- upon the Efiftle of JAM I s. As !ehojadah's Chefi, which was not to be opened till Ehe fum was confiderable : fo •cis here, Gads wrath increafeth by degrees, the flower always the morejh.trp in the Hfue; fo that 'tu{ome kjnd of mercy to meet with a a fudden pmaijbment, and to have our worldly a Tmte mngil prad:ices checked with an early difappointment, lefi wrath~row irafcitur ~c"". wic'h our eflaces and we do not treafure up mon·e] fo much as fNdg- cum non 1ra[~·" h. h '·11 b r. d · h h Ch fi f G d P. · · 1111 • non emm ments, w IC · wr e apt J.llln w en t e e ~ o s anence IS , 11 ,; ntfcio fe 4 broken open ; fee Job 27. 8. and Prov. I I. -i· I were far better cum fmtio tt to fcatter then to increafe fuch an heap; as thofe that fly in battel irawm, tunc fcatter their wealth, t6at they may not be purfued. God gave us ~axf"!t ro1fiJo riches as a means. to efcape wrath, by a liberal and charitable difiri- prop~1;"'· Bcr· bucion of them to his own glory ; cert~ly we lhonld not ufe them h:c~n:rm.<f.~ as a means to treafure Hp WrAth. Thus you fee the words may be • fidy accommodated with this fence. But I rather prefer a third, becaufe there is no cogent reafon why we lhould take this ~9no-(J}Je1... !Tct.Js, ye have heaped treafures, in ametaphorical fence, efpecially fince with good leave from the Context, fcope of the Apoflle, and the fiate of thofe times, the literal may be retained. I lhould therefore fimply underfiand the words as an intim:uiOii of their approaching Judgmencs ; and fo the Apofite feeme.ch to me to tax their vanity in hoarding and heaping up wealth, when thofe fcattering and fatal days to the Jewilh Commonwealth were even ready to overtake them ; aiLthat treafure, which with fuch wrong to others, ha· zard of thtir own contentment, and violation of their Confciences, they had heaped up together, was but heaped up for the Spoyler, and the violence of tbe laff dayi. From whence we may oh-. ferve, Th11t ufnali.J men are mojf flcure and.carnal before their QWn Obfen ..'at-.. judgment ~tnd ruim. What wretchrd men were here fallen upon the lot of the /,fl ddp? Ufually thas it is, men are mofi full ofcar– mlprojells whenG~d is-abontto break down and plucku·p: Jer•. 4j•5•-Seekfft tboN great thing.r for thy (elf? feck..them mt; for· ! will bri111g evil upon all fl~/h, j~ith the Lor:d. Foolllh men are. bke a company ofAnt~, fiering their nefis when their hill or burrough.is like to be turned ·up ;. ~nd there is never more general fe ~ · tw:it-~ then when Judgmenrs ar<! at·hand. A linle before the.Flood, . thry ate,they. dr~Jni{., 1hey m-at<t-ied Wivn, ~ndwere given tn marri.. ag-e, and th.en the flood '-t:l;me, anddeffroyed.them ttll, Lu~17.17~ And, the f«me isooferved:of SodQ.m ;,Th!J b.oug_ht,. tht) fold, thty. b.Hildrd~ .
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