t6O Chap.' 5. An Expofition;upon the Sqókof J p$, Verf.3o: Davids eye hath feen the end of many humane perfeetions, and his underfianding faw the end of them all; he had feen force ending,and he faw all mutt end.Neverdreamofprolong. ing your perfection here. No worldly thing can continue long, for the world it fell fhall not continue long: If the Scaffold or Stage upon which thefe perfeCtions are ¡hewedor aered,mut1 fall, the perfections themfelves cannot Hand. There have been but few that ever advanced Co far as toan earthly perfection, but there was never any one that prolonged his perfection on the earth. Adam did not continue in that created perfection, which had no imperfection in it,how then ¡hall any ofhis chil- dren continue in an imperfect (fuch is theirbeft) perfection. _ As Eliphaz hath ¡hewed us the wicked:mans mifery in the not prolonging of his perfection ; Co now he thews us a further degree of it, by the prolonging of his affliction. Verf. 3o. He (hall not depart out of darknefs. Here is the fourth flep of this Gradation. The wicked mans mifery in mifery : He cannot flay in a good, nor get out of an ill etlate. Eliphaz. feems to take off an objection ; for Come might lay, What ifth..wickedman do not grow richfor thepre- fine ? What ifhisjubffance dotó not continue ? What ifbepro- long not hisperfeeelions,.orfall from the topflair of bis high con. dition ? Yet we hope at loft he may outgrow all this, andgetricbes which be badnot, or regain tbofe which he had ? No,faith Eli phaz, either the wicked man thall not rife to riches; or if he rife he ¡hall fail, and when once he is fallen, he fhall rife no more : either he (hall not get into the light, or ifhe- do, he ¡hall be Coonovertaken with darknefs, and when once he isin the dark, he thall come out no more , He fhall not dapart out of darknefs. When the wicked man is in the light,hefings,Lóth to depart, but he mull; and when he is call into darknefs,he crys,Hafie to depart, but he cannot : Thewicked man, like the evil Angels, is held in chains ofdarknefs, which he is neither able to break off, to tile off He hath faid to God, who is light (yea,be- caufc.he is light) Depart fromme ; and God faith to hire, Thou (halt not depart out of darknefs; There is a twofold darknefs, Firti,
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