536 Chap. 17. An Expofition upon the Bookof J O B, Verf,16 I anfwer, Firft, fob was willing to be comforted, but he did not like their way of comforting, which was indeed a wounding ; for the promifes which they madehim, did all a- long carry an implicationof his guilt, they never promifing him any deliverance, but upon the fuppoiition ofhis repent- ance from thofe wickednefhes, with which they chargedhim whereas heutterly denyed their charge in the fente which they hid againfi him. Secondly, I anfwer, We cannot altogether acquit job from blame, in judginghis (latefo deplorable and remedilefs. For though with an eye to the Creature, and all fecund Caufes, there was no probability, or poflïbility for his recovery ; yet yob fbould have railed his hopes upon the power and Al-fufe ticiency of God ; he might haveremembred that as his affii- tíonwas extraordinary,and the handofGod very vifible in it: So his deliverance alto might have been as extraordinary, and that God could haveput forth as thong, and as vifible a hand to reffore him as he did to calf him down : 'ris laid of Abra- ham, Rom.4, 18,19. that he againft hope, believed inhope; no- thing appeared for the fupport of his hopes , yet r4brabatn did not fay, Where is my hope ? or why fhould I wait for Children, He confidered not his own body now deadwhenhe was' about an hundredyears old, neitheryet the deadnefs of Sarah's womb: There natural Impediments came not to his mind, while he had a word from the Lord of nature, He fiaggered not at thepromifi ofGod through unbelief,but was ftrong infaitb, giving glory to God. But we may fay ofyob ( from the conti- nual tenour of his ownanfwers) that he confidered his own body as dead too much , and fo attained not to Abrahams tirength of Faith: Yet we have three things to fay for him : Firft,there was a great differ(mebetweenhis cafe and Abrahams ; Job had ná fuch ground ofFaith as Abraham had ; Abraham received a fpecial,yea an abfolute promife fromGod , that he fhould have a Son,but Job received only a conditional promife from man, grounded upon the general promifes of God, that he fhould be reflored : This confideration abates much from the objet ¿lion of his unbelief; though it cannot be denied, but his Faith might and fhould have rifen higher upon the power of Gc.d,who as he was Al-fufficiently able, fo he did afterwards adually raife him up. Secondly,
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