Chap. z 8. an expo/ition upon the Beck of J o B. Verf. 27. 31 t though a fecret to us, are as clearly, fully, and certainly known to him, as thofe things which are molt familiar to us, even as the chinos which we fee and fpeak of continually, oras the things which wehave long prepared, yea, and fearched to the bottom. The Apoftleyob, to (hew the certainty of Chrifismanifelation in the flefh in the fulnefs of time ufeth a very paralel form of (peaking with this lathe text (r Eph. Chap. r. v. r, 3. ) That which was from the beginning,which wehave heard, which we have feen with our.geyes (that is undoubted) yfeen) which we have looked upon, and our bands have handledof the Wordof fife , that which we havefeen and bearddeclare we unto you, that yealfomay bave fellowfhipwith us, namely in the fame faith of the Cofpel ; Here are threeof the five fenfescalled to bear their teflimony to the truth of Chriis incarnation, Hearing, Seeing, Feeling, each of the latter carrying a fironger te(timony then the former, to fee is more then to bear, and ro feel is more then to fee ; and to make the truthyet more fure, both the comparativelyweaker teftimo- nies are twice repeated, and the fironger of the two, though not four times,yet more then thrice. Hearing is twice repeated, that which we bave beard(v.s.)and that which we bavebeard(v.3.)and feing (I fay) is more then thrice! repeated ; for we have that whichwe bave feen (v. I.) and that which we have feen (v. 3.) and a third time we have an a& of the fame fenfe repeated bya word, which (I fay ) lignifies more then to fee, (v. r.) that which we have looked upon ; to fee may bebut a tranfient fuddain a&,bus to lookupon is a very fixed and deliberate a&,a very plea- fing anddelightful a&,we looked upon him as the rarefi obje&,as the very delire of our eyes; yet this was nor all s as we have heard and feen, yea looked upon him, fo which is yet a furer fenfe, our hands have handled the word of life. They handled or touched him,before his refurre&ìon and after ir.Now as the Apoftle 701m gathers thee four words together, hearing, {eeiag,icoking,hand0- ling, to thew the certainty of Chrifis being(who is the wifdom of the Father ) among them ; fo 7,6 here gathers four words toge- ther, to Phew the certainty of wifdomes being with God (which wifdom, as I (hall touch byand by,being perfonally confidered,is fame Chtifi in his Godhead fpoken of by john)H'e fare it, he de- slared it, Heprepared it, and fearched it out.. Lali ly,
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