Chap. i 6. AnExpofitionupon tbe Book. of J'OB, Verf 20. recourfe to God uponchoife, but he will not refufe us if ne. ctflity'drive us to him, God is molt worthy to be our choyce, but he is willing to be our refuge s yet he is indeed a refuge to thofe only in evil times, who have made him their choyce in thebell times. When all goes well with us in the World, we fhould not think our felves well till we enjoy God : It is good for me to draw near to God, faith David, Pfal.73.28, It is good for me to do it in good times, in the bell times, this I make my elet`ion : And when David faith, It is good, he meanes, it is belt ; that pofitive beares the fenfe of a Superlative ; and therefore he laid a littlebefore, Verf.25. Whom haveI in Hea. ven but thee, and there is none upon earth that I defire befides thee: But in an evil time , God is both thechoyce and the re- fuge ofhis people. He is our refuge properly to whom we come when others call us off, and he is our choyce to whcrrs we come, when others call for us, and feem ambitious to be kind unto us. It is not thank-worthy to make God barely a refuge, to come to him becaufe we can go no where elfe; we fhould think out (elves no where till we are in his pretence wherefoeverwe are, and that we have nothing till we have him, whatfoever we have. Not to prefer the leaf} ofGodbe- fore all the World, is not only un- ingenuous in us, but finful againfi, and difhonourable unto God. Job who here wept to God in his low efiate, had often rejoyced in God in his heft eltate, and preferred -him before his chiefeft joy Theymay confidently weep to God in fad 'times, who have delighted themfelves with God in comfortable times. - Secondly, Obferve. Liberty of addrefsto God., when menfcorn and rejeel us, is the great priviledge of the Saints. Every man cannot do this can the men ofthe world pour out tears to God when they are fcorned by th world ? can they pour out prayers to God, when they are ill intreated by the world ? Can they go into the imbraces ofGod , when they are call out by men ? they cannot. They can vex them- felves, when they are vexedby others, and perhaps vex thofe that vex them; they can be angry when they are fcorned, and perhaps fcorn their fcorners : but how to fpread their condi- tion before God, or to pour out tears to him they know not: they 3 gr
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