564 Chap 29. An Expofition urn the Bock of J o a. Verf. a 8. Meat plenum. Now (I fay) they who look no further nor high er then their own net ( that is, then the means which they in- vent or u;e by their own wit and induf}ry) for the gettingof their portion, can look no higher for the holding of Ir. All fuch confidence is rejected of God, and will prove (in the iflùe) un- profperous, yea fatal to man. We are never in fo much danger of loafing what we bave, either in teinparais.or fpir tualls,as when w e trnfi ourfelves with the keeping of them, Secondly, Others look upon worldly things as if they had at certainty in themfelves ; they judge their eí atcs too big to be broken, and too well fetled to be fhaken. Thus the Spirit of God reprefents the vanity of their imaginations (Pfal. 49. t t. Their upward thought ie,tbat their boufes [hall continuefor sver,and their dwelling places to all generations.I have purcbafed(faitb one)fuch lands,and I have got togood a title co them, that certainly they will continue mine and my heires for ever,never confidering how all things here beloware fubjet to ebbings and fíowings) to turns and vicifsitudes every day. Thirdly, Others fay fo, truGing upon the favour and power of men, they live in the love,in the embraces and affiances of the creatures ; they have great kindred and alliances, great friends, and confederates, fuch and fuchhave profeffed rbemfelves their fervors, and therefore they fay they (hall never bc-removed, nor can their neff be pulled down. But what fairirtbe Lord,( era 17. S.) Curfedbe the man that erufletb in man, andmaketh fiefh (the greatefl Beth) hie arm, that is, his firength and defence, and wholeheart departetb from the Lord. And therefore we are debor- ted from all fuch confidences (Pfa1.146. 3.) Put not your trufl in Princes, norin the font of man, in whom there is nohelp. Which is not to be underliood, as if there are fome of the fons of in7whom there is help, and that in fuch ive may tru l; for there is no help in any of them , and leaft of all in thofe whom we trufl moll, either fotthe building or maintaining our worldly net}. Fourthly, Saith another, I (hall dye inmy nefl, meetlypleating l imfelf with outwardprofperiry,rejoycing in, and being drunken with earthly injoyments (there is a drunkennefs in our exceffive delight, in havingas well as in excefsive ufing the things of -this wo. 'id, fuch a min is eafie to beleive he (hall ever have, what he fo much delights to have. Such a man befpeaks his foul in the language
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