S3 Chap. 3 b. an Expoltion upon the. Boob, of J o n. Verf. 3. Non proae- end ( hope perfehly ) for the grace that is to be brought toyou at pram&abom therevelation of JefusChrift, As if the Apofllehad Paid , ye can to rliacumita- never adt your hope to purpofe , nor your faith to pu; pole , hem. Iefs you gird up your loins. Habits of grace are unprofitable to us, without this auival preparation and excitation of grace. It is our duty (Heb. r p. 24.) to provoke (or flit up) others to love andgood works ; much more is it our duty to provoke and dir up our (elves. Thirdly , In that he faith , Gird up thy' loins like a man : Note ; God would have as do our heft, our utnaoft, in every thing we do ; he wouldhave us put ourfelves out in every duty. Solomon advileth (Eccl 9. 5o.) Whatfoever thy hand,fzndeth to do, do it withal thy might ; that is, do it lake aman , vigoroufly, ffrenuuully, do it with both hands, Q it you like men indoing s r , bejlrorou, as the ApoIlle exhorts c i Cor, r 6. 3) To do the work of the Lord negligently and Rightly , with half a heart or no heart , with half a hand or no hand, fcarce with a little finger, with half flrength, or no ffrength , this is not to do it like a man, VVe lhould be in doing , like the Sun in moving , wh .David (Pfal, rg. 5) As a Bridegroom cometh oatois amh ber , and re joyceth an a firms. man to ran a race, If we would run our race like a flrong man, (fronglyand prevailingly, we mud be lure to do two things : Firft , VVe muff lay afide every weight, and the fin that doth fo eafily betet tcs (Heb. r z. r.) Secondly, VVe muff (as here the Lord direels Job) gird up our loins, and buckle to it. Fourthly, As thefe words carry in them a kind of Irony , or divine fcorn put upon lobby the Holy God ; Comelet melee what aman thou art; thou haft fpoken often what thou wouldff do, and what thou wouldl fay, if thou couldfl have thy option, thy wine; now thou had thy wifh,let me fee what a man thou art, thou wilt furely appear a braveman by the time that I have done with thee. Hence Note , God will makemen fee how unable they are to deal with him , when 'tis bell with them ,. orwh. en they are at the beft , even when their loiiu aregirt, Every
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=