An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty-eighth, thirty-ninth, fortieth, forty-first, and forty-second,…

There is a dutiful search into the Works of God. David speaks of it (Psal. 111.2.) The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all those that have pleasure in them. They are sought out; that is, they who have pleasure in them, do and will endeavour soberly to search them out; as much as may be; but let all take heed of searching them wantonly or presumptuously, that is, either to satisfy their curiosity, or with an opinion that they can reach the depth of them. The Lord would have us satisfy our selves in the ignorance, or rather nescience of those natural things which he hath not made known to us. Surely then (which is, as hath been said, the scope of this Chapter) we should be satisfied, though we in some cases know not, nor can perceive the reason of Gods providential dealings, either towards particular persons and families, or his Church in general. Will any wise or sober man vex and disquiet himself, will he be angry and pettish, because he knows not all the secrets of the earth and sea? (as some say Aristotle the Philosopher was to death and drowning, because he could not find out the reason why the sea in one place ebbed and slowed seven times in one day) Why then should we be impatient, because the reason of Gods proceedings with the sons of men, or of the strange ebbings and slowings of things in the sea of this world, is secreted and hidden from us. And therefore when we are not able to enter into the springs of this sea, nor to walk in the search of this depth, let it not trouble us, but humble us, as it did Job, to whom the Lord put these questions, and proceeded to put more and more hard questions, if harder can be, in the next words.

There is a dutiful search into the Works of God. David speaks of it (Psal. 111.2.) The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all those that have pleasure in them. They are sought out; that is, they who have pleasure in them, do and will endeavour soberly to search them out; as much as may be; but let all take heed of searching them wantonly or presumptuously, that is, either to satisfie their curiosity, or with an opinion that they can reach the depth of them. The Lord would have us satisfie our selves in the ignorance, or rather nescience of those natural things which he hath not made known to us. Surely then (which is, as hath been said, the scope of this Chapter) we should be satisfied, though we in some cases know not, nor can perceive the reason of Gods providential dealings, either towads particular persons and families, or his Church in general. Will any wise or sober man vex and disquiet himself, will he be angry and pettish, because he knows not all the secrets of the earh and sea? (as some say Aristotle the Philosopher was to death and drowning, because he could not find out the reason why the sea in one place ebbed and slowed seven times in one day) Why then should we be impatient, because the reason of Gods proceedings with the sons of men, or of the strange ebbings and slowings of things in the sea of this world, is secreted and hidden fom us. And therefore when we are not able to enter into the springs of this sea, nor to walk in the search of this depth, let it not trouble us, but humble us, as it did Job, to whom the Lord put these questions, and proceeded to put more and more hard questions, if harder can be, in the next words.