ab omni alia cupiditatâ— reductam spem Coc. As if the Apostle had said ye can never act your hope to purpose nor your faith to purpose unless you gird up your loins Habits of grace are unprofitable to us without this actual preparation and excitation of grace It is our duty Heb. 10.24 to provoke or stir up others to love and good works much more is it our duty to provoke and stir up our selves Thirdly In that he saith Gird up thy loins like a man Note God would have us do our best our utmost in every thing we do he would have us put our selves out in every duty Solomon adviseth Eccl. 9.10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do do it with all thy might that is do it like a man vigorously strenuously do it with both hands Quit you like men in doing it be strong as the Apostle exhorts 1 Cor. 16.3 To do the work of the Lord negligently and slightly with half a heart or no heart with half a hand or no hand scarce with a little finger with half strength or no strength this is not to do it like a man VVe should be in doing like the Sun in moving which saith David Psal 19.5 As a Bridegroom cometh out of his chamber and rejoyceth as a strong man to run a race If we would run our race like a strong man strongly and prevailingly we must be sure to do two things First VVe must lay aside every weight and the sin thut doth so easily beset us Heb. 12.1 Secondly VVe must as here the Lord directs Job gird up our loins and buckle to it Fourthly As these words carry in them a kind of Irony or divine scorn put upon Iob by the Holy God Come let me see what a man thou art thou hast spoken often what thou wouldst do and what thou wouldst say if thou couldst have thy option thy wish now thou hast thy wish let me see what a man thou art thou wilt surely appear a brave man by the time that I have done with thee Hence Note God will make men see how unable they are to deal with him when 't is best with them or when they are at the best even when their loins are girt Every man at his best estate is altogether vanity How vain then is man at his worst Job was low and in a bad condition as to his outward man especially when God dealt with him and how did he carry it in the day when God dealt with him Did his heart endure or were his hands strong as the Prophet spake to those Ezek. 22.14 Did he carry it like a man In one sense not but like a child he had not a word to speak Once have I spoken but I will speak no more yet it must be confessed he never carried it so like a godly man as when like a child he had a word to speak God will make man see what a nothing he is in his best condition when girt and prepared when armed Cap-a-pe all over for any service for God even then man is a vain thing without the present assistance of God what is he then when he is to contend or plead with God! If the whole world should lay their forces or as we say compare notes together what could they do in dispute with God They that think they touch the clouds with their heads would moulder as dust at his feet That such was the contention to which the Lord here calls Job and bids him gird up his loins or be in a readiness for appears plainly in the next words I will demand of thee and answer thou me As if the Lord had said Thou gavest me my choice So Iob did chap. 13.22 whether I would be Opponent or Defendant well then saith God this is my choice I will oppose and do thou answer I will demand of thee That is put questions to thee and we shall see presently how thick questions or demands came upon him like hail-shot and he had not a word to answer though God required it And answer thou me Mr. Broughton renders And let me see thy skill 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et notifica mihi The word is Instruct me or Make me to know Wise me as we say I would fain be informed by thee teach thou me notifie the matter to me as the word may be translated I will demand and answer thou me The Lord did not call upon him for Answers as to be informed by him Sunt quaedam interrogationes quae non fiunt ut sciatur veritas ab inâ—errogante sed ut extorqueatur a respondente vel certo prodatur ignorantia respondentis cujusmodi esse solent magistratuum magistrorum interrogationes Ironia continuatur Non enim eo interrogaturus crat ut disceret sed ut doceret vel ut Job intelligeret fateretur se ignorare Coc. Ironia sed amica â—ua Jobum vult in viam reducere Merc. but only to convince him that he could not answer him as he confessed at the fifth verse of the fortieth Chapter Once have I spoken but I will not answer nor indeed could he To all the demands which the Lord made afterwards he made no answer at all so that these words Answer me or Instruct and inform me are a gentle irony whereby the Lord would make him know himself or be sensible of his own ignorance or small attainments in knowledge and thereby convince him that he had done rashly in desiring and wishing for such a debate or hearing of his cause The Lord was pleased to rebuke him thus secretly or in a figure and not to fall upon him in plain downright terms O thou weak and ignorant creature who hast presumed to appear before me and try thy cause with me Now Go to Let me see what thou canst do shew thy best skill put forth thy utmost strength of argument in reasoning about or against my dealings with thee Thus the Lord might have confounded him but he was pleased to carry it in a milder way yet in a way as effectual to humble and meeken Jobs spirit God needs not press man by power he can do it by reason or force of argument and so stop his mouth for ever The Apostle saith Rom. 3.19 All the world shall become guilty before God and in the same Chapter he saith God shall be justified in his sayings and overcome when he is judged The Lord alwayes doth things with so much justice and speaks with so much reason that no man is able to answer a word or reply upon him And though he might silence or stop any mans mouth by his meer Command and Authority yet he condescends to do it rather by reason and demonstration lest any should say or complain they were rather over-powered by the greatness of his Majesty than cast by the right and equity of his Cause Thus we see how the Lord in this Preface prepares Job to hearken to those demands
c. The Hebrew Text doth not expresse this Adverb of time there 't is onely the Lord answered but we well supply it rendering then the Lord answered as if the Penman had said at that very nick instant or juncture of time the Lord came in the words were no sooner out of the mouth of Elihu he had no sooner concluded his speech with Job but the Lord began and answered Job and if the Lord had not just then interposed possibly Job might have replyed and a new heat might have risen to the encreasing of his troubles and the inflaming of all their Spirits as was hinted before therefore the Lord to stop all further proceedings or speech between them two began presently to speak himself Then the Lord answered Take this Observation from it The Lord will appear in the fittest season It was time for the Lord to appear lest this poor man should have been utterly swallowed up with sorrows and over-whelmed with his affliction or lest he should have been drawn out too long and too far in his bitter complainings and impatiency The Lord is a God of judgement blessed are they that wait for him Isa 30.18 He is a wise God and knows how to time every action he knowes when to appear when to shew himself As he himself will not contend for ever Isa 57.16 so neither will he let others contend overlong least the Spirit should sail before him and the soules which he hath made This is a comfortable truth with respect both to Nations and Persons both to the case of the Church of God in general and of every believer in particular The Apostle Peter having counselled the afflicted to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God 1 Pet. 5.6 addes this encouragement in the next words to do so that he may exalt you in due time though not in your time nor at your day the day when you would have him do it yet he will do it in time and in due time that is when it shall be most fit and best for you Thus he appeared to and for Job in the Text when the sorrowes of his heart were enlarged and when he had most need of such an appearance The Lord knows how at any time and when 't is the most proper time to relieve his servants Then The Lord answered Job The word here used is Jehovah and several of the Learned take notice that it is here used with a special significancy for in the discourses of Job and his friends throughout this Book other names of God are if not universally yet mostly used as Elshaddai Eloah c. In the first Chapter indeed where God is spoken of by the divine Historian or sacred Penman of this History he is named Jehovah as also in some other such like places but in the body of the dispute not so And two reasons may be given of it First The name Jehovah imports the Being of God and therefore God himself being about to speak of his giving a Being to the whole Creation and to several sorts of creatures he is most properly represented by his name Jehovah which as it implyeth that he is the First Being the Fountain of his own Being or that he is of himself so that he gives a Being to all things and that in him as the Apostle told the great Philosophers of Athens Acts 17. we live and move and have our being Secondly The Lord though he came in a Whirle-wind yet manifested himself in a clearer light to Job than ever he had done before Now as in the third of Exodus when the Lord sent Moses to the people of Israel to bring them up out of Egypt to Canaan which was a great work one of the greatest that was ever done in the world and in which the Lord made the most glorious discovery of his Power Justice and Mercy when God I say sent Moses upon this service he said unto him Exod. 6.2 3. I am the Lord I am Jehovah and I appeared unto Abraham unto Isaac and unto Jacob by the Name of God Almighty but by my name Jehovah was I not known to them God being about to make himself more known in the world than he had been to that day by his dreadful plagues upon Pharaoh and the miraculous deliverance of his people out of Egypt as he said chap. 9.16 And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up for to shew in thee my power and that my name may be declared in all the earth The Lord I say being about to doe these great things for the manifestation of his own greatness gave this charge to Moses at the sixth verse of the sixth chapter before mentioned Wherefore say unto the children of Israel I am Jehovah and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians c. Thus in this latter part of the book of Job the Lord being about to loosen the bonds of Jobs affliction and to ease him of his burden as also to declare and manifest himself more clearly to him than formerly as he confessed chap. 42.5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the eare but now mine eyes have seen thee he therefore assumed his great name Jehovah Then the Lord Answered Job c. But some may say Job had not spoken lately much lesse last Elihu spake out six whole Chapters since Job spake a word and though Elihu gave him the liberty yea almost provoked him to speak yet he laid his hand upon his mouth he spake not a word How then can it be said The Lord answered Job To avoid this difficulty Some render Then the Lord answered concerning or about Job And these turn the whole discourse of God in this and the next Chapter upon Elihu in favour of Job I shall touch upon that opinion and interpretation as was said afterwards but at present affirm that Job was the person to whom the Lord here directed his Answer and to take off this doubt how the Lord could be said to answer Job when Job had not spoken last but Elihu I answer as upon a like occasion it hath been elsewhere shewed in this book ch 3.2 that sometimes in Scripture a Speech begun is called an Answer where nothing had been spoken before to which that speech could be applied in way of answer Matth. 11.25 Matth. 17.4 The reason of this Hebraisme is because such as begin to speak do either answer the necessity of the matter or the desire of the hearers and so they give a real and vertual though not a formal Answer Yet there are two considerations in which we may apply the word Answer formally and strictly taken to Job First If we consider Job's wishes and requests Secondly If we consider Job's complaints and though the word be somewhat hard his murmurings The Lord may be said to answer Job as to his wish desire or request because Job had earnestly desired and requested more than once that God would take
himself down to speak and treat with dust and ashes What a wonder is it that the Lord of Heaven and Earth should admit and enter into a parly with man who is but a well-shaped clod of Earth Solomon was in a kind of amazement at the mercy when he said at the Dedication of the Temple 1 Kings 8.22 But will God indeed dwell on Earth And may not we that God should come down to confer with an afflicted bed-rid man on Earth I know some are of opinion that the Lord spake by an Angel to Job however here was the Lords presence it was Jehovah who manifested himself to Job what Ministry soever he used Thus the Lord is pleased often to interpose in the case and cause of his afflicted servants though we see him not nor have such formal apparitions as here in the Text. The Lord the high and lofty One who dwelleth in the high and holy Place dwelleth also with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit and be dwelleth with him to revive him Isa 57.15 Therefore surely he manifests himself to him in his loving-kindness which is better than life and the very life of our lives The Lord who hath Heaven for his Throne and the Earth his footstool saith by the same prophet Isa 66.1 2. To this man will I look and lest any should take this man to be one of the mighty ones of this world he giveth us both a signal specification and clear character of this man to whom he looketh even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and that trembleth at my Word And if the Lord look to such a man if he vouchsafe him his gracious â—ye doubtless he also reveals himself graciously and freely to him Secondly The Lord came here to instruct and teach Job Several persons had dealt with him before and they very worthy good and learned persons and they came with a purpose to do him good yet all would not do All that his three friends said who undertook him first in their turns was to little purpose in appearance And though Elihu a spritely young man discours'd him with much life and heat yet neither could he do the business Jobs spirit began indeed to yeeld upon the last engagement of Elihu with him yet he did not convince him fully God came at last and he prevailed he did the deed Then the Lord answered Job Hence Note We need the teachings of God besides all the teachings of men that we may rightly know him and our selves together with the intendment of his dealings with us and our own duty under them 'T is the mercy of the New Covenant that we shall be taught of God and not by man onely nor alone As here Job had three or four so we may have thrice three men toyling with us a long time in vain The work is never well done till God comes and though we have not such appearances of God now yet he doth the same thing in effect to this day This and that man a thousand men yea a man who is an Interpreter one of a thousand as Elihu spake may be labouring upon the conscience of a sinner and never bring things home either to convince or comfort him till God is pleased to come in by the power of his blessed Spirit and then who can but be convinced and comforted Hence our Lord Christ had no sooner reported the Covenant Promise out of the Prophet They shall be all taught of God John 6.45 but presently he makes this inference from it Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father cometh unto me We may say to all who are savingly wrought upon as Christ to Peter upon that Confession which he made Matth. 16.16 Thou art Christ the Son of the Living God Flesh and blood hath not revealed this to you but your Father which is in Heaven Impossibile est deum discere sine deo Iraen l. 4. adversus Haret c. 10. A deo discendum quicquid de deo intelligendum Hilar. l. 5. de Trin. It was said by one of the Ancients it is impossible to know God without God And so said another We must learn all that from God which we understand of God Unless God be our Tutor we shall never be good Scholars We know neither God nor our selves any further than God teacheth us Christ saith Be not called Masters for one is your Master even Christ Matth. 23.8 There are two sorts of Masters 1. Ruling or Commanding Masters 2. Teaching Masters To the former we are Servants to the latter we are Scholars In the eighth verse Christ speaks of Teaching Masters as of Ruling Masters at the tenth verse Now when Christ would not have any man take upon him or own the Title of Master or Teacher his meaning is that no man should arrogate to himself the honour of principal Teacher which is the peculiar of God but to acknowledge that all mans teaching is nothing without Gods as the Apostle also saith 1 Cor. 3. We must learn from God whatever we know aright either of God or of our selves Eliphaz Bildad and Zophar spake much of God to Job but Job was never effectually humbled till God spake Thirdly Note As God here by his Word so alwayes the Word of God is the true determiner of controversies and resolver of doubts No question can be truly stated but by the Word of God Rectum est index sui obliqui As the statutes of the Lord are right Psal 19.8 So they shew what is right and what is not A strait Rule declares it self to be strait and detects the crookedness of whatsoever is crooked The last appeal in all things doubtful is to the Law Isa 8.20 To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this Word it is because there is no light or as the Margin hath it no morning in them The Sun of righteousness hath not risen upon them who speak and hold unrighteous things Search the Scriptures saith Christ John 5.39 or as 't is well rendred in the Indicative Mood Ye search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life Nor did they think amiss in thinking so but that which Christ secretly reproved while he said so was that they did amiss or contradicted the Scripture in their lives while they boastingly thought so Not what this or that man saith but what God saith is the true ground of mans faith Sumamus exlibris divinitus inspiratis solutionem questionum Theod. l. 1. Hist Eccles c. 7. It was a worthy speech of Constantine in the Nicene Council Let us take out of that Book divinely inspired the solution of our Questions It is not what the Fathers say nor what the Pope saith nor what Councils say but what the Word of God saith that must be heard and relied upon for salvation The Word is the Judge that is the rule of Judgement As here God was the
