Chap, 42. e,4n Expofition upon the h'-o4 of J o B. Verf. s 3. 995ó (chap. 23. to.) When he hatb tried me I (hall cone forth as told. I fhall come out better chan I carne in. He loft drofs acid ruption in the trial, but no grace, nor any degree of grace ; his graces were doubledor incr eared. Abeliever thrives ( as to the inner man) in aflíiion, how much teener he lofeth and goeth backward as a man. As the time of afìiiotion is a fpecial time for, the ufing of grace, fo for the increafing of is s Grace never grows more in gracious heart than in a dayof trouble. And though poflibly a godly man Both not fenfibly, or to appearance grow in grace prefently, yet he truly cloth fo, and in due time it will ap- pear that he huh done fo: Wemay take this chapter for a proof of it. God himfelf foundYob muchbettered in his graces, elfe he had not ufed him as a mediator for his friends, which was as high a fpiricual honour ascould be put upon him,acceprance being promifed andgiven him in that work. Nor would the Lord have ufed that endearing word, c l2r fervant, stir fervant Job, four times in one verle, had not fob improved in his fervice, which couldnot bebut by the improvement of his graces. God called Yob fervant oncein the fira chapter ; furely he was become a bet- ter fervant now that the Lord feemed fo much delighted to call him fervant in this lra chapter of the book., when he had taken full trial of him by fur Bring, u formerlyby doing. We may well conclude, jobwas become a more humble fervanr, a more profitable fervant, a more holy fervanr, a more fpiricual fervant, than ever he had been , when we find the Lord infilling fo much upon, and fo often repeating that relation to him, c.(y fervant lob. His fuf£erings had mended his fervice, and his palline obe- dience had fittedhimmore for aecive. God. was re muchpleated with his fervice, that he took pleafure toall him fervant. So then, we mayanfwer the querie propofed; lobs increafe was not only incattle (that had been but a poor increafe) his increafe was alto in grace and'goodnefs ; and he who was a fervant of the Lord before, was then amore approved fervant. TheLord having told us, in the dole of this verfe, howmany Ions and daughters job had, he is pleated togive us a charaE eror defcriptionof his-daughters in the two verles following, Lill II s; JOB,
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