Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v11

z a Chats. i S 1,14Expefition open the gvkef ] o E. Verf. i S, puff inhisme:cy. Our nor trutting God -mutt needs provoke bi:n to anger » for when we donot t,ufahim, we queflion him ; diftrult or unbelief quefiions all that God is, and all that God bath protnifed, it quettions hisTruth, and his Faithfùlneffe, his 1'owe;, his Mercy, andhis Goodneffe;. all thefe, which are the glory of God, and in all which the foes of menought toglorifie -him, thefe areallqueltioned and darkned, when we put not forth at of truil and reliance uponGod, in times of greatefl affliction and extremity, Is it not then a provoking in, 1 fay not towith-draw tali' fromGad, and give it to an arm of flef}e, but not to put out fret i and full adls of trufl uponGod, let our afui- lion or extremity be what it will I TheChildren of Ifrael were in great extremity at the Red Sea, a i¢sigfity Array purfuing them a: the heels todeflroy them, and mighty waters being before them, ready to f allow them up ; in thefe finks -(whilefl they fï:ouldhave done their utmot't to get, and afthre God to be their Friend)-the Pfaltni(t tells us, They provaked h :ors, (Pfal. yob, 7.) But wherein lay their provocation?- that Scripture faith, They re.xaernbrid not the :nultitude of his mercies : The former mercies of the Lord did not firengthen their null in prefent_.troubles ; that was one provocation. as former mercies did not ftrengr hen their r ufi, fo the prefent trouble drew out theirdi- as another Scripture Aires, reporting their behaviour in it (Exod. t q..S i..) And they Paid to Alofes, Becarfe there wereno, grbives ire Egypt, haft rho3 taken tea array todye in the wiiderneffe a- kvherefse haft them dealt time w>rb rs, to carry r s ,forth out of Egypt'? What- were there fearful foee- cafts,çhe:e amazingbodc menrsof an unavoidable (as theyapprehended) .rtrine; but the everiiowingsof unbelief, ordill:uít-in God ; and this was anà- therprovocation.' Fo:mer merc esare-forgotten,_`yea eaten up by unbelief , as the feaven lean 'Kitt; in Pharrohs dream, eat up the far ones, and prefent difficulties are aggravated by unbe- lief, as if all the power of God could not remove and'overcorne them. And will not the Lord (thinkyou) vift in anger fo: fuck, a fin -as this? Again, As Etihu clothnor fay barely,à he hath vi ted, but he , athviftedin his finger , or hisanger path vlfted', fo confider,. %tho was it that wasrhusvitîred inanger ?" It Was Tab; a Godly man,aman perfect and upright.. Hence

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