Chap. x. An Expofition upon the Bookof J O S. Vert 21. 2 o9 bath taken ? What ? will job charge all thofe robberies upon God himfelf ? Dothnot this look like biafphemy that the Devil hoped .would cone out ofJobs mouth ? I anfwer, when job faith, The Lordbath taken, it doth but let forth thefupream power and foveraignty of God in ordering all things ; and (as we opened before) that God gave the commit ¡ion toSatan, or leave to ípoyle him, or elfe Satan could not have touched one ofthe dogsof his Flock. job knew that God had all men and devils, fire and wind,all creatures in his hand. He faith, she Lordbath taken , becaufe none could take but by the will of God; and he was fatisfied, that Godwilled that, in righteoufnels and in judgement, which they acted with fo much cruelty and in- Office. Is there any evil in the City, and the Lord bath not done it Amos 3.6. Every evil ofafli¿tionor of trouble is Paid to be the Lords doing,becaufeit cannot be done without theLord. Wicked men in all their plots, and in all their fuccefles, are either the rod ofGod to chafien his people for their fins, or elfe they are as Gods furnace to try his peoples graces, and purge them from their fins. Thus the hand of the Lord is in all our iorrows, The Lord, faith job, bath taken away. We should fromhence learn Mall our afjRittions to look beyond the creature. In all the e- vils we either feel or feare, let our hearts be carried up unto God. As then we rightly enjoy outward bleflings, when thofe blelìngs carry us upunto God, when upon creatures our hearts are railed up to Heaven : Sowhenwemake a right ufe of afliifions, ofcrol- fes and troubles, when we are led by croffes (in our meditations) untoGod. Job doth notfay, the Lord bath given, and the Cal- deans- have taken away ; the Lord bath enrich'dme, and Satan bash rob'dme ; but as ifhe had never heardany mention of Satan or Caldeans, offire or wind , he faith, the Lord bath given, and the Lord bath taken. He Both not fall out withman, or corn- plaine ofthv'Devil, he is not angry with chance or fortune, with Stars or Conftellations. Many in the troublefome evills which they fuffer,are apt to fly out upon all creatures,and upon all caufes, rather then toeat aneye upon God : Whereas indeed we fhould not take either good or evil out ofthe handof any creature. There were fomeofold, Mareion and his followers, who could not re- lit]) this Dot`rine, nor endure that we thould carry our evils and lay them before Gods door and fay, The Lord bath done thin , E e there-
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