An exposition with practical observations continued upon the eighth, ninth and tenth chapters of…An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the eighth, ninth and tenth chapters of…

Thirdly, It is no way contrary to the doctrine of free-grace to say we must be holy, if we desire to be heard.

Bildad's doctrine is an excellent piece of Divinity, Though he said before, Thou must seek unto God, and make supplication to him, that out of his free-grace he would bestow a blessing upon thee, yet he adds, If thou were pure and upright. Though we are not heard, because we are pure and upright, yet none can come with a warrantable confidence to be heard in their impurity and hypocrisy: if they do, God will reject their confidences, and they shall not prosper in them. It is impudence, not confidence, to make supplication to God with a reserve, or a resolve in secret, to go on in sin. The greatest sinners in the world may come to God, they that are most impure and filthy, may find favour; yet every man that cometh unto God, must come with this desire, to have his impurities removed, and his backslidings healed, Unto the wicked, saith God, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or to take my covenant in thy mouth, seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee, Psal. 50.16. It no way crosses the doctrine of grace, when with the same breath we say, God will do us good freely for his own names sake, and that, we must be pure and upright who come to God, With the pure thou wilt show thy self pure, and with the upright man thou w•lt show thy self upright, and with the froward thou wilt show thy self froward, Psal. 18.25, 26. But doth the Lord take colour from every one he meets, or change his temper ⟨p. 36⟩as the company changes? That's the weakness of sinful man, he cannot do so, with whom there is no variableness nor shadow of changing. God is pure and upright with the unclean and hypocritical, as well as with the pure and upright, and his actions show him to be so. God shows himself froward with the froward, when he deals with them, as he hath said he will deal with the froward; deny them, and reject them. God shows himself pure with the pure, when he deals with them as he hath said he will; hear them and accept them. Though there be nothing in purity and sincerity, which deserveth mercy, yet we cannot expect mercy without them. Our comforts are not grounded upon our graces, but our comforts are the fruits or consequents of our graces.