some interpret of a glorious state of the Church here and 't is undoubtedly true as all agree of the Church in glory No unclean thing shall enter without shall be dogs Then indeed God will abase the proud and tread down the wicked In their place Hence note Thirdly No outward advantages and except those they have none shall stand the wicked in stead or keep them from falling God will tread them down in their place when they are where they would be upon their own ground they shall be worsted The Scripture speaks often of treading down the wicked notwithstanding their greatest advantages Union is a great advantage for preservation yet Isa 8.9 Associate your selves O ye people and ye shall be broken in pieces and give ear all ye far Countries gird your selves and you shall be broken in pieces take counsel together and it shall come to nought speak the word and it shall not stand As if the Lord had sad I will not take you at an advantage before you are gathered together before you are girded I will not surprize you unarmed and unprovided do your best to save and secure your selves from my vengeance associate your selves gird your selves take counsel together and then I will tread you down Neither strongest associations nor wisest consultations nor highest resolutions nor compleatest preparations for action though ye have spoken the word and are girt shall avail you in the day of my wrath Thus the Lord bespake Jehoiakim by his Prophet Jerem. 22.15 Shalt thou reign because thou closest thy self in Cedar As if he had said because thou dost make such provision for thy own safety dost thou think to be be safe or canst thou shelter thy self against me Again vers 23. O Inhabitant of Lebanon that makest thy nest in the Cedars Cedars are high trees and strong how gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee the pain of a woman in travel The Lord puts a scorn upon them such a kind of scorn but not as hers without cause as Michal put upon David 2 Sam. 6.20 how glorious was the King of Israel to day Were not you very glorious when you danced uncovered before the ark Thus I say the Lord puts a holy scorn upon the wicked when they are in their Cedar-nests How gracious wilt thou be when pangs of sorrow come upon thee Take one Scripture more Jerem. 49.16 Thy terribleness 't is spoken of Edom hath deceived thee thou thoughtest thy self so terrible that none durst touch thee yet thy terribleness hath deceived thee and the pride of thy heart O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock and holdest the height of the hill though thou shouldst make thy nest as high as the Eagles I will bring thee down from thence saith the Lord. Thou hast all the advantages thou hast a rock for strength and thou art upon a hill for height yea upon the height of the hill thou art above all but though thy nest were as the Eagles I will pluck thee thence Thus the Lord treads down the wicked in their place in there fortifications in their mounts and towers when they have secured themselves most by counsels and friends and strong-holds then and there he treads them down even in their place Fourthly Note God is known to be God or sheweth himself to be God by abaseing the proud and by treading down wicked men I ground it thus The Lord would have Job shew himself like God or act as God doth by treading down the wicked God made himself known to be God by the Plagues which he brought upon Pharaoh as well as by the deliverance and salvation which he wrought for Israel Exod. 8.22 Exod. 9.14 I will send all my plagues upon thy heart and upon thy servants and upon thy people that thou mayst know that there is none like me in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up for to shew in thee my power and that my name may be declared throghout all the earth Thus also said David Psal 9.16 The Lord is known by the judgment that he executeth that is by punishing the wicked he is known to be the Lord. God is known by his works as well as in his word power and greatness and wisdom and justice are visible in his judgments There was a third sort of wicked men named in opening the Text which I shall but touch in this observation Such they were described to be as are unquiet themselves nor will they suffer others to be quiet by their good wills they are troubled that any live peaceably by them The Lord will tread down these unquiet wicked ones also The Scripture is full of this truth Isa 33.1 Wo to thee that spoilest and thou wast not spoiled and dealest treacherously and they dealt not treacherously with thee when thou shalt cease to spoil thou shalt be spoiled and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously they shall deal treacherously with thee Now the Lord having put Job to all these trials of his strength thereby to shew himself able to contend with him tells him plainly if thou canst do these things Vexatio verba minus limata extorsit menpia casta permansit if thou canst abase the proud if thou canst tread them down hide them in the dust and bind their faces in secret Then Vers 14. Will I confess that thine own right hand can save thee Then will I confess That is when thou hast done all these things Confessio pro laude honorifico testimonio saepe ponitur in Scriptura Palmam tibi cedam c. Bez. I will give an honourable testimony of thee I will not hide thy power and then I will acknowledge thou hast some colour to contest with me and art able to uphold thy self These mighty acts are proper and peculiar to me yet thou seemest to say thou canst do all these else surely thou hadst never offered to contend with me That 's the scope of these words Then will I confess That thine own right hand can save thee Or that thou canst be a self-saviour Hoc solius Dei est qui quod est per se est à quo omnis potestas dignitas or that thou art self-sufficient as I am and hast no dependance upon any and then thou needest not complain that I do not help thee for thou canst help thy self Thine own right hand can save thee The hand is an instrument of help especially the right hand and then the right hand saves when it either keeps us from danger or delivers us out of it Quest But did Job ever say his own right hand could save him Answ Job never said it nor thought it his mind was pure from such blasphemy yet he sometimes spake as if he had been somewhat more than a man especially when he spake of debating his matters and arguing with God First In that the Lord saith in case Job could do all those things he
might declare himself in Leviathan Hence note The parts powers and comely proportions of the creature clearly evidence the excellencies of God The Lord chiefly proclaimed his own name when he proclaimed the name of Leviathan Rom. 1.20 The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made even his eternal power and Godhead The unseen God hath made all things that he may be seen in them When he makes a Comment upon his own works why is it but that he may make a Comment upon himself and expound his own glory in them And as the excellencies of the Lord are seen in the works of creation so in the works of providence and he hath therefore made so many declarations of them to us that his power wisdom and justice may shine through them to us Psal 75.1 That thy name is neer thy wondrous works declare And he said to Pharaoh Exod. 9.16 For this cause have I raised thee up for to shew in thee my power and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth All that the Lord doth to or in the creature is to get himself a name and a glory therefore let us give God the glory of his power wisdom and goodness in all his works Negare Pagaganus Christum potest negare Deum omnipotentem non potest August ser 139. de Temp. It was the saying of one of the Ancients A Pagan may deny that there is a Christ but a Pagan cannot deny Almighty God A Pagan may deny Christ for that 's meerly matter of faith but sense will lead a Pagan to believe there is a God or some omnipotent power that hath wrought all these things If we see a stream that assures us there is a Spring or Fountain if we see a goodly Palace built that assures us it had a builder a maker And if the stream be full what is the fountain If the Palace built be great and magnificent how great how magnificent was the builder Every house as the Author to the Hebrews said upon another occasion Chap. 3.4 is builded by some man but he that built all things is God Fourthly Seeing the Lord is pleased to read such a natural Phylosophy Lecture upon this creature we may take this Observation from it God would have man know the parts and powers of the creatures Why doth the Lord in this book speak at large of them and of their powers but that we may take notice of them and understand them or that we should search and study them What the Psalmist speaks concerning the works of providence is true of the Lords works in nature Psal 111.2 The works of the Lord are great And vers 4. He hath made his wonderful works to be remembred that is that they should be spoken of and memoriz'd And therefore having said at the beginning of the second verse The works of the Lord are great he adds in the close of it Sought out of all them that have pleasure therein His work is honourable and glorious c. The works of God are to be searched to the bottom though their bottom cannot be found by all those that have pleasure and delight either in God or in his works and they therefore search them out also because they encrease and better their knowledge of God the Creator by encreasing and bettering their knowledge about the creature From the whole verse we may infer First If God will not conceal the parts the power and comliness of his creatures then let not us conceal the power the glory and the excellency of God Yea let us with heart and tongue declare the glorious perfections of God how holy how just how wise how merciful how patient and long-suffering a God he is When God makes the creature known to us he would much more have us know himself and make him known Davids heart was set upon this duty Psal 9.14 Thou hast lifted me up from the gates of death that I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Sion As if he had said This O Lord was thy design in lifting me up from the gates of death that is from deadly dangers or killing diseases that I might declare thy praise in Sions gates or that I might declare how praise-worthy thou art to all who come into the gates of Sion And again Psal 118.17 I shall not die but live and declare the works of the Lord. In the 40th Psalm which is a Prophecy of Christ he speaks in the words of the Text vers 10. I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation I have not concealed thy loving kindness and thy truth from the great congregation As the Lord saith here concerning Leviathan I will not conceal his parts so saith the Prophet I will not conceal his loving kindness and truth c. Which as it is most true of Christ whose work it was to do so as also the end of all his works so it sheweth what we ought to do and what should be the end of all our works not to conceal the righteousness and goodness of God but declare them in the great congregation And as Christ declared the glory of the Father so should we the glory of Christ We read the Church engaged in this As I shewed before Christ could not conceal the parts of the Church so the Church could not conceal the parts of Christ Cant. 5.9 There the question is put to the Church What is thy beloved more than another beloved that thou dost thus charge us The Church being asked this question will not conceal the parts nor the power nor the comely proportion of Christ her Beloved but gives a copious Narrative of his gracious excellencies vers 10. My Beloved is white and ruddy the chiefest among ten thousand his head is as most fine gold his locks are bushy and black as a Raven his eyes are as the eyes of Doves by the rivers of waters washed with milk and fitly set his cheeks are as a bed of spices as sweet flowers his lips like Lillies dropping sweet smelling myrrh his hands are as gold rings set with Beryle his belly is as bright Ivory overlaid with Saphyres his legs are as pillars of marble set upon sockets of fine gold his countenance is as Lebanon excellent as the Cedars his mouth is sweet yea he is altogether lovely This is my beloved and this is my friend O daughters of Jerusalem Thus as Christ concealed not the parts of the Church so the Church concealed not the parts the power and comely proportion of Christ And did we more consider who Christ is and what he is both in himself and unto us we should be more both in admiring within our selves and in reporting to others his parts his power and comely proportion Secondly If God hath not concealed the knowledge of his creatures from us if
