Chap, I3. AnExpofition upon the Book of JOB. Verf. i o, 3 I tins. (Ge33 ra4,42.) When Jacob departed from his Uncle``L,a. ban; Laban purfues íiim,but the Lord(ver.24.) overtakes,Laban, and tels him in a dream by night, Takeheed that thoufpeak not to Jacob either good or bad, Jacob tels him in, plain terms, God re -- bnked, or roproved thee yefernight (verf. 42.) It is the wordtin the text : As if he hadfaid, Thou camera forth with a purpofe to make me ferve thee {till, but the. Lord bath reproved thee, he hash flopt thee in this deign, and forbidden thee to fpeak either good orbad ; that is, that thou fpeak not any thins tOme;either by wayof threatning or of promife, to drawme back,and bring me to thine houfe again. We read of this reproof (Pfal, 105. I 3,14,15.)When thepeople ofthe Lordwere few,sndflrangers in the land,and did wander upand downfromone kingdom toanotherpeople, herfufferedno man to do thews wrong,:yea, he reproved kingsfor their fakes. He reproved kings, thisreproof was a floppingof their in- tendments,hewould not fuffer them to wrong his people. When ¡[rat was mad in following Idols, the Lordfaith, Iwillhedge top thy way with thorns,and makeawall thatfhe(hall notfind ber paths, , (Hof. 2.6.) It is an allufon tobeans, who are ready to breakout of their paflures thehedge flops or givesa turn: God inpur- fuanceof his covenant,and witha gracious meaning toa revolting people, hedges them up by affiiflion to flop them from undoing. . It is a mercy to be kept out of the pound,' though it be by a thorn hedge, Iharpefl troubles. This flop theLord doth often give, thoughhe doth not alwaiies.give it unto ffnriers : he fome= times lets them runon fill up their meafure of fin, and to rem ceive their full meafureof punifhment. Reprooffor fin isa great favour;thongh the Lord beangry withus for whatwe have done, yet it is a favour that hewill not let us domore,and fo make our felves morevile and miferable. There is a fecond way of reproof, which all finners (hall cer- tainly meet with. All (inners arenot flopt in their way, but all (inners (hall be blamed for going out of thewa.y: Though the falproceed,yet they(hall beconvinced,that there is afaultin the fag ; and that it is an evil and a bitter thing to fin againfl the Lord ('Pfal. 5o: 21. the hypocrite is defcribed.goingon-in fin , and flattering himfelf that God was like himfelf. But what faith the Lord, Iwill reprove thee, and fet thyfins in order before thine eyes. Some menare afraid to reprove, many are unable to re- prove s or ifthey be neither afraid.nerunable, yet they maybe anwil
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