4ó6 Chap. f9. about before we fet upon any section. Tirit, For what end we doe it. Secondly, by v, hat rule we doe it. Thefe tw© quettions we fhould put before all our aaings : What is mydefigne ? What is my warrant ? for according to the defigne, the heart and hand too are ordered inevery undertaking. SinglenefTe of eye, makes all our wayes tingle. Yet we muff looke as well to our warrant, as to our defigne ; to our rule as well as to our end. The ApoRle bids us walke circumfietlly (Ephef. 5. 15. ) Noman can walke circumfpetly, unleffe he take notice of his ground, and fee where he treads. To walke circumfpedly is towalke looking round about us. And unleffe we doe fo, we (halt foone loofe our way, andmilkour end. We have a pro verbiall fpeech ; Look,beforeyou leap, that is, confider before you aCt . a foolet bolt is[cone j7;et; he{hoots before he fees his mark, and before he takes his ayme; he neither obferves the art of (hooting, nor the markeat which he(hoots. And becaufe his bolt is fo Toone (hot, thereforehis mark is never hit. To que- Ilion our felves about what we doe, is a great means to preferve our felves from doing amifife ; And they molt ufually doe well, who feare they may doe ill. The Prophet gives this as the rea- fon why many went on fo groffely and fearlefly in Idolatrous wayes, (Ifs, qh. 19, zo.) None confidereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor underflanding tofay, I have burnt part of it in the fire, &c. therefore it is,that he feedeth ofaf.hes,a deceivedheart bath turned him afide,that be cannot deliverhisfoul,norfay is there not a lie in my right hand? He is not able toput this thing tohim- felfe, or to queftion his heart whether he be right or wrong, he had never fed uponafhes had he but confidered, that he had burnt part ofhis idol in the fire. That Man may doe any thing fooner thenthat which is right and lawful, who never erquireth whether that be right or wrong, lawful! or unlawfull which be doth : he cannot deliver his foule from the grofeft Idolatry, from wort nippingwood & hone, the works of his own hands, while he cannot queilion, there not a lie in my right band? am I not out of the way ? am I not deceived ? If this man would but have asked himfelfe the queftion, it is probable he might have feene or difcovered the lie in his right hand ; but he had not a heart.to fay this, and fohis heart was deceived. An unconfide- ring perfon may foone bedeceived ; And the reafort why he is not AnExpofition upon the Book of J OB. Verf. z8.
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