346 Chap. 3 i. An Expofition upon the Backe of Jo B. Verl6. ration one wayor otherbut turneth truely as thole things which are put into it doe pra°ponderate, or are more weighty. The He. brew is,in ballances éfjaf¢ice,that is,in juft ballances, in bal;anus fo )utt, that Ju(lice her Idle may be fayd to have made them, or fo jolt that (as Juflice is commonly pi ured or embleam'd ) Ju- Rice her felfe meat hold them in her hand to weigh with. The ballancebath a kind offacredneffe in it. And becaufe men are apt to deceive by felfe ballances, therefore in all wet govern'd Dingdomes and Common- wealths there is apublicke ballance, by which all other ballances are to be tryed, and to which they mull be conformed. The Kingsbeame, or,The States beame bath a publicke Officer to attend it. ?cb would be tryed by facha beanie or ballance, an even ballance ; As ifhe had fayd, I defrre with all my heart, that godwculd rakefull cogniz.astce ofme, and weighme ex:ttilyaccording to righeoufneffe. O that be would af- fume my judgement into hit owne band, who, lamfore, would dce we right, and weigh all my matters impartialÿ. I knew bib .eyes cannot befo blinded with mine afiiélions ( though mens are) but that for all them he would difcerne andjudgeme upright. But was not this a huge boldneffe ( may force fay) in ob that he fhould call fo carnally to ba weighed ? was not this a boaft of,if not a trotting to his owne righteoufneffe ? I anfwer, Irb did, not defire to be weighed, nor offered he himfelfe to be weighed like a proud felfe-Juftificiary, as if he thought he had no fin in him, or as if he thought lais were but light, or could beare no weight to over-ballance his good deeds. 1.r was not any (welling opinion of the worth or merit of what he had done, but a found laving faith in the mercy and free graceofGod through the Redeemer, together with the integri- tyof hisheart towards God, which gave him the confidence to dofire and {land this Tryall. ?ob was not further off in time then in temper offpirit and true Gofpe! knowledge; from thofe Old Pópifh Monkes, whowere wont to tell their blind Votaryes ofSt .hlichaells Ballances, and that he, "Act] aman dyed, put all his good workesinto one ballance, and his evil! ones into the o- ther, and if his evil! deedes didout-weigh his good deedes, then the poore foule muff goe to hel, but if his good deedes did out- weigh his evill deedes, then he was fareof heaven. This was the gocdiy (íhsll,gcall it in fcorne or (in truth ) the deadly Gofpel dorinc
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