III 22 Chap. 21. An Expofation ttpon the Took of J o B. Vert.;. it which caufeth the Lord to call his Church Hephzibah, Uktj pleafure is in her. When Eliphaz enqriireth. Is it any pleafure to the eí4lmighty that th uare rightectu ? Wemay anfcaer, the Lord bath pleafure in this righteoufneffe, and as he tells the Church, fo every particular Believer, his delight and pleafure is in him. Secondly , ÿed tapes pleafure rtlfo in us as we arerighteana in Converration. David ( Pfal. t ¢7. so, a r.) gives a clear proofe of it both le the negative and in the affirmative. The Lord de- lighteth set in thefi rengehofa Horfe, he taketh Hot pleafure in the !eggs ofa man. TheLords delight is neither in Hodes nor in men, neither in their ftrength, nor in their beauty : wherein is the Lords pleafure then ? The neat words thewus where, He taker pleafure in them thatfears him and bops in hra mercy. This Scripture feemesto fpeake directly contrary to Eliphaz in lob, he faith,Is it any pleafure to the Almighty chat thouart righteous.? But `David faith, The Lord takespleafure in tbofe thatfe .re him; therefore we mutt not underf#and Eliphaz in this fenfe, as if the Lord had no delight or contentment at all in the holinef a of his people, as if it were all one tohimwhether they are holy or unholy : There is a Generation who fay, that all actions arc a- like, andthat it is all one before God, whether men be righteous or unrighteous, whether they doe good or evill : woe to chenì that underfland this Scripture in fuck a corrupt fenfe, for the Lord doth not onlyhate iniquity, but he is Ofpoorer eyes then to bekld any iniquity. He path nopleafure either in unrighreoufnes, or in the unrighteous, but both righteoufncffe and the righteous arehis pleafure. There are three things which I (hall touch for the confirmationof it. l¿irf, the Lord cannot but take pleafure in his own Image ; Now that righteonfneffe which is implanted in us, and put forth by us, therighteoufneffe ofour natures and of our acti- ons, as we are regenerate, is nothing elfe but the Image ofGod renewed upon us. Seeing then God cannot but take pleafure in his own Image, therefore it is a wickedneffe to thinke that God takes no pleafure in a righteous man or in his rightcouf- neffe. Secondly, as this righreoufrtffe is the Image of God in us, fo it is the very workmar flip of God upon us (epbef. Z. JO. ) For
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=