¿chap. t9. AnExpofition upon the Booke of j OB. Verf. 29 I anfwer, Firft, This was from a fp:ciall difpenfation ofGod, who. bath the hearts (as ofKings, fo ) ofall inferior perlons in his hand friends are kind or haríh to us, catie to be entreated, or inflexible at the di-lpo.fe of God. The fenfitive powers are ítopt by the power of God, the eye while it fees doth not dif- cerne if he forbid ; as 'tis laid of the two difciples in whole company Chrift walked after his refurreCtion, Their eyes were holden that the,fhouldnot knowhim (Luk. 24. 16. ) Now 'as God holds the eyes from difcerning, fo the affe6tions from loving and pittying when 'he pleated). And becaufe the feverity of °ob's friends ferved the providence of Gòd for his further try. all, therefore he bound up their fpirits from any relenting to wards him, or.fhewing him any pittie. Secondly, His friends being íh11 prejudiced againft him, and looking upon him as an hypocrite whohad finned great- ly, and obfcure.d the glory of God by ftanding up to juftifie himfelfe and maintaine his integrity when the hand of God is gone out againft him (they (1 fay) fuppofing him in this ill temper) thought it unfeafonable to pittie him, and Might .po11ibly conclude, that to be favourable to him, would be both difhoaourable to God, and difadvantageous to their defigne.; which was to humble him and bring him to repentance. So, .that.left they Ihould teem to comply with, or flatter him in his finfull way, they kept onne their old way of levere reproofes and threatnings, together with bitter infinuations of his by. pncrifie and ungodlinefl'e. And it muff be granted; that if this fuppofition or fufpirion had been jult, their perfeverance in reproovinghim, and refill-aft to comfort him, had been juhlifi- able. Though the patient complaine, yet painful) operations mutt not be forborne, nor corroding plaifters taken off till the loare be throughly fearched and cleanfed. To Phew pittie to men in their fins, is indeed to be crueli to them. As witholding . more t'hen.ic meete( from (pending) tends topovertie, and proves a fcattering of the ettate, as Solomon fpeaketh (Troy. t L. a4.) fo withholding more- then is meet from reprooving, tends to flattery, and provesafixing ofthe foule in finne. Thus wemay take out a faire fenfe of thefe words; as they referre to his friends hard and leyere ufage of him after he had made that pallionate requeft for pittie; yet I (hould rather ex Q,q pound
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