Chap. 5. An Expofition upon the Book of J O B. Verf: r t: 269 word about them, as when they have leaff of the world about tbenh The Covenant fits clofeft to us,whenwe are divefied of the crea- ture. When the River is at the loweft ebbe, we are lure the tide is coming In : The night is darkeft alittle before day breaks :. When the dáyes are fhorteft, and the winter iharpeft, then the fpring ofmercy is at hand. As the higheft flourifh of ungodly ones, is the immediate forerunner of their downfal (Pfal. 92.7;) When the wickedfpring as thegraft, what then ? would you know the meaning ofit ? The next words are a comment upon the fur mer: It is;that theyJhall be de/frayed for ever ; So,the Icaweft down- fai of the godly, is ufually the immediate forerunner of their ad- vancement. When thegodly wither as thegraft, the interpretation ofit is, That theyJhal1 flotfrifh for ever, Obferve in the third place, from that word, exalted to fafetY, That, God canfit hk people on high, beyond the reach of all their ene- mies. Beyond the reach of their heads or counlels, and beyond the reach of their hands and 'defence lfa,33.i6. The munitions of itocksfhall he theirplace of e; He fetteth them on high, that no Ladders can be found'long enough to.fcale theft Rocks, not any Artillery or èngine,ftrong enough to batter them down ; And leatt any fhould fay, but we will hold the liege, till we ftarve . them out ; it follows in the text, BreadJhall begiven him, his ma-, ter Jiiàdf before, I remember a ftoryin Alexander: waxrs, that when de carne to béficge the Sogdianr, a people who dwelt upon a Rock, or had the literal munition of Rocks for their dcfence,, they jeered him, and asked himwhetherhis Souldiers had wings or no ? Unlefsyour Souldiers can' fly in the ayr,we fear you nor. It is a molt certain truth, when God exalts a people, he can let. them upon a Rock, fo high, that unicfs their adverfaries have wings and thofe more thanEagles wings, to foare higher, than Gad hind-elf, they are beyond annoyance.. He carries his own upon >?'`agles wings, what wings then mull they have,. who get above his people ? . There are thefe two things, about which the thoughts of therb;. aremott converfant. The one is,to be fet on high ; the other is to be Cet in fafety. They both meet in the mercy here promi.led e He fetteth on high chofe that are low, that's their honour , Re ex- alts them to rafety,that's their comfort. The firft thoughts of men are fpent to get a great eflate, but their next thoughts are to ku( p lvl m 3 a,a1
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