Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v4

I. 60 Chap. t I. An Expofition upon the Book; ofJ O B. Verf.zo. hour unto death : He bathno hope when he dies yet all his hope is to die ; and that's a miferable hope. Jonahs hope (under temptation) was the giving upof the ghoft, therefore he praies hard that God would take him out of the world.' Achitophels hope was his death , he being trolled" in his wicked counfel went and hanged himfelf: They-who are pall all pofitive hope in this life, retire (as their tall referve) to this privative hope, O that they weredead Not to be , is their hope whoare overpreffed with fears of being rnif»rable. Dejfiair ofall good while we lave , maps evil (firth is death) theheft of our hopes. The fumme of all is Awicked man is a miferable man. Put the thtee parts of this verle together, and you may read the worfl of mifery. He that never receives the goodhe hopes for, and fees others receivethatgood which he grieves for : He that cannot efcape any danger which be fears nor meet with any deliverance .which he defres : He whofehopes are dying, or whobath no hopebut to dye, he that is all this, is any thingbut happy,'andwants nothing but hell (at the very brinkwhereofhe is, when he is allthis) to make. him compleatly miferable. The Prophet Malachi gives us the opinion of thofe times con= rerningwicked men, ron call the proud happy, andthey that work, wickedneJ are let up ; but he tells ofa time when they fhould return and difcernbetween the righteous and the wicked; There is the greatefl real difference already between the righteous and the wicked, but God will make a legible difference;a difference fo plain and legible , that you (hall not need to call in the help of faith (which hath the moll exquifite eye) to read it, fenfe may do it. The oldefreyes, even the eyes of theold man (hall difcern be- tween the righteot« and thewicked, between him that ferveth god andhimthatferveth him not, when the one fhall he burnt up root and branch in the fire and flames ofjuftice , and theother refrefht with the healing beams of the Son ofrighteoufneffe. Wayt but a a while andyou (hall fee God drawing out there potations in pro. vidences towards'his people, and making a vitable comment up-' on this text of Scripture. The light of the righteous than not fail , but the eyes ofthe wicked (hall ; The one fhall be fecure becaufe there is hope, but the other hath no hope toefcape, or the hope he bath (hall be as the givingup of thegholt. JOB

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