Chap. 5. An Expofttion open the Book of J O B. Verf.i6. It is no vain thing to hope in God: The poor bath his hope. The Prophetbrings in the Jewes thus triumphing in God, (tfa. 25. 9.) And it (hall be fail in that day what day was that? The former vcrfe points it nuc,4day where- in death (hall be fwallotved up in victory, wherein tearer (hall be wiped away from ofall faces,ic. And in that day the people of God ¡hall thus boaft of God, and(asit were !hewinghim to the world ) ¡hall fay, Lee, this is cur God, we have waitedfor him, and be will fave us : Ibis is the Lord, we have -Waited for him, we will be glad and rejoyce in bis falvation; vaine hopes fill our faces with Shame; but hopes fulfilled, fill our hearts with rejoy- cing. Thepoor barb his hope ; he can thew his hope, 'ris vifible, As Hannah, when the came to prefent her Son unto Eli,For tbie child 1prayed, as if the ¡Mould fay, Sir hero is my prayer, you could not bear my prayer, when I was in the Temple, you thought I was drunken,buc nowyou may fee mypreeyer,here it is, for this child 1 prayed, and the Lord hark given me my petition whiob I asked of bim, i Sam. I. 27. So the foul faith ; In fuch a time of trouble,perfonal or national, I was praying and fakingGod, I was beleeving and hoping, men knew not, underftood not thin workingsof my foul towardChrifl,yet now they may fee them, here is the thing I played for, here is that I hoped for;So (fiift) the poor bath hope, Secondly, The poor bath hope, that is, the grace of hope, or the gracious aaings cf hope ; and taking it fo, the fence rifes thus: So ( that is ) God having done fucb great things, in di fapoint- ing the devices of the crafty, and snlaving his pore, by this meases the poor: come tohave hope, the grace of hope f}rengthned and con- firmed. in them. Hence obferve, 7hat The experience we have of Godo power andmercy in plying us out offormer tronb'es, breeds and nouri(hes hope, againft future times of trouble. Si theporehab hope. Though the poore man was in a hope- Ids condition before, yet now feeing the works of God, he hath hope laid up for ever. Pfal, 64. 9, io, All men (hall feare and declare the works of God, for they ¡hall wifely confider of this thing : And what followes ? The righteous ¡hall be glad in the Lord, and craft in him ; that is, if they have fail'd in their truft heretofore, and nor given God honour by confiding in him, yet thefe wonderful! works of God ( of which he fpcakes in that R r Pfalme) 305
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