z Ghapo a a. An Expoftton upon the Book. of JO B. Verf. Thirdly , Forafmuch as the original] [bar] fgnifies not only ;purity but elect and chofen. Obferve, Clean andholy perfans, juft and upright pertns, arefitfor choice andelection. Men may not choofe, as God choofeth. God choofeth out of a common macwithout refpect to good or evil , as the motive of his election ; he not look upon mankind-e, and fee one pure, and another impure , one clean and another unclean , and then chufe the clean and leave the unclean : No (Room.9. t a.) before .Yacob and Efau -wereborn, before they had done either good or evil , That the purpofe ofgodaccording ta-election might Rand , not ofworks, but ofhim that calleth, it.wasfoaid,_7acob have I loved, but Efauhave I hated ; Gods electionis not upon actions. He found them both in a like fl:ate yet he chofe,jacob. The reafon ofit is; Becaufe he hath power , and apurpofe to make them clean,whom he chufeth. God elect, tocleannefs but he Both not elect any, becaufethey are clean., or cleaner then others. Thegrace of ele- ction is not:directed by , but directs and leads to the grace of fan- ,: ctification. But when men go to choofing, they mutt not take this conrfe, becaufe they have not this power : when menchoofe, they muft choofe upon fore-feen, or rather prefent works of ho- lines and rig1tteoúfnes: They mutt chafe men fearingGod , and hating covetoufnes for Magistrates. They muff chufe men apt to teach, fober and blameleffe for Miniflers. They who cannot make men fit , whom they have elected , mua confider who are fit, and then elect them. Zophar having laid down The opinion of himfelf, Mydoetrine is pure and Iam clean in thine eyes, (verf.q..) proceeds to the confutation of it in the fifth and fixth verfes., which we may give you in this argumentative form. That perfor is not pure indoltrice, andclean in thefight of God, whom though Godbathgreatly afflicted, yet he might justly affliçt more : But though God bathgreatly afflicted thee,yet hemight juftly afjdict thee more. Therefore thou art not pure in thy doctrine, nor clean in hisfight. The affumption is given in the clofe of the fixth verle, Know therefore that Godexactethof thee leffe then thine, Iniquitydeferveth: and is prefat'dai led in by a with, in the fifth verle , and part of the
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=