Chap. 5. AnExpofition upon the Book of J O B. Vere 3. 193 Saints or to becart by their prayers ; that is, when their prayers are against him, and he prefented -naked to the difpleafure of Chrift : It thews that the fin of a man is a finunto death, when the faithful`ceafe praying for him, -1 John 5. 16. -What can it prognofticate then but approaching ruine and deftruQtion, when -they bend the ftrei gth of prayer against ? There was never any habitation of wickednefs, fo firmly founded or tirongly for- tified, 'but that Great and Holy Ordinance hath or may (hake, and batter it to the duff. The fair Towersand Walls of Babylon, the feate and Rate of Antichrili, have long been under this curie All the Saints, whole eyes God hath unfcaled and brought out from Egyptian darknefs, have Peen That fuolifh man taking root, and have curfèdhis habitation. Secondly obferve ; A wicked titan in profperityis under the curfe ofGod. He is often under the curie of man, but ever under the curfeof God. Efau have 1 bated (faith God, Rom 9.13.) yet even at that time thefatatef:r of the earth was his dwelling, and of the dear of.Heaven from above, Gen. 27. 39, White the meat was in the mouches of the murmuring Ifraelites, the wrath of God was upon them. They did at once eat their Tuft and their death, wrath was mingled with their meat ; and while be gave them their requeff, he feast leannefs into theirfouls, }Pfal,106. 15) This is the molt dreadful curie of all, To have a faire ejtate, a well fed body, with a lean Jfarven foul. Thirdly, Obferve a vaft difference between godly and wicked ,men, between the fooliíh and the wife. When a godly manwi- thers in his outward create and is pluckt up by the roots,yet God loves him ; when a godly man is poor, God loves him, when he is fick,God loves him; when he is in prifon,God loves him, when he is in difgrace, God loves him, and when the world hates him moll, then God ufually (hews that he loves him moll ; The w. rld cannot call .a godly man into any condition, but re meets with tie love of God in it ; his eftate may vary and vary, change and change a thoufand times, but the love of God towards him is unchangeable On th, otherfide,we fee in the Text,when a wick- ed man takes root, and the - branches of dais.out.ward e(tate bear fruit abundantly, God curt-cal him ; when he is at eafe,God is and °gry with him. Thatplace is very'obfervable (Z:ech. 1 a5.' I arse very fare difpleafed with the Heathen, tbat'are at eafe , the Hea- then were at cafe, yet God was extreamly diipleafcd with them. C c When
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