his Cause in hand or that he would have the hearing of it Thus he spake at the third verse of the three and twentieth Chapter O that I knew where I might find him that I might come even to his Seat I would order my Cause before him and fill my mouth with arguments Zophar also one of Jobs friends made the same request concerning Job Chap. 11.2 O that God would speak and open his lips against thee As if he had said Eliphaz hath been speaking and Bildad hath been speaking and I am now about to speak but O that God would speak It was the wish of Job that God would speak and it was the wish of this his friend and now behold God appears possibly beyond their expectation though not beside their wish for 't is like they had not faith enough to beleeve that God would answer those wishes So then God may be said here to answer because as it was prayed he now took the matter into his own hand and in person as I may say argued the Case with Job and finally determined his Cause Hence Note The wishes requests and prayers of good men have sometimes been heard though they were over-bold in making them or had no clear ground to make them Job had no rule for such a Petition that he might presently have a trial at the Tribunal of God yet God was so gracious as to answer him in it not onely to his reproof but to his comfort The Name of God is O thou that hearest prayer Psal 65.2 If carnal men have their extravagant prayers and wishes granted 't is in wrath but if the Lord grant the passionate prayers and wishes of a godly man it proves though sometimes a present affliction yet alwayes upon one account or other a mercy in the issue When the lusting Israelites wisht for flesh the Lord heard their wishes take Quails your bellies full till they come out at your nostrils but while the meat was in their mouths the wrath of God fell upon them If the Lord grants what lust asketh such pay dear for what they have for the asking It hath been anciently said Multi irato deo exaudiuntur many have their prayers heard in meer anger so are all theirs who pray for what they have not in meer discontent with what they have The Lord heard Job and not in anger but in favour and condescention to him Now if some not well grounded nor warranted requests of good men may be granted and answered the Lord pitying their weakness and eyeing their uprightness in favour how much more may they be confident that their gracious and humble requests such requests as are every way sutable to the Word and Will of God shall be graciously answered Secondly The Lord answered as the Prayer and Wish so the Complaints of Job He had complained sometimes though he were a mirror of patience impatiently These complaints the Lord answered but it was with severe and sharp reproofs as we find in the next verse To conclude this query we may say God had two great ends or designs in answering both the wishes and complaints of Job First That he might humble and convince him that he might stop his mouth and silence his complainings for ever as he did most effectually Secondly That after his humiliation and repentance he might justifie and acquit him and also restore him to his former comforts and enjoyments as he did most mercifully This being the design of the Lord in speaking to Job what he said may well be called an Answer But how or in what manner did the Lord answer him Surely in such a manner as never man was answered The Lord answered Job Out of the Whirlwind He answered him as we say to some Tune A Whirlwind makes strange kind of Musick A Whirlwind is a sudden mighty loud-blustring Wind taking away or bearing down all before it A Whirlwind is a Wind which moves whirling and gyring about all the points of the Compass no man knows where to have it nor how to shelter himself from it I have had occasion to speak of the Wind and of the natural ordinary Whirlwind in the former Chapter But here 's a Whirlwind extraordinary if not supernatural There 's much questioning among some Interpreters how we are to conceive of this Whirlwind I would answer that point a little and then give some account why the Lord spake to Job out of such a Whirlwind First Some affirm that it was onely a Visional Whirlwind As if the Lord appeared as it were in a Tempest or Whirlwind to Job in a deep sleep such as was upon Adam Gen. 2.21 when the Lord took one of his ribs and made the Woman In such a deep sleep say they Job saw a Whirlwind and heard the Lord speaking to him out of it As Ezekiel who in a Vision looked and behold a Whirlwind came out of the North as we read in the first Chapter of that Prophesie verse 4. Secondly Others conceive that it was not a Visional but a Metaphorical Whirlwind or a Whirlwind in a figure and we may give you a threefold Metaphor or three things to which this passage of Providence may allude to a speaking out of a Whirlwind First God answered Job out of the Whirlwind that is when there was a great bussle or storm among the Disputants conflicting about Jobs case one moving this way another thar all being tossed about as it were with the wind of their several opinions in ventitalating his condition Out of this Whirlwind it was say some or while all were thus discomposed in their spirits and could not compose the matter in difference between them and Job during this hurry or troublesome state of things and minds the Lord arose and answered Job Secondly The Lord may be said to answer Job out of the Whirlwind because he spake to him angrily displeasedly and reprovingly Anger especially the Lords Anger or Displeasure is often in Scripture compared to a Storm or Tempest As if this Whirlwind were nothing else but a sharp angry chiding When a man chides we say The man 's in a storm and we may say with reverence when the Lord speaks chidingly as he did to Job he is in a storm or according to the Text speakes out of a Sto my Whirlwind Thus also when the Lord speaks pleasingly and gently then he may be said to speak in a calm There 's a truth in that Thirdly The Lord answered in a Whirlwind that is while Job both as to his outward condition and inward disposition or the frame of his spirit was evidently in a great storm or toss For doubtless his spirit was very stormy and tossed up and down at that time that is much troubled and disquieted upon the with-drawings of God and the unkindness of his friends Now when Job had this Stoâ—m this Whirlwind in his spirit the Lord appeared and answered him Thus some conceive it though not a Visional Whirlwind yet a
verse they confess not only their being in him throughout all generations but his most blessed Being before all generations Before Mountains were brought forth or ever thou hadst formed the Earth and the World even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God The first Being is an eternal Being and therefore the Prophet saith Isa 57.15 God inhabiteth Eternity The Eternal dwells in Eternity But what is Eternity One of the Ancients calleth it Aeternitas est interminabilis vitae tota simul et perfect possessio Boeth de Consol l. 6. The perfect possession of a boundless or limitless life whole and all at once Eternity hath no terms nor bounds of beginning or ending 'T is a possession of all at once there is nothing past or to come but all is alwayes present to God Note Fourthly God is the fountain of all being he hath given a being to all things The Apostle Paul Acts 17.28 discoursing with the Athenians having said In him we live and move and have our being convinceth them further by that saying of their own Poets for we are also his off-spring We spring from him as from a root or fountain With him is the fountain of lives Psal 36.9 even of natural life as well as of spiritual and eternal Every life every being is but a stream issuing from Jehovah And as every life is from God so also is the being of all things without life The Lord gave the liveless Earth its being its beginning Some Naturalists have asserted the eternity of the World and so the eternity of the Earth They could not compass which way or how the World could have a beginning and therefore said it had none Here we have the Founder of the World God himself teaching man this Divine Philosophy about the beginning of the World and taking it to himself I laid the foundations of the Earth When the Heathen Philosopher read what Moses had written concerning the Creation of the World Thus the Heavens and the Earth were finished and all the host of them Ger. 2.1 He presently said The man speaks wonders but how doth he prove what he hath spoken Where are his demonstrations He would put Moses to his proof but Moses's proof was faith in the testimony of God Through faith we understand that the Worlds were framed by the Word of God so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear Heb. 11.3 We understand the Work of Creation yet not by the strength of natural reason but through faith which gives credit to the Word of God and perswades the heart that the report therein made is a truth Plato in Timaeo For though some Philosophers have evinced by arguments grounded upon reason that the World was made yet that it was made by the Word of God either the Essential Word the Son of God spoken of John 1.1 who is the efficient cause of it or by the Declarative Word spoken of in this place of the Hebrews which was the means or instrumental cause of making the World Gen. 1.3 6. This I say cannot at all be understood by reason but purely and only by faith because it is so revealed in the Scriptures Fifthly In that the Lord here saith I laid the foundations of the Earth Observe God hath made the Earth firm and immoveable The stability of the Earth is of God as much as the being and existence of it Psal 104.5 He laid the foundations of the Earth that it should not be removed for ever There have been many Earthquakes or movings of the Earth in several parts of it but the whole body of the Earth was never removed so much as one hairs breadth out of its place since the foundations thereof were laid Archimedes the great Mathematician said If you will give me a place to set my Engine on I will remove the Earth It was a great bâ—ag but the Lord hath laid it fast enough for mans removing Himself can make it quake and shake he can move it when he pleaseth but he never hath nor will remove it He hath laid the foundations of the Earth that it shall not be removed nor can it be at all moved but at his pleasure and when it moves at any time it is to mind the sons of men that they by their sins have moved him to displeasure There hath been or will be a shaking of the Earth in mercy for we have it in a promise Heb. 12.26 Whose voice then namely at the giving of the Law shook the Earth but now he hath promised saying yet once more I shake not the Earth only but also Heaven Some understand this promise as fulfilled at the coming of Christ in the flesh at which time indeed there were notable and amazing motions and alterations both in Heaven and Earth Others expound it of the Day of the ultimate Judgement not a few of some great providential dispensations of God which shall shake not the Earth only but also the Heavens as taken in a Metaphor for earthly and heavenly things referring to the Church of God and the Kingdomes of Men. I shall not interpose in this matter about the sense of that Text but onely say whatever the Apostle meant by Earth or Heaven and the shaking of it yet this remains as an unshaken Axiom that the Fabrick of the Earth properly taken stands fast The Lord hath laid the foundations of it that it should not be removed David to shew the stedfastness of his faith put that supposition Psal 46.2 Therefore will not we fear though the Earth be moved The Prophet also did the like to assure us of the stability of the Covenant of Grace Isa 54.10 yet we need not fear that either the Earth shall be removed or the Mountains depart Such suppositions shew indeed the immoveableness of the Word which God hath spoken not the moveableness by any natural power or natural decay of the Earth whose foundations he hath laid And hence the Psalmist argues the Lords faithfulness to his Word Psal 119.90 Non magis moveronaturaliter terra quam quiescere coelum potest Bold All earthly things move but the Earth wherein all these motions are made stands still Eccl. 1.4 The Earth can no more move than the Heavens can stand still Some modern Philosophers have turned the scale of Nature and would perswade us that the Heavens stand still and the Earth moves but 't is good for us to stand to and abide by the Scripture which tells us the Earth stands still and abideth or it abideth that is it standeth as the Margin explains it Psal 119.90 And that it standeth still or abideth not only because it hath still a being as things in motion have but because it is still or stands without moving is so much my faith as well as my sense that I see no reason to be moved from it Sixthly The Power and Will of God are the onely foundation of the Earth 'T is said by the Psalmist
of him will honour him with what they have even with their substance and with the first fruits of all their increase Prov. 3.9 Thirdly We may infer Seing God founded the earth He is also the Ruler of it And that the Lord rules the earth is a mercy to all men on the earth The Lord reigns let the earth rejoyce Psal 97.1 That is men of the earth have cause to rejoyce because they have God who is infinitely both wise and good to rule them The Lord is King over all the earth sing ye praises with understanding Psal 47.7 And surely they who understand what a King he is will praise him Fourthly We may be encouraged to go unto God or apply our selves to God about all things here on earth seeing â—e hath laid the fouâ—dations of the earth The Lord having invited his people to ask him things to come concerning his sons and concerning the work of his hands to command him Isa 45.11 adds this in the next words as an encouragement to do so I have made the earth and created man upon it As if he had said Ask of me whatever you would have me do or would have done on earth for I am he that created the earth It may help our faith much when as David expresseth it Psal 11.3 the very foundations of earthly things are destroyed to consider that God laid the foundations of the earth In such a case it may be said as it followeth there in the Psalme What can the righteous do but may it not be said even in that hard case when foundations are destroyed What cannot the Lord do who laid the foundations of the earth This argument the Psalmist also useth Psal 124.8 Our help stands in the Name of the Lord who made heaven and earth Though earth and heaven shake and seem to be confounded or mingled together yet he who made heaven and earth without help can give us help or be our helper If our help stood in the best of men made of earth they might fail us but while our help stands in him that made the earth he will never fail us for he hath said he will not Heb. 13.5 and their experience who have trusted the Lord hath said it too Psal 9.10 This is the great priviledge of all that believe they may address to God by Christ for any thing in this earth because he is the Maker of it and having made it by a word speaking what cannot he do for them if he speak the word Fifthly Let us be much in praising the Lord for his wisdom power and greatness all which gloriously appear and shine forth in his laying the foundations of the earth David makes this a special part of Divine praise Psal 136.6 VVe should not onely praise the Lord for the great things he hath done on the earth but for this that he hath made the earth The work of God in laying the foundations of the earth calls as loudly for our praise as any thing except our redemption from the earth Rev. 5.9 chap. 14.3 which ever God wrought upon the face of the earth The making of the earth calls us to praise the Lord First Because he hath made so vast a body as this earth is or because he hath made such a large house for us Secondly Because he hath founded it so miraculosly hanging upon nothing that appears but in the ayre yet standing more firmly than any house built upon a rock Thirdly VVe should praise the wisdom of God that hath formed it so exactly and adorned it so richly It 's not a house huddled and clapt up together without skill or art though it was made word a word speaking in six days yet it was made with infinite wisdom as is more particularly held out v. 5. where the Lord speaks of laying the measures thereof and stretching the line upon it as also of fastning the foundations and laying the câ—rner-stone thereof all which â—â—ew it is not a house clapt up in haste but made with admirable exactness so that as 't is usual when great houses are built there were great acclamations made at the building of it as we have it the seventh verse of this Chapter then the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy to see such a magnificent pile reared up Lastly Take this inference If the visible world be such a building what is the invisible world the City having foundations which God hath prepared for those that love him Thus much of the first part of Jobs Conviction he had nothing to do in laying the foundations of the earth and he had as little in setting up and finishing that goodly structure as will appear in that which followeth Yet before the Lord proceeded any further to question Job about this great work of Creation he requires or calls for his answer in the close of this fourth verse to the question propounded in the former part of it Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the Earth Declare if thou hast understanding God challengeth Job to answer The Hebrew is If thou knowest understanding And so the word is used Isa 29.24 where we render They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding or as the Margin hath it shall know understanding Again Huram said 2 Chron. 2.12 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel that made heaven and earth who hath given to David the King a wise son endued with prudence and understanding The Original is thus strictly read Knowing prudence and understanding Daniel spake in the same forme chap. 2.21 He giveth wisdom to the wise and knowledge to them that know understanding To know is a work of the understanding No man knoweth any thing but by the help of his understanding The understanding is the first or Master-wheel in that noble engine the soul of man and when rightly informed and inlightned all the other wheels or faculties of the soul move aright unless over-poized by passions and self-ends Every rational creature hath an understanding yet every rational creature doth not know understanding that is doth not is not able to speak knowingly or to use and act his understanding knowingly about every matter The Lord supposeth Job might be defective here and therefore bespeaks him thus Declare if thou hast understanding or knowest understanding As if he had said The things which I question thee about may possibly be too high or too big for thy understanding Si perituâ— sis tantarum rerum Vatab. such as possibly thou canst not reach And hence some render or rather paraphrase the Text thus Declare if thou art skilful in such great things as I now speak of If thou art so wise as thou seemest to be by thy former contesting with my provideâ—ces declare thy wisdom in this point wherein I know thou wilt but declare thy ignorance thy infancy or inability to speak as one speaks Thou wilt shew thy self but a child while thou
