Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v8

Chap. 28. An Expoftionupon the Boon, of J o B. Vetf. 28. 399 foie cafes it may lawfully be.) Thus,the departure from evil fpo . Yen of in the text, isnot like a departing from a friends houfe or company whom we love & like very well, and from whom though we depart, yet it is but for a feafon, and with a hope fhortly to fee and enjoy him again. But 'Lis a departing with a dcfire never to have to do with is again ; yea with a purpote of holy revenge, tomortific, kill, and defroy it to the very uttermoft of our power. For as the wifdom of the flefh (Rom. 8, 7.) is not only adeclining from that which is good, or from the Law of God, but enmity againft God, joynedwith a total and refolved unfub- jeEtion to and oppof Lion againft his righteous Law e fo the ,wif- dom of the Spirit, and fpiritual underftanding, is not only an ab voiding of and abflaining from that which is evil, but a detefia- tion, of it joyned with a firm refolution to fubdue and break the firength of it for ever. They underhand not what it is to depart from evil, who bear any the lean good affe&ion to it, how much foevcr they lay downor leave off evil a&ions. This is that holy enmity which God planted in the womaas feed, that is, in the holy feed (Gen. 3. i 5.) Iwill put enmity between thee and the woman, and betweenberfeed and thyfeed, that is, between thee and all the wicked, yea between thee and all wickednefs. This enmity is not only an effe& and fruit,but the fecurity and prcfervation of our holinefs. As our love to that which is good, fo our abhorrence of that which is evil,is the highen of our holinefs, and moil funda- mental ( I mean of any thing wrought in us) to it. ,Suppofe corruption doth fo dog and cumber us ,_ that we cannot depart frommany evils in our outward a&ings, yet if we do maintain and keep up this hatred of the law of fin in the inner man,we are well, yet mutt firive to doand ate better. Davidgives this chaca&e amangn others of a wicked man (Pfal. ,6. 4.) be fettetb himfelf in a way that it not good, be abborretb-not evil. poffibly there are fame, yea many evils, which the wicked man doth not a& ; bat* as he never Pets himfelf in a good way, fo neither doth he abhor, that is, inwardly- depart from that which is evil. Further, When job faith, to departfrom evil it underfianding;. in that negative, we are to underhand the affirmative, our doing good. 'Tis not the fulnefs of fpiritual undernanding , -bare- ly to abnain from doing evil , or not to bring forth evil fruir;' lie that bath a (primal undcrtlaading labours to bring fortiv

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