222 Chap. 5. fin Expoftton upon the Book, of ] QB. Vctf. 7° fence and allowance of God himfeif. Men alone, can neither make /Lavesof comfort, nor rods of afliflion. Whence thirdly, A confe ary from both may be, That Affilions arefrom the Lord as from the efficient caufe, the direfarer and orderer of them. Thefe evils are from a creating, not from a created flrength, I (faith the Lord)form the light and create darknefs, Ifa. 45. 7. Natural darknefs bath only adeficient catrfe, but pcenal darknefs hath an efficient caufe. Dsrknefr is created. As in the tirfi cre- ation God laid, let there be light, fo in providence (which is a continued creation) hefaith, let there be darknefs. If afflitflions come not forth ofthe earth, then they come from Heaven. That wicked King preacht very gooddoarine, when he Paid of an ex- tream devouring famine, This evill isfrom the Lord, though he failed utterly in the life or application, while he murmured out why fhouldwe wait on the Lord any longer ? 2 Kings b. 33. For, the reafon holds firong to the contrary, This evil is from the Lord, we will wait upon the Lord for ever. Verfe 7. Yet, man is born recto trouble, as the fparks ffiye up.. ward. Yet man, or but man is born to trouble .m Some read, Man is born to fin, that is, he is born with a nature ready and prone to fin, becaufe he is horn infin, Pfal, 5 r. 5, And fo by confequent he is born to trouble,which is caufed by,and is the fruit offin. Thefe two, tin and trouble, are fo near in blood and kindred, that fii]Fl one word includes them both ; the former word which fignities tin,properly is tranflated afflihion,and this word which tignifies affliEtion, properly may be tranflated fin. When it is faid,That Man is born to trouble or fin ; ,It notes two things. z . A right to them, a right to fin, and a right to forrow,That which a man is born to, is duely his it is his inheritance, or his birth right ; that is the common underffanding of the phrafe As force men are born to a great efate, to lands and honours, &c. fo all men are born to trouble and fin ; They are ours by a lineal right, derived from our next, yea hilt parents, fo they defeend to . us as lands defcend. 2 It implies a readiness, or a ,fitnefs to commit fin, -or to fall trouble : When a man is laid to be born to a thing, it notes =rr ,xceeding apt and forward to take it: He needs little teaching and
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