it is said that David smote Moab and measured them with a line casting them down to the ground even with two lines measured he to put to death and with one full line to keep alive and so the Moabites became Davids servants and brought gifts Some understand this act of David in measuring the Moabites with a line strictly and literally that David having made a full Conquest of their Country did cause it to be measured with a line and then appointed or allotted two thirds of the Land together with the inhabitants to ruin and destruction receiving only the third of the people to mercy and reserving only a third part of the Land to be planted by them Others take it only allusively that having conquered them he used them and their Country at his own pleasure as we do that which we measure out by line But whether we take Davids measuring the Moabites with a line in the one sense or in the other it fully reaches this third notion of it under hand Here in the Text when the Lord demanded of Job Who hath stretched the line upon it It is as if he had said Shew me if thou canst who hath given this great building this fabrick of the earth such symetry such a proportion and evenness that no fault or flaw can possibly be found in it From these two figurative expressions in the fifth verse implying the exactness of the earths frame Note The frame of the world is every way and in every respect proportionable and beautiful 'T is done as it were by measure and line The Lord is infinitely above the use of measures or lines yet condescending to our understanding he gives us to know that 't is as perfect a piece as if he had done it by measure and by line Survay the whole world or any part of it is it not a most exact piece The heavens are as the roof of the house the earth as the floor and foundation of it those elements aire and water as the walls and sides of it The lower parts of the earth are as pillars and bases hills and high mountains appear like emboslements of the earth to the eye of the beholder What can be added whether we consider the compleatness of the whole or the symetry of the parts Have we not reason to say admiringly or to cry out as Psal 104.24 O Lord how manifold are thy works in wisdom hast thâ—u made them all the earth is full of thy riches so is the great aâ—d wide sea c. Our hearts should be drawn up by all the works of God to admire his workmanship That thy name is near thy wondrous works declare said David Psal 65.1 speaking of the Woâ—ks of Providence and that the name of God is near his Works of Creation declare also his name is written upon them that is his power wisdome and goodness And therefore when we behold this Woâ—k of God in special his laying the measures of the earth we should admire both his goodness wisdom and power There are five things in this part of the Creation the earth as expressed to be done by line and measure which may raise up our admiration of God First The greatness of the work It is a vast peece or pile a huge fabrick though but a point to the Heavens We admire great buildings but what are the greatest buildings upon earth to the earth it self which the Lord hath built Secondly The harmony or uniformity of the building and so the beauty of it Thirdly The compactness of the building as knit close together and so the firmness of it Fourthly That all was done in so short a time We say Rome was not built in a day Solomon was seven years in building the Temple 1 Kings 6.38 And he was thirteen years in building his own house 1 Kings 7.1 And doubtlesse Solomon laid out all the power and skill he had for the setting up of those buildings But behold a greater building than either the Temple which Solomon built for God or the house which he built for himself set up as we say in a trice The Lord finished all his work in six dayes and that part of it the earth in one Nor did the Lord take either six dayes to finish the whole work or one to finish any one part of it because he needed so much time to do it in but because he would not do it in less Fifthly The Lord did all this without the use of any instrument rule or compass axe or hammer though here is mention made of a measure and of a line The skilfullest Aâ—chitect cannot raise up any considerable building without these though he hath the platform and idea of it in his head yet take away his line and his rule and he can do nothing But such is the glorious skill and power of God that though he is pleased to speak of a measure and of a line yet we must not be so gross as to think that he made use of any The whole work was natural to God and therefore he needed no artificial helps nor was any instrument employed in it but only his own creating word and will Some faithless Atheists of old and possibly there are such at this day asked in scorn with what tools and instruments with what ladders and scaffolds this building was set up But let us at once pity such in their unbeliefe and horrible prophaneness and labour to edifie or build up our selves in grace and holiness in the faith and fear of his great Name who built this world without tools or instruments without ladders or scaffolds Secondly As our hearts should be drawn out in admiration so in thankfulness forasmuch as God hath made such a world for us he hath laid the foundations of the earth he hath measured it out and stretched the line upon it that we might have the use of it that we might tenant and inhabit this house Man is the chief inhabitant of the earth that other creatures dwell there is for the service of man then let us be thankful Our greatest cause of thankfulness is that the Lord hath made another house for us of which the Apostle professeth his assurance 2 Cor. 5.1 We know that when the earthly house of this Tabernacle whether of our body or of the body of this world is dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens O how should we rejoyce in he thankful for that house But that we have this inferiour house built for us which is also a building of God an house not made with hands but purely and immediately by the power of God is and should be continual matter of great thankfulness Thirdly Seeing the Lord hath thus laid the measures of the earth and stretched forth the line upon it seeing he hath made such an exact building for us this earth let us walk exactly and orderly upon this earth which he hath made
not a Country of Mountains or Hills Now saith the Lord even as Egypt by the drawing of Water-courses is made fruitful and abundantly supplied with moisture though no rain falls there so I will water the Wilderness with rain from the clouds as well as they water Egypt Nemo aratorum in Egypto respicit coelum Sen. l. 4. Natur. quest c. 2. Plinius in Panegyr Te propter nullos tellus tuo postulat imbres Arida nec pluvio supplicat herbâ— fovi Tibul. by sluces from the river Nilus Egypt grew very proud or atheistical rather because they had such an advantage by the river which caused one of the Ancients to say There is never a Plow-man in Egypt will so much as look up to Heaven They took not themselves at all beholding to God for the fertillity of their land they had it all from Nilus Well saith the Lord I will moisten the very barren wildernesse it shall be satisfied with rain even as Egypt with the waters of the river The Desert shall be as well watered by rivers from heaven as Egypt is by the river Nilus But whether the Lord had any respect to that or no I dare not assert yet it is plain that the Lord waters the wilderness where no man is even as well as Egypt is watered Now forasmuch as the rain cometh upon the wilderness where 't is very improbâ—ble to have rain Vapores plâ—viosi elevantur maximè ex locis â—umidis unde siâ—ubes plâ—viae non impellerentur à ventis sequeretur quòd nunquam in loâ—is siccis plueretur Aquin. because vapours which are the matter of rain are raised uâ—ually from moist places from the seas and rivers but from the wilderness and from heaths and deserts which are dry places how should vapours rise yet saith God though there is no rain begotten there yet I will send rain thither I will cause the wind to rise and carry the clouds and the thundeâ— shall break the clouds and they shall pour down wateâ—s upon the wilderness Did not the Lord cause the winds to d ive the clouds over wildernesses and desert places and there to unburthen themselves they would be altogether without rain Hence Note Where Nature denies or natural causes produce no rain God can give it The clouds may deny rain to the wildernesse because the wilde ness yiâ—lds no moisture to make clouds yet the Lord sends rain thither Again Consider the wilderness and desert places as they are here hâ—ld forth together with the providence of God concerning them And so Note The care and providence of God extends it self to all places even to places uninhabited It is no wonder that God should provide rain so places that aâ—e inhabi ed but where no man is there to water the eaâ—th to what puâ—pose is that yet the Lord will water such places as it were by his own hand and as 't is said Psal 107.35 Turn the wilderness into standing water and dry ground into Water-springs Though there be no man to eat the fruit which the rain produceth from the earth of which the Text speaks afterward yet God will send rain to make that land fruitful for the beasts sake that they may have grass and green things to feed upon God will provide for the beasts of the earth where there are no men to provide for them nor to be provided for God is a great House-keeper He nourisheth all living creatures as well as men as he preserves so he feeds the beasts of the Earth and the fishes of the Sea as well as men Psal 104.27 These all wait upon thee O Lord that thou maist give them their meat in due season the very fishes in the Sea wait upon God for their meat and so do fowls of the air together with all things moving upon the face of the Earth Psal 145.15 The eyes of all wait upon thee and thou givest them meat in due season and that he may do so he gives them rain in due season He causeth it to rain on the Earth where no man is and upon the wildernesse where there is no man God hath beasts to provide for where men are not and he will not let a beast that he hath made want food the very worms shall have a support of life Hence Christ argues away all undue care and thoughtfulnesse in man for the succours of this life Matth. 6.25 26. Take no thought for your life what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink nor yet for your body what ye shall put on Behold the fowls of the air for they sowe not neither do they reap nor gather into barns yet your heavenly Father feedeth them are ye not much better than they Surely ye are therefore ye shall be better provided for than they Hath God a break-fast ready for every little bird that comes chirping out of her Nest Hath he a break-fast ready for every beast in the Wildernesse that comes out of his den and will he not much more provide for you O ye of little faith How encouraging an argument is this to our Faith that the Lord will provide for all men and especially for his own seeing he provides for the fowls of the air and the beasts of the earth where there is no man to give them any food or take any care of them This consideration may strengthen our dependance on God though we are brought into a Wilderness condition where there is no man to pity us or give us a morsel of bread Surely the Lord that feeds the wild beasts where there is no man can and will provide for his own people when the hearts of all men are shut up against them he can make the fowls of the air and the beasts of the earth to bring them food as the ravens did to Elijah Further This is an instance of the inexhaustible treasure of the Lords goodness For if he giveth rain in the wilderness for the beasts of the earth may we not thence infer surely the Lord will take care even of those who are unworthy What have the beasts deserved at the hand of God that he should provide for them Yea the Lord doth not onely give food to those that are of no desert as the beasts but to those that are of ill desert he gives rain to those who are but beasts in the shape of men men of beastly spirits The Lord feeds the Lions and the Bears the Tygers and the Swine of the World that is men like them he causeth his rain to fall upon the just and unjust Matth. 5.45 Satius est prodesse malis propter bonos quam bonis â—cesse propter malos Sen. de Benef. lib. 4. cap. 28. He will rather give good to the bad for the goods sake than be wanting to the good because of the wickedness of the bad and therefore the rain comes not onely upon the just but upon the unjust too This is true also in a spiritual way The
