Baal 1 King 18.40 But these are not to be imitated and we are to take heed to wild-fire instead of true zeal And particularly well managed and sober zeal hath those properties which may be gathered from the Text. 1. It will nor drive men rashly and in an headlong way to engage in quarrels and debates which they can avoid For he waited long to see if these mistakes might be cleared and rectified without him This rule is transgressed by all who do precipitantly rush and engage in debates and particularly by private men when they do needlesly engage in Controversies and Church quarrels which lye out of their way See Prov. 26 17 2. Right and sober zeal proceeds according to knowledge see Rom. 10.2 and will not pass judgement upon any thing but after a fair hearing and serious tryal of the matter For before his anger was kindled and brake forth he had waited and heard them patiently that he might take up the business well as he professeth v. 11. See Prov. 13.10 and 18.13 This is little observed by an any whose wit is all in their fore-head and their heart at their mouth And therefore they rush upon courses before they ponder them they are beguiled with fair masks and pretences and they look not to the consequences of courses before they do engage in them 3. True and sober zeal will never lead men to seek themselves but makes them content that a good turn be done though they be not seen in it For he waited upon them as minding if the matter were otherwise cleared not to appear Hence it may be concluded That boasters of themselves and extollers of themselves do reflect upon their own zeal as not found 4. True zeal teacheth men to reverence those with whom they have to do for their age parts and experience For he waited and heard them patiently and reverently because they were elder than he Of this afterward Only it argues passion and not zeal when men leave the defence of their cause to reflect upon persons and do behave themselves unsoberly toward them Doct. 2. Though true zeal ought to be managed with sobriety as hath been said yet it is no evidence of sobriety or of a right temper of zeal for men not to see the errours that are in the best of men and not to defend truth were it even against never so many godly men For Elihu marks errours in Job and here also and v. 3. in his three Friends and argues against them all 3. It is also no kindly mark of zeal for men to be furious at a fit and then to cool if they be not taken at first but true zeal is constant in its heat and fervour For here after all his long waiting his wrath is kindled 4. Men and even good men may have that opinion of themselves and their way which differs very farr from truth For v. 1. they judged they had said enough and that Job was obstinate and yet Elihu finds there was no answer in their mouth as hath been fully cleared v. 3. 5. They are justly censurable in the judgement of all zealous men who deserts cause of God and either in a neutral way or otherwise lye by from defending it For this kindles his wrath that they had no answer to Job especially on Gods behalf Verse 6. And Elihu the Son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said I am young and ye are very old wherefore I was afraid and durst not shew you mine opinion 7. I said Dayes should speak and multitude of years should teach wisdome The rest of this Chapter contains Elihu's general Preface directed to both parties but chiefly to Jobs three Friends And he insists the longer in Prefacing Partly because he was a young man in which case it was necessary to clear that he appeared not in this cause out of any arrogance or impudence but meerly out of love to truth and to plead that it was equitable they should lay aside all extrinsick advantages of age experience wit c. which they had on their side in this debate and that none of these should pre-judge his cause but let naked truth carry it Partly that he might here once for all condemn and lay by the three Friends with whom he deals no more after this Preface but leaves them to see the errour of their proceeding by taking notice of that right way which he followed whereby also he might insinuate into Jobs affection and invite him to hearken more patiently to what he was to say seeing he did not take part with his Friends against him In these Verses we have the first branch of this Preface wherein he gâ—â—â— a reason why he had kept silence so long and had not interposed sooner to end this difference Namely That the conscience of his own youth and his respect to their age and opinion of their wisdome made him afraid to speak in so grave an audience upon such a subject v. 6. As reckoning and judging within himself for so this phrase I said is to be understood here as Gen. 20.11 where it is said and not thought in the Original that it became such aged men and they were only fit to speak to such a matter seeing their long experience should teach them more wisdome which they might communicate to others v 7. In general Learn 1. Albeit zeal should be managed with sobriety yet that zeal is not approved which burns only in mens breasts against an evil course or errour unless it break forth also as need requires in their station For he whose wrath was kindled v. 2 3 5. now answered and said c. and spake when he was called to it Not as many who dislike evil courses if men may trust their professions and discourses and yet they never appear to do any thing against them in their stations 2. Zeal in defending of a good cause may yet suffer prejudices in mens opinions by reason of disadvantages in the person who manageth it As here his youth might readily cause them mistake his zeal and frequently we find many ready to except against and reflect upon the persons of men that thereby they may render their cause suspicious And therefore men who would find out truth had need to try a cause impartially abstracting from the consideration of persons who manage it 3. Albeit real disadvantages in mens persons do not warrant them to desert a good cause yet they should teach them to manage it with soberness and fear As here Elihu doth considering his youth wherein he is imitated but by very few young men who have any thing of zeal and honesty in them In particular Learn 1. Youth considered in it self is attended with many weaknesses For so doth Elihu grant That his youth gave him cause to fear lâ—st he run into mistakâ—s in speaking of so weighty and grave matters and that their age gave them many advantages which he wanted Who so will consider the heat of young
blood which makes young men rash and precipitant and their zeal to out-strip their knowledge and light their youthful lusts want of experience c. will easily perceive that youth is not easie to manage aright Whereas to men of age many of these snares are broken Time and experience will let them see many things to be but folly and vanity which youth will not believe that they are such Those strong passions which do oft times master and over-power even true grace in younger persons may be more subdued and cooled in them c. This may let us see that it is a great mercy to be helped well through a time of youth and to be kept from the snares of it and the sad effects of these disadvantages which attend it 2. One great advantage of age above youth is in the matter of wisdome gathered by study and experience and in the cooling of their heat and passions which usually represent things to men through false Perspectives For this is the advantage intimated here On his own part he was afraid and durst not shew his opinion considering that he was young and they old Not only was he afraid lest he should goe without the bounds of his station in offering to speak before them but lest being but a young man he should miscarry in speaking to the matter it self And on their part he reckoned this their advantage That dayes or men of dayes should speak that is Not only is it their priviledge to speak when young men should be silent and hear but it is expected they should be able to speak to purpose on such weighty subjects and that multitude of years should teach wisdome that is their long life should be so improved as they may be taught much experimental knowledge by living long in the world which also they should teach and communicate to others It is true this difference betwixt age and youth doth not universally hold as Elihu afterwards tells them yet many times it proves true that age out-strips youth in these things as Rehoboam found by experience in the matter of his Counsellours 1 King 12. And however it hold eventually yet the characters here assigned of youth and old age do point out that it is a great defect in young men not to be well acquainted with their own precipitancy and want of experience And that it is a great shame for aged persons if as they have place to speak so they be not wise and able to speak to purpose and if the long time they have had hath not so taught them as makes them both able and willing to communicate their light to others who possibly are not so able or sensible of the good and evil of courses as themselves are But they themselves are no less rash and head-strong than if they were still children 3. It is an evidence of grace and a great mercy to young persons when they are made to discern and take notice of the disadvantages they lye under For so is Elihu sensible here of what might rationally be expected from his youth and their age Thus Solomon is sensible of the disadvantages of his youth 1 King 3.7 8 9. When young men are not sensible of their disadvantages they cannot but run headlong on snares while they think themselves wise enough and so prove in effect but mad fools Whereas these who are afraid lâ—st they do miscarry and so are not rash to do or speak any thing they prove themselves to be most able and do seldome miscarry 4. When God gives young men a blessed sight of their own disadvantages it will produce much sobriety As here it doth in Elihu See Tit. 2.6 And if we consider the words we will find these evidences of sobriety in young men 1. They who are sober will have no conceit of themselves For Elihu here is free of that And where conceit is it is an evidence that the weaknesses of youth are not well studied 2. Sober young men will have a good esteem of aged men and their opinions till they find very clear cause to judge otherwise For he judged that such should speak and teach wisdome 3. They will still be modest and respect age even when they are dis-satisfied with their opinion As here he waited till they had spoken out and reckoned that dayes should speak or had place to speak before him 4. They will be farr from presumptuous boldness and full of humble fears in their undertakings especially when they are called to oppose others who are elder than themselves As here he enters with much fear upon this undertaking Verse 8. But there is a Spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding 9. Great men are not alwayes wise neither do the aged understand judgement 10. Therefore I said Hearken to me I also will shew mine opinion Followeth to v. 21. the second branch of this Preface wherein he gives five Reasons why he now interposeth to speak in this cause The first Reason in these Verses is more general containing this in summ That the fountain of wisdome not being in man himself but from God who giveth it to whom he pleaseth v. 8. And who doth not always give it to great men and men of experience v. 9. Therefore though he be a young man yet they having given over he will hazard to speak somewhat in that cause v. 10. Which he might well undertake being indeed inspired by God as he tells them v. 18 19. though here he speak of that inspiration only in general and abstractly v. 8. which might supply his want of years and experience For clearing of this purpose Consider 1. These tearms of Wisdome understanding and Judgement are here to be taken promiscuously for a gift of discerning to judge betwixt right and wrong and truth and errour in matters and opinions together with a gift of prudence or ability to speak rightly and pertinently to a cause For these are the particulars of which Elihu is treating which he expresseth by all these words 2. As for that Spirit which he saith is in man Some understand it of the reasonable Soul of man and take up the purpose thus That all men have a reasonable Soul which by the special inspiration of God may be so elevated that even young men by that assistance may comprehend these things which aged and experienced persons cannot know without it Others understand it of the Soul of man yet they take up the scope of the Verse thus That though there be such a Spirit in man yet it is not that but the inspiâ—ation of the Almighty which makes truly wise But it is clearer to understand it of the Spirit of God and so the latter part of the Verse is exegetâ—ke and explains the former That it is by that Spirit in man even by the inspiration of the Almighty that any attain to this understanding here spoken of 3. As for this Spirit or inspiration as it is not
the wicked at any time prospered their prosperity was but momentany and ended in visible judgments And if the godly were at any time afflicted their afflictions speedily ended in visible blessings And therefore when they consider Jobs case being so suddenly turned out of his prosperity and so long and so sore afflicted beyond the ordinary tryals of faithful men especially carrying so ill under it as he had done chap. 3. They conclude that he behoved to have been either a grosly wicked man or a close hypocrite Hence they judge it their most seasonable way to prove him wicked and to bear him down and humble him that so they might have ground whereupon to comfort him being penitent That this was the drift of their Discourses will sufficiently appear from their several speeches and we may find Job noticing this as their particular and chief design chap. 21.27 28. chap. 32.1 they give him up as an obstinate man because he would not take with wickedness But Job upon the other hand maintains that neither love nor hatred can be known by outward afflictions but that Saints may be under as great outward trouble as the wicked And therefore he rejects their counsel to take with former wickedness and hypocrisie and begin anew to seek God and adheres to the testimony of his Conscience which bare witness to his Integrity notwithstanding all assaults from within or from without Hence he grants that he is a sinner but not that he is an hypocrite or wicked man That God is righteous who afflicted him and yet he is not unrighteous though afflicted by a righteous God albeit neither he nor they could sufficiently reconcile these two nor sufficiently clear how they were consistent That though he be not sinless nor perfect to seclude free grace Yet he was sincere according to the tenour of the Covenant of grace and perfect before men Those and many the like Principles we will find scattered throughout his speeches while he constantly insists to defend himself in the main cause 3. Having considered the state of the Controversie it is necessary We pass some verdict and censure upon the dispute on either hand whereby our thoughts may be regulated in going through it For albeit all that is here recorded be Sacred Scripture in so far as it contains an infallible account of what each of them said and that they spake so Yet when we consider that both parties are rebuked by God for what they utter in the debate and that they speak of many things in contradictory terms We can no further justifie the purposes uttered by them then we find the general consent of other Scriptures bearing witness thereunto as we cannot either justifie the complaints and tentations of Saints which are recorded in the Book of Psalms and elsewhere as sound Divinity but do look upon them as recorded in Scripture only for this end that their example and experience may serve for Caution and Instruction to the godly in all Ages Hence on the Friends part we may remark 1. They maintain a false principle throughout the Dispute That God afflicted none as he afflicted Job but wicked men which they insist so much upon because otherwise they were not able to reconcile such sharp dealing with the righteousness of God Whereas the Scripture elsewhere assures us that all things come alike to all Eccles 9.2 to which the Principle Job closely adhereth chap. 9.22 and elsewhere throughout the dispute 2. They do also express a rash and uncharitable judgment in their Discourse in that they judged of the godly mans state by his fits of tentation and disordered frame and expressions in the heat of his distemper Judging that to proceed from a wicked disposition and consequently to be the mark of a wicked man which was extorted from him through the violence of tentation and was only an evidence of that common infirmity of Saints which we find recorded in Scripture to have broken forth in David and other godly men as well as him Hence all their reflections upon his complaints do fall short of their conclusion to prove him a wicked man though indeed they reproved what was truly culpable in him 3. In their Doctrine concerning Gods Judgments upon wicked men which is the great Argument whereby they endeavour to prove him wicked we must acknowledge there is much truth if we take in eternal punishment among the rest to be inflicted upon the wicked whether they escape in this life or not and if we understand it of the deserving of all wicked men according to the sentence of the Law and that God useth so to deal with some wicked men whom he makes publick spectacles of his Justice to deterr others In these respects we find some of their speeches cited or at least alluded unto in other Scriptures as Job 5.13 with 1 Cor. 3.19 and several of their expressions will be found to have some parallels in other Books of the Old Testament Yet in their speaking of these outward and visible judgments that come on wicked men there is a double mistake One That they not only pleaded the Law-sentence and the Deserving of such men or that God did execute these threatnings accordingly on some even in this life which Job never denied chap. 27.11 12 13 14 c. But they pleaded also the real and actual execution of all that was threatned and that on every one of the wicked even in this life And so asserted that to be universally true which is only rue of some For Job agreeably to the Scriptures maintained that God exercised a great variety of dispensations toward wicked men in this life chap. 21.23 24 25. And as may be gathered from the scope of most of his speeches that oft-times God seeth it fit to spare wicked men in this life notwithstanding their ill-deserving yea and to heap prosperity upon them until their death That so he may exercise the faith and patience of the godly and may teach all to look out to a Day of Judgment and the eternal reward of Wickedness and Piety Another mistake is That they asserted these calamities to be proper to the wicked which are common also to the godly For albeit temporal calamities inflicted on a wicked man are real curses and fruits of his sin Yet the Scripture elsewhere cleareth that the same lots may also befal the godly either for chastisement or for the tryal of their faith and patience and that the supporting grace of God may he magnified in them as Jobs own experience doth witness Thus as to the external stroke there may be one event to the righteous and to the wicked c. Eccles 9.2 4. Their Doctrine concerning Gods Sovereignty Holiness and Justice whereby they laboured to drive Job from his confidence is true doctrine and therefore Job strives to out-strip them in commending those Attributes of God Yet they did ill apply this doctrine and made a bad use of it to crush a godly man as
seeking to root and establish themselves on the earth Whereas the godly being in a right frame do labour to be strangers in the abundance of all things Otherwise they may surely expect to be shaken Psal 30.6 7. For it is an evidence of their folly that they are taking root and settling themselves 3. The Lord seeth it sometime sit suddainly to over-turn the wicked and their families that he may vindicate his justice in the view of the world may give warning to all the wicked of what they deserve that they abuse not his forbearance Rom. 2.4 and may encourage the godly to keep his way and trust in him whose Providence is not asleep in the world Psal 58.10 11. For it is true Eliphaz saw this verified on some that their habitation was suddainly cursed 4. Albeit the Lord do not suddainly and visibly plague every wicked man yet there is still so much of divine displeasure lying upon all of them even in their prosperity as may make godly men look upon their best estate as detestable and not to be desired For in so far this is true of all the wicked that their habitation may be seen to be accursed by right discerners And these instances of visible and suddain judgments observed by Eliphaz are evidences to discover how matters stand with all the rest It is true Saints may be tempted to judge otherwise when they look on their prosperity Psal 73.2 3 c. Yet when they go to the Sanctuary they will find that tentation to flow from their own brutishness Psal 73.16 17 21 22. And though no visible evidences of displeasure appear against every one of them Yet there is still a clear cause why their way should not be affected but their condition abominated even because they fear not before God Eccl. 8.11 12 13. 5. This is an evidence of the deplorable condition of the wicked that whatever their condition be it is a curse to them whether it be adversity or prosperity Psal 69.22 106.15 For that he saw of them suddainly cursed in their habitation or beautiful estate as the word will bear doth evidence that all of them are under and obnoxious to the curse and that visible curse is but a Declaration of what they are under before And this ought to be more adverted unto then any outward lot seeing the curse of any condition whether it be prosperity or a cross is worse then any thing beside 6. As God doth very suddainly plague some wicked men So it becometh the godly to be very clear in their judgment concerning the deserving of all and in their affections to be far from liking of their way For this suddain cursing as it relates to Eliphaz imports that in his judgment there held no long debate to conclude them miserable and that his affections do no otherwise relish their way and state then as under a sad curse And indeed It is the wisdom of the people of God not to hearken much to any debates and suggestions concerning the prosperity of the wicked nor to suffer their hearts to abate any thing of holy zeal and abhorrency of their way lest the abating of their affection and tampering with tentations prove inductive to a snare Eliphaz proceeds to branch out the particulars of this ruine of the wicked which are like the plucking up of so many branches of their roots In ver 4. he speaks of the condition of their Children who bear the prints of Gods judgments in that they are left in an unsafe condition being crushed and burne down without pity and relief from any That they are crushed in the gate may import either that they are condemned by publick Judicatories which usually met in the gates of the Cities Ruth 4.1 2 c. Or further that their afflictions whether immediately from God or from men were seconded with publick acclamations of all men for in the Gates also were the publick concourses of people Gen. 34.20 as justly and righteously inflicted and deserved by them Not to insist on the common defects of this branch of his Argument Nor how it may be the sad exercise of godly men to have their tryals represented by their own hearts or others in their blackest colours As here this reflection on Jobs Children could not but be sad and grievous to him We may further Learn 1. A chief part of a man wealth and prosperity is his Children who are a part of himself in whom he liveth after he is gone and they being pious it is his happiness to have been a parent to such heirs of glory Therefore doth Eliphaz begin at the ruine of Children as the saddest of the wickeds stroke See Psal 127.3 c. And this should teach Parents to esteem of Children and to emprove that mercy according as they are of worth in themselves 2. Albeit none will perish eternally but for their own sins Ezek. 18.2 3 4. And albeit the Lord do punish none even in this life were they only Infants but such as are guilty of sin Yet wicked Parents are ordinarily great snares and Plagues to their Children Partly while the Lord is provoked to punish Parents by afflicting their Children in their Bodies or Estates which they have from their Parents So Exod. 20.5 Thus Gods quarrel for the sins of Manasseh continued in the days of good Josiah 2 King 23.26 Thus also godly Children may bear in their bodies the fruits of their Parents uncleanness or intemperance and their Estates which they had from their Parents may moulder away in their hands Partly while the Lord who is debtor to none doth leave their Children to themselves to imitate their sins and so they serve themselves heirs to their Parents sin and punishments Matth. 23 31-35 For these causes the Plagues that come upon Children are marked as the fruit of wicked Parents sins See Deut. 28.32 And this may teach Parents as they love their Children to beware of leaving such sad debts upon the heads of their posterity 3. To be in an unsafe condition oppressed and trode upon by every one is in it self a great affliction and being the lot of wicked men it ought to be looked on as the just fruit of their insolent spirit toward God and his Law and toward others as they had power For this is the stroke drawn on by sin His children are far from safety they are crushed See Deut. 28.29 33. 4. Albeit godly men in a righteous cause may be oppressed by Judicatories on Earth and in that case they are to look up to an higher Tribunal Eccl. 5.8 Yet in it self it is a sad ingredient in trouble to be condemned by an Assembly of Gods Vicegerents which should perswade all to pray much that Judicatories may be directed of God in judgment and when such do pass a sentence against wicked men for their crimes they ought to look upon it as the sentence of Him who sitteth among the Gods Psal 82.1 pursuing them for their sins
humbly submissive to what he shall dispense For this also is found in a seeker unto God that he commit his cause to God or lay his words and matters as the Original imports before him that he may do therein as pleaseth him and make his requests known to God Phil. 4.6 let him give what answer he will See 2 Sam. 15.26 This submission imports 1. That a Supplicant should be free of bitterness and anxiety resting on God by humble confidence For the Prayers of anxiety are full of dross 2. That he ought to submit to what dispensations it pleaseth God to allow so long as he finds grace to seek on and is not driven from God as that wicked man was 2 King 6 33. 3. Though a godly man be not called to deny the truth of the grace of God in him or the Conscience of his integrity yet he ought not to build his expectations upon it but to commit all to Gods mercy from which he may expect more then he can promise himself upon the account of his integrity in it self considered Doct. 4. Albeit sin be the cause of trouble and we ought to be most sensible of sin under trouble yet no sight of God nor of God as a party in trouble ought to discourage us from seeking in to Him For the contrary is argued Because of these considerations concerning the cause of trouble ver 6 7. he infers here I would seek unto God or Surely I would seek unto God as it is in the Original For whether else can a man go or what amends can he make to God by his running away See Chap. 7.20 Yea Gods stroke is a call to come with our bleeding wound Hos 6.1 and he strikes for sin that we may bring both our wound and our sin to be cured by him Hos 5.15 5. Exhortations ought to be very tenderly and warily given to afflicted persons so as they may be cherished in duty And particularly Such as would press duties effectually ought to essay and commend them by their own practice As here Eliphaz recommends his counsel as a thing himself would follow in the like case I would seek to God c. Untender applications do oft-times â—ar good doctrine and it would be well remembred that it is hard to speak to afflicted broken minds That so men may deal prudently and tenderly with them and they themselves may remember they are in a distemper and therefore ought not to reject every thing as unwholesom which is unpleasant to their taste 6. Men at ease do readily think it a more easie task then indeed it is to prescribe a rule to the afflicted and that they would do far better under trouble then the afflicted do For Eliphaz doth here evidence his weakness no less then his tenderness even as to what is found in his counsel He thinks it easie to seek to God and calmly to submit and not to fret as Job did But had his soul been in Jobs souls stead and if these waves and billows which assaulted Job had passed over him he would not have found it so easie to avoid bitterness and submit to Gods dealing See Chap. 16.4 Vers 9. Which doth great things and unsearchable marvellous things without number This Exhortation is pressed by a motive taken from a due consideration of God as he is manifested in his works of Providence He had insinuated that God is the supreme cause of all trouble ver 6 7. and had pressed Job to seek unto God ver 8. Now he declareth that God hath so manifested himself by his works in the world as may encourage men to seek to him and may terrifie them if they will not For this end he doth first speak of Gods works in general ver 9. and then doth instance this general in some particulars such as Gods common Providence in the earth ver 10.11 and his more special Providences toward men both wicked ver 12 13 14. and the poor who are oppressed ver 15 16. In this verse God is described by some general properties of his works Such as 1. Greatness His works of Creation and many works of Providence are great in themselves and so is his work of Redemption Yea the meanest thing that he is about as he is about all things is great in this respect that a great God doth it and much of him may be seen in it 2 Unsearchableness A property of Gods works whereby God himself convinceth Job of ignorance and presumption Chap. 38 c. For not only is the nature of things wrought by God unsearchable but the manner also of working and bringing many things about Psal 92 5 6 7. And the reason and end of doing them as Joh. 13.6 3. Admirableness or that they are marvellous things As the former two properties may be referred to the works of Nature and the ordinary course of Providence which are great and unsearchable because the power and wisdom of God shine in them Rom. 1.20 So this third property may relate to those rare and marvellous Providences above or contrary unto the ordinary course of nature wherein God appears for his people Such as those recorded Dan. 3.27 6.22 and many the like Or it may rather be understood more generally that this is an effect of the other two Because they are great and unsearchable therefore they are marvellous things 4. That they are Innumerable the whole earth being full of his glory and riches Isa 6.3 Psal 104.24 and these kind of works being ordinary with him See further of these properties Job 9.10 Psal 72.18 Rom â—1 33 In general we may from these properties Learn 1. Such as would seriously draw near to God ought to study what he is that so they may know how to approach and what to believe and expect Therefore doth he subjoyn this description of God as necessary to be taken along with his purpose of seeking to him See Psal 9 10. Hâ—b 11.6 2. Albeit God can be fully taken up only by his Word yet so much of him doth shine in his working as may both invite sinners to come to him and discover their hazard who are rebellious Therefore he presseth him to seek unto God by an argument taken from his works or what he doth For here seekers of God will find that there are as great wonders daily wrought as any they shall need to be done for them and despisers of God may see by what God daily worketh that he can easily reach them 3. Gods works even in ordinary are so great and like himself that we must not expect to see through the riches of his glory shining in them but should look upon them as unsearchable For they are great and unsearchable So that when we see most in his working we should be humbled that we see no more And if this be true even of his ordinary works how much less are we able to sound the depth of his more special Providences about his people 4.
appear for his people and then they are confounded For so doth the connexion in port The poor hath hope and then iniquity stoppeth her mouth Wo is to them who must needs mourn when the godly are encouraged 8. It is a judgment upon wicked oppressours of tne godly poor that as they are insolent when at their hâ—ight So when God appeareth against them they may well be convinced and confounded but are rarely converted thereby For this ordinarily is all that followeth Iniquity stoppeth her mouth Whereas it should open its mouth to take shame unto it self and to glorifie God Vers 17. Behold happy is the man whom God correcteth therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty Foâ—loweth to v. 27. the second branch of Eliphaz's Exhortation and Counsel which is pressed by divers motives and encouragements It is in effect a farther Explication of that committing of his cause to God which he had mentioned ver 8. and doth now insist upon as a necessary fruit of repententance under the name of Patience under the Rod or not despising of Gods chastening In all which we will find very sweet General Doctrine if he had not rendred it unsavoury by his rash censure of Job and had not given Job cause to suspect that he had judged that none were patient to whom the following promises were not visibly performed In thâ—s verse we have his counsel unto patience propounded negatively by disswading him from that insolent sleighting of the hand of God whereof he sâ—spected him guilty Unto which beside the Arguments couched in the very counsel that his affliction will prove but a chastisement if he improve it well and being the chastening of the Almighty it ought to be well improved the first express Argument is premâ—tted That there is mercy and happiness in being corrected Namely if it be improved as a correction and patiently borne as the connexion imports From the Exhortation and Motives insinuated therein Learn 1. Afflictâ—ons are sent upon men to reprove and convince of sin and to argue men out of their starting holes and defences which the word cannot perswade them to abandon And never to leave binding of them till they be instructed and rectified in their duty For so much do the words here expressing affliction import which are correction or a reproving and arguing and chastening or an instâ—uction a binding instruction and consequently a rectifying This should teach us to let this messenger have its errand otherwise we will protract our own trouble and disquiet 2. That affliction may work its work and we may get a good account of it it is requisite it be submitted unto with patience For without that we are not in a right frame to improve afflictions far less are we ripe to be delivered from them And though we think our case will be forgoâ—ten if we do not still bitterly resent it yet the patient and meek will find their case left on God Psal 76.8 9 147.6 149.4 Isa 29.19 Therefore is patience here pressed as that which must be the first fruit of trouble before it produce any other good fruit See Rom. 5.3 4. Jam. 1.3 4. 3. It is not a contemplation of patience when trouble is at distance which God approveth But it is required that patience appear when trouble is lying on For now it is required that he despise not the chastening See Prov. 24.10 4. It is not easie to light upon the right and patient way of bearing afflictions there being so many ways of miscarrying by impatience So much may gathered by comparing this place with Prov. 3.11 Heb. 12.5 when wearying or fainting are forbidden as well as this despising We may conceive the matter in this order 1. There is a light esteeming of affliction as that wherewith we will not be troubled nor driven off our course thereby and to the Original word Heb. 12.5 signifieth to care little for trouble See Isa 9.9 10. Hos 7.9 10. Thus men receive not correction Zeph. 3.2 when they will neither quit any sinful pleasure nor seek God notwithstanding they are corrected And this is the first degree of despising 2 If afflictions touch us so neer that we cannot get them â—hakâ—n off but must be molested and disquieted thereby then there is a rejecting and raging at them with bitterness and proud murmuration that God should so deal with us so Jer. 31.18 This is it which is imported in the Original word here and Prov. 3.11 Namely to be unwilling to lie under and to spurn at the rod and this Eliphaz suspected Job to be guilty of in his complaints 3. Though trouble fit upon us till it lay these tempests of humours which it hath raised yet with out the grace of God it will be so far from working true humility that we will only run to another extremity and in stead of despising turn faint and weary All which should teach us what need there is of depending on God for the right use of and a right behaviour under trouble For it is a gift to bear and suffer aright Phil. 1 29. And that we ought not to please our selves with every thing that looks like exercise under trouble For there may be much of that when turning to God is yet to begin Jer. 31.18 Doct. 5. It may be a motive to perswade us to walk patiently and fruitfully under trouble if we consider the saddest strokes speak not our case desperate if we will improve them and not slay our selves by revolting and rebellion when we are smitten For albeit Eliphaz in his Dispute conclude Job a wicked man and hypocrite and so smitten in wrath Chap. 4.9 Yet he allows him to look on all his afflictions as no other then fatherly corrections and chastenings if he will improve and not despise them No stroke speaks irremediable displeasure yea some may speak tender love Rev. 3.19 unless our miscarriage under it speak the incorrigibleness of our hearts 6. As God is the Author of all afflictions so a right sight of him may contribute not a little to perswade us to patient stooping under his hand Therefore is he represented to Job as the Almighty or Alsufficient to perswade him not to despise tne chastening For God being the Almighty is too strong a party for man to contend with by resisting and striving against the rod And being Alsufficient the patient stooper may look to him who can easily make up all wants As high thoughts of God are always seasonable Gen. 14.18 19 20 22. so especially undeâ— trouble to keep our hearts in aw of him and being humbe to encourage us in him From the express Argument premitted Learn 1. Right discerners will not look so much to their case in it self as whether there be a blessing in it And they will not dislike any thing that may consist with or promote their true happiness For Eliphaz judgeth it an argument to press patient enduring of trouble that we may be happy in it
