658 Chap.34. An Expoftáon upon the Book,of Jo s. Verf.aâ The wayes of the heart are man's defignes, or his aims, what he drives at, or propofeth as his end in all that he doth. In this la- titude we are to underhand the prefent Text; when Elihn faith, the eyes of God are upon the wayes of man, remember they are upon his thoughts, upon hisaffeêtions, upon his purpofes, upon his defignes and aimes, all thefe are before the Lord ; as it is faid of Chritt, (John 2, 2 5.) He needed not that any fhould teflifte of man ; for he knew what was in man ; that is, both the flate of his heart, and all the movings ofit. And if the Lord's eyes be upon the internal wayes of man, then certainly they are upon the ex- ternal wayes of man ; if heknoweth what work the heart is at or about, certainly he knoweth what the hand is at or about. He that knoweth which way the minde goeth, cannot but knowwhich way,the foot goeth. His eyes are upon the external wayes ofman, but tishis chief glory that his eyes are upon the internal wayes ofman, (Gen. 6. 5.) The Lordfar, that thewickednefsof manwas great upon the earth : Hefawman's adiorsor outwardwayes were verywicked,, but betides that, faith the Text, He faw, that every imagination of the thoughtsof his heart was only. evil continually. He law the wayeswithin, what was formed up, or (as the word there notes) what creatures were made and fall-limed in the mainde of man.. Thus, if we take the wayes in that dillinclion of internal and external, theeyes of God areupon them. Secondly,Take the wayes of man as differencedin their kinds, as theyare either good or evil ; the eyes of the Lordare upon both. They are (faithSolomon, Prov. 15. 3.) in every place, be- holding the evil and thegood : that is, the evil wayes and the good wayes of men. But faith not the Prophet (Habbak. I. 14.) Than art of purer eyes then to behold evil ? Which may feetn, at firfl reading,to imply,that God dothnot behold the evil wayesor aaìa- ings of men. I anfwer, if we diflingaifh thewordbehold,we thali foon reconcile thefe Scriptures. To behold, is either to difcerne what is before us, or to beheld, is to approve what is before us. There is a feeing of knowledge, and there isa feeing of content- ment ; now when the Prophet faith, the Lord is ofpurer eyes then to behold evil, his meaning is, he doth nor, he cannot behold evil with contentment or approbation, otherwife the Lord beholds e- vil,even all the evil in the world; bothgoodand evilarebeforehim, who ithimfelfonly and altogethergood, His eyesare upon the ways of Man,
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