43o Chap. 33. An Expoftion upon the Eool¿,of J o s. Verf. 26. fóever any man favours he freely admits tohis prefence,and takes delight in his company. Thus Elihu fpeaks of Gods Favourite, ÍßeJhallfee his face with joy. There is a twofold interpretationof thefe words tending both Trtdebitdaurfa» to the fame fpirituall fence. dent cum Firfi, Some by the Antecedent lie, underhand God himfelfe, Letitia, i.e. hi- andby hisface the face ofthe humbled Pick man; and fo the fence iar;tdr cum in- of this afiertion, hefhallfee'hisfacewith joy, is plainly, this. God eb tur, I tle! will look cheerfully and fmilingly upon the face of this poor fup- um refpiciet, Pliant Godwill look upon him, as we doe upon friends whom cumante roul- we favour and have much refpeCI for. Friends may fee content tam irons a- and joyflailing in or llampt uponour faces, whenwe look them in vertebat. the face. The content which we take in Peeing the face of ano- Merc: Cher is vifible in the fmiles and joyes of our own faces. As when we look fowrely,.angryly, forrowfully, fullenly upon aman, when darknefs is feen in our faces,and clouds gather in our br4ws,ready todiffolve into a florme, this fpeaks we beare him nogoodwill, or rather thatwe bear him much difpleafure. So when we looke pleafantly upon a man, Both it not fay, that we arehighly pleafed with him ? To be fure, when God is at peace with a repenting firmer,he no longer frownesupon him, nor turns his face from him as an enemy, but entertains and welcomes him as a friend ; which is direaly oppofite to 7ò6s apprehenfion of God at the Tothverfeof this Chapter, Behold he,findethoccafions again,g me, hecounteth me for his enemy. This is a fweet foul-reviving and ravishingtruth. God beholds theface of his people with joy, he beholds them fmileingly, cheerfully, delightfully. David calls it The lightof Gods countenance (Pfal. 4.6. ) t v debit( ho- Secondly, ( and I rather conceive that tobe the meaningof the Ma) factemdes lace molt relate the He to thePick man who having been CUM me cubt(o. upon hisknees humbling himfelf before God, and finding God favourable to him, he then feeth his face, that is, theface of God, with joy. God fills his foule with agreat deale of peace,comfort, and fweetnefs in his approaches to him. Before, poffibly, if he did but think uponGod, he was troubled as Afaph found (Pfal. 77.3. ) 1 remembred God, andwas troubled. To a man in great trouble, efpecially in trouble of mind, the very thoughts of God (whois our only help in trouble)may be troublefom;but when he is fet right and ref{ored'to the favourof God,or God being. again favou-
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