greatness of trouble can excuse any impertinent complaint against God or our birth day but they ought to be mourned for albeit God look tenderly on them And herein did Job fail as God afterward layeth to his charge But to follow the words in order Job passing the first part of the Argument wherein the great errour lay doth prove the greatness of his trouble or the Second Proposition by four instances and evidences thereof Whereof the first ver 2. is taken from their not pondering and weighing of his trouble This is indeed but an extrinsecal addition to his trouble yet he mentions it first as having at this time brought all the rest sadly to his remembrance which makes him begin so pathetically as a man over-whelmed and bring in the other evidences of his great trouble only to prove that they had not pondered it For as their former silence Chap. 2 13. occasioned in part that bitter sit Chap. 3. So now having heard Eliphaz speak with the approbation of all the rest Chap. 5.27 and not ponder his great affliction it rips up his wounds so much the more In sum his regret imports That if Eliphaz had weighed his trouble and felt it as he did he would have found his complaints not equal to his sorrow and trouble But since he did not so he could not be a fit Judge of this case nor be able to comfort him but would rather increase his sorrow the more And this is very true Though he saw Job in great trouble yet not only did he call it but a touch Chap. 4.5 but he did not ponder the matter so as to deal compassionately and tenderly with a distressed godly man but judging him to be an ungodly and wicked man did deal cruelly with him As for the words here of grief or indignation or anger for it is the word used by Eliphaz Chap. 5.2 and calamity they may be thus distinguished His grief may signifie his complaint and his calamity his trouble of which he complained And so his regret comes to this That Eliphaz who reflected upon his complaint did not lay that in the ballance with the trouble and tentations from which it flowed For then he should have found that his stroke was greater then his cry And however Job did err if this be his mind For no stroke upon him did justifie his complaints already and afterward uttered yet there is a general truth in it That if we look to the troubles of distempered souls we will find cause to pity many passions in them which yet cannot be justified 2 King 4.27 But the following verse will not allow us to rest on this distinction For there both his grief and calamity must be understood to be resumed and declared insupportably weighty Now it were contrary to Jobs scope to assert that his complaints were such For his aim is rather to extenuate then aggravate those Therefore if we make a difference for he speaks of them ver 3. in the singular number his grief may point out his inward vexations and tentations of mind and his calamity his outward trouble which together with Gods hiding of his face and their unseasonable silence and Eliphaz's impertinent doctrine did so disorder his mind Both those may come under one common name of tryal which changeth the speech into the singular number ver 3. and were the causes mediate or immediate of his complaint From this purpose Learn 1. It is the duty of godly men to maintain their own integrity Nor is it any evidence that a man doth not stoop under Gods correcting hand when he will not yield to unjust accusations against him For albeit Job was now crushed under the hand of God yet when Eliphaz reflects upon his integrity he couragiously replieth But Job answered and said c. 2. When God permits Controversies to arise amongst his people it may be expected that they will not only contribute to the â—ul or clearing of Truth and further manifesting of Errour But that thereby also mens passions and affections will be raised yea and even the weaknesses of the Friends of Truth discovered For so appears in this Debate Not only is Truth cleared and a gainer thereby in the issue But here in the very entry Jobs passion breaks out in a sad regret And though he spake much truth concerning his great trouble though it cannot be denied that his passion and distemper did heighten it and make it more grievous yet he stumbles in the very entry while he insinuates that his troubles did warrant him to complain as he did which the Lord doth not sustain as we heard in the Exposition 3. It is the duty of such as would be useful by their counsel to the afflicted seriously to ponder their case Not to look superficially upon their troubles but seriously to weigh them and that throughly or in weighing to weigh them in all their ingredients circumstances aggravations concomitants and effects and together in all the parts and branches thereof whether inward griefs and tentations or outward calamities Yea they ought to put themselves in the afflicteds stead before they resolve how to deal with them For Job looks for no good at their hand or that they could speak to his case who had not throughly weighed his grief and laid his calamity in the ballance together See Psal 41.1 Job 16.4 4. It is very rare to find a tender consideration of the afflicteds case among men even when they profess friendship yea and are really pious For Job may cry O that my grief were throughly weighed c. when he finds few to do it Yea his regret insinuatâ—s that his godly friend had not weighed it A mans own heart and not a stranger knoweth its bitterness Prov. 14.10 Self-love and present ease make the sad afflictions of others to be lightly regarded by many Job 12.5 Psal 123.4 Corrupt Principles concerning afflictions make others very cruel as the practice of Jobs friends doth teach Yea it is not easie even for a Child of God rightly principled and who in his own experience hath known the sharpness of afflictions and tentations but now doth only remember it as a thing long since past to be so sensible of the same affliction in the person of another as when himself was under it And therefore the Apostles who were to minister comfort to others were kept under exercise themselves 2 Cor. 1.3 4 5. This may teach Saints to lay their account that they may be left desolate and solitary in their troubles like Owls and Pelicans Psal 102.6 7. that so they may make much use of Christ who was a man of sorrows and acquainted with griefs Isai 53 3. Heb. 4.15 5. It is a great addition to Saints troubles to miss sympathie from friends or any to give them so much ease and relief as impartially to weigh their condition For this is Jobs great regret and this did waken all his other troubles on him that his grief was
weakness that his good Conscience could afford him no comfort but in this out-gate of death which was of his own devising whereas the testimony of his Conscience had been better imployed in bearing patiently the present trouble And indeed we are ordinarily better in our own conceit at any thing then what is our present work and duty and do fancy that we could like any case but our present lot when yet it is the will of God we should take it as it is Yet herein 1. We may with admiration behold the invincible power of a good Conscience that cannot only grapple with death when it cometh but can run to meet it and that on any tearms and at greatest disadvantage and can even then expect comfort in and by it So was it with Job here I should yet have comfort c. A good Conscience is neither afraid of death nor of wrath as it should seem cutting us off nor even of destroying of foundations Psal 11.3 4. nor of any trouble Job 34.29 even which may shake others Isai 33.14 15 16. And the reason of this is every lot to the reconciled man hath this in it from God fear not ye Mat. 28.5 Which may invite men to be careful that their own hearts do not condemn them 1 Joh. 3.21 Act. 24.16 2. We may hence also gather That no fortitude against death or any trouble is worth the speaking of but what is grounded on a good Conscience For Job founds his resolution and comfort on this I have not concealed the words of the holy One. Natural Magnanimity is of little worth without this Only they who would be resolute and magnanimous upon the account of a good Conscience ought not only to have a good Conscience in the particular cause and matter of their tryal but in their other carriage also the want whereof will weaken their hands in most cleanly tryals and especially wherein Job was somewhat faulty in the way of their deportment under trouble which ought to be such as may witness that it is Conscience and not their own spirits that lead them Jam. 1.20 3. Men in trying their resolution and courage flowing from a good Conscience ought not to take themselves at the first word but ought to search and search again For so doth Job repeat his confidence upon this ground once and again I should yet have comfort yea I would harden my self in sorrow let him not spare Our hearts are very deceitful in undertaking and therefore godly jealousie fear and suâ—pition are oft-times antecedent to true courage Hab. 3.16 17 18. 4. The testimony of a good Conscience yielding hope of a blessed issue will make present trouble to be tolerable and more easie For Job expecting to be approved of God at death would yet have comfort and harden himself in sorrow in expectation of so great a good 5. Such as would approve themselves to be sincere ought to entertain right thoughts of God particularly of his holiness For the rise of his upright walk was that he looked on God as the holy One. This doth not only evince that God is not to be reflected upon in any of his dealings Psal 22.3 and in this Job's Principles were sound though his Passions did sometimes over-drive him to complain But doth also teach that none can have communion with God but such as study holiness nor can the holy God endure wickedness Psal 5.5 6 7. Hab. 1.13 And they who want holiness may come to him the Fountain of Holiness to get it 6. Such as do rightly improve the study of the holiness of God to press the necessity of real holiness upon themselves ought with Job not to conceal the words of the holy One. Which imports 1. God must be taken up obeyed and acknowledged according as he hath revealed himself and his will in his Words For they had the words of God among them even in Jobs days though not yet written and to those he cleaves neither lying of God by Error contrary to his Word nor taking up God and his Will according to his own fancy and humour 2. When God reveals his will in any particular it is our duty not to smother or put out our light and so sin against God and his Deputy in our bosom but we ought to avow and profess it in our station For he concealed not these words 3. Beside our Profession of Truth we must be careful not to belie it in our practice For thus also he concealed not the words of the holy One as is above explained Vers 11 What is my strength that I should hope and what is mine end that I should prolong my life 12. Is my strength the strength of Stones or is my flesh of Brass The second Argument wherein he appeals to themselves is taken from his inability to subsist under this trouble and consequently the improbability of the restitution they promised him upon his repentance He had no strength that might give him ground of hope to bear this trouble and avoid death and upon his repentance to be restored as Eliphaz promised unto him For he had not flesh with sense only as Beasts have but with reason also which sharpeneth crosses Far less was his flesh of stones or brass which want both sense and reason to endure this and therefore nothing was fitter for him then to resolve for death As for those words What is mine end c Some understand them thus For what end should I live which is a very sinful question if God will have us live Others thus What evil is in mine end that I should be afraid to die wherein can death prejudice me that I should so seek to avoid it But it agrees best with the rest of the purpose thus as if Job had said Seeing my strength is so disproportionable to my trouble my end by the ordinary course of nature especially being so crushed cannot be far off So that it were folly suppose I should be delivered to hope for any continuance of time wherein I might get reparation of these great evils or what can I expect or design in the rest of my short time that I should seek to prolong it and not presently desire to die So doth himself express it Chap. 16.22 In sum his Argument is this He hath neither strength to subsist under these troubles till he should repent and be restored as Eliphaz had prescribed nor could he look for any thing in the declining part of his life the expectation whereof might encourage him to endure his present troubles till he attained it But he had rather lose all the expected good before he endured the present troubles waiting for it This Argument thus explained doth insinuate these Truths 1. God hath made mans constitution such as it is easily subduable by afflictions For Jobs strength could afford him no hope of bearing through till he saw an issue on the back of troubles Man is made weak and more infirm then brass
only do they in so doing bear testimony for God and his Truth in that particular but they retain that which will be a strong Bulwark against many other assaults which Job expresseth well Chap. 10 15. If I be wicked wo were unto me For further clearing of this Point It may be enquired 1. What course shall we take to be clear off the truth of our integrity and righteousness when it is cryed down by men and sad dispensations seem to condemn us Answ In Job's case where the only thing in question was his Piety the matter may be cleared by these many Characters of true godliness recorded in the Word But for more general satisfaction in all cases those rules would be observed 1. Men may be righteous as to the state of their persons being justified by faith when yet some of their actions may be faulty Every thing that we ought to mourn for as a sin doth not alter the state of our persons but our feet may need to be washed when our body is already clean Joh. 13.9 10. This consideration may contribute to solve many doubts arising upon the sense of guilt and if well improved will advance and not hinder our repentance 2. Men ought to beware of turning such Scepticks as to question whether there be righteousness and unrighteousness a right and a wrong in the courses of men in the world or to be so unsettled as to quit and abandon every course as wrong which is crossed and borne down No dispensation of Providence condemneth any thing as sinful which the word accounts integrity It is a woful way of being above Scriptures when Providences thrust the Bible out of our hands and do hinder us to go to the Law and the Testimony thereby to judge of our own and others cause and way 3. Men may be heinously guilty of many sins before the Lord and because of them justly punished by him immediately or mediately And yet may be innocent as to the instruments afflicting them and as to the cause of their tryal by men David when he is lying in the dust before God because of his folly and sins of his youth yet croweth over Saul as an innocent man in the matter of his tryal and suffering And when God sent Judah into captivity yet he pleads their cause against the Chaldeans Thus the Church distinguisheth betwixt her case before God and before men in her suffering Mic. 7.9 and we ought not to confound them 4. Men may be righteous both before God and men in the main point of their tryal and yet may sin in many accessories and in the way of managing that which is right As here in this case Job bears all the strokes and God pleads more against his carriage then the carriage of his Friends and yet the issue of all is Ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right as my servant Job hath Chap. 42.8 It may be enquired 2. How they who under sufferings have a testimony of their integrity in any of the forementioned respects shall improve it or adhere to it in a right and acceptable way Answ Here Job's errour who managed a good cause sinfully may give us warning that we are apt to miscarry in this And therefore these rules are to be observed 1. Men are then right and do in a right way adhere to their integrity when they are so fixed as they are ready to suffer and abide a storm for their adherence thereunto It is a dangerous case when men are confirmed in their way meerly because it prospereth in their hand for what will they do when that Argument fails them or when let a cause be never so just men cannot suffer any thing for it And when I speak of suffering I do not only mean that men in a righteous cause do act in their stations amidst many hazards or do resolve to endure trouble from implacable men who bring them at under But that they do not accept deliverance albeit it were offered upon their forsaking what is right Heb. 11.35 2. Right maintainers of their integrity ought to be no less tender and zealous for it when sin would assault it within and so wound the Conscience then when tryals and outward dispensations would decry it 3. In this case also the Conscience of our integrity ought not to imbitter our spirits against God who exerciseth and afflicteth us which was Jobs fault Chap. 40 8. For albeit the Conscience of uprightness may help a man to courage and confidence in trouble yet we ought to be humble before God making as good use of cross dispensations as if we were unrighteous and mourning for any thing that God may have to say against us And this seems to have been Job's way at sometimes Chap. 9.15 10.15 though his passion did at other times ouer-drive him 4. Is there iniquity in my tongue c ver 30 The sum whereof is They ought to hear him for he will speak right things and if it were otherwise his judgment and experience would â—s easily discern it as his taste doth discern meat and having a tender Conscience he would abominate any unsound Principles as his taste would disrelish unsavoury meats In this matter he is so confident that he believes themselves are perswaded of it and therefore propounds it by way of question posing them if they judged otherwise of him And yet he did mistake himself for in some respects there was iniquity or sin at best in his tongue nor did his taste discern the perversity or sinfulness that was in his passionate desire of death upon which he insists so much in the next Chapter Hence Learn 1. It is duty of godly men and their property when in a right frame that their Consciences are very tender touch-stones of their Principles and way either to prevent their engaging in an evil way or to cause them relent it if they be engaged For so is here supposed that there should not be iniquity in their tongue and that their taste should discern perverse things Thus Joseph's Conscience broke the snares laid by his Mistriss Gen. 39 9. Thus David's reins did instruct him Psal 16.7 and his heart smote him when he had faln in an appearance of evil 1 Sam. 24 5. Hence it is a challenge that men are not ashamed when they do evil Jer. 6 15. This may give a check to men who bear down this light in themselves the doing whereof may soon lead them to do evils which even Pagans would be ashamed of Ezek. 16.27 2. Whatever be the duty of Gods people or their practice at sometimes in this particular Yet there may be great hazard in the best of men their leaning to their own discerning and spirits For Job missed his mark here in venturing too much on this Our own light spirits or impulses are dangerous guides seeing we have the Word wherewith we may consult in every thing and not only are all men lyars but many
his vast and boundless desires like the vast and spacious Ocean Psal 104.25 Lam. 2.13 In his continual instability as the Sea is in continual motion In the distempers to which his lusts drive him as the Sea is tossed and made to swell with winds See Jam. 4.1 Jude ver 12. In his raging most at the banks of Law prefixed to him Rom. 7.8 or of affliction restraining him from sin Isa 1.5 8.21 as the Sea makes a great noise in beating upon the shore And In his continual casting out of wickedness at all occasions as the Sea casteth out mire and dirt See Isa 57.20 Jude ver 13. 2. Man by nature is also a menstruous creature like a Whale or Dragon for beastly cruelty violence and unreasonableness in his mad passions and lusts Hence it is that men are so frequently compared to those monsters Psal 57.4 74.13 14. Isa 51.9 An unrenewed man is as gâ—eâ—t a monster as can be imagined which is made conspicuous in the behaviour of some of them 3. Albeit true grace make a change in godly men such as Job was yet even renewed men have somewhat of that old violent temper in them and may give a proof of it in their fits of passion and tentation So did Job himself sometime discover how boisterous he was by nature Even Saints should not forget their natural disposition when grace subdues and covereth it lest God discover it for their humiliation Hence 4. As Saints are boisterous by nature So when they turn brutish and violent under any fit it is most meet that God by force restrain them If they turn like a Sea or a Whale as even Job himself was too violent at sometimes Why should he not set a watch over them to hem in their violence and bring them to an account for it Psal 32.9 Thirdly However Job might plead that he needed not all this sore and sharp usage Yet he could not deny but God in his absolute soveraignty might dispose of him at his pleasure If the Lord do what he pleaseth in Heaven and Earth and in the Sea Psal 135.6 why not also on his people And why should they only seek to carve their own lots when all other creatures stoop or are made to stoop to him and even the insensible creatures do continue in their obediential subjection to their Maker Vers 13. When I say My bed shall comfort me my couch shall ease my complaint 14. Then thou skarest me with dreams and terrifiest me through visions The second Argument whereby he pleads against his being so sore afflicted is taken from the incessantness of his trouble and that when he expected but a little ease in his Bed his trouble was augmented by affrighting Dreams and Visions His expectation is set down ver 13. That being wearied with sitting up he imagined to find some comfort and ease of his complaint by his Bed and Couch Either to ease his body and pain which caused his complaints by lying there or as the following verse cleareth to interrupt his complaints by sleeping a little while which would have comforted him Unto this is subjoined ver 14. his disappointment That when he lay down not only was he tossed with pain and want of rest as he hath regreted ver 3.4 but when at any time his eyes went together with sleep God did terrifie him with Dreams and Apparitions and so new trouble was added to what he had formerly What these Dreams and Visions were it is not needful to enquire particularly It sufficeth to know that they were affrighting and so added to his affliction What Job's failingâ— were in this case will come to be spoken to on the following verses Here we may Learn 1. Leave to rest in our Bed is a very special mercy and will be acknowledged as such by those who know how sad it is to want it For â—â—b looks on it as a great case if his Bed should comfort him and his Couch ease his complaint Sleep is acknowledged as Gods gift Psal 127.2 and the want of it sadly regreted Psal 77.4 2. Truly humble Saints will acknowledge the meannest mercy were it but a moments bâ—eathing under trouble though it be not removed For Job would account it a mercy to get his complaint a little sifted by sleeping for a little while Albeit his bands would not thereby be loosed yet breathings and intermissions are looked on as a favour Our pride which repineth when we get not full deliverance doth hide the mercy of a day of small things which yet being observed and acknowledged might prove the little cloud that brings the plentiful rain 3. Trouble makes men restless expecting ease in every change which yet only one change can bring For so Job being disquieted when he sate up expected and said my Bed shall comfort me c. It is a mercy when our present case in trouble is so moderated as we can acquiesce and submit to bear it without seeking ease in changes as persons in a Feaver do by changing of Beds And a restless tossed minde is much to be pitied and will be pitied by right discerners And those who are under that cross ought to to study what is their true ease lest forgetting their resting place they seek rest where it is not to be found 4. Probable means will not ease troubled minds till God give the command and their tryal be perfected And then even improbable means will do it For Job looking for ease misseth it So did Joseph's trouble go on notwithstanding his dealing with the chief Butler till his word came Psal 105.18 19 20. It is God who commands deliverance to his people Psal 44.4 and till that command come forth we may look for peace and behold no good c. Jer. 14.19 and the harvest may pass and the summer end and we not be saved Jer. 8.20 5. There is no common favour we enjoy were it but sleep and quiet rest but God is to be depended on and acknowledged in it For as he giveth his beloved sleep Psal 127 2. So saith Job Thou scarest me with dreams c. that I cannot sleep We little consider how far Gods bounty and care in those common mercies doth outstrip our Prayers and dependance and how many crosses he could let loose upon us in these common things See Jer. 31.25 26. 6. It is the duty and advantage of the Lords people to take every lot they meet with out of his hand For whatever hand Satan or Job's sick temper and melancholy spirit had in these dreamâ— and visions yet saith he thou scarest me with dreams and terrifiest me through visions Even when we find evidâ—nt causes in nature for our distempers we ought yet to look up to the God of Nature And we will never attain a spiritual use or comfortable sight of our case till we ascend thither 7. It may be the lot of Gods people not only to be exercised with incessant trouble Isa .. 38 12. in
God For however Job's afflictions were eminently sharp yet God was not so far against him in wrath as he apprehended See Isa 40 27 28 c. 49.13 14 15. It is a special mercy to find wisdom whereby to discern our case without mistakes We will ere all be done see much cause to complain of our infirmity that mistook God when he was good Psal 77.8 9 10. And they are happy who cannot but believe love and have sweet thoughts of God in every lot and do not by their own mistakes imbitter their own crosses but do reckon that the harshest of dispensations may consist with love and flow from it 4. As tentations will soon make a mans life his burden So a mans self when he seems to be rejected of God is a very heavy burden to have himself to answer and care for in all things In both these respects this is the consequent of Job's sad apprehensions so that I am a burden to my self wearied of my life and left by thee to take charge of my self This may teach us as not to doat upon our life so to be sensible of what burdens God holds dayly of us and to study dependance on God in all things not provoking him to let us feel our own weight His Second inference ver 21. is That since God was a Preserver and neither his satisfaction nor Gods stroke for sin could make up the friendship Therefore he desires that God would put an end to the quarrel by pardoning his guilt and taking away his sin in its pollution and sad effects Whence Learn 1. The only way for making up of peace betwixt God and sinners is by free pardon and the Lords passing from the quarrel when men are sensible of their sin and inability For Job finds no issue unless God pardon his transgression See also Psal 32.1 2. And this affords us great encouragement that when neither any thing we can do nor any stroke inflicted by God can make up the friendship there is yet another way of attaining it by Gods free pardon 2. The grossness and heinousness of sin will not hinder Gods pardoning of them who come to him in the due order to obtain it For Job supposeth here that he pardoneth even transgression or rebellion and iniquity or crookâ—d perversnese See Isa 1.18 3. Albeit pardon cannot be merited by us but is the free gift of God through Jesus Christ yet only those sinners are pardoned who coming to God through Christ for pardon are sensible of their sin and inability to rid themselves of that burden as Job declareth he is ver 20. and who do so esteem of pardon that they cannot want it and are most solicitous about it as a priviledge without which they are undone So much doth Job's pathetick question impart And why dost thou not pardon By such God will be looked on as singular because he pardoneth iniquity Mic. 7.18 4. As the filth and pollution of sin must be abhorred and pursued by every pardoned man so it is the power of God alone that can effectually remove it For so much is imported in what is subjoyned to pardon of taking away iniquity not only by pardon but by renovation which he seeks with the former and seeks it to be done by God who alone can remove it If we do not employ the power of Christs death for Renovation and Mortification of sin as well as the price of it for pardon Law-convictions and discoveries will but make sin more alive Rom. 7.8 9. and our pollution will continue and grow notwithstanding our diligence and pains 5. When Sin is pardoned and Renovation endeavoured it doth not only bring peace with God but ease also if not an out-gate of all afflictions for sin For so much also is imported here when he pardoneth transgression he also taketh or makes to pass away iniquity in its sad effects and punishments inflicted for it So iniquity is taken for the punishment of sin Gen. 19.15 Psal 31.10 49.5 It is true pardoned men are not alwayes freed from afflictions yet being pardoned the sting and bitterness is taken out of them 1 Cor. 15.55 56. Isa 33.24 A pardoned man may sing of blessedness in the midst of his troubles Psal 32.1 2. 144 15. For then troubles come for necessary profit so that it were a prejudice to want them how humbling soever they be Heb. 1â— 10 They are fraught with love sweetened with the hope of glory Rom. 5.2 3. and do occasion many gracious visits from God Psal 31.7 It is a plague upon men that they follow not this method in their troubles of pressing first and chiefly after pardon of sin which would turn saddest storms into Summer days whereas they seek unto many refuges in their difficulties forgetting their resting place Job shuts up these his Inferences with this confirmation of his plea ver 21. That if God did not grant his desire but would still proceed in a course of severity he would indeed be crushed and cut off thereby but the Lord so to say would himself repent it and would miss poor Job when he had destroyed him and seek him early to do him good but should not find him and so speaking after the manner of men and upon an impossible supposition he should repent that he had dealt so severely with his poor servant In this pleading Learn 1. Job's mistake that he would presently die if God withdrew not his hand doth tell us That our apprehensions do breed us many crosses wherewith we will never really meet 2. His mistake that in the case wherein he is he will die if God relent not is yet grounded on this general verity That however we think lightly of sin yet a wakened Conscience wanting pardon of sin and reconciliation and pursued with strokes and wrath will soon over-charge a frail creature even to the cutting off of his life if God interpose not For Job being in the condition himself describes convinced of sin pursued by wrath and not pardoned it was only the power of God that prevented this consequent of all this Now shall I sleep in the dust And God is pleased oft-times to put his people to those pinches that they may think seriously on death and provide furniture for it 3. It is the duty and property of faith to keep the Covenant-style and take a Covenant-look of all their lots how terrible soever they be For though Job be dreadfully tossed now when he apprehends he is passing over the Bar of death yet he takes a Gospel look of it and gives it the Gospel-name a sleep 4. Faith in the truly sincere will not and ought not quit its grip although it obtain none of its desires But though strokes wrath pursue even to the death and sense Friends and all outward probabilities say God hath cast off yet faith will believe love and that God will own them although he should seek them after death and shew wonders to the
of their case Likewise it warns men not to doat or test upon the approbation of others even of the best for that will fail them if they lean to it and doth readily fail them when they have most to do 3. The heat of contention doth very soon distemper men For this makes Zophar though he came to comfort Job not only to misconstruct him but rail and reflect upon him Contention should neither be needlesly starred nor entertained when it is begun for it is a fruit of pride which will break forth in insolency But if we leave the misapplication and look upon this Doctrine abstractly and in general we will find useful Instructions in it As 1. Men use to take many strange-ways to defend an untruth and wrong cause so Zophar's allegeance imports in general One of their great engines is to make use of a multitude of words as if they were all made of lips and talk They will say so much as might weary any to hear it And will study to bear down their opposites with clamours and other assiduous activity And because this is not enough but would soon be discovered if it were only empty talk therefore as untruth gets not always men of the worst parts to own it they will guild over their cause and their discourses about it with lies and specious pretexts and fine devices to make them appear plausible that so men may be taken with them And to fortifie all those their devices they will mock or contemn and affront and vilifie all those that oppose them and discover the cheat These are some of the pranks of men embarqued in an ill cause which should excite others to be much more active for the truth 2. All those endeavours of men will not avail to make an untruth prove true They are only the washing of a Blakmore who will never be white For so doth Zophar here also insinuate Let men act what part they please yet truth is still one thing and busked-up discourses and cunning conveyances are another And albeit there be many simple fools who think they are rightest who speak most who measure and judge of men by their tongues and are ready to take Counters for Gold and Impudence for Confidence yet Wisdom will be justified of her Children and wise discerners will judge otherwise 3 These sinistrous courses do not only noâ— assoil an Error but will add to his sin who thus labours to justifie it For this question Should a man full of talk be justified imports that it shall not justifie but condemn him For if it be true in general that in the multitude of words there wants not sin Prov. 10.19 How much more must it be true in this case Yea lying and insolency in maintaining an untruth doth justly meet with shame and ignominy atlast as Zophar insinuates if not repented of 4. It is the duty of the friends of Truth not to abandon it but to stand to the defence thereof whatever be the strenuous and witty endeavours of these who oppose For so doth Zophar reckon that the multitude of words should be answered and lies should not make men hold their peace c. Even a fool should be answered in his folly though not according to it Prov. 26.4 5. Truth is to be striven and contended for in opposition to Errour Phil. 1.27 Jude v. 3. and even mocked and despised Truth must not be abandoned And here the Text furnisheth us with Arguments to press this 1. That it is an accession to mens guilt and a justifying of them if we hear them babble and do not answer 2. That our obligation to Truth should make us bold and not hold our peace when lies would bear it down 3. That it is a neglect of duty and kindness to men not to make them ashamed and bear them down when they are insolent and mockers The Text doth also insinuate means to help us to set about this duty 1. That we be not simple or taken with shews and fair pretences and discourses as Zophar declares he was not 2. That we love Truth well as our best friend to be preferred to all other friends As Zophar will be for it and against a supposed lie even in the mouth of his dear friend Job 3. That we be self-denyed that so the stream of insolent opposition may not deterr nor drive us from our duty to God to Truth and to the soules of others seduced or seducers For Zophar when he supposeth Job not only to be in an errour but an insolent mocker will not be deterred from making him ashamed Vers 4. For thou hast said My doctrine is pure and I am cleane in thine eyes In the second part of the Chapter we have a more particular and express endeavour to refute what Job had said And in the first place in this v. he states the question and gathers from Job's former discourses a Thesis or proposition which he intends to refute Namely That Job had asserted that himself was sound and orthodox in his judgment particularly in asserting that God did aflict both good and bad men as it pleased him which it seems Zophar gathered from Chap. 6. 10. 9.22 And that he was upright in Gods sight though afflicted which it seemeth he gathered from Chap 10.7 Now in this as Zophar doth Job right in clear stating of the controversie and charging nothing upon him but what might be gathered from his discourse So this sum of Job's discourse is no untruth nor chargeable with any fault except his maintaining of it too stiffely before God And Zophar erred in challenging this as an untruth and looking on Job not as clean but as a wicked man as appears from the refutation and especially from his counsel to Job to repent of his wickedness ver 13 14. It may be also Zophar erred further in taking Job's expression of his own cleanness in this sense as it appears from the refutation he did that Job meant that he was sinless Which he never intended to assert though his expressions were not cautious nor sober enough Hence Learn 1. A compleatly good man is he who is both found in point of Doctrine and Religion and upright in his Conversation whose Doctrine is pure and who is clean in his Conversation Ill Principles are a great defect whatever mens Conversation be and will draw on loose practices And such as walk loosly ought not to please themselves with their soundness in their Religion but ought rather to search out and abandon those bad Principles from which their loose walking doth flow 2. Uprightness and purity of life is truly and only such when it is so in Gods sight For so did Job judge that he was a blameless man when he was clean in Gods eyes Not spotless but sincre Not clean so as to boast of it before God but so as to abide his tryal in a Mediatour Without this neither our own nor others approbation should satisfie us 1. Cor.
him More particularly Learn 1. Men that would attain to sound and approved knowledg ought to be very accurate observers of Gods works and ways of Providence Isa 5.12 Psal 28.5 Such was Job's practice here mine eye hath seen or observed all this or all these works of Providence formerly recorded He hath a treasury of those Observations This was the practice of the godly especially before the Word was written and much more ought we to study those and profit by them now when we have the written Word by which we may read them One eye upon Providences without us and another upon our heart and condition within will make wise men if we look upon them through the Perspective of the Scriptures 2. Approved Students of Gods works will not grow proud of their own Observations but knowing how short their time is and how much they may be blinded in present things and times they will take the help of others either in their Discourses or Writings to better their knowledge For Job not only saw this but he took help of hearing mine ear hath heard whosoever know any thing as they ought to know it they will be far from conceit of their own knowledge or from neglecting means whereby they may be helped to make proficiency 3. Such as are right Students of those excellent things will not content themselves with bare observation and hearing of them as many go no further but will be careful to digest them in their understandings and to ponder them that so they may become practicable and be solidly rooted in their hearts For Job also understood it Notional men who have some Thoughts of Divine Truths only fleeting in their brain are upon the matter but fools 4. The example of others should stir up men to know God and his works and not to come behind with any in those necessary things For saith Job What ye know the same do I know also as being excited by what they spake on this subject to give proof that he had known the same things also 5. This comparison betwixt him and them beside what is already marked Chap. 12.3 That it is necessary to vindicate and commend our selves not out of contention or from any contempt of others but when Truth and a good cause suffers through our sides may Teach That it is needful to see what God hath done to us or in us even for our own comfort when others would decry us it being very comfortable when we find our selves to be in a better condition then others judge us to be As Job finds it was with him when they undervalued him as an ignorant Vers 3. Surely I would speak to the Almighty and I desire to reason with God Followeth to v. 20. Job's appealing from them and his betaking himself to debate his cause with God which here he propounds as his professed desire yea and delight to set about it Zophar Chap. 11.5 6. had wished that God would take him in hand and then he was sure Job would be made to see his own ignorance of the Wisdom and Power of God and God would condemn him and pass sentence against him in his cause Now Job as formerly he hath declared and proved that he is not so ignorant as they took him to be So here he declines not Zophar's overture but doth himself also wish and desire to reason his cause with God as not fearing to compeer before him as a Father in Christ according to the tenour of the Covenant of Grace He saith he desires or as it is in the Original it would be his delight to reason with God whereby he not only signifieth his eagerness to be at it but implyeth also that there were disadvantages and discouragements in his way such as sharp rods humbling desertions and apprehensions of Gods terrour which he would gladly have removed out of the way that he might deal with more freedom and boldness in defence of his cause And so his meaning in desiring to reason with God will be that he would gladly set about it if he durst And albeit afterward he both resolves v. 13. and actually enters upon the debate v 23 c. upon all hazards Yet he still retains the sense of those disadvantages and his desire to have them taken away that he might go about it more confidently v. 20 21 22. What faults were in Job's actual reasoning with God will come to be considered in their own place Only while he desires to reason or argue with God we are not to conceive that he resolves to plead his own sinlesness Or to accuse God or to justifie his own boisterous fits in debating with God But only humbly to maintain that he is righteous notwithstanding his afflictions which was a true and just plea though his passion did over-drive him in the prosecution thereof And in this he is not to be justified It Teacheth 1. Men should debate Controversies as in the sight of God and not dare to maintain that before men which they dare not avow in the presence of God For Job dare speak that to the Almighty which he hath spoken before them When men forget thus to mind God their Parts Interest and Reputation may bear them out and not only make them stiffe in their own way but afford them much to say for themselves which yet would be found empty and vain before God 2. Albeit Honesty and a good Cause may be borne down and so traduced as if it were but lies and mens humours that it will get no entainment in the world Yet it is enough if God approve of it And men should satisfie themselves with that not being discouraged that they are left upon God alone for hâ—s approbation For notwithstanding all the mistakes of his Friends Job is satisfied that he may reason with God and hopes for his approbation It is good that men be sometime thus mistaken in the world that they may try how matters stand betwixt God and them how they will be satisfied with divine approbation when other testimonies are denyed them and how they have taken with former applause in the world And this is needful to be well adverted unto for those who are much affected with applause in a right way may readily take a wrong course to retain it or to recover it if it be lost 3. Mâ—intainers of a good Cause may not only be deserted by all and lâ—ft on God but in coming to him for his approbation they may have sad discouragements desertions tentations afflictions c. to weaken their hands though they be right in their cause For so Job can but desire to reason with God if he durst as hath been explained See Job 19.5 6. 23.3 10. Psal 80.4 The right cause must go against all winds and tides and the maintainers thereof must be throughly tryed Their desertions tentations discouragements and cross lots ought not to be misconstructed as if thereby God intended to condemn them 4.