satisfied And this may be a great reproof upon the insatiableness of many men they in this are much worse than the desolate and wast ground that may be satisfied that will crave no more But whereas Solomon saith there are four things that say not it is enough Prov. 30.15 16. Of all things the desires of man are most unsatiable and say not it is enough It was a great word which Esau spake I have enough my brother Gen. 33.9 and I fear he hath but a few brethren in that saying Among the four things which in Solomons ob ervation say not it is enough the earth is one in the place last mentioned But mark It is the earth that is not filled with water For where God is pleased to fill the earth with water then as this Text in Job speaks it is satisfied He causeth it to rain on the wilderness to satisfie the desolate and wast ground Further This may also comfort us in all our wants For doubtless the Lord who takes care to satisfie the senseless ground will satisfie his believing people early with his mercy Psal 90.14 when they cry to him yea he will satisfie them not onely with good in this life but with long life will he satisfie them and shew them his salvation Psal 91.16 He will abundantly blesse Sions provision What is that The Word and Ordinances chiefly and satisfie her poor with bread with the bread of life especially Lastly God sends rain to satisfie the desolate and wast ground Hence Note God hath rain enough for all places He can spare it for waste ground and wildernesses And therefore if he supplieth not our pastures corn-fields and gardens with rain it is not because he cannot send it or hath not enough to send but it is to punish us for sin God doth not withhold rain from any place because he is sparing of his treasures is more for laying them up than giving them out but because he is provoked by the unthankfulness of man for or by his abuse of his former bounties The Lord forbids the clouds to drop down the rain upon inhabited places and bids them convey it to waste wildernesses when inhabited places have not honoured him for it nor brought forth fruits of righteousness answerable to the fruits of the earth by the blessing of rain Thus also Christ will take the kingdome that is the kingdome of the Gospel the rain of holy doctrine from an unthankful and unfruitful people and give it to a Nation that will bring forth the fruits of it as he threatned the Jewes Matth. 21.43 and afterwards fulfilled that threatning upon them Acts 13.46 Lo we turn to the Gentiles Ye having refused and abused the offers of Christ made to you by us we will now go with our rain to the wast and desolate ground or to the wilderness that is to the Gentiles and they will receive it and be thankful The scarcity of Gospel mercy which God brings upon any place Sic sterilitas agrorum divitiae fertilitas est deserti is a punishment of their barrenness under Gospel means And have not we cause to fear at this day that forasmuch as we are so like that earth spoken of Heb. 6.8 which drinketh in the rain yet instead of fruit meet for his use by whom it is dressed beareth briars and thorns have not we cause I say to fear that we are nigh to some curse and burning or that the Lord will carry away the rain to Heathens who as yet are a desolate and waste ground 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eâ—itum germinis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Proprie herba renera Exitum herbae vocat herbam primúm è terra prodeuntem Drus To cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth The natural effect of rain is growth or to cause the bud of the â—ender herb to bring forth If God denies water to manured and well husbanded lands they wither and even desolate desarts and waste grounds flourish when God waters them then the bud of the tender herb springs forth Hence Note Natural causes produce proper natural effects When God sends rain on desolate places they bud and spring forth When the rain falls the herb flourishes where the Sun shines the grasse grows And surely thus it is in spirituals spiritual causes bring forth spiritual effects if the Lord sends the rain of the word upon desolate souls the soul receiving it will bud and the tender herb will bring forth Moses Deut. 32.1 2. compared his Doctrine to the small rain upon the tender herb and to the showres upon the grasse How green are the herbs after rain and the grasse after showres Herbs and grasse bear witness to the bounty and goodness of God in giving sweet showres of rain Natural rain is seen in their looks and so should spiritual in our lives And if where the rain of the word falleth they that receive it do not bud and blossome and bring forth fruit the desolate wilderness will rise up in judgement against them the waste grounds will condemn them They will say Lord you sent rain upon us and lo here are our buds and our blossomes yea here 's the fruit which we have brought forth Will not this shame our barrenness Hath the Lord divided the Water-course of the Gospel and caused it to rain on us from day to day and shall not we shew our buds and blossomes of holiness our fruits of faith and repentance that he may come into his garden and eat of his pleasant fruits How dreadful Shall the waste wildernesses and desolate grounds bring forth when the rain fâ—lls upon them and shall not the Church It is not bare professing but fruit-bearing which honours God John 15.8 It is uncomely if so much as a leaf of profession withers Psal 1.3 But how green soever the leaves of our profession are yea though they should retain their greenness under the hottest and most scorching Sun of Persecution yet what would it advantage us if our leaves are not accompanied with good fruits Now If any should ask What mean you by good fruits Or what fruits are good I shall close the point in hand with an Answer to these Questions These good fruits considered in reference to their efficient cause are called fruits of the spirit Gal. 5.22 and in reference to the matter of them they are called fruits of righteousness Phil. 1.11 but in reference to the beginning or occasion of them they are called fruits meet for repentance Matth. 3.8 In general all that is good fruit which is conformable to the Word of God whether it be the conformity of our natures to it in conversion or the conformity of our wayes to it in our daily conversation More particularly these good fruits are of two sorts First Inward fruits or those which we bring forth within that is in our hearts these are secrets and only known to God Secondly Outward fruits which we bring forth in
our lives these are or may be seen of men yet they must not be brought forth that we may be seen in doing them but that men seeing our good works may glorifie our Father which is in Heaven Matth. 5.16 Our inward good fruits which are indeed our choicest and most spiritual good fruits are of three sorts First Good Thoughts To do good is best for others but to think good or to have many good thoughts is the best proof that we our selves are good Solomon saith Prov. 12.12 The root of the righteous yieldeth fruit The root of a righteous man is his heart and the first-fruits of a good heart are good thoughts He is a precious person and hath a precious heart that can say as holy David did Psal 139.17 How precious are thy thoughts unto me O God how great is the sum of them That is the thoughts which I have of thee O God are exceeding precious unto me and I have many very many of them more than I am able to sum or reckon up Secondly Good affections are good inward fruits such are godly sorrow joy in God love to God longing after God Psal 27.4 Psal 42.1 2. Isa 26.9 hatred of evil all these movings of the heart are good and precious fruits Thirdly which are the issue and result of both the former good purposes and holy resolves to cleave fast to God to stick as David expresseth it Psal 119.31 to his testimonies wayes and truths at all times especially in times of trial or to continue with Christ in his temptation these are very good inward fruits Psal 17.3 Dan. 1.8 Acts 11.23 Outward good fruits are of two sorts First Good words are good fruits The lips of the righteous feed many Prov. 10.21 Edifying words Eph. 4.29 words of exhortation to good Heb. 3.13 words of reproof as to evil Gal. 6.1 words of comfort to the sad and sorrowful 1 Thess 5.14 all these words are good fruits Secondly Good works first of holiness towards God secondly of righteousness and love towards all men thirdly of charity to the poor all these are outward good fruits and all these the Lord looks for where-ever or upon whomsoever he sends the rain of his word JOB Chap. 38. Vers 28 29 30. 28. Hath the Rain a Father or who hath begotten the drops of dew 29. Out of whose Womb came the Ice and the hoary frost of Heaven who hath gendred it 30. The Waters are hid as with a stone and the face of the deep is frozen THe Lord having questioned Job in the former context about the course of the Rain and the free dispensation of it even to those places where no man is and to the Wilderness where there is no man here he questions him about the cause and original of the Rain and not only of the Rain but of the Dew the Ice and the Frost So then in these three verses we have four Questions First about the Rain and Secondly about the Dew in the 28th verse Thirdly about the Ice and Fourthly about the Frost in the 29th verse together with the marvelous force and effects of it vers 30. Vers 28. Hath the Rain a Father The Inquiry is who is the Father of the Rain that is who is the Author what is the cause of it Not as if the cauâ—e of that or of the other Meteors here mentioned could not at all be known but to shew First That much of them all is unknown There are many things in this lower Sphear beyond mans Sphear even these are not propagated altogether according to our understanding or apprehensions of them Secondly To shew that he must be plentifully stored with all sorts of good who as a Father begets and as a Mother brings forth such useful and necessary things for the preservation of living Creatures Thirdly To shew that these creatures are not produced by causes which are constant and unvariable in nature but proceed from and daily depend upon the power and will of God who somtimes checks and stops the course of Nature and at other times impregnates it for the production of these effects or brings them forth by the Midwifery and help of second causes Fourthly When the Lord propounds the Question under this Relation of a Father he would shew or teach us that he gives Rain and Dew to the earth as a father gives food and other requisites to his children Further This seems to be the design of God in putting these Questions to Job that forasmuch as he could not fully comprehend the causation and production of these things much less was able to cause or produce them himself but must receive them from the power and according to the dispose and providence of God therefore he should refer all his concernments to the same Providence and so rest satisfied whether God sent him a sweet and refreshing Rain and Dew or a grievous and afflictive season of Ice and Fâ—ost Thus we may conceive the general scope of this Context Now to the particulars Hath the Rain a father The question may be resolved both negatively and affirmatively First Negatively the Rain hath no Father that is on earth or among men There is no creature power that can produce a drop of Rain Secondly affiâ—matively Hath the Rain a father Yes it hath God is the Father of the Rain The Rain is not fatherless there is one who will own the Rain as his child or issue The causation of Rain is a great secret in nature a secret about which though wise and learned men have discoursed much and given out much light about it yet they have not reached the utmost nor attained the full knowledge of it and the reason of that is because the Rain hath a Father whose wayes and workings as in the first constitution of Nature so in the daily motions of it exceed our knowledg Hath the Rain a father Not on earth Nor are the Heavens the Father of the Rain the God of Heaven is As not a shower no nor a drop of Rain falls on the earth at the will or by the power of man Si quis alium praeter Deum pluviae patrem quaerat is erit vapor qui ex humidis locis entractus eâ— alevatus a Solo concrescit in nebulam aut nubem et inde a Sole repefactus liquescit et solvitur Sanct. so not by the power of the Sun drawing up the vapours and dissolving the Clouds nor by the Winds scattering the Clouds The Sun may shine the Moon may change the Winds may blow and turn long enough yet no Rain till the Lord gives the Word Some and that not improperly have called the Sun The father of the Rain The Sun draws up those vapours from the earth into the Air which are the matter of Rain and there those vapours are condensed into Clouds and afterwards rarified and dissolved into Rain yet these natural causes produce these effects only as God sets them on work and he can
suspend their working as often as he will And therefore the simple and plain meaning of this question is the Rain owes its original to God and must call him father And that 's the observation which riseth out of this question Hath the Rain a Father God and God alone is the Father of the Rain Without him it had never been and that it is continued is by his power and providence that the frame of nature is so disposed that second causes are so ordered and furnished as to produce Rain proceeds from or comes to pass by the Lord alone The Prophet spake this in a time of great drought Jer. 14.22 both in the negative and in the affirmative and he proposed two questions or the question twice intending the negative First Are there any among the Vanities of the Gentiles that can cause Rain By the vanities of the Gentiles we are to understand their Idol gods Idols are vanities or nothings and can they who are nothing do this great thing give Rain That 's the first question Can Idols cause Rain surely they cannot But will it not rain of course will not the Heavens one time or other yield Rain That 's the second Question Can the Heavens give showers No As Idols or false gods cannot give Rain so neither can the Heavens if forbidden give Rain they act not their power in their own power The Heavens cannot give Rain if God gives them a command to the contrary and the God of Nature can check and countermâ—nd the course of Nature both on earth and in the Heavens when he will Though those bottles the Clouds be never so pregnant and full of Rain yet he can stop them So then neither the Idols nor the Heavens can do it if God say No yea if he give not forth a word of command if he bids not the course of Nature proceed the Heavens over our heads will be Brass and the eaâ—th under us as Iron and therefore the Prophet in the latter part of the verse tells us expresly who is the Father of the Rain Art not thou he O Lord our God Therefore will we wait upon thee for thou hast made all these things As if he had said O Lord thou hast made them and therefore thou hast both the right and the power to dispose of them What can be said more clear and full for the confirmation of this poynt Many other Scriptures say the same thing Read Deut. 28.12 Psal 147.8 Jer. 5.24 Amos 4.7 So then though there are natural causes of Rain yet God is the first cause and it is at his pleasure that these natural causes either pâ—oduce their effects or are stayed from pâ—oducing them It Rains not by accident nor by any concatenation of second causes but according to the appoyntments and pleasure of the great God 'T is no small part of our duty to eye God in causing these common things and 't is a great piece of Atheism or a disowning of God to tye them up to natural causes Now If God be the Father of the Rain we may hence infer First That God is the Father of all Creatures and the supream cause of all effects in the creatures As a Father is the second or instrumental cause of his Sons Being so God is the supream efficient cause of all Beings and Entities Not only Animals and Rationals but the very inanimates and sensless creatures are of a Divine extraction God is the Fountain of their Being And if God be and must be acknowledged as the Father of all Creatures even of the Rain then Secondly God is much more the Father of Mankind The Apostle voucheth that to the superstitious Athenians as a Divine truth out of their own Authors Acts 17.28 As certain also of your own Poets have said for we are also his off spring we are sprung from him as Branches from the Root or as Streams from the Fountain Not that we are as the Streams with the Fountain or the Branches with the Rooâ— of the same Nature with him which to imagine were highest Blasphemy but we take or receive our Nature from him that is he hath made us to be what we are and in him that is in dependance upon him we live and move and have our Being Thirdly If God own himself as a Father to all things and to all men in a general way of Nature then much more doth he own himself a Father to all his people in a way of grace What the Apostle saith of his Title Saviour 1 Tim. 4.10 He is the Saviour of all men especially of those that believe so I may say of this Relation Fatâ—er God is the Father of all men but especially of those that believe The fatherhood which stands in gâ—ace is the highest and most excellent fatherhood which God beareth to any of his Creatures As to this â—he Apostle Jam. 1.18 saith Of his own will begat he us by the Word of Truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of his Creatures that is as I conceive that believers they only are begotten with the word of truth considered with all other creatures to whom God is a Father in a common way should have the honour to be called the chief of his creatures The first fâ—uits were chief among the fruits of the earth The first born both of man and of beast were the Lords portion Exod. 13.1 therefore chief This honour have all the Saints the Birth-right is theirs and theirs is the Blessing They as all holy things are dedicated to God and graciously accepted with him as a chosen Generation as a peculiar people He who is Lord over all and Father of all both things and persons as they stand in the whole compass of Nature is eminently and with endeared affections a Father to all them who believe and are actually in a state of grace Fourthly If God be a Father to all creatures and to man more than to inferiour creatures and to true Beleevers more than to other men then as his fatherhood is extended so is his fatherly care God will not be wanting to any as a Father to whom he is upon any account a Father He takes care of the fruits of the earth and of the beast of the field and of all mankind he feeds them all and cloaths them all and protects them all but they who are a kind of first-fruits of his creatures and bears the image of his holiness or his Image in holiness have a special portion and proportion of his care over them and love to them and provision for them What can he deny to us as a Father who hath vouchsafed to be our father Hath the Rain a father Or who hath begotten the drops of Dew This latter part of the verse is of the same meaning with the former The word which we translate hath begotten Verbum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Chal et de viro et de muliere dicitur et 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
