526 Chap. i 3. .fin Expofrtionupon theBook of JoB. Verf, z6; he conceived ) written withgallandworm-wood, Thou writefl bit- ter thingsagai,ffl me. I find force variety of' opinion about thefe bittet things. And there are divers ingredients to make up thefepils. Firft, Some expound thefe bitter things, of(in. Thou writefl or fettefl down my fins. Thou keepef} an account of all my weak-- neffes and tranfgreffions. There are two who write our ,fins. Firft, God books our fins, that is, he knows the fins we commit as exactly, as if they were written down before him in a book. The formalityof writing is infinitely bclow God, but the efteet ofwriting, which ¡s the evidencing of what is done or fpoken . is alwaies before him. Secondly, Confciencc books our fins, Yob intends the writing of God, Thou writ-eft bitter things, which force aggravate, as if Job did fecretly tax God with feverity, and had faid thus : know thou keepefl a book, thou writefl dia- ries and annals, thewhole hiflory of my life : but thoufeeteff down Notas,obfervas, little of my good works, or of what is pralfe-worthy, thou'takef evolvis ea qu,e little notice of any thing that might render me acceptable to thyfelf, to amaricent ea, or commend me to the acceptation of others : only my fins and l_ adverfìm me ings, which are a litternefs to me,, thofe thou feetell down and k,ce fai - exacerbent. eft a er ell account of. But fob was far from fuch reflexions upon aené faEta f p f f omittis, f quid God,yet we may give a fafe fence upon thewhole, though we in- unquam male terpret thefebitter things by fin; there be two reafons why fins egi , diligenter are called bitter things. annotas. Merc. Firft, Becaufe they provoke God to anger, even to bitter anger, they imbitter theSpirit ofGod againa. us (Hof. 12, 14,) Ephraimprovokedhim ioanger moll bitterly. Secondly, Becaufe fin procures us evil and bitter things. Sin is bitter in the effects of it, as well as bale in the nature of it. Hence Obferve, How fweet foeverfin is in the 417ing, it will be bitternefs the end. There isa bitternefs in the belt offin. One of thefe two things doth alwaies fóllow fin, Repentance or punishment. Repentance is the belt we can expeft when we have finned; and they who do not repent (hall find punithment whether they expect it or no. Now, there is a bitternefs in Repentance, Repentance is no pleafant potion. Though the Saints have a holy delight in repentance, yet ( take it in it felf) repentance is no delightful . work,
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