200 Chap.' 5 An Expottion upon the Bookof J o B. Verf.34. Fourthly, Obferve. 7o be acontriver, aplotter, a conceiver of mifchief, is worse Then to bean aelor, or a doer ofmifchef.It is ill tohave a hand in any tinful evil, it is worfe to have ahead in it, but worfi of all tohave a heart in it.Conceivers ofmifchiefalwayes have their hearts andheads in mifchief ; and if they are not flopt` will have their hands to it too : they who are plotters, and defigners, would beactors. Hence they are called workers of iniquity. They have an inward Shop, and an outward Shop, fluff they work it in their thoughts, and mould it there: and then it comes out. To conceive mifchief is properly, the Devils trade, he rather devifeth then aCts . wickednefs. Thereare many wickedneffes in the world which -he . cannot at but he is, or would be the plotter, fetter, and contriver ofthem all: This is the wickednefs of the Devil; and every conceiver and devifer ofmifchief is of theDevils trade. Agood manmay (poffibly) do evil, but a wicked man devifeth evil: As it notes the fpiritualnefs of a man in helmets, when he doth not only ad that which isgood,but his heart is upon it, he conceives and frames it in hismind. So it notes a man fpiritually wicked, when his mind frames wickednef; The Apoflle concludes ofhimfelf (Kam. 7. 25.,) So then with my mindIferve the Law ofGocl,but withthe flefh theLaw offin:not that he willingly gave up his fleth to fin, but that he was car- ried through the infimity of the fleth to Tome fiaful afings while his mind, his devifings and contrivings, were accord- ing to- the Law of God, and he delighted in the Law of God concerning the inwardman. This isthe fpiritualnefs of boll- nefs, and without this, there is no ad of any account with God. It is what the mind moves to,not what the mouth fpeaks or the hand, doth, which commends us to God, What is it to God that we 1irve his Law withour fletti, ifwith our minds, we either fcrve the <La, - w of tin, or do not ferve the Law of God ? 'Man is not what he acìs,but what he conceives,unlefs he adwhat he hath conceived. They conceive mifehief. And bringforth vanity. Now they come to the birth ; they are in travel after con ;:option > they bring forth, and the childs name is Vanity. The
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=