216 Chap.'6. An expofition upon the Book of J O B. Eß correptio non levirpre- tíi, fed levis ,tondens. fo is a wife comforter upon an obedient ear. They who hang Jewels in their ears ( as it was the cuflome of thofe times, and is to this day ) take that which is of great price and va- lue, yet of little weight ; No man hangs a Talent, or a great lumpof Gold inhis ear : Gold is precious, but much Gold is_ponderous, and burdens rather than adorns the ear ; the bulk of it is morecumberfome than thebeauty of it is con- fpicuous. So comfort, which is the mofl.pieafant Jewel of the ear, thould be pure and precious as the Gold of Ophir ; but yet it mutt be like an earring, which though it be not light, in . regard of worth , yet -it IF light in regard of weight. We mull not load, but guide a man with counfel , normuft we burden him with many, but_ cafe himwith pertinent words of comfort. Thirdly, That which rendered them yet more miferable Comforters, was, their unkirade grating upon that tlrinofhis tinfulnefs and fludied hypocrifie. lob acknowledged himfelf a firmer, and that he couldnot be juflified in the fight of God by any righteoufnefs of his own; yet Hill his friends were un- fatisfiedabout his fincerity , and Ilil1 they prefented himwith fufpicions of fecret wickednefs, as the caufe of all his fuffer- ings , fill! they told himof the fad fate of Tyrants, of op- ;prrlfors, of unjuft Judges, of unfound , and fall hearted wore lhippers ; and though they did not apply thefe Parables per- fonally to Job, yet the general difcourfe founded , as ifthey had (aid, Thou art the man, Now as the Apofile fpeaks concerning death (t Cor. 15. 56. ) fo we may fay concerning any a.fflidion , The flingof afiCion is fin ; the fling of ficknefs , the fling of poverty, the fling of difgrace is fin : when the leaft trouble is armed with fin, the flrongefl tremble at the fight of it. A godlyman can eafier bear the weight of all afilió ions , than the weight and burden of one fin ; fo long as he fees all clear between. God and his own Soul ; So long as he can look up to God, as having his.tin pardoned , and can approve his heart to God , that he lives not in any kown fin ; in this cafe, though the Lord lay the heavieft burthen of afiliEion upon him, he can go lightly underit ; The (pint of a man will bear all thefe infirmities : but if his fpirit be wounded , either with the guilt of fin, or with the fear ofthe wrath of God, how can he bear
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