Chap. 18. fi;a Expofition upon the Bookof J O B. Vert: 8. And they layWaite for their ownblood,and lurk privilyfar their own lives. Thefe men faid, ( verf. r r. ) Come with us, let us lay waite forblood, let us lurk privilyfor the innocent without caul ;we will take the fpoyle, we will rob and oppreffe ; yet when the Holy- Ghott comes to make up the judgement concerning the attings of thefe men, he faith onely this,They lay Waitefor their own blood, and lurk privilyfor their own liver ; As if the men had entred that unholy league , on purpofe to fpoyle themfelves, and cut their own throats. They thirfted for their neighbours blond but they drank their own they coveted their neighbours goods, but their own became a prey and a fpoyle. It will appear at lait that all the waiting and privie lurking of wicked men for their brethrens ,either elates or lives , bath been againft their own foules , and, a cruelty to themfelves; this is a great aggravati- on of the mifery of a wicked man, that he hath fogreat a hand in it himfelfe. The Lord faith by the Prophet Hofea; 0 Ifrael, thou haft deftroyed thyfèlfe, ( Chap. r 3.9 ) and byyeremy (Chap. r 8.)Thy wayand thy doingshave procuredthole things unto thee. There is a great difference between thefe two , between that in theProphet Hofea, and this in the Prophet yeremy ; theone faith, Thou haft deftreyed thyfife ; the other faith,Thyfinnes and thy do- ings have procur'd thefe things to thee. It is true, the deftruttion of all men, ofTall Kings and Cities is from themfelves meritori- oufly whatfoéver deifrudion comes upon there their finnes and their doings deferve it ; and this is mifery enough. But when the Prophet would thew the greatnetfe of their mifery, he tells us, that their deftrudtion was from themfelves. inftru- menralcy ; not onely hath thy finne procur'dd deftrildion from me, or caufed me to fend deftruction and judgements, but thy fines have been thevery meanes, by which thou art dettroycd.. They have lifted up their hand to pull thee downe. In the r ofthe Proverbs, and the firft, the foolifh woman is defcribedby her difference from the wife, in this ; Every wife woman buildeth her houfe, but thefooliílo woman p1ui keth it downe with her hands ; here is her folly and her mifery, it would have been mifery e- nough, if ( when thee had built a houfe orhad a houfe built, ) other hands had pluckt it downe over her held, but it is a farro greater mifery when a woman Mall be fo foolifh as to plucke the houle downe upon her own head ; this is the judgement that 47
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