1.72 Chap: 33. An Expof:tion upon the Bookof J o B. Verf. 14.. heed of prefuming. When the Lord.fpeaketh once, doe not fay, I will flay till he ipeakes a fecond time, and ifhe condefcend tea fpeake twice, doe not believe that he will alwayes fpeake. Thirdly , Twice, may be tonfidered asa fmall certaine num- ber, put for a finall uncertain number. 'Tis frequent in Scrip- ture, to put a certainenumber of any kinde, for an uncertaine Sometimes a certaine great number,for an uncertainegreat num- ber ; and sometimesa fmall certaine number, for a fmall uncer- taine number. As twice is not to be tyed up ílridly to the 1mal left number ; fo not to any number whether final! or great. Hence note. (v man knows how oft he /hall be warned orfpolv unto by God. Goddoth not put an abfolute flint upon any of his aElions, Beware of neglecting the leafs twice, thefiriI twice, which is the lowefl twice ; fa- though we cannot binde God up flri6ly to twice, it may p. ove three times or foure times, yet whether it lhall be fo many, or how many it lhall be , noman nor Angel knoweth. Twice cannot be very often, and 'tis uncertain how often. Therefore if you hearken not when God hath fpoken once ( take it fir'ttîly ) doe not Clop your cares at, the fecond (peak- ing. It isfayd, Mofes fmote the rack¿, twice ( thatwas twice beyond his Cominiflìon, for he (hould not have finitten it at all ) and the water came out abundantly. Howmany rocks,that is, hard hearts, bathGad fmitten by his word and his wdrkes twice, and yet we fee not the waters of Godly forrow flowing out ; the rocks are fmitten more then twice with the rod ofGod with the rod of his mouth in the miniflery of his word,they are fmitenwithadmoni- tion upon admonition, with reproofeupon reproofe , with threat- ning upon threatning, and yet the waters came not out aboun- dantly, yea fcarce at all. Maynot they feare that they (hall have pænali forrow upon forrow ( Paul tooke notice of the goodneffe of God to hire, that he did not let him have affiielive forrow up- on forrow( Phil: 2. 27.) but, I fay, may not they feare they (hall have pzenall forrow uponforrow) that is , everlafhing floods of forrow, whoafter the Lords fpeaking upon (peaking , and,repro- ving upon reproving, give noproofe of their godly pxnitentiall forrow ? O how angry was die Lord with Solomon , becaufe his heart was turned from the LordGadofI frael, which had appeared to
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