God is here compared to a Mother for the same reason for which he was before compared to a Father We are to note saith Aquinas upon this place that Cold is the cause of Ice which is a feminine or womanish quality but the cause of rain and dew is heat which is a masculine or manly quality And therefore the Lord speaking of the generation of rain and dew useth the word Father and about the generation of Ice and Frost he useth a word most proper to the Mother Out of whose womb came the Ice The word rendred womb signifies the whole belly yea the whole body Thus Psal 132.11 Of the fruit of thy body c. The Hebrew is belly so the word is used Gen. 15.4 2 Chron. 22.21 but according to our Translation it strictly relates to the Mother as if God would take upon him both sexes and be as the Father of the rain and dew so the Mother of the Ice and Frost The Ancients insist much upon this setting forth the glory of God in the former verse as a Father and here as a Mother out of whose womb the Ice comes and they tell us of some who never had Scripture light Clemens Alexandrinus l. 5. Strom. Docet Deum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab Orpheo vocatum that yet did speak of God according to this Notion calling him Mother-Father They looked to God and honoured him as having not onely the power of a Father but the care of a Mother conceiving nourishing nursing and educating the Creature as a Mother doth her children and therefore called God Mother-Father and so much this change of the word in the Text doth imply Out of whose womb Came the Ice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gelu Radix evulsit pilos quia gelu terram gramine arbâ—res plantasquefolits dejectis quasi glabrat Yet this manner of speaking signifies no more than this that Ice and Frost are caused and brought forth by the power of God The word rendred Ice comes from a root which signifies to make bald or to pull off the hair because when Frost and Ice come they quickly pull off the leaves from the trees and the flowers from the hearbs they mâ—ke all bare-headed and so Ice hath its denomination from that effect Out of whose womb came the Ice And the hoary frâ—st of heaven who hath gendred it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Texit operuit The word rendred hoary frost signifies to cover over because the â—oary frost covers all over The trees and hearbs all things above ground aâ—e covered with the hoary frost therefore it hath its name from covering and here the Lord calls it The hoary Frost Of Heaven Because the cold which makes the hoary Frost comes from the Air which is oâ—ten in Scripture called Heaven Hence Note The Lord will be acknowledged as the Author of Ice and Frost They are the effects of his power and declaration of his glory and therefore the Lord calls such-like meteors to praise him Psal 148.8 as evidences or pâ—â—ofs of his power and wonderous works Psal 147.16 17. He scattereth his hoar Frost like ashes he casteth forth his Ice like morsels who can stand before his cold The Lord takes the Ice and Frost and Cold to be his it is not onely his Sun but his Ice and his Frost he scatters his hoar Frost like ashes The Frost is compared to ashes in a threefold respect first Because the hoar Fâ—ost gives a little interruption to the fight Iâ— you scatter ashes into the Air it darkens the light so doth the hoaâ—y Frost Secondly hoary Frost is like ashes because near in colour to ashes Thirdly 'T is like ashes because there is a kind of burning in it Fâ—ost burns the tender buds and blossoms Vnde pruinae nomen è perurendo quod fruges perurit vocant Carbunculationem iâ— nips them and dries them up The hoary Frost hath its denomination in the Latine Tongue from burning it diffeâ—s but a very little from that word which is commonly used in Latine for a coal of fire The cold Frost hath a kind of scotching in it as well as the hot Sun Unseasonable Frosts in the Spring scorch the tender fruits which bad effect of Frost is usually exprest by Carbunculation or blasting Frost is sometimes a great benefit and sometimes a great scourge when it comes opportunely and in season 't is a great benefit but if it comes in the spring of the year if it comes when the youth of the spring buds and blossomes are put forth it proves very detrimental and kills that hopeful spring of the Earth which the warmth of a benigne Sun and wind had invited out The Frost of a few nights hath spoiled the hopes of Husbandmen and Vine-dressers for the whole year Frost is both a benefit and a scourge whether it proves the one or the other it is God who gendreth it and must therefore be acknowledged in it As in this 29th verse Goâ— declares himself the Author of the Frost and of the Ice and in opening it somewhat hath been said of their effects so in the next verse one remarkable and very forcible effect of the Frost is held forth that we may learn and 't is no more than our exâ—erience and eye-sâ—ght have often taught us what Cold or Frost can do Why what can it do It can tuâ—n water into stones Such is the power of Cold that it hardens the liquid water like a stone Ice in its very first appearance hath the resemblâ—nce of a stone and being very thick as in long Frosts 't is like a rock like a mountain of stone Thus tâ—e Text speaks Vers 30. The waters are hid as with a stone That is when extream cold freezes the waters into Ice the waters are not seen they are loâ—kt up and as it were paved over with a stone or the waters seem to suffer a strange metamorphosis and leaving their natural liquidiâ—y and softness are condensed or hardened into râ—cks such is the force of cold Some express it actively not as we The waters are hid but the waters hide themselves like a stone Thus Mr. Broughton expresseth it Naturalists tell us that in some cold Countries Nives in Chrystallum durantur Plin. l. 37. c. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Aqua frigore conâ—reta where there are great falls of snow and rain the snow and rain grow into such a hardness that you cannot reduce them into waâ—er Chrystal say they is nothing but water hardened by câ—ld And thus water is more than hid as with a stone for it becomes a stone Hence Note The Lord can make wonderful changes in Nature What is more fluid than water more moveable than water it was of old grown into a divine Proverb Gen. 49.4 Vnstable as water yet this unstable body can the Lord change into a stone and make it hard as a rock Histories are full of strange reports concerning the effects
by Châ—ist in that invitaâ—ion to his Spouse Cant. 2.10 11 12 13. My beloved spake aâ—d said unto me Rise up my love my fair one and come away f r lâ— the wiâ—ter is past the rain is over and gone that is thy affl cti ns are ended thy clouds of soâ—row and thy tears aâ—â— over-blâ—wn and wiped away and now behold a succession of beâ—â—eâ— things even of whatsoever may call out thy joys and renew thy comfâ—â—ts fâ— the flowers appear on the earth the time of the singiâ—g â—f birds is câ—me the voice of the turtle is heard in our land the figge-tree putteth forth her tender figges and the Vines with the tender grape give a good smell Here 's a new face of things indeed what can be added to the felicity of that estate which is shadowed under these Metaphors Such a Summer of spiritual felicity in temporal liberties after a winter of temporal sufferings in her spirituals did Christ invite his Church in general unto And this may relieve particular Christians in their afflictions The cold Frost seldome lasts long never alwayes Thirdly Though Cold and Frost be pinching and troublesome while they last yet they have a very good effect upon the Earth while they last First they mellow the Earth After a lasting Frost the clods of Earth crumble easily whereas if it lie all the Winter without a Frost they are more stiffe and not so fit for husbandry Thus afflictions mellow the heart of man and make it more fit for Gods husbandry As Frost dries up the ill humours of the Earth so doth affliction those of the soul and thereby prepares it to receive the seed of the Word When God afflicts his people it is for their profit that they may be partakers of his holiness that is that they may profitabâ—y improve all those means which he hath appointed to make them more holy And hence Fourthly As Frost and Cold kill the weeds and worms which eat the roots and hinder the growth of Herbs Corn and Plants so afflictions kill our lusts those worms and weeds that breed and grow in our hearts alwayes hindering the fruitfulness sometime to the utter unfruitfulness of the seed of the word sown among us and upon us Matth. 13.22 The frost of affliction is a means to prevent the worm which breeds naturally out of the corruption of our hearts even that terrible worm spoken of Isa 66.24 the worm of conscience As there are worms of corruption Pride Covetousness Wrath Wantonness c. in our hearts so out of these that tormenting worm breeds called the worm of Conscience Now the frost of affliction which God sends upon us is very effectual as to kill these worms of corruption which eat the roots of our graces and hinder our fruit-bearing so to prevent the life of that worm of Conscience which as the Prophet speaks in the place last named never dyeth Therefore as when the Lord sends frost though it make us shake and we have a hard time of it yet no man riseth up in passion and saith I had rather dye and be out of the world than live in such a season No men know that a frosty season is a wholesome season and they know Summer will come and make amends So when we are in the Winter of affliction let us not be impatient nor unquiet let us not think that the frost will ruine and undo us Though Ice be upon every water though Icicles hang upon every twig do not think this will be at all for your undoing it may be much for your bettering Cold weather doth good as well as hot and if we should have all hot and no cold it might be very ill very bad to us therefore be not troubled at the cold nor afraid of ice and frost they will not hurt you unless you hurt your selves by your impatience under them And when 't is coldest you may warme your selves at the fire or Sun-shine of this hope that ere long the weather will be warmer As Athanasius said of the trouble given the Church by that Apostate Julian It is but a Cloud it will soon be over so may I say according to the allusion in this Text it s but a Winters frost Summer will come This should be the comfort of all that fear God in a day of evil feared or felt When Christ Mat. 24.32 33. had soretold the signs of his coming he said Learn a Parable of the Fig-tree when his branch is yet tender and putteth forth leaves ye know that Summer is nigh So likewise ye when ye shall see all these things know that it is near even at the door As when we shall see those dreadful appearances which are the fore-runners of Christ coming so when we shall feel any chilling frosts of affliction then we may know that Summer is at hand when the night is darkest the light is nearest when Winter is hardest a thawing Sun leading in the Spring is approaching towards us There is but one kind of cold or frost which we have cause to fear and that is the frost of unkindness or the coldness of affection to God and one another and I warn all to take heed of that because it is but too too probable that this frost and cold will hang about the hearts of many in the latter days yea is it not visible are we not sensible of that frost begun at least in these days as Christ himself prophesied of those latter days Mat. 24.12 The love of many shall wax cold is not love to God very chil is not charity to man among men of a complexion as cold as ice at this day Take heed of this frost of this cold let not your hearts be frozen in love to God or Man It is sad when the streams of charitable bounty are frozen and the waters of compassion hidden as with a stone when the very bowels of men are Ice and their hearts harder to one another than the nether mil-stone There are two things much to be lamented whenever they are seen or felt among the Sons of men especially among those who profess themselves the Servants of God The first is heat of anger and wrath The second is coldness of love and zeal As that heat is apt to kindle unnatural fires so this coldness may provoke the Lord to kindle judiciary fires or fiery judgments The coldness of the air will not hurt us nor can the frost of any affliction much annoy us if our love wax not cold if the frost of uncharitableness to one another and of unzealousness if I may so speak for God and his concerns take not our affections JOB Chap. 38. Vers 31 32 33. 31. Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades or loose the bands of Orion 32. Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons 33. Knowest thou the Ordinances of Heaven canst thou set the dominions thereof in the earth THe Lord
gives them this character 2 Sam. 1.23 They were stronger than Lions and swifter than Eagles that is they were exceeding swift Our adversaries were swifter than the Eagles said the poor captivated Church when the Assyrian came in against them Lam. 4.19 Read also Deut. 28.49 Hos 8.1 Hab. 1.8 Cicero the Orator in his second book of Divination tells us that when one who was to run a race reported to an Interpreter Vicisti ista enim ave volat nulla vehementior Cicer. l. 2. de divin that he dreamed he was turned into an Eagle the Interpreter presently answered Then you shall overcome or get the mastery For the Eagle is the strongest and swiftest of all flying fowls Secondly The Eagle exceeds all as in swiftness so in the uprightness of her flying She flies right up that 's it which the Text takes notice of She mounteth up she mounts up like an arrow out of a bow Non obliquo tramite ut caeterae aves vel per gyrum ut accipiter sed recto sursum fertur Aelian lib. 14 c. 10. Aquila derem volatu superat sublimius evadit Oppian Aquila in nuhibus whereas other fowls when they flie high they do it obliquely or side-long by gyration or fetching a compass but the Eagle asceâ—ds directly not as I may say by winding stairs but in a right line Thirdly As the swiftness and uprightness of the Eagles motion so the highness of it is wonderful The Eagle mounts till she is quite out of sight no bodily creature can reach the Eagles altitude One of the Ancients saith The Eagle soars above the air he means I suppose the lower region of the air as if she would visit the starry heavens And hence it is said proverbially of any thing which we cannot easily reach or come at 'T is an Eagle in the clouds Her common attribute or epithete is The high-flying Eagle If it be questioned why doth the Eagle mount up so high these two reasons may be given of it First That she may come down or stoop with greater force upon her prey and that makes the Eagle so formidable to all the fowls of the air Aquila 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à â—oetis dictus And hence the Poets call her a Thunder bringer because she mounts up on purpose to that amazing height that she may come down upon her prey more forcibly even like a thunder-bolt And thus proud men desire to get on high that they may more easily make a prey of and crush as the Eagle doth those that are below them Secondly The Eagle mounts thus high to please her self 't is sutable to her spirit Every one would be in action as he is in disposition The Eagle hath a high spirit and she must flie high and at high things The Eagle will not catch flies she scorns that game Doth the Eagle mount up At thy command The Hebrew is At thy mouth so the word is rendred in several other Scriptures Numb 13.3 And Moses by the commandement of the Lord sent them from the wilderness of Paran that is he sent the men that were to search the Land The Hebrew is Moses by the mouth of the Lord sent them to search the Land Again 2 Kings 24.3 Surely at the commandement of the Lord came this upon Judah to remove them out of his sight for the sins of Manasseth As if it had been said When the enemy made inrodes upon the children of Israel and Judah how came this to pass surely at the command of the Lord or at the mouth of the Lord came this upon Judah It is the word in the Text Doth the Eagle mount up at thy command