Christ makes this an argument of faith in God for food and cloathing Mat. 6.26 Behold the fowls of the air for they sow not neither do they reap nor gather into barns yet your heavenly Father feedeth them are not ye much better than they How little faith have you who knowing that God feeds the fowls of the air yet cannot trust him for your food He giveth food in abundance Thirdly note Plenty and scarcity are at the dispose of God He can give meat in scarcity as well as meat in abundance he can give cleanness of teeth as well as fulness of bread And as he can strengthen the staff of bread so break it and cause us to eat bread by weight and with care and to drink water by measure and with astonishment Ezek. 4.16 To eat by weight and drink by measure is to eat and drink in the want of bread and water as is expressed vers 17. And as these changes of our natural so of our spiritual food are from the Lord Amos 8.11 I will send a famine What famine not of bread but of hearing the word of the Lord. 'T is the Lord who sends plenty and scarcity of bread whether for the soul or for the body Fourthly In that he saith by them he giveth meat in abundance Note God useth natural meanes as the cause either of plenty or scarcity The Lord could give us abundance if he pleased without rain but he rarely gives abundance but by rain he sends rain out of the Clouds to water the earth and make it fruitful The Lord could make our souls fruitful in every good work without the preaching of the word but he seldom doth it I believe never when the word may be had without the preaching of the word And therefore the Lord by his Prophet makes a comparison between or a paralel of these two Isa 55.10 11. As the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven and returneth not thither but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater so shall my word be that goeth out of my mouth c. The Lord useth rain and snow yea wind and thunder to fit the earth as he useth his Word and holy Ordinances to fit the soul to bring forth fruit to himself He could do both alone but he improveth that order of nature and grace which himself at first set up and instituted to bâ—ing about these excellent ends 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Praebebit escâ—m per multam Sept. By them he giveth meat in abundance The Greek translation renders all manner of muchness From the whole learn what cause we have to acknowledge the goodness of God in every shower of rain and fleet of snow for by them he giveth us our meat We should hence also be minded to fear the Lord and to take heed of his displeasure It is said Asts 12.20 when Herod was highly displeased with them of Tire and Sidon they came with one accord to him and having made Blastus the Kings Chamberlain their friend desired peace because their Country was nourished by the Kings Country O how much more should we labour to avoid the displeasure of God and hasten to make our peace with him seeing our Country is nourished by his Country The heavens nourish the earth else the earth could not afford any thing for our nourishment We are fed rather from the heavens than from the earth The clouds drop down and make the earth fat to give grass for cattel and co n for man Elihu speaks nothing of the Earth but of the Clouds fâ—om them we are fed Lately consider Elihu joynes both effects expresly By them he judgeth the people he giveth meat c. Hence note The Lord can make the same creature either beneficial or hurtful to us That which is an instrument in his hand for good to his servants is often a plague and a scourge to his enemies The rain which at one time moistens the earth at another time drowns it the rain which at one time cherisheth the creatures at another time choaks them The winds which at one time fan the air and cool it at another time enrage and vex it the winds which at one time sweeten and cleanse the air at another time corrupt and infect it The Lord can with the same creatures furnish himself for any dispensation By them he judgeth the people and by them he giveth meat in abundance JOB Chap. 36. Vers 32 33. 32. With clouds he covereth the light and commandeth it not to shine by the cloud that cometh between 33. The noise whereof sheweth concerning it the cattel also concerning the vapour THese two verses have a Character of difficulty and obscurity put upon them by several interpreters Hujus et sequentis versus difficultas et obscuritas tanta semper ab omnibus enarratoribus habita est ut vix alius in toto hoc libro ne dicum in toto sacro codice locus isto impenetrabilior esse videatur Bold and some have concluded them the most difficult and darkest portion of the whole Book of Job yea of the whole Book of God And should I reckon up all the various Grammatical constructions of these words together with the distinct interpretations given upon them I should weary my self and rather perplex than advantage the Reader And therefore I shall speak to these two verses First as they are laid down plainly in our translation according to which with submission to the judgement of those learned Authors I see neither any great difficulty nor obscurity in them and shall afterwards give a brief account at least of some of those different readings and translations which I find upon them The words as I conceive according to the mind of our translators and as the Text clearly beareth hold out two things concerning the raine of which Elihu had spoken before First What is naturally preparatory to raine or foule weather that we have in the 32d verse With clouds he covereth the light and commandeth it not to shine by the Cloud that cometh between Secondly We have that which is declaratory of raine or as some call them the Prognosticks and signs of raine these are laid down in the 33d verse The noise thereof sheweth concerning it the Cattel also concerning the vapour Vers 32. With clouds he covereth the light He that is God covereth the light with Clouds We heard of the Clouds at the 29th verse but the word there used is not that which is used in this 32d verse Vox 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 amâ—igua est ad manus nubes proprie volas denotat ad nubes refero quia de iis hactenus actum et quia propriè curvaturas significat quales in unaquaque mibo duae sunt convexa concava De Dieu in loc The word here made use of by Elâ—hu signifies generally any thing that is hollow or concave as
