406 Cuap.3 r. An E.xpo,Fition upon the Book of j o B. Verf.r t, When any evil! is plotted, when men fie downe and meditate how to bring it about, this wind's it up to an high deg ce, and to fin thus, is to fin with a high hand (Ifa. 32. 7.) The in f ruments alfo of the Charleare evil! ; That is, the perlons or the meanes which he ufedh tobring an evil! matter about are evil!; for as it foliowcth, He devfethwicked devices todrlroy the poore with ly- ing words, even when the needy (peaketh right ; that is, be his caufe never fo right, and never fo righteoufly or truely managed yet he hath force tricke or nicityor other topervert it. To wrong a- ny man is Tinfoil, much more to wrong the poore, and to devife or contrive how to doe it is yet more fulfill'. ( Pro. 24. 8, 9 ) He that a'svifeth todie evil!, (hall be called a mifchievoue perfon. To doeevil! is natural to man in his depraved Rare; But to devife tvill is the Art of depraved Nature. TheDevil! is the Mafier of evil! devifes; and they that doe fo are his Schollers. He that doth evil!, being tempted to it, is a weake man : But ( faith Solomon ) he that devireal todoe evil!, deferves to be called a mifchievous perfon, Men often mifcall both things andperfons,but God Both not; What and whom he calleth fo or fo,is certainly fo. What a blackbrand doth the Scripture let upon Salaam, who taught Ba- lac to caft a Rumbling blecke before the children ofIfrael, to ease things facri facedunto Idols, and to commitfornication (Rev.2. i Balaamwas the Inventer of this firatagem, which brought fo great a mifchiefe upon the people ofGod ; How fitly then may he be called a mifchievous perfon? Such another Mafter of evil! devifes was yeroboam, who is as often almoll ftigmatiz'd as rc- -membred in Scripture with that heaifh Title, 7ercboem the fcn of 2 obat wb.-amade /Intel to fin. He was not only a party in but the Author ofthat wofull A poftacy ofthe ten Tribes from the pure worfhipofGod,by letting up thofe two golden Calves, Theone in Bethel, and the other inDan ; and by rfferingfacrifice upon tle Altar whichhe hadmade in Bethel the fifteenthday of the eighth :moneth, even in the month ( faith the Scripture, r Kings 12.3 3. ) which be had deviled ofhis creme heart. Thus as Solomon concludes in the next verle to that in the Proverbs 'aft opened,The thought offoollhinf'e isfin ; That is, a foolifhor a wicked man is thinking and calling about how and which way he may fin ; And as the tame Solomon 'lath it ( Pro. 21. 4. ) The plowing cf the wicked is fin : both the field which he ploweth, that is, the matter which he
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=