A35537:617
An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty-fifth, thirty-sixth, and thirty-seventh chapters of…
An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty-fifth, thirty-sixth, and thirty-seventh chapters of the book of Job being the substance of thirty-five lectures / by Joseph Caryl ...
London: printed by M. Simmons, 1664
AN EXPOSITION WITH Practical Observations UPON The Thirty-fifth, Th… › Chapter 36 › Verses 5-6
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Thirdly, The Lord hath a mightiness of heart in executing his wrath upon his incorrigible enemies, (Psal. 90.11.) Who knoweth the power of thine anger? The anger of God is such a thing as no man can go to the bottom of it in his thoughts. The Lords wrath is powerful, beyond all imagination and apprehension; his anger, as well as his love, passeth knowledge. In all these respects the Lord hath strength of heart, or he is mighty in strength of heart, as well as in hand or arm. The greatest discoveries of Gods power, are in the ways of his mercy. His Judgements are called his strange work, but his mercy is his strength, as the Prophet calls it, (Isa. 27.5.) where warning the Briars and Thorns to take heed of warring with God, he gives a sinner this counsel, Let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me, and he shall make peace with me. But what is meant by the strength of God? Some render,1 Let him take hold of my Tower. A Tower is a place of strength, but here put for that ⟨p. 186⟩which God glories in most, as his chiefest strength, even his goodness, mercy, patience, and long-sufferance, yea Christ himself; as if he had said, Let not the sinner struggle with my strength, let him not think by str•ng hand to overcome my strength, but let him take hold of my Christ, through whom all those glorious perfections of mine, my Goodness, Mercy, Patience, &c. are given out to the children of men, and he shall make peace with me. This is the true strength of God; nor doth any thing more set forth the strength of man, than this, that he is ready to pardon, to forgive, and pass by; only impotent spirits are much for revenge. 'Tis our weakness not to pass by wrongs and injuries done to us. To bear wrongs is to be like the high and mighty God, to bear them in mind, is to be like the lowest and weakest spirited men. He is strong indeed, who is strong in patience against Offenders, and as strong in mercy to pardon humble ones, as in power to punish stubborn and rebellious ones.
Thirdly, The Lord hath a mightinesse of heart in executing his wrath upon his incorrigible enemies, (