984 .Chap. 42. an Expofition " upón' the Book of j o B, Yerf. i 2 ' Again, Peeing the Lords bieïsingis,offedtuat, then whatever our fucceffesand increafes are,let us afcribe all to his blefsing.Do not facrifice to your on neis, nor burn incenfe to your own drags, but fay, this hath God wrought, the blefsing of the Lord' hath brought it to pats. As the Apatite fpake about fpijituals (t Cor. 3. 6.) 1haveplanted, Apollo watered, but God gave the increafe ; fo 'cis in rempotals, all our encreafings are of God : Therefore let us fay with the Pfalmif1, Not unto us, 0 Lord, not unto us, but to thy Name be the praife. Do not thank yoúr wit for riches, nor your induft:ry for increafe, nor your 'firength for vi&o- ry, no any humane help for any of your attainments : The race m not to thefivift, nor thebattei to the firong, neither yet bread to the wife, nor yet riches tomen of underflanding, &c.(8erl. 9.11.) All is of God, it is his blefsing upon the means, which makes the means fuccefsful. But force may fay, ate all men to afcribe all their fucceffes and increafes to the blefsing of God I anfwer, Negatively ; All encreafes and outward fucceffes are not to be afcribed unto, nor fathered upon God. Aman may encreafe in riches, anddouble his elate, as Jobs was yet not by the blefsingof God : Only that comes by a blefsing fromGod, which is got in Gods way, or by good means, according to the chara5ters before hinted of the perlons whom the Lord will biers ; for theywho either make a profefsion of difhonefly, or are ditoneft in their profefsion, let them take heed of pinning their fucceffes upon God, and of thanking him for them. Many fay in their hearts, and force are not afhamed to fayit with their mouths, Hone dealers' moll die beggars. They never came by riches in the wayof a"blefng, whofayhonefiy it the way to poverty; much lets, they whole confciences know and tell them (though o- thers know it not, and focannot tell them) that they have enrich- ed themfelves by the wrong, or tailed themfelves by the ruin of others. fob was enrichedand railed high, and the Text affures us what enriched him, what railed him ; The Lord bleffed The latter end of Job, more thanhis beginning, We have Peen the Author of this blefsing : Theft words fhew the
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