Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v8

Chap. z8. afÌn Expofition upon the Book, of o a. Verf. 28. 4, t t anyNatural man, will be very bufie in the outwo:kes of holinefs, fo he will hatdly lay afide any work of unholinefs, when he fees and feels gain coming inat the door. We read of forte (a.AEts 16. s 6.) who were troubled that the Devil was cafi oue of the Damfel,tvho brought her Matters much gain by tooth-faying,whe,n they faw that the hopeof their gain was gone. Is not he a man of underthanding, who can fee, that though much may be gotten by tio, that yet nothingcan be gained by it whoperceives that all thep:o£ts of it ate unprofitable, like that of Achan, who got ('tones about hisears,or like that of Gehezai, who gor a Ieprofie in his forehead by looking after finful g=in. Is not he a wife man that can fee,though a man may exalt himelf, that yet hecannot be ellablrfbedby unrigbteoufnefr (Prov. 12. 3.) jeroboam a wicked man was tar from this peice of underf}anding, he thought that the two Idol -calves which he had ere ted in Dan and Bethel , would prove as two mighty pillars and {up- potters of his new gottenkingdom , but they were indeed not only the thame, but the ruineof it. He alto thought that, his un- paralel'd impiety would be anunparalei'd point of policy for the affuring of his eflare,when he made the loroes7 of the people,Prie/le of thehigbplaces (a Kings 13.33.) But it follows (v. 34. ) this thing becameAl to the knife of Jeroboam. Howbecame it tin ? was it not tin (ipfo fallo) in its own nature ? doublets it was fo. But 'Cis laid it became fin to him in regard of the event or iilue, which was wrath or judgement, as the next wordes tell us, even to cut it ,. f (that is,to;cut the houle of jeroboam off}and to del11r7 it from the face of theearth. Ponies fee it thus in the event, hur a wile man iorefeeth the event .will be thus, and fo departs from evil. The aroit tit men faith, what fruit have I of thole things zrbereof1 amnow afoamed ? for the end of thofe things is death (Rem. 6. 2 a.) the prudent man faith, I will forbear to do thole things which l know can have tiebetter fruit then lhame or death. The penitent mandoth well, but the prudent man doth better. They are wife who decart {rot., fin committed,by repen- tance, but they are wife: who s?eparrr litho fin by refuting to com- mit it, and to prevenr their cv' n repenraoce. S cotidly,_ S`n pleader fweettasafs ftaa our continuance in it. Whowtcild depart from his pleafure'(taï.th fin) and nor, role a fwect morS I under . his tongue ? even Salaiian,while his rîrifdoin Gggz re-

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