or at thy mouth One would think that it is not only the Eagles nature to mount up there is somewhat in that but that 's not all it is at the Lords mouth at his command and that we are specially to take notice of here What means this discourse about the Hawk and Eagle but to make us mount up our hearts to God and acknowledge him in the motion of every creature It is at Gods mouth that the Eagle mounts up but what 's the command that the Eagle receives from God Doth not the Eagle mount up by a natural instinct or according to the Law of nature planted in her I answer she doth Yet because that natural instinct of the Eagle is of God therefore we are to look upon the Eagle mounting up as by a special order and command of God And thus we are to understand the motion of all the creatures Facit hoc aquila naturali instinctu Omnis autem naturalis cursus rerum est quaedam motio creaturae ad praeceptum Dei Aquin. Dedistinè hanc naturam aquilae ut attollat se in altum Vatabl. as consequential of a command given out by God Psal 148.8 Fire and hail snow and vapour stormy wind fulfilling his word or his command Though there be a natural cause of the creatures motion of the motion of the wind of the vapour of the snow and hail yet we must not stop at the natural causes and look no farther neither rain nor snow fall nor winds blow but at the command of the Lord Not doth the Eagle mount up at the bidding or teaching of man but at the command of God acting her natural instinct in doing so Doth the Eagle mount up at thy command Hence Note The special motions of the creature are of God Mans mouth or command cannot make any creature stir foot or wing Who can make the Eagle mount the wind blow or the rain fall besides God Secondly As to the manner of this motion it s a mounting motion Note The motion of the creature upward hath much of the command of God in it Some have I know mounting motions at the command of the Devil the Lord hath the command of them though they are not commanded by him that is the proud imaginations the lofty thoughts of man these mounting motions are not at the command but against the command of the Lord the Lord suffers them but they are from Satan he puffs men up he blows them up with pride But both the natural mounâ—ings of the sensitives creatures and the gracious mountings of the new creature on high are by the command of God True believers have lowest or lowliest spirits yet highest and noblest aimes not grovelling on nor bowing to the earth but like an Eagle mounting up on high As this high flight of the soul is highly pleasing unto God so 't is made by his strength and at his command A believer flies high First In the contemplation of divine things What towering thoughts hath he concerning God and the concernments of salvation by Jesus Christ he is not mingling his soul with the dust nor mudding it upon the dunghils of this world As his conversation or trade is for things above so his mind and meditation is upon them Secondly As he flies high
spare his Servants and Children when they sin he is no cockering Father he will correct his own Children he will not only sweep his house but he will shake his house and he shakes it because it is no better swept nor kept more cleanly And if for these and such like reasons we at any time see judgment beginning at the house of God we may say with astonishment What will the end of those be who obey not the Gospel What will become of the wicked and ungodly of those who openly prophane and blaspheme his Holy Name O what appearances shall they have of God and how shall they appear before God! We read in the 25th of Jeremy of a Bowl of blood given him to carry about to the Nations A terrible message he is sent about he carries a Cup of blood about and bids the Nations drink they must drink it and saith the Lord If they shall refuse to take the Cup at thy hand to drink then shalt thou say unto them thus saith the Lord of hosts ye shall certainly drink Why For lo I begin to bring evil upon the City which is called by My Name and shall ye be utterly unpunished As if the Lord had said I have brought evil upon Jerusalem upon my own people and they have drunk very deep of that bitter Cup and do you O ye uncircumcised nations think that you shall escape We may conclude the Lord hath a terrible storm to bring upon the wicked and ungodly of the world when we hear him speaking to his own people in whirlwinds Consider this ye that forget God as such are admonished Psal 50.22 lest he tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver For our God shall come and shall not keep silence a fire shall devour before him and it shall be very tempestuous round about him as 't is said at the 3d verse of that Psalme And Then as 't is threatned Psal 2 5. shall he speak to them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure That speaking will indeed be speaking out of a whirlwind which shall hurry them away into everlasting darkness Thus far of the manner of Gods speaking to Job the second time It was still out of the whirlwind Now followeth the matter spoken or what he spake to him Vers 7. Gird up thy loins now like a man I will demand of thee and declare thou unto me I shall add but little about this verse because we have had it almost word for word Chap. 38.3 where the Lord thus bespake Job Gird up now thy loins like a man for I will demand of thee and answer thou me These words this second time spoken or repeated by God to Job fall under various apprehensions these four especially First Some look upon them meerly as a challenge sent of God Gird up now thy self like a man come stand to thy work or rather stand to thy word do thy best Secondly Others expound them as an irony or divine scorn put upon Job to humble him Come Gird up thy loinâ— like a man Don't flinch for it stand to it thou wilt surely make good the day with me Thirdly Many in a milder sense look upon these words meerly as Counsel given to Job as if the Lord had said I mean to deal further with thee Therefore come now prepare and address thy self to the business I give thee leave to make the best thou canst of thy cause Fourthly We may take these words Esto bono animo c. as spoken to Job for his Comfort and encouragement The Lord seeing him as it were sinking and refusing to speak saith to him be not troubled be of good chear man Gird up thy loins like a man As the words are taken for a challenge and under the notion of a scorn put upon Job I shall not stay upon them This phrase Gird up thy loins was opened at the 38th Chap. 't is a metaphor taken from Travellers or those that go about any business who wearing long garments used to gird them up that they might be more expeditious whether for labour or for travel Thus the words are matter of Counsel and encouragement given to Job and under that notion I shall Note two things from them First As they are words of counsel the Lord having further business with Job or more to do with him adviseth him to gird up his loins like a man Hence Observe When we have to do with God we should put out our selve to the uttermost To Gird up our loins like a man imports our best preparation and such preparation we need for every holy duty When we are to pray we had need gird up our loins like men for then we are to wrestle or strive with God we must work it out with God in the duty of prayer and if our garments hang loose that is our affections be upon the earth and our hearts in the corners of the world how can we prevail with God in prayer we must gird up our loins like men when we declare our desires and requests to God in prayer and expect that God should answer us The holy Prophet complained of the Jews failing in this Isa 64.7 There is none that calleth upon thy name that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee Doubtless many called upon God in those days but they did not stir up themselves to take hold of God by faith and so their prayers went for no prayers And when we go to hear the word wherein God deals with us we had need gird up the loins of our minds else we cannot mind the word while we hear it nor remember much less practice the word which we have heard The Scripture often calls us to preparation for every duty What can discomposed persons loose-spirited persons loose-loin'd persons do with God or for God When we have any thing to do with God any thing to do for God we should do our best and be at our best we should play the men Master Broughton expresseth it well though not clear to the words in the Original Let me see thy skill or how skilfully thou canst handle the matter with me The Lord would have us shew our skill when we have any thing to do with him or to do for him we should then play the men and not the children much less should we play the fools be sloathful sluggish and careless Especially we should do this with respect to the appearing of Jesus Christ in the great day of our account Christ himself gives the rule Stand with your loyns girt and your lamps burning as those servants that wait for their Lords coming When Christ our Lord comes all must come before him but none shall be able to stand before him but they who stand with loyns girt that is who are ready and in that readiness wait for his coming Secondly Taking these words as words of encouragement Gird up thy loyns like a man Poor heart do not
as an Exposition of the former As if the Lord had said Either I must be condemned that thou mayest be righteous or thou must be condemned that I may be righteous now whether it be meet that I or thou must be condemned do thou judge While thou insistest so much upon thine own innocency thou seemest to cast blame upon my Justice Either I have wronged thee by afflicting thee without just cause or thou hast wronged me by intimations that I have done so One of these must needs be true seeing there is no middle between them Consider then which is most probable that I have wronged thee or thou me These are immediate contraries so that the one being granted the other must be denied Now wilt thou accuse me of injustice in afflicting thee that thy cause may be esteemed just But did Job ever accuse or condemn the Lord I answer Not directly as hath been shewed heretofore It never came into Jobs heart to accuse God of unrighteousness but because by some misunderstood speeches of his they about him judged he had therefore the Lord put this question home to him that he might exonerate and clear himself The onely matters in which he might seem to condemn God as unrighteous was his speaking so much of his afflicting the righteous and prospering the unrighteous or his insisting so much upon the defence of his own righteousnesse before men seemed to derogate from or intrench upon the righteousnesse of God So then Job did not intentionally cast any aspersion or blot upon the Justice of God he onely intended in what he said to shew that the affliction that was upon him was not for his sin but for his trial when he spake so much of his own righteousnesse and yet because he was a little too lavish in speech and too passionate the Lord here puts this question to him Wilt thou condemn me that thou mayest be righteous 'T is I that justifie thee and wilt thou condemn me The Lord is righteous and all men are unrighteous and shall any man do that which casts a note of unrighteousnesse upon God Wilt thou condemn me that thou mayest be righteous Hence Note First He that is much in the justifying of himself when he is under the Judgement or afflicting hand of God doth upon the matter condemn God Job was much in justifying himself though not with an intention to condemn God yet the very action spake this in the opinion of others that he thought himself not righteously dealt with or at least rigorously dealt with He that maintains his own right too much in affliction chargeth God with wrong though he never meant it And therefore the Apostle saith Let God be true Deum injustitiae accusare videbatur qui justos affligerei Merc. and every man a liar A godly man in a good frame though he cannot charge himself with any crime nor is conscious of any way of wickedness that he hath lived in yet approves and justifies the Lord in all his dealings with him and therefore we must take heed it is a tender point how we justifie our selves especially under the afflicting hand of God If we justifie our selves there is somewhat of condemnation cast upon God therefore still you shall find that the holiest servants of God in their Confessions charge all upon themselves Righteousness belongs to God but to us shame and confusion of face So spake Ezra and so spake Daniel It is very dangerous to and we quickly may reflect upon the justice of God and derogate somewhat from him by our justifying of our selves Observe Secondly 'T is our duty in all things whatsoever God doth to justifie him In dubio semper adversum nos pro deo sentiendum est Merc. As it is the highest grace which God manifests to the creature to justifie man It 's God that justifies who shall condemn So it is one of the most excellent duties of man to justifie God It is a high grace of God to man to justifie man but it is onely the duty of man to justifie God in all things Let him do what he will with persons or Nations let him break them all to pieces let him lay all waste and desolate in all this we are to justifie God We should rather be willing to appear sinful and that we are punished for our sins and evil deeds than so much as in appearance to question or make the least doubt of the justice of God or give others the least shadow of an occasion to question or doubt it That of the Schoolman bears much weight in this case Aquinas If saith he two are equal and a fault is to be laid upon one of them it is not reprovable if one of them purge himself of the fault charged although he be blameable in the opinion of others because man naturally loveth himself more than another But where there is so great a distance as between God and man man should rather take the blame to himself though unjustly laid on him than cast it upon God which he cannot do but unjustly And therefore God in arguing with Job proposeth the superlative excellency of himself above man Observe Thirdly We should be much in judging our selves Wilt thou condemn me that thou mayest be righteous Thou shouldest condemn thy self and judge thy self thy judgement is upon a wrong object Self judgement is good but judging of God oh how sinful is that 1 Cor. 11.31 If we would judge our selves we should not be judged of the Lord. Our businesse is to judge our selves and for not judging of our selves it is that we meet with so many judgements from the hand of God Therefore God judgeth us because we do not judge our selves And therefore let every mouth be stopt it shall be so at last as the Apostle concludes Rom. 3.18 Every mouth shall be stopt and all the world shall become guilty before God We are self-guilty and therefore should be self-condemned 'T is a dreadful thing in one sense to be self-condemned as it is spoken of the Heretick Tit. 3.11 He is condemned of himself He is condemned of himself while he doth justifie himself 'T is the worst of condemnations to be condemned of our selves by justifying of our selves but it is good to condemn our selves in judging or in humbling our selves David was much in self-censuring and self-judging when he found himself envying the prosperity of the wicked and said he had clensed his heart in vain he soon after censures himself for both Psal 77.22 So foolish was I and ignorant even as a beast before thee As if God had said what a foolish creature am I thus to condemn God in his proceedings to talk of my own innocency Let us not boast of but as Master Calvin expresseth it upon the Text let us win our spurs by condemning our selves For that is the only way to honour and exalt God If we would get honour to our selves it must not be
