S i o Chap. i 3. An Expofitionupon the Book of JOB. Vert. 24 houfe of Jacob, and Iwill look far him. The Saints are now the houfe ofJacob,the eye,yea the heartofGod is ever upon chis houfe, yet he íometimes hideth his face from it. Then the Lord hideth his face, when he doth not enlighten as formerly, when he doth not enlivenas formerly, when he doth not affift in doing as for- merly, when he doth not fupport in fuffering as formerly, when there is a withdrawing of thefe,or in any of thefe, then God is faid to hide his face from the houfeof Jacob ; David often be- moans himfelf under thefe hidings. And the Prophet puts the cafe in general, that fuck as fear theLord, and obey the voice of his Servants,mayyet walk indarknefs & fee no light(yfa5o.ro ) we never want light in our fpirits, till the face ofGod is hid from us, as we never want light in oureyes till the Sun is hidden from us : but why dothGod hide his face from his choiceft fervants ? Job a choice fervant of his asks the reafon, wherefore hideft thou thy face far fromme ? I (hall (upon that occafion, and the clear- ing of this Scripture) anfwer it in fome particulars. Firft, The Lordhides his face fometimes,becaufe he will hide his face. What if God lhould have anfwered Job when he enqui- red, thereforehidef? thou thy face? It is my pleafure. God may do it by prerogative, and neitheraskus leave, nor give us the reafon why. Ashewillhave mercyon whom he will have mercy, and whom he willhe hardneth (Rom. 9. i8.) fohemay fay, I Thew my face to whom I will, and from whom I will I hide it. But, Secondly, He hideth hisface at onetime, becaufe he in- tendeth to thew it more clearly at another. When he means shortly to give the foul a full fight of himfelf, hegives it at pre - fent no fi,ht ofhimfelf: when he isabout to pour out abundance of love into a bofome, he quite withdraws the fenfe of his love. Thirdly, Undervaluings of former manifeftations are often chaftned withafter hidings. Fourthly,God denies his prefence,that we may prize his prep fence, and pray more earneftly for it. Fiftly, When we value the faceof the World too much, God hides his face. 'Whenwearedefirous to makea fair thew in the fleIh, God will not Phew himfelf to our fpirits. Our dalliance with the creature caufeth God to look off from us, or to look ftrangely upon us. The heartof a godly man may get a haunt to fotne vanity herebelow, and then God retrains vifion from a- bove
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