Chap. r r. An expofrtion upon the Boob of J O1, Verf. 131. To3 mull ítirre up himfelf, yet he furs not till God flirre him, fo matt mull prepare his heart, yet he cannot prepare it, till God pre- pareth him,Tfal.I o. r7. Lord, thou wilt- prepare their heart those wilt caufe thine ear tohear. It is not only the priviledge, but the purpofeof.God to prepare our hearts, yet if we delire heMould, wemull let our felves to prepare our own hearts. David in that gratulatory prayer for the free oblations and contributions of the people toward the building of the Temple ,, thus befpeaketh God Keep this for ever in the imagination ofthe thoughts of the heart of thypeople, andprepare their heart unto thee, z Chron, z9. t 6. He bleffethGod for the prefent preparation he begs of God to continue their prepared hearts in a gracious frame, and yet as if nothing had been done, heprayeth for further preparation. Pro. i6. v. I. The preparations of the heart in man and the anfwer of the tongue isfrom the Lord. You fee all is from the Lord , the root and the fruit, heart- workand tongue- worts, our thoughts which are the moulds of aftion, and our words which are the image of our thoughts ;. God works at the bottome of the heart, and at the tip of the tongue, yet man mull not fit í}i11; that God works mutt not make us idle : when we hear that. God Both all, we muff not takeup refolutions todo nothing, no, the Lord in fpeaking thus, at once direfls us what to do , and aiIìfls us to do it. grace is as much magnified inworking in us, as infaving us without works; that's the reason why we are fo often called to.duty., though we . have no power. If thouprepare thine heart.. Andflretch out thine hands towardshim. Or Spread thy palms tohim, fo the letter of theoriginal, l'L1N'}lt J 1 The word which we tranflate, Stretch out fïgni&es fometimes 113. an affefled oflentation, or the fpreading ofa thing to have- it Expandere sna_ Peen. Hence one of the. Ancients expounds this place as a reproof 1Qra,efoobe r _. upon Job, giving the meaning of it thus Thou hat f retchedforth PQ I ,,_ thine hands towards him, that is , Thou haft vauntedofthyworks ofquenuadiiata piety , juflice and charity, thou haft fpread thypalms, yea thy plusses Ye. Greg. before god, andfhetved him what world, thou haft done him. Some tell us that the word Pharifee, is derived from this (i)araff) to lay open, to unfold and ftretch out :. and there is a dcubereafon given of it : Fírft , becaufe the Tharifees wore the law openly, with broad enlarged phylaEleries : Or fecondly becaufe they lo- wed todo all their duties openly, they would pray in the open ílreets,,
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