Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v7

7oz Chap. a5: An Expojtion ;rpm the Book of J OB. Verf 4° he looks upon himfelfe in his owne light, and fo thinkes himfelfe righteous; but when he looks upon himfelfe in the light of God, and as one that is neere God ; will not all his (pots andbit mifhes then appeare,or rather will not he hi ofelfe appeare all fpot and blemifh ? When he is once with Gods will he be any thing with hírnfelfe, but an impere and wretched creature ? In this fence Bd.. dadmight check7obs boldnes in defiring to come fo neere God, Even to bit feate, which would but have made himmore vile in his owne e}'es, and difcovered tohim his owne impurities, as it did to the ProphetIfaiab (Chap. 6. 5. ) and as it did alto to lob him- felfe, when be attained his wifh,and got tonacre to God, that he called it afeting him with his eje ( Chap. 4z 5.) Then we have not a word more of pleading his caufe before God ; His mooch was ftopt, and be a6b6rredhimfelfe, repenting induf and a,?act. Thirdly , Can wan 4e juf ified with Cod r that is, ifman com: pare himfelfe with God, can he be ¡unified ? one mhrl may com- parehimfelfe with another and be ¡unified. And thus, the faith - full people ofGod are celled righteous and jufk in Scripture,com paratively, to wicked and unrighteous men. But how can any man be ¡lift or righteous compared with God,in comparifonof whom all our righieoufneffe is unrighteous, and our very cleanenes filthy ? Fourthly , To be jr+,ffified with god, is, again,ft God ; that is, if man firive or contend with God,in any thing, as if God were too hard and fevere towards him eyr her by withholdinggood from him, or bringingevill upon him ; can man be ;unified in this con- tention, or will God be found to have done him any wrong?with- our all queftion he will not. From the words taken in a general! fence obferve. t.Xan loath nothingof hit owne to 7uftifie hi'rn 6efrre Gcd. There are two things carnfiderable in man; firft, hi' finne; fe- coadly, his righteoufneffe ; his worft and his belt ; all grant man cannot be ¡unified by or for his fins, nor can he at all be ¡unified in or for his owne righteoufncffe. And that upon a twofold ground. Firft Becaufe the belt ofhis righteoufneffe is Imperfed ; and noImperfed thing can be a.grour,,d of Juft,ficat on8e acceptance with God .For though God doth uftifie thole who are impeded, yet

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