with God and his service as Isai 33.14 2. From this it followeth That they prove themselves honest men who in the height of trouble will abide by it and go to God and keep his way and will not cast away confidence and dependance come what will For this is Job's proof of his honesty that he will come before God which an Hypocrite will not do Thus honesty is proved in troubles by waiting and desires Isai 26.8 by cleaving to Gods way Psal 44.17 c. by persevering in Prayer Psal 88.13 14 15. and by confidence in these Prayers expecting wonders to be shewed to the dead ere the honest seeker of God be utterly forsaken Psal 88.10 11. In a word when Saints blush and are ashamed to come to God Ezra 9.6 when they are affrighted with trouble or whatever their disadvantages be yet to come to God and cleave to him is good and a proof of honesty Vers 17. Hear diligently my speech and my declaration with your ears 18. Behold now I have ordered my cause I know that I shall be justified Unto all these commendations of his confidence and evidences of his sincerity Job subjoyns an inference and conclusion wherein he wisheth they would diligently attend to what he was to say to God both by way of declaration of his sorrow to plead for pity and especially by way of pleading his own integrity being confident as one who had considered and examined his own cause exactly that God would justifie and absolve him not approving every escape in him especially in the way of managing the debate but declaring him a righteous man in a Mediatour and that he had better cause in this debate betwixt him and them Hence Learn 1. Men in trouble should have much liberty and allowance to speak their mind and what they say should be well attended to as not being rashly spoken but from real pressure of mind For saith he hear diligently my speech and my declaration either of my sorrows or integrity or both with your ears This he presseth that so they might see what Truth is in what he said and what his case was that made him speak as he did Men get pressures to teach them to speak solidly and not at random and what such speak should not be sleighted but albeit all they say cannot be justified yet their pressures should plead for much allowance and compassion as in another case 2 King 4.27 2. Even good men when themselves are unconcerned are ordinarily but little sensible of the condition of others and do little regard their complaints Therefore he must double Exhortation that they would hear and hear diligently and with their 〈◊〉 The neglect of this duty is an ordinary presage â—f trouble to come upon our selves as Reuben observed Gen. 42.21 22. And the Disciples who were little tender of the multitude who crowded after Christ to enjoy his company which themselves had without interruption are sent away to Sea without him that they might learn to pity others who could not at all times be with him Matth. 14.15 22 c. 3. Saints may attain to assurance of Gods approbation As here Job knoweth he shall be justified This assurance hath been attained even in sad distresses Rom. 8.35 38. And for godly men to doubt of it is their sin though every doubting be not inconsistent with faith nor even with some degree of assurance And therefore such ought not to habituate themselves to unbelief and doubtings which may have sad fruits But they should study to attain assurance that they may manage their approaches to God with hope and confidence 4. Such as would maintain their confidence assurance and integrity ought to try and examine their own estate well For saith he Behold now I have ordered my causes or taken notice of all I have to say for my self Not only is a delusion in the main matter dangerous but even in every particular evidence of our sincerity and ground of confidence For if we build upon any unsure Principle the discovery of that may readily cast all loose when yet there is no cause why we should do so seeing one may be truly honest who yet may be mistaken of some evidences of it And therefore we ought to be very exact and cautious 5. Albeit men having searched themselves never so exactly cannot conclude that they can abide Gods search and judgment as he is a severe Judge nor yet that they are perfect according to the tenour of the Covenant of Works which is the meaning of Paul's words 1 Cor. 4.4 Yet it is of Gods great mercy that upon mens impartial search of themselves and finding things right they may believe God will absolve them and approve them as sincere according to the tenour of the Covenant of Grace For so Job having ordered his cause knows that he shall be justified If our hearts do condemn us upon just grounds and not upon a mistake the thoughts of Gods Omniscience may indeed affright us 1 Joh. 3.20 But if our hearts upon solid grounds condemn us not thoughts of his Al-seeing eye need not weaken our confidence 1 Joh. 3.21 Vers 19. Who is he that will plead with me for now if I hold my tongue I shall give up the ghost In this verse Job concludes his first Argument upon which he hath so long insisted taken from his confidence professing that since he know of such a Judge as God was and had so studied his cause he would gladly know his party being ready to enter the lists with any of them in this quarrel Unto whâ—h 〈◊〉 subjoyns the Second Argument confirming and 〈◊〉 his resolution to plead his câ—use with 〈…〉 is taken â—rom his great pressure and dis◠〈◊〉 He dâ—clares that as his assurance to be 〈…〉 of which he hath already spoken is not â—mall so his pâ—nt pressure to speak was not little 〈◊〉 if he should hold his peace as they judged was his duty it would cost him his life Not only was he to dâ—e shortly hâ—ng in such a weaâ— condition and so if he spake not in time he would leave his integrity unclear'd under all the bloâ—s they had cast upon him and Gods severe dispensations seemed to charge him with But unless he got a vent to his grief by speaking and complaining it would crush him and hasten his death And this Argument is so pressing upon Job's own spirit that having once named it without more ado he betakes himself to God and begins his address to him in the following verses Doct. 1. Saints must resolve that they will not always get their assurance held up in confident assertions not contradicted by any person or thing but must lay their account to have it questioned with pleadings and fightings As Job here supposeth 2. They must not resolve to cast away their assurance when it is ooposed not only by temptations from within but by misconstructers from without But they ought valiantly and resolutely engage against whatsoever
thy face He would not so much have resented the pain of his body and other sorrows if this had not been as we find at first he bare his afflictions with singular moderation And since the favour of God is the godlies choice Psal 4.6 7. and their life Psal 30.5 They cannot but be most affected with the sense of the want of it And men may discern their own sincerity or unsoundness by reflecting upon what they miss most in trouble 7. As desertion is sad in it self so also in this respect that men in that condition are apt to put a sad construction upon dispensations and to look upon God as an Enemy in what he doth to them Therefore unto that Thou hidest thy face it is added and holdest me for thine Enemy As guilt so also desertion is a sad Perspective through which to look upon God and his dispensations And we should study to keep neer God lest distance and desertion breed many tentations 8. As desertion is thus sad in it self and in its effects so it is yet sadder when men are lying under such a burden and are in the dark as to the cause of it or Gods mind in it Wherefore saith he hidest thou thy face c implying beside his passion and failing of which after that if God would tell him the reason and cause of all this if would ease him much for then he would know what to do for recovering of his lost allowance whereas now being bemisted he knew not what to do but groan and lament under his pressure It is true men may pretend darkness when the cause of their trouble is legible enough yet in it self it is a great mercy to know the cause of Gods dispensations and a double mercy if we improve that knowledge As those things are found in this Discourse so Job's very mistakes and failings in thus arguing may afford us useful Cautions and Instructions As First That the righteousness of his cause and person did let him see so little of the desert of his ordinary infirmities and failings which if he had considered as the Psalmist doth Psal 130.3 143.2 he had not been so bitter in his complaints and resentments under affliction A fair warning to godly men That they let not their confidence as to the justification of their persons nor their innocence in some particulars hide the humbling sight of their infirmities or the desert thereof lest God be provoked to leave them to fall in foul miscarriages Secondly That because he was free of that gross wickedness or hypocrisie wherewith his Friends charged him therefore he is so peremptory in putting God to give a reason of his dealing with him as if no reason could be given seeing the reason they gave was false This was ill argued and did witness his distemper For 1. Gods Soveraign and absolute Dominion over Man did vindicate him from all imputations of Injustice as Elihu doth answer this same challenge Chap. 33.9 12 13. 2. God by those Rods might chasten and humble him even for his dayly failings as Elihu also tells him in his Discourses 3. God might put him by those afflictions to a tryal and proof of his honesty and graces and therefore he had greater cause to lament that he proved so weak then to quarrel that he was put into the Furnace 4. Though Job were guilty of no gross sins yet God might send those afflictions to prevent his falling into sin as well as to humble and chasten for sin already committed 5. God may inflict sad trouble even when he hath pardoned sin for vindicating of his honour and for making men more cautions in avoiding sin for the future So 2 Sam. 12.9 10 13 14. 6. God may afflict and desert his own Children that they may prize friendship more and improve it better when they recover it as was the practice of the Spouse Cant. 3.1 2 3. with 4 5. In a word The most upright men have nothing to plead against Gods afflicting and exercising of them if he please And if they can see no reason of Gods dealing it is because they are ignorant and because God is pleased to be unsearchable in his ways that the more of himself may be seen in bringing such dispensations to a good issue Thirdly Albeit it be true that God did in some measure desert him yet he did help it on and augment it by his own distemper and passion Gods Children may be deserted in their afflictions and it is a wonder if great afflictions do not draw it on Isai 57.17 And It is an evidence of their honesty to be afflicted with it Psal 30.7 But it is their weakness to augment it by their own affectionate resentments and ill management of such a tryal and to make unto themselves a spirit of Bondage when God allows them the Spirit of Adoption Rom. 8.15 Fourthly It flowed also from his weakness that because God hid his face therefore he suspects God in all his dealing to be an Enemy For frowns and desertions and afflictions also may consist with friendship Jer. 30.10 11 14. Matth. 15.22 28. yea and flow from it Rev. 3.19 Vers 25. Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble Job's second Argument whereby he pleads against Gods dealing thus with him is taken from his weakness It is propounded in this verse in general terms and then prosecuted by parts with an express application to himself wherein he sheweth how severely God dealt with him v. 26 27. and how weak he was to endure it v. 28. The Argument in this verse may be thus taken up That he was but a weak leaf before the wind easily shaken and moved upon the Tree Isai 7.2 and easily cast off the Tree and driven to and fro and like dry stubble before the wind or fire Yea he was already parched shaken and tossed with trouble From all which he argues that he was a weak and unmeet party for God to crush and break and pursue him as he did Hence Learn 1. However man conceit of himself yet he is but a weak frail thing like a leaf driven to and fro and like the day stubble See Isai 2.22 2. Since Man by Contemplation will not be serious in studying of hâ—s own frailty God sends afflictions to give him a clear sight of himself and to abase him For it is in trouble that Job hath this impression of himself We ought not to mistake if God put us to learn such lessons though we think we know them well enough before And when they are solidly imprinted upon our hearts then trouble hath done pair of its work 3. Weakness is our advantage and a good plea when we have to do with God and are sensible of our frailty For it is his argument here Wilt thou break a leaf c Wilt thou pursue the dry stubble God will account it no honour to run down a base worm as David pleadeth with Saul
and how unable he was to abide that For if the most fixed and solid things cannot endure continual assaults especially from the hand of God how much more easily can he over-turn mans hopes ver 18 19. and get a complete Victory over him especially by cutting him off ver 20. and in the mean time so exercise him with his own afflictions that he cannot be affected with the good or ill condition of his nearest relations ver 21 22. Vers 1. Man that is born of a woman is of few dayes and full of trouble JOb's first Argument v. 1 2 3. whereby he pleads against Gods severe dealing toward him is taken from the condition and misery of all Men by Nature Wherein he propounds that they have but a short life and that obnoxious to many troubles and all their enjoyments are but transient and passing And from thence inferrs as to his own particular that seeing he would certainly die and had trouble enough otherwise though God dealt not thus extraordinarily with him he could not but wonder that God should notice him as if he were a fit party to be thus afflicted and exercised by him In this verse we have Job's Proposition of Mans misery wherein he evidenceth himself to be well versed by reason of his own trouble in the knowledge of mans vanity and misery which he describes First in its Universality It is common to Man or to all that are come of Adam which is the name here given to Man He speaks thus of men in general though with an eye to his own condition as appears from his inference v. 3 Because this is Mans common condition which is after mentioned And it Teacheth That whatever may be the particular and various dispensations of God toward men yet to be miserable by Nature is common to Adam and all his Posterity who come of him Aâ—l the sons of men are attended with some of thâ— common miseries of mankind and though some want the peculiar cross-lots of others yet they may have some of another kind no less sad and all of them whatever their condition be yet if their eyes be opened will find themselves but in a state of misery This teacheth men not to weary of their particular lots and tryals For did they shift never so oft they will find that they are still Man whom misery attends It Teacheth also That we have no cause to complain so long as our tryal is but common 1 Cor. 10.13 and our selfe-love should not get place to perswade us to aggravate our sorrows that we may have some pretence to complain of their singularity as Job oft-times doth for they will still be proportioned to what our case requires and to what strength God will give his own people Secondly Mans misery is described from its â—ise which is insinuated in mans Original that he is born of a woman This he mentions rather then that he is begotten of a man 1. Because the Woman was first in the transgression 1. Tim. 2.14 whence is the rise of all sin and of a defiled issue which produceth trouble So Job 15.14 2. Because the Woman is the weaker vessel 1 Pet. 3.7 And 3. Because a peculiar threatening and sâ—ntence is past against her in the matter of Conception and Birth Gen. 3 16. and so her issue must be weak and wretched like her self Hence Learn A sight of Mans original may humble him and make him see his misery when he considers what a sinful womb he comes from how ugly he comes out of it and how he begins his life with crying and weeping This is a lesson should stick by us as a document of our misery in all our mirth and jollity Thirdly This common misery of mankind is described in its parts That man is of short days and those full of trouble as Jacob also professeth Gen. 47.9 Doct. 1. Mans life is but short and it is a part of his misery that it is so For Job brings this as a proof of mans misery that he is of few days or short of days his time is but short That mans life is but short is evident from Scripture and from daily experience And it is to be accounted short especially now and â—ven in Job's time also though then they lived much longer then men do now both in respect of eternity and in respect of the continuance of Mans life if he had not sinned and even in respect of the age untill which men lived of old For as men now live but short while in comparison of the times about which Job lived so in those days their age was far short of the Patriarchs before the Floud And as mans days are thus few so for the misery that is in this shortness of his life though it be true that it is a mercy to the Godly that their days being ill are few and shortened see Math. 24.22 and that thereby they are hastened to glory Yet the shortness of mans life is in many respects a misery 1. If we consider it in the root and rise of it Mortality is the fruit of sin and therefore whatever beauty God put upon it yet in it self it is bitter and a misery 2. If we look upon it and consider what it is to natural men it must be concluded a great misery For whatever be their portion within time yet they must die and being dead sink into the pit eternally And in the mean time their life is so short and uncertain that it can hardly be measured even by days and they are exposed to so many hazards that they know not at what turn death may take hold of them and hurry them away 3. There is a misery in our few days in regard of the ill improvement of them We are for a while in the state of infancy before we know what it is to live After that many spend along time of youth before they settle and before they know how to number their days even as Rational Men And when we come to be more composed business sickness and distractions do impede and interrupt us and old age disables us to spend our time to any purpose In those inconveniences even the Godly do so much and frequently share that in that respect their short time is a misery 4. There is this misery also incident to us in our short time that both godly men and others are pulled away by death before they see many of those things which they desire accomplished So did Job apprehend to be hurried away in a cloud such also was David's exercise Psal 39.13 And this made Jacob complain of his days that they were few and evil Gen. 47.9 The study of this Point affords many useful Lessons That we do not doat on long life or an Eternity here as Luk. 12.19 20. for we will be disappointed and sin will help to shorten our dayes Psal 55.23 Prov. 10 27. And that we make not that use of the shortness of our
Experience and that their life be well improved in those Observations and of much intimacy with God who would be wise indeed And men may live long in the world and not know things well if they had only Experience to lean to and not the Word or extraordinary Revelations in their time to help them But passing those This purpose may teach us these Truths 1. As Man is generally proud of all he hath and filled with a conceit of it so in particular there is nothing whereof he is more ready to be proud than of his wit and parts For albeit I will not as Eliphaz doth charge thâ—s upon Job in this debate but rather upon himself yet it is a general Truth that Man is naturally inclinâ—d to restrain wisdom to himself 1 Cor. 8.1 It began with Adam and Eve that they desired to be as God particularly in knowing good and evil Gen. 3.5 6. So that as Humility and Modesty is nothing natural to us so in particular we are to guard against affectation and conceit of singularity in the matter of wisdom 2. A man that conceits of his own wisdom and of himself because of it supposeth impossibilities of himself and boasts of that which cannot be attained without wonders For so doth Eliphaz insinuate that he who restrains wisdom to himself as if none could compare with him must be the first man that was born and be made before the Hills which is so impossible and ridiculous to suppose that he layeth it before Job in these bitter Questions And albeit Eliphaz mistook the case in particular nor were any such advantages necessary for attaining the knowledg of Truth in this Debate Yet the General Doctrine is sound That the ordinary means whereby God teacheth Man gives him no ground to boast of his singular wisdom nor can he in reason claim to that unless he can prove that God hath afforded him singular means For those questions put it undeniably home that Man cannot restrain wisdom to himself unless he were the first man that was born c. seeing others having the same means may improve them with as good success as he 3. A conceit of wisdom and of being singular in it is indeed an evidence of shallowness and emptiness Therefore Eliphaz sheweth that he who restrained wisdom to himself v. 8. was but like his neighbours if not inferiour to them v. 9 10 What knowest thou that we know not c with us are both the gray 〈◊〉 c. And albeit he mistook in the particula◠〈◊〉 â—s a general sound Truth That a conceity proâ— is defective at least in the manner of his knowledge 1 Cor. 8.2 And for the measure of knowledge if we were indeed knowing we would think little of what we know Chap. 26.14 and the effects of sound knowledge would tend to humble us and not to pull us up For knowledge increaseth sorrow Eccl. 1.18 and saving knowledge humbleth Job 42 5 6. Prov. 30.2 3. 4. This Text may afford Evidences of mens conceiting of their own wisdom which are to be gathered not from Job's carriage but from Eliphaz's way And 1. It is an evidence of conceit when men are so puffed up that they think it impossible they should be found in an Errour or out-stripped by others in finding out Truth As he thinks that Man behoved to be made before the Hills c. that would decry their Opinions and that all must be secrets simply hid from all others which they know not 2. It doth also evidence this evil when men cannot endure to be under-valued or cried down in the matter of wisdom as he is enraged at Job for attempting to decry their knowledge Such a disposition evidenceth that there is an Ulcer there which may not be touched 3. It is another evidence of conceit when men are so jealous that any checkâ—ng of them or commending of others doth alarm them as if they were quite decried and undervalued For when Job did only clear the Truth and let them see that their conceit of themselves was groundless Eliphaz looks on this as if he had restrained Wisdom to himself and quite decried all their abilities 4. It doth also evidence this evil when men are so full of self love that they are nothing sensible of any irritations they give to others or contempt they put upon them and yet themselves do highly resent the least indignity they imagine to be offered to them and are so blinded that they can digest a beam in their own eye but cannot endure so much as a mote if it be so much in anothers For he cannot endure that Job should speak to their prejudice as he thought it and yet he spares not to speak contemptibly of him little regarding or pitying the sad trouble that was upon him Doct. 5. From this challenge we may also gather several needful Instructions and Cautions concerning mens wrong managing of Disputes for finding out of Truth And 1. It is a wrong course when men turn from the consideration of the Cause in Debate to the consideration of or reflecting upon persons as here Eliphaz falls upon a personal debate whether Job or thâ—y ought to be preferred for parts This may well produce Passion and Irritation but will not find out Truth And albeit men may be brought to think on Causes and Questions more seriously when they are made to know themselves their ignorance or ill frame of heart Yet that is not to be rested on as sufficient to find out Truth 2. Men take a wrong way of managing Debates when they think to carry a Cause by the consideration of Persons or Parties As he would bear down Job in this Debate by shâ—ng that whether he looked to their persons oâ—â—herents in their Countrey they were his maâ—â—iore For albeit one man may indeed compâ—â—e with another and in some respects be preferred to him yet that will not prove his cause good if it be not otherwise instructed 3. Men do also miscarry in this matter when the learning or wisdom of Disputants is cryed up to make men believe that every thing they hold is Truth because they are more learned then their opposites As here he prefers himself and his adherents to Job in the matter of knowledge that so he might perswade him he was in an Errour Whereas suppose Job had been less wise then they yet his reasons proved he had Truth on his side nor could their abilities prove their Opinion was Truth For Wisdom and Learning do not always fall to be on Truths side And we should look to the Arguments in the Cause and not to mens Parts but ought rather to magnifie Truth if it defend it self in weak hands 4. It is also a wrong way to find out Truth when men make a flourish of antiquity of Opinions or of the age of persons who maintain them as a clear proof of the Truth thereof as Eliphaz speaks of their age who maintained his Opinion and consequently of the
the Ancients true observation of the lot of some wicked men as if it were universally true of all wicked men even in the extremity here recorded For many of the wicked may live in great case as experience verifies and Job often asserts See Chap. 21.13 and frequently 2. In that he reflects upon and misconstructs the exercise of Job's Spirit and Conscience as if it were like unto the wiâ—â—â— lot when yet the difference is very great and wide For though he was under sad tentations and much vexed in spirit yet he still drew near to God and clave to him which wicked men do not This being his great mistake in this matter doth Teach That not only natural men but even such as are truly godly may through want of experience mistake the exercise of mind and the vexations which assault others and may judge of them as unlike the lot of Saints Thus David complains that he was a fear to his acquaintance Psal 31.11 Hence it followeth 1. That men ought wisely to consider the case of the afflicted and poor that they add not to their afflictions by their misconstructions 2. That godly men being exercised in spirit should be armed against such hard measures from their friends not expecting still to be dandled nor stumbling at it when some of their friends who should comfort them do pass by and others do pour Vinegar into their sores and add to their sorrow 3. That since other godly men may mistake such exercises they who are under them should guard lest themselves also stumble at them and for that end should study how useful and necessary they are Having premitted those Generals I shall â—ow explain the parts of this misery as it is branched out in the several verses and draw some general Observations accordâ—ng to those former Rules and Cautions without insisting any more upon Eliphaz his mistakes and reflections in them And first in this verse it is declared that the wicked man hath a miserable life of it being like a woman in travail as the word signifieth throughout his time and that not only through Gods making it to be so with him by afflictions but as the form of the word beaâ—s He makes himself to travel with pain through discontent and anxiety As for that which followeth in the end of the verse Some read it only as an Explication or other expression of all his days thus The wicked man travelleth all his days even the number of years which is â—id or determined by God to the oppressour or wicked man But leaving this and other readings not so apposite as our Translation it contains an Explication and Instance of the wicked mans vexation Wherein 1. Having more generally designed the person he speaks of that he is a wicked man he more particularly restricts what he is to say to the oppressour That so he may reflect upon Job whom he supposeth to have been guilty of that sin when he was in eminency and power 2. He instanceth this as a cause of the oppressours vexation and pain that the number of years is hidden to him Whereby we may understand either That it breeds him great vexation that the time of his death is kept hid by God so that he knows not when it shall arrest him the consideration whereof maâ—â—s all his present mirth or That his vexations are so bitter to him and his mind is so little at ease that he never desires to think on death but hides from himself all thoughts of that subject Both those come to one purpose and may agree in one as shall be marked in the Doctrines From this verse thus explained Learn 1. Whatever wicked men promise to themselves in their way yet if they considered matters well they will find they have but a miserable Dogs-life of it For so much may be gathered in general from this that the wicked man travelleth with pain and from the rest of the Text. Not only doth God make the life of some of them to be visibly miserable but even all of them bear some prints of the truth of this in some measure The best of it is but a drudgery in serving sin and lusts and many times it is seen they do but weary themselves Isai 57.10 Jer. 9.5 Ezek. 24.12 and pierce themselves thorow with many sorrows 1 Tim. 6.10 This may keep us from complaining of Gods service seeing Satan is a most cruel Task-master 2. It adds to the misery of wicked men that their vexations are endless That he travelleth with pain all his days not as women who travel but some days Albeit they have intermissions of visible troubles yet their anxieties and drudgeries continue and whatever they get yet they are far from that sweet issue of trouble which is promised to the godly Psal 30.5 This may warn all to beware of provoking God to imbitter all their moment of time And it teacheth Saints to bless God for any real vicâ—ssitude or change to the better which they find in their condition 3. It adds also to the misery of the wicked that God gives them up to be their own tormenters That he makes himself to travel with pain as the word in the Original bears His own â—theism diffidence love of this present life and the things thereof his fears about them his envy that others speed better than himself c. le ts him never be at quiet And albeit the spirits of godly men may make them very sad exercise which thâ—y should guard against and so this will not always prove a man wicked that he breeds himself vexations yet the point should teach all to try what is real and done by God in their vexations and what is only apprehended and made a vexation by themselves And when men find that they do thus vex themselves they ought to search into the grounds and causes of it whither Idols or unbelief and avoid them lest the increase of their vexations be a just punishment thereof 4. To be an oppressour is a particular evidence of a wicked man whatever he pretend unto otherwise as he may pretend to Piety and an acknowledgment of God Zech. 11.5 There he instanceth that General Assertion concerning a wicked man in the person of an oppressour intending but unjustly to reflect upon Job 5. Albeit Oppressours seem to be the men who should have most quiet since they heap together so many outward delights and think to secure themselves in the enjoyment thereof by the bearing down of others Yet in Gods judgment they are oft times plagued with greatest vexations and sorrows For they in particular are the wicked who travel in pain and of whom the following particulars in this and the rest of the verses are verified And albeit the point hold not fully true in the sense of Eliphaz yet they have their own vexations in purchasing and in keeping their purchase whâ—rewith they dare not trust God And sometimes their Consciences also do vex them Which should keep
to extricate Saints out of deadly difficulties and to give glorious issues from deadly extremities when he seeth it good for them so to do See Isai 26.19 Ezek. 37.11 12. Vers 2. Are there not mockers with me and doth not mine eye continue in their provocation The Second Ground of his pressing desire to plead with God is That being thus afflicted and near unto death his Friends spared not to mistake censure and mock his condition and his discourses and carriage thereupon which did so imbitter him that it deprived him of nights rest This both added to his affliction that when he was a dying he was thus dealt with and it helped on his bodily weakness portending his death And therefore he desires to betake himself to debate his cause with God having such cruel Friends to deal with upon Earth Of this see further Chap. 16.20 Here Learn 1. It is great cruelty to add affliction to the afflicted as here they did to Job when they mocked him who was so low See Psal 69.25 26. Job 19.21 22. 2. Saints in their troubles may expect to meet with this measure of having tryal heaped upon tryal upon them as here Job found One tryal will not be a shelter from another when there is need of it their tryal must be complete to search them throughly others also must be tryed in their compassion and sympathy by the greatness of their tryal and God delights to give proof under how much tryal he will support his people 3. Afflicted men have oft-times cause to ascribe much of their death to the cruelty of their Friends under their affliction as to an instrumental cause For Job subjoyns their cruelty as no small cause of his weakness v. 1. portending his death Vnfaithful friends in a sad time are guilty of many degrees of murder 4. Friends prove very cruel in trouble by their want of tenderness and mocking of the afflicted See Chap. 21.3 When they look lightly upon their afflictions Lam. 1.12 When they read them wrong as if they were evidences of wickedness and do weaken the hands of the godly afflicted man under them For Job finds provocations or imbitterings in their mocking which deprived him of rest 5. He asserts this by way of Question Are there not mockers with me c or by way of grave Asseveration and Oath If there be not mockers c. whereby he purgeth himself of prejudice and calumny in asserting this and expresses his regret that his case was so little considered that he must so strongly assert it and excite others to notice it It teacheth That Saints may get that to bear which is really very sad and yet get little credit or pity under it It will not easily be believed how deep some troubles will draw upon them and how much they will wound and imbitter them They who are cruel to them may be so little sensible what hurt they do that they will rather be ready to justifie themselves And others may be laid by and the afflicted left alone without pity for their tryal 6. Saints may be so afflicted that nights rest would be a great mercy and yet even that be denied unto them For saith he Mine eye continueth or lodgeth in their provocations Not only was this injury not done behind his back but to his face and in his very sight and eye a tryal which Saints may look for but he was kept waking in the night thereby noâ— could he get off his eye from poring on it 7. Whatever injury was here done to Job yet his own weakness bred his distemper in that he was first imbitttered by these provocations and then being so he could not rest for it which was contrary to that Precept Ephes 4.26 It Teacheth 1. How sad soever our condition be yet our own distempers thereby give the immediate rise to our vexations 2. To be at some times distempered and imbittered even to the want of rest though it be a gross fault and a fit of impatience for the time yet it will not conclude one be an impatient man who approves not of those sits and wrestles against them For Job who is so commended for his patience in this tryal James 5.11 fell in such a fit here Vers 3. Lay down now put me in a surety with thee who is he that will strike hands with me In the Second Branch of this part of the Chapter contained in this verse Job subjoyns to his former pressing grievances his renewed desire to plead his cause with God which he propounds to God himself Those words of striking hands with him are borrowed from their way of closing and engaging in bargains particularly in Suretyship Prov 6.1 And as it was their practice that Parties should strike hands in other Covenants So it seems it was their practice also when they engaged to answer in Law which is the business here in hand As for the first part of the verse where he speaks of laying down and of a surety with God some read it thus Appoint I pray thee my surety with thee that is Appoint Christ to be my Surety and then Who is he that will strike hands with me that is upon these terms I decline no man who will engage to enter the lists to debate against me in the matter of my integrity It is indeed certain that Job durst not boast of his integrity but in a Mediator And I would very willingly put this favourable construction upon his wish if I found not God and Elihu pass a more severe censure upon it Others understand it as a desire that God would appoint a common Surety or Umpire to himself and Job who might dispute against his Friends for that cause which was common to them both seeing both God and he were wronged by their doctrine This interpretation hath a truth in it That they who are imbaâ—qued in a common cause with God may expect that he will see it pleaded for both But it agrees not with the latter part of the verse where Job desires that some might strike hands with him as a party in the debate and not as one whose cause was to be pleaded by a common Umpire Therefore I understand it to import his renewed desire that he might have access to plead his cause with God or at least with some who would appear on Gods behalf in this quarrel And the form of speech is taken from the practice of those times where Parties did give in surety or pledges that they would stand to the determination of the Judge and perform what was judged And so the words will run thus lay down now a pledge and if thou do not that for it must be read disjunctively then appoint me a surety not for me or on my behalf to be forthâ—coming for me but for my behoof and security in this debate with thee The meaning is in sum as if Job had said Give me some assurance that thou wilt not judge me according to
your flowers of Discourse Such as are in trouble may indeed be in a Fever and so apt to mistake in many things Yet they will soon miss that in a Comforter which others will not 4. Albeit godliness teach men modesty and sobriety and to be tender of the reputation of others yet that doth not hinder them to tell men what they are when they are called to it in the defence of Truth and that they may give a check to their proud conceit of themselves For Job here spares not to tell his Friends Friends freely of their want of wisdom 5. Tenderness will not prompt men to tell others their faults that they may insult over them or dash and discourage them but out of love to reclaim them For he tells them this that they may return or change their Opinion and come now to themselves or to close with him and learn of him 6. It is the duty and commendation of men when they are found to be wrong not to persist in it because of their reputation but to quit it and come and learn truth As Job's Exhortation to them imports Vers 11. My days are past my purposes are broken off even the thoughts of my heart In the rest of this Discourse Job proceeds to prove their folly and want of wisdom in giving him any hopes of restitution by shewing how low he was brought and how hopeless his condition was in it self v. 11 12. how he could in reason expect no issue out of it in this life v. 13 14. and consequently how groundless their offers were v. 15 16. In the first place to prove that his health or restitution was hopeless in it self he not only declares that his trouble gave him to understand that his days were near an end in the beginning of this verse but further he gives two Evidences of his low and wasted condition One in the rest of this verse is That by reason of his misery pain and trouble all his purposes were broken off even those thoughts which had been the long possessions as it is in the Original of his heart Whereby we are to understand not so much those particular thoughts of his restitution and deliverance from this trouble to which he speaks afterward for it appears not he had any such thoughts since his trouble came upon him whatever thoughts he sometime had of the continuance of his prosperity when he enjoyed it Ch. 29.18 As in general that all his well ordered purposes and exercises wherewith he had been so long acquainted and all his refreshful thoughts in the days of his prosperity were plucked up by the extremity of his trouble and other exercise put in his hand as it is in the following verse Leaving Job's mistake about his approaching death and the end of his days we may here Learn 2. The days of men are but passing and will at last come to a period For Job's apprehension that his days are past supposeth this as a General Truth that mans days will pass 2. The Lord may in deep wisdom bring men to the gates of death and exercise them with thoughts thereof that they may give a proof how they will look upon it and may find what grace will do in such an exigent and that he may evidence his power in delivering from it For these among other causes is Job brought to apprehend approaching death My days are past 3. Man being a rational creature and not at his rest in this life hath his mind full of purposes resolutions and projects whereby especially when he prospereth and is in vigour he refresheth and delights himself and endeavours to add to the satisfaction of his actual enjoyments For so is supposed that Job had purposes and thoughts which were so delectable and habitual to him that they became the possessions of his heart Men had need to look well what those thoughts are which haunt their hearts for thereby they will know themselves better then by their actings 4. Not only will death make the thoughts and projects of most men to perish Psal 146.4 But even sore afflictions in this life will break over-turn and interrupt many of their sweet thoughts and purposes For saith he My purposes are broken off or plucked up even the possessions of my heart Not only can the Lord make sore afflictions batter down all mens thoughts and expectations of good things within time even after they have long stood out under some measure of tryals and have had possessions of heart and settled thoughts that it should be otherwise Mat 1.4 And when afflictions seem thus to over-turn our expectations it is our duty to quit and yield them up to God as Job in this discourse doth apprehending he was to die But even Saints are not to think it strange if the Lord by sore affliction over-turn their orderly sweet thoughts and exercises under prosperity and about the improvement of it to his glory and in place thereof fill them with restless confusion as it was with Job And as from this Truth in general men should learn to curb their vain thoughts and purposes which time and even a cross before the end of their time can over-turn and to labour after other purposes and designs which affliction can never overthrow however it interrupt them So the godly in particular should take warning to improve their time well in spiritual thoughts and purposes while they have ease considering that affliction may put an interruption unto them 5. Unto a godly man it is not only a sad exercise but an evidence of his very low condition when his troubles do drive him from all his sweet purposes and resolutions For Job propounds it not only as matter of lamentation but as an evidence of his low condition and that his days were past that his purposes are broken off c. As indeed however he mistook the matter of his death Yet as it was no ordinary but very deadly trouble that could drive him a godly man off those Principles and thoughts which were so delectable to him So it could not but waste and spend him much more that he was deprived of them Vers 12. They change the night into day the light is short because of darkness Another Evidence of his low and spent condition is taken from his restless anxious thoughts And that in stead of his former sweet thoughts and purposes his present calamities and his anxious thoughts about them did so toss him that he got not the nights rest but night was as day to him and his dark condition through trouble made the day seem short or nothing at all Whence Learn 1. Anxious thoughts are very frequent in trouble and have a strange Empire and Command over the afflicted For saith he They that is my purposes and thoughts which before were sweet v. 11. are now so changed that they change the night into day c. or so haunt me that they take up all my time by night and by
them tremble under the sense of wrath And this 1. Should cause Saints not stumble if they be so exercised They may have a sure interest in the love of God whose eyes and thoughts are held fixed upon wrath 2. It should make them careful not to judge by sense which is rash and judgeth by appearance and not by the Word and represents our condition worse then it is Doct. 2. Apprehension of wrath is most dreadful Saints and puts the cap-stone on all their other sorrows Therefore he joyns this to the rest of his grievances with an also as an over-charging addition to them See Chap. 13.24 And this gives us a sure evidence of Saintship and that it is but our sense that affrights us when we are most affected with wrath of any thing See Isa 64 5. 3. This also contributes to make the apprehen-of wrath sad especially to Saints 1. That it is not lying buried under the ashes but kindled and broken out And indeed wrath when it is deferred or but apprehended at a distance may seem but little in respect of what men will find it when it breaks out Then it will be found unsupportable Isa 33.14 Psal 90 11. And Saints will see cause to lament that they apprehended it so little till it came to that issue 2. After wrath hath been revealed against the Elect in their natural condition or against converted Saints for some particular faults and it hath been buried again and God reconciled with them It cannot but be sad that it should kindle up again and that after they have tasted of kindness and sweet imbracements they should again fall under the lash of wrath As Job here apprehends it This is matter of sad regret Psal 85.3 with v 4.5 3. This also heightens the sadness of such an apprehension that it is his wrath and that he hath kindled it against them whose way many time with his people is not to stir up all his wrath but to quench and take it away Psal 78.38 Isa 57 16 17 18. and that he who is their hope and refuge in all their troubles Jer. 17.17 should become their party Isa 63.9 10. Now albeit all those sad sights be but Saints apprehensions and tentations or at most there is only fatherly displeasure in their lot yet from this we may gather That true Saints cannot endure to have God their party in anger on any terms and it will be no small grief to them in such a condition that evidences of displeasure have not been seen before-hand in the Word and it will sadly affect them in their distress when they remember it was sometime otherwise with them as is said in another case Lam. 1.7 In all those respects Job complains of this here From the last part of v. 11. He counteth me to him as one of his Enemies wherein he clears and explains the former that God looked upon him as an Enemy and so let out wrath upon him or strokes which seemed to speak wrath Learn 1. Such as are indeed Enemies to God are obnoxious to wrath which will break out at last in sad effects For so much doth the connexion betwixt those two import Where God accounts a man an Enemy there he hath wrath and this wrath will break out in hostile acts such as those which made Job apprehend wrath and that God counted him an Enemy See Psal 7.11 12 c 75.8 2. However men may bear out under the harsh judgments of men who neither are infallible nor can judge of mens estate Yet God is Supreme Judge whose sentence is always just and irrepealable For Job looks here to what he counted him to be and though he was not shaken by his Friends mistakes yet this is matter of sad complaint that to his sense he counted him to him or in his judgment as one of his Enemies 3. It is the saddest of wrath that is let out on Enemies and which cometh from God looking on the party whom he pursues as an Enemy For this aggravates end heightens his sense of kindled wrath that it comes upon him as an Enemy In respect of this Fatherly displeasure is a deliverance and mercy as being mixed with and flowing from love And Saints should read it so and bless God that it is so 4. Saints may look upon their lot as inflicted on them as Enemies when yet it floweth from real friendshid For Job mistook in this there was neither wrath nor enmity in all this Saints are thus affrighted because they cannot discern Gods tender heart which may be warm toward them when his hand seems to speak severity Jer. 30.14 with 31.20 Therefore it is a sweet study wherein Saints should be much exercised To know how much of cross dispensations may consist with love yea and flow from it To know that all real displeasure is not pure and unmixed wrath That Senses language under trouble is Apocryphal and not to be credited and That we may read much from our ill deservings and guilt in our trouble which yet Gods love doth not intend in it as not pursuing our pardoned guilt nor chastening because he hath a quarrel though we deserve it should be otherwise From v. 12. wherein he clears how he thought God pursued him as an Enemy Learn 1. Where God hath a quarrel we need not doubt but he can avenge himself seeing he hath forces in aboundance to prosecute his Controversie For here there are Troops to send out against an Enemy 2. Afflictions tryals oppressors c. are Gods Armies sent against man though not always in wrath yet to subdue Rebellion and make him stoop Therefore are those called his Troops to shew that he as Supreme General hath them at his command to cause them come and go at his pleasure and that as Armies are sent out to subdue Rebels and conquer Enâ—mies so they are imployed to bring and keep us in subjection to God And therefore we should be careful that they get their errand lest he send out more Troops against us Lev. 26.21 22 23 24 c. 3. God when he pursueth men by afflictions is irresistible For those Troops raise up their way against him and encamp round about his Tabernacle So that it is to no purpose to struggle or contend with such a dispensation but it is our only safety to stoop 4. When sad afflictions come upon Saints it is not easie for them to avoid thoughts that God is angry and looks upon them as an Enemy For because of those Troops Job suspects that wrath is kindled and that God counts him as one of his Enemies v. 11. Vers 13. He hath put my brethren far from me and mine acquaintance are verily estranged from me 14. My kinsfolk have failed and my familiar friends have forgotten me From this to v. 20. we have the Seventh proof and instance of his misery Namely That while he is thus afflicted he is diserted of Friends Servants his Wife and most intimate familiars and
eternal confusion For saith he I shall see him for my self or for my behoof 4. Believers shall see God in the same individual bodies they have here For mine eyes shall behold him and not another or a stranger The qualities of the body will then be different and glorious above what now they are 1 Cor. 15.42 43 44. yet the substance will be the same And as the dayly decays and reparation of our bodies in this life do not make them cease to be the same bodies which we bring into the world with us So neither will the changes they undergo by death make them other bodies when they are raised again 5. Faith must look over many impediments to believe this wonderful restauration and take Gods Word for all For so doth he look over the consuming of his reins within him 6. Under present wasting of our bodies and the future consumption thereof by death and in the grave Saints should comfort themselves in the hope of a blessed Resurrection and that Christ will gather their dust again and raise it up in glory For so Job triumphs both over his present decay and over death when it shall come and consume his reins within him See 2 Cor. 5.1 Vers 28. But ye should say Why persecute we him seeing the root of the matter is found in me In this verse is contained the Conclusion of Job's Third Argument the same in substance with that Conclusion v. 22. that considering what he hath said for himself they should not thus persecute him Only further 1. He subjoyns a sum of what he hath argued concerning his integrity as a ground of the challenge That the root of the matter is found in him or he was solidly rooted in true grace and notwithstanding any frailties he had the substance of Religion and the Word also as the word rendered matter signifies also the Word whereby it was begotten and cherished were fixed and rooted in his heart And he was not an hypocrite who had only some external shews And therefore they should not thus persecute and reproach him and add to his sorrows 2 He amplifieth the challenge That not only they should not persecute him but should condemn such a practice themselves and so either prevent it or not need his reproof if they did it For it was a fault to be so cruel and a double fault that they did not censure themselves most severely for it Doct. 1. Religion and Piety is the great matter and concernment of men about which they should be busied above all things Therefore here it is called the matter or thing by way of excellency See Mark 8.36 Luke 10.41 42. 2. It is not enough men have fair flowers of Profession unless Religion be well rooted in their hearts For Job claims to a root of the matter in opposition to shews only That men may attain to this they should be careful that the Word take deep root in their hearts and so it may be rendered the root of the Word or a root fixed in them by the Word Psal 119.11 And that by this Word faith closing with a Mediatour be wrought in them for that was Job's root here v. 25 26 27. See Col. 2.6 7. and that they be sincere having the heart stored with solid and sound Principles not as the temporaries who want a root Matth. 13 20 21. 3. It is not enough that men pretend they are thus rooted in Piety unless it be really so and unless it be able to abide a tryal For this root of the matter must be sound after the most serious search See 2 Cor. 10.18 4. Where this root of Piety is it will remain and afford a testimony even where there are many failings For Job asserts and comforts himself in this root of the matter even when he confesseth he was not sinless yea and had more failings than he descerned See 1 John 3.9 This truth ought not to be abused to foster presumption or to embolden decliners while they are turning away and not returning yet it may comfort Saints who are humbled with their dayly failings that such weaknesses do not alter the state of their persons and it may encourage backsliders in their returning that a seed in them through Gods blessing may soon revive again 5. It is great cruelty and injustice to persecute an afflicted man who is solidly pious and rooted as to the state of his person and right in his cause For he argues that they should not persecute him who had the root of the matter in him Here Consider 1. It is dangerous to be found in opposition to what is right or to a good man in his right cause Whatever mens interest may seem to plead which ordinarily is more minded then what is right or wrong yet they should be able to do nothing against Truth 2 Cor. 13.8 For God is a party against the opposers of Truth and Truth and its Friends will be found too hard for any Creatures 2. As it is a sin and unbeseeming Saints to be cruel to any seeing the sense of mercy to themselves should make them merciful to others Matth. 18.23 35. Tit. 3.2 3 4. So in Particular It is an heinous sin not only to be against godly men in what is right but even to be violent and bitter and persecute them And readily this followeth upon the former any opposition to Truth tends to persecuting of it if there be a tentation 3. That favourers of Truth are afflicted by God is the great disadvantage of those who oppose and persecute them For if we joyn the former Argument with this we will find that their fault was so much the greater that they persecuted a righteous man who was already afflicted Doct. 6. Albeit men ought not to spare any sin yet they may be cruel in persecuting men for real faults so long as the root of the matter is found in them For so much may be here gathered that though Job had failings yet since the root of the matter is found in him they should not thus persecute him This should not he abused to excuse men who it may be have this root in them when either they maintain a wrong cause or turn loose in their conversation yea no good that is in any should excuse any of their faults Yet when men are righteous both as to the state of their person and their cause as Job was his cause relating to the state or his person and they fail in the way and manner of maintaining their cause it must be great cruelty violently to persecute them especially when they are under the hand of God And though their miscarriages he real sins yet they should not be charged upon the state of their person as altering it and they should be meekly dealt with as Brethren in reproving them 2 Thess 3.14 15. 7. It is a sin and shame for men not only to fail in their duty but that they should need admonition to set about
had been so largely enumerated in the former Chapter Nor doth he regard Job's ample confession of his faith Chap. 19.25 c. Nor the intimation of the hazard of wrath which he had made unto them Chap. 19.29 But the more Job spake of those things he falls the more fiercely upon him Whence Learn 1. It is not easie to change learned and witty mens Opinions when once they are engaged in dispute For Job's Friends have still somewhat to say and answer And therefore God should be much imployed in such cases who ends this Controversie by his Word Chap. 42. and without whose presence and operation disputes will not put a close to Controversies 2. Afflicted Saints ought not to build upon most rational and likely means for ending of their tryals till God come and interpose For albeit Job had said so much for himself as might make men in reason think it were a thousand pities to use him harshly any longer yet all this is but Oyl cast into the flame with his Opponents who deal the more harshly that he pleads pitifully and yet confidently under his pitiful case And herein 1. Men ought to look to God who hath the inflicting continuance and ending of tryals in his hand and will permit none to sacrifice to their ownner in this business But in the use of all means will have them submit intirely to his will and will have them see that he may justly continue that tryal which they can shew just reasons why men that are his Instruments should not continue it 2. Men ought also to look on this as a great part of their tryal if they will continue to hold fast by their Grounds and Principles after they have asserted them and yet God permits men to continue unjustly in opposition to them For every new Reply of Job after these unjust assaults of his Friends is a further tryal and proof his constancy and integrity and a mirrour wherein his patience and faith do shine for the Edification of others in all ages 3. Men should look what God may have to say in the unjust continuance of their tryals from men For in all this long debate though Job had the better cause and the better of them in the dispute yet he failed much toward God And therefore an exercise of one kind or other never left him till he took with these and was humbled for them 4. Men should also read in this instance how far passion kindled through the heat of contention especially when joyned with ill Principles may mislead them For Zophar's unsound Principles and his Passion did necessarily ingage him to condemn Job let him say for himself what he would Which should warn men to take good heed to their Principles what they are and to the frame of their spirits Observe 2. In the next place we are to consider the manner and way of his going about to answer My thoughts saith he cause me to answer or cause me to return and bring me back into the lists again and make me interrupt my resolved silence and I make haste or my haste it in me The word here rendered thoughts doth properly signifie the branch of a Tree and is figuratively applyed to signifie the clefts of Rocks and mens cogitations or thoughts And so it may import high unsettled and turbulent thoughts like branches tossed with the wind as accordingly we find it made use of to signifie unsettled Opinions 1 Kings 18.21 thoughts and fancies in a mans sleep Job 4.13 and ill and vain thoughts Psal 119.113 But It is not to be conceived that Zophar makes use of this word to express any bad opinion of his own thoughts conceptions but only that they were his thoughts issuing from his heart as branches from a tree This is certain that by those words he intimates that his thoughts were burning within him he was in so great haste to get a vent to his conceptions that he had no patience to hear Job any longer And albeit his design in all this haste and perturbation of mind was to vindicate the Righteousness and Justice of God and to reclaim Job whom he supposed to have miscarried grossly in this matter yet the sequel cleareth that he was wrong in this which he is so hasty to see about It teacheth 1. Mens spirits when they suffer themselves to be over-driven with haste and perturbation do readily miscarry For Zophar in this his haste is found to be in an Errour Thus David's expressions in his haste prove to be unsound and such as he finds cause to retract them in cold blood And ordinarily mens haste and passion which is but a short madness furnisheth them with matter enough of sorrow and repentance when they seriously reflect upon it And therefore in all actings mens first and chief care would be ever their own spirits which are their chief opposites in doing duty and particularly in managing Controversies as they ought 2. Men even when their designs and intentions are good may yet miscarry in the prosecution of them through haste and passion For Zophar had a good design in this his hastie undertaking to reclaim a man whom he judged to be in an Errour and yet his haste made him to miss his mark so that he was not able to discern what was right or wrong in Job nor to hit upon his real miscarriages in this Controversie Even a good Cause may be marred by mens managing of it with passion and haste and therefore much less are men to make use of a pretence of zeal or good intentions to break out in passion for who so give way to that distemper of spirit cannot readily but go wrong Observe 3. As for the General account of his Reasons moving him to answer and to make haste in it Therefore my thoughts cause me to answer and for this I make haste Though this therefore and for this may be looked on only as a General which is particularly expressed and instanced in the next verse Yet if we consider more narrowly there may be more found in it For in the former Chapter Job had closed his discourse with a threatning of Judgments against them because of their miscarriages towards him And Zophar begins and possibly interrupts Job with this Therefore I answer and for this I make haste as if he had said The fear of that same wrath wherewith thou threatenest us for speaking as we do causeth me speak yet more to the same purpose lest by my silence and suffering thee to go in in thy course I should indeed draw on that wrath upon me It teacheth 1. Men should be well advised and maturely ponder the grounds upon which they speak and particularly upon which they either engage or persist in a debate they should first think well and then speak For so much doth his pretending to this ground and reason of speaking teach in general though he â—â—red in the particular Therefore do I answer c. 2.
