Chap. 5. An Expoftion open the Beek of .1 O B. Verf. always makeswaf ,and fo doth haftinels in afting. Haft in ei- ther may hurt, as much as(loth, though ufualiy we may divide the milcarriages that are in the world, between haflinefs in counfcl,and flownefs in a£tion.I knownot which is the greater prejudice to an honeft defign,to be quick in concluding, or to be dull in executing. They who will not take time to confult about what they do, they may have time enough to repent of what they have done. And they whowill not take the timefor doing what they confult, loofe all the time they took for confultation. Note Iccondly, That god difappoint.r evil counfels, ae by flopping them, fo by putting tbe,n forward, The Princes of Zoan are become fools ( faith the Prophet)' Why ? The Lord bath mingled a perverfe fpiret (or a headlong vertiginous fpirit) in themidil thereof, and they have coifed e/Egypt to erre in every work thereof, as a drunken man ftaggeretdt in his vomit, Ifa. 19. r 3, 14. Vetfe 14. They meet with darkaefs in the day time, andgrope at noon day, ac in the nigh,. Here is a further aggravation of the mifery upon crafty,fro- ward CounfcHours, They meet with darknefe in the day time. Some underftand this for the darkncfsof trouble , falling upon thefe men fuddenly in the day of their profperity;as if theholy Ghoft had laid, In the day time ofthegreatefl glory, when they think their Sun at the heigbtb, then they are clouded and overcall, they meet with the darknefs of farrow, and are benighted in a moment, Amos 8.9. I will caufe the Sun to godown at noon, and I will darken the Earth in the clear day , (it is meant of great aflliftions, as the next wcrds interpret ) AndIwill t urnyour feuils into mourning. But rather bydarknefi in the day time, we are to undetftatad the Diurnstene ignorance .f tho re things which arevery plain and clear. They meet bra ignoralo nem dcnotant " with darhnefs in the day time, that is, they are puzled CO find out rerumelarijfs '. and <difcover thole things which are as clear as the light. God marum. often fends Inch a fprit of giddinefs and blindnefs upon the counfels of his enemies, that eafie things arc hard, plain things, obfcute, and common queftions very riddles to them. 93
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