Chap. 8. AiOxpofition upon the Bookof J OB. Verf.i3- Thirdly, To forget God, is to forget what God requires ; this forgetfulnefs oftheee three forts is produftive ofany,of everyli n. Laftly, Obferve, They thatforget Godfhall quickly wither, how great and flourifhingfoever they are. The reafon is this, becaùfe the forgetting, of God,is a departing from God,and he that departs fromGod,departs from the fountain of life.If the ru(h go out ofthe water it quickly withers;and ifinen will depart fromGod, they (hall quicklydecay, neither grace nor comforts can holdout feparated from Chrif}. Why is the godly man compared to a treeplanted by the river fide, which bringsforth fruit in hisfeafón, whofe leaf'alfofhall not wither,and whatJoever he Both (hallprofiler ? Why is the man that traits in the Lordcompa- red to a Tree planted by the waters,that fpreads out her roots by the river,and(hall not fee when heat cometh?Jer.z7.7,S.isit not becaufe the Saints alwáyes keep clofe to God,by Jefus Chrift,who is as an everliving fountainof water to them, refreshing and moifiening them fo, with continual fupplies of the Spirit, that they (hall not fiewhen heat cometh? that is, they (hall not be afic`ed with thofe evil effects ofheat, drought,and barrennefs. Theywho keep, Co- venant with God, may pof ably feel force decayes , but dye they shall not, they (hall revive and fprout up again ; They (hall again put forth their leaves as a plant,and their fruit as the garden of E- den ; They shall bring forthfruit in old age, they (hall be fat and flouri(hing. And the hypocrites hope(hallper fb. =m The word which we tranflate hypocrite,comes from a root that Sirtuavtr, dI lignifies clone and covered, and by a Metaphor, polluted, defiled, fìmula ec(ae contaminated, becaufe an hypocrite, though he be outwardly co -. e;tre pecrawir, YP g Y tier .tairapbo- vered, and beautifully painted over, yet his paint is a fpot upon eaer,pollutur, him. All painting is but a fpot, incomparifon ofnatural beauty,. e©aamtnatus An hypocrite isnot fo much painted, as polluted. Hence he is calledavileperfon (Ifa.32, 6.)The vile perfan will fpeakvillany, andhic heart will workiniquity topraelife hypocrifie,andto utter er- your againfi the Lord. We have the charaóter of hypocrites, lfa. 58.3. They daily call uponmy name as apeople that would know the Lord: As apeople; anhypocrite doth but play a part in religion, he doth but perfonate another, like an ac`tour upon a flage, who puts forth the feveral poffures andgeftures of a King, when as hirnfelf is force mean fellow. An hypocrite is defcribed adting a double
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=