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

Though God doth afflict, yet he never ceaseth to love or care for his people. Elihu was much upon that, industriously to remove ⟨p. 207⟩the scandal of the cross, which 'tis like then did and still doth offend many, and causeth them to stumble, when they see the righteous afflicted; therefore he would assure us, that God never withdraweth his eye from them: but his care of, and pity to,¹ yea pleasure in them is everlasting. That eye of his which carries all this in it, is never shut towards them. The Lord saith of the Church, (Isa. 49.16.) Thy walls are continually before me. As the walls of Zion, so the walls of every righteous person in Zion, or of every true Sionist, are continually before the Lord, he withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous; He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep, (Psal. 121.4.) he that neither slumbers nor sleeps, needs not withdraw his eyes from us, and he that hath a tender regard to us, will not. The Prophet (Isa. 27.3.) speaking of the Church under the Allegory of a Vineyard, brings in the Lord giving this assurance, I will water it every moment, I will keep it night and day. He that waters a Vineyard every moment, never withdraws his eyes from it; now by watering is meant the supply of whatsoever good the Vineyard or Church of God stood in need of; to be so supplied is to be well watered. The providence of God, as to our spiritual and temporal estate, watcheth over us continually to water us.

Though God doth afflict, yet he never ceaseth to love or care for his people. Elihu was much upon that, industriously to remove ⟨p. 207⟩the scandal of the crosse, which 'tis like then did and still doth offend many, and causeth them to stumble, when they see the righteous afflicted; therefore he would assure us, that God never withdraweth his eye from them: but his care of, and pity to,¹