5.3 when they observe Gods love in taking pains upon them Rev. 3.19 Heb. 12.6 7 8. that he vindicates the glory of his Holiness in not winking at their faults 2 Sam. 12.14 that he supports them under trouble 2 Cor. 4.8 9. 6.9 10. 12.9 10. that he makes their troubles useful to them 1 Pet. 1.6 7. James 1 2 3. and sits them thereby for his Consolations 2 Cor. 1.5 and that their afflictions cannot reach their best things 1 Pet. 1.5 6 and all their sorrows will end in joy at last So in particular the ruine of the wicked will afford them joy When they see Gods justice and consequently his Providence made conspicuous for their comfort Psal 58.10 11. when in the ruine of the wicked they observe proofs of Gods Truth and Power to be made use of in other cases And when they consider how they have been kept from the wickeds evil way and so have escaped ruine with them 3. Though wicked men during their prosperity be looked upon by many as the only wise men in the world yet in their misery they will be found ridiculous when all their witty projects shall fail them and the courses they have taken for their own security shall be found to have tended to their ruine Therefore it is said the innocent shall laugh them to scorn which doth intimate that they will be found to have been ridiculous in their way and that innocent straight walkers have the advantage of them See Psal 52.6 7. 4. Not only will the godly have cause to rejoyce at the calamity of the wicked but because of Gods contrary dealing with themselves and the difference he makes between the one and the other For so much doth their Song import Whereas our substance is not cut down but the remnant of them the fire consumeth See Mal 3.18 Isa 65.12 God may sometime make this difference even by preserving the righteous from common calamities and by exempting of them when tâ—ouble is most violently consuming the wicked as a fiâ—e as he did to Noah and is still able to do it if he please Yet this is not always to be expected but there may be a difference made even though they taste of the outward trouble God can moderate trouble to his own when it consumes the wicked as a fire Isa 27.7 He can make it easie to their spirits how violent soever it be in it self while the wicked sink under it Isa 33.14 15 c. He can deliver his own after they are afflicted and can make them rise after they have faln Mic. 7.8 and not be cut down while the wicked never recover but their remnants are consumed by the fire Or though they be cut off by trouble he can make up all with eternal happiness when the wicked are sent to the pit by their temporal plagues 5. None can claim to the priviledges of the godly or to be righteous persons who do not study Innocency in their Conversation For the righteous who are glad and enjoy this priviledge are the innocent Vers 21. Acquaint now thy self with him and â—e at peace thereby good shall come unto thee Followeth the Second Part of the Chapter wherein Eliphaz having endeavoured to convince Job that he was wicked doth now as he had done in his first discourse sweeten this sharpness with an Exhortation to be converted and repent pressed upon him by many encouragements The Exhortation is propounded in several branches with some encouragements intermixed v. 21 22 23. Unto which other encouragements are expressly subjoyned v. 24 c. Concerning this part of the Chapter it is to be marked in General 1. That the Exhortation contains sound Doctrine concerning the way of an unrenewed man or hypocrites conversion and turning unto God But it is ill directed and applyed to Job as if he had been an hypocrite before and ought now to cast away the testimony and evidences of his former integrity 2. As for the Arguments or Encouragements especially these promises of temporal prosperity upon his repentance whatever truth be in them that such Promises are put in the Believers Charter to be performed as God seeth good 1 Tim. 4 8. Yet they hold not true in Eliphaz's sense that prosperity will be heaped upon every penitent and godly man For the Scriptures and Experience in all Ages do bear witness to the contrary In this verse we have 1. An Exhortation in two Branches that Job should acquaint himself or become familiar with God and be at peace which is a good counsel when given to the fit person 2. A General Encouragement subjoyned that he shall reap good and advantage by so doing Obs 1. It may be one of the godlies tryals under affliction to have all their Piety judged to have been hypocrisie and that they must begin of new as if they had never done any thing in sincerity before For so is Job dealt with here And godly mâ—n may be tempted to yield to this both on the left hand by rough usage wherewith Job hath been essayed in the former part of the Discourse and on the right hand by soft and smooâ—h insinuations wherewith he is assaulted here Hence 1. It is the duty of men to expect that their state will be tried and that their integrity real or supposed will be assaulted when tryals come as the winds and raâ—tâ—y how the house is builded Mat. 7.24 27. 2. It is acceptable service in the truly godly to stand fast in this tryal and not to rase the foundations whatever infirmities and miscarriages they see cause to acknowledge For it is sent to be a tryal wherein they ought not to faint 3. They are very cruel and do try sharply who call the grace of godly men in question in the day of their tryal Obs 2. Greatest sharpness against mens persons and faults ought to be seasoned with sweetness and love As here Eliphaz subjoyns sweet insinuations to his former sharp discourse though he had omitted it in his last discourse Chap. 15. and falls a beseeching acquaint thy self now or I beseech thee Sharp rebukes ought to be mixed with love to make them take For it is no easie art to reprove men aright but requires much honesty tenderness and love Obs 3. Afflictions do never speak rightly to men but when they press Reconciliation with God upon them either to secure it by renewed evidences and assurances if they be already reconciled or to make it up if it be otherwise For in this sense his Doctrine is sound though it must not be granted that every afflicted man is unrenewed and hath the friendship to begin But otherwise whatever afflictions seem to say from God to us yet it speaks love in God and safety to us if our afflictions lead us to God-ward to make sure his favour and to have all our losses made up by it and to run away fâ—om God in afflictions speaks our condition to be very deplorable Isa 1.5 Jer. 5.3 Obs 4.
the duty of men and especially of Saints to delight much in him his fellowship comforts and service which will compose their minds as to other things For it is propounded here as a thing to be pursued after to have delight in the Almighty See Psal 37.4 3. It is both the Touchstone and evidence of mens Conversion when they delight themselves in God and his favour in opposition to other things Psal 4.6 7. and are much in his company and it is their reward also that they are allowed to delight in God if they could follow it forth and improve it For it is here propounded as an encouragement For then shall thou have thy delight in the Almighty 4. It contributes to the heightening of our satisfaction in God that he is Almighty or Alsufficient as here he is designed Which imports that it is comfortable that the terrour of his Almighty power needs not affright us Jer. 17.17 and that his Infinite fulness and free communications thereof as the Alsufficient God may satisfie and refresh us and comfort us over all our sorrows 5. It is also the great and inriching advantage of godly men that they may look up to God in all extremities with humble confidence without blushing and running away from him as Adam did And that they may confidently make their addresses and pour out their hearts before him in all their distresses For thou shalt lift up thy face unto God See Job 33.26 Vers 27. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him and he shall hear thee and thou shalt pay thy vows The Second Branch of this Encouragement is that he shall receive such a comfortable return of his Prayers as shall excite him to praise and pay his vows unto God Wherein Obs 1. Somewhat is here proposed and implyed of a converted mans duty that he prayeth and makes vows which he payeth when God hears him as it is in the end of the verse It teacheth 1. Conversion to God and delight in him will not take away nor hide a godly mans wants from him nor his need of Prayer For he insinuates that when Job is converted and delighting in the Almighty he will yet be praying So also the Disciples when they are abiding in Christ must yet be praying John 15.7 The nearer men draw to God their necessities and wants will be the more discovered to them The more they have of Communion with God and partake of the sweet fruits of his friendship they cannot but thirst after more and It pleaseth God to keep the issue of his peoples necessities still running that they may live in a constant course of dependence and communion with him and may abide still in him All which upon the one hand may give a check to these who pretend to Communion with God and yet are filled with a conceit of their own fulness See Rev. 3.17 And upon the other hand those who grow in the sense of their necessities and who the more earnestly they pursue find their necessities the more discovered have no cause therefore to suspect that they have no fellowship with God since such a condition is a sure evidence they have it 2. As a man reconciled to God will be kept in a lively sense of his wants so Prayer unto God is the course he follows for the supply of his wants and relief of his necessities Thou shalt make thy Prayer unto him saith he The Spirit of God which is given to a reconciled person is a Spirit of Supplications Zech 12.10 whereby he cries Abba Father Rom 8.15 Gal. 4.6 The reconciled man is not so much satisfied with the receipt of such a particular mercy as that he receives it out of the hand of God in answer to his Prayers And he is so discerning as to know that without employing of God no other mean how promising like soever can do him good and that however a wicked man may neglect God and yet prosper yet his expectations cannot but fail him if he presume to follow such a course This should put men to try their state and condition by the courses to which they betake themselves when their necessities press them 3. Saints engaged in Prayer will find oft-times a necessity of joyning vows therewith or to engage themselves with their own consent to their duty and to perform what is enjoyned by the Authority of God For paying of vows when Prayer is heard presupposeth the making of Vows in Prayer See Gen. 28.20 21 22. Now this joyning of Vows with Prayer imports 1. That such as pray aright have an high estimation of what they seek For the granting thereof of engages them to God with their own consent And it is no smal evidence of our sincerity in Prayer when we set a value upon what we seek and when delays in answering do heighten our estimation thereof and our affection in seeking of it 2. That right supplicants have also an high estimation of Gods favour evidenced in his answering of their Prayers that his love comes over their ill Deservings and his Power and Wisdom break thorow all difficulties and improbabilities to do them good This cannot but engage them to God Psal 116.1 2. c. 3. That they who seek God aright will also be sensible of much short coming and lasiness in ordinary which needs those new resolutions and vows to excite and engage them And when the Children of God come to be in any particular distress they will be put to look upon their ordinary negligence with sorrow 4. That Supplicants who know themselves well will also be sensible of their own inconstancy and how ready they are to shake off all these convictions and resolutions they have in a day of trouble unless they secure themselves by these engagements and vows Obs 2. The Promise concerning the success of the godly mans undertaking in Prayer is He shall hear thee It teacheth 1. That reconciled men do not pray for the fashion and sit down upon the work wrought but do need the Answer of their Prayers and will be put to look what account they get of them For so is supposed here that he needs a promise of Audience 2. A reconciled man making his Prayer to God for things agreeable to his Will will get an answer in Gods due time and way For thou shalt make thy Prayer unto him And he shall hear thee See Psal 50.15 Isa 45.19 Joh. 15.17 1. Joh. 5.14 Psal 65.2 And though it be the frequent exercise of godly men that God hears not their Prayers Yet for clearing of this it would be considered 1. When Answers of Prayers are withheld oft-times the Spirit of Prayer or liveliness in Prayer is wanting though the form and fashion of it be kept up and that it may be also with some ingredient of sincerity Men may lust and long but not pray Jam. 4.2 And if they pray as no doubt the Jews did during the time of their captivity yet that life in prayer which their
continue the afflictions of his people so long as he pleaseth as having Soveraign Dominion Their own bitterness under trouble may contribute to lengthen their sorrows and complaints And the discovery and purging of their dross even when trouble hath touched upon their sores may be so long in working as may continue their exercise long upon them 5. Endeavours to comfort and relieve the afflicted may sometimes adde to the bitterness of their tryall For even to day is my complaint bitter imports also that his bitterness was not a little augmented by the cures they applyed to his sores so that every speech of theirs did for that time awake all his sorrows and bitterness upon him As it is not an easie task to deal with troubled and afflicted Saints so they themselves ought to guard against supervenient irritations when they are afflicted 6. Stroaks may so confound the afflicted that they can hardly so much as make distinct complaints of them but only groan or at least when they have vented never so much by complaining there will be much more left to be uttered by inexpressible groans For with his complaint he had groaning As this points out the emptiness of the creature that a man dare not so much as promise to himself to be able to ease himself by dâ—stinct uttering of his case So Saints in such a condition should be comforted by considering how much a groan may speak to God if it be uttered by his own Spirit Rom. 8.26 27. 7. It is a great ease to Saints in trouble to get leave to vent their grievances and complaints were it but even by groans For here Job complains that his stroak is heavier than his groaning or that it could not be uttered even by groans Where the word rendred my stroak in the Original is my hand So also Psal 77.2 Whereby we are to understand his stâ—oak coming from the hand of God and it gets the name of his hand or the hand upon him to shew that this is the right sight of our afflictions when we especially eye the hand of God in them This point may teach them to be thankful who get if it were but the mercy of such an ease And when it is wanting we must look to him who seeth our condition as well as he hears our complaints about it 8. It is an evidence of a sinful distemper when men complain more than they have cause and when their cry is louder than their stroak is smarting For Jobs defending of his complaint by shewing that his stroak is heavier than his groaning doth import that it could not be justified if his groaning were heavier than his stroak It is the duty of Saints to study to be moderate in their resentments and not to aggravate their sorrows and stroaks And for this end they ought to remember how much they deserve above what they feel Ezr. 9.13 to observe any moderation and mercy that is in their lot Lam. 3.18.22 and to be content with whatsoever affliction God will enable them to bear 1 Cor. 10.13 9. Saints in their distempers are unfit Judges of themselves and their way For Job did indeed exceed In his complaints but doth not discern it As men ought not simply to trust their own knowledge of themselves as having to do with God who knoweth them farr better 1 Cor. 4.4 So in particular they ought to be jealous of themselves when they are in any distemper or trouble Verse 3. O that I knew where I might find him That I might come even to his seat 4. I would order my cause before him and fill my mouth with Arguments 5. I would know the words which he would answer me and understand what he would say unto me In the second branch of his complaint to v. 10. he regrates that he could not get access to God where he was sure to be absolved though he was condemned by men And in this his scope is not only to ease himself by complaining of his sad condition But withall 1. To assert his own integrity in that he expected to be assoyled by God 2. To insinuate that his Friends had dealt cruelly and unjustly with him which makes him seek to another Judge and complain that he gets not access In all which albeit his honesty and the strength of the grace of God in him do appear Yet it is further to be marked 1. That while he studies to avoid and repell their unjust censures he runs to another extremity in the way of asserting his confidence of his integrity Which sheweth that even a good cause may prove an occasion though not a cause to a man to manage it ill when he is tempted by the injuries of others 2. That being ill used by his Friends and so irritated and put in a distemper he reflects too much upon God who gave him not that satisfaction which he desired Which also warneth us that when passions are aloft they are madd steers-men and will readily drive us upon a rock This branch of his complaint and the grounds of it may be taken up in four particulars First His earnest desire to meet with God to argue his cause with him since he found so little help or comfort among his Friends v. 3. Where if we look upon the matter abstractly it is sound and right that a man desire to draw near unto God in his trouble especially when he is mistaken and ill guided by his Friends But if we look to the way of his desire and his particular scope in it he will be found passionate and faulty and therefore he is checked for his escape in it by Elihu For his scope here is to desire that since he missed of comfort and satisfaction in his addresses to God by faith and prayer therefore God would not so much help him to appear before him in Heaven by taking away his life as speaking after the manner of men set up some visible Tribunal before which he might plead his cause The whole Discourse alludes to such a finding of God as this which was granted to him afterward in the person of Elihu and by Gods own interposing in the debate though not so much to his advantage as he expected The second Particular in this branch of the complaint contained also in these Verses is an account of the use he would make of this liberty and opportunity of finding God Namely That he would boldly approach to God being set upon such a Tribunal v. 3. That he would propound and argue his cause and plead in defence of his integrity v. 4. and would answer all exceptions against it v. 5. and so formally deduce and manage the process Here there are great evidences of his integrity but vented without that modesty and reverence that were requisite and therefore he is afterward reproved for this However it may afford us useful instructions And First From his desire v. 3. Learn 1. A mans good conscience is a sure friend in
tryal For it was this that prompted him to make this confident though too bold address It is good to have this friend made sure for it is that only which will speak to a mans comfort in distress as Hezekiah found when he received a sentence of death Is 38.1 2 3. See also 1 Joh. 3.21 2. God is the only sure Friend Judge and Witness of a good conscience For it is to him that Job would appeal in this cause It is not enough we say we have a good conscience unless God judge so also Is 38.3 2 Cor. 10.18 And his letting loose others to traduce us or even tentations more immediately from himself as he did to the Woman of Canaan Matth. 15.22 23 c. is no evidence that he doth condemn us if his Word do absolve us 3. When godly friends do misconstruct us it may be a check for our leaning to their approbation and certainly is a call to goe to God to seek and be comforted in his approbation For the carriage of Jobs Friends puts him to seek where to find him that is God whom he thus designes because they knew well enough of whom he meant and to shew how much God was in his mind See Psal 142 4 5. As our negligence and resting upon the applause of men is often challenged and punished by such a measure as Job found from his Friends So it is sad when hard usage here doth not call and send us to God and when we have such an exercise and yet are not put so much the more to seek God but do sit his call 4. Men may have much need and an earnest desire after God when yet they are at a loss where to find him As Jobs desire O that I knew where I might find him doth import and as is expresly regrated v. 8 9. Though our own mistakes have oft-times a hand in this of which afterward yet God doth order it that it may breed us exercise discover our graces make us see and mourn for our former negligence and teach us that our approbation is not alwayes to be judged by our success 5. When we are at a loss in finding of God our affections and desires should be quickened thereby to act more strongly For so Job is at vehement desires about this matter O that I knew where I might find him So is it also with the Church in the Canticles frequently Such exercises are sent to be a touchstone of our love whether it will grow in absence or not 6. God is oft-times missed by his people because they do mistake and follow not the right way of finding him which is by faith closing with him as he reveals himself in his Word For Job not being content with this but seeking after a new or at least a more sensible way of meeting with God as hath been cleared may well wish he might find him but comes no speed Secondly From the use he would make of his liberty if he knew where to find God Learn 1. Needy Souls who are cast upon God will decline no pains to be at him For Job would come near where-ever he were to be found 2. Uprightness hath great boldness however men may miscarry in managing thereof For whatever was Jobs weakness yet it argues his great confidence that if he knew where to find God he would come even to his seat It argues a childes disposition when we still draw near to God provided we season our approaches with due reverence See Heb. 4.16 3. As men who deal with God ought to know their own condition so they must not dally but deal ingenuously with him For Job supposeth that he ought to order his cause before God when he cometh unto him which presupposeth his distinct knowing of himself that he may clearly propound it to God And when it is otherwise confusion will prove a great enemy to confidence in trouble 4. God allows that his children do argue and plead their interest in him against the suggestions of troubles and tentations Not to perswade God farr less to quarrel him because he deals sharply with them which was Jobs fault but to perswade their own hearts and to evidence the strength of their own faith which hath the promise of a good issue Therefore Job would fill his mouth with arguments See Matth. 15.22 23 24 c. 5. God hath furnished his people with variety of evidences whereby they may strengthen their faith and prove their own good estate notwithstanding the strange lots that befall them For Job hath variety of Arguments wherewith he may even fill his mouth in this plea. And though it be sweet when these abundant evidences are all clear to us at once yet we are not to despise any one of them as that we have sense of need do still adhere to God do run to him with every grievance c. though other evidences be over-clouded 6. Gods people may expect that sometimes God may seem to oppose their faith and to repel all their essayes to cleave to him and to muster up objections to shake their confidence For so doth Job suppose that God would answer him and say somewhat to him by way of exception to his evidences Thus did Christ deal with the Woman of Canaan Matth. 15. And they are not all unsound the evidences of whose good estate are pleaded against 7. It is the duty of sincere Saints to implead all exceptions against their estate and even to wrestle with God till they prevail Gen. 32.26 27 28. Hosea 12.3 4. For so doth Job resolve if he had access I would know the words which he would answer me and understand what he would say unto me Where by knowing is not to be understood that he would approve what should be excepted against him for Job minds no such thing here but that he would see if there were any thing could be excepted against his integrity which he could not implead And whatever his miscarriage was it is certainly the godly mans duty not to lye by or succumb when he is thus assaulted but to rouze up himself to plead with God as the child of God will do when he hath a lively sense of his necessity under such a condition and is indeed humble before God 8. Mens confidence of their integrity being joyned with much distress may over-drive them and make them forget themselves in their addresses and pleadings with God For so Job is irreverent and presumptuous in his undertakings And though there was indeed nothing to be objected against the truth of his grace yet there was so much to say against him as himself confesseth else-where though now he doth not so distinctly mind it and which deserved so much if God should deal in strict justice Psal 130.3 and 143.2 that it became him not to resolve to speak so passionately in defence of his integrity before God nor to insinuate that God could reveal nothing against him which he knew not before or
which he could not answer and repell Verse 6. Will he plead against me with his great power No but he would put strength in me 7. There the righteous might dispute with him so should I be delivered for ever from my Judge The third Particular in this branch of his complaint is an account of his encouragements which make him so earnestly desire to plead his cause with God One v. 6. is That he would thus if he could have access come unto God because God would not employ his great power against him in the debate but would even strengthen him to plead and prevail Or God would not destroy him when he appeared to debate his integrity but would only produce Arguments if there were any against him as some read the latter part of the Verse and strengthen him to answer if he had any thing to say And it is indeed true That God will not employ his power to crush men if they be able to answer what may be excepted against them Yet if any come presumptuously to plead they deserve that he should put forth his power to cause them know themselves Another ground of encouragement v. 7. is That at the Throne of grace the righteous may plead their cause with God and by that debate and the sentence upon it he should not only be delivered from their slanders who took upon them to be his Judges but from Gods condemnatory sentence in the day of Judgement and from the judgement and sentence which he might pass by vertue of his transcendent Soveraignty From v. 6. Learn 1. If God proceed in justice or exercise his Soveraignty over the best of men and put forth his power against them they cannot stand For Job declines to have God so pleading with him 2. God in his dealing with Saints doth not proceed according to their perfection but their sincerity nor doth he employ his Soveraign power to crush them For Will he plead against me with his great power No. See Job 37.23 24. Psal 99.4 This is a great encouragement to humble Saints though Job did justly fore-fault his priviledge if God had pleased to deal in severity by his pride and passion 3. God not only with-holds his great power in pleading with his people but he strengthens his people when he pleads with them to make them prevail For He would put strength in me or would put in me for strength is not in the Original that which would bear me out in this plea. Thus did he strengthen Jacob to wrestle and prevail with himself Gen. 32. And thus doth he deal with his people even when he leaves them to be pursuers of him Ps 63.8 4. As Saints who know the great power of God will not hazard to make it their party So they dare not lean to their own inherent strength as sufficient to bear them out even when God condescends to plead most gently and tenderly with them For Job needs that strength should be put in him even when God makes no use of his great power in pleading From v. 7. Learn 1. Albeit God allow not quarrellings such as many of Jobs pleas were yet he approves of the pleading of Faith at the Throne of grace For there they may dispute with him if they manage their plea in a right way 2. God allows his Saints even their righteousness and integrity though they be conscious to themselves of many imperfections For the righteous might there dispute with him But hypocrites who are neither perfect nor sincere should not dare to appeal to him 3. Godly men in their pleading may lawfully challenge the effects of Gods goodness and plead against his harsh usage of them and desire him that he would reconcile his present dealing with their priviledges and the testimony of their consciences providing they do all this modestly and reverently For so much is imported in this disputing or arguing which is indeed allowed to the righteous if they do not miscarry in the managing of it 4. Saints notwithstanding their integrity are obnoxious to the misconstructions of men and lyable to the Justice and Soveraignty of God if he please to put it forth to call them to an account for every miscarriage For these are to be understood by that Judge which Job desires to be delivered from 5. Saints by pleading and prevailing at the Throne of grace are liberate from these Tribunals and Judges Gods approbation there fortifieth them against all slanders and answers all the accusations of the Law For so by pleading my cause at the Throne of grace and disputing there with him I should be delivered from my Judge 6. When God assoyles his people at the Throne of grace he assoyles them for ever so that however the godly man may in his tenderness mind his faults often and God may put him in mind thereof to excite him to more tenderness and caution yet the sentence passed there will stand valid and ratified in the great day For saith he so should I be delivered for ever from my Judge Verse 8. Behold I goe forward but he is not there and backward but I cannot perceive him 9. On the left hand where he doth work but I cannot behold him he hideth himself on the right hand that I cannot see him The last Particular of this branch of the complaint is the Complaint it self wherein he regrates that though he had this earnest desire to find God that he might plead his cause with him and had these grounds of hope to be absolved yet let him turn himself where he will upon all hands he cannot get a sight of God nor access to him to plead his cause For clearing whereof Consider 1. Jobs scope in all this is not to deny Gods Omnipresence or that he is to be seen in his works upon every hand But only to assert that he could not find nor discern him in so sensible if not also a visible way of presence as he might plead his cause with him as one party doth with another 2. While he mentions his going forward and backward to the left and to the right hand in his successless quest the meaning is only this that no where and by no means could he meet with God And as to what he speaks of the left hand where he doth work some do understand it of the Northern parts of the World which are on a mans left hand when he stands with his face toward the East the West being behind him the South on his right hand and the East before him which was the way of designing the quarters of the World among the Hebrews where Gods working is more conspicuous as being more inhabited than Southern Climates But however the Jews did indeed so design the quarters of the World and Job alludes to it this is too subtil to be looked on as Jobs scope here For though he speak of his working only here yet it is not to be doubted but that he saw him in his
no covering in the cold and are wet with the showers of the mountains c. 3. When men are under great afflictions small mercies will be very great in their eyes As those stripped persons are content to embrace a rock for want of a better shelter Undervaluers of meâ—cy do proclaim that they are so dealt with as they forget the difficulties of others See Heb. 11.37 38. Verse 9. They pluck the fatherless from the breast and take a pledge of the poor 10. They cause him to goe naked without clothing and they take away the sheaf from the hungry 11. Which make Oyl within their walls and tread their Wine presser and suffer thirst In these Verses Job proceeds yet to give an account of further acts of these Robbers cruelty and of the aggravations thereof And 1. That they spare not even the weakest but pull the very fatherless babes from their mothers breasts that they may keep them themselves or sell them to others for slaves or cause their mothers redeem them again v. 9. 2. That they spare not even the poorest but take the apparel of the poor for a pledge and take away the sheaf which the hungry have gathered among the reapers v. 9 10. Where that they are said to take a pledge doth not import that they do legally pursue or make use of any pretences of Law but only that they take somewhat as a pledge from the poor Mothers for redemption of their Children or take other rewards from these they reach to deliver them our of their hands 3. For what is subjoyned v. 11. some understand it of oppressing Masters who not only defraud labourers of their hire Jam. 5 4. to deprive them even of meat and drink and that when they are about the labours of their harvest making their oyl and treading their wine-presses which is the time wherein very beasts are not denyed the plentiful use of the creatures Deut. 25.4 But the context leads us rather to understand it of the condition of the poor formerly mentioned if not of others also by reason of these Robbers That though they tread their Wine-presses and make their Oyl within their walls for greater safety yet they are robbed and get not leave to enjoy the fruit of their labours but suffer thirst Doct. 1. There is no age nor condition of persons exempted from tryals but God may exercise them therewith when he will For even babes upon the breast and others may be tryed No men should plead exemption to themselves and as they should acknowledge it a mercy when they are free so when they have been long spared they should look that possibly they may be met with ere their course be ended 2. As God distributeth conditions and lots in the World as he pleaseth and maketh some fatherless poor hungry and thirsty So it is not to be expected that former afflictions will exempt men from new tryals when the wicked are let loose or God hath them to exercise For even the fatherless upon the breast the poor the hungry and thirsty are exposed to new tryals by these Robbers God in his Soveraignty may so dispose of men if he please and mens sins deserve all this Is 9.12 17 21. and 10.4 especially when they improve not former troubles Lev. 26.21 22 c. Amos 4.6 12. 3. It is a mercy to parents to get leave to enjoy their own children and a sad affliction to be robbed of them As here it is a great tryal that they pluck the fatherless from the breast Which as it condemns the barbarous cruelty of those Nations who pull away Infants that they may sell them to others or make Slaves of them themselves So it should quicken Parents who are free of such a tryal to look well how they educate their Children that they may find them their company and liberty a mercy to themselves and others with whom they live 4. God will own the cause of the indigent and afflicted especially when they are wronged in their very livelyhood and necessary apparel For so Joh supposeth that if God avenge any Injuries visibly in thâ—s life he will avenge Injuries done to fatherless babes to the poor hungry and thirsty We ought to be sober when we are deprived of superfluities only for that is oft-times a just chastisement upon Gods part and may prove a mercy to us if we mortifie lusts diligently when their fuel is taken from them and when it cometh to extremities God will appear and be a party against those that wrong us especially when we are humbled before him 5. It is a great addition to tryals when mens endeavours to prevent them do not avail them That even within their walls where they think to secure their harvest they get not so much as a drink of their own Wine but suffer thirst and that when they have gathered their sheaf it is taken away Endeavours to prevent trouble though it be our duty to use them will but imbitter us with disappointments and so augment our afflictions till our tryal be perfected Especially if we think to secure our selves by our own endeavours without turning to God Is 22.9 10 11. Mal. 1.4 Verse 12. Men groan from out of the city and the soul of the wounded cryeth out yet God layeth not folly to them Here Job closeth this instance of Oppressours and Robbers shewing how God spareth them notwithstanding their cruelty For however by reason of the cruelty of these Oppressours in Cities or Civil Societies and these open Robbers formerly mentioned men are heard to groan because of oppression from out of the very Cities and the soul of the robbed and wounded to death belike by Robbers without do cry out of this horrid cruelty yet the Lord doth not visibly charge this sin and folly upon the Oppressours but suffers them to escape unpunished in this life Because the supplement to them in the end of the Verse is not in the Original therefore some render the words thus God disposeth no absurdity But the sense of this must fall in with the former reading That notwithstanding Oppressours be thus cruel yet the Lord doth no absurd or unbeseeming act in not pursuing them visibly but permitting them to vent their cruelty Doct. 1. Oppression may draw very deep even to enter Cities and may put the oppressed not only to secret groans but to crying out through deadly wounds Which may teach oppressed people to observe and acknowledge Gods mercy when they meet with a more gentle measure 2. Oppression is a crying sin and as it makes the oppressed groan and cry out so God will hear those though none other regard them as he hears the cryes of the young Lions and Ravens Psal 104.21 Job 38.41 For so are we here taught that their groans and cryes are heard and God would avenge them if he did not see it fit to testifie his long suffering 3. The moe they be who are oppressed it adds to the weight and hainousness
up above the Waters which at first were above it to be a commodious habitation for man Or it may be rendered beside to point out that God hath founded the Earth beside and with the Seas in one Globe and beside and with the floâ—ds and rivers which run through it Psal 104.10 c. Doct. 1. The works of Creation do set forth the glory of God the stately curtain of Heaven being as his Throne and Canopy and the founded and fixed Earth as his Footstool Is 66.1 For this is one of Job's instances of Gods glorious dominion that he stretcheth forth the north and hangeth the earth See Psal 19.1 and 104.1 2 c. Is 40.22 And in the close of this Book God demonstrates his own glory by these and the like operations of his hand So that they are without excuse who see not God in these things Rom. 1.20 And men should be much in meditating upon these things for their instruction and edification as was David's practice Psal 8. and 19. and 104. and 148. and elsewhere Whose profiting by that study may tell us that spiritual minds will still find the lessons taught by that Book fresh unto them even all these who do not drown themselves in the study of nature and second causes in these things forgetting God And the barrenness of many who have these demonstrations of the glory of God still before their eyes may tell us how formality will hide the lustre of most glorious things were they even as visible as the Heaven and Earth 2. It is an evidence of the glory of God that he supports the whole Fabrick of Heaven and Earth by the word of his Almighty power For by this Job commends him here that he stretcheth out the north over the empty place and hangeth the earth upon nothing See Heb. 1.3 This assures us that he can do greatest things without visible means by the power of his word so that if he but speak the word it shall be done Luke 7.7 See Psal 119.89 90 91 92. Verse 8. He bindeth up the waters in his thick cloud and the cloud is not rent under him The fourth evidence and effect of his Dominion and power is that he binds up the Waters which are in the air in clouds that they may not fall down but in drops and that though they be very weighty yet the cloud bursts not under the burden Whence Learn 1 It is an evidence of the dominion of God that he hath waters above our heads bottled up in clouds For this is another instance that he hath waters in his thick clouds Those the Lord hath prepared for several ends Job 37.11 12 13. Not only to have a scourge in readiness when sinners provoke him but to furnish needful refreshment to the earth which neither nature by it self nor Idols could do Jer. 14.22 and thereby to manifest his kindness to his people Psal 65.9 10 c. and 68.9 and therefore we should see much of God even in this Act. 14.17 2. It is a proof of the dominion and goodness of God that he binds up these waters in clouds and lets them out but by little and little otherwise they would drown the earth or make it fruitless as appeared in the general deluge and particular floods and may be daily observed in innundations by rain For it is an instance of that truth which Job is amplifying that he binds up the waters in his thick clouds where the clouds are called his clouds that is Gods clouds because he created them and prepares them for his service and because they are his Chariots upon which he rides and his habitation where he dwells Ps 18.11 and 97.2 Is 19.1 See Job 36.27 28. and 37.11 By this the Lord sheweth that moderation in dispensing of mercies as in the sifting down of rain is the mercy of our mercies and that he is a faithful God in keeping Covenant with his people as his Covenant with Noah Gen. 9.9 10 11. stands firm with mankind in general however he deal with some particular persons 3. It commends the power of God that he keeps us free of many hazards by unlikely means Aâ— here he makes a cloud which is but a mass of condensate vapours hold up the heavy waters and yet the cloud is not rent under the weight of them By this the Lord would put us in mind how obnoxious we are to hazards without him as we live under a mass of waters above our heads held up only by a weak cloud and how little or nothing in his hand is sufficient to secure those who are under his protection Verse 9. He holdeth back the face of his throne and spreadeth his cloud upon it The fifth evidence and effect of Gods Dominion and Providence is That as at some times he spreads out the Heaven which is his Throne in glorious brightness so at other times he covers it with a cloud as with a curtain that we see it not as he did in the Egyptian darkness and doth ordinarily in dark dayes Whence Learn 1. God is a soveraign King and Governour and hath a Throne upon which he sits to order all affairs Therefore are the Heavens called his throne See Is 66.1 2. Gods throne is high above all thrones For it is no lower than the very heavens See Eccl. 5.8 And therefore all ought to be subject to him and all will be subjected to him whether they will or not 3. God is pleased sometimes to give demonstrations of his glory and dominion by obscuring the face of the heavens with clouds For it is one proof of his glorious dominion that he holdeth back the face of his throne and spreadeth his cloud upon it See Job 36.32 Psalm 147.8 And by this he teacheth 1. The greatness of his glory and of our blindness that he must be environed with clouds and dwell in thick darkness whereby he obscureth himself that he may reveal himself as we are able to bear it See 1 Timoth. 6.16 Psalm 97.112 1 King 8.12 2. That hâ—s glory shineth even in obscuring his glory at some times as it is a proof of his glorious dominion that he spreadeth a cloud upon the face of his throne And Saints are to believe that God intends to seâ— forth his glory even when clouds are interposed that they cannot find access unto God as Lam. 3.44 3. That all our joy and light are in Gods hand to obscure them when he pleaseth as he darkens the heavens when he will 4. That our light and comforts are not gone when we see them not As the heavens are bright and the Sun shineth in the firmament when clouds intercept the sight thereof from us 5 That God would have our enjoyment of light and our other comforts made more sweet and refreshful to us by their being interrupted at some times As a bright day is sweet after dark clouds 6. That God brings good out of obscure and dark dispensations whereby our mercies are hid
