nifies the very thing formed. As it is also in another place, "Israel is the work of my hands." And Gen. i. it is said, "And God made," &c. And again, Psalm xcv. 5, "The sea is his, and he made it." But the works of God are those which he does by his creatures; and especially, by his word and his grace; by which, he acts upon us, and makes us act.

Let therefore this "doing" be considered to signify instituting, ordaining, distributing by various ecclesiastical ministrations, and, (as the apostles Peter and Paul did,) acting as stewards of the manifold grace of God, founding churches, and increasing them: for thus, the very faithful are said to be of their forming, their work, and their workmanship. Hence Paul 'travailed in birth,' for the Galatians, chap. iv. 19, and begat' the Corinthians, 1 Cor. iv. 15. And again, "Are not ye my work in the Lord?" 1 Cor. ix. 1. therefore that this is the spiritual workmanship of a blessed man, not a tyrannical exercise of power, nor a pompous show for these things even the gentiles can do and show forth. But, the doing' of this blessed man, is, making many good, and blessed, and like himself.

You understand

And with regard to this "prospering," take heed that thou understand not a carnal prosperity. This prosperity is a hidden prosperity, and lies entirely secret in spirit and therefore if thou hast not this prosperity that is by faith, thou shouldst rather judge thy prosperity to be greatest adversity. For as the devil bitterly hates this leaf and the Word of God, so does he also those who teach and hear it, and he persecutes such, aided by all the powers of the world. Therefore, thou hearest of a miracle the greatest of all miracles, when thou hearest that all things prosper which a "blessed" man doeth. For what is more miraculous, than that the faithful should grow while they are destroyed, should increase while they are diminished, should prevail while others prevail over them, should enter while they are expelled, and should conquer while they are conquered? For under all these things the world and its prince are

overcome. Yet hath the Lord wonderfully ordained, that, to his saint, that should be the height of prosperity which is the height of misery. This is the prosperity of the wise, and the conversion of men.

But now, we see that word of Proverbs i. 32, fulfilled, "For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. For in the present state of the church, we have made names and persons, and have turned the spirit into the flesh; and therefore what is now called a good state of the church, is opulence, tyranny, impurity, the peace of the flesh, and a pomp more than human. For the devil has seen, and at length understood, this spiritual prosperity and therefore, he has turned himself round, and, attacking us in another way, triumphs in our horrible misery. And thus, he who was conquered in a time of conflict, now triumphs in a time of peace: and God has for wonderful ends ordained both. Hence, Hilary has wisely and most truly said, that it is the nature of the church to increase in adversity, and decrease in prosperity.' But this wisdom of the cross, and this new signification of things, are not only unknown to the very heads of the church themselves, but also considered by them the most horrible things. And no wonder, since they have left the Holy Scriptures, and have devoted themselves to the unhappy ordinances of men, and to casting up of accounts and sums of money.

The ungodly are not so.

When thou hearest the word "ungodly," remember those things which we have said above concerning ungodliness, lest, like the ungodly, thou shouldst banish these words from thee as applying to the Jews only, and to heretics, and I know not what others who are a great way off; and lest perhaps laying aside the fear of God, thou shouldst not tremble at this word of his. But as he is an ungodly one who is without the faith of Christ, these words should be trembled at by thee, lest thou also shouldst be found to be one of the ungodly. For every truly godly man trembles at every word of God; as Isaiah

saith, chap. lxvi. 2, 'To whom shall I look, but to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word? And how wilt thou assure thyself that thou hast faith enough? Remember then, that as much as thou art deficient in faith, so much hast thou of ungodliness. It is the way of the ungodly to arrogate to themselves all those things that are good with confident security, and to refer all that is evil unto others. On the other hand, it is the way of the godly to believe all that evil of themselves which does not belong to them, and to refer all good unto others: nor can they be brought to aspire after the better things without much suffering of unworthiness; even though they seek those things not on account of any merit in themselves, but only by a naked hope in the mercy of God.

