Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v4

12z Chap, ri. e/fn êxpofrt ion upon the Book, of JO B. Verf. r 5; nefle between our fouls and God , and makes us lifileffe to the duty. The foul is unwilling to come into the prefence of God, fin flicks upon the confcience : fuch as have no heart to come before God cannot lift up their faces to him. It is Paid of the poor Publican Lul,i8. that he durfl' not lift up,his eyes to heaven, he had low thoughts ofhimfeif, and his pollute was low- ly. The Pnbiican had no purpofe to continue in lin yet becaufe his confcience was not cleared of fin , he duril not lift up his face to heaven but flanding afar off faces, Godibemerciful to meat: flatter. Guilt clogs the foul. How (hall an unholy heart con- verfe with a holyGcd ?: Whenwe lift up our faces ,.. or give good looks to finne , we cannot lift up our faces to , or expea a good. look fromGod. They whole hypocr.ilìe is fo vigorous, that they can at onec look, upon fin with joy,, and upon God with confi- dence , (hall at fall to their forrow finde God rejeéiing their con- fidences ; and indeed he is not confident but impudent, who hopes for favour from God , while himfelf make fin his favourite.. Thofehypocrites went thus high, whom the Lord upbraids fer.. 7.9. Will fleal, murder, andcommit adultery, and fwearfalfly, and come and handbefore me in this place ? Some hypocrites feem. to have avery lively hope, yet thehope ofall hypocrites ¡hall beas the giving up ofthe Çhoft. Lafily, The fpot from which fob is promifed'freedom is ex- pounded for d(grace or di_fhonour. Yob was bet-pattered by his friends as a wicked man, as the worfl of wicked men, anby-- pocrite. Hence Obferve, It is a great mercy to have our credit cleared up from rhofeble- mifhes which the uncharitable f asfiitions or rafh cenfures ofmen have cafi upon eel. There is no fpot except that upon the confcience which is fo imbeautiful as that upon our credit.. He hath little to lofe in this world who hath loft his good name :, And if the Iof e ofcre- dit be fo great an afHif§ion the reparation of it cannot be a (mall mercy. `.David '.was a man fpotted with the imputation of rebel- lion , Saal lookt.upon him as a traytour : It was a high favour which God gave him , when he gave him back his good name : when he caufed him to lift up his face without fpot, yea without fpot in the eye ofSaul , Saul acquitted him, andfail, thouart more righteens than J. The Lordbroughtforth his righteoxfnes as the light, and

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