chap.. 13. AnExpafitionupon the Bookof JOB, Verf. 23. your doings, then he invites them to a free conference, Come, let its reafon together, He fpeaks familiarly tothem, I will argue it out with you,againit all your unbelief : come,let ur reafon together. Now, as God fpeaks familiarly to man, when he hath put his Inns away : fowhen the Lord hath put his dread away, man fpeaks fa- miliarly to God, Come Lord, let us reafon together, now let:lte (peak, and anfwer thou me ; The place where God communed with his ancient people the Jews, was the Propitiatory or Mercy- feat. Exod. z5 zz. and theplace where God cornmuneth now withhis people is called the Throne of grace (Heb. 4. i6.) Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne f grace , that we may ob- tain mercy, and findgrace to help in time of nerd. We can have no boldnefs but at a throne of grace; when grace in our own hearts oppofing fin meets with that grace which is in the heart of God for the pardon of fin,we arecarried,as upon Eagleminbs, beyond the regions of fear. Job lived long before Chrnft came in the flefh, yet Chrift was come into his heart ; and when he de- tired God to remove his dread, he moved to be looked upon and heard in a Media tour. job having thus prepared his waybegins to plead. Verfe t3. Howmany are mine iniquities and my fns ? make mo to know my tranfgrefon and myfin. His way of arguing is much like that of the 7th and to"' chap- ters, and his general fcope is the fame, at once to maintain his own former integrity , and to aggravate his prefent mifery. That's the futn of his difcourfes, quxries, and expoftulations, to the end of the fourteenth Chapter. How many are mine iniquities? He feems to take the hint of this firft enquiry from Zophars wiílt, chap. t t. verf. 5. O that God wouldfpeak, and openhis lips againfl thee : and that he would fhew thee the fecrets of wijdom,that they aredoubled to that which is ; Know therefore that GodexaEleth of thee left then thine iniquity deferveth. job anfwers, you detired that Godwould fpeak, you doubted not, but if he did,he would make it appear my fins were double to mine affliaions : With all mine heart ( faith he) this is it I long for, I defire that God would fpeak,and ¿hat hewould fpeak out what my fins are. How many 49 5
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