Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v11

Chap. 3g. efln E.vp9ftion upon the Boob of J o u. Verf. i 4. iaC tegrity, clearing up our ttatc, how farisfying is it ! And as it is tlofl fweet and fatisfyit g to tee God clearing up our flare to our own confciences, fo it is exceeding Tweet ro fee him clearing up our aeiions to the eye of the world ; as the Apofile make in the fame place , we are manlfe,funto God, a.d Icrog 4, are made manifeft an your confcicncer. As if he had faid, wehope, God bah difcovered us to you, and your confciences do alto atrefi with us and for us what we are. Light isfweet (thy light of the air,, faith Solomon) and it it pleafant to behold the Sun, the Sun in the fir- mament ; how much more fweet is the light of divine favour, as altoof our own faithfulnel ,fhining into our hearts , and upon our wayes, fo that we are able to fay, nowwe fee the Lord graciouf- ly roiling away our reproach, owning us, and taking our part be- fore and againfl all the oppouing concradiéling world ! Secondly, Note; efl godly enea may lofe the fight owl prefect apprehenjon of God, at owningofhim, and taking careofhim. It is fo often as to our fpiritual efface , and it may be fo , as to our outward flare ;hence Chore many complainings which we find in the 'pfalmes, and thofe many deprecations, as to the hiding of Gods face; Davidwould fainehave kept fight of God, O howhe defired to fee him, to behold him 1 yet many tines he did not, neither as to the afturance of his fpiritual interef f , nor as to the Sæpe dens o- comforts of his outward condition, ( Pfal.r 3. r. ) ( Pfal.z7.9) /let,dit faciem ( PTal. 3o. 7.) As God fometimes fheweth himfelf in a kind of fuam,fed non cloud or darknefs, in fire and rempefi,which isvery terrible ro the ira ut cupitt!1 foul ; fo he at other times difcovers himfelf only a little, or gives h'"':net , i= but a glimpfe of himfelf clearly,ro fair up further drh ea of Teeing de °fn17} ' } him, and to make us weary of all we fee in this wo:ld : in there ut tea die,:. cafes we may be faid not ro fee God when we fee him. M lay Cvc: godly menare infuch a dark condition, that they think God hi- deth his face from them in difpleafu' e, when indeed he Bothnor, but only tryeth them, to fee what is in them, and whether they will obey him in hope and pa ience, and keep clote tohim inho- ly tvalkings, even when he feemeth to depart f:orn them, and withdraw his prefence. Thirdly, Obferve ; Good-men are apt foneetinea tomake ever-fad tonelafrons aça eft them"e.'ves, P As

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