23 8 Chap. 9. A Expofition upon the Bookof J O B. Verfa2, in the breach. Did Mofes out-power the Lord,,? did he out-wit, or cut -2o i_y the Lord? No, but Mofès.prayed,and prayedfo firong- ly that tLe Lord was hindered, that is, he, as if he had been hindrcd, [did not effeF,} the thing, he reftored their comforts again,whenhe had arrefted but force ofthem,andfeemed tocome armed with refolution to take all a4ay. Yet Comet imes we find the Lordwill came and take away, and prayer it fell, prayer and fafiing, cries and tears (hall not hinder,God will trample upon all thefe. God was refolved to take away the gloryofIfrael ; and to af- fure them that he would, he takes away that wherein their chief affurance lay,that he would not (Jer. 15. i.) Thusfaith the Lord, Though Moles and Samuel flood before me, yet my mindcould not be toward this people,&c.As ifhehad faid,ye think tohinder metow, ye will flop me, yewill fendout prayer, your old friend, which hath helped you heretofore at many a dead lift. And if you cannot pray enough your felves, you will procureprayers, and pray in the aid ofprayer from all the favouritesthat I have in the world, yewill get Mofefes and Samuels, fuch as they, to pray for you ; ye maydo fo, ifye will, but it (hail not profit you,they and ye (hall lofe your labour, even thefe labours will not quit coil or be worth the while, to theend yeaim at, for Though Mofes and Samuelflood before me,andintreatedfor thispeople,yet mymindcould not be toward them : eilt them out of myfight,and let themgoforth,- fiecli asfor thefword,to thefivord, and filch as fordeath, to death, andfuch asfor captivity,to captivity. Thus, I fay, fometimes the Lord is fo refolved take away life, riches, glory, peace, the all both ofperlons andNations that nothing (hall help us, or hin- der him,no,not the prayers and cries, not the fupplications and tears ofhis own people, which are the firongefl flops ofall in the wayofprovoked juílice. Ifprayer cannot flay deilruf ion,and ob- tain a reprieve fromdeath,if the prayers of a Mofes ,and a Samuel cannot, nothing can; it is as if God had laid, the bell means (hall fail you, therefore all means (hall fail you : if when prayer cannot - hinder God,, we refort to other means, it is as if we fhould think to fallen anAnchor wich a twined thr,ed,which hath brokena cable; or toconquer an enemy with a pot-gun and a bull.rufh, whomwe could not with fword and Cannon. And as God will not fometimes be entreated, fo he oug-ht not at any time to be queflioned ; which is the next point. Who
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