;18 Chap.; 1. .Qn Expofation upon the Book of J o B. Vet(.;; tnitted : So God inflicts upon (ome finners new and rare punifh. ments, fuch aseyther have not at all or very rarely been inflic- ted. Thus the Prophet threatneth (Ifa. s8.2,í.) TheLordfball rife up as in mount Tera.zim he fd all be wrath as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may doe hie workke, he firange worke, and bring to p0jfe him ail, his f range at-t. Thisorange worke, thiffirange nE of the Lord againft a provoking people, may be expounded in generali ofall his works ofjudgement , becaufe judgements are the ftrangeworks ofGod, in comp,arifon of his works ofmercy, mercy pleafeth him , or as the Prophet fpeakes (A-fish. 7: t 8. ) He delighteth in mercy; and he did fo efpecially with reference to the people of I /rael, his ownpeople, who had enjoyed the mul- titude of his mercies, manifold mercies, and that for a long time together. Therefore any worke of judgement upon them was a firange worke. Now as all punifhmenrs are (in a fence ) the ftrange worke of God, compared with his workes of mercy ( though weeknow judgement and mercy according to occafi- ons are alike to him) fo tome punifbments are ftrange punifh- ments in comparifonofothers. There are punifhments that wee doe not wonder at , they are common; and there are ftrange punifhments, wonderful! punifhments, fach as wee Rand amazed at. Mofes (Deut. 28. 59, 6e.) denounced thefe alto againft the Ifraelites in cafeof difobedience ; Then the Lord will make thy plagues wanderfull, and the plagues of thy feed, even great plagues and of longcontinuance, andfore fieknef es, and of longcon- tinuance. c..Yt4reover, hee will bring upon thee all the difeafes of Egypt which thou wag afraid of, and they (hall cleave unto thee, allo every fickneffe, and every plague, which is not written in the backe of thisLaw, themwill the Lord bring upon thee until! thou be deftroyed. Here are frange affhâions, Inch as had not been written or heard of, I will make thy plagues wonderful!; Thy plagues (ball be fuck aseyther havenot been (cene at all or rare- ly feece. Galamitatem Secondly, It may be called aftrangepunifhment, with refper i in ufrtatam& to the perlons minified they who (pend their yeares in vaine cMi minime ar delights, in fulfilling the tufts of the fle(h, and following the JNeveratft tuft- courfe ofthis world, are not ufed to punifhment, nor acquainted sent. Drat with forrow. Punifhment is frange to them that live in plea- lure ; theyknownot what it means, nor have they any experi- ence
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=