964 Chap. 42. An Expoftion upon the Book of Joa. Vert'. ir. Again, They came to eat bread with yob inhi; haft. See the noblenefs of robs fpirit. Doubtlefs, when they came they made their Apologies, pleaded their excufe, and confeffed that they had failed in friendfhip, and had not lived up to the law oflove. Courteous and noble fpirited Job took all vvell,paft by all difcour. reties, welcomed and embraced them He did not onlynot up- braid them with former unkindnefhes, why came ye not to me in the day of my trouble and afi6+ion, in the day of my dierefs and forrow ? where were ye ? Thus Come would have rounded them ; ye come to me when ill is well with me ; but where were ye when I wanted comfort and company ? Job,I fay,didnot only not upbraid them with their former unkindneffes, when they carne to him, but took their coming kindly. When the Elders of Gilead came to Jeptbah, to delire him to be their Captain againf+ the children ofammen,he faid(Judg. r r.7. )Did not ye bate me, and expelme out ofmy fathers houfe ? andwhy areye corne unto me nowwhenye are in diflrefs ? 3eptbah cal+ their ill carriage towards him in their teeth, and only not reje6+ed them and their reque(+, Thus Job might have laid, why did you leave mein the rime of my difirefs ? tic, but we haveno fuch language from this good man, nor a word of that. Hence Note ; It becomes us to accept the love offormerly unkindfriendo,ard not to twit them in the teeth with their unkindneffes. lob well underffood that it was a part of his tryal and burden fromGod, that his friends forfook him,, and were once uncivil to him : therefore he would not burden them with ir. A godly man confiders, it is of theLord if friends prove unfriendly to him,and that it is for tryal whether he can truf+ upon and cleave unto God alone when friends leave him. Thus to receive unfriendly friends is to be perfe6+ (in our mealure) as God is perfe&. How un- kindly have we dealt with God I and yet when we come to him he acceptsof us. They that are fçnfible how they have refufed the Lord fomrimes, and that he harh.yet gracioufly accepted of them, they (I fay) will be ready to accept of friends that have been froward and unkind to them : It is much the will of God, that we flaould do fo, and 'ds a great part of our conformity unto Godwhen we do fo. It wasvery well that Job gave fair refpe& to his friends,.and treated than lovingly when they cametohim and.
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