1-12 Chap. a á. .An Expofition- upon the. Bookof J p}ß; Verf.ag: " Hence learn: Firft, That , fin mull be put away. There is no inmate or neighbour fo bad as fìnne, if it dwell nigh you it will undoe you : it were better a Lyon and a Bear dwelt withyou , or that you .dwelt among fcorpions , then that you and tun should dwell to- gether. Sin is a badcommodity, you will never gain by it you will certainly break if it lye upon your hand , put it off at any rate, or rather whatever it coil you, put it off. If iniquity be in thine hand, put it away. And not only fo, But Secondly , Put itfar awayfrom thee. We can never put fin too far from us. The Apofiles rule is; .Abstain fromall appearance ofevil, that is, doe nothing wherein, fin appears , or which hath a shadow of fin, i Thef. 5.22. There is no holinef in having a _hewofgoodneJ ; but the very _hews offin are evil. What the Apoflle advifeth for the avoiding of fin , that it may not be committed ; is as good advife for the putting away of finwhen it is committed ; For as we are to go farre from fin by a holy care left we fall into it ; fo we mutt go farre from fin by holy repentance after we have fallen into it. We should put it fo far fromus, that there may be no returning. We should put it as far from us as the Eaft is from the Well, which is the greatefl diftance, not only menfurable, but imagi- nable. When God pardons fin he puts it thus far from us, (Pfal. 103.12.) and fo thould we (if it were possible) when we re- pent of it. The Original word in the Pfalme is that of the text, and may be rendred thus, godbath put oarfins asfarreawayfrom us , as he bathput theEafl from the Weft. As the graceof God towards us will not fuffer fin in the guilt of it to abidenear us, fo the grace of God in us, will not fuffer fin in the pollutionof it to abide near us. Befides , fin is fuch both in the nature and effeC s of it , as nowife man candelire near him. Who would not poyfon far from him ? Who would not thruft the plague or the leprofie far away from him ? Who defires the neighbourhood of a mortal enemy? Sin is all this and more to us , therefore put it far away. - Thirdly, Zophar having invited Yob- topray, counfels him to put iniquityfaraway. Note from ir, We cannot draw near to God in prayer , except we pia [nne far from us. lf
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