An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty-eighth, thirty-ninth, fortieth, forty-first, and forty-second,…

The question in the Text may be resolved into this position, There are Contenders with God. There are Contenders with the Word of God (as was showed before) There are Contenders also with the Works of God, or with God about his Works, as I shall show further now; and this will soon appear, if we do but compare the 4th verse of the 51th Psalm, with the 4th verse of Rom. 3. In the Psalm David made Confession of his sin, of that special enormous sin Adultery, with the Murder that followed it. Against thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight, that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and clear when thou judgest. As if David had said, I humbly confess my sin, my adultery and my murder; that when-ever the Lord shall bring any chastisement upon my person or upon my family, when ever he shall afflict me or mine greatly, he may be justified in so doing; or that all the world may see that God had great reason to correct me, and so justify him in it. For some possibly may say, with wonder, at the hearing of it, What! the Lord correct David? such a man as David? so holy a man as David? so just and upright a man as David? Yes, and the Lord is just in doing it; and D•vid confessed his sin; that God might be justified when he should speak terrible things, and be cleared when he should judge, that is correct and afflict him terribly; as the word is used (1 Cor. 11.31.) If we would judge our selves, we should not be judged, that is, we should not be chastened, as 'tis expounded (vers. 32.) When we are judged (saith the Apostle there) we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. Now those words spoken by David, are applied by the Apostle (Rom. 3.4) to vindicate the honour of God against all aspersions whatsoever, in his proceeding ⟨p. 500⟩with man; Let God be true, and every man a liar, as it is written; that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. In the Psalm the words are active, That thou mayest be clear when thou judgest. But St. Paul following, as I remember, the Septuagint, renders them passively, That thou mayest overcome when thou art judged. As if he had said, Some take upon them to judge God (they who judge him, contend with him) that is, they judge and pass sentence upon his works;