his integrity with a sincere purpose to look to his lips and tongue For this is indeed a touch-stone of the truth and measure of our sanctification if we bridle our tongues Jam. 1.26 2. Mens great care should be not to look so much to what concerns themselves in matters as to what is right or wrong For Job declines to speak wickedness because it is wickedness let it concern him never so much and by this he sheweth that he is not byassed in this matter 3. There may be much wickedness in that which seems to be far otherwise to ignorant or partial observers For Job's refusing to speak wickedness in this matter while he defends his integrity insinuates that his denying of his own piety to which his Friends pressed him so much as a mark of honesty at least as opening a door of hope that he might become honest had great wickedness in him And so in many other cases great wickedness may be covered under a fair mask 4. Deceit and dissimulation is a special and eminent branch of wickedness Therefore is it here subjoyned to it as a branch of that general wickedness which he resolves to decline in the following discourse 5. It is in particular an abominable wickedness to make use of deceit in laying claim to integrity or in debates for finding out of truth and errour For Job declines deceit in this cause where his integrity was the truth in controversie As it is wicked hypocrisie to pretend to sincerity where it is not and to make use of plausible pretences that we may appear to be what we are not So the Lord abhors all sort of deceit in debating of controversies when either men conceal part of the truth or mix some falshood with it or do set â—ut an ill cause with specious pretences and fine discourses or are swayed in the matter of truth and errour by prosperity or adversity or the friendship or hatred of men Verse 5. God forbid that I should justifie you till I die I will not remove my integrity from me In this Verse he gives a more particular account of his resolution That he will not justifie them in their cause or in their condemning of him and that he will not renounce or disavow his own integrity It seems this speech with that v. 4. is reflected upon by Elihu Chap 34.6 not because he speak an untruth but because he spake it not with due sobriety and humility as it is usual for men thus to miscarry when they have a good conscience in the matter of their tryal Doct. 1. To justifie in Scripture-phrase doth not import to make a man just and righteous by putting of such qualities in him but only in a forensick and Court-sense to pronounce and declare him to be just and righteous For here Job's not justifying of his Friends doth only import that he would not absolve or pronounce them innocent in this cause not that he would make them become wicked by any change of qualities wrought in them by him Thus to justifie the wicked is an abomination whereas it were commendable to make them become righteous and is opposite to condemning Prov. 17.15 2. Wrong is not to be justified in any great or small friend or foe godly persons or others but wherein men do evil they are to be condemned and evil ought to be called evil For Job will not justifie his godly Friends in that wherein they were wrong 3. It is an evil not to be justified in any when they discourage and weaken the hands of a godly man under his troubles and so help Satan and tentations to brangle his confidence in God For this was his Friends practice wherein he will not justifie them 4. Evil how cleanly soever ought to be renounced with zeal and abhorrence For saith he God forbid that I should justifie you We ought to study an hatred of all sin Psal 119.104 and particularly those sins which seem to be less gross and more refined such as Job's change of opinion might seem to be as also sins wherein men do prosper ought not to blunt our zeal as being most dangerous unless zeal be kept on foot 5. Though Adam's posterity cannot attain to perfection in this life yet they may attain through grace to integrity to be sincere and to have a respect unto all the Commandments Psal 119 6. and to be sincere and righteous in their cause For Job hath his integrity here 6. Integrity is a rich prize not to be easily quit or disavowed as being a sweet Cordial in all exigents Is 38.3 and affording other advantages than hypocrites know of For therefore Job cleaves to the defence of it as of a precious Iewel See Psal 25.21 7. Where integrity is it is good service to maintain it and as we ought not to justifie the wicked so also not to condemn the righteous or deny our own being in the state of grace if we be righteous Therefore Job is resolute in this that it is good service not to remove his integrity from him or to disavow that he is an upright man Such as are ready upon every occasion to call the truth of their own grace in question do still keep the foundation unsetled and so cannot make any progress nor build superstructures upon it 8. It is no less than wickedness to deny the truth of our grace and our integrity under any pretence of humility For Job looks upon the removing of his integrity from him as an instance of that wickedness which he resolves not to speak v. 4. As indeed it wrongs both God and the truth beside the prejudice that redounds thereby to our selves 9. Mens resolutions against sin particularly against the quitting of the testimony of their integrity under tentations ought to be perpetual and constant For Job fixeth upon this resolution till he die as arming himself against any continuance of tryals about his integrity that he weary not and resolving to quit any thing were it even his life rather than his integrity 10. Whatever assaults godly men may endure about their integrity yet it is not their part not to be consenting to quit it For saith he I will not remove my integrity from me nor consent that I am an hypocrite whatever ye my Friends or tentations from within may say to the contrary And as the misconstructions of others do not concern godly men so as to make them guilty of every thing that is charged upon them So Satans fiery darts within them are not their sin if they consent not 11. Men do not then only maintain their integrity aright when yet they are sensible of sin and daily imperfections For herein Job miscarried in his defence of this good cause while he was not unmindful of his sinfulness which might have made him humble and sober in his way of pleading it and therefore he is censured by Elihu This tells us that our sight of the grace of God in our selves needs to be ballanced
by lesser veins man doth follow them out till it be reached 2 Gold whose place they find out where they fine it This is not to be understood as if men set up their Furnace for fining of Gold in the place where they find it But the meaning is either that they do in part refine it there by taking it from among the most of the dross before they bring it out or That it hath a place where they that is Nature and the second causes therein working do fine and purifie it in the bowels of the Earth Or the words may be thus read and understood That the Gold which men Fine hath a place where men find it out by Industry and Art 3. Iron which lieth not so deep but the Oar of it is found neer the dust and superfice of the earth 4. Brass which men do melt out of a stony Oar called by Naturalists Cadmia and Chalcitis Concerning all this it is to be observed that Job propounds this instance of mans industry and skill not secluding other Arts and Sciences wherein men also give proof of their Invention and Wisdom but because this is indeed a notable proof of mans skill and a task wherein Nature much resists mans endeavours and wherein the effects of mans wisdom and industry are sensible and obvious to the view of all Doct. 1. God hath stored this Earth with all things necessary to make it a commodious habitation for man so that both above and beneath ground it is full of needful riches As here Job instanceth particularly in Minerals under ground things above ground being obvious to all 2. God is to be seen in what is more base as well as in what is more precious and his bounty is to be acknowledged in it as being needful for the use of man for he demonstrates his riches in Iron and Brass as well as in Silver and Gold the one being no less needful and of more common use than the other 3. God hath put the choicest of the Earths and Times Treasures not only under mens feet but under ground also that they may not seek their happiness there nor omit their other more needful searches while they make enquiries after them for all these Minerals are under ground 4. However men are apt to quarrel Gods allowances yet he hath so ordered that what is most necessary is to be had in greatest abundance and most easily for therefore Iron and Brass are neerer the superfice of the Earth than Silver or Gold and there is greater abundance of these whereas there are but veins of Silver 5. What is most rare and difficultly attained is most precious as Silver and Gold are upon that among other accounts Hereby the Lord prevents that contempt of these Mercies which would be more vile if they were more plenteous as Silver was in Solomons days And thus also doth he commend the excellency of Spiritual things by their being difficultly attained 6. Even the most precious of natural things require much art to cause them have a lustre in our eyes for Gold must be Fined which sheweth their emptiness as to satisfying of the heart of man that they need art and dexterity to set them off 7. Men are incessant in their study and care to find out what is or what they think is for their worldly accommodation be it above or under ground as here they are supposed to be in finding out of these Mettals Which though it be not unlawful in it self may bear witness against them for their negligence about better things See Luke 11.31 8. Skill in Arts and dexterity for finding out of the Secrets of Nature is an old and common gift for here in Jobs days they had skill to find out these Mettals We find that this skill was among Cains posterity before the Flood Gen. 4.22 which sheweth how little such gifts are to be rested upon for attaining of happiness thereby and what a wonder it is to see many men so quick in these inventions who yet are so blunt in taking up Spiritual Wisdom See Mat. 11.25 1 Cor. 1.23 26. Verse 3. He setteh an end to darkness and searcheth out all perfection the stones of darkness and the shadow of death In the rest of this purpose to v. 12. this general Proposition is amplified and enlarged by giving an account of the difficulties which man overcometh by his industry and skill that so he may reach those and other precious things in the bowels of the Earth Wherein also is held out more of the Earths Riches and a commendation of mans painfulness in seeking them out and so both branches of the Proposition are further cleared The first difficulty in this verse is Darkness to which mans industry assigns yet more narrow bounds and puts a period to it by making it â—â—de to Light coming in its place either when he opeâ—â— the Earth to let in the light of day where darkness was before or by bringing in of Candles and Lamps into the dark Mines And this man doth because by that means he searcheth out what iâ— precious and perfect in the bowels of the Earth and findeth out these precious Stones which lie not only in Darkness under the Earth but in the shadow of Death that is in the deep bâ— wâ—lâ— of the Earth where there is a deadly shade and where things would lie in eternal obscurity as buried in death were it not for mans searching and where there is darkness which might affright men to death and where many have been actually choked and smothered to death Doct. 1. God hath beset man with much exercise and sore toil in his undertakings about things of the world as here is instanced in these who work in Mines And this the Lord doth partly that he may exercise afflict and humble all the Sons of men in their worldly employmentâ— that they may remember their happiness lieth noâ— there partly that he may cause men to find it a dear bargain who sell their souls for these things 2. Men are so addicted to the things of time that they stand upon no pains difficulty or hazard so they may reach them for they will hazard upon Darkness and put an end or period to it in that place where they work and it was before and on the shadow of death that they may find out these Minerals Which may make men ashamed of their negligence in better undertakings where they are easily damped with any darkness of discouragement and where they will hazard nothing though in pursuing of these things below they will hazard upon deadly terrours and upon death it self 3. God in his Providence may make men succeed in their endeavours about the world even when their undertakings are difficult As here they search out all perfection c. Hereby as God recompenseth mens lawful toil and endeavours and encourageth them to undertake higher and more hopeful employment so he raineth Snares upon others who chuse these things for their
sad who have better things in their offer and seek them not Verse 9. He putteth forth his hand upon the rock he overturneth the mountains by the roots 10. He cutteth out rivers among the rocks and his eye seeth every precious thing 11. He bindeth the floods from overflowing and the thing that is bid bringeth he forth to light A sixth difficulty of Rocks or Flints is here joined with that of Waters formerly mentioned v. 4. where he sheweth that in these undertakings men are sometime put to cut through hard flinty Rocks and as it were to overturn Mountains by cutting their passage through under them even though they be all of Stone v. 9. And this they do either to follow the Vein of the Mettals or as it is v. 10. to make Channels for Rivers through these Rocks either that they may come in when they need them to wash their Mettals or rather to conveigh them away when they break in upon their Mines v. 4. and as they thus conveigh away the Water which breaks in so v. 11. they use means to stop the course of other Waters which are ready to infest them that not so much as a drop or tear as the Original imports gets in to hinder their work The fruit of all which pains is that they obtain the precious things which are hid in the Earth Doct. 1. No precious thing is attainable without much difficulty as is often inculcated here and whenever God surrounds us with difficulties we may expect precious Fruit of them if we improve them well 2. If men be diligent and not laid by with an apprehension of Lions in the way they may overcome great difficulties as here hard labour will get through Flinty Rocks and overturn mountains by the roots and cut out Rivers among the Rocks See Prov. 13.4 3. Even humane prudence may teach men to arm themselves against and study to prevent these difficulties under which they have formerly smarted as here having been troubled with Waters v. 4.10 they study to prevent their breaking in again v. 11. 4. God gives rich recompences to men who labour even about earthly things not only as hath been marked before to encourage them to better service but to let see how little he regardeth these temporal mercies which he gives so promiscuously and indifferently to these who toil for them for the eyes of these labourers see every precious thing and the thing that is hid they bring to light 5. It is a gift of God to be wise to discern things precious from things that are vile or less excellent as here they do Much more it is a mercy to be able to make this difference in other things 1 Cor. 12.31 Phil. 1.9 10. Grace to discern and to embrace or submit to what we discern to be good is our mercy 6. Men are naturally and without needing to be excited more active about worldly affairs than about other things as here they are eager in their pursuit of these things And no wonder for these things are very suitable to our natural inclinations they are of constant and daily use to us they have a great lustre in our eyes and do raise us high in the world and therefore we are so hot upon the chase And therefore we have cause to be humbled when we find such a benfall and inclination in our hearts when in the mean time we neglect that which is far better see Luke 10.41 42. 7. When men have an high estimation of any thing and serious desires after it they will be very eager in their endeavours after it as here their esteem of these things and their desires after them as precious make them strive with Rocks Mountains and Waters to seek them out where they are hid Which may tell us that coldrife endeavours after better things are but a proclaimed contempt of them Verse 12. But where shall wisdom be found and where is the place of understanding 13. Man knoweth not the price thereof neither is it found in the Land of the living 14. The depth saith It is not in me and the sea saith It is not with me Followeth to v. 23. the second branch of the negative part of Jobs Proposition wherein he sheweth that however mans wisdom and industry can search and find out many secret things as we have heard yet he cannot find out this wisdom of God and it is more excellent than that man should comprehend it This he not only propounds but demonstrates by three Arguments Whereof the first in these Verses is That this wisdom hath no place of abode within mans reach where he might dig and search for it and find it as he doth Mettals and other things that are hid in the bowels of the Earth For clearing of the words consider 1. This Wisdom of which Job here speaks is not to be understood either of humane prudence and policy nor yet of that spiritual wisdom which is necessary to salvation of which v. 18. But it is to be understood principally of Gods wise Government of the World and administration of all the Affairs thereof by his Providence and secondarily and consequentially it may be understood of mans capacity to take up this wisdom of God fully So that Jobs denying that there is any place where this Wisdom may be sound or any price to be given for it doth import that no man by any means or industry can elevate his own understanding and capacity to comprehend fully the depths of Divine Providence in the World 2. These two names of Wisdom and Vnderstanding as they are understood of this Wisdom of God serve to point out one and the same thing and to intimate that this Wisdom of God hath all perfections that can be expressed by any name given to Wisdom among men Or the one may point so to speak at the habit faculty or eternal purpose of God in ordering of things below and the other at the exercise of that faculty and execution of that purpose 3. While he denieth that man can find this wisdom it is not to be taken absolutely and simply that man can understand nothing of it for the contrary is insinuated Ps 107.43 But the meaning is that man cannot perfectly and fully take it up nor hath he wisdom and understanding or complete and perfect abilities for that effect As for the first reason proving this conclusion which is That this Wisdom hath no place where man can find it out it is propounded more generally v. 12. where the questions import a strong denial that this Wisdom whereby God ordereth all Affairs and whereby man may be able to understand the reasons and causes of Gods proceedings is to be found in any place by man Then it is proved by induction 1. That it is not to be found upon Earth v. 13. where as for the first part of the Verse That man knoweth not the price thereof it is not to be confounded with the second reason v. 15. 19.
to be avowed and which will abide any tryal that the fear of God is wisdom 4. The advantages of piety are but little studied even by those who deny not the truth thereof Behold saith he exciting all to consider and ponder this truth more accurately 5. The advantages of piety will be incredible and admirable to all those who will take tryal of it and wait on in the way of piety till they reap them They who have known and found them in experience will admire at them and say Behold the fear of the Lord that is wisdom and to depart from evil is understanding CHAP. XXIX No reply being made to Jobs more general discourse in the two preceding Chapters he subjoins in this and the two following Chapters another discourse wherein he meddles no more with the geneneral Thesis but descends to the Hypothesis and gives an account how himself had prospered formerly and was now afflicted and yet solemnly asserts and proves that he was an upright man All which he insists upon not to seek applause to himself or to blow a Trumpet to his own praise but partly that he may clear the truth and may from his own case and example prove that a godly man may he sadly afflicted partly that he may wipe off all aspersions that were cast upon him and his former walking in the day of his calamity and may discover to his friends how great an injury they had done to him and partly that he may make some Apology for his fits of impatience by shewing how sad a change had come upon him which could not but have some impression upon his weakness The discourse contains 1. An account of his former prosperous condition with some hints of his integrity under it Chap. 29. 2. A regret that his prosperous and flourishing condition was turned into calamity and contempt wherein also somewhat of his integrity is noted Chap. 30. 3. A solemn assertion of his integrity confirmed by many imprecations and other arguments Chap. 31. This Chapter after the preface or title v. 1. may be taken up in a description of his former prosperous condition which he describes and points out 1. From its desirableness v. 2. 2. From the fountain causes of it namely the care and kindness of God which cleared all clouds v. 2.3 3. From the parts of his prosperity both as a Parent and Master of a Family v. 4 5 6. and as a Magistrate v. 7-17 4. From the confidence he had of the continuance thereof and that because it was so great and appeared to be so well fixed v. 18. 25. In most of which branches of the description we have some account also of his integrity which he solemnly confirms Verse 1. Moreover Job continued his Parable and said THis Preface or Title is the same with that Chap. 27.1 only that it is here repeated and prefixed to this new Discourse may teach 1. A good conscience is a lasting Spring and will not disappoint the possessours thereof in a day of strait for here after all that Job hath spoken when he hath drawn his breath a little waiting for their reply and finds that they will speak nothing he hath yet a Parable or sublime Discourse to utter in defence of his integrity 2. Mens ability to debate their cause in these or to defend their integrity by general Arguments wherein able parts may blind the Eyes and overcome and put to silence weak opponents will not support them in troubles unless they have solid ground of peace in the matter of their walk and conversation Therefore Job is not content that he can prove by general Arguments that godly men may be afflicted as he was or that he can silence all their reasonings by shewing that Gods wisdom in governing the World is incomprehensible but he shuts up all his Arguments and Defences with this strong Reserve that he can give a particular account of his own integrity though afflicted Verse 2. O that I were as in moneths past as in the days when God preserved me 3. When his Candle shined upon my head and when by his light I walked thorow darkness In these Verses we have the first and second Branches of Jobs Description of his former prosperity The first v. 2 doth generally point it out in its desirableness expressed in a wish that it might be so with him yet as it had been in the days and months past By which wish which is to be taken along as repeated with all that followeth in this account of his prosperity he doth not express any fond doating upon prosperity But partly by way of gratitude he testifieth how desirable such a condition is in it self and partly by way of vindication he sheweth that he behaved himself so in a prosperous condition as he is not ashamed when he reflects upon his life and walk in those desirable and tempting days The second branch of this Description v. 2 3. points out the fountain cause from whence all his prosperity did flow which was Gods favour to him and care of him This is afterward spoken to also when he gives an account of the parts of his prosperity v. 4 5. But here it is generally propounded in two expressions One is that God did then preserve him v 2. which is not to be understood as if Job thought that God now had given over all care of him For as God never forsakes his Children Heb. 13.5 so Job denied not Providence But it is to be understood comparatively that then God kept him in his prosperous condition free of any evil occurrent as Satan observed Chap. 1.10 which had now broken in upon him The other expression is That Gods Candle or Lamp shined upon him v. 3. He had the light of Gods direction Ps 119.105 and comfort Is 50.10 and was satisfied in his favour and the light of his countenance Ps 4.6 and in the refreshful issues he got of difficulties Ps 118.27 Mic. 7.8 This is amplified 1. From the measure of it it was a bright light held over or above his head in a dark place to make him see well 2. From the effects of it By his light I walked through darkness any cloud of difficulty or discouragement that came in his way and did over-cloud his sky he did easily dispel and get through it being guided by the direction and supported by the consolations of God and refreshed with sweet and comfortable issues From v. â— Learn 1. As the whole time of mens lives so particularly their prosperity ought to be measured by short periods As here Job measures the time of his prosperity by Days and Months Among other vanities accompanying our enjoyments within time this is one that we can promise our selves no long lease of them It is true some do imbitter their own prosperity by vexing apprehensions of sudden changes contrary to Solomons direction that we should enjoy good of our labour Ecc. 5.18 Yet it is good still to have serious
a godly mans esteem For here Job reflects on this as a desirable coâ—dâ—tion when he had darkness and Gods light whereby he might walk through it when he had humbling steps and God remembring him in his low estate as Ps 136.23 Such a trade as that is the most enriching trade that a Saint can drive and far beyond ease and idleness with whatsoever refreshment it seem to be attended 9. Gods people must not expect that they will alwayes get easily and comfortably through their difficulties or that they shall have a life-time of these sweet proofs of Gods favour which they sometimes finde For now Jobs case is altered He may wish for the Dayes when by his sight he walked through darkness but doth not enjoy them In those dayes see got easily through his difficulties and could see through a thick cloud but now he sticks in the mire and is involved in the clouds of thick darkness Thus we finde the people of God walking in darkness without any light Is 50.10 groping like blinde men Is 59.10 yea foolish and ignorant like very beasts Ps 73.22 This other life is no less necessary and needfull in its season as contributing to squeeze out our lusts and corruptions to pluck up these weeds in us which are apt to abound when we receive showres of refreshfull influences to discover us to our selves and exercise our faith and to fit us for proofs of Gods care and love when we are emptied Ps 73.22 23. And particularly Saints are not to mistake if after they have got easily through trials for a while they finde them stick faster afterward For hereby the Lord trains them on in his service till they be so engaged that they cannot retire and then he ministers strong Physick which will be more operative upon them As they grow in grace so their trials may grow in sharpness and continuance Whereas their Spirits were fresh and vigorous at first they may crush them afterwards by discouragement and then difficulties which were easie before become unsupportable burdens and their Spirits growing peevish and bitter they may make themselves an uncomfortable life And besides instead of lively tenderness security and lazyness may creep upon them and then they will take worse with disquiet and exercise than formerly they did All which should be adverted unto in this change of Saints lot and exercise Verse 4. As I was in the dayes of my youth when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle In the third Branch of this Description to Verse 18. Job gives an account of the parts of his former prosperity And first to verse 7. of his prosperity as a Parent and Master of a Family wherein also he continues to point out the presence and favour of God as the fountain and cause of his good Condition The good condition of his Family is generally propounded in this Verse and instanced in two Particulars v. 5 6. In the general Proposition he wisheth to be as he was in the dayes of his Youth when the secret of God was upon his House and Family Where consider 1. By the dayes of his youth we are to understand the time of his former prosperity which began early in his youth and was very sweet then unto him Some instead of youth read winter as the word will also bear And it points out that these dayes of his prosperity in his youth were dayes of case like a Souldier in his winter-quarters Or the words may also be read the dayes of my reproach or These dayes of his Prosperity for which he was now reproached by his Friends as if he had been a wicked man in them but he would be content he had them again All these Readings come to one purpose but that which we have in our Translation is clearest in this place 2. By the secret of God which was upon his tabernacle we are to understand both that special favour of God which the World knoweth not wherewith he was made acquainted in his youth when God dwelt in his Family as in his Church and the providence of God which protected his Family and made it to prosper Ps 91.1 3. He calleth his House and Family his Tabernacle not so much because these Arabians dwelt sometimes in Tents for we finde here a City where he dwelt v. 7. and his Sons had Houses chap. 1.18 19. as because he looked upon his House as but a Tabernacle that might easily be pulled down when God would and as the place of his pilgrimage his constant Dwelling-place being above Doct. 1. Acquaintance with God in youth is a great mercy and will prove comfortable to men when they come to old age For Job reflects upon the dayes of his youth as desirable dayes not onely for the prosperity thereof but because of the favour of God from which that flowed See Eccl. 12.1 Many have sad reflections upon the sins and follyes of youth who did not begin to look toward God in time 2. Rewards of Piety will begin as early as men can begin to be godly For these dayes were desiâ—able also upon the account of prosperity that flowed from the favour of God And albeit these temporal advantages do not alwayes accompany Piety yet men when ever they begin to seek God shall finde they do it not in vain Is 45.19 And they who are long a beginning to seek God do lose many precious opportunities and advantages they might have enjoyed especially when they had youth and vigour to have improved them 3. Prosperity accompanying Piety is a mercy especially when men have youth and health to make use of it and it should be improved as such For Job accounts his former prosperous condition in his youth desirable However Prosperity in it self be still a Mercy yet to the wicked who want piety it proves a snare and though it be a mercy at any time yet especially in youth and when old age hath not taken away mens pleasure in their dayes Eccl. 12.1 And therefore such as are made partakers of this mercy ought to remember the account they must make to God for it 4. Such as do make right use of Prosperity they do look upon it as an uncertain passing thing As Job calls it here his Tabernacle See 1 Cor. 7.29 30 31. Undervaluers of Gods bounty in a prosperous lot do proclaim their ingratitude and their immortified lusts and that they are seeking happiness in temporal enjoyments which because they cannot finde they are therefore discontented and deprive themselves of that good which is really to be found in the good things of this life As Solomon missing of happiness and finding only vanity as to any felicity the creatures can bring to man in his pursuits after pleasure and delights falls a dispairing and hating of all his labour and hates his very life till he recollect himself and acquiesce in that good thing which God allows in the use of the creatures though they cannot make man happy Eccl. 2.1
desert them or afflict them yet more And afflicted persons are hereby taught not to expect that one affliction will hide them from another when God hath them to try exactly 4. Albeit Magistrates ought to do justice to all nor ought they to countenance poor men indifferently in whatsoever cause they have Exod. 23.3 Yet it is their Duty by vertue of their Office to protect the poor in their just rights For Job delivered the poor that cryed or from crying so that they needed cry no more and the fatherless c. 5. Albeit Magistrates in protecting and delivering the poor can look for no reward from them and may expect to be much maligned and hated by Oppressours Yet it is a blessed work so to do and a mean and way to be blessed of God Prov. 24.11 12. And such Magistrates ought to be blessed by these who are helped by them For in all these respects it is true that the blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon Job 6. It is the duty of the afflicted when God raiseth up Instruments to do for them to be comsorted in his providence and care even though their condition be otherwise sad For even the desolate and sad widows heart did sing for joy by Jobs means 7. It is no strange thing to see compassionate men meet with misery themselves As here befell Job who had been a compassionate man to the afflicted Hereby the Lord in his wise and holy providence layeth stumbling blocks in the way of many as no doubt many took advantage of Jobs misery to reproach him and his justice and tenderness as we have heard from Chap. 22.5 6 7. And hereby also God teacheth godly men to be sober and denied to all the good they are enabled to do that they may not alwayes expect visible advantages thereof but may be satisfied in the testimony of a good Conscience Verse 14. I put on righteousness and it cloathed me my judgement was as a robe and a diadem Lest any might object that Job did all this for the poor out of an affected desire of vain-glory and popularity or as being byassed with pity He in this Verse vindicates his practice and clears that he did all this justly and in righteousness which he persevered in and gloried in it above a robe and diadem and all other ornaments of his magistracy and dignity Whence Learn 1. No action can he rendred acceptable by any pretences unless it be good in it self Nor will pity to the distressed render a Magistrate approved unless his actings be just and he so relieve them that he do no wrong to others For therefore doth Job clear that his actings for the poor and fatherless c. v. 12 13. were in righteousness and judgement Where the two words righteousness and judgement may signifie one and the same thing Or judgement subjoyned to righteousness may import that he did not alwayes judge according to the strict rigour of the Law but did observe moderation and equity when the cause required it 2. It will not commend a Magistrate nor be comfortable to him that sometime he is just unless he be constant in it against all opposition For Job put on righteousness and it cloathed him his judgement was as a robe and a diadem Righteousness and Judgement were no less conspicuous in his administrations and habitual to him than his very garments and they did cover him on his head as a diadem and on his body as a robe so that there could be no access for injustice at any passage and being so it proved indeed warm and comfortable as mens garments are to their bodies that good practice being indeed commendable wherein men are habitual and constant and from which they are not driven by any tentations 3. As Magistrates have their badges of honour and eminent persons have that allowance in their apparel to which inferiour persons ought not to aspire as Job had his robe and diadem So to a godly discerning Magistrate the faithful discharge of his Office is his chief crown and ornament without which he is but a Statue in all his robes and splendour For Jobs righteousness and judgement were in his eyes a robe and diadem Yea vertues are the chief ornament of any person without which their gorgeous apparel doth but serve to cover so many monsters See 1 Pet. 3.3 4. Verse 15. I was eyes to the blind and feet was I to the lame 16. I was a Father to the poor and the cause which I knew not I searched out In these Verses Job gives a further and more particular account of his pains and the active assistance which he gave to the afflicted in judging their cause That he was any thing to them that they needed to set their cause right He helped such as had no skill in legal proceedings with his counsel and so was as eyes to the blind He was feet also to the lame not only in supporting those who were weak and like to be crushed and their righteous cause ready to be lost by the violence of potent Adversaries but in directing and helping them to act and strirr in defence of their cause and it may be going about it himself And he was in a word not only a Judge but a Father to all the poor and searched out the cause which he knew not that is he took pains to sift it to the bottom that he might find out what truth and justice was in it Or he searched out causes which otherwise he could not know as not being brought before him because either persons were unwilling or durst not complain that so he might prevent contentions and remove secret grudges and discontents among the people Or he searched out every cause that came before him even the causes of these persons whom he knew not as well as the cause of his acquaintances Doct. 1. It is not enough that Magistrates do judge justly in causes as they come and are presented before them But they must have a care especially if they be superiour Magistrates that righteous causes be not crushed in the very entry and either hindred from being presented in judgement or misguided and mis-represented in judgement through the simplicity weakness or poverty of the party wronged but that all these defects be supplyed For Job was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame c. He either acted all that was needful himself or caused others do it and saw that it was done and did not leave all to his inferiour Officers 2. As variety of causes and persons come before Magistrates and innocent persons may lye at many disadvantages So Magistrates must be ready to do all that the poor need who are oppressed and for any poor oppressed persons who need their help and that never so often For he was eyes or feet or whatever they needed in any cause and he was all those to the blind and lame indefinitely and he was those things to them not
at some times only but very often and habitually as their condition required It is good not to weary in well-doing or to sit down and please our selves with doing some few acts only of charity or justice 3. It is not sufficient that Magistrates do good to the poor in their righteous cause if they do it out of vain-glory or give them surly looks or checks though they do their business But they must do for them with fatherly affection For Job was a Father to the poor He owned their cause affectionately and with that same solicitude that a Father hath for his Child As men are bound to do all acts of charity not by constraint but willingly and from a principle of love 2 Cor. 9.7 So Magistrates owe this affection to all their subjects especially to the poor as being bound to be Fathers and Mothers to them which is the common designation of all Superiours as well as of Parents Exod. 20.12 4. As Magistrates ought to know causes well before they give out sentence in them for the Law requires that men should hear before they judge Joh. 7.51 though many even of all ranks are ready to condemn that out of prejudice or respect to the opinion of others which they understand not and others are ready to speak of things when they neither understand what they say or whereof they affirm 1 Tim. 1.7 So there is need of narrow search and enquity to find out the truth in causes if either they be dark or intricate of themselves or darkned through the subtilty of Adversaries Therefore Job searched out the cause which he knew not See Deut. 13.12 13 14. Prov. 25.2 and 29.7 And though this seem to be the genuine interpretation of this place yet the other interpretations formerly mentioned may put us in mind also of other duties oâ— Magistrates which are elsewhere commended in Scripture Namely That Magistrates should be careful to prevent Contentions and Law-suits so far as may be by looking into and studying to compose these differences which are not yet brought before them That they should be careful to try if there be any so crushed with oppression that they dare not have recourse to Magistrates for redress through fear of their potent Oppressours And they should have a care that judgement proceed not according to their acquaintance with persons and that justice be not wrested to gratifie their Kindred Friends or Allies See Deut. 33.9 Verse 17. And I brake the jawes of the wicked and pluckt the spoyl out of his teeth In this Verse Job gives an account how he took course with these Oppressours who had wronged the poor and made â—hem restore their ill purchase and disabled them that they should not oppress afterwards Doct. 1. Oppression of the poor is a beastly bruitish wickedness and the Oppressours are more like ravening beasts than like men For Job describes them that not only they are wicked but that they are like beasts tearing and devouring a prey with their teeth See Ps 58.6 2. It is the duty and will be the care of faithful Magistrates to protect the poor against Oppressours and to cause the poor be restored to their right not turning Oppressours themselves Zeph. 3.3 Nor colluding with Oppressours for a part of the spoyl Mic. 7.3 For Job pluckt the spoyl out of the wickâ—d's teeth and gave it to the righteous owners See Rom. 13.3 1 Pet. 2.13 14. 3. Not only should Oppressours be made to restore what they have unjustly taken but they should be punished and cut short of their power that they may not be able again to oppress For Job brake the jawes of the wicked when he pluckt out the spoyl that so they might tear no more And where this duty is neglected by these in Authority as ordinarily petty Thieves are punished and great Oppressours and grinders of the faces of the poor goe free God interposeth by his own hand to destroy these Oppressours and root them out Verse 18. Then I said I shall dye in my nest and I shall multiply my dayes as the sand In the fourth and last branch of this description of Jobs former prosperity he gives an account of the apparent stability thereof and of the confidence he had it should continue it being so great and well fixed In this Verse he declares what his confidence was unto which he subjoyns the grounds of his confidence in a new account of his prosperity Shewing That it was well rooted and spread abroad and watered with the blessing and influences of God v. 19. And that his honour and power were in the prime and still growing upon his hand v. 20. All men having a great opinion of his wisdome v. 21 22 23. And keeping a great distance even when he conversed familiarly with them v. 24. And his Authority being very eminent among his people v. 25. His assertion of his confidence in this Verse contains this in summ That being so setled he expected that after a contented life and a life of long continuance or of many dayes like the sand without number he should have dyed quietly and peaceably at home in his own house as a Bird in its nest and not have been made a prey of as he was Concerning which confidence and expectation it may be enquired First Was not this a fruit of his carnal disposition thus to please himself with the thoughts of a long continuance of his prosperity Answ As Job is not altogether to be condemned in this his confidence For he is not only thinking on death when he is at the height of it but he might justly be free of distempering slavish fears of a change having laid so good a foundation of peace and security through Gods blessing in Gods favour and a good Conscience yea it proved thus with him in the end Chap. 42. And no doubt Job would never have mentioned this in this so calm an Apology for himself if he had not been certain that at least there was somewhat justifiable in it So he is not altogether free of excess in it and his confidence was mixed and had some tincture of the flesh and unrenewed part in it For his very complaint about the disappointment of his hopes and the encouragements he looked to as supports of this his confidence v. 19 20 c. do evince so much Especially if we compare this with a parallel practice of David for which God did chasten him Ps 30.6 7. Secondly It may be enquired How this assertion that he had been confident of the continuance of his prosperity doth consist with his own profession Chap. 3.25 26. that he had feared what was come upon him and was not in safety nor quiet even before trouble came Answ This difficulty hath been touched on Chap. 3. And it will not suffice to clear it that we assert That Job might have been looking out for some trouble and yet have expected to dye in his nest for all that as never
point out to wicked men the vanity of their imagined happiness that in all they attain or enjoy they can never find that happiness they seek after but it is still before their hand 4. Albeit hope of future good be that whereby all men who are not drowned in despair do chear up their own hearts whether they be in weal or woe yet only godly men have the promises upon which they may ground this hope And particularly the merciful have a promise that they shall obtain mercy So that it is no wonder they fall into trouble who do not shew mercy Jam. 2.13 Mat. 25.41 42 43. For it was upon this ground that he was a godly man and particularly a merciful man that he looked for good and light 5. Mens expectations of good things promised are then rightly managed when their affections are keeped lively to prize the mercies expected and to esteem highly of God the giver of them when they patiently wait Gods time and way of conferring these promised mercies and when they wait on God in his way for them not taking any sinful shift to bring them about Therefore doth he expound his looking or expecting by waiting which imports earnestness of affection opposite to indifferency and security Ps 130.5 6. and patience Rom. 8.25 and is accompanied with tenderness Ps 37.4 6. Not only may a sinful people or godly men interceding for them be disappointed of their expectations Is 59.9 Jer. 14.19 But even godly men walking in an approved way may be disappointed of the temporal mercies they look for because they out-stretch themselves in expecting these things absolutely which God hath promised only conditionally with an exception of the Cross and needful tryal and in so farr as he seeth good for them For so Job is disappointed here When I looked for good then evil came unto me and when I waited for light then came darkness 7. Disappointments of mens expectations do not only make their sad lot yet more bitter As it may be upon this account also he calls his sad case both evil and darkness But do otherwise look sad upon them and seem to speak anger from God against them if they be godly and tender For this is to Job an evidence of Gods anger and of his being turned to be cruel to him that he is thus disappointed 8. The people of God in the heat of tryal do oft-times lose the benefit of the sober and serious thoughts they had before And albeit they meâ—t with nothing but what sometime they looked for or judged probable and equitable Yet their passion causeth them forget all this and so they make their own tryals more bitter For albeit Job notwithstanding these expectations was also looking out and preparing for trouble Chap. 3.25 26. Yet now he forgets that when he would complain of his sad case and aggravate it Verse 27. My bowels boyled and rested not the dayes of affliction prevented me In the rest of the Chapter Job proceeds to give an account of the sad change that had befallen him contrary to his expectation And albeit he had spoken of his sad case before yet he insists here upon it again by reason of his passion and present resentment and that he may more fully and pathetically enumerate the particular evils and dark clouds that had over-whelmed him This account he prosecutes in several particulars in the several Verses to the end of the Chapter The purpose in this Verse as also v. 28 being expressed in the by-past time sâ—me do take them up as a Commentary upon what he had said v. 25. Or a further account of his Sympathy and that the three last Verses only do give an account of his present trouble notwithstanding this his Sympathy And for this Verse in particular they expound it thus That his Sympathy kept his bowels of affection in continual motion and exercise without any intermission and that he was prevented by affliction or seldome if ever did he pass a day without sadness in behalf of some one or other But the words do not so clearly bear that sense and the Original phrase in both Verses may be as well read in the present time And therefore this Verse is to be looked on as containing the first evidence of his sad condition taken from a fruit of his sickness and trouble of mind Namely that his pain and grief did so continually toss and affect his bowels or inward parts as if he were in a feaver and that the dayes of affliction did not only prevent him at first or stole upon him before he thought of them of which see what is said v. 26. and Chap. 29.18 but even now they prevent him and come betwixt him and comfort and all other thoughts Doct. 1. Affliction will make great Oratours in speaking of their miseries and will cause them dwell much upon that sad subject For here Job cannot get off but must insist again upon this sad subject as finding no case but in telling he wants it 2. Much thinking upon and repeating of the same grievances over and over do contribute to heighten the affliction of the afflicted and to make new exercises unto them For albeit Job had said all this before or somewhat to the same purpose v. 16 17. yet he repeats it over again as a new tryal at every repeating thereof 3. Albeit pain upon the outward parts of the body and inward sickness upon the vitals be distinct afflictions which God oft-time seperates not inflicting the one when he inflicts the other Yet a godly man may be exercised with both at once For Job had pain in his bones and sinews v. 17. and here his bowels or inward parts are affected 4. Much Soul-exercise and grief accompanying other crosses will soon draw on sickness and feaverish pains For Job being in this case his bowels boyled So that a Gospel-frame of Spirit is good medicine to prevent these wasting Soul-pressures which accompany trouble 5. Want of intermissions or breathing times in trouble is a sad addition to the tryal which yet godly men may taste of in their afflictions For saith he My bowels boyled and rested not 6. God will exercise his own children till they find their trouble to be an affliction indeed and he may so put them to it that their time for a long while will be remarkable for nothing but for their bearing of afflictions in it For these causes doth he call them the dayes of affliction dayes of sharp searching tryals and nothing but tryals 7. As it adds to mens affliction if they be unexpectedly surprized with it So even these who are most resolved may be surprized with it when it comes For albeit they resolve to meet with trouble yet they may be surprized with troubles shaking and pinching them more than ever they expected and with the exhausting of all their habitual furniture and resolution thereby till new and fresh supplyes come from Heaven For in these respects the dayes
