Chap. Ia. An Expofttion upon the .BookofJ O B. Verf. 12. 52 9 It is a part of his grant, that he will preferve. Should the Lord bellow the greatelt flock of mercy upon us, and leave: us to the wide world, we (hould quickly loofe-all ; God is .nor tike the Carpenter or the Mafon, who.buildeth'up a houfe, and then leaveth it to it felf,or to the care of others.The Lord furveys what he builds, and keeps up what he fets up ; all would come down elfe. Providence fucceedeth Creation, or Providence ie a coutinu- ed Creation.. As Coon as ever the Lord: hadmade man, and a gat- den, he took the man and put him into the Garden, which he had made, to drefs it and to keep it (Gen. 2. r5.). God putteth the creatures under mans charge, yet he keepeth all creatures in his own charge, andelpecially man : AGarden without a man tò vifit it would foon be a wildernefs. And man without God to vi(it him, would foon be, or be in a wildernefs , either out of.or- der, or in danger. Achifh promifeth David, I will make thee the keeper ofmy headfor ever (a Sam. 2$. 2.) His meaning was, he fhould be Captain of his guard. Great Princes have their guards, theyhave keepers of their heads. The great King of heaven and t arch is a guard to the meanefi man, and the keeper ofhis head. God enquires of Cain for his brother Abel (Gen. 4.) Where is Abel thy brother ? What is become of him ? Cain was angry at the queilion, Am I, faith he) my brothers keeper ? We ought to be one anothers keepers; our mutual vifitations fhould preferve one anothers spirits Some are apt to think thet`nfelvcs too good for the work : others that the work is too hard for them, it is our comfort, and it may beour affurance, that God bath neither of thefe thoughts, TheLord is thy. keeper, the Loredis thy Jhade upon thy right band. The. Sun (hall not finite thee by day , nor the Moon by night. The Lord (hall preferve thee from all evil; He fhzll preferve thyfoul : The Lordfhztl preferve thy going oat and thy coming in,from this timeforth andfor evermore (PCal. 12 t . 5.) How large a writ or patent ofprotcótion is granted here ? No time (hall be hurtful', neither day nor night ; whichincludes all times. No- thing (hall hurt, neither Sun nor Moon, nor heat nor cold. Thetè include all annoyances Nothing (hall be hurt ,Tby fonI(hall bepreferved, thy out-goings and thy comings inpall be preferved. Thetè include the whole perfon of man, and him in all his ju(t af- fairs and aftions, Nothing ofman is fate without a guatd, and nothing of man can be unfafe, which is thus guarded. They (ball be kept, who can fay,, The Lord is our keeper. And they cannot YYY
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