Chap. 31. An Expofttien upon the Books of J o B. lierf. 33. 677 Nor is it improper or impertinent for the further clearing and expofitionof this Scripture, and it maybe very profitable and ufefull in our dayly converfation to confider, if not all, yet at leaft fome of the principal of chore wayes by which Adam at firfl, and his pofterity ever ffnce, have laboured to rxcufe, and fo to cover or tomake excufes,coverings of their rranfgrefTuns.. I fhall begin with that of Adam in perfon, and then'give in fiances of Adam in his pofterity. If1 have coveredmy traanfgref f:ons u.d'dam, that is, as the farli Adam. What Adam: covering was, ha-h been (hewed in general be- fore, as we find it expreffed ( Gen. 3. az) where the Lord ha- ving calledhim to account for eating of the tree ofknowledge, he made this plea for himfelfe , The woman nbon thougavef me, to be with me ; fhegave me of the tree and Idid eat ; Adam con- feffed the fart, 1 did eat, but he excufed himfelfe as to the fault; andby what did he erectile himfelfe ? He did it by the per(walon ofhis wife, as the Lord tells him at the t 7th verle, Becaufe thou haft harkened to the voice of thy wife, and half eaten of the tree, cf whichIcommanded thee, faying, thou (halt not ease ofit, curled be theground for thy fa1re,&c. As if the Lord had (ayd, I f ak,e to thee and thou wouldeft not harken untome, thy wife loathßnken,ard th;u haft harkned unto her; yea th u haft preformed that thy harming unto her, will excufe thy not harkning unto me. Thus it was with Adam; And is it not thus with the Ions of ,madam ? How often have the perfwafons of others bèen plead- ed as.a covering for their tranfgrefiions. Saul b ing fent forth (loathed with a Commifli-on fromGod himfelfe, in the minifiry ofSamuel, to flay the Amaleq,es, to make anutter end ofthem, clot to fpare man, woman, or child, nor (beep, nor oxen,nor Ca- moils, nor Affes (1 Sam: t 5. 3.) Accordingly he underrooke the warm, and upon his returne meeting Samuel, faluted himwith this affurance of his good fervice and Iucceffe, Ele f ed be thouof the Lord, Ihave performed the commandementofthe Lord (v.13. ) To whom when Samuel anfwered, what meaneth then thre bleat- ing of the'beep in my eari,and the loweing of the oxen which Iheare, Saul replyed at the 15th verle, They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people fpared the heft of thefheepe, and ofthe oxen, tofacrifice to the Lord thy Cad, and the refl we have utterly deffroyed ; They ( faith he) have brought them' that is, they mo- ved
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