Chap. 30. An Expo/jam upon the Beoke of j o a. Verf. I. 301 tied perfon ; Why then fhould 1 thinke upon a maide The words thus opened, yeild feverall inftruftions. Firft , in that lob having made a covenant with his eyes, prefently adds , Why then, or how then fhould I thinke upon a amide °b rave. To fin againfl a Covenant is a great aggravationoffn. The more we are bound or juftly bind our felves not todoe a thing, the more we fin in doing it. A covenant is a bond, a fa- cred bond, 'cis not fife to trifle with facred things. The Lord threatned to fend a fword upon his owne people, that fhould a- venge the quarrel ofbia Covenant, ( Lev. z6. z4. ) Secondly , 70b having made a covenant with his eyes, puts the queftion, Why then fhould Ithinke upon a maide Hence note. It ie good often to put queftion to andcatechife our own joules. When David found himfelfe almoft overfet with griefe, he falls toqueftioning the matter (Pfal, 42.5,) Why art thou caf# downe, O myfoule, andwhy are thoudifquieted in me ?Give me an account, a reafon, Omy foule, why it is thus with thee? As we may lop immoderate griefs , by asking a reafon why doe we grieve thus ? So we may flop the inordinate motionsand defires of tuft, by asking a reafon,why fbould we doe thus?When temp- , ration bath prevailed with us todoe evill,repentance will taufe us to aske what have we done?yea to confider what we have done. And whenwe are tempted to doeevil!, common prudence, much more fpeciall grace will cnfe us to aske what are we doing? or why fhould we doe it ? Some have fayd, that, man by refting,or a quiet retirement, growes morewife or improves in wifdome. 'Tis as true, that, man by thefe kind of motions ard traverfes of his foule, growes both wifer and holyer. The reafon why fo ma- ny doe things, which are, at leaft, very queftionable, is becaufe they did not queftion themfelvesabout the doing ofthem. Wee fay, ( and we fay ittruely ) A foole may put more quetlions, then many wife men can anfwer:But that man is not wife, roe can he doe wifely, who doth not put many queftions to him telfe about the things which he is about to doe. Thirdlya,.
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