Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v11

32 Chap. 3 5^ e/fn Expofition ttpon the Book of .Verf. 6. (according to the notion ufed by Eli/Jo!, in the Text) fitting in the Heavens, (veil-. 4.) He that ftteth in the Heavens fha1l laugh, the Lord fallhave them in dertPion. Andwhy doth the Lord laugh ? furely becaufe hefees they can no more hurt or hinder him inhis purpofes, by any of, or all their finful advifings, and attemptings, than if they should hope tobatter down the Heavens by difcharg- ing a Pot-gun again[+ them. And therefore he concludes with a triumphant:Tet, (ver.6.) Tet have Ifet myKing (after you have done your worfl)upon my holy Hill of Sion. The tins of men do turn to the gloryof God, but to their own flume. The fns of Gods own children turn to the glory of his mercy ; thofe huge 'heaps, andnumberlefs numbers of fins committed by his Children before Converfion, what do tkey in the iflue, but lift up the glory of his Grace in the pardonof them ? And the rebellions commit- ted by impenitent finners, going on in obfiinacy to the end, with- out Converfion, what do they but lift up the glory of God in his juilice, and wonderful judgements, which he will bring upon them ? The fins of the old world (whichwas a world of tin, all flefh havingcorrupted their way before God, and there being but one righteous Family found in it) all thofe fins (I fay) did not dammage God atall, but indeed they glorified both his Patience and hisJuf}ice ; his Patience, in (paring them fo long, even an hundred and twenty years afterwarning given ; his Juffice, in fending the Flood at laf}, which brought fwift defiru6lion upon ahem , and fwept themall away. The unnatural crying fins of Sodome, did not hurt the Godof Heaven, but God took advan- tage thereby, to glorifie his Juffice, in raining Fireand Srimf one upon them fromHeaven, (Cgen. t 9. 24.) Pharaoh by all his op- pofitionagairdi the Ifrael of God, did not difadvantage God,but gave him anadvantage to make his Power known, by (wallowing uphim and his Egyptian Hof} in the waters of the Red Sea. That which is done againft the Will of God, fulfills the Will of God. The fins ofmen are fo far from hurting the God of Heaven, that ,ehey glorifie him among men on Earth;while they bhold him ei- ther turning the evil which is dore into good, or punishing them for their evil doings. That whichmen fpeak or doagainfl God, like an Arrow (hot up into the Ayre, fall. down upon their own -heads. David(Pf ¡11.2.) breaks out wonderfully into the praife of Godupon thisconfideracion. Thework,! ofthe Lerdare great, (aright

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