That of Job (Chap. 20.22.) is full to this point, In the fullness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits: A strange thing that a man should be in straits, when he is in his greatest enlargement, that a man should be emptied when he is full, that a man should be nothing, when he hath all sufficiency about him, yet thus it shall be, In the fullness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits. As a godly man hath a sufficiency in his wants, yea a fullness of sufficiency in his wants: So on the other side, an hypocrite, whose heart is false with God, hath want in his sufficiency, yea want in the fullness of his sufficiency. Which may be understood two ways; either that his fullness in the greatest sufficiency of it is unsatisfying; or that his fullness in the greatest sufficiency of it, is upon decaying and abating. (Psal. 78.13.) Whilst the meat was in their mouths, the wrath of God fell upon them; while meat is in the mouth, rich clothes upon the back, while store of money is in the purse, while the land brings forth abundance of increase, even in all these sufficiencies a man may be in straits. As it was with Agag (1 Sam. 15.) Surely (saith he) the bitterness of death is past; he thought himself safe, and that the storm was quite blown over, but then, in that nick of time comes Samuel, and cutteth him in pieces. The Apostle Paul saith (2 Cor. 1.9.) I had the sentence of death in my self; that is, I concluded, I could not survive those sufferings, I thought my self a lost man: yet the Lord delivered him, and fetched him from the grave. But when hypocrites (like Agag) have the sentence, yea the sweetness of life in themselves; When they say peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes, as pain upon a woman in travel, and they shall not escape: God cuts them off. It follows,
That of Job (Chap. 20.22.) is full to this point, In the fulnesse of his sufficiency he shall be in straits: A strange thing that a man should be in straits, when he is in his greatest enlargement, that a man should be emptied when he is full, that a man should be nothing, when he hath all sufficiency about him, yet thus it shall be, In the fulnesse of his sufficiency he shall be in straits. As a godly man hath a sufficiency in his wants, yea a fulnesse of sufficiency in his wants: So on the other side, an hypocrite, whose heart is false with God, hath want in his sufficiency, yea want in the fulnesse of his sufficiency. Which may be understood two waies; either that his fulnesse in the greatest sufficiency of it is unsatisfying; or that his fulnesse in the greatest sufficiency of it, is upon decaying and abating. (Psal. 78.13.) Whilest the meat was in their mouths, the wrath of God fell upon them; while meat is in the mouth, rich clothes upon the back, while store of money is in the purse, while the land brings forth abundance of encrease, even in all these sufficiencies a man may be in straits. As it was with Agag (1 Sam. 15.) Surely (saith he) the bitternesse of death is past; he thought himself safe, and that the storm was quite blown over, but then, in that nick of time comes Samuel, and cutteth him in peeces. The Apostle Paul saith (2 Cor. 1.9.) I had the sentence of death in my self; that is, I concluded, I could not survive those sufferings, I thought my self a lost man: yet the Lord delivered him, and fetched him from the grave. But when hypocrites (like Agag) have the sentence, yea the sweetnesse of life in themselves; When they say peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes, as pain upon a woman in travell, and they shall not escape: God cuts them off. It follows,
