65o Chap. s4. An Expoftion capon the Book, of f o B. Verf.so. It is fomewhat Prange that they who are mighty,and have fuck power in their hand , thould be taken away, and no hand touch them, or without hand. We ufe to fay of a thing flrangely gone, or gone we know not how , It cannot 6egone without hands ; yet thus the Lord deales judicially with the mighty of the world ; They (hall be taken away without hand. There may be a three- fold underftanding ofthat expreflion. FirP , Thus The mighty(hall 6e taken away without band that is,they (hall have no hands to help them, or they alai] be de- irituteof all humane helpe. Sometimes God leaves or firips the mighty naked, they who have had great power, and many thou- Fequanterma- faradshanding up to defend them, have not a hand for them, and fÏerró (ecie- fo are taken away without hand, no man drawing a fword or ftrik- quenr finepro tng a ftroake for them. ope et atixtlio Secondly , To doe a thing without hand, is to doe it with the p©nrtur, Pin; fmalleft appearance of fecond caufel or inffruments. We are rea- dy tofay, there muff be a great deale of tugging toget the migh- ty downe, who like Oakes are ftrongly rooted and highly growne,.. who looke like mountaines , which cannot be removed , yet ( faith Ehhu) the Lord can take them away without hand ; that is, eafy, without any trouble at all, little meanes or very ir pro- bable meanes being ufed to effe& it. So then to doe a thing with- out hand,is to doe it as if we put no hand no ftreffe to it when we doe ir. As they who move fwiftly or lightly are fayd to goe with- out fetting a foot on the ground (Dan: 8. 5.) the .Fle-Goate came and touched not the ground,he did rather fly thengoe. So to doe a thing, as if we did not put a hand toit, is to doe it with the greateF cafe imaginable. it6fq; snanu ar- Thirdly , To doe a thing without hand, is to doe it without ma forum. A any vi6ble meanes at all,even by the immediate ílroake or power quin; of God. There is a hand of God in all things that are done in the world, but force things are done without any other hand, and are therefore molt properly fayd to be done without hand. Thus the Lord is able to doe the greateff things, even to take mighty men from the earth, no hand of man appearing or joyning with him in Kum t..tuum the ae`tion. Now, becaufe God ufually fets inftrumentsaworke to TMT °re effe& his will in the world,and to bring about his counfels, there- fore in what work foever he eitherquite leaves or feemes to leave Á.nftruments out, that work is fayd to be donewithout hand. The florae
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=