Chap. s;. An Expofitionuponí a Bookof Jon. Verf. Y 5. 447 grace is no more grace, but if' it be of work s,tken it is no moregrace, otherwife worlds no more work, Tiewales of a man are his works: if, he truftin God he depends ou grace,. if he maintainhis waits he may be faid to depend on works. How then fluff we reconcile Jobs uniting in God with his maintaining of his Waies I anfwer, There is a maintaining of our waies before God, which is both a fruit of Pelf-confidence, and an argument of our departure from the grace of God. B it.this as of Job fprang fromno filch root, nor will it yield any fuch fruit, as will appear in openingof the words. But (or neverthelefs) I will maintain. tt'1 cft difpasrare,bine The Original word lignifies three things.. Firft, (As we tran- ars difputandi fl ate) to plead, difputeand maintain a caufe, or a pofition,as jeft pain diateCticz, and right. _Secondly, To reprove. Thirdly, To correet or a- vocarat at He- mend that which is amifs, faulty and erroneous : And accord- buers d cátnr. ingunto thefe three fignifications,thefenceof this Soli turemay ittalil sag.sáfì- be given three waies. But Iwillmaintain P y cat etáam g agere apaad u- Aline own wages. diem, verbaanc forenfe. Drill. His waies were his works,or themanner andcourfe of his life; which is therefore called our way, becaufe we pafs and repafs up and down in it, as a man doth in a way to or from his own home. Beforebiro. <_ Or, Before his face, fo the letter of the Hebrew. Which he adds, firfc, inoppofition to men; and fecondly, that he might more emphatically fet forth the ftrength of his confidence to- wards God. 1 will maintainmywaies before him ; I will not only make good what I affirm to thofe that are like myfelf, 1have not only hope to rendermyfelfand my waies fair in the eye of the world; bat fam affaired.that I can render bothfair to the eye ofGodhimfelf, Some can maintain theirwaies well enough before men,who can- not maintain them before God;his eyes look through all their co- veringsandvizards;He candiftinguifh between appearancesand reatities,he can fee a rottenheart withina painted skin.Holy up- right Job was not afraid to come into theprefence of God, there toopen himfelf, and to have all his waies kannedand examined. Thofe
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