the 6eane in theCake, we fay, lobo rti e Leftye fhouldfay, we havefound eta wifdome ; That is, thatwhich will furely prove us wife men, and gaineus the reputation of wif- dome amongall wife and knowing men. What their fpeciall re- folve was, which theycounted widome, followes in the clofe of the verte according to our reading, God thrufterh him downe net man. But before I deale with that conclufion, I {hall briefly note two things from thofe words; Left ye fhouldfay, we have found ont wifdome, Firfl , (Alan is very apt to fpeake haltingly ,' to have high thoughts, and then to utter great words ofhimfelfe. Man is a proud piece ®f flefh, and a fmall matter will make him {hew his pride, and fpread hisplume (like that naturally-painted bird ) if not explicirely in words, yet his fpirit will fwell, and be puft up with towring conceits of himfelfe. The Prophet .Fla6aßlkkuk defcribes this temper ( Chap, 2.4.) lie that is lifted up , his fpirit is not upright an him ; A proud fpirit is alwayes aPare fpirit. They rko thinkehighly ofthemfelves, think! themfelves higher then they are. And 'Lis a great argument that man is naturally very proud, be- caufe God bath given fo many flops and checks to his pride, of bath made fo many provifrons agamíl it.-The very contrivance of the work ofRedemption in that way by the hand of Jefus Chrift, had this great defigiae in it ; For as the chiefe defigne in refe- rence toman was his falvation ( that was the ultimate end as to man) fo there was ano' her defigne in it, why God would fave. man thar way, which the Apofflelayeth downe (a Cor: i . 29. )' That no flefh fhouldglory in his_liht ; While. God intended to, give man glory, he took a courfe`tocutoffall gloryingfromman. God would not fet upman againe -to werke his owne falvation, M 2 left:
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