Chap. 23. An Exaójtion upan the Book6f TO Nerf, t o. 373 the under (landingof it ; H. himfelf knows all things by himfelf \ Heknotreth the way that I tales, or that is in mee. There are three things which lob might aim at in this fentence. Firls, an account why he was Cure ofa right j.idgement from God, becs:u're he was not onely a Judge, but an eye- .sitncffe of all the waycs that he had ever gone. Secondly, A confutation ofhis friends opinion o`him,as ifhe were a man that did not fear God; whereas he did acknowledge that bothhimfelfe and all his wayes were vifible and rnanifeft untoGod. Thirdly, A f rong affertionofhis owne innocency, fetinghe could fpeake thus reftycingly, that God knew afthis wayes, Hence obferve ; Fit It, Tte way ofman,even his m flfecret Way,or the way rro;tb: inhire is knotwne to god. Godwraps up himfelfe often in the darkneffeof fecrecy as toi man, but man is never in that darknefs as to'God the very chil- dren ofdarkr,es, and the wayes ofdarknes are in the light to him. And as the wayes ofevil' men,and the evil! oftheir wayes, Co the wayes of pod men, and-the goo,nes of their wayes, are knowne to God. We need not feare that the good we doe or have done (though no eye ofroan fee ir) (hall be loll in the dark. We fcarce know our oWre wayes, and we cannot know our owne hesrrs., but Goddotb. { 7 rem. 17. 9.) The heart ofman is dfeeit/ sr;l above all things, and a'efperately wicked, mlos can know it. Noman can know ail the wayes ofhis heart; he cannot come to the bee- tome ofhis own heart, though he may know the bent of it ; but (faith God) lfrarch the heart ; mach ofcar heart is .a fecret to. ourfelves, brst to Godnothing c fit is ; he knowes our inflde full As he knowes our a$ions, fo the grounds upon which we ait, and the tads for which we aft., and the heart with which we ads; thus God knowes the way that every man takes. And thus none but God can know the wayes ofman. We can trade no farther then upon the borders ofmens wayes, their outward ads, as for the fpirit and principle of them, whence they flow, as for the awes and ends of them, whether they are flowing, with .thefe God alone is intimate. And with thefe God is more intimate then maocan be with=that which is wholly outward.. . Ana
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