An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty-fifth, thirty-sixth, and thirty-seventh chapters of…

As some have little or no Grace, who yet conceit they have much (Rev. 3.17.) Thou sayest, I am rich, and increased in goods, and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable, and poor, and naked. So others who have grace, yea, much grace in the habit (as Job had) may be very insensible how little it acts, yea they may suppose it acts much, when the actings of it are intermitted or extremely suppressed by passion ⟨p. 129⟩and corruption: They may think their Faith strong, or that they trust fully in God, they may think themselves patient and humble under the hand of God, and yet be greatly defective in the working of all these Graces; I mean not such a deficiency only, as is common to all believers (the best come short in the exercise of grace) but some great deficiency may be, and yet the soul not sensible of it. As some are over-sensible of their failings, complaining that they have no Faith, no Patience, when they not only have Faith and Patience, as to their Being, but as to their working also, and possibly, working well. (It is a different work of the Spirit, to act and stir up Grace in us, and to discover to us the actings and stirrings of Grace) Now as some godly men act Grace, and know it not, so in others that are godly Grace acts not, and they know it not; Faith is down, and they know it not; they can bear little or nothing patiently, yet they take no notice of it. Thus the words of Elihu concerning Job, he knoweth it not, refer to the former part of the verse, It is not so; that is, his Graces act not, yet he takes no notice of it, but thinks Faith and Patience, with other Graces, work well enough.

As some have little or no Grace, who yet conceit they have much (Rev. 3.17.) Thou sayest, I am rich, and encreased in goods, and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable, and poor, and naked. So others who have grace, yea, much grace in the habit (as Job had) may be very insensible how little it acts, yea they may suppose it acts much, when the actings of it are intermitted or extreamly suppressed by passion ⟨p. 129⟩and corruption: They may think their Faith strong, or that they trust fully in God, they may think themselves patient and humble under the hand of God, and yet be greatly defective in the working of all these Graces; I mean not such a deficiency only, as is common to all believers (the best come short in the exercise of grace) but some great deficiency may be, and yet the soul not sensible of it. As some are over-sensible of their failings, complaining that they have no Faith, no Patience, when they not only have Faith and Patience, as to their Being, but as to their working also, and possibly, working well. (It is a different work of the Spirit, to act and stir up Grace in us, and to discover to us the actings and stirrings of Grace) Now as some godly men act Grace, and know it not, so in others that are godly Grace acts not, and they know it not; Faith is down, and they know it not; they can bear little or nothing patiently, yet they take no notice of it. Thus the words of Elihu concerning Job, he knoweth it not, referr to the former part of the verse, It is not so; that is, his Graces act not, yet he takes no notice of it, but thinks Faith and Patience, with other Graces, work well enough.