but do rush into them upon all hazards Which may be a document to us of the corrupt nature of man who will hazard upon sin though he purchase his imagined satisfaction at never so dear a rate unless the grace of God renew and restrain him Verse 13. If I did despise the cause of my man-servant or of my maid-servant when they contended with me 14. What then shall I do when God riseth up and when he visiteth what shall I answer him 15. Did not he that me in the wombe make him and did not one fashion us in the wombe The fifth Vertue whereof he maketh profession is meekness and his moderating of his power and authority in the exercise thereof He hath asserted Chap. 29. That he was just in the exercise of his Office as a Magistrate Here he asserts more particularly his justice and moderation in his carriage towards his very servants and hand-maids whereby he refutes in part that charge of injustice which was fastened upon him Chap. 22.5 6 7. The summe of his assertion v. 13. is That however servants were then bond-slaves who had no power to enter into judgement with their masters yet he would not deal as he pleased with them but did give them free liberty to plead their cause against him when at any time they thought he wronged them This is not necessary so to be understood as if Job had at any time wronged his servants or they did ever conveen him who was a supreme Magistrate before an inferior Judge But that when at any time they desired himself to hear them make their complaints of his carriage towards them though it was not required by God that he should endure their saucy gainsayings Yet he meekly heard what they had to say and did endeavour to satisfie them as justice and equity required Unto this assertion he subjoynes an account of the reasons perswading him to this meek and moderate carriage which were 1. His fear of Gods judgements to whom he and his servants were equally subject and who was more high above him than he was above his servants v. 14. He considered when God should arise to visit him whether by death and judgement following upon it or by some tryal and affliction in this life he could expect no favour from his supreme Judge if he because of his eminency should sleight these his inferiours nor could he stand in judgement if God should visit him for his neglect of duty 2. His consideration of his Original and way of conception common to him with his meanest servants v. 15. When he considered that both he and they were formed by one God in the wombe and that in one womb as the Original may read not the same individual wombe but the same for kinde When I say he considered this he durst not abuse his power to hurt them how mean soever they were From Verse 13. Learn 1. Distinction of stations and degrees as betwixt other Superiours and Inferiours so also betwixt Masters and Servants hath been in all ages of the world as here Job had man-servants and maid-servants who were subject to him and so it still continueth though the condition of servants be not so servile and low in many places as then it was And as this distinction of estates is for the good of human society and the low condition of some is a document of mans misery and matter of humiliation to all seeing God might have lay'd others low as well as those with whom he so deals So all ought to keep their stations 1 Cor. 7.20 Considering that it is in so doing they are allowed to expect a blessing that they may do service to Christ in the meanest station as well as if it were more eminent Eph. 6.5 6 7. Col. 3.22 23 24. And that every station is blessed to these who are in Christ 1 Cor. 7.21 22. 2. Even godly men when they are in eminency may expect to meet with provocations and irritations from very mean persons For it is supposed here that these his servants were ready to contend with him Not so much because he was apt through infirmity to do them wrong though godly men have need to take heed how they walk especially in their families and toward their inferiours and how they manage any power they have as because that might be his lot which is common to others that the humours of some servants may prove sharp tryals to godly Masters and Heads of Families Yea they may take the more liberty that they have to do with masters who are tender walkers Hence godly men had they never so much power must resolve not to want tryals but that some will be raised up even within their own doors if others be wanting to scowre and exercise their graces And servants should take heed how they walk that they disturb not the peace of families especially if they profess piety themselves and have to do not with froward Masters to whom notwithstanding their frowardness they owe subjection but with godly men who are unwilling to interrupt their own peace and the peace of their families by meddling with them Sâ—e 1 Pet. 2 18. 3. Grace will teach men to walk tenderly even where usually men take most liberty as in their families and retirements as considering that God especially remarks what their carriage is there For so was Job here 4. Grace will teach men to walk tenderly in their families not only by studying to have their servants acquainted with the wayes of God but by avoiding insolency in their families among their Inferiours not doing them wrong or refusing to hear their complaints because they are under their power For Job would not despise the cause of his very servants and slaves as being sensible of his own proneness to miscarry toward them And not being willing to persist in it if it were found to be so and desiring to satisfie them with reason if they complained without cause rather than to bear them down with authority A tender conscience will not suffer a man to oppress the meanest by his power and will be a strong bond upon him when no other can reach him See Gen. 42.18 Neh. 5.15 From Verse 14. Learn 1. Godly men do avoid evils upon religious accounts and motives and with an eye to God and his approbation and condemnation and are not carnal Politicians in their walk For Job here was restrained from this evil by the fear of God 2. Godly men are taught to entertain serious thoughts of being called to an account by God and of an enquiry to be made what their wayes have been either in this life or at death For Job is put to think of Gods rising up and visiting him See Eccl. 11.9 and 12.14 The consideration whereof may excite men to call themselves frequently to an account and to judge themselves that they may not be judged 1 Cor. 10.31 3. Piety also teacheth men to consider that their miscarriages unless they
And albeit men may pretend many excuses why they should not pity such even in a just cause such as their multitude unworthiness ingratitude c. Yet it is the will of God that men who have wealth skill to advise power or authority do help them in what is right and as they need For so did Job here satisfie the desires of the poor and the expectation of the widows Men ought to consider that they are advanced not for themselves only but for the good of others also as Mordecai said to Esther Est 4.14 And as it is an evidence of the grace of God in them to be helpful to those whom God doth compassionate Ps 68.5 So the neglect thereof is a cause of Gods controversie against great men especially Is 1.23 And doth provoke him to cause themselves smart under the like difficulties Pro. 21.13 4. It is not sufficient in Gods account that men do somewhat for the poor widows or others in distress unless as the desires and expectations of the indigent are earnest and pressing so it be chearfully and speedily done For Job was so active in doing good that he caused not the eyes of the widdows to fail or did not out-weary them with expecting and looking for relief before he gave it for so this phrase signifieth in Scripture Ps 69.3 and 119.82 123. Lam. 4.17 nor did he cause them weep out their eyes with complaining of his backwardness See Pro. 3.27 28. 5. Men should walk so streightly and deal so ingenuously in the matter of their carriage as if they were to give an Oath upon it that they are what they declare themselves to be and as if they were to undergoe a present curse and judgement if it be otherwise For so much is imported in this taciâ—e Oath and Imprecation If I have with-held c. whereby he confirmeth this assertion and many others in this Chapter Which is both a tacite Oath and appeal to God that he speaks true and implyes a consenting to what God shall please to inflict if he do lye though he do forbear to express it as elsewhere he doth Mens want of seriousness and their putting of an evil day farr from them make them very loose in their walk and professions But if they would look upon Nadab and Abihu consumed by fire Lev. 10. Zimri and Cozbi cut off by Phinehas Num. 25. Jeroboams hand withering 1 King 13. Uzziah smitten with leprosie 2 Chr. 26. All of them in the very act of their sin If I say they would look upon these as beacons warning all what they deserve and for ought they know what they may meet with they might see cause to look better to their way Verse 17. Or have eaten my morsel my self alone and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof 18. For from my youth he was brought up with me as with a Father and I have guided her from my Mothers womb 19. If I have seen any perish for want of cloathing or any poor without covering 20. If his loyns have not blessed me and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep The next branch of this profession of Humanity confirmed also by a tacire asseveration is That he was a liberal Communicator of his own substance to the indigent both in food and apparel As for his meat he professeth not only that he did not eat it alone but Orphans shared with him in it v. 17. But that he had been habituated from his youth to tenderness and fatherly care of Orphan boyes and had also been a Guide Conducter and Patron to Orphan maids whose weak Sex exposed them to many hazards even from his infancy v. 18. Where it is to be considered that Job speaks of persons of both Sexes of whom he had been tender and careful He was brought up and I guided her Which some understand thus That by the first are meant the fatherless spoken of v. 17. and by the second the widow of whom he had spoken v. 16. And it is not to be doubted but Job was liberal to all those and many others in distress But the words run more smoothly if we understand them of fatherless boyes and girls who were poor and that having spoken in general of the fatherless v. 17. here he points out more particularly his tenderness to every sort and sex of them It is further to be considered that while he professeth he was thus tender not only from his youth but from his mothers womb the meaning of that hyperbolick expression is only this That as the grace of God began early to work in him and which probably was a mean of that his parents began soon to instruct him in the principles of piety compassion and charity so the fruits of his tenderness appeared very early as if it had come into the world and been born with him As for his humanity and liberality in the matter of cloathing he professeth that he gave apparel to the naked and poor who were ready to perish through want v. 19 So that they had cause to bless him being warmed by the apparel that was made of the fleece of his sheep v. 20. It is said the loynes of the poor blessed him where the loynes are put for the whole body that was cloathed possibly because their garments were girded upon their loynes and the meaning is that the poor man was excited to bless him when he found his loynes or body warmed with the apparel he had given him Or whatever the poor man did the very covering of his loynes and body spake Job to be a blessed man who had done that act of compassion From Verse 17. Learn 1. It is not enough that men be liberal of their power credit and authority to do good thereby unto others unless they expend of their wealth and meat also as need requires without which neither professions of love Jam. 2.15 16. nor of piety Isa 58.5 6 7. will avail Therefore beside what is professed v. 16. Job addes this that he had not eaten his morsel alone 2. As it is the commendation of great men if they be sober in their diet So albeit men had never so little they are bound to communicate of it to others as their need requires In both these respects he calls his allowance his morsel because he was sober in his diet and because he was charitable Not onely because he was a great and rich man who might well spare somewhat to others but he was ready to have given a share even of a little Nature needs but little to maintain it and charitable men will straiten themselves much that they may be beneficial to others And if men would indeed be sober their very supersluities might relieve many who are in distress 3. As hospitality is a commanded duty Rom. 12.13 and ought to be performed to these who are really indigent not to the rich onely who are able to requite us Luâ—e 14.12 13 14. far less to sturdy vagrants
done to the Image of Baal 1 King 19.18 and to the Calves of Dan and Bethel Hos 13.2 But if the Objects were further off as the Sun and Moon are the worshippers first held out their hands toward these objects and then brought their hand to their mouth and kissed it in testimony that they honoured these objects and that they acknowledged they held their breath of them Thirdly We have to consider the reasons perswading Job to avoid complyance with this Idolatry v. 28. Namely because it was a capital crime and a denial of the most high God in giving that glory to the Creatures which is due to him only From these Verses Learn 1. Albeit some men little regard Principles of true Religion in doctrine or worship and albeit many make use of a blameless civil conversation to commend their errours and superstition Yet God requires purity of Religion as well as of conversation without which men will never be truly pure in their conversation for faith must purifie the heart Act. 15.9 that the conversation may be pure nor will God accept of what they pretend to of it Therefore Job finds it necessary in proving his integrity to vindicate himself in the matter of his Religion as well as in the duties of the second Table Hereby shewing that faith and a good conscience must not be separated 1 Tim. 1.19 2. So farr have the posterity of Adam degenerated that not only many of them who have some knowledge of him by his Word do corrupt his instituted service and worship by their own superstitious devices and inventions But others of them are so farr blinded and plagued that they worship the Creature instead of the Creator For Jobs Apology intimates that to worship the Sun and Moon was frequent in his dayes Yea not only did they worship these more glorious and excellent Creatures but even the basest of them and the very hearbs in their Gardens See Rom. 1.23 25. This is the just fruit of mens not retaining God in their knowledge and of their not glorifying him as God when they know him Rom. 1.21 28. And a sad document of the bruitishness of man and what he will prove if he be given up to his own hearts lusts And it should be matter of Humiliation to us that God is so little glorified in the World and the Creature put in his room 3. Even the most godly men have need to be upon their guard lest the grossest Idolatry infect them if it prevail where they live and be set off with rational and specious pretences For Job purgeth himself of this as an evil to which he had strong tentations if grace had not restrained him considering that it was generally in practice in the Countries about and that the splendour of these Luminaries and the light and influences that come from them were specious reasons to plead for religious respects to be paid to them However men at this distance may think Pagan-Idolatry no tentation and may wonder that Israel was so often infected with it Yet if it were our tentation and tryal we would find it more taking and men within the visible Church who are taken with the evils prevailing in it have just cause to fear that they might be overtaken with that also if they had a strong tentation to it And particularly as in the Church of the Jews formality in performing Gods instituted worship drew on superstition Is 29.13 and from that they fell oft-times into gross Idolatry So every formal and superstitious person doth witness his inclination to follow these abominations if he were tryed And if a covetous person be an Idolater Eph. 5.5 Col. 3.5 he would readily being tempted worship the very creatures rather than be deprived of his Idol And therefore Job joyns Idolatrous confidence in wealth v. 24 25. with worshipping of the Creatures v. 26 27 because they are evils which have some affinity and because the one would readily draw men to the other 4. Albeit the Sun and Moon as well as other creatures of God may and ought to be studied and meditated upon for profitable ends and uses Ps 8.3 Yet men ought to guard lest in contemplating of them their minds be diverted and drawn off God and be fixed upon them as the fountain of these benefits they receive by them For Job declined thus to behold the Sun when it shined and the Moon walking in brithtness as the first degree of Idolizing them and tending to draw him to perform religious worship to them 5. Albeit men be not come to that length of declining as to commit any outward Idolatrous act yet they may commit Idolatry inwardly if their hearts and affections be so taken up with any excellency in the Creatures as to dote upon them For Job was careful that his heart should not be enticed secretly or inwardly though as yet it appeared not in any external practice For when the heart is thus possessed as when the World wondred after the Beast Rev. 13.3 it is Idolatry in the sight of God and draws men to outward acts of Idolatry Deut 11.16 And God who searcheth the heart and looketh to the heart especially in worship is provoked to jealousie when he finds an Idol placed there See Ezek. 6.9 6. Men have so much more need to guard against Idolartry especially in their hearts that is of a very insinuating and enticing nature and men by nature liking it better than the right way of worship they may be easily stollen off their feet by it For Job intimates that the heart is apt to be enticed in this matter and that secretly er'e men be aware 7. Albeit some be ready to think that they are not guilty of Idolatry whatever communion they have with Idolaters in the external performances of their worship so long as they keep their hearts free from approving or concurring with them Yet these very external practices are Idolatry in the sight of God For Job not only kept his heart but was careful that his mouth should not kiss his hand otherwise he would have judged himself guilty of Idolatry For it is upon this and the like practices only that Judges do cognosce and for thâ—se do they punish men as Idolaters v. 28. Such practices are sufficient to evidence mens obedience to injunctions of Idolaters Hos 13.2 and therefore cannot be free of Idolatry And if it were otherwise the three Children Dan. 3. had very foolishly exposed themselves to such an hazard for not falling down before the Image seeing they might easily have pretended to worship before the Image but without any respect to it 8. External signs of respect and reverence gâ—ven to any Creature upon a religious account is Idolatry For so did Job account of kissing of the hand from a religious respect to the Sun and Moon So also 1 King 19.18 Men may wheâ— their wits to invent distinctions which are but little if at all understood by the most part of those
any thing here recorded out of any passion and heat but he spake as he was furnished and directed by the Spirit of God as he expresly asserteth Chap. 32.18 19. 3. The two former Assertions are further confirmed from this That Job who understood what he said well enough finding that he was directed by God to hit him upon the sore and to speak to purpose and not as his Friends had done doth not make any reply to him as he had done to them even though Elihu invited him to it waiting as would seem to see if he would say ought in his own defence Chap. 33.32 with 34.1 4. This also puts the matter above all controversie that God having humbled Job doth not reprove Elihu nor require him to offer a sacrifice for any fault in his speeches as he did to the rest Chap. 42.7 8. Which evinceth that he spake right and by Gods direction and not as the rest did These things being premitted the difficulty will be removed and Elihu's scope known if we consider these particulars 1. As to the State of the Controversie Elihu and the other Friends maintained different Theses or Opinions For they conclude Job to be wicked because of his great afflictions and his miscarriages under them But Elihu doth not meddle with the state of his person to question his being justified and reconciled to God Nor doth he accuse him of wickedness in the course of his life before he was afflicted Only he maintains that as the Soveraignty of God ought to be stooped unto without murmuring in his afflicting the most righteous and holy of Adams posterity So the sinfulness which Job granted to be in himself though he still maintained his integrity did not only deserve all this he had suffered and worse but this sharp usage was necessary for the cure of these remainders of sin in him and for preventing the bitter fruits that otherwise might flow there-from And that therefore he was to blame who had complained so much and had not carried meekly under the tryal And which is another branch of his quarrel and a miscarriage which highly incenseth him Chap. 32.2 however he might have vindicated his integrity against his Friends yet he ought not to have reflected upon the righteousness of God who had afflicted him as we have found he did in his several passionate complaints and expostulations In summ Elihu insists to check Job for his failings They laboured to prove him wicked He insists mainly upon his miscarriages under this trouble and in the heat of dispute not neglecting to speak of these infirmities which are incident to Saints at all times They strongly endeavour to prove that he had led a wicked life before he was afflicted and that because it was so God had sent these afflictions upon him And though they as well as Elihu took notice of his passionate miscarriages in his trouble yet it was upon different accounts they did so 1. They took notice of these only in the by and as a further confirmation of their opinion concerning him For though he had not so miscarried their principles led them to condemn him however as one who had been wicked or an Hypocrite because he was afflicted But Elihu insists upon these miscarriages as his main quarrel that so he might humble Job for them and for his walking so little humbly before God who had afflicted him 2. This being Elihu's scope and design it is not to be thought strange if in prosecuting of this challenge he make use of several things which the other Friends had spoken For as they had some false principles so they had others that were true and sound if they had been well applyed So that vision Chap. 4. was given by God to Eliphaz that thereby he might clear that dark controversie And it contained sufficient light for attaining that end had it been well understood and applyed by him as it is for the substance thereof by Elihu And beside they expressed many truths concerning the sinfulness of the best of men their unprofitableness to God c. which are repeated by Elihu and Job had granted to be truths Chap. 9.2 and else-where though still he contradicts them in their design in uttering these truths and in their inferences from them Yet it is still true that Elihu answered him not with their speeches even when he repeated and inculcated these truths because he made use of them to prove another conclusion than theirs was They made use of them to conclude him a wicked Hypocrite as to the state of his person which Job would never assent unto Elihu makes use of them to convince Job that Gods Soveraignty ought to be submitted to in afflictions and that Saints ought to be affected and humbled with the remainders of sin that are in themselves and to clear that Jobs carriage under afflictions and in the heat of dispute was faulty while instead of improving his trouble he did carp at Gods providence who had inflicted it And this Job is convinced of as appears by his silence 3. As to his citation of Jobs words and his inferences thereupon We are not to conceive that he doth cite them falsely or fasten upon him what he said not Or that he doth alledge Job was a wicked man Only he so cites his speeches as he doth not repeat all in his own very words but gives him such a summ of them as might let him see in what sense men might take them however he meant in speaking them And what hard constructions of him they might upon the matter breed in mens minds who might and that not without cause conclude when they heard him speak so rash and unsavory speeches that however his person was righteous yet in these pranks he did but too much homologate the practices of wicked men 4. His sharpness in dealing with Job much beyond what God himself used toward him doth evidence him not to be in passion or acted by his own Spirit but a man of sharp Spirit whereof God makes use to humble Job that himself might deal more mildly when he came to speak As those Considerations will help to clear Elihu's general scope so far as is necessary in the entry to his discourses So they afford us a needful caution and instruction concerning the exercises of Saints For however God do here begin to put an end to Jobs tryal from his Friends in order to his deliverance from his troubles As there will be an end of the Lord put to all the tossings of his people Yet Job who was a godly man and had the better of his Friends in the dispute is so brought off as yet he is humbled for many failings To shew That however the Lord deal with his people yet they will never find cause of glorying in themselves but even when they are justified in their persons and righteous in their cause And when God owns and delivers them as such it is still their advantage humbly to lye
of the whole matter And so here we have his verdict of the whole preceding debate and his thoughts of what was faulty in it whereby as hath been said in the entry we are helped to understand his scope in the following discourses In this Verse we have to consider First A description of this Umpire which is â—aken 1. From his Name Elihu which signifieth My God is He or the same that is My God is that only excellent One to whom that Name is due 2. From his Parentage he was the Son of Barachel which name signifieth One blessed of God And by the imposition of these names it would appear that Elihu was descended of a pious race whose Father had given him a name favouring of piety as the like had been given himself before 3. From his Progeny and Kindred His Father was a Buzite of the Kindred of Ram. As for Buz from whom he is denominated a Buzite we find a Country bearing that name Jer. 25.23 lying amongst those Arabians and Idumeans It seems to have that name from Buz the Son of Nahor Abrahams Brother Gen. 22.20 21. Of whom in all probability Elihu was descended While it is said that his Father and he were of the Kindred of Ram this Ram cannot be that Son of Judah Judg. 4.19 for he lived after Jobs dayes nor suppose he had lived before is it likely that he would have left his own County and Nation to goe dwell he and his Kindred among these Idumeans It can with little shew of probability be alleaged that Ram is to be taken appellatively for Aram or Syria and that he was of that Country For though it be granted that Ram may be the same with Aram of which afterward yet it cannot in propriety of speech be said that a man is of the Kindred or Family of such a Country It is with as little probability asserted that Ram is the same with Abraham who they say was first called Ram signifying High before he got the name of Abram an high Father which afterward was changed into Abraham Therefore it is most probable that this Ram was some Kinsman of Elihu and Barathel who was famous in these times and places and therefore mention is made of him in this description And we find mention of one Aram who may as well be called Ram as Ram the Father of Amminadab 1 Chro 2 9 10. is called Aram Matth. 1.3 4 the Son of Kemâ—el who was Brother to Buz Gen. 22.21 who it may be was the person here mentioned and a person famous in these dayes Though it be more probable and agreeable to the Scripture-way of reckoning Progenitours in the direct line that this was another person of the posterity of Baz though mentâ—oned no where else in Scripture who was a famous man and therefore mentioned in this description of Elihu and his Father who it seems were descended of him However there is no necessity to determine any thing positively in these circumstances if we take up a right the reasons of this so exact a description of Elihus which are partly to assure us that this is a true History and not a Fiction or Parable and a very ancient History and partly because Elihu was younger and more obscure than Job and his three Friends and therefore his descent and pedigree is more fully described than theirs was who were so eminent men in these times and places I shall only in the close of this description pass in a word their groundless conjecture who say this Elihu was that Balaam of whom mention is made in the Book of Numbers and else-where in Scripture who say they was a Prophet of God and had these Revelations here recoâ—ded before he came to Balak where he made so soul Apostacy and was cut off amongst the Midianites Numb 31.8 It is easie to multiply conjectures where the Scriptures are silent which may with the like facility be rejected But this is not to be admitted that a Child of God and a Prophet also may make so total and final a defection as he did for any thing we can find in Scripture Secondly In this Verse we have to consider Elihu's verdict and censure of Jobs part in the debate and of his carriage under his trouble He is angry at Job not that he asserted himself to be a righteous man or that he justâ—fied and vindicated himself in the cause debated betwixt him and his Friends But that he justified himself rather than God or more than God that is He not only pleaded his righteousness and integrity before God which may lawfully be done if it be gone about in a right way Isa 38.3 and else-where but pleaded it even against God expostulating with him that he should deal so severely with a righteous man and so reflected on the righteousness of God in defending his own righteousness As God also telleth him Châ—p 40.8 And he was more careful to defend his own righteousness in his debates with his Friends than to acknowledge and ascribe unto God the glory of his righteousness in afflicting him by submâ—tting to his Soveraign good pleasure stooping under his hand in the sense of his own baseness and sinfulness and by making use of his corrections improving them to his own spiritual advantage From all which Elihu doth justly conclude That however Job never said expresly that he was more just than God or just rather than God neither did Job ever mean or intend any such thing by any thing be uttered in his complaints and defences Yet upon the matter it was imported and by necessary consequence it might be interred from what he said that he â—ustified himself rather than God Thirdly We have to consider Elihu's resentment of this injury that was offered unto God and the measure of his displeasure and zeal against it It is said in the beginning of the Verse that his wrath was kindled which is relative both to Job and his Friends And for Job in particular it is again repeated that his wrath was kindled against Job upon this account Whereby we are not to understand that he was over-powred with any carnal passion but that he was filled with a large measure of zeal and indignaâ—ion against Job because of this his fault From this Verse Learn 1. The grace of God is not confined to persons or places but he can raise up to himself servants in any place or among any people he pleaseth For here beside Job and his Friends we have another godly man amongst these Arabians whose name and his Parents name do intimate that a stamp of the fear of God had been in that family for some Generations Of this see on Chap. 1.1 Only however after the Covenant made with Israel at Sinai salvation was of that people as is said of the Jews when the rest of the Tribâ—s were gone Joh. 4 22. and they were the only people of God and visible Church in communion wherewith salvation was to be expected till
claim c. So this is their great miscarriage in this undertaking when in defending their own righteousness they reflect upon Gods righteousness because of cross dispensations which they meet with being righteous or in his way For herein Job failed justifying himself or his Soul which is here taken for the whole person being that part of man which is chiefly to be noticed in this business rather than God And this was it which Jeremy guarded against in his complaints Jer. 12.1 Hence all mens bitter complaints an murmurings at Gods dealing their not humbling of themselves under afflictions even albeit they be righteous and innocent their not improving at them to discover and purge out the naughtiness that is in the best of men their not adoring and crying up of the righteousness and faithfulness of God when their passions would rise upon them Psa 22.1 2. with 3. These and the like miscarriages of godly men in trouble are foul reflections upon the righteousness of God 6. When the people of God have the testimony of a good conscience in their suffering and are over-driven by temptations and imputations from others they are very ready to miscarry in defending their own integrity by not giving unto God the glory due to him For so did Job miscarry in this case So frail are we that we are ready to wrong our good cause and to give our own good conscience a wound and so strip our selves of our defences and comforts and provoke God to give us up to less cleanly tryals at another time Hence men should advert to this that the better their cause and condition is under trouble their tryal is the greater to manage it well and soberly And others should beware lest they put afflicted men upon such a tentation and snare 7. God in judging of mens carriage and way doth not look only to what they expresly do or say or intend but to what may be interpretatively and upon the matter gathered from their practices and speeches For Job did no where expresly say and in terminis that he was juster than God or righteous rather than God nor was this Jobs sense in hâ—s words yet Elihu and God afterward finds all this in his expressions and carriage For when he desired to enter the lists with God and to plead his cause wâ—th him as if he had not considered it well before when he afflicted him when he complains so much that the great God had dealt so severely with him a worm when he spake so much of his own integrity and so little of Gods righteousness when he complained so much that he could get no account of the reasons of Gods dealing with him when he desired to be cut off as if he had known what was good for him better than God did When I say he did all these things he did upon the matter deny the righteousness of God however he thought no such thing Thus men may wrong God when they little intend it and many things may justly be fastned upon their way which they would scarcely own As that unbelief speaks blasphemy 1 Joh 5.10 that discouragement reproacheth God Anxiety denieth a Providence Isa 51.12 13. Impatience under trouble reflects upon his righteousness c. This we would look unto considering how deep our evils may draw and that we may really be doing that which is contrary both to what we say and think 8. Albeit sad case and strong tentations of Saints under trouble do plead for pity to their weaknesses 2 King 4 27. Yet no trouble pressing them nor any provocations from men tempting them to miscarry allows them to be spared in any sin Particularly in any miscarriage toward God For albeit Job was in sore trouble and albeit his Friends wronged both God and him as Elihu and God himself tell them Yea his trouble and their carriage was an hot furnace and sore tentation to him Yet his folly is not spared but Elihu's wrath is kindled against Job and afterward he takes him up sharply for his faults as God himself also doth This was a mercy to Job that such pains was taken upon him that so he might not goe on in his miscarriage but might be cured of it and so fitted for a deliverance Withall this being a furnace whereby God tryed what metral was in Job he deserved a sharp rebuke that he had not carried better nor were his failings to be suffered upon this account that they flowed from weakness for even Saints infirmities must be mourned for and their care endeavoured Particularly seeing â—e failed in mistaking and misconstructing of God for which we find Saints have been deeply humbled Psa 73.11 c. with v. 21 22. 9. In defending of truth particulary in pleading for God and his honour against the imputations and reflections of passionate men albeit the wrath of man will not work the righteousness of God Jam. 1.20 Yet a zeal of God or an holy indignation against these mistakes is necessary For his wrath was even kindled against Job in this quarrel Thus are we earnestly to contend for the faith Jude v. 2. Where Truth seats it self onâ—y in the brain and understanding it will be but poorly defended and no less poorly stuck to if a tryal come But where it gets place in the heart and affections and is received and entertained with love it will be zealously maintained and the contrary errours abhorred So that when men are not zealous against errour they evidence themselves to be in a wrong frame and have made at least one step toward defect on Verse 3. Also against his three Friends was his wrath kindled because they haâ— found no answer and yet had condemned â—ob In this Verse we have Elihu's verdict and censure of the Friends part in the debate where he is angry at them that they had found no answer and yet had condemned Job The Particle Yet is not in the Original but is added to clear the sense though the Copulative And may be so rendred They found no answer yet or nevertheless they condemned Job And the meaning of the words so translated is not that they had justly charged him with wickedness and hypocrisie only they had not strongly proved their charge For Elihu doth not undertake to prove any such charge against him But the meaning is They had condemned him as a wicked Hypocrite without producing any solid Argument to prove it and without giving any sufficient answer to those convincing evidences of his integrity and other arguments which he had produced for himself And so upon the matter whatever flourishes of discourse they had yet they had condemned him unjustly in asserting him to be a wicked man meerly upon a prejudicate opinion and principle of their own whereas he is resolved to accuse him for these things whereof he is indeed guilty and which he can prove against him by convincing arguments that they are sins and sins committed by him The words may also be read thus
word for word from the Original They found no answer and they condemned Job And so they will contain his censure of a double fault whereof they were guilty One is that already mentioned That they had unjustly condemned Job And the other is That by their finding no answer to Jobs Apologies they had quit Gods cause which he is now about to maintain against Job as overcome And by their silence in what they might and should have spoken in answer to his discourses they had condemned God no less than they had unjustly condemned Job by what they had spoken Though the former reading be most agreeable to the scope here yet both may very well be joyned together For as they were faulty in condemning Job without a reason and without answering his defences for himself So they were no less guilty in finding no answer such as he afterward produceth on Gods behalf against Jobs complaints and quarrellings From this Verse Learn 1. It is an evidence of a truly sober and gracious Spirit so to be taken up with one evil or errour as not to be blind in discerning others also upon another hand For Elihu discerns exactly the errours of both parties and on both hands in this debate and passeth his censure upon both And did not as the three Friends who to avoid the errour upon the one extreme of impeaching the righteousness of God who had afflicted Job do run to an errour on the other extreme and conclude Job to be wicked because afflicted As it is too usual for men while they are eagerly opposing one errour to rush into another on the other hand 2. As mens light should be universally clear in discerning errours and mistakes So their zeal ought to be uniform and against every one of them For against his three Friends was his wrath kindled for their errour as well as against Job for his Not as many who in their heat of opposition to one errour which it may be is their present exercise and in so farr it is commendable that their zeal is most bent against it do look with more indifferency upon another which seems to be opposite unto it as being upon the other extreme 3. It is a very great and yet a very usual fault in many to condemn men and bury them and their opinions and way under imputations and calumnies which neither are nor can be proved and made out For this was their practice and Elihu is angry because of this that they condemned Job when they had found no answer to his discourses proving his integrity as he tells them v. 12. Malice prejudices serving of designes c. as well as ignorance and errour which were the cause of their miscarriage may drive men to take such courses whereby they commit great cruelty and do justly provoke the anger and zeal of godly men against them As Elihu is hereby provoked to anger against Jobs Friends 4. Though it be a fault at any time or in any case to condemn men unjustly yet this fault is much aggravated and true zeal and indignation is provoked thereby when men deal so with afflicted men and so add to their affliction For this was an addition to their fault and helped to kindle Elihu's anger that they had so condemned Job who was now so sadly afflicted as himself states the case in this very particular Chap. 19.5 6 c. It is very sad when men are so cruel as to give a godly man a load above a burden See Psa 69.26 5. Albeit a multitude of words and fine discourses may blind many who think they have the best cause who talk most and who are easily deceived with good words and fair speeches Rom. 16.18 Yet that will not satisfie consciencious and rational men For these Friends spake enough as themselves thought to purpose and seemed to plead much for God and against impiety and yet Elihu discerns that they found no answer even to clear these things they intended to conclude against Job farr less did they hit upon the true answer which should have been returned to Job See Prov. 18.17 Men have need of solid wisdome that they may discern what is truth or errour in well-busked discourses and they who would speak to purpose in a debate ought to beware that unsound principles and heat in dispute do not blind-fold them and so cause them miss their mark as befell these Friends 6. In whatever case silence be lawful in some debates yet it is a great fault in any case to desert a cause of God when it is controverted and opposed For thus according to the other reading it is a fault by it self that they found no answer for God as well as that they condemned Job Verse 4. Now Elihu had waited till Job had spoken because they were elder than he 5. When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men then his wrath was kindled The third Antecedent and a more near occasion of Elihu's speech which explains and enlargeth that Antecedent v. 1. is That having patiently kept silence so long as they spake however they spake not right as reverencing their age now he must break off his silence with indignation considering that they gave over without any reply to Job which was to purpose and particlarly without speaking a word to his last discourses It is said only He had waited till Job had spoken but it imports also that he had waited and hearkned to what all of them had spoken all the while of the dispute For when a reason is given of this his silence they are all of them spoken of in the plural number They were elder than he to intimate that he had waited on them all Only it is here said that he waited till Job had spoken or expected Job in his words because Job spake last and because this is spoken more particularly with a reference to that last discourse which closed that debate upon which he is now to pass a judgement And so it importeth That he waited patiently in hearing Jobs long discourses and waited also after Job had spoken to see if they would say ought in answer to him And finding them silent his zeal breaks forth in the following discourse This purpose will come to be spoken of afterward when Elihu himself mentions it Here Learn 1. True zeal is not furious but bounded with sobriety and drives not a man without his station For such is Elihu's zeal here who silently waits all the time they spake however he was dis-satisfied and le ts not hâ—s zeal and wrath break forth till they have all given over whereby a call is given him to interpose It is true there are some heroick acts of zeal which fall not under ordinary rules As when Phinchas a Priest slew Zimri and Cazbi Numb 25.7 8 12 13 14. Samuel then only a Prophet slew Agag whom the Magistrate had spared 1 Sam. 15.32 33. And Elijah slew the Prophets of
