Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v2

256 Chap. g. An Expofition upon theBook of J Q B. Vert 9, .dine, he can do it again a fecox.d time, yea a third, a fourth time, ten times, yea ten tboiefand times over, if our neceffiry and hid- good pleatisre meet toletber, for hit rv.,rks are innumerable; EIipbaz fpeaks not only of what God had done, but of what he can' do, yea of what he is a doing ; Ile dotb innumerable marvels. Some min can do great things, many have done great things, but they cannot do them without number ; even a child may write all that any man can do; and at molt it needs but a man to reckon all the great things, which all men have done. The hand of God shortens not in an Eternity, but the hand of man fharten.s every day, fometimes in a day, and therefore he cannot do things innu- m_rable : Mancannot do that to day which he could yeilerday, whether we refpcd his civel abilities, or his natural. As old Barzilai laid untoDavid, 2 Sam. 59. when the King invited hire home with him, and offered him all the pleafures of the Court, Can I any more hear the voice of fingingmenand fingixg women ? or can 1 any more tafle what l eat. andwhat 1 drink? As if he fhould fay, It is true, Sir, I have known the time when I could have made ufe of this royal favour, and have taken in the plea- Lures of Court ; I once delighted in muiick,andmy 'ear could tafle a fweet voice ; I once delighted in rich fare, and my pallat could tafle meat and drink, but can I any more do thus ? my na- tural flrength is gone,my fenf s cannot renew innumerable asof pleafure : ifgraceBoth not wean usfrom the abufe, yet nature w It tire, in the ofe of worldly comforts. But the civil abilities of man wither fooner than his natural , you may fee a man, that hath done great things in a State or Common- wealth ; come to him a while after, and he may fay, Can I any more do there things ? I am not what I was, my power is gone : But come to God, after he hath done this or that,and a thoufand great things,he will not fay, Can I helpyou any more? can I deliver you any more ? can I deflroy your enemies, can I difcover their plots and counfels any more ? yes Lord, as thy works are unfearchable, fo they are innu- merable, and thou cantsda them for ever more., The Lord faith fometime toa people, as he did to lfrael(Judg. ro, r 3.)in anger, Iwill deliver you no more ? But he never faith to any people out of weaknefs, I can deliver you no more : Pfal. 78. The people 'provoked God by making a quetlion of this (ver.20.) Behold (fay they) he fmote theRock, that the watersgufhed out, and the ftream,r overflowed, (we acknowledge that God bath done a marvel )

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=