Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v2

1E2 . Chap. 5. An Expoftion upon the Book of J O B. Verf. z gold, he is then caft for a fool, and unable to mannage his elate, for he knows not the value of things, or how to make a true e- ledion: Wicked men are thus foolifh and more, for when bu- gles and. diamonds, counterssand gold ,are before them, they leave the diamonds and the gold, and pleafe themfelves with thofe toyes and babies , when (which is infinitely more fottifh) Heaven and Hell, Life and death, are fet before them, they chufe Hell rather than Heaven, and Dead. rather than Life they take the mean tranfitory,trifling things of the world,before the favour of God, thepardon of fin, a part in Jefus Chrift, and an inheri- tance among the Saints in light,. All the wifdomofwicked men, is wifdom in their own conceits. And Solomon afïures us, that there is more hope of afool than ofinch, that is, of thofe, who are finfible of their own failings, and are willing (as the Apoftle di- reds,) tobecome fools that they may be wife, i Cor.3. 8. Opinion in it felfis weak, but feltopinion is very thong; even the ftrongeft of thofe ftrong holds,and thèhigheft of thofe high Towers,which' the fpiritual warn, by thofe weapons which are mighty through God, is to oppofe and caft down : which, till they are can down, thefe fools are impregnable, and will not be led captive unto Chrifl. Secondly,obferve, That to vex and to be angry at the trouble's that fall' upon us, orat the hand whichfends them, is a high point offoil) and of ignorance. Wrath and difcontent flay the foolifh, fuch are at once, twice flain, flain with thewvrath of God, and with their own. To die thus, is to die like a fool indeed. For firft, this wrath of man fprings from his ignorance of God : Man would not be an- gry at what the Lord doth, if he knew he were the Lord,and may do what himfelf.pleafes. The ground of anger is afuppoition of wrong. Secondly, This wrath of mad fprings from ignorance ofhim- Çelf. He cannot be angrywith any crvfs, who rightly knows hinafelf. Firft to be acreature. This notionofour felves teaches us that lefïbn ofhúmility, tobe .fubjed to the will ofour Creatour. The law of our creation cals us,to all palive obedience, as well as unto alive, as much and as quietly to fuffer, as to do the will of God. But,efpecially, if a enan slidfully know himtelf tobe a finful creature, he would' not be.

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