3-2C Chap.g. An»Expoftion upon tbeBook of J O B. Verf.23. hedidnot tofe his Spirit,nor ryas his heart broken. Now, ifan Hea- then could fay, that to fee fuch a man contett win all manner of troubles,was,he thougl;t,a delight for Jupiter,and laughter to the idol -gods : -May not wt changing thL perfons make his Elate the comment ofthis text, and a proofofthis obfervation ? It is a ho- ly delight to the holy God to fee his faithfull ones, his Abrahams in a tryal,to fee his lobs in a tryal,his Pauls ina tryal;to fee thole Grandees in graces thew fuchadmirable skill, fuch courage, fuch zeal fucl faith,fuch patience,fuch fubmiflion of fpirit,to fee Saints play the men thus in filch fpirituall tryals-and hotteft fervices, is not this jolt matter of laughing and rejoycing to the Lord ? And it the Lord take a kind of pleafùre in the tryals of his Saints, then furely the Saints ought not to be difpleated at their tryals. Hence the Holy Ghoft bids the Saints laugh, as well as the Lord laugheth, Jam. a . z. My brethren count it all joy when ye fall into divers. temptations. Chriftians, never look upon a tryal with fuch fad and fowr faces ; the face ofGod is full of lmiles to fee you at it : than that make you fad, w'aich makes God rejoyce ? Never :grieve but whenyefear ye havegrievedGod. Further, note, That the affliaions of the Saints are tryals ofthe Saints. They are occafions to 'thew forth their vertues and their gra- ccs;They give proofs both to Godand the world,what manner of teen they are. Tried ones are-precious Ones, many others are fo, but tilde appear what they are, they have (hewed their mettall. All true faith is good, but tryed faith is belt 1 a Pet.r. 7. )That the tryal ofyourfaith (that is,that your tryed faith) being :Match more precious thenofgold that perifheth, may befound unto praife, &c. rFempor'sxiuYZ - Befìdes thefe two interpretations, I thall add, for a dole, two Cum 'altgíttora more,which may further illuftrate the meaning o, this laughter a- notleprerrít fcribed to God, at the tryal of the innocent _ Firlt, or Den,. Ridetq; Thirdly, He laughs at the fears and fad fore-calls of his people, ft mortal, ul. who not being able to look thorow fecond caufes, and fee the traPat trepi- dagcc.Hoprat, endsof things in their beginnings, prefently judge all's loft, the 1.3. Car. Od. Church mutt be ruidd,and theSaints undone,becaufe thus tryed: 29. Now God knowing the end ofall ae`l:ions, -not only at their begi- ning, butfror,i the beginning (yea, from eternity 1 he looking tho- row the blackeli clouds and darkefá nightsupon the iffues of all things derides,the fimpleconje¿luresofmen about them.The very Heathens have given usfuch a notion of God in laughter. Se- -condly, or Fourthly,
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