390 Chap. 28. an Expofition upon the b;ok ofJ O B. Verf. 22 tour, fill ofGod to the Church of Epbefus (A&s 20.27.) But times and ieafons are no part of that counfel which he declared. He de- clared the whole counfel of God, both concerning faith and re- pentance,concerning eternal life,snd the way to ir,even the whole myfiery of Chri(i crucified. But he had no commilfion to declare the counfel of God concerning the time or feafon when Chrifi tltculd come to beglorified onearth, nor doth he take upon him tohave any acquainrance with that ferret. Thirdly, Our not knowing the fecrets of the wifdom of God in force things, occafions usmore fully to give him the glory of his wifdom inall things. For, if when wecannot fee a reafon of what he doth, we can fit downquietly and conclude, the Lord is holy and :lull in all he dotb,this is the greate(i acknowledgementof his holynefs, wifdom, and Jut-lice ; And if, when we know not the time when he will come to do his great workes onearth, we are yet alwayes preparing for his coming, and waiting for him from heaven(which is the true pollute of abeleiver, a Thef.r.ro. )then we Illbnour him ten thoufand times more thenwe could doe by knowing the year or day or hour of his coming. Ourfaith honours God more thenour knowledge. Verf. 22. DeflruFtion and deathfay, we have heard the fame thereofwith our cares. ?Jftatum rff in Here's force kind of a report brought in concerning wifdom feripmra arc ab b a pair of flrange intelligencers, DO-nil-ion and death : But finalponantur howdoth deffruttionhere, or death receive a fame ? And howdoe proeoncretir, art perdttioproper either of them or both of them fay, we have heard it ? ditri,morspro I anfwer, firfi, it is ufual in Scripture to put theabfiratt for rnorttlis. the concrete;and then by defirutlion and deatb,weare to underf}and San& thofe who are defitoyed and dead. So the meaning is, The de- firoyed and the deadfaywe have heard the fame of it. But how can t he dead fayit ? I anfwer, Hearing and (peaking are attributed in Scripture, not only to thofe perlons who once lived and are dead, but to thofe things which are meetly livelelsor never lived,either a life of fenle or reafon, to the Heavens and to the Earth (Ifa. r. 2.) to the Trees of the wood, (Ifa. 14. 7, 8.) and the corn in the valleyes, or valleys of corn. (Pfal. 65. 13.) This is a high yet anurufual Hain of Rhetorick, both in theholy Scriptures, and humane Authors. Much more is it ufual to attribuite a&s of life and
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