which the neglect of giving God the glory of his corrections and chastenings may bring upon the righteous Hence note Disobedience or neglect of duty is dangerous wheresoever it is found The Church of Corinth felt this many of them died in the sence given without knowledge or not having a due spiritual knowledge of Christ in the holy supper which the Apostle calls their not discerning the Lords body 1 Cor. 11.29 and presently tells them ver 30. for this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep that is are taken away by death Any kind or degree of sin is dangerous not to obey a hint of providence not to obey an intimation of the mind of God in an affliction may be very dangerous afflictions may end in destructions and fetters in death if the purpose of God in them be not attended and answered by us Secondly note Not to obey when God calls and commands is folly and ignorance Such do as if they had no knowledge at all what or how to do Lastly in that he saith they shall dye without knowledge we may learn this from it The ignorance and heedlesness of men undo them and bring destruction upon them Many die because they have no knowledge others not heeding or minding what they know Holy David confessed that in on◠point he was ignorant and foolish even as a beast Psal 73.22 and when good men act like beasts without a due improvement of reason and understanding they may perish as to this temporal life like beasts Isa 5.13 Therefore my people are gone into captivity because they have no knowledge The Prophet I conceive is to be understood as this text not that they had no knowledge at all or were utterly ignorant but they had no knowledge as to that special dispensation of God how to make use of it or improve it at least they took no heed no care to use or improve it and saith he they therefore are gone into captivity they are brought under bondage to their enemies they are scattered ruin'd and as to this world quite lost and undone Wicked men are undone by acting against their knowledge good men may be undone by acting below their knowledge or by not acting according to what they know or should have known and so through their ignorance or heedlesness they dye without knowledge JOB Chap. 36. Vers 13 14. 13. But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath they cry not when he bindeth them 14. They die in youth and their life is among the unclean ELihu having put the case of the righteous in these two conditional propositions last opened as somewhat doubtful what at least some of them may do as to a right-improvement of outward afflictions he proceeds in these two verses to shew the case of the wicked wholly desperate in their affliction There is an if put upon the righteous but he is conclusive upon the hypocrite to be sure he will neither hear nor obey neither submit nor conform to the voyce of the rod. So that in these words he sets forth the common yea constant issue of the hand of God upon hypocrites in heart Possibly good men righteous men may not alwayes answer the expectation of God when affliction is upon them but as for hypocrites they alwayes heap up wrath And in this we may conceive Elihu hath a respect to Job For though he did not conclude him to be an hypocrite in heart yet he put it home upon him to consider the matter whether he himself had not at least acted and carried it like an hypocrite in heart under the afflicting hand of God forasmuch as he was no more humbled and subdued under it And indeed Elihu turns every stone and tryeth every way to bring down the spirit of Job And therefore as he had shewed what the usuall effects of the hand of God upon the righteous are so he tells him how it is with the wicked in that case thereby to put him upon the triall whether he had not reason to suspect himself to be an hypocrite because his carriage was so like theirs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vers 13. But the hypocrites in heart c. That adversative particle shews that he is dealing upon another subject hypocrites in heart are far from righteousness I have discoursed somewhat largely concerning the hypocrite in chap. 34 v. 30. upon these words That the hypocrite reign not lest the people 〈…〉 snared Therefore I intend not here to revive that subject but shall only a little open the additional tearm or amplification which is here put upon the hypocrite Elihu doth not say barely hypocrites heap up wrath but The hypocrites in heart heap up wrath as implying some special character and brand of hypocrisie upon the persons here aimed at An hypocrite in heart is no more but this nor is it any thing less than an hearty hypocrite he is one that is not to the halves but wholly hypocritical he that is but half with God such is the hypocrite is wholly profane wholly wicked The same word which signifyeth an hypocrite signifyeth a profane person and so we put it in the margine of this text The hypocrite or the profane in heart This expression is very paralel with that of the Apostle Paul Col. 1.21 Ye that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked workes yet now hath he reconciled He doth not only call natural men enemies to God as indeed they all are the wisdome of the flesh is enmity against God But he calls them enemies in their minds that is such as have a mind to be enemies or such as have a good will to do evil So here an hypocrite in heart is a man heartily hypocritical whosoever is an hypocrite is an hypocrite in heart Hypocrisie is that which lyeth at the bottome it is an heart-sin though hypocirsie act and vent it self at the tongue and by the hand yet all hypocrisie lyeth at the heart nevertheless every hypocrite is not strictly taken an hypocrite in heart The hypocrite in heart is opposed to the upright in heart Psal 92.11 The hypocrite in heart hath a heart as full of hypocrisie as the upright in heart would have hearts full of uprightness Yet further to characterize the hypocrite in heart Take these three considerations to clear it Data opera inpius est First an hypocrite in heart is one who doth evil not out of mistake but our of designe not because he cannot do otherwise but because he will not and is resolved on it such a sinful piece or such a piece of sinfulness is the hypocrite in heart he sins as he should love and serve and obey God with all his heart Secondly as this hypocrite doth evil upon design so also he doth good with a wicked mind It is possible for a man to do good unsincerely or not to be sincere in the doing of it and yet not to do it with a wicked mind and
