A xpo : i óir upon tbi loo of J o B. rebuke. As if the Lord had Paid , waft thou born , whenCdtfpo- fed of theft things ? Is the number of thy daysfogreat , that thou art able to reach fuch knowledge ? Surely no ; therefore fit damn f- lent, let thy mouth beflopt with this convilion, that thouk,nowefl not theft things ; and if not theft, which are before thee, and ob- vious to thy fight , light and dalknelt ; much left art thou able to underffandmy fecret counsels and hidden purpofes in the ways of my providence concerning thee : Therefore leave vexing thy feif, and commit all thy concernment c unto me , reff in my Will , fubmit to my Power ; for thouart no more able to reach my mind, than thou art able to tell what was done before thou waft born. ICnowef# thou it, becat,fe thou waft then born ? Or becaufe the number of thy days zs great ? Hence Note , Firft ; God onely, whowas beforeall things , knoweth the way anddi f fpofition of all things. God, who made all things, was before any thingwas made. How great is the number of his years who is eternal I The pre- fcience or fore-ight of God paffed through the whole feries or through all the fucceffions of the creature , before it had a be- ing. He who is without beginning, wir bout end, knoweth and declareth (as he fpake of himself by the Prophet , Ifa. .1c). ) the end from the beginning , and from ancient times the things that are not yet done. Mm by report may have fome underWand- ing of things which we,e done before he was born ; but till he was born he knew nothing of himfeif , or, of his own know- ledge. Veri. !8 Secondly , Note ; t Ilan byreafon of his (hart life, knoweth little. They who have been but a (bort time in the world , mule needs be fhort in the knowledge of manythings; nor can they know much of any thing, Much knowledge is got by much flu- dy and travel. And if the belt improvers and redeemers of time know but little , at molt, becaufe they were but lately born, and have had but little time ; furely they who have trifled away their time ever li ice theywere born, mull needs know very lit- tle. We who carne into the light fo lately s cannot get much light t7S
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