Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v5

178 Chap.i 5. An Expofition upon the Bookof J OB. Ver13 r; ,__`.- profit not in the day of wrath. And Ezekiel threatens the Jews, That their Silver and their Gold (hall not deliver them in the day of the wrath- ,of the Lord. La(ily,TheCreature promifeth to continue with us. Riches tell us, that though Father and Mother forfake us, they will not, though Wife and Children forfake us , yet they will not they make us believe that they will flick clofer to us , than Chri(i himlclf, and yet they are upon the wing prefently,they flie away as the Eagle, and are goneout of light , they doe not. only perifh in the utìng, but perifh from our ale, is not all thisand a thoufand times more , which might be Paid of their lying, and vanity enough,'and more than enough to ju(lifìe thole titles which the Spirit of God bath bellowed upon them, that they are vanity, and a lye , or as Jonah calls them, Lyingvanities. And yet (to clofe the point) we mull remember that crea- ture riches are not a-lye, nor deceitful in themfelves. There's no more deceit in the greatefl abundance of Gold and Silver, than there is in a whollbme favorypiece of Bread. Richesare not vain and deceitful , asour hearts are faid to be deceitful ( Jer.17, 9.) nor as lull is faid to be deceitful ( Ephef. 4.22. ) for there thingsare deceitful only through the deceitfulnefs of our hearts, and lulls : Or they are deceitful Objectively , not A lively ; we are deceived' about them , not by them. They do not deceive us till we are deceived ; nor do they deceive us either as poffeff'ed or ufed, but as adored and trufted. Let notbim that id. deceived truft in vanity, Thirdly Obferve, Man muff and will have fomerohat to truft to, or lean upon. And therefore rather than fail, he mini trufi that which cannot but fail, Vanity. Like one that's ready to drown ,. he catcheth at any thing, a rotten flick , or a firaw , and would fupport his whole body, by that which is not able to bear the .weight of his little finger: Man is a weak creature, fenfe and nature are enough to make him fenlible of his natural weaknefs ; and thefe alfoare enough to prompt and provoke him to leek help without himfelf, though they are utterly infufficient todireó him whither to go for the fure(i help ; It is the priviledge of God alone to have nothing to truft to , or to be above :ruff ; He. who

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