554 Chap20 . An Expofition upon the Booke of JOB, Verf. 22, he'ssAreitned to keep what he bath ; fo God in judgement gives (,him this flrat in his fulneffe, that he feares his fulneffe is not full enough, and that his fufFciency is unfuificient for him in the fu?neffe ofhis fufficiency, he is thus in ftraits. There is an inward lirait in his outward enlargements, when, indeed , he is rich, he is, in conceit, poore. For as it is with hypocrites in reference to fpirituaiis, they thinke they have a fulneffe of fuf- ficiency in them, when indeed they are in ftraits, in povertie and want : as Chrift tells the Church ofLaodicea. ( Revel, 3. ) Then /afi Iam rich,and full.and need nothing, and knowfl not that tit hon f a I fapy co re,and enpiy,andnaked,andblind,&wantofl all things. e vl as in fpiritualls hypocries oft conceit themfelves ruin yuot=die full, when they are really empty : fo in temporalls a worldly termrns prefe- man often conceits himfelfe emplie, when he is really full. He reinem exclu- faith, I have nothing; I am a poore man, I have farce enough dentem vicrns cie to ú nbi to fezve another yeare when indeed he is it rich, and bath gold dì1aia+iae co - and fïlvet, lands and goods enough for many yeares. This !trait a ífarì vìdea+r, God brings wicked men into in the middeft of their fùf- guem te11w, ipfa fciency. This is a grievous curfe , that while a man is laying t ung','fa,ia f eld to field., land to land, bag to bag, and heap toheap, yet downs Jo&poi- withal! his minde and fpirit is troubled and fraitned. as if he had resit, claudi- nothing, or were worfe then nothing. One of the Ancients for ar;gufir c- defcribes this lrait ofa covetous mean; with aboundance of live- rb fkcyufod I Eloquence ; give rae ( faith h a covetous man, dayly eeking habet non elf fa. and firetchingout the bounds ofhis habitation, as ifhe meant to live tii.Ambros.l. alone , andexcludeall neighbourhood. Tell me now doth this man fec. 6. in Pfal ( whom thewhole earth cannot hald ,É feeme to thee to be enlarged or flra%tned ? Surely howfarne foever he extends the line ofhispoffèion' (while that which he bath is not enough to him) he is locked/ with- in the narrow compaffe ofhis owne opinion. Fourthly, Bcfides this internal! and metap_ meall !trait, there is a plaine litterall (trait, into which God CRIS the wicked t:nan, when he fuppofeth himfèlfe fetIIed to the fi.tlneffe of his fuf- ficiency. That's the time God takes to bring him to it when he Hands upon the higheit pinacle of worldly profperitie, then downe he goes. In the Prophefie of 'Daniel ( Chap. 4. 4.) we readewhat the Golden head Nebuchadnezzar (peaks of his ful- neffe. INebuchadnezzar was at refi in my houfe,andfourifhing is m palace(here was fulneffe ofîufïieiency,) ver.29,3o,)at theend o
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