Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v2

Chap. q.. An Expofition upon the Book of J O B. Vert, 17. I21 Thirdly, Their profperity is the judiciary hardning of their hearts; and a hardheart, is the greateff judgment ore this fide Hell. As there is a natural inbred and finfully acquired hard heart, fo there is a judicially hardned, or a divinely inflicted hard heart : When to a natural hard heart, and an acquired hard heart,which men get by many repeated ads of fin, the Lord adds a judicially hardned, or inflicted hard heart, then wrstb is heated to the hot- teff, and judgment is within one fief of Hell. Efpecially if we confider, that every hour of fuch profperous impenitence, and hardnefs of heart encreafes punifhment, and adds to the treafury of that wratia,which is flored up againfi the day of wrath,and the Revelation of the righteous judgment of God. Who thinks that man happy,who is let aloneonly to gather a mighty pileof wood, and other fuel of flames to burn himfelf? while ungodly men ítiern to the world to be gathering riches, honour and pleafure, they are but gathering a heapof wrath, and apile of fire : which at the laft will flame fo bright, that it will make a revelation, of the (formerly ferret, but) everrighteous judgment of God. Laftly, To fiaew that God is juû in all his dealings, both the righteous and the wicked, learn, from the end of both, That we may fully difcover the Jufliceof God, we muíl look upon all his works together ; while we look only upon forne particular peece of Gods dealings with a godly man, he may teem to deal very hardly with him : or if we look but upon forne particular'peece of his dealings with a wicked man, God may feemvery gentle andkind towards him : but take altogether, and the refult is ex- ..ail juffice. It was a good fpeech of a modern writer, We muff Non e,fl';auk_ not judge of the works of God, before the fifth all, that is, the laft cowl=deape. ail or conclufronof all This, and that part mayTeem diffonant ribur Del ants and confuted, but lay them all together,and they are moil harmo- Pet. rn alum. nious and methodical : Hence David (Pfal. 37.) after he had Pet. Mart. a great difpute with himfelf, about the troubles of the righ= teous and the profperity of the wicked, and was put hard to it, how to make out the Juftice ofGod,refolves all in the clofe with this advice (verC 37) Marktbe perfelr` man, andbehold the up- right, for the end of that man is peace. Though a righteous man die in war,yet,his end is peace,whereas though a wicked man die' in peace, yet his end is war. It is fa id (Dent. 8, z6.) that all which God did to his people in the Wildernefs, was, That !Pe might do themgood at the latter end. Come to theend therefore,and R there

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