•P AN ANTHROPOPATHY; Book I. Hence that Appellation given to Chri£1: is deduced, !fa. lxiii. 9· 'I'he Angel of his Face, or Pretence, becaufe by the Pillar of a Cloud and Fire in a vif1ble Manner, he led the Ifrae/ites of old, and made the Face of God, as it were, confpicuous to them: Others lay, ir is becaufe he is the Image ofthe invifible God, by whom we know the Father as one Man is known by his Face to another, Col. i. '5· John xiv. 9• 10. which cannot be faid of any other. The Face of God fignifies alfo that glorious Appearance of God to the People on Mount Sinai, Deut. v. 4· and that more illufl:rious Manner of his revealing himfelf to Mofes above any other, De11t. xxxiv. 10. See Numb. xii. 6, 7, 8, &c. Sometimes the Face of God is put for the Place where God reveals himfelf, and where the Minifl:ry of the Word fiourilhes; or as 'Jehovah himfelf words it, Exod. xx. ~4· Where he records ·his Name, &c. Thus Cain is faid to go forth from the Face of God, Gm. iv. 1 ~. 16. that is, from the Place where his Parenzs worlhipped him; and Jonah rofe up to flee from the Face of the Lord- that is, left the Church and People of God, ro go w ';Tarjhifh among Infidels; not, but that he knew, that none can fo 8y from the Face of God, as ro be unfeen by him, bur he rhou<>ht that there was no Place for divine Reve– lations befides the Holy Land •, and rhero?ore hoped that in thofe I!range Places God would no longer trouble him, nor impofe fo hard a Province upon him as to preach againft N ineveh, &c. See Exod. xxiii. 15. and xxv. 30. Pfalm c. 1, 2, 3· and civ. 4· 2 Sam. xxi. I. Pfalm cxxxix. 7· Lev . xvii. 10. Pfalm ix. 4, &c. Sometimes Wrath and Divine Punifhment is noted by the Face of God, as Pfalm lxviii. 1, Letthez• that hate IJi;n flee before his Face- ]er. xxi. 1 o. I haveJet my Face againflthis City for E vil, &c. Lam. iv. 16. '!'he Face of the Lord bath divided them, &c. 2 'I'heff. i. 9· 1 Pet. iii. 12. Sometimes the Grace, Favor, and Mercy of God is expreffed by it, as Dan. ix. 1 7· Pf alm J<iii. 2. Ez ek. xxxix. 24. Pfalm xxxi. 20. and xvii. ~. 2 Cbron. xxix. r2. Numb. vi. 25, 26. Pfalm iv. 7· xxxi. 17. lxvii. 1, 2, 3· and lxxx. 4, 8, zo. It is faid of Men to feek the Face of God, rhat is, his Grace and Favor by Prayer, Pfalm xxvii. 8. 2 Chron. vii. 14, '7· !fa. xviii. 3, &c. God is faid to have EYES, by which we are to underftand his moft exaCt Know– ledge, Pfalm xi. 4· His Eyes behold, his -Eye-lids try the Children of Mea- In the Word Eye-brows, there is alfo a Synecdoche, ]ob xxxiv. 21. For his Eyes tare upon the Ways of Man, and he jeeth all his goings, rhat is, he clearly difcerns and underftands the Ways of Man, which intimates, 1. A prejent AB:, (r~ey are.) 2. A continued Act, his Eyes are never off rhe Ways of Man. 3. An intentive and ferious Act, rhis denotes not only a bare Sight, but aifo that which is operative, as being done with moft exact Scrutiny and Difquifirion- Good looks through and difcerns Men to the urmoft, he beholds nor only rhe external Acts of Men, buc alfo the Soul and Spirit of them. Ifa. i. 16. Put away Ihe Evil of your Doings from before mine Eyes, that is, be ye pure inwardly as weJl as outwardly, for I fee through you, & c. It is faid Hof xiii. 14. Repentance foal! be hid from mine Eyes- that is, they do not repent at all, therefore will I not refpire the Sentence, but execute it certainly- for that which is hid from the Eyes or Knowledge of the omnifcient God, is nor, nor can have Exiftence, Pfal. ex. 4· Ram. xi. 29. Ifa.lxv. r6. Heb. iv. 13. A ll 'J'hings are naked and opened unto the Eyes of him with whom we have to dothe \Vord :t "'"f~X•~•ul''""' rendered in our Trannarion opened, is very empba– tical, for it Ggnifies a Dijfeflion, ff<...uartering, or Cleaving afunder through the Back– bone, as they do in Anatomy, wherein they are very curious to find our every lirrleVein or Mufcle, though never fo clofe, fo as nothing can be hid- The Apoftle therefore rran– llares this Word ro his Purpofe, to fignify rhar all the Secrets of Hearts are fo expofed ro the Notice aod View of God, as if all were diffeCl:ed and opened like a meer Anatomy. 2 . By the Eyes of God may, be underffood his providential Grace and Divine Benevolence ro Men, Deut. xi. 12. A Land which the Lord thy God careth for (or . • V)de Brmtium in loc. t See Caryl on the Phce, Vol. 10. P. 656. :t. -r;ax~/\,{of'o~'-1 in (o/hqnfiu Ur'Vietm rifupino. "fax;r.i"~, tornm fpinam Dorfi jignijiuu. Htmming in Com! feeketh)
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=