Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v5

476 Ch4). 1 7. An Expofition upon the Book of J O B. Verf: B. over -wife, dunot think that thou canft reach the reafon The plusfcire of all that God bath done in caufing a righteous man to pe- visgmmn opor- fhb , and a wickedman to flourifh, there is more in it then ter, fro admi. thou cana comprehend, Whyfhouldeß thou deftroy thyPelf ratione rei huA..that is, Thou may'It amaze and bewilder, yea undo and de- ueanumceptura , vincentis ad ftroy thy felf;if thou ventureft too far upon thofe fi:crets of nenrisfluperen providence, but thou wilt not be able to extricate or refolve devenrás.Pis thy felfby all thy venturing, fled, Now,If theprovidenees ofGodbefuck a deep, that upright wifeMen areafionîed at them, tben what adeep are the cousefèls 'and decrees of God?Providences are the difpenfations of God to theeye,they are the objet`s offenfe; if we cannot fee to the end of that which is before us,as providences are, how(hall we fee the endof that which info fat from us, as the Counfels and Decrees of God are ?The Apoflle flood as a man aftonied at both (Rom. i t. 33.) when he had fpoken of that ama- zing difpenfation of God in calling off the Jews and receivo ing the Gentiles, he cryes out, O the depth of the riches, both ofthe wifdo,n andknowledge of God: How unfearchable are hs Judgments ; and among them, this fpecial judgement -in taking the Gofpel from the Jews, and breaking them off who were the natural branches, that the Gentiles who were the wild Olive might be graffed in :How unfearchable is this judgment, and this way ofGodpaß finding out ; upright men are afloniedat this. Secondly, Obferve, Howftrangefever the dealings of God are with bis, yet right teous men are only a(toniedat them. They are not fcandalized,theyare not offended at God for them, they donot blafpheme the name, or apoffatize from t'he'wayes ofGod, no do they quarrel at hisdifpenfations For as-when they are affonifhedat the profperityofthe wick- ed', they preferve high and holy thoughts ofGod,'lnd only feek refolution at the mouthofGod;as the Prophet Jeremiah did(Ch r 2.i:)Lord, thou righteous,yet let me reafonwith thee, Why dohs theway of the wickedprofper ? Or as Habakkukc'h. 2. 2.) propounds his queflion to find out the knot in the wayes and dealings of God.; Now I fay, as it is thus with the righteous, when they,fee the great profperityofthe wic- ked, fo when they fee the greatett adverfities of the godly, they

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