C.<sra. rxpofil en upon the Book of Job,Verti7. 269 is a g: ear gift , e G > s, to Le wining to recei vgood coward. I scarce know _ hid, is the g, eater', to be willing toteceive good .counfel, or to be a' le t = give or. Many can give good counfel,. _ ho A ill not receive it : To give or to receive a. e the gifts of -God. Se ondl O!.1 erve, Kingdoms arid States fail, when Counfels fail. Jot's fc ,;e i. to il> w the aReratiorlsthat are in Kinudo. as : now as by the maj.ctty of Kings, the wifdom of Counfellor s, tige prudence of Judges, the eloquence of Orators, and valour of 'Souldier, Kingdoms floua ilh and are eftablilhed ; fo by the taking away or decayof ttrefe,Kingdmsdecayand come to no- thing, or to that which is next to nothing, a Chaos of confufion. This judgment is threatned (Ifa 3,1..) In that day the Lord will . take away f om Jerufalem, the ¡ray and theflaff, the whole flay of Bread, and thewhole flay of Water. There is a twofold ftaff of a people, there is a naturalgaff, and there is a civil fla'; the na- tural flaff is bread, and water, which by a Seneebdoche are put for all the necefl"ary fùraports of a natural life. The removal of there is ruine; yet God when he intends ruine, takes away other íteies betides there. The fame Prophet proceeds in this fad Narrative. Hewill take away alfo the mighty marc, and the manof War, the Judge and theProphet, and the Prudent, and the Ancient, the Captain of fifty, and the Honourable man, and the Counfellor. Thug the Lord takes away the civilflaff and flay of a pe, =ple, that is, men inabied for publiée Cervices. And when .there foundati-. ons of humane Society are out of courfe, or removed out of place, down comes the" Roof and higheft Pinnacles of the molt potent Commonwealths. For as when vifion, that is, the word preached, faileth,thepeopleperifh; (the preaching of the word iscalled a vifion, either becaufe the word was received by vifion fromGod, orbecaufe in it, the Lord is fees and histruth is dif- covered to us.) Now (1 fay) as when this vifion failetir, thepeo- ple perifh, that is, their Souls perifh, the fpiritual part peritheth, they perifh in the-capacity of a Church : Sowhen counfel fails, . thepeopleper ill] in their civil capacity,as they are a polirikeState o: C,,mmon- wealth. Learn hence, what need we- haveto pray far themaintenance of chefe.ftayes. God in judgment may.lead. our Counfellersaway fpoiled, and then we are fpoiled. Mm 3. Thirdly
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