IIo Chap. 4. An Expofition upon the Book of j p B. Verf. 17. --, and rightly principled; Such a manfhallfay, verily there it a God thatjizdgeth the earth.In the judgment ofman,that judgment (hall (peak a God,andall [hall be forced toDaniels mourning acknow- ledgment, 0 Lord,righteoufnefs belongeth unto thee, but unto ter confufion offace, Dan. 9.7,9. Wemay enlighten it further by that ofDarMid(Pfal. 5 ...)where he profeffes thus,/ will confefr myfill', &c. that thou mayejtbe juffifted when thou fpeakeft, and be clear when thou judge./[ : as it he fhould fay, ifhereafter thou (halt af- flidme, and lay thy rod uponme, I knowmany will be ready to complain and fay, why doth God thus, why doth he aflfid Da- vid, Davida holy mau,a man after his own heart, a man ofwhom he hath given fuch large tefiimony, ofwhom he hath faid, I have found a man aftermyown heart. Now to the intent all thefe may be tart in their fuits, and anfwered in their complainings, I here acknowledgebefore all the world, that I have tinned greatly;and therefore, though thou haft pardoned my fin, and fo wilt never charge it upon me to condemnation,nor punith me for it in a way of fatisfa&ion; yet hereafter thou mayeft in thy fatherly wifdotn, fee it needful to chattife me,to prevent and,purge out fin,or to help me againfl the weaknefs of mynature,and the Itrength of temp- tation for the time to come. So here in the Text, Shall marlbe ju_ ftified beforeGod? IfJob or any ofhis friends for him,fhould corn- plain againtt God, why he beingone commended and approved from the mouth ofGod, for a manperfell and upright, thould be thusatilióted ; what ? Shall weaklob bejufliftedbefore God? Yea though Job be con4idered in his greeneft flourifhings ofgrace,aitd higheff pitch of his profperity, as he was Geber indeed, ticegreatell, themightie t man in the Eaftern world, ÿet*fball he be more pure then bis Maker ? No, ceafe your complainings, God is juli, and his honour mutt be vindicated, in what he Moth, or in what he [hall do againff the weakeft, or againil the migh tiett againft the meaneft, or againft thebeat of men. God will be found jufìa, and man a lyar. Either ofthefe three fenfes are fair from the conftrudion of the Text, and may be profitable for us; I flail therefore draw them down into five or fir conclùfions,which will be at lean a portion, of. thatmarrow and fatnefs which thisScripture yields us to feed dpon. . firti, we may obferve, That man ttaturallypreferretb himfelf, [trot
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