against him therefore he will not answer him with their speeches Verse 15. They were amazed they answered no more they lest off speaking 16. When I had waited for they spake not but stood still and answered no more 17. I said I will answer also my part I also will shew mine opinion The fourth Reason of his interposing in this cause is That they being provoked now to answer were silent with amazment v. 15. And therefore he having waited on till he saw it was their fixed resolution to say no more v. 16. might lawfully take his turn in speaking v. 17. It seems that in speaking this Elihu turned from the three Friends to whom he had been speaking last to Job or to all the Auditory then present desiring them to mark how these men came off in their undertaking And whereas he saith They were amazed c. It is not necessary to conceive that it was only at his appearing to speak in the cause they were thus amazed and that after the admonition he had given them in the former Verses he waited and kept silence a while to see if they would yet take this task off his hands but they being astonished at him continued silent which laid a necessity upon him to speak on But the words seem rather to contain a further account given by Elihu of what the Writer of the History had touched upon v. 1.5 That when they were provoked by Jobs last discourses and ought to have made a reply to them in defence of their own opinion they fell a wondring and were astonished and amazed not so much at the strength and evidence of his defences as at his supposed absurdity in them and would answer no more And therefore having waited as it seems he had also done before in the intervals betwixt their discourses having been an Auditour all the while till he found they would make no more replyes he begins to speak From these Verses Learn 1. It is no strange thing to see men who are engaged in debates put to many perplexities upon one account or other For here they are amazed at Jobs absurdity as they judged of it and so perplexed that they know not what to do next with him And it may be expected that many the like distempers be they just or unjust will attend that unpleasant task of debating and disputing 2. It is no new thing to see men who have truth on their side cryed down by their Antagonists who may be ready to wonder and be astonished at them and so much to abominate them and their way as they will even disdain to give them an answer or speak to them any more For so were they amazed at Job they answered no more they lest off speaking or they removed speeches from themselves Not only did their passion render them unable to speak or argue but resolvedly they removed all purposes of speaking any more to such a man as they judged Job to be But such a behaviour is not a right way to answer mens reasons or satisfie their consciences 3. It is not unuseful for Spectators to take notice of mens weakness and passions in debates for divers reasons As here he turns him to others in speaking of this matter and tells them They were amazed c. This he doth not to insult over them by pointing out their weakness unto others But partly because men while they are in a distemper or passion are very uncapable to notice their own weakness and therefore he must appeal to others Partly to convince the Auditory that he did not rashly engage in this business nor take their work out of their hand so long as they would follow it and chiefly that he might edifie the Auditory by leading them to study the weaknesses of good men in the heat of debates that so they might learn to avoid these contentions which have such sad effects or to avoid those weaknesses if they were necessarily called to contend 4. Men should not be taken advantage of in their fits of passion but they should be meekly waited upon to see if they will cool and come to themselves For when he saw them thus amazed and silent he waited on them to see if yet they would speak 5. Passion may be very tenacious and sticking in the best of men especially when they have a wrong cause or do differ in principles from those they are angry at For when he had waited they spake not they stood still and answered no more They persisted in their passionate humour and resolution as judging according to their principles but unjustly that he was an obstinate wicked man 6. As men should have a clear call before they engage in a debate So it is no presumption to appear in their stations when they have a call but it is their duty not to hide their Talent nor desert wronged truth For when they have given over he finds himself obliged to answer his part or take his turn and to shew his opinion as they had done 7. Truth and a good cause will never want friends but when some fail or are laid by God will cause others appear For when the Friends had all along failed in speaking what they ought in this debate and were now wholly laid aside so that it was not to be expected they would speak any thing for God in this quarrel I saith he will answer also my part I also will shew mine opinion Verse 18. For I am full of matter the Spirit within me constraineth me 19. Behold my belly is aâ— wine which hath no vent it is ready to burst like new bottles 20. I will speak that I may be refreshed I will open my lips and answer The fifth Reason of his interposing to speak which is connected with the former by the Particle For is The instinct and impulse of the Spirit which did so fill him with matter and so press him inwardly that he must speak to refresh himself and answer for God This he illustrates from a similitude of wine in a bottle wanting vent Where the matter wherewith he is furnished is compared to wine his mind and spirit to a bottle containing this wine his silence to the stopping of the bottle and its want of vent his grief of mind and distemper of body by his silence to the brâ—â—king of the bottle and its being bursted with the working of the wine and his speaking whereby he would refresh himself and profit others to the giving of a vent to the wine in the bottle By all which we are not to understand any vain itch in this young man to speak in so grave an audience but a real impulse of the Spirit of God Nor yet are we so to understand it as if the Spirit did furiously act and over-drive him that he was not master of himself As the Heathens were put in the posture and condition of madd men by their Diabolical Enthusiasmes but only that he had such abundance of useful
of that clay of which Adam's body was formed and a parcel of that breath which was breathed into him For saith he pointing at a special motive of humility I also as well as thou and others am formed or cut out of the clay as v. 4. he had spoken of his Soul and Life in tearms taken from the creation of the first man 6. Such as study their base Original well will not abuse their eminency in any Office to deal untenderly with persons or to be terrible to those who are of the same Original with themselves Therefore he subjoynes Behold my terrour shall not make thee afraid whereby as he intimates that Job would get satisfaction to his desire when he wished to plead with God So he gives an account of his own resolution to manage his employment equitably and tenderly 7. It is the will of God that no greatness power or dreadfulness of one party in a debate do prejudge truth or the freedome of the other party in managing their defences For so much is intimated beside his reflexion on Jobs proposals when he desired to plead with God in this promise My terrour shall not make thee afraid neither shall mine hand be heavy upon thee Verse 8. Surely thou hast spoken in mine hearing and I have heard the voice of thy words saying 9. I am clean without transgression I am innocent neither is there iniquity in me 10. Behold He findeth occasions against me he counteth me for his enemy 11. He putteth my feet in the stocks he marketh all my paths Followeth to v. 31. the Second part of the Chapter or the Speech it self to which Elihu hath prepared the way by the preceding Preface And in these Verses we have the first part of the Speech containing an accusation of Job or a rehearsal of some of his discourses which he is to refute Where if we speak of his accusation negatively what it is not he declines to quarrel the state of his person or to accuse him of any gross faults before his afflictions as his other Friends had done Nor doth he censure him for any thing he had said of the greatness of his afflictions or to the commendation of God Only he censures him for some unsavory expressions of his own integrity and Gods dispensations toward him And having told him that he is to accuse him of those expressions which himself had distinctly heard v. 8. he propounds the summ of Jobs words which he is to refute in an excellent method For 1. He propounds how Job had asserted his own integrity both negatively and possitively That he was clean and innocent and free of transgression or wickedness v. 9. 2. He adds how Job complained that notwithstanding he was thus righteous and innocent yet God sought and took all occasions and advantages against him to deal with him as an enemy or in an hostile way v. 10. The word rendred Occasions signifieth also Breaches or breakings off and it imports That God picked quarrels at him and took advantages of any breach or failing he could find in him to break off his friendship and wonted favour and that he might deal with him as an enemy He alludes to the practice of uncharitable men who contrary to the Law of Love do seek all occasions and advantages against others that they may ruine them See Gen. 43.18 2 King 5.7 Dan. 6.5 3. He subjoynes how Job to prove this his complaint had produced evidences taken from Gods arresting of him by painful and disgraceful afflictions like as a Malefactour is put in the Stocks and his marking of all his paths to punish him for what should be found amiss in him v 11. For further clearing of this purpose Consider 1. This is but a part of his accusation and of that which he hath to lay to Jobs charge for afterward he produceth more and sharper accusations against him Yea his desire to argue his cause with God himself which Job joyned with these his complaints here mentioned is here also to be understood as afterward we will find And so under those expressions here recorded all other the like expressions are to be understood as comprehended 2. We are not to conceive that Elihu cites these expressions of Job concerning his purity and integrity v. 9. as minding to charge Job that he looked upon himself as sinless and meant so by these expressions For Job had professed the contrary both of himself Chap. 7.20 and of all men Chap. 9.2 and 14.4 And we will not find that Elihu did charge any thing falsely upon Job He only cites those as the words whereby he had expressed and maintained his integrity which albeit it was a truth that he was righteous yet these expressions being joyned with the following complaints did sound too high of perfection as if he had not so much sin in him as might silence all his complaints of Gods severe dealing 3. In these citations Elihu doth not stick close to Jobs words or repeat all those very same expressions which Job had used He only repeats the summ and sense of them And which is to be well marked whatever was Jobs meaning in them yet he repeats them so and in that sense which an ordinary hearer might put upon them Thus an ordinary hearer hearing Job speak so much of his righteousness and against God who afflicted him might be ready to interpret his words so as if he had said he was sinless And albeit Jobs meaning was good yet his expressions were unhappy both in his asserting his integrity and in his complaints subjoyned whereof Job himself is convinced and therefore doth not quarrel Elihu for mis-citing his words or mistaking his meaning in them 4. As for those Speeches which he citeth they will be found for the substance of them in Jobs discourses We find that Elihu v. 6 7. alludes to a proposal of Jobs Chap. 13.20 21 22. Where in the complaint immediately subjoyned v. 23 27. we will find the substance of what is here repeated His avowing of his purity here repeated v. 9. is there propounded by way of question v. 23. His complaint against God here produced v. 10. is there deduced at large v. 24 25 26. And his resentment in confirmation of his complaint here challenged v. 11. is there set down v. 27. And beside we will find those or the equivalent expressions scattered throughout his other discourses For what is here charged upon him v. 9. See Chap. 9.17 and 10.7 and 13.18 and 16.17 and 19.7 and 29.14 and 27.5 6. In all which and divers other passages he asserts his integrity and purity to aggravate his complaint against God who had dealt so severely with him For what is here challenged v. 10. See Chap. 16.12 14. and 19.11 12. And for that v. 11. See beside what is already marked from Chap. 13. Chap. 14.16 17. 5. It is also to be remembred that however Jobs three Friends did challenge him for all those speeches and particularly
and provoke God to take away all their excellencies If I say they did consider these things they would find how little cause they had to be puffed up with pride 10. It is the will of God and the scope of his instructions by his Word that men do not pretend to abominate pride while yet their practice declareth that they hugg it in their bosomes But that they endeavour to remove it and rid themselves of it For Pride must be hid from man Which doth not import that it is sufficient that pride be hid and lurking though it be not mortified and subdued but that it must be so hid from man as he shall not find it The phrase to hide signifieth sometime to take a thing quite away as Job 3.10 It seems to be a Metaphor taken from mens burying of these things which they desire not to be seen as Moses hid the Aegyptian whom he slew Exod. 2.12 Thus that is said to be hid which is destroyed and brought to nothing Is 29.14 with 1 Cor. 1.19 Now mens sin is said to be hid two wayes One is by a free pardon when a sinner hiding himself under Christs shadow gets his sins pardoned and covered Neh. 4 5. Psal 32.1 and 85.2 And it is certain that such as repent of their pride must have pardon for their by-gone pride whatever reformation there be for the futuâ—e But this is not principally meant here For by a pardon sin is properly hid from Gods revengeful eye not from man save in so farr as a pardon hides him from the penal effects of his sin The other way of hiding sin is when it is hid from the man himself not by keeping him from seeing his guilt and inclinations to sin but by removing of the sin from him And in this sense it is taken here and it imports That the man who heeds the instructions of the Word concerning his pride will 1. Not satisfie himself with claiming to a pardon when he is convinced of his guilt in it but will endeavour to have it removed from him that the mortification of the evil may be a comfortable evidence of the pardon of â—t 2. He will endeavour to remove it from him with detestation as an evil which he cannot endure to look upon but it must be hid out of his sight as is said of the Idols of penitents Is 30.22 3. Being sensible of his own propensity to that evil he will study to prevent it by hiding from himself all causes and occasions of it and tentations to it He will not study his graces and his privileges without studying his infirmities which may be a counter-ballance to him he will be sparing to reflect upon his afflictions at least he will be careful not to aggravate them lest his corruption and pride be thereby irritated and in studying of his sad lots he will be careful also to study his ill deservings and the mercies which are continued with him and the mercies remembred in wrath which may keep his Spirit sober 4. That all these endeavours may be effectual it should be his care to abide under Christs shadow that vertue from him may prevent the budding of that evil Doct. 11. It may encourage men to hearken to the voice of God in his Word if they consider that his quarrel is not against their persons but their sins that he intends not their destruction or to crush them but only their humiliation and reformation and that the only loss they will sustain if they manage his instructions well is the hiding of pride and the causes and occasions thereof from them For this is declared to be the scope of his instruction which he seals unto and upon man To withdraw man from his work and hide pride from man and men do wrong themselves when they make another use thereof Verse 18. He keepeth back his Soul from the pit and his life from perishing by the sword In this Verse Elihu gives an account of a further and more mediate scope of the Lords dealing with his people by dreams and visions and a result of the former Namely That the Lord leads them to renew repentance and to be humbled that so he may prevent their further hurt if they do it not even the pit and some violent death by the sword or the like violent means The words Soul and Life being different in the Original the first part of the Verse may be understood of the Souls going to Hell at death and the latter part of the manner of their death that it shall be violent And albeit godly men of whom Elihu's scope is chiefly to speak will not actually goe to Hell nor doth Elihu say that here but rather on the contrary that God prevents it yet their failings of their own nature do deserve it and therefore God makes use of the Word here to prevent it and if that succeed not he hath the rod c. as after followeth to effectuate it Or the phrases may be taken promiscuously the latter explaining the former That God keeps their Soul or Life from the pit or grave and death and that not an ordinary but a violent death which otherwise they would incurr if they hearken not to the Word or lesser rods As we find God dealt with Josiah whom he cut off in his presumptuous attempt against Pharaoh Necho and thus did he chasten some of the Corinthians for their miscarriages 1 Cor. 11.30 From this Verse Learn 1. The people of God do therefore run on in their miscarriages and follies and do neglect the renewing of their repentance because they consider not the hazards which they run by these courses Therefore are they informed of their danger here 2. Albeit the eternal state of the godly be secured by Christ yet their failings and particularly their pride do deserve the pit and albeit God prevent that hazard to the godly yet beside the fears of their eternal destruction they may be sharply chastised and even taste of a violent death For so much is here intimated That by their miscarriages and particularly by their pride they run the hazard of the pit and of perishing by the sword 3. It is one great cause of mens mistaking Gods dealing towards them that they can easily feel and resent the want of some mercies which they have enjoyed but they do not study and remark preventing mercies Therefore here lest men should mistake Gods disquieting of them with visions and dreams and his putting them to the unpleasant task of humiliation and repentance Elihu lets them see what hazards are prevented thereby and that he keepeth back the Soul from the pit and the life from perishing or passing namely out of the body by the sword by these means 4. There is nothing so sad which befalleth the people of God but it tends to prevent somewhat that is sadder which otherwise would befall them For here all this trouble by visions and dreams and the toyl of repentance and humiliation
by pointing out the holiness and righteousness of God who afflicts him and by pointing out to man what is the uprightness which God requireth of him which will easily discover unto him his deviations from that rule 3. He is also to convince man concerning the uprightness and equity of God in his dealing with him since he hath laid down a sure way of reconciliation betwixt himself and man and for man to attain to a good account of all lots that befall him even by repenting of his sin v. 27. and fleeing to that ransome v. 24. 4. By pointing out those he sheweth unto man wherein his uprightness and rectitude consisteth or what may set him right in Gods favour and is his duty to prove himself an upright and righteous man even to repent and lay hold upon that ransome which God hath found So this direction will comprehend both Repentance and Faith in the Messiah or closing with his imputed righteousness And albeit the word here rendred Uprightness doth no where that I can observe signifie the righteousness of Christ imputed to us Yet it may well signifie that it is mans duty if he would be upright and stand right in Gods favour to lay hold upon that righteousness This I take to be principally and ultimately meant in this pâ—ace That this Messenger is to shew to the afflicted man that it is his uprightness and the way to set him right again to repent and believe Yet this cannot well be inculcated and demonstrated to a godly man in affliction who is the person here spoken of all along unless he be first convinced of Gods uprightness in afflicting him of his own sin and deviation from the rule of righteousness which is prescribed to him and of Gods equity in all his designes and actings about him And therefore I take in all those as the full exposition of the words which comprehends a mans being laid low in the sense of his sins whereby he is made to justifie God in all that befalleth him Neh. 9.33 Lam. 1.18 and his being lifted up and encouraged through faith in Christ which were the summ also of Pauls doctrine Act. 20.21 So the summ of all is That whereas even godly men are oft-times sliding and do forget to renew their repentance and faith God layeth them low under his afflicting hand and by his Messengers tells them that they ought to be humbled in the sense of their sinfulness and to renew their repentance and lay hold upon the ransome which God hath found From these words taken in their full latitude as hath been explained Learn 1. Such as have a calling to deal with the Souls of afflicted persons have need of Gods direction and assistance in managing that undertaking For they have much to shew or declare unto them as hath been said which requires no little furniture to find it out and to propound it in the due order 2. Albeit even Gods people be ready to mistake him under trouble Yet it is their duty to study the uprightness of God in guiding them and ordering their lots As here we are taught It is a blessed fruit of trouble when men are made to grow thereby in their commendation of God and when the sight of their own sinfulness and of his holiness who afflicts them doth contribute to lay them low and to justifie and exalt him in their hearts 3. When afflicted persons are laid low in the sense of their own sinfulness and of his holiness who afflicts them their work is not yet done but they should be further convinced of the rectitude and equity of Gods procedure and that he seeks no advantage of them but to drive them to their duty and thereby to their happiness For this also is to be shewed unto man as hath been explained 4. The summ of afflicted godly mens duty is by renewing their repentance and faith to close with Christ and imputed righteousness For it is the result of all other instructions to point out this as mans uprightness or rectitude So that they mistake Gods mind in his humbling dispensations who run away from Christ or think to work out a righteousness of their own wherewith to satisfie God And though men should preach and press the Law never so much upon afflicted man Yet they have not done all their work if they leave them there and do not point out Christ unto them 5. Even godly men are so much ignorant of the righteousness of God and taken up with a desire to establish their own righteousness Rom. 10.3 and do so frequently forget to humble themselves and make use of Christ that they need not only to have their duty pointed out to them but to be brought to the gates of death that they may hearken unto the doctrine of humiliation repentance and faith For this must be declared or shewed unto man and he is brought to that low condition v. 19 22. that he may hearken to it when it is declared And as men have themselves to blame that they are put to such difficulties to stirr them up to learn this lesson so they who profit at that School are great gainers even by saddest afflictions Verse 24. Then he is gracious unto him and saith Deliver him from going down to the pit I have found a ransome This Verse is made difficult to understand by reason of the various conceptions that men have of that relative He and who should be meant thereby Some referr it to the Messenger formerly spoken of v. 23. and read it thus He speaketh to him that is to the sick man of grace and saith to wit to God Deliver him c. that is he instructs him in the Doctrine of free grace and prayeth that God would preserve him from destruction because of that ransome which he hath found or published But neither doth the first word signifie to speak of grace but only to be gracious nor can this phrase of finding a ransome be well spoken by a Messenger of himself especially when he is speaking to God Therefore to pass also the conjecture of others that Christ in person is that Messenger v. 23. who here favourably interceeds for the afflicted man I take this relative to point at God who hath been spoken of before And so here Elihu begins to give an account of the sweet and comfortable effects that shall follow upon the sick mans learning that lesson â— 23 The first whereof in this Verse is That God will be gracious to the afflicted man because of the ransome found in Christ who was known even then to be the Redeemer Chap. 19.25 and will deliver him from the pit So that here we have the fountain-fountain-cause of this change wrought upon the afflicted mans condition even Gods grace the meritorious cause thereof a ransome and the effect of those or the change it self which is here expressed by his being delivered from going down to the pit For further clearing of this purpose Consider 1. As
mercy daily So that Job had no cause to complain of his afflictions seeing God might proceed further against him even to the taking away of his life Doct. 1. Mans breath and life is a borrowed loan which he holds by Gods gift For it is his spirit and breath Man 's indeed by use but Gods as the Author and Giver of it and therefore he gathers it to himsâ—lf when he recalls it as his own gift Both the words Spirit and Breath may signifie one and the same thing or the first may signifie his rational soul and the second his animal life common to him with beasts However this should teach men to make good use of their life and breath and not employ it against God They who look upon their enjoyments as their own will readily abuse them Ps 12.4 2. God may when he will take back his own loan and that easily For he can gather unto himself his spirit and breath See Psal 90.3 and 104.29 And therefore we should not promise unto our selves long tacks of our life See Luk. 12.19 20. 3. Albeit God be not moved with any thing about man as if it were a great business Yet as he doth nothing at randone so we should look upon the taking away of life as a very serious and important business Therefore doth he express this act thus as Gods setting his heart upon man Not that he is so taken up as we are with weighty businesses nor yet only because he doth not proceed to do this at randome but acts in it as a weighty matter however we do not alwayes see that or that he sets his heart in love upon his own people even when he is cutting them off But he speaks thus of God that we may learn to set our hearts and be serious about this change 4. Men by death return to God either to appear before him in judgement to receive the reward of their sin or to be absolved by him and to abide with him for ever For he gathereth the spirit and breath to himself Eccles 12.5 6 7. 5. Gods Dominion over the lives of men is irresistable For if God gather these unto himself man must perish his unwillingness will not help him 6. No person hath any priviledge against a sentence of death when or wheresoever God shall be pleased to pronounce it For All flesh shall perish together if he please 7. Whatever man think of himself in his life yet death will give him an humbling sight of himself For then he is found to be flesh and turns again to dust from whence he was taken Gen. 3.19 8. However men quarrel Gods exercising of his Dominion in some cases yet upon a serious review they may rather find cause to admire his goodness than to quarrel his severity For in answer to Jobs complaints that God had afflicted him Elihu lets him see that God might cut him off and not him only but all flesh together And it should be our work to study such mercies in our saddest grievances Verse 16. If now thou hast understanding hear this hearken to the voice of my words Elihu having propounded these Arguments to the Auditory doth now to v. 31. lay them more distinctly before Job himself And 1. He turns himself to Job and calls for his attention v. 16. 2. He propounds the Argument taken from Gods dominion and justice v. 17. 3. He amplifieth and instanceth it in several particulars wherein the exercise of dominion and justice are conspicuous Namely his dealing with Kings and Rulers v. 18.19 with People and Nations together with their Rulers v. 20 23. and with mighty men v. 24 28. 4. He recapitulates the Argument pointing out the efficacy of Gods administrations v. 29. and his end in some of those acts of his dominion and justice formerly mentioned v. 30. In this Verse Elihu turns himself from the Auditory and expresly and particularly addresseth his speech to Job craving that he would give him an hearing and that he would apply this Doctrine to his case whereby he should give a proof of his wisdome and understanding Doct. 1. General Doctrine is not sufficient to do Souls good without application Therefore doth Elihu tell over again to Job what he had already spoken to the Auditory 2. Mens case may be very plainly spoken unto who yet need to be rouzed up to make application For though he hath been speaking to this very business before yet he must direct his speech to Job end call upon him to hearken to the voice of his words and apply 3. In order to application men should be attentive hearers to which they need frequently to be excited Therefore again after all the former excitations he calls him to hear and hearken that so he might apply and be convinced 4. As men do evidence their wisdome by being willing to be taught For so is here supposed that if he have understanding he will hear of which also before So it is not enough to hear unless we understand For here understanding is required with hearing 5. There is great wisdome required in taking up the mind of God in his dark dispensations toward his people and in the World For this is the particular subject in hearing whereof he requireth understanding 6. Not only are natural men uncapable to perceive the things of God 1 Cor. 2.14 and weak Saints unable while they continue such to comprehend many points of truth Joh. 16.12 But even men eminently wise and godly may have their wits to seek in some difficult and trying cases and when they are under the power of affliction and tentation For this Supposition If thou hast understanding imports no denial that Job was wise in an eminent measure but that his understanding had need to be quickened and he had need to rid himself of those mists which involved and darkened his judgement if he would take up this matter well Verse 17. Shall even he that hateth right govern And wilt thou condemn him that is most just In this Verse he summarily propounds the Argument taken from Gods Dominion and Justice for he joyns them both together to which he desires he may hearken As for the first part of the Verse Shall even he that hateth right govern The word govern in the Original is to bind up as a Chyrurgion And so it may point at a particular act of his government that he binds up and heals those whom he hath smitten upon their repentance as it is Chap. 5.18 Which speaks that he cannot be unjust or hate right seeing he is content upon repentance to heal those whom he hath smitten But the word is taken more generally for governing and a Ruler is called an Healer or binder up for it is the same word that is here Is 3.7 because government in the exercise thereof should tend to prevent or to heal and bind up breaches that are made upon or among a people And thus the Argument runs well That God being the
marked his complaints or were but weak persons and less able to distinguish would readily stumble at them as suspecting that he cryed down all advantages that were to be found in piety And it is not to be denied that however Job in debating with his Friends spake clearly enough of the eternal reward of piety whatever might befall godly men in this life in common with the wicked or in an harder measure than they felt yet in his fits of complaining he sometime forgot that eternal reward and complained too much that his righteousness and integrity were not regarded seeing he was afflicted 4. It being thus cleared how he said this it doth sufficiently make out that charge v. 2. which it is produced to confirm or that he said also upon the matter that his righteousness was more than Gods For when he spake so much of his own righteousness and complained of his afflictions he was more carefull to maintain his own righteousness who was afflicted than the righteousness of God who had afflicted him which was in effect to cry up the one above the other 5. It is also to be considered that though Elihu mention only this challenge in the entry yet in the progress of the refutation he reflects upon more of his speeches which were to the same purpose and had a dependance upon this great mistake and failing Namely upon his complaints that God heard not his cry though he was a godly man v. 9 c. and that he could not see God when he desired to find him v. 14. Of which in their proper places From v. 2. Learn 1. Such is the gracious condescendence of God that some of Adam's unrighteous posterity do attain to be righteous in their persons and in some particular causes which they maintain For so is here supposed that Job had a righteousness for the asserting whereof he is not quarrelled if he had done it modestly 2. Not only may men attain to be righteous but they may come up to know and be assured that it is so As Job here was 3. So much corruption and infirmity doth attend the most righteous of meer men in this life that very rarely do they manage their righteousness and the testimony of their good consciences well under trouble For herein Job did miscarry 4. It is an hainous abuse of mens righteousness and of the testimony of their consciences when because thereof they do any way reflect upon God or his righteousness in his dispensations Which was Jobs failing here 5. When men because they have a good conscience do not stoop meekly under Gods afflicting hand they are guilty upon the matter of crying up their own righteousness above Gods For so Elihu affirmeth that Job in effect had said My righteousness is more than Gods 6. However men may be furious in their passion yet their consciences in cold blood will condemn their reflecting upon God and their want of meekness and submission in their carriage toward him For therefore doth Elihu appeal to himself Thinkest thou this to be right that thou saidst c So that they may expect a sad after-game in their own bosomes who fall into those evils 7. When passion is up readily conscience is asleep even in most tender walkers For here there is a necessity that Elihu do put Jobs conscience to it to condemn his own way From v. 3. Learn 1. It is great injustice to raise calumnies or cast reproaches upon men but we should be able to prove what we alledge against them Therefore doth Elihu subjoyn a proof of his former charge For thou saidst c. 2. Men in their passions are so little masters of themselves that they will fall in evils which not only they do not see but their hearts do even abhorr them and yet they are committing them For so was it with Job When any of his Friends laid any such reflections upon the righteousness of God to his charge he not only denieth them but out-strips them in commending his righteousness and Elihu proves that charge v. 2. from his words or what he had said not to prove him wicked which was his Friends design but to humble him 3. When men let loose the reins to their passion they must answer not only for what they expresly say or intend in their words but for all the consequences that may justly be fastened upon them and for all the mistakes of others occasioned by them For it is upon these two accounts that Elihu thus cites Jobs words and makes use of them to prove that he had said that his righteousness was more than Gods as hath been cleared When men are in passion they little consider what they say or what may be made of it and being out of Gods way and the way of their duty they are justly made to answer for all those consequences and effects 4. Albeit God will not enter into strict judgement with his people for all that may be justly fastened upon them Yet it is the part of a friend faithfully to lay their faults before them in their worst colours that so they may be humbled For it is upon this friendly account that Elihu deals so sharply with Job and chargeth upon him that his words imported or might seem to others to import no less than that he saw no advantage nor profit in his righteousness and purity more than if he had been a gross sinner And indeed it is better that a faithfull friend do this unto us than that either our enemy or our own consciences alarmed with wrath should do it 5. It is one great evidence of passion in godly men when they look too much to temporal events and rewards forgetting what is eternal And this may be the fault even of godly men For this made Job say What advantage will it be c Because he measured his advantages by his present temporal lot 6. It is also an evidence of distemper when godly men do not ponder and prize the advantage of a good conscience under trouble seeing the conscience of sin would be much more bitter than simple trouble For in this also Job was faulty that though his righteousness gave him no priviledge to be exempted from trouble Yet the mercy of being free from the challenge of unrighteousness was but too little prized by him But when he should have blessed God that he was righteous and free of the checks of an evil conscience however he was afflicted he was complaining and quarrelling that he who was a righteous man should be afflicted Verse 4. I will answer thee and thy companions with thee Followeth Elihu's Refutation of these expressions To which in this Verse a Preface is premitted Wherein he undertakes to answer those his speeches v. 3. upon which he had grounded that challenge v 2. He saith he will answer also his companâ—ons with him See also Chap. 18.2 Where by his companions we are not to understand his three Friends for some of them spake
every step in their journey and every lot which may befall them by the way All which if we do believe may encourage us to entrust our selves to him and to sleep in his bosome in our sad and dark lots 8. That it is Gods glory and prerogative to have the sole guiding of his people So that either we must commit and resign all to him or do all our selves for he will not share it with us The belief whereof will perswade us to resign our selves intirely to his will as we would not be wholly left to our selves and so become a burden to our selves 9. That it is the will of God we never cast out with him but believe his love whatever he do Psal 77.7 8 9 10. Job 10.13 The faith whereof will make us shut our eyes upon whatsoever would breed mistakes and quarrells with God These are some few of the common principles which may feed Faith in most dark and sad conditions Doct. 2. Our Discouragements ought not to give a check unto nor impede our Faith in relying upon God in dark and sad conditions Therefore saith be Even although thou sayest thou shalt not see him yet trust in him Faith is still a commanded duty whatever difficulties and discouragements interpose and therefore Christ pressed faith upon the Ruler of the Synagogue even albeit his Daughter did dye while he is employing him to recover her of her sickness Luk. 8.49 50. And Faith is called to step over all improbabilities Psal 46.1 2. Hab 3.17 18. Yea difficulties serve to stirr us up to believe Faith being given us for such a time as that and then especially called for Psal 56.3 Rev. 13.10 and the want thereof at such a time being especially culpable Prov. 24.10 Thirdly Consider The Ground upon which he presseth this Direction and encourageth to believe Judgement is before him therefore trust thou in him Some read it Do judgement and trust in him or expect him But if we take the phrase To do judgement strictly for judging and dealing righteously with others as it is 1 King 3.28 and 10.9 Prov. 21.3 though the words in the Original be different from that which is here that cannot be the right reading here For whatever was the opinion Jobs Friends had of him yet I find not that Elihu ever judged that he had been an unjust man that he needed advise him to amend that fault Others read it thus Judge to wit thy self which they adde before him and trust in him that is repent and believe And it is true That none can warrantably believe but those who are self-judgers and who do abase and condemn themselves before the Lord in the sense of their sinfulness And That even those who find cause thus to judge themselves have yet a warrant to believe and trust But beside that the word here is rather a Noun Judgement than a Verb to judge which makes against both these readings and that this last reading requires a Supplement to make out the sense all this self-judging may be imported and pre-supposed in trusting as hath been cleared And therefore according to our own Translation I take the words to hold out this ground of encouragement to trust in God That Judgement is before him as his scope and design is in all his dealing especially toward his people and that which he will be careful to have observed Where by Judgement we are not only to understand his strict justice and that he is a righteous Judge and will prove so at last to Job in deciding of his cause and in the mean time will do him no wrong But his tender moderation in his dealing with his people and that he tenderly considereth their condition to deal moderately with them as there is cause as he speaks of Jobs lot in the next Verse Thus the phrase though the word in the Original be different is used Is 30 18. Psal 99.4 See also Job 34.23 and 37.23 Doct. As the sound knowledge of God is a sure bottom for Faith to rest upon Psal 9.10 So particularly it encourageth Faith to know that he is not only righteous but full of tenderness and moderation in all his dispensations toward his people So that no sâ—verity takes away his tender consideration of his peoples condition For saith he Judgement is bâ—sâ—â—â— him therefore trust thou in him Hence he is said to know our mould and frame Psal 103.13 14 15. Is 57.16 to remember mercy in wrath Hab. 3.2 Judg. 10.13 16. to pity even our sinful disposition if our selves be sensible of it Gen. 8.21 to make use of the stroaks which he hath inflicted in displeasure as arguments of his sympathy and pity Jer. 31.20 and to measure our burdens by our strength and ability Is 28.27 28. 1 Cor. 10.13 Hence Gods people are to blame when they complain of his severity to the weakening of their own confidence The causes whereof are their inordinate love to ease which makes them to be vexed when they get not leave to sleep securely their love of their lusts which imbittereth their Spirits when those are crushed their want of spare strength which dissatisfieth them and rendereth them still jealous even notwithstanding that they are supported and their not looking in to his tender heart when his hand is sad upon them nor considering that as a faithful Chyrurgian he may wound with the wound of an enemy and the chastisement of a cruel one Jer. 30.14 when yet he minds nothing but love to them Verse 15. But now because it is not so he hath visited in his anger yet he knoweth it not in great extremity This advice and remedy of Jobs evil is here further pressed from the sad fruits of the want of it and that because of his despondency and neglect of faith he was chastened in displeasure though yet moderately Whence Learn 1. It is nothing strange to see Saints deficient in their duty especially in the matter of trusting in God For here it is not so as he hath advised As we come alwayes short in duty especially in times of trouble and tentation So there is no duty wherein we are then more deficient than in believing 2. Want of humble trust in God in trouble is so great a sin before God that it is just cause of a quarrel against these that are guilty of it For Because now it is not so he hath visited This they ought to advert unto who think they do well and have a call and warrant to distrust because they are in trouble 3. Gods quarrel against his people for their unbelief may be prosecuted and appear in sad stroaks and chastisements For because of this he hath visited or chastened Few do read their condition thus and that their diffidence may have an hand in bringing on or continuing of their stroaks 4. The want of trust in God doth provoke God to displeasure which should be read and observed by Saints in their most cleanly tryals when they are
with willingness 4. As we presume oft times to bring God to our Bar by censuring his dispensations Hab. 1.13 14. So it is very laudable service to plead for him whether against our selves or others As here it is Elihu's commendable scope to speak on Gods behalf Thus did Jeremiah plead for God against himself Jer. 12.1 And whoso do otherwise will get cause to repent of it Ps 73.21 22. 5. Such is the perversity of some and the weakness of others of the Sons of men that they can very frequently tax God but will need the help of others to clear their mistakes otherwise they cannot do it themselves For Job needs one to speak on Gods behalf Which may warn us when we are in trouble to suspect our own judgements and that our passion haste self-love c. may readily bemist us 6. Albeit in our passions we think we have reason for our mistakes and that little or nothing can be said against our apprehensions yet God is so holy and so just that when men have said most there is still more to say for him whereby we may be convinced that it is not an act of charity but of justice to have a good opinion of him and his dealing Therefore saith Elihu after all he hath spoken formerly I will shew thee that I have yet to speak on Gods behalf or that there are yet words to be spoken for God So that they sin hainously who have wrong thoughts of him and his holiness in his dispensations may be cleared upon more accounts than one And when the tide turns and the children of God cool of their feavers they will have thoughts of Gods dispensations far different from those they entertained in their distempers as the Psalmist found by experience Ps 73.3 c. with v. 16 17 18 19 20. and Ps 77.7 8 9. with v. 10 c. And they will see cause to admire those infinite perfections of God which shine in his guiding things below and are every way so holy and unreprovable 7. It beseems the people of God as to hearken to all that God saith unto them by his Messengers so particularly to give good ear to what is said for vindicating of God from their misconstructions For the subject matter of his discourse and that be is to speak on Gods behalf is here propounded as an Argument to presse attention Saints should delight to hear that subject of the commendation of God and particularly they should not be obstinate and willfull in maintaining of their own mistakes as if they were unquestionably right in them But being sensible of their own ignorance and weaknesses and loathing to live in such termes with God they should be glad of any mean and help which may clear them to them Verse 3. I will fetch my knowledge from afar and will ascribe righteousnesse to my maker This second Argument taken from the subject matter of his discourse is here further prosecuted and amplified And 1 He sheweth what way he will take in his pleading for God and that he will fetch his knowledge from afar Which may both point at this in general That in managing this cause he will not bring forth what first comes to hand what his humane reason suggests and his weak judgement fancieth but what he searcheth into and gets by inspiration from above And at this in particular That in debating this cause he will not break in at first upon Jobs particular ease but will fetch a rise to his discourse from more remote and general principles and grounds concerning Gods nature and Attributes and his ancient works and proceedings which when they are well studied will easily furnish light for clearing of Jobs case And this we finde to be his way and method throughout this Discourse 2. He declareth what his scope will be in pleading even to ascribe or give righteousness to God that is to plead that he is One who can do no wrong nor ought he to be complained of as if he had done any 3. He insinuates a reason why he will thus plead even because he is his Maker of which see chap. 32.22 Which doth not so much point out that Gods being a Creatour and his making of all his creatures among which Elihu was one so holily and wisely pleads for him against all our misconstructions and quarrels about particular dispensations of Providence As that his being Gods creature did engage him to own his Makers quarrel Yet so as this Argument was not peculiar to him alone but Job himself had the like engagement to have joyned with him in the same cause Doct. 1. Such as do speak in Gods name or for him should make conscience to speak that which is worth the hearing and in some measure sutable to the purpose treated of As here Elihu promiseth to fetch his knowledge from afar See Psalm 78.1 2 3. 2. If men would speak aright for God they must not speak at randome nor trust their corrupt reason or sense but they should search well into matters and especially should seek light from God himself and study to be near him For in this respect doth Elihu promise to fetch his knowledge from afar 3. If men were but true to their common principles they would easily refute their mistakes of God in their particular cases As here Elihu fetcheth his knowledge from afar or from general and acknowledged principles to refute Job who otherwise was ready to mistake in his own particular 4. What ever we think of Gods dealing in our particular case Yet his common and general way of working pleads for him and whoso are not satisfied with his common way of proceeding but would be singularly dealt with they are in the wrong For therefore also makes he use of knowledge from afar or of an account of Gods ancient way of working in the world in this cause 5. Whoever have due and right thoughts of God or do plead â—ightly for him must exalt him as holy and righteous in all his proceedings For this is his scope in pleading to ascribe righteousness unto him 6. Were there no other engagements lying upon us our very being which we have from God obligeth us to plead for him and that against any who dare oppose him were they otherwise never so great or dear to us For hereby he sheweth himself to be engaged in this quarrel and indirectry taxeth Job that he joyned not with him because God was his Maker And if this be a strong engagement upon men how much more ought they to plead for God who are engaged to him upon the account of many special favours Verse 4. For truly my words shall not be false he that is perfect in knowledge is with thee The third Argument pressing attention is taken from the manner of his handling this subject and that he will speak truly and sincerely to Job and not as he charged his other Friends to have done Chap. 13.7 8. and 17.5 This he confirmeth from
