378. Chap. I s. An Expo ftion upon the Booko f Jos, yet 8 c he is, before he accepts him ; For the Scripturefaith, whofoever- believeth on him (hall not be afhamed, for there is no difference be- tween thefew and the Greek; for thefame Lordover all is richunto all that call uponbins. ( Rom. to. i t, a 2. ) But if this be to acceptperfor,s,how could lob chargehis friends with accepting the perfon of God ? For theclearing of this quære,I iha11 Thew firtl negatively,how we are, not to .underhand it ; and then affirmatively, howwe are. FFirh thus, We are not to underftand it, as if fobs friends ima- gined that God had needof their favour in his caufe : theufual reafon why the perfons of men are accepted, is becaufe their caufe cannot bearthem out ; hethat hath a good caufe never de- fires to have the fentence carried by any biafs tohis per fon; but he that dihrufts.his caufe, ufeth all themeans he can, he turns e very (tone to ingratiatehis perfon, or, as we fay, to curry favour with the Judge. Job and his friends knew well enough that (as the Apottie affirms out of the Pfalm, Rom. 3. 4. ) Godmuff be jeertified inhir fayings, and overcome when he either judgeth or is fudged: The ;juftice of his caufe will carryhim out againtt all men, Tra every ,southmet le #Topped, and all the world become guilty before God.. Secondly, As God needs not any refpef or favour to his per- fon from the creature, fo "its impotlible that God fhould receive more refpeet or honour from 'the creature then doth belong to 'his perfon We may. quickly out-a8t our refpefts to the belt of men,and offer themmore/hen they are fitto receive: but God is infinitely exalted aboveall our praifes, and is fit to receive more thenwe can offer. The Pfalmift indeed faiththat the Ifraelites flattered God. When heflew them than they fought him, and they returned and enquired early after God : neverthelefs they didflatter him with their month," and they lied tent°him with their tongues, (Pfal, 78. 36.) But could they flatter God ? Maya is flattered,when. that is afcribed to him which he bath not,or when he is applaud- ed for what he bath, beyondthe worth of it. God cannot be flattered thus : He is as much beyond flatterings as he is beyond fufferings..The Jews, then, arefaid toflatter God, not becaufe, they applaudedhim by'fair fpeeches more thenwas hisdue, but becaufe by fairfpeeches they hoped to prevent what themfelves diddeferve 3 orthey flattered God with their own promifes, not with
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