right. Leah envies Rachael's beauty. Rachael envies Leah's fruitfulness. But nothing of this is felt while the love of Christ is enjoyed. I now proceed to the

Seventh particular. Despondency and desperation. The operations of this spirit of bondage, and the sensible displeasure of God felt in it, bow the soul down. "I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long." The Holy Spirit of God is grieved, and does not operate as a comforter; hence the complaint, "The comforter, that should relieve my soul, is far from me. Thou has removed my soul far off from peace; I forget prosperity; and I said, My strength and my hope are perished from the Lord."

The sensible presence of God appears to be wholly withdrawn, and nothing left but a bitter sense of our loss, and the remembrance of former halcyon days, which the soul is ready to conclude are gone for ever. "O that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me, when his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness; as I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle; when the Almighty was yet with me; when my children were about me; when I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil!"

Looking back to former indulgences, and to former banquets, is the chief employ of a soul thus influenced. "There is bread enough in my fa

ther's house, and to spare," saith the prodigal, "but I perish with hunger;" and, fearing that he should be damned as an apostate or as an hypocrite in Zion, he wished to be reduced to the level of a common bondservant. "I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son; make me as one of thy hired servants." Thus legal bondage, meeting with guilt in his conscience, brought him to himself.

But then it may be asked, why such good men, and especially such a man as Job, who obtained so good a report through faith, and to whom God gave so great a testimony as to call him a perfect and an upright man, &c. &c. who was so abundant in every good word and work, why such a man should be exercised with legal bondage again? That he was abundant in good works is plain by what he advances. "I made a covenant with mine eyes," to keep my heart chaste. "If I have walked with vanity, or if my foot hath hasted to deceit; if my step hath turned out of the way, and mine heart walked after mine eyes; and if any blot hath cleaved to my hands; then let me sow, and let another eat. If I did despise the cause of my man servant or maid servant when they contended with me; if I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail, or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof; if I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor

without covering; if his loins have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep. The stranger did not lodge in the street, but I opened my doors to the traveller; yea, I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame. I plucked the spoil out of the teeth of the oppressor, and caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. He had instructed many, his words had upholden them that were falling, and he had strengthened the feeble knees. O that one [God] would hear me! Behold, my desire is that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine adversary had written a book: surely I would take it upon my shoulder, and bind it as a crown to me: I would declare unto him the number of my steps; as a prince would I go near unto him. I desire to be weighed in an even balance, that the Almighty may know mine integrity."

Now it may be asked, Are not these good works? And it must be answered, Yes, they are. And is not this being fruitful, and abounding in the work of the Lord? It certainly is. But he calls all these performances his own. I did this, I did that; but never acknowledges the help and power of God, which worked in him both to will and to do all these things. He takes all the glory of his good works to himself, and robs God of the glory of his grace. If he was rich, who made him so? If he eschewed evil, who gave him a tender conscience and that fear? If he was liberal, who opened his heart? David says, "What am I and

my people, that we should offer thus willingly?" "To some it is given to gather together and to heap up, but not an heart given to do good therewith." And who made Job to differ? If Job instructed many, who gave him wisdom? If he was eyes to the blind, who gave him understanding? If he strengthened the weak hands, from whence came the blessing and the power? Job takes the glory of all these things to himself? but God was the agent and author of all these good works, and will not give his glory to another.

Come, Job, says God, you have performed wonders; and I must be greatly indebted to you, to be sure, for all these good fruits, which were put forth by my Spirit. You call for the Almighty to answer you. You call me your adversary, and wish that I had written a book of your performances; you would take it on your shoulder, and bind it as a crown to you, and as a prince you would draw near to me. You desire to be weighed in an even balance, that I grity. You desire to reason with God.

may know

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You tell me enough of what you have done; but you say nothing of my working in you to will and to do. Wherefore I will cease working in you. My presence, my visitations, my dew of grace shall be withdrawn; and I will send my law and its demands into your conscience, and you shall see what that requires, and how infinitely short your obedience comes when laid to that rule; and by

that law I will neither minister my grace to you, nor work in you; that law is your debt book, that law is the hand-writing that is against you. Now cast up your accounts, and see what I owe you, or what you owe me. By my law you shall have the knowledge of your sin, and in that law I will hide my face, and I shall then see how you go on without me. "Wherefore hidest thou thy face from me, and holdest me for thine enemy? Wilt thou break a leaf; wilt thou pursue the dry stubble? For thou writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth," Job xiii. 24-26. Job is now got to the black mount. God's face is hid. He feels the law working wrath in him; "Thou holdest me for thine enemy." The hand-writing is before him, "Thou writest bitter things against me." And by the law is the knowledge of sin; "I iniquities of my youth."

possess the

Why do you cry out, Job? This is the even balance of my sanctuary, in which you wished to be weighed. Come, Job, I have not done with you; I will take you away from my mercy-seat: the Ransom, the Surety, and the Redeemer, that I have provided, shall be out of sight for a while; and I will draw near to you in wrath, and on a throne of judgment; for thou knowest but little of me yet. "And dost thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee? O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave; that thou wouldest keep me in secret till thy wrath