398 Chap: 9. An Expofition upon the Book ef J O B. Verf. 34, terrour bath made thee afraid, but (takemy word) I. will deal gently and mildly with thee, My terrour JhaInot make tbee afraid, neither fhallmy band be heavy upon thee. So that lobs defire is on- ly this, That he might have cafe or releale from his prefent for= rows,And 'tis (not improbably) conceived, that he alludes to the cuff=of. the judges in thofe EatternCountries, who laid a rad .upon force otlenders in token of condemnation,; and took it off from others in token ofabfolutioat, ofgra.ce and favour. Take thy rodaway fromme. Afflt Lion is called a rod in a -three-fold confideration. a . Becaufe ofdire fmart of it. Afiílions are grievousand pain- ful tofleJh andblond. They grieve and pain the outward man, while the inward man takes pleafure in them. I ( faith Paul ) talepleafure in infirmities,.in reproaches, inpe;fecutions, in necefï ties, indiffrefes for aril'sfake ,(2 Cor.i 2.1o.) that is, my fpirit doth, for no affliction (not thatfor_Chrills fake) is joyousfor the prefent, but grievous to:thefle-fh. For,' as theSpirit would not do thofe evils of fn, which the fleck would and doth, (The evil which I wouldnot, that I do, was.Paul: cry, Rom. 7. 19.) So the Beth would not endure thole evilsof forrow, which the Spirit would and doth. And as a believer delights in the Law of God, after.the inwardman, when corruption is vext and troubled at it; fò a believer delights in the rod of God, after the inward man, when corruption is -moli impatient and unquiet under it, Hence the Apotlles counfel to the.difperfed Jews, Rejoyce when ye fall into divers temptations (Jam. a.) that is, intodivers atAit ans; the f eflr hath its fenfe, and feels finart ; but the Spirit is armed with fairh,which overcomes.the -faiart.Afidionwere not fomuch as a rod, if it did not make us finart ; and weare not fo much asChrilians, if we cannot bear the fmart with patience, or overcome it with faith. a. Arllition is-called a Rod, in-regard of the hand that ufeth It. A fword is in the hand of a judge, andaRod in the hand of a 'father. God deals with his people as a father with his children in aí ir`t'ing them. Whenwe moli provoke his fatherly difpleaftre agàinft us, he doth not with (as Bata-ant when his Afs offended him) that there were a (word in his handlo flay'us; he only takes up a rod to fcourge us. Renee.. 3. Affli &ion is called a rod, in regard ofthe end for which it is feat. A rod-is not prepared to kill, nor is it in inflrnment of cruelty,
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