affliction and trouble that thou carest not what thou chusest Mr. Broughton thus Beware thou look not to sorrow to choose that for thy affliction The summe of all is as if Elihu had thus bespoken Job in this part of the verse O Job whereas God requires of thee to give him glory in the humble submission of thy soul unto him and sitting patiently under his mighty hand thou hast behaved thy self quite otherwise thou hast carried it stoutly and uttered very bitter complainings of thy condition thou hast not given God the glory of his soveraignty of his holiness justice purity and goodness in thy afflâ—ction thou hast not set thy self to do this as thou shouldest but thou hast run out exceedingly and overshot thy self So that I may even say of thee thou hast chose this iniquity rather than submitted to thy affliction Elihu speakes reprovingly this thou hast chosen Is this a good choice Hence note First Sin or that which is sinful ought not to be chosen whatsoever we choose As Solomon counseleth in the book of Proverbs with all thy gettings get understanding he meanes spiritual understanding as if he had said What ever thou are getting be sure thou get wisdom for thy soul wisdom to salvation wisdom for eternity in all thy gettings get understanding So I may lay in this place among all your choosings be sure you never choose sin that 's not to be chosen leave that out or pass that by in all your elections This is a point of very large compass it suits not my work here to insist much upon it yet I shall take leave a little What ever you châ—ose choose not sin Why First Sin is evil in it self and that which is malum in se evil in it self or evil it self is not the object of choice no man is to choose evil nor properly can choose it Secondly Choose not sin for sin is an evil forbidden the Law is against it and the Gospel too Thirdly Choose not sin for sin is a dishonour to God and we should rather choose to die than dishonour â—od Fourthly Choose not sin for it brings destruction upon man Sin strictly and abstractly considered cannot properly be chosen A rational creature cannot choose sin properly because sin is evil and election being the office of the Will whose adaequate objâ—ct is good sin strictly taken cannot be chosen But sin is often chosen and 't is the choice of most men they choose iniquity rather than affliction iniquity is the choice and the beloved of many a mans soul But how It is under the pretence of something that is good no man can choose it as 't is evil For though some love sin and choose sin for sins sake such come up highest and nearest to the frame of the devil as they that do good for goods sake come nearest to the holy Angels yet I say sin is alwayes chosen under some consideration or shadow of good and if any man choose to sin without respect to profit or gaine yet he hath some good in his eye namely to please himself he would have his will and will not let God have his will and this is good to him who is starke naught But usually sin is chosen upon one of these three accounts First sin is very often chosen by a mistake for that which is good They who as the Apostle speaks Heb. 5.12 are uâ—skilful in the word of righteousness they who have not sences exercised to discern between good and evil are very apt to choose evil in stead of good that is thinking it to be good Thus error in opinion is chosen upon a mistake for truth and iniquity in practise is chosen upon a mistake for duty Of such the Prophet speakes Isa 5.20 They call evil good and good evil they put darkness for light and light for darkness which as some do knowingly out of perverseness of spirit so others ignorantly out of unsoundness of judgement imagining that to be good which is evil and that to be light which is nothing else but darkness that to be sound doctrine which is erâ—our and that holy worship which is superstition So did Paul before he was converted he chose iniquity and thought he had done very well I thought saith he I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus Christ Acts 26. I thought it my duty I verily thought I ought to persecute and vex those who beleeved in Jesus where-ever I found them And Jesus Christ himself forewarns his Disciples John 16.2 that the time was coming that whosoever killed them would think they did God service Thus many do not understand what is right and so choose what is wrong Secondly Others choose that which is evil hoping that some good will come of it that God may have some glory by it and men themselves and others may have some advantage by it This reproach was cast upon the Apostles and their doctrine which St. Paul rejected with highest disdain Rom. 3.8 Not as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say let us do evil that good may come thereof whose damnation is just The glory of the free grace of God will be manifested in the pardoning of our sin come therefore say some let us sin our fill that so the immeasurableness of the Lords goodness and mercy may appear Woe to those who make such inferences their damnation is just To do evil upon any hopes of good by it though it be the glory of God subjects to the worst evil of suffering damnation Others choose sin Why They look some good will come by it that is some profit If we strain our consciences to do this we may get or keep favour with men if we do this evil it may gain us acceptance in the world Many choose evil because in doing so they swim with the stream and comply with the many or as the Apostle speakes with the course of this world these choose evil because they would be in the fashion of the most they consider which way the world is like to go and set themselves to go that way Thirdly Others do evil hoping to avoid and escape danger by it they choose the evil of sin that they may escape the evil of punishment As many sin for a little advantage so others to avoid loss and that they may sleep in a whole skin Some will deny what they have done to save themselves No body can prove it against us we will deny it and so avoid trouble and keep out of the reach of danger Yea for this cause many deny the truth and renounce the wayes of God in which they have walked Demas forsook Paul he left the Church of God that he might keep in with and close to the world Upon these pretences and hopes many choose evil not meerly and barely in it self but as it comes thus clothed As some choose it through ignorance so others upon hopes of getting good and not a few upon