sheweth what light he can cause arise unto his people even in darkness how God hath so disposed all things and ballanced them as he makes us dwell safely under such a weight of Clouds which hang over our heads in the thin air whereby he sheweth that he is able to preserve his people when they are kept under the hazard of eminent perils how much of God doth shine in warm seasons whence we may gather some Documents concerning the refreshful warmth of the light of his countenance lifted up upon us after cold blasts especially in our heavenly Countrey Also concerning the emptiness of all temporal enjoyments and the Mercy that is in their being moderated evidenced in this that however we desire hot seasons in cold weather yet we can no more endure the extremity of heat than of cold and that our Cloaths which sometimes we find comfortable do at other times prove a burden through heat And how much of his Glory shineth in the stately Canopy of the Firmament Psal 8 19. Whence we may gather how much more glorious those upper Mansions are But passing all these I shall only take a few Observations with an eye to Elihu's scope in these Instances And 1. All things in the world whether more permanent or transient are of Gods sole making As here we are taught Which affords much ground to Faith upon which it may lean in greatest difficulties See Rom. 4.17 2 Cor. 4.6 1 Pet. 4.19 2. Not only Gods power in making but his Wisdom in ordering all things ought to be observed For he disposed them So that there is not so much as an hot day but his Wisdom shâ—nes in it 3. As all things are ordered by God so they are at his Command and in his Hand to sâ—cure his People As he causeth the light of his Cloud to shine when he wâ—ll ballanceth the Clouds c. 4 As Gods Gâ—ory shineth in every one of his particular works so it shines yet more illustriously if we consider many of them together For which cause they are here represented to Job together 5. Not only singular and extraordinary works of God but even those which are ordinary and obvious are full of deep and unsearchable things For here he goeth no further than to the Sky Clouds Heat c. to convince Job that God is incomprehensible in his works 6 Gods works being all so incomprehensible it is the duty of those who would contemplate them aright to raise their thoughts of them As here they are called his wondrous works v. 16. which he again repeats from v. 14. 7. In studying of the works of God we should ascend up to high thoughts of himself As here he subjoyns to his sight of those wondrous works that he is perfect in knowledge 8. Whatever else we see in Gods works we should be careful to observe his perfect and infinite Wisdom to be adored and trusted by us therefore doth he point him out as perfect in knowledge and declared to be such by the operations of his hand 9. Whatever may be the frame of men unconcerned or how easie soever they think Lessons are yet men under tentation are not easily brought to adore God in his working or to learn these Lessons which are inculcated thereby Therefore must this counsel v. 14. be so much pressed upon Job by so many new Instances For men are then peevish too confident of their own opinions and apprehensions apt to pore too much upon their own case c. All which do darken their understanding 10. When men are disordered and mistake in their thoughts of God he hath not one only but many witnesses to convince them and even to overwhelm their stiffness as here he heaps up instances to refute Job 11. Whoso study Gods ordinary works well will find cause to stoop to him in his singular dispensations as here we are taught For if no man be his Counseller in his ordinary working nor will he give an account of it nor should any murmure at it much less will he give an account of his special dispensations about man but man must acquiesce and submit to his pleasure And we who are but of yesterday and ignorant of what is most obvious as here he confounds Job by enquiring what he knoweth of these works must not think to pry into his deep counsels Verse 19. Teach us what we shall say unto him for we cannot order our speech by reason of darkness 20. Shall it be told him that I speak if a man speak surely he shall be swallowed up In the second branch of this Application Elihu checks Job for his desire to plead with God the reproof whereof he coucheth in a counsel or desire by way of sharp Irony v. 19 That if Job desired to plead with God or would have them Elihu or any of his Friends to plead or interpose for him he would give them inâ—ormation how to go about it and furnish them with some of those Arguments wherewith he said he was well stored Chap. 23.4 This in effect imports that however Job was so daring as to desire to plead yeâ— he could satisfie no impartial and unconcerned man that he had a just ground of Plea or valid Arguments to produce This is further confirmed from their experience and observation that God could not be so pleaded with 1. Because it is impossible mans darkness and ignorance and the mysteries in Gods dispensations being so great that none can order their pleas or defences before him v. 19. 2. Because of the hazard that is in such an attempt v. 20. Where he alludes to the customs of those times wherein men did record their Names in a Book or otherwise gave publick notice that they were to plead such a Cause as they did also write all their disputes in the Cause Chap. 19.23 31.35 Now Elihu professeth that he durst not make any intimation to God that he was about to speak in these terms that Job desired to plead with him seeing he could not plead but he was in hazard to be swallowed up From v. 19. Learn 1. It is mens great fault that they presume to quarrel with God as this check given to Job imports 2. It heightens mens faults when they are not satisfied to harbour inward thoughts of secret murmurings and resentments against God which yet are their sin but they presume to utter and speak them out For this check imports That Job was about to say somewhat unto him 3. How high soever mens resolutions fly in their passions yet they will not know how to follow them out in cold blood for he supposeth that Job cannot teach what to say nor convince even the Auditory who were but men that he had any valid Arguments or defences 4. However men will not be convinced of their irrational presumption in offering to plead with God as a party while they are in their fits of distemper yet it may help to calm them if they consider that no
He deals with Job to convince him of his miscarriages to Chap. 42.7 Insisting upon Elihu 's last Argument taken from his Greatness which might let Job see how far he had miscarried in quarrelling him as shall be more fully cleared when I come to give a general account of his Scope in his debate with Job on v. 4 c. 2. He decides the principal Controversie betwixt Job and his Friends in a few words Chap. 42.7 8 9. His dealing with Job is divided into two Speeches By the first whereof contained in Ch. 38 39. 40.1 2. he brings him to some sense and confession of his weakness Ch. 40 3 4 5. And by the second from Chap. 40.6 till the end of Chap. 41. he brings him to a more ample confession of his Folly Chap. 42.1 6. This Chap. may be taken up in these three First An Historical transition of the Writer of the Book Shewing that God did appear and speak in this Cause and began first to deal with Job v. 1. Secondly An introduction premitted by God himself to the dispute with Job wherein he checks him for his presumption v. 2. And provokes him to the dispute v. 3. Thirdly The Dispute it self begun in this Chapter wherein he non-plusseth him with a number of Questions Concerning the Earth v. 4. 7. the Sea v. 8-11 Light and Darkness v. 12-21 Various Meteors with the Causes thereof v. 22 38. And concerning his Providence about Beasts and Birds which is instanced in the Lion v. 39 40. And the Ravens v. 41. to which many moe are added throughout the next Chapter Verse 1. Then the Lord answered Job out of the Whirlwind and said IN this Verse we have the Historical Transition wherein is declared that God manifesting his glorious presence in a Whirlwind did by an audible voice speak to Job In it consider First That the Lord answered Job As for the time when he began to speak it is indefinitely expressed Then the Lord answered Where in the Original we have only the Copulative And which hath various significations to be gathered from the Circumstances of the place where it is used And here it imports that after Elihu had spoken God also answered Job And particularly it is not probable that God brake in and interrupted Elihu for he doth formally conclude his Discourse Chap. 37.23 24. Nor yet that he hindered Job to answer Elihu for I find not that Job had any such inclination Yet it seems God began to speak immediately after Elihu had closed and it may be the Tempest and Whirlwind wherein God appeared being somewhat singular had made Elihu draw to a close It is said He answered Job which is an usual phrase in Scripture where there hath been no precedent question moved but mens case and condition is only spoken to But here this Answer is relative to many Propositions formerly made by Job in his appeals to God and in his desires that he would give him an hearing beside that his complaints and murmurings made God a party who therefore appears to plead for himself and returns a sutable answer to his Proposals and Desires Doct. 1. Albeit the world be troubled with many controversies and debates and that even amongst Gods people yet it is matter of comfort that they will once be all decided as here a notable and hot dispute begins to be decided And albeit there will still be some differences till the end of the world yet beside what particular decisions within time there may be of some controversies such as this the right and wrong that is in all debates will be one day finally decided 2. It is proper to God and his Prerogative to be the decider of Controversies as here he proved in this cause So that mens decrees in their own favours or against others will not carry it but all causes however they have been once decided amongst men will be over again decided by God Which may warn all to take heed how they judge and may encourage them who are wronged by men Eccl. 3.16 17. 5.8 3. As God is the competent decider of Controversies so even in debates among godly men he must appear before they come to a close As here he appeareth in this Cause For though Elihu's authority was sufficient to convince the parties quarrelling in respect thaâ— he was employed by God and spake clear and convincing truths yet he had not Majesty enough fully to compesce all their boiling humors and to over-awe these great men against whom he argued And though such an extraordinary manifestation may not always be expected to clear every controversie his mind being now fully manifested in his written Word dispensed by his ordinary Messengers Yet Gods Spirit must interpose to accompany the light which we get from the Word and to make it effectual and calm mens spirits and passions which are raised by debates 4. Albeit there be a right and wrong in every controversie debated among men Yet ordinarily when God cometh to decide controversies he finds cause to humble both parties Some for false opinions and their way in promoting thereof and others for their failings in their way of maintaining truth for here when God appeareth he deals with Job who had maintained truth as well as with the Friends who had erred And this had need to be adverted unto by those who because they are on truths side in a debate are not sensible of their failings in maintaining it 5. Albeit Godly men discover much dross in the furnace yet God according to his rich mercy and free grace accounts them worthy to be waâ—ted upon that he may purge their dross and recover them out of the snare Therefore after that Jobs Friends had given him over as incorrigible God will not deal so with him but takes pains upon him though he had indeed miscarried 6. It is no small proof of Gods Favour to his people that he pursueth them hotly for their failings and lets not their folly thrive in their hand Therefore he begins with this sharp Answer to Job first because he respected him and leaves the censure of the three Friends last 7. Whatever mercy or favour God intend to any of his people yet he may suspend it till first they be humbled for their folly nor were it a mercy to deal otherwise with them Therefore also doth he begin with this sharp answer to Job to humble him befor he decide the main controversie in his favours And godly men will find that their not being humbled stands in the way of many mercies which otherwise they might enjoy See Ezek. 43.11 8. This answer had been long desired by Job and he often complained that his desire was not granted yet it came at last And albeit it was sharp yet in the issue it proved refreshful and comfortable This teacheth That Gods delaying long to satisfie the pressing desires of his people doth not say that he will never answer but at last he may
seemed to be which now he finds to be really true for behold saith he by way of admiration when he cometh to reflect upon his former way and to discern it as indeed it was 4. Men do never get a right sight of their particular faults till they be led up thereby to see their pollution and their vile disposition from which they flow for now when he is convinced he begins at that I am vile or light vain and empty 5. As all men by nature are vile and empty things so godly men do best discern that they are so especially when they get a sight of God for then with he to God I am vile being compared with thee See Isa 6.5 6. Such as study their own vileness will find that there is no cause for quarrelling of God for any thing he doth but they must be silent before him nor can they sustain if he be the pursuer For what shall I answer thee either by way of defence or to any of those puzling Questions which thou hast propounded His Question imports a puzling perplexity and the utter impossibility of the thing 7. It is not sufficient that men have clear light to know what reverence is due to God unless they put their light in practice by silent submission to God under his hand therefore it is subjoyned to the former Question I will lay my hand upon my mouth or give over the Plea 8. Even convinced Saints may be so far under the power of distemper that it is much if they get their Reason satisfied and their evil humours buried in silence albeit for a time they continue boiling within for laying the hand on the mouth is not only a sign of simple silence but sometime of compelled silence when there is much distemper within such as Aarons was Lev. 10.3 and Jobs Chap. 2.10 And Saints are bound to glorifie God with their tongues which are their Glory when they cannot get their hearts commanded 9. Such as do in sincerity reform their evils will be sensible of their former debordings for so was Job here Once have I spoken in my foolish passion complaining of thee and desiring to dispute with thee 10. Such as have a true sense of former debordings will look upon them in all the aggravations thereof and particularly how frequent they have been therein for Once yea twice have I spoken not definitely so many times only but frequently 11. However mens corrupt hearts do look upon their being engaged in an evil way as a reason why they cannot come off Jer. 2.25 Yet it is rather a strong argument perswading them to put an end to their frequent wanderings For so doth Job argue Once have I spoken but I will not answer yea twice but will proceed no further See 1 Pet. 4.3 Verse 6. Then answered the Lord unto Job out of the Whirlwind and said 7. Gird up thy loyns now like a man I will demand of thee and declare thou unto me In the rest of this Chapter we have a part of Gods second Speech to Job to press him to be yet more humbled And in these Verses we have the Introduction to the Speech Wherein it is declared 1. That God not acquiescing in what Job had said as satisfying proceeds to convince him yet more by a new speech uttered with wonted Terrour and Majesty out of the Whirlwind which was commoved of new that the Speech might have the deeper impression upon him v. 6. Where it is not needful to conceive as some do that because the Emphatick Article which was prefixed to the Word rendered Whirlwind Chap. 38.1 is here wanting therefore it was less terrible now than before for that Article is not always prefixed where the thing spoken of is remarkable enough 2. That God renewed that former provocation to the Dispute v. 7. Of this see Chap. 38.3 It is in sum a provocation to Job to prepare himself to defend against his pursuit And it is here again repeated by way of Irony in answer to Job's declining to answer or speak any more as he had done to this sense What I wilt thou who wast so keen and eager to dispute with me now resile and start back when thou hast the opportunity It cannot be but thou wilt make good thy word and undertaking therefore set to it again From these Verses Learn 1. Even many convictions of real Saints are not so sound or at least not so solid through and serious as they ought to be for God doth not acquiesce in what Job had said nor takes it off his hand as a sufficient confession of his former miscarriages and declaration of his sense thereof His speech evidenceth that he was indeed silenced but not that he was satisfied He had quit the Plea as being sensible that he was no fit party to grapple with God yet he had not confessed his fault fully enough nor repented sufficiently and sought pardon for it as he doth afterward Though he was silent yet had he not commended and justified God as afterward And what good things were begun in him were not yet solidly enough rooted All which may be of use to us to consider them that we be not deceived in the matter of our Convictions and Repentance remembering That Corruptions may remain after we are convinced of them That passions and corruptions may be silent and quiet for a time when yet they are not subdued that evil courses may be abandoned when yet they are not mourned for that fits of good motions wanting a root and solidity are little worth and that when we are humbled It is good to be holden going at that exercise and therefore we should not mistake though after we have been taken with our faults God yet heap challenges upon us that we may be yet more humbled and convinced 2. God is a Judge of mens Convictions and Repentance who will not be deceived however we please our selves for whatever Job thought of his former Confession God will not take it off his hand 3. It is of Gods mercy that he followeth his people not only when they are stubborn to convince them but when they are not throughly convinced to bring them up to be more serious as here he casts not off Job first nor last for his stubbornness before or his defects now but deigns him with his second speech to perfect his cure and to break the neck of his pride and root out all his scruples 4. As a sight of Gods dreadful Majesty is needful to abase man so even a Child of God may expect to be kept as we say at the staffes end and not to be admitted to a comfortable sight of God till he repent for he speaks to Job with wonted Majesty out of the Whirlwind and keeps his wonâ—ed distance bidding him gird up his loins like a man c. and either stand to his plea or else be more humble 5. When God appears terrible to his people it is not against their
in the Cause Ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right as my Servant Job hath Where the Sentence is pronounced 1. Absolutely Ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right Not that they had not spoken any thing right of God but that their Principles which they managed in the dispute were injurious to God as Job also had told them Chap. 13.7.8 For they set limits to his Soveraignty prescribed rules to his Justice in his proceedings with men judged amiss of his dispensations represented him as terrible and dealing in wrath with an afflicted godly man asserted that God did always in this life visibly reward men according to their ways c. In all which they spake not of God the thing that was right as hath been cleared in the progress of the Dispute Doct. 1. Right Thoughts and Interpretations of Gods ways and proceedings are good in trying times so here they are missed 2. Those right thoughts of God should be spoken out as we have a calling and opportunity for glorifying of God and edifying of others for they should have spoken of him the things that are right 3. They may seem to be much for God and for his Holiness and Justice whom yet God will find to be otherwise employed for these Friends made it their chief Plea to plead for God against Job and yet saith he Ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right So that fair pretences if there be no more will not avail before God 4. In particular we may from this censure conclude That such Principles as are maintained by these Friends wherein Job opposed them and which have been marked in the progress will never be approved of God let men set them off as they will for of these God saith Ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right 2. The Sentence is pronounced comparatively Ye have not spoken as my Servant Job hath Whereby an Objection is obviated for they might be ready to say If we be wrong so also may Job be In answer to which he asserts that they had not spoken right as he did The Comparison is not instituted betwixt Job and them with an eye to what Job had lately spoken in his Confession to convince them that they had not repented of their Errours and Mistakes as he had lately done But it is instituted betwixt Jobs Principles and theirs in the dispute wherein albeit Job be not simply assoiled for he had spoken rashsy of God in his passion yet in the main cause he is declared Superiour and that his Principles concerning God were sound in what he had maintained against them Doct. 1. Godly men are right at all times when they cleave to God and his love and an interest in him whatever befall them for in this Job is assoiled and approved 2. Mens being in the right ought not to be called in question notwithstanding any stream of Providence or opposition from godly men against them for here Job is approved in speaking out his interest in God against all these 3. Men may be right in their main cause who yet have their own failings as Job also had who though he be commended above them and declared to have spoken right of God in the main cause yet he is not simply assoiled as may be seen in Gods challenging of him in the preceding Discourses God would have us to look not only to faults but to degrees of our accession to them that we may neither please our selves in gross evils because others are some way involved in them nor yet satisfie our selves that we are more right than others when yet we are not right as we ought to be 4. When we do rightly consider and compare faults we will find that unsound Principles such as the Friends had are worse than sinful and rash expressions in a Fit of Passion which were Jobs fault wherein he is assoiled in comparison of his Friends For unsound Principles are like a corrupted Fountain which doth send forth corrupt waters whereas rash Expressions do only evidence weakness and not a corrupt disposition and mens sound Principles will help them to retract them 5. Whatever be the failings of Gods poor people and whatever God do or say to them for their faults yet the reconciled estate of their persons is not altered thereby as they will find when they take with their faults for Job here is his Servant still as at the beginning Chap. 1.8 2.3 and this is again thrice repeated here v. 8. Fourthly Consider how God pronounceth in the merits of the Cause or how he relisheth this their miscarriage My wrath is kindled against thee and against thy two Friends for ye have not spoken c. Whence Learn 1. It is not enough that men know their way what it is and whether it be right or wrong unless they ponder also the hazard of it which here is intimated to them 2. It is sad enough and imports hazard enough in a way if God be angry at it whatever he do further upon it for however ordinarily men regard this little yet God propounds it as a certification sad enough that his wrath is kindled against them for their fault See 2 Sam. 11.27 3. Even Gods Children may fall in miscarriages whereby they will incur his displeasure though their persons be justified for his wrath is here kindled against those godly men 4. It is a mercy when God by his Word doth evidence that he is displeased and doth not keep it up till some Judgment intimate it as here he tells them that his wrath is kindled against them and so doth he by his Word daily to them who hear it if they would be attentive 5. It is also a mercy when God distinctly points out and makes his people know the sin he is angry at and doth not leave them under displeasure and confusion at once as here he tells them the quarrel Such distinct Convictions are a singular mercy 6. Maintaining of Errours and particularly Errours concerning God and the crushing and discouraging godly men under their troubles are evils which provoke God to anger for here his wrath is kindled because of these faults in Jobs Friends Verse 8. Therefore take unto you now seven Bullocks and seven Rams and go to my servant Job and offer up for your selves a burnt-offering and my servant Job shall pray for you for him will I accept lest I deal with you after your folly in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right like my servant Job In the second Branch of this Part of the Chapter we have God prescribing a way to these Friends of Job for preventing the hazard which they incurred by their sin namely That they should bring Sacrifices to Job as a Priest whom he would accept in his sacrificing and praying for them as a godly man and especially as a Type of Christ Here we have to consider First The general
Yet we must guard against a mistake here For albeit all men be born to trouble for sin nor doth affliction enter but by sin Yet it doth not follow that we ought to measure the greatness of a mans sins by the greatness of his affliction nor ought we to judge that God is still pursuing or punishing sin when he afflicts far less that he is calling upon every one whom he afflicteth sadly to be converted as if he had never known God before These were Eliphaz's Principles upon which he puts Job to this consideration which Job could never yield unto From the General Doctrine here propounded Learn 1. Faln man is born unto trouble and obnoxious to all the kinds thereof For Man is born unto trouble See Job 14.1 This being well studied might cure a great errour in many who are ready to look upon themselves as priviledged and exempted persons and who little apprehend that they come into the world to bear crosses but rather to spend their days in pleasure 2. A naked sight or sense of trouble will never profit men till they begin wisely to ponder some lessons concerning the rise and cause thereof Therefore Eliphaz before he press any counsel upon Job in reference to his carriage doth first lead him up to study this lesson To feel trouble is common to men with beasts and consequently can produce no useful effects but it becometh rational men and much more godly persons to read more in it 3. Albeit as wicked men have no will to let themselves feel the smart of a Rod so long as they can either hold it off or cause themselves to forget it So men in an evil way have no will to see God their Parâ—y in trouble even when they are made to feel it 1 Sam. 6 9. 2 Sam. 11.25 as neither do wicked men desire to see God against them in â—his Word so long as they can avoid it Jer 5.12 13 yet it is a fixed truth That no affliction cometh casually or without a special hand of Providence which dispenseth it upon wise and holy grounds and the study of this is a mean to make trouble operative For Eliphaz presseth That affliction cometh not forth of the dust neither doth trouble spring out of the ground or from common and casual accidents but from above Amos 3.6 And because of this he presseth on Job to seek to God And indeed when this Truth is studied and believed not only will Saints see themselves still in their Fathers hand in the greatest of troubles But it will be mens chief care to see the hand of God in every affliction how unjustly soever inflicted by men 2 Sam. 16.10 and to search out the mind of God concerning the cause of every trouble and their duty under it 4. Albeit that trouble is ordinary proveth oft-times a snare to men hiding a sight of Gods hand in it 2 Sam. 11.25 yet even that it is ordinary is a document that it cometh not by chance but from God and consequently that it should be better improved For Eliphaz proves that affliction cometh not by chance Because man is born to trouble and what is so ordinary must have some sure and ordinary cause It is the great sin of men that trouble is so little improved even because it is ordinary And that either they foolishly think to shift trouble and spare not to make shipwrack of a good Conscience if they may reach their end when yet they will find it unavoidable turn where they will Or the custom of meeting with trouble leads them to harden themselves under it neither eyeing God nor minding duty 5. Albeit the Lord be not pursuing sin by every affliction which he sendeth but may be trying faith and other graces in his people Yet trouble hath its rise from sin and mans transgression is the door whereby trouble entred For Man is born to trouble as the sparks flie upward There is somewhat in mans nature that rendreth him obnoxious to trouble as there is a fire from which sparks do flie or as it is natural for a spark to flie upward and this is sin or the corruption of mans nature For if there had been no sin there had been no affliction And as this proves very Infants to have sin because they are obnoxious to sickness and death Rom. 5.14 So it should teach all even in their most cleanly tryals and when their Consciences assoil them from wickedness or hypocrisie yet to look upon afflictions as sent to make them sensible of sin especially of that fountain of Original sin Vers 8. I would seek unto God and unto God would I commit my cause Upon the back of this consideration Eliphaz propounds his Exhortation and counsel To seek and turn in to God by repentance and in stead of quarrelling with him to stoop to him and referr his whole case to his disposal This is a sweet counsel in it self and very affectionately propounded as a course he would follow himself were he in Jobs case Yet it is loaden with a double prejudice as it is propounded to Job 1. That by this submission recommended by Eliphaz he intends that Job should quit his integrity and pretend no more that he had been a godly man For so Job understands him and their other discourses expound it so This was an unjust desire and Proposition that a godly man should lie against his right though he did indeed fail in the way of maintaining his integrity 2. Upon this it followeth that this Exhortation to seek to God imported in Eliphaz's sense that Job should begin of new to seek God not looking on any thing he had before as honest and sincere This is indeed an usual tentation of the people of God either in great tryals or when they fall into guilt that they are ready to look on all they had before as hypocrisie and that they must begin of new if they look ever to obtain saving grace But such tentations are to be rejected by sincere Saints as keeping them still unfixed building and destroying again Laying aside these prejudices and mistakes Learn 1. It is the duty of godly friends not to content themselves wâ—th reproving what they find amiss in others in an upbraiding way but to counsel thâ—m also how to amend For so doth Eliphaz proceed with Job according to his Principles After as he judged he hath condemned him he doth now advise him how to do better See Gal. 6.1 Jam. 2.50 2. Seeking unto God is the only best course for men in trouble To turn to him who smiteth to double diligence in his service that they may be near him in sad conditions and to renew their repentance according as their case requireth For this is a wholesome counsel to a man in trouble to seek unto God When men have essayed all other remedies they will find this most profitable 3. Such as do rightly seek to God in trouble ought to be far from all bitterness and
expressions beside those formerly marked Tentation and tryal may discover what we would little dream of and will let us see that as it was with Hazael 2 King 8.11 12 13. we are little known till we be tryed And therefore we should not presumptuously rush or cast our selves upon tentations and when they are made our Lot we should watch and be sober and should observe those ugly sights of our selves which then may be discovered unto us 2. Albeit the people of God think little of their faults when they are in passion especially if they do but drop out now and then and some good is mixed among them Yet when they are impartially reviewed and put together they will appear ugly Therefore however the summ of what is here challenged may be gathered from Chap. 27.2 6. Yet it is Elihu's scope to gather together also the summ of Jobs speeches scattered here and there that he may look upon them all together and be convinced of the evil of them This may give even unto godly men a sad and humbling sight of their wayes and therefore they should study to avoid relapses and should call themselves frequently to an account and reckoning lest otherwise all their accounts come at once upon them Yet it will be much sadder to the wicked when all their faults shall be gathered together and laid to their charge Ps 50.21 3. It is good service to God and a kindness to godly men not to flatter them but to lay open their faults till they see them in their ugliness and when they are humbled in part to humble them yet more that they be not too soon satisfied with themselves Therefore albeit Job was silent at his former charge yet he goeth on with this new charge against him Thus when men are even pricked in their hearts there is yet need that they should repent Act. 2.37 38. 4. It is not enough that godly men mean well or have good intentions in what they do or say but even their very disorderly language or the least other defect ought to be mourned for Therefore he challengeth what Job had said or seemed to say albeit he thought not so ill Even the least defect is a blemish in good actions and unadvised language in our passion should not be lightly passed over but repented of See Ps 106.32 33. 5. Any reflection upon God and his dealing though never so indirect ought to be mourned for As here he challengeth Job that he said God had taken away his judgement or obscured his integrity and gave occasions of suspicions against him by his afflicting of him and not appearing to clear him High and right thoughts of God under trouble are not easily attained and yet the want of them is not justifiable 6. Though righteous men may lawfully maintain their integrity notwithstanding their afflictions or when it is called in question Yet ordinarily this defence is but ill managed under trouble especially when the righteousness of God is not exalted For albeit Job spake true when he said I am righteous yet he took occasion from this to complain of Gods dispensations Men have need to look how they manage the testimony of a good conscience under trouble and they have cause to suspect themselves when they are only complaining and forgetting to praise and commend God 7. As the integrity of godly men may sometime lye long under a cloud and not be cleared so this is a very sad tryal in a time of affliction though no just cause of complaint For however Job sinned in complaining of God yet this was really a sad affliction that being righteous his judgement was taken away and he lay buried under the misconstructions and censures of his Friends And therefore they are cruel who put afflicted godly men to this tryal by their uncharitable censures And those who are thus put to it ought to be upon their guard that they may bear it well and for this end they should comfort themselves in Gods testimony 8. It is indeed a sin for men to lye against their right or to deny the goodness of God to them and his grace in them or to acknowledge a wrong where there is no cause For this Question Should I lye against my right imports so much in general And many doubters raisers of quarrels and jealousies about their own condition should take heed to this 9. Saints may be right in the main cause which they defend who yet may over-act in the defence of it For though Job was right and his Friends wronged him yet this is laid to his charge as a presumptuous expression Should I lye against my right because his presumptuous and passionate defence of the right put him in the wrong And here we may observe Partly That Saints are never more ready to miscarry without discerning it than when they are right upon the matter in what they are about They will not so openly wander in wayes of open provocation and at least not see it and be sensible of it as when they are about right things and do only fail in the way of going about them As Job having a right in this debate doth not so easily discern how unhappily he expressed his defences of it Partly That irritations and injuries received from others will easily hide from us our miscarriages in seeking to vindicate and repair our selves As Job is so eager in looking to his Friends injustice in bidding him renounce his integrity and so lye against his right that he doth not heed how his passion in resenting that doth mis-lead himself 10 Boysterous willfulness is an ordinary distemper of Saints under tentation and an addition to their sin For this vehement Question Should I lye c and an addition of a new complaint My wound is incurable c. instead of retracting any thing he had formerly said argues him to be resolute and wilfull in his undertaking and Elihu chargeth him therewith as an addition to his dittay Sins are so much the more hainous as there is much of will in them and they are not free of this who have been much dealt with and yet do not amend 11. Men do heighten their own resentments at Gods dispensations by mistaking their own condition For though it was true he was wounded by Gods arrow who may pierce and wound whom and when and where he pleaseth it was true also that his wound was incurable by himself or any other creature Yet it was his errour to pronounce it simply incurable whether in respect of the power of God which he never meant or his good will as the issue proved Therefore if men would prevent much vexation and miscarriage they would study to read their condition aright remembring that a case may seem incurable which really is not so nor will prove so and that we may well see what our tryal is but we cannot tell what God will make of it as Job found in the issue 12. Were the condition of
Saints never so sad and even desperate as to any hopes of a temporal issue yet that is no just cause to complain or quarrel God and reflect upon his dispensations For suppose it had been as Job thought yet Elihu chargeth it upon him as a crime that he should so bitterly complain My wound is incurable 13. It is the great sin of Saints when because they see no gross transgressions in themselves they see no cause wherefore God may humble and afflict them seeing their other faults may deserve all that and God may put them to give proof of their graces under the cross For this was a fault in Job that he said My wound is incurable without transgression Verse 7. What man is like Job who drinketh up scorning like water Followeth the third part of the Chapter or Elihu's Refutation of those expressions which he doth 1. More generally by pointing out the absurdity and gross consequences thereof v. 7 8 9. 2. More particularly by commending and demonstrating the Righteousness and Soveraignty of God which those expressions seemed to contradict And these he both propounds to the consideration of all unbyassed persons v. 10 15. and layeth them before Job in particular so amplifying and enlarging them as might convince him of his miscarriage v. 16 30. So in the first place and before he proceed to the proper Arguments for refuting of Jobs expressions he premits in this and the two following Verses a more general acount of his thoughts of them and how much he detested them as evidencing Job to be an odd man who so greedily followed so ridiculous a course v. 7. and who did strengthen the hands of the wicked too much by what he had spoken v. 8. Particularly by his speaking to the disadvantage of piety v. 9. In this Verse we have to Consider 1. Jobs singularity in this fault What man is like Job The meaning whereof is not that there was none so gross and wicked as he even in this particular miscarriage For wicked hypocrites have reviled Gods providence and dispensations more directly and grosly Is 58.3 Mal. 3.13 14 15. but that there was none like him all things considered in miscarrying so farr being a man so eminently godly 2. A general account of his ill carriage in this that he drinketh up scorning like water See the like phrase Chap. 15.16 Here I do not take scorning actively that Job was turned a scorner though indeed he did sometime taunt his Friends and did speak it reverently of God and his providence and to be such a scorner or any thing like it is a very hainous sin Psal 1.1 Prov. 1.22 But passively and as a due Epithete of the matter which he spake that it was scornful and ridiculous As it was indeed ridiculous to offer to decry the righteousness of God and to ascribe righteousness to himself while he denied it to God in the sense which hath been often cleared This his fault is further aggravated that he drank this like water that is as a thirsty man will drink water which was their ordinary drink in those times and places greedily and abundantly to refresh himself and quench his thirst so Job very greedily earnestly and frequently persisted in this course and the more he was irritated by his Friends the more he went on in it as if it had been a refreshful subject and an ease to him to vent his passion against God and his dispensations From this Verse Learn 1. It is a great kindness to deal freely and fully with Gods people in telling them their faults to prevent their being so blinded as not to see them or their being cheated and deluded with a conceit that they are but small faults when indeed they are gross Therefore doth he deal so roughly with Job that he may drive him from those fits of folly and passion Wherein he doth not evidence any want of charity in putting his expressions upon the rack and putting the hardest construction upon them that any mistaker could fasten upon them which is his scope in these sharp expressions and foul consequences which he draweth from his words in these Verses for he doth not charge Job with all these as if he intended them but doth evidence his love in letting him see what might be made of his expressions that so he might mourn for them It is better that Friends deal thus in time than that God and mens own consciences do it afterward little to their comfort 2. Even sins which seem small when well ripped up by a spiritual discerner or tender conscience may appear very gross and hainous For so doth Elihu construct of Jobs complaints 3. Sins are nothing the less hainous that they are committed by godly men but their falling in sin doth aggravate it and the more eminent they are their sin is the greater For saith he What man is like Job When godly men do that which other Saints or the generation of Gods Children use not to do or when they speak to the prejudice of God or of holiness which they should commend or when they persist in any fault all which were Jobs faults here their being godly persons doth not extenuate but aggravate those miscarriages 4. Albeit sin be but a sad sport yet even the wise and solid children of God may in their fits of tentation be very absurd and ridiculous in their miscarriages As here is charged upon Job that he did drink scorning or did that which was scornful and ridiculous Yea Saints may in such cases prove very beasts Psal 73.22 Which may very much humble them when they consider it 5. It is in particular a very scornful and absurd thing for a man to offer to bear out his own righteousness to the prejudice of the righteousness of God in his dispensations or to contradict our profession by our practice For thus did Job drink scorning by crying up his own righteousness to the prejudice of the righteousness of God by which practice he contradicted what else-where he spake to the commendation of God 6. When men once engage in a sinful course it will easily grow upon their hand and godly men may persist long and be very eager in their miscarriages if their tentation continue For Job drank scorning like water 7. Mens eagerness and obstinacy in an ill course is a great aggravation thereof For thus doth he aggravate Jobs fault that he did not only meddle with scorning but did drink it like water Verse 8. Which goeth in company with the workers of iniquity and walketh with wicked men In this Verse Elihu doth yet further point out the evil of Jobs complaints shewing that consequentially and upon the matter he joyned issue with wicked men Not that he will fasten upon him that he is wicked or that he intended wickedness in his complaints But that if his complaints were narrowly examined they could not but be found scandalous and to homologate the principles and opinions of prophane men as