Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v5

Chap. r g. An Sxpofítien upon *be Rook of J o $, VerC4. ire good to himfelf nor toany other. The unprofitable Servant who hid, and did not improve his Talent,fhall be condemned ; And he who ufes his Talent unprofitablyand vainly, thannot efcape : Should he reafon with unprofitable talk ? Thus far we have ken Eliphaz reproving fob of folly in (peaking unlike, and below a wife man , he proceeds to re- prove him for acing unlike , and below a Godly man ; This he fens home with a particle of aggravation. Verf. 4. Tea, thou cafteli offfear, and refiraineff Prayer be- fore God. is if he had laid, $elides, or above all this , that thou haft uttered vain knowledge, words that cannot profit , thou haft allo calf offthe fear of God, &c. The word which we tranflate 11sV Labe. to calf off, Lignifies to make void , tofeaster, to di,ff"olve, to breakfaflaJli, Jeri, inpieces; to make as nothing, or to make nothingof. It is of- tuÓ1 fec fli,díf- ten ufed in Scripture, for breaking the Commandments of God, foalvill4 fry- implying filch a breach as makes theCommandments voyd, which is the proper Character of an evil heart; Agodly man may fin againjt the Commandments , but a wickedman wouldfin away theCommandments ; he would repeale the Lawof God, and enafk his own tufts: Such is the force ofthe word here, Thou call eft offfear. There is a natural fear , and a fpiritual fear ; we are not to underhand this Text of a natural fear (whick is a trouble of fpirit , _arifrng upon the apprehenfion of Come approaching evil) but of a fpiritual : Fear is hereput alone , but we are to take it with its boft adjunct, the fear of God ; for as the word fometimes is put alone, to fignifie the wordof God , as if there were no word but his ; and as the wordCommand- ments is put alone to note the Commandments of God , as if no Commandments deferved the name , but onely the Commandments of God , fo fear is put alone, by way of excellencie, for the fear of God ; as importing that his fear is excellent, and no fear to be delìred but his. This Divine fear comes under a double notion : Firft, It ii.taken for the holy awe or ;everence we bear to God in our fpirits, which is the worship ofthe first Command- ment, and the fanEtifying of God in our hearts. Secondly , for theoutward asof Religion which is the C z wotlip

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