Chap. 23. Expoj'tion upon the Bon: of i O B. Yes. 12. 407 lathe former part itconlëntsithMc. ßooughton; Ihave ti4, cr layd sip the words of his mouth more then m) a IT breaa, Acd as this tranllation bolds out a truth in it felt; fo the fence meets with ours; foras the Original) word cloth as properly fìgnifi; to hide, or lay up, as to efteeme, fo thoie thins are laid up or bicker by us which are ofmolt efteeme.And thi> t t.tr of hiding or' . Hng up the word, is often fpokenof in Scripture, both as the prac`fiíe,, and as the duty ofthe Saints. (Pfal. 119. i 1.) Ihave hid commandements in my heart. And the rule is given by aifdome (Pro. 2. I. ) lily forme, ifdiem wilt receive my words, and hide my commandements with thee. Wifdome counfeilerh us rot only to receive, but to hide the commandements.And (Pro.4. 20,2I4 Wifdome goeth yet further ; 1l.'r fonne, attend to my word,, in dine thine eare to my laying; let themnot depart from thine eyes, keepe them in the midft ofthy heart.The heart (as Naturalifts fay) is in the mídtf or centerofthe body. Holy truths mutt bekept in the midft ofthe heart, in themidft ofthe middle, that is, in the fafeft place, in that matt retyred chamber, the midi ofthe heart. But why thould thele words be hidden in the heart, which are and ought to be proclaimed in the eare and upon the houle top? I anfwer; we hide things, firft, that we mayknowwhere to have them , what is throatne at our heeles, we know not where to have. Secondly, Wehide things for fafety, or from danger as well as to have them ready at hand for ufe. There are enemies who watch their opportunity to hale the word away from us,& therefore, it is our wifdome as well as our duty tohide it or lay it up fate, So that in both noti®s we ought to hid the word ofGod, firft, that we may have it at hand for ufe : as it is laidof the Good houle holder in the Gofpel, that be layeth up, andbath in his treafttre, things both new and old. Secondly, that it may be kept not of the handof the theife, who would rob us of that precious treats re, Satan and the world, are word-flea/err, and they fteale away the Word, not becaufe they delire tomake any ufe ofit, but leaft we fhould therefore as Gideon (Judges 6. 1 I.) threfhedwheat by the wine-prefe to hide it from the E.Yytodianites, fo,feeing there aremyftical Midianites,who dayly Steal awaythe Word (that molt neceffary and precious wheat) from thoufarads who have heard and received it, we fhould (in a holy jeloufie and fufpition ofthem) hide it out oftheir reach. InconverfionGod puts
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