292 Verf. i o. An Expofition upon the Bookof J O B. Chap. 2.. As if he had Paid, this were an abfiird thing, once to imagine ;- a blind man may fee this, it is fo plain, and a fool may underhand it ; the reafon lies all in fight ; That if we receive good from the hand of God, we muff at leali with patience receive evil. From this reafon in general, Obferve, That reproofs come then moll ffro,tgly upon the heart, when they are backed with reafon. Some reprove with rage,and not with reafon, with paflion,and not with wifdom,theyreprove with their wit,rather then with their fpirit. Jobmixes reafon witlfhis pailìon, and gives her an argument, as well as a rebuke. More-particularly, from the matter of this reafon, obferve firff, That goodand evil are both from the hand ofGod. Give me nei-. theepoverty nor riches, faith Agur, Prov. 3o. 8. bothare the gift of God. Poverty is Gods gift as well as riches. If God do not give us poverty , all the world will not make us poor. I form .the light and create darknefs ; I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all thefe things , Ifa. 45. 7. The fame Prophet teacheth us that there two are equally the prerogative of -God, and filch a prerogative , as equally diftinguitheth him fromall I- dols and falle Gods ; Shen' the things that are to come hereafter4 that we may know that ye are Gods ; yea, do goodor do.evil, that we may be difinayed and behold it together. No creature hath ever anfwered this challenge, or ever [hall, Ifa. 4.1. 23. Creatures do good and evil, as Ministers of Gods will , not as matters of their own. Good of every kind, and all kind of penal evil come forth from God. Indeed, God ufually conveys thefe to us by the hand of man ; but it becomes us to receive them as from the hand of God. Much, both good and evil, comes tous at the fecond hand, but wrought to take it as from the firff. This truth well wrought uponour hearts, will Make every good we enjoy better, and eve- ryevil we feel, not fo bad. This latterbranch [hall becali into a fe- cond Obfervation, Which may be this , 7o look on evil as comming from the hand of God, will quiet the heart in bearing evil. Shall we receive good at the hand of God, andnot evil ? And this, in two refpeds : Firlf, besaufe of the Soveraignty of God, he being fiupream.Lord, may do what he will ; and his will being the Supream rule of Juftice , he can do no wrong. This notion of Godaffizres us, that whatfoever we receive from the handofGod, is, juil and right) hence the inference is.natural ; If God fend evil, 2E=
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