Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v3

3® Chap, S. , An-Expofition uponihe Bookof ] O B, Vert . wvord either becaule he preached the free grace of God in Chrift, then exhibited ;.or becaufe God beftowed him upon his parents in their old age, as a fpecial grace and favour : The poor (faith Solomon, Prod. 18. 23.) ufeth entreaties ; force render it thus, The poor raketh, or fpealethfupplications; a poor man bath nothing of delert to plead, why he fhould receive your charity, but he lies at your feet,and begs fomewhat,becaufè he is inwanr,becaufe mi- fery [lath arrefled and taken hold upon hitn:7 poor ufeth entrea- ties, he Both not call for any thing of right, and he will not wreft any thing from youby force ; he only fupplicates your fa vour.We in our drawingnigh untoGod fhould pray for grace and favour,as a poor man, begging an alms, who makes his plea, that he is poor. So then, bildads counfel to Job is this, Standnot upon thy tearms with Goal, plead not thine own tut egrity,andgoodworks, but call thy felfat his feet for mercy, Make, thyfupplication unto him. The word is ufed by Mofes Teut. 3. 23. when he defcribeth his ownunbeleif, for which God faid he fhould not go into Canaan, A nd I lofught the Lord at that time, flying, &c. When Moles per ceived God was angry, hedid not reckon his former good fer- vices to ballance this failing, but fought unto God for mercy, as one that had never done him any fervic'e at all. And as man ex- preffe-s his delires of free grace by this word, fo Both the Lord his higheft wings ofit,Exod. 33. 19. I will be gracious unto whom Iwill begracious.To fhew,that to makefupplication, is, to delire the Lord to be gracious:and that to be gracious is to dothat,which is defired by afupplication ; the fame word in the Hebrew fìgni- fies,,both an ad ofloweft humility in us, namely a making a fup- p, '. ication,ánd an afof highell Grace in God,namely the granting ofa fupplication. Hence obferve, Firft, Inféeking God we muff look to receive all rom hufreegrace andundefervedfavour. SeekuntoGod, andmake thyfupplycation to him. Mercy in God is the fpring of all the mercies received by man. What can a beg- gar, who comes to á King, ask upon defèrt? That's the condition ofevery one that comes to God : we are a company of beggars, the riches both of temporal and fpiritual bleflings are treafìtr'd up in God. Bleffed are thepoor infpirit, they who look upon them- (elves as mean and low, as not havinga rag of goodnefs about them, as emptied of themfelves,are the veffels which God will fill, Fle that isfull loathed) a homy-comb; and he that thinks he is full,is loathed

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