268 Chap.e6. An Expofitiouupon.the Book_of J_O B. Verf,ro. thefe in one, the difcovery of cruelty. lob faith all this : and. doth not Heztkiah fay as much, ¡fa. 38. 13. 1 reckoned till mor- ning, that as a Lyon, fo will he breakall my bones , from day even. to night wilt thou make an end of me. We finde God taking, upon himfelf thofe fimilitudes, not only in reference to his E- nemies, but allo to hisown people ;. for as he deals with the . wicked when they provoke him, fo in proportion wich his own. Outward difpenfations make no difference; I will takes vengeance, I will not meet thee as a man, Ifa.43.3 that is, I will. not thew fo much as any humane pity or compa(fion., much lefs Divine,but will meet thee as a beafl. Thus God threatned. to deal with Babylon ; and thus he appears todeal withSion, with the ckoifeft.Sons and Daughters of Sion. And thus he profefl'ed , Hof 5. 14. For I will be unto E.- phraim as a Lyon, and as ayoung Lyon to the Houle ofJudah, 1, even I, will tear and go away;, Iwill take away and (nonefhall re- fcue him, yob having. (hewed what hard ufage hehad from God him elf, who appeared as an enemy , proceeds now to thew what hard and courfe ufagehe had from men, who were indeed his enemies, into whole hands God had delvered him. Vert. r o7hey have gaped upon me with their mouth , they bavefmitten me upon the cheek reproachfully; they have- gathered themfelves together againftme. The perfon is now changed, as allo the number.; before it was He, now They: And who were they ? We have noNames ro give them ; , onely in general. Thefe were the infiruments which God let lode upon him ; his Friends, fay fore ; his_ Enemies fay others. Whofoever they were, doubtlefs they were either down-right Enemies , or Enemy -like Friends ; their own behaviour fpeaks them fo, They have gaped upon me; &c. He varies, or heightens their enemy -likebehaviour by three expredìons. Fir(¿, They bavegapedupon me with their mouth. Secondly, They havefmttten me upon the cheekreptoachfullf: Thirdly, They havegathered themfelves againff me. I ,th'all open them ..di tinily. 1^irít
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