zt b6 Chap. 3 5, vjn Expafrrien upen theBookof ] o s. Verf. 14. As evil men are apt to make over-gooc. ,conclufions for them- felves,they doubt not but they (hall tee and enjoyGod. Owhat prefumptuous thoughts have men, and what peremptory , though groundlefs, conclufions do they make for themfelves upon falfe and rotten premifes! they will fay,they knowGod,and are known of God, they fee God, and enjoy God, when they know not the meaning, much lefs have tafled the comfort of knowing God, or of being known by him, of feeing God, or of enjoying him. Thefe rnyfierióus experiences are not every man's meat,nor every man's matters, who makestitle to the knowledge of God. The Apofile faith exprefly; ( r John 2. 4.) He that faith I know him,and keepeth net bis Commandements, is a Isar, and the truth is not in him. And again, ( Chap. 3. 6.)whofoever frnneth ( that is,loves and fives in fin ) bath not feen him, neither lquown him. Yet how many are there, far fròm keeping the Commandements of God, far from a holy life, yea far from a holy flare, fo far from fuck a holy life, as ofwhich it may be Paid in a Gofpel fenfe , that they fin nor, that indeed they do nothingelfe but fin! yet chele are apt tó conclude, they fee God, they fee hi.nby faith , they know him, they doubt not but . he is their Cod.. Now as many canal men are apt tomake falle conclufionsto themfelves of an mtetea in God, when there is no fuch matter , kindling a fire, and cornafiïng themfelves about with their own (parks, as the Prophet fpeaks, ( 50. it. ) that is, with vaine conceits of their own blowingup, that all is well wi:h them ; whenall that they, who do fo, thall have at Gods hand, is , they fhall lie down in f rrow. Soon the other fide, godly men often times make fad conclufi- ons againfi themfelves, they fay (asYob in the Text) they 'hall not fee him ; who though ( as was (hewed in opening the Text ) he did not conclude againfi his fight of God by grace , or that he had no fight of him by faith, yet he had not a comfortable fight as to his prefent enjoyment , and he doubted whether ever he Mould in this world. 3-onah made fuch a conclufion (Chap.2. 4.) Then Ifaid , Iam cart out of thy fight. As Hez.ekiah laid in his licknefs, (Ifa. 38. a r. ) Ifhallnot fee the Lord, even the Lord in the Lairdofthe lawïng ; that is, I (hall die , and (hall no more go into the houfe of the Lord, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and toenquire inhis Temple, which was the one thing; even the only thing(in this lifejwhich .Daviddefired and refolved to'feek after, (P fah. 27.
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