Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v7

i66 Chap. '2. Z. An Èxpofttion upon the Book, of JOB. Verf. 17, prehenfion, which eviti men have of God while they are doing evil!. 'Firft, Some prefume that God will proreti them from evil! while they doe evill. (Mich, 3. r i. ) The heads there- judgefor reward, and the Priefts thereof te.rch for hire, and the 'Prophets thereof divine for money,yet will they leant' upon the Lord and fay, Isnet the Lordamong us ? none evill can come upon M. Thefe were fuch as made it their bufineffe to breake'the. Law of God, yet they thought God would not fuffer any trouble to breake in uponthem. Secondly, Others prefume that, at !eal God will not be fo fevere as to inflict chofe evilis which be hash threatned. The old world was threatned with a Deluge, but they could not beleeveGod would makegood his word, they even notice at the credulity and fimplicity of Nrah, to fee him build that great Ship or Arke upon the-dry La :d, as if he meant to fayle his veff,l without water. As for them, they neither beleeved nor feared a flood. So they (Ifa. 5: 19.) will put the Lord to a trial!, Let him haflen hie nork,e that rte may (er it; let us fee what he will doe, as if they had laid to the P o het, you told us what he would doe, how fevere he would be, what mean- eth all your talke, we would fee'fomethingdone. What will the Almighty doe againft us ? 4urel nothing ; he is not fo Ítriâas you make him. The Prophet de!cri)es the worft of men, the menfelledon their lees,.-fpeaking thus (Zeph. i. 12.) They fay in their heart, the Lord wilinot d e gold, neither will be do evill ; that is, he will neithkr reward nor punifh, he will nei- ther helpenor hurt. To fay ehher of there is alike difhonou- cableunto God ; To fay either muchmore both ( though in. deed to fay either is to fay both) is to fay, not only that God is neither to he loved nor feared,hut that he is not at all.It is the glory of God to doe the one as well as to doe theother, and unleffe he 'could doe both, he coulddoe neither. ( 45. 7.) I forme the light, andcreate darkneffe, (thedarkne(fe oftrou- ble is of God as much as the light 'of comfort ) I make peace and create evill; the evil! of punifhment is as much the creature of God as peace is, and God cloth as much appeare a t.reator in the one ss in the other the, doing of this kinde of evils doth as much firm thepower, and providence ofGod, as the do- ing

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