522 Chap. a 3. An Expofition upon the Book of Joe. Vert a 5. breaks thofe who are (comparatively to other men) but as a leafdriven to and fro,or'purfues thofe who are hut as dry Hubble; he doth it not to get himfeff honour in the aLqing of his breaking andpurfuing power, but of his preferving And faving power : for he preferves his whom he thus breaks, and faves his whom he thus purfues. Yea, the very reafonwhy Ile breaks them is,tbat he may preferve them, and he puriues 'them upon defign to lave them. I may add further; that God breaks the leaf;not to thew his power, as to thewwhat power the leaf bath received from him : The Hrength of a believer is.never more feen then when heendures breaking. Gd purl f eth the wicked toAny his pow- er, but he afflitls the godly to f ew their power. That power, I mean,which he bath given them, not only to do, but to fuWer, whether for him or from him. It" were indeed no honour for God' to try his flrength upon us, but it is a great honour for us whenGod at once gives and tries our tlrength. Ta fee a leaf whole in the very breaking, and flouriíh in the withering, to fee drynubble endure the flame (aid like the both in the bookof Exodus) toburn anti not to comfitme, this gives witnefs to all the world how flrong a weak man is by the power of God, Being flrengthened withall,saiisht according tohis gloriouspower, unto all, patience and long Puffcriug with joyfulnefs, Col. a al. As God never indeed breaks thebrufed reed,nor quencheth the fmoaking flax, fo hewould never allay to break the bruifed reed, but to thew that it will not break ; nor would he affay to quench the fmoaking flax, but to thew that it will not quench orgo out, till he fendforth judgement untoviEl'ory as if he had old, the brui`- fed reed (hail not break till it be made firing, and the fmoaking flax (hall not bequenched till it.be a perfect flame, that is,it (hall never bebroken,it (half never be quenched.Judgment brought to vi£tory,is holinefs,or the principle of;race within us,triumphing over all temptations without us, and all corruptions within us,by the power ofJefas Cltrift. Again, A 'leaf or dry ilubble are the emblems, not only of thatfort of men'who are accidentally weak, but of all men in regard of their natural weaktaefs. Thus the llrongefl men are Aptiffima fimi- but Hubble :' And force cgncetve Job (peaking here of himfilf, 2itudine ut:turnot only as he was a man in affliEtion,whom the tempefl ofGods Zebus adhemi_ wrath had (haken as a leaf, and the heat of troubles had parched ais newt litate into dry Rubble notandum, pin. Y , but he fpeaks ofhimfeifas a man t and what he fpeaks
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