41á. Chap. 33, An Expofition .upon the Book of J o B. Verf. 25, reckoned till morning, that, as a Lyon,fo will hebreakeall my bones, from day even to night wilt thou make an end ofnae ; yet then as in his cafe, fo in many cafes the Lord ftretcheth forth a healing hand and takes the lick man upagaine, to continue in the land of the living. Secondly , From the way of exprefling this, in allufon to a childe or a youth, ,. Note. clod he can quickly make the greatefl changes innature, either for the better or for the worfe,He can turneyouth intoold age, and old age into youth. That is , he can make a young or ahealthy man weake as an old man, and an old or richly man frtong as a young man and as it is with rraturall, fowith politicall bodyes , as with perfotrs, fo with nations. A nation that is flourifhing in its youth, heate, irength and glory, rich and full of peace and plenty , God can bring an oldnefs upon it, and caufe it to decline every day. The Prophet fpakeof the Bare of Ifrael in this notion ( Hof 7.9. ) Gray hairesare here and there upen them, and they perceive it not ; they thought ttemfelves to be in avery youthfull flourifhing con- dition ( as a irate ) but the Lord brought gray haires,that is,they were decaying, withering, weakning, and became adecrepid na- tion ; And when a nation is gray hayred, old and withered, he can make it youthful!, he can recover the honour andpower of it, and caufe the dread of it to fall ,upon the neighbouring nations round about. He turnes a land into a wildernefs, which before was as the Garden of God ; And he can change that land into a Garden of God which now is a defolare wildernes.The unchange- able Lord is vifible and glorious in all thefe changes. The health and Freng, h both of the body politick and naturali are at his dif- pole. He can bring a decay uponWhat is built, and repaire what is decayed, whether in nations or perlons. When the earthly houle of this Tabernacle is ready to drop down into the grave, . and crumble into duft,God by a word fpeaking,repayreth it to as much beauty and Prength, as when,the fiat Prone being layd, the top-Prone was let up. When2Naaman had once fubmitred to and obeyed the Prophets counfell, which at fiirti he defpifed,& watli- ed in fordo:, Hiafilth( faith the text, z Kings 5. a4.) came a- ga;*se
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