Chap.8. Eln Expofition upon the Book of J O B. Vcrf:i 3. 72 3. To forget is lightly to efteem, to fleight the Lord. That which a man highly efteems,hekeeps in his memory, and trcafures it up there ; and when a man forgets a thing, efpecially wh n he O5ljtio ITT rt wilfully forgets it, he difrefpe6ts ir, he Heights and contemns it, co711'e17'1"M° yer. 30. 14. All thy lovers have forgotten thee; that is, thy lovers care notfor thee, they Height and efteem lightly of thee. when a man comes not at one whom he loves,he is Paid to forget him, jer. 2.32. Can a maidforget her ornaments,or a bride her attire ? Amaid bath agreat efteemof her ornaments , efpecially ofher wedding ornaments, and therefore the is often thinking of them ; it may be the can hardly peep the night before, for thinking of the rich gar- ments yea the bracelets and bables the is to wear upon the wed- dingday. Can a bride forget her attire ? Will the throw there by the walls (as we fpeak) or' call them at her heels ? Yet, faith the Lord, Mypeople haveforgotten me dayes without number. They have lightly efteemed me, 1 am not fo much to them as new clothes, who am indeed their life ; I am not fo much remembred as unnc- ceffary curiofities,from whom they receive all thingsneceffary,and whofe favour is the one thing neceffary. ,. To forget God is todepart from God. We (lay with Gal no longer then we remember him : as wecannot have communion with truth, fo not with the God of truth, without an a6t of me- mory (Heb. 12. 5.) Ye haveforgotten the exhortationwhich f peaketh untoyouas unto children, Myfon,defpife not thou the chaffening of the Lord) &c. A word forgotten i§ tò us of no more rife then a word never fpoken. We are without all the good we forget ; and to, forget God is (Ep1.7.2.x 2.) to be without God in the world; or,to live on earth as if there were no God in heaven , either in regard of mercy to be received, or of duty to be performed. Hypocrites forget God all therewages; though their natural memorymay be good, yet fpiritual memory (and that only holds fpiritual things) they have none. Obferve hence, First, That the hypocrite is a forgetter of God. Every wicked man is forgetful of God. Hence we find theme put together, Pfal.9.17. The wicked hall be turned into bell,and all the Nations thatforget God : But this is the fpecial charafter ofan hypocrite, he is a forgetter ofGod. Confider this ( faith the Pfal- mitt) ye that forget God;that is,ye hypocrites confider this (PJat. 50.22.) for he fpeaks ofInch as had taken the Covenant of God in their mouths; 'What haft thou to do (veil-. s 6o) to take my Covenant in'
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