An exposition with practical observations continued upon the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters…

Yet we must take this Caution; the dealings of God in the surface and outward part of them, appear sometimes contrary to his Word, contrary unto his promise, but they only appear so, they are never so. When a man reads a promise and finds much good stored up in it for the righteous, and then looks upon the state of the righteous, and seeth it full of evil; here is a seeming contrariety between the Word and the Works of God, but it is only a seeming contrariety, as we shall see somewhat further anon. Therefore in that Psalm 111. 2. where he saith, The works of God are verity and judgement, he adds, The works of God are sought out: if you will have the verity or judgement that is in the works of God, you must not only look upon the outside of them, but you must seek them out, study them, study them as you study the Scriptures, and then you will find out the meaning of them, and see how exactly they square with every part of the Word. Why doth Eliphaz send Job to experience? the ground is this; the works of God are like the Word of God; therefore if thou canst not make it out by experience from his works, thou canst hardly make it out, as a Position from his Word, that righteous persons are cut off.

Yet we must take this Caution; the dealings of God in the surface and outward part of them, appear sometimes contrary to his Word, contrary unto his promise, but they only appear so, they are never so. When a man reads a promise and finds much good stor'd up in it for the righteous, and then looks upon the state of the righteous, and seeth it full of evill; here is a seeming contrariety between the Word and the Works of God, but it is onely a seeming contrariety, as we shall see somewhat further anon. Therefore in that Psalme 111. 2. where he saith, The works of God are verity and judgement, he addes, The works of God are sought out: if you will have the verity or judgement that is in the works of God, you must not only look upon the outside of them, but you must seek them out, studie them, studie them as you studie the Scriptures, and then you will finde out the meaning of them, and see how exactly they square with every part of the Word. Why doth Eliphaz send Job to experience? the ground is this; the works of God are like the Word of God; therefore if thou canst not make it out by experience from his works, thou canst hardly make it out, as a Position from his Word, that righteous persons are cut off.