7a Chap. 27. Án Expofition upon the Book of J o s. Vetf..7 -- theLord thus complaining ; Thou haft wearied me with thine irit goitres. But that which wearieth the Lord moft,is whenman faith he is plcafcd with,or approves either iniquity wrought, or the workers of iniquity. To fpeake or thinke thus of God, is not only iniquity, but higheft blafphemy.It is a molt groffe error , when man thinks foof man, as the fame Prophet fhewes (ci3'1al.3. a 5.) And now ye call the proud happy ; Such as are men ofafpiring minds , and work their own ends confidently, daringly, ye call the, only men. A proud man is the worft of wicked men ; every wicked man bath abundance of unmortified pride in him, but pride is apredominant luft in force wicked men ; how unhappy and blind in judgment are they who call thefe happy ? The pre- lent poynt faith, that all wicked men are in a bad condition, but among them all, none is in fo bad a oneas the proud,for himGod refifieth (James,. 6.) and if it muft needs goe ill withthem, whomGodBoth only leave to themfelves, not giving them afli-. fiance, then who can fay how ill it muff needsgoe with them ( though never fo high and great in theworld ) whomGod re- fifis, and fets himfeife againft ? There are two confiderations, which thew how farce all wicked(much more proud)menare re- moved from happinefs. Firft, They are out of the favour of God, they have no room in hisheart. Howmiferahle is their life, who (hare not in the lö, wing kindnefs of God, which is better than life ? We enjoy no- thing that is truely good, withoutGod, who is the cheifeft good. The light of his Countenance is better than all the comforts of this life ; what have they that enjoy not the lightof his Counte- nance,butforrow and darkenefs ?As it is the finof a wicked man,fo it is his punifhment,that he is without God in the world.He is with. out God in the world, as CO the feare of, or faith in his name,ahia is his fin ; and he is without God in the world, as to any favour or good will which he bath fromGod, and this is hispunifh- ment. As whatfoever good acarnall man doth, whatever fervice he performes to God or for God, his hearr, his goodwill is not in it ; fo whatfoever the wicked have fromGod, they have none;. of his heart, nothing fromhis good will. Secondly, Such are not onely out of the favour of God, but (for there is nomiddle flare) they are the fubjr&s of his difplea- lure, and fiandnaked t®his wrath; they have no filcher, nothing to
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