Chap. 3o. An e'xpofition upen the Boon of j o a. ./crf. 26 211 judgement ferre from us,neither dothjofiice overtake tu,wee tvaite for light,but bet .ldobfcurity, f r bri;:htnefÿe,but we walke in dark. rife. And why was all this ? Theanfwer is plaine, (v. 12,1 j. ) For our tranfQrefonr are multiplied before thee , and cur fixs wit- neffe again(t ur,&c. And as for a punifhment offin,as alto for the exercife ofpatience and tryall of grace, God ftuftrates the pre - fent expedationof his own people, fo much more will he for the formerreafon difappoint wickedmen of theirs; They fhall look for light,but it will be darknes for ever.('re.I®.28.)The hope of the rightecus Jhall begladnes, ( that is, the utmolt iffue of it (hall be gladnes) bot the expeftatien of the wicked /hall perifh. The wicked expect the perifbing of the righteous, but teat ex- pe&xtionofthe wicked íh211 perifh, becaufe the righteous fhall never perifh. The things which the wicked chiefely hope for, areperifhing things, and that hope often perifheth ; But if they hope for the things which perifh not, that hope alwayes perifh- eth, for they themfelves (hall perifh for ever. This Solomon aG ferts fully ( Chap. I I.7 ) When a wicked man dyeth, his expetIa- tien fhall perifh, and tire bcpe ofthe unjuft man pert(beth. Hope or expetation is ufually long liv'd ; and though thehopeof wicked men be blind and fickly, yet it often holds out or lives as longas they live. But when the wickeddye, they and their hope, they and their expedation dye and expire together. I grant the hope of a juft man ended] when he dyeth, yet it doth not die, but is perfe&ed in fruition as Solomon more then intimates at the z3d verfe of the fame Chapter, The delire of the r;ghte,ta to enlygood. It is a Maxime it Philofophy, All thingt dcfregaod ; And in that fence the delire of all men, as it is delire, is only of that which is good. But as the righteous only delire to doe that which is good, fo in ftriet fence they only delire to have that which is good. The delire of the righteous as righteous, is only good, and alwayes good ; for as he defires God above all to he delires God in all, in whom is all good, and nothing /tic good. Thus the delire of the righteetu ( and therefore their hope, for wecan hope for nothing but what we deli re) ar only good. But ( as it fotloweth in the fame verfe) The rxp, tiosi cf the wicked is wrath ; that is, he expetis the accomplientrent of his wrath,or when his expectation is accompiifhed,it is in wrath, and proves wrath to him. Wee cannot fay, that a wicked man K z Both
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