Chap. 27. An Expofation upon the Book of J o a. Verf. did deferre to cleare up his innocency,or that God did,asit were, for the prefenr, lay his bufinefle afide, and would not determine his caute, that God did not appeare for him, nor vindicate him, ( though he had fo often appealed to him ) according to his ear- nefi expe6latior.. We find Elihu cafiing this paffage upon fob, as a high firainc of prefumption ( Chap. 34. 3.) For f ob path faid, I ares righteous, -and God bath taken away my judgment. Elihu ex- pounded Jobs words as a complaint againfi God, refuting todoe him juflice; as if he had faid,I am righteous, but God will not doeme right ; whereas Job onelydeclar'd the matter of fahl,how the cafe flood with him, that God to that day had not declared for him according to the righteoufneffe of his caufe, or judgment, but left him in appearance under the cenfureof his friends, even fuch as they judged him to be, an hypocrite,or the worfl of wick- ed men. Hence Obferve ; God doh not alwayes give tefiimooy to, cr cleareup the innocency ofhis faithfullfervants. He lets them lye under the clouds, he Puffers the hafly judge- ments and harfh opinions of men to continue upon them, without any anfwerfor their integrity ; they are afperfed, and dirt is caf't in their faces, they lye among the pots, and are blackt all over as with a cole, they are accounted ( as fob was) the vilefl of the Ions of men, and yet ( though the Lord knows it is otherwife with them)he lets it be fo with them. He lets thedirt flick upon them, evenupon the face of their reputation, and will not walls it off. They whom God path made cleane, the world either makes or reputes uncleane. As that which is highly efleemedamong men is anabomination in the fight of God, fo they who are high- ly efleemed of God, are an abomination in the fight of men. Thefe fufferings of the Saints in their own* credit, or in the opi- t4n of men, ferve the holy endsand purpofes of God, as much as any of their fufferings,whether inbody or flare, by the oppreffions and perfecutions of men. And thereforeSaints are detained under there tryalls as well as any other, till thofe holy ends areferved; and longer than that,they 4ra11 not be detained under them. This tongue-rod either of wicked men, or of miflaken and mifunder-, Handing,brethren, (hall not rcf+upon the lot of tbç righteous ; Though
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