Moses his choice with his eye fixed upon Heaven, discovering the happy condition of…

Fourthly, God grants pleasure and prosperity in just judgement to them, to ripen their sin, to harden them in it. The Sun-shine of prosperity ripens the ¹sins of the wicked apace, and so fits them for destruction; this hardens them against the ways of God, it makes them bless themselves in their way, They spend their days in wealth, therefore they say to God, depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways; What is the Almighty, that we should serve ²him? There is no truer misery, then false joy, says Bernard. There is a great difference between the prosperity of the wicked, and that which the godly have; God carries his people when he exalts them, as the Eagle her young upon her wings, he exalts them to safety, according to that expression that we have, Job 5. 11. that those which mourn, may be exalted to safety; but when God exalts the wicked, he lifts them up as the Eagle lifts up her prey in her talons, he lifts them up to destroy them. It was a speech of Augustine upon the 26 Psalm; Many are ³miserable, by loving hurtful things, but they are more miserable by having them; it is not what men enjoy, but the principle from whence it comes, that makes them happy.⁴

Fourthly, God grants pleasure and prosperity in just judgement to them, to ripen their sin, to harden them in it. The Sun-shine of prosperity ripens the ¹sins of the wicked apace, and so fits them for destruction; this hardens them against the ways of God, it makes them bless themselves in their way, They spend their days in wealth, therefore they say to God, depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways; What is the Almighty, that we should serve ²him? There is no truer misery, then false joy, says Bernard. There is a great difference between the prosperity of the wicked, and that which the godly have; God carries his people when he exalts them, as the Eagle her yong upon her wings, he exalts them to safety, according to that expression that we have,