Therefore, to the wicked there is nothing prosperous; they have a withering leaf, and are not planted by the rivers of water.-But hear in the spirit one that speaks in the spirit. For the whole scripture declares that the ungodly flourish and prosper: and we see the same in many of the Psalms: so that it seems as if one could say of them only, 'Their leaf is green, and all that they do prospers.' Hence faith is necessary to understand these things.

But are like the dust which the wind scattereth away.

The Hebrew word CAMOTZ in this passage signifies 'chaff,' or the dust of chaff,' or 'the sweepings of a barn-floor;' yet, it is of no moment, for it is the same thing whether you say dust, or chaff-dust, or chaff, or ashes; because the persons here represented are those concerning whom Luke saith, chap. iii. 17, "Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor; and will gather the wheat into his garner, but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable." And you need not hold the least doubt, that it is this purging, this chaff, and this chaff-dust, that is signified in the present passage; though strictly and most properly, the word signifies small chaff and pieces of chaff. And Job in the same way saith, chap. xxi. 18, "They are as stubble

before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away."

And observe: He does not only call them chaff, but that chaff which the wind scattereth away he does not wish to signify that chaff which lies still; but that which is driven about, scattered and dispersed. And we may understand him first of the Jews: for these are scattered away in a threefold sense. First, corporally, by storms; that is, by the wills and indignation of those men among whom they live: so that we plainly see them with our eyes to have no certain dwelling-place, and to be exposed every moment to a wind of this kind that drives them here and there. Secondly, their minds are driven about by the wind of various doctrine, by means of their pestilent teachers, because they are not planted in the faith of Christ, but their minds are scattered in different directions by uncertain doctrines, while their consciences can find no certainty or quiet. Thirdly, in the last day they will be scattered by the eternal storms of the intolerable wrath of God, and will be driven away never to have rest, not even for a moment. And the same things will also await all heretics, especially the two last-mentioned storms.

And what else do you think it is in the church but the storm of the wrath of God, that has scattered us away into so many and different, such unstable and uncertain, and at the same time infinite, glosses of lawyers and opinions of theologians? While Christ in the meantime is utterly unknown, and we are miserably driven and dashed against so many quicksands, rocks, and straits of conscience? Though all the rest of the ungodly have their storms and hurricanes of pleasures and lusts, of riches, honours, favour, and the other billows of this world; by which, they are most miserably dashed to and fro; and that, because they despise the one only rock and solid strength of our heart.

Therefore the ungodly shall not rise in the judgment, nor sinners in the counsel of the righteous.

We have already fully shown who are sinners

and ungodly and do thou take heed that thou hear not these words of God without trembling, as if thou wert sure of being godly and a saint. This fear itself is godliness; nay, the very fountain-spring and beginning of wisdom and godliness.

"Shall not rise" here signifies, that the ungodly shall not stand before God: according to those words of Psalm v. 45, "Neither shall the evil dwell with thee; the unrighteous shall not remain in thy sight." And Psalm xxiv. 3, "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?" and this is said also concerning Christ when he shall rise up in judgment: as is that also of Psalm xii. 5, "Now will I arise, saith the Lord." Therefore, "shall not rise," signifies, that they shall not stand, shall not serve, shall not minister unto God; as they most confidently presume they shall do.

"Judgment" in this place signifies, by a scriptural figure, office. Thus, the whole book of Judges, is so called from the judges or rulers of Israel: as in Psalm cxxii. 5, "For there are set the thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David." And so also Psalm cx. 6," He shall judge among the heathen:❞ that is, he shall be the judge of the heathen. And Psalm lxxii. 4, "He shall judge the poor of the people:" that is, he shall rule them. And again, Psalm xcvi. 13, "He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth."-The meaning therefore is, the wicked shall never rise to that state, so as to be the judges or rulers of the faithful: nor even stand in their "counsel," that is, in their congregation; which means, that they shall never be reckoned either among the great or the small of the faithful. And, to open the whole more plainly still, it signifies, that the ungodly shall never so rise in judgment, nor in the congregation of the righteous, as to be considered the servants of God.

What! shall we not then put down these ungodly rulers and these wicked men, and cast them out from the midst of us? Or, is that not a congregation of the faithful where ungodly men rule, and where sinners are