An exposition with practical observations continued upon the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth chapters of…An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth chapters of…

Here Eliphaz explains, and proves what he said before, that Job had cast off the fear of God, and restrained prayer; as if he had said, If thou hadst kept in holy fear, that would have kept in thine iniquity: Hadst thou not restrained prayer, that would have restrained, and bridled down thy sin; but thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and that showeth that prayer is restrained, and that fear is cast off; here is a demonstration of it; If you should come to a Princes Court, and see a great crowd about the door, you would say, the Porter is there, he stops and examines them; if ⟨p. 17⟩at another time you see all going in as fast as they please, you will say the Porter is out of the way. Thus while the fear of the Lord stands like a Porter at the door of the soul, we keep our thoughts and actions in compass; we examine what goes in, and what comes out: but when once that's gone,¹ order is gone. Any thing may be said, any thing may be done by him, who fears not, who prays not. Thou hast cast off fear, and restrained prayer, for thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, out it comes, as fast as it can: I need not tell thee wherein thou hast offended, thy mouth pours it out.

Here Eliphaz explaines, and proves what he said before, that Job had cast off the feare of God, and restrained prayer; as if he had said, If thou hadst kept in holy feare, that would have kept in thine iniquity: Hadst thou not restrained prayer, that would have restrained, and bridled downe thy sin; but thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and that sheweth that prayer is restrained, and that feare is cast off; here is a demonstration of it; If you should come to a Princes Court, and see a great croud about the doore, you would say, the Porter is there, he stops and examines them; if