God having many Idol gods nor did he own them as his people and therefore the Apostle did not nor could he in truth say of the Gentiles They changed their glory c. But thus he saith They changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things The Gentiles did not change the incorruptible God their glory into an image but they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image c. And in that respect the idolatry of the Jews a people knowing the true God yea and glorying in him was worse than the idolatry of the Gentiles who knew him not nor ever gloried in him nor accounted him their glory But to the point in hand As that is Gods glory which manifests his glory So in general any thing which maketh man shine forth commendably or honourably to others or gives him a preheminence above many others as neer relation to God specially doth may be called his glory Whatsoever is best in us or to us is our glory The soul of man is his glory because it is his best part The body is a poor thing to the soul the body is but a shell the soul is the kernel the body is but the sheath as the Chaldee calls it Deut. 7.15 the soul is the sword though usually we take more pains for the body than for the soul as if we prized it more When Jacob said Gen. 49.6 O my soul come thou not into their secret unto their assembly mine honour be not thou united he meant some say the same thing by his soul and by his honour or glory because the soul is the most glorious and honourable part in man and that which men should be most careful of Thus likewise the tongue of man is called his glory Psal 57.8 Awake my glory that is my tongue The tongue being that organ or instrument whereby the wisdom and prudence of man is held forth and he made glorious in the world 't is therefore called his glory The tongue of man is also called his glory because with that he giveth glory to God by praising him and confessing his name together with his truth unto salvation And as glory is the best of man so of any other creature 1 Cor. 15.61 There is one glory of the Sun and another of the Moon and another glory of the Stars for one Star differs from another Star in glory that is there is one excellency uâ—e or operation in this Star and another in that Or One Star differs from another Star in glory that is their light influences effects differ some being more others less operative upon sublunary bodies When the Lord said to Job Array thy self with glory his meaning is shew thy best and he means the same when he adds Array thy self with beauty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beauty is the natural ornament of the body of the face or countenance especially These two words glory and beauty are often joyned together in Scripture Psal 21.5 Psal 45.3 where we render them honour and majesty We may thus distinguish between them taking the one for that which appears outwardly in vestures and gestures in actions and works and the other as importing that revâ—â—ence veneration which is given to such Verba originalia fero sunt synonima as appear in that splendor and dignity or which their splendor and dignity stirs up in others But we need not stand to distinguish them the words being often used promiscuously And here the Lord is pleased to imploy many words to the same purpose to shew what great state he had need be in that contends with him As if he had said O Job although thou didst not sit upon a dunghil or wert not bound to thy bed by the cords of thy affliction but didst sit upon a Kingly throne shining in robes of royalty couldst thou in all those ornaments equal thy self to me in majesty and excellency in glory and beauty Deck thy self with majesty and excellency c. Hence note First God himself is full of Majesty of Excellency of Glory and of Beauty I put them all together in one Observation because the tendency of them all is one The Scripture often sets forth the Lord thus adorned thus decked Psal 93.1 The Lord reigneth he is cloathed with majesty he is cloathed with strength wherewith he hath girded himself Again Psal 69.6 Honour and majesty are before him strength beauty are in his sanctuary Psal 104.1 Bless the Lord O my soul O Lord my God thou art very great thou art cloathed with honour and majesty This cloathing this array which the Lord called Job to put on is properly his own and though God will not give his glory to another yet here he bids Job take his glory and shew himself in it to the utmost if he could Many have affected or invaded Gods glory but none could ever attain or reach it God calls man really to partake of glory with him but man cannot take his glory upon him and be man The humane nature of Christ could never have received nor born that glory but as united to and subsisting in the person of the Son of God according to that prayer of his John 17.5 More distinctly If God be thus cloathed Then First We should tremble before him Majesty is dreadful The majesty of Kings who in nature are but men is very dreadful how much more the majesty of God who is King of Kings the King immortal and reigns for ever We have this trembling three times repeated with respect to the majesty of God Isa 2.10 19 21. where the mightiest and greatest of the world called there high Mountains and strong Towers Oaks and Cedars are said to go into the holes of the rocks and into the caves of the earth for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his Majesty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth And though the people of God have great cause to rejoyce at his majesty as 't is prophesied they shall Isa 24.14 They shall lift up their voices they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord nothing causeth the hearts of the righteous to rejoyce more than the majesty of God yet they ought to rejoyce and so they do with trembling Psal 2.11 or with a holy awe of God impressed upon their hearts for the majesty of God is a very dreadful tremendous awful majesty And the more we have truly tasted the goodness and mercy of God the more shall we tremble at his majesty yea the Lord will have his majesty not only taken notice of but trembled at and therefore he reproves those Isa 26.10 who would not behold his majesty The majesty of the Lord like himself cannot be seen or beheld in it self yet it sheweth it self many wayes though few behold it or tremble at it and the reason why they tremble not at it is because they do not
dares come within his lips or jaws which look like a double bridle Surely no man dares make such an adventure seeing his jaws are so vast or wide and terrible that it may even strike a man of courage with terror or into a fit of trembling to look into them Secondly Others because the jaws are spoken of afterwards understand this double bridle of any thing which man may attempt to put into his jaws to subdue him with as if it had been said who can coerce or bridle him though he have never so strong a bridle though he have a double bridle The word rendred bridle properly signifies the reine of a bridle Fraena nominantur eae partes quae utrinque ad maxillat desinunt Quis cum fraeno duplicato audeat accedere ad eum ut ejus rictui inserat sicut fit equo Sed malo parabolicè intelligere pro labiis Merc. There are two words by which a bridle is expressed the one signifying the bit which is put into the mouth of a horse the other the nead-stall and reins which a horseman holdeth in his hands Here we may take it for the whole bridle and that the strongest bridle as we render a double bridle As if it had been said who dares come neer Leviathan as we commonly do to a horse to put a bridle into his mouth who will undertake to halter or bridle him with all his skill and strength Thus the Relative His doth not respect Leviathan but the man who comes to bridle him And this is most probable because if by the double bridle we understand the jaws of Leviathan this would be the same with what is spoken plainly in the next words Vers 14. Who can open the doors of his face The Lord compareth the gaping jaws of Leviathan to doors to which also the lips are compared in Scripture Psal 141.3 Keep the door of my lips As by a Metaphor our lips are called doors so Leviathans jaws bear the similitude of a two-leav'd door which who can open This seems to carry on the allusion to a horse whose mouth must be opened before he can be bridled Who can force Leviathan to gape that he may put a bridle into his mouth That which is said of him in the latter part of the verse may make any one afraid to do so for His teeth are terrible round about or terrour is round about his teeth His teeth are not to be meddled with they are so terrible As the holy Prophet said to Pashur that false Prophet Thy name shall be called Magor Missabib terrour round about Jer. 20.2 So the teeth of the Leviathan are terrour round about Per gyrum deutium ejus formido Hieron If any one come near him he will see reason enough to be afraid His teeth are terrible Dread dwells round about his teeth and why so why are his teeth so terrible Surely because they are so hurtful he being able to tear any man to pieces with or to break a mans bones with his teeth Hence note That is terrible to us which we perceive hurtful to us The teeth of Leviathan are terrible round about because he can soon crush those that come near him with his teeth Now if that be terrible which we see can hurt us let us remember how terrible the unseen God is His teeth as I may say are terrible round about The Apostle tells us so while he saith 2 Cor. 5.11 Knowing the terrour of the Lord that is knowing how terrible the Lord is we perswade men God loves to save but he can destroy us sooner than Leviathan can crush us were we between his teeth The consideration of the terribleness that is in any creature should lead us to consider how terrible the Lord is to those who provoke him Are the teeth of a Leviathan or the teeth and paws of a Lion teâ—rible is the sting of a Serpent or the poison of Aspes terrible how terrible then is the wrath of God! As what is sweet and comfortable to us in the creature should lead us to consider how surpassing sweet and comfortable God is so that which is dreadful and terrible in the creature should lead us to consider how dreadful and terrible God is And as it is good for us often to say unto our selves O how good is God! so to say O how terrible is God! Yea David would have us say so unto God Psal 66.3 Say unto God that is acknowledge with admiration how terrible art thou in thy works And ver 5. Come and see the works of God he is terrible in his doings toward the children of men Yea God is terrible to his own people Psal 68.35 O God! thou art terrible out of thy holy places that is out of the Church and Church assemblies the Lord many times declares himself very terribly in those sacred assemblies How terrible was God in his Church when he devoured Nadab and Abihu with fire for offering strange fire before him which he commanded not Levit. 10.1 2. How terrible was the Lord out of his Church when he struck Ananias and Saphira dead Acts 5.5 10. how terrible was the Lord out of his holy place the Church to the Corinthians concerning whom the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 11.30 For this cause that is their unworthy partaking of the Lords Supper many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep God deals terribly with those who are not regardful of him who prepare not themselves with due and reverential respect to his holiness for holy duties He is a jealous God and he will not hold them guiltless that is he will hold them very guilty or deal with them as with guilty persons who take his Name in vain Exod. 20.7 When the Law was given so terrible was the sight that Moses said I exceedingly fear and quake Heb. 12.21 The Lord appeared thus terrible at the giving of the Law to shew how terrible he will be to sinners who transgress the Law and repent not of nor turn from their sins and transgressions yea the Lord for their trial shews himself very terrible to good men to broken-hearted and repenting sinners Heman had long and sad experience of this Psal 88.15 I am afflicted and ready to dye from my youth up while I suffer thy terrours I am distracted And for this Job made that grievous complaint Chap. 6.4 The arrows of the Almighty are within me the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit the terrours of God do set themselves in array against me Now if the Lord make such a terrible war upon Saints if he terrifie them even till he hath distracted them how will he draw up his terrours as an army or his army of terrours in battle array against the wicked and ungodly How often doth the Lord express himself by terrible things against such As he sometimes destroyeth sinners secretly or without any appearare of terrour Hosea 5.12 I will be unto Ephraim as a moth So often openly
of counsel Great dangers even unhinge our reason and put it out of place The Disciples of Christ in a storm Mat. 8.25 were not only like men at their wits end but almost at their faiths end too crying out Lord save us we perish if thou help us not we are all undone And he said why are ye fearful O ye of little faith There is nothing but faith can keep down the prevailings of fear in great or prevailing dangers breakings and when once we are at our faiths end in a time of extremity we shall soon be at our wits end also yea even quite out of our wits A faithless man is no match for little fears he that hath but a little faith or is a man of little faith may soon be over-matcht with great ones As perfect love either the actings of our perfect love to God or the evidence and apprehensions of the perfect love of God to us casteth out fear 1 Joh. 4.18 that is all that fear which hath torment in it so also doth perfect faith in God that is a strong a well-foundation'd and a well and high-built faith 'T is either for want of faith or for some want in faith that mighty men by reason of breakings are not only afraid but wander as uncertain of their way That 's the first reading Secondly We say They purifie themselves What 's that there are two interpretations of this translation First Some interpret it of a bodily distemper Quando mare fluctibus intumescit nausea â—boritur qui sunt in navi fere vomuâ—â— stomachum purguntes Drus Alvum solvit Bez. Rab. Levi. coming upon the mighty by reason of their fear In storms at sea passengers purge their stomacks usually by vomiting and sometimes by stool Thus I say some expound this Text that through extreamity of fear they are surprised with a suddein loosness The Prophet speaking of a dreadful day saith Ezek. 7.17 All knees shall be feeble we put in the Margin All knees shall go into the water the meaning is as all interpreters give it they shall not be able to hold there water And as some upon a suddain assault of fear cannot hold their water so neither can others their ordure The reason of it is plain in nature fear making a great dissipation of spirits weakens the retentive faculty Some look upon this as a sense too low and mean for the intendment of this place though in it self a truth And therefore 't is enough to mention it nor ought it to be left unmentioned seeing it may humble us to consider unto what pitiful exigents mighty ones may be brought when surprised with dangers But Secondly I conceive and upon that I shall insist these words Vox 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Piet Hiphtael expiationem à peccato importat unde vertitur expiabunt se seu paenitentiam agent remissionem à Deo petent praesenti mortis discrimino teriti Scult They purifie themselves are rather to be taken morally that is mighty men when they see themselves in such danger mighty Leviathan raising himself breaking all before him what do they they purifie themselves that is they betake themselves to prayer and repentance and then they will purifie themselves in all hast by confessing and vowing to put away their sins then they will in all hast make their peace with God this is a good interpretation And the word which we translate here to purifie is applied to this spiritual purifying by confessing of sin and tuâ—ning to God and promises of amendment Psalm 51.7 Purge or purifie me with hysop and I shall be clean only there 't is Gods act here mans But as God doth purge us by pardon so we may be said to purge our selves by repentance and earnest suing to God for pardon And how usual is it even with bad men when they are in great danger when they see nothing but death before them then to fall a praying and repenting then to confess their sins and promise amendment or to become new men Thus by reason of breakings when all is ready to be broken loft and spoiled they purifie themselves Hence Observe In great dangers which threaten present death or undoing at least even common men will confess their sins and make great shews or semblances of repentance When the mighty are afraid when they are in trouble and misery then they cry to God for mercy and cry out upon their sins as the procuring cause of their miseries and troubles How good how godly will they be for a fit and it may work further in a day of evil It is said of the Marriners in a storm Psal 107.28 Then they cry unto the Lord in their distresses Even such Marriners as seldom think of God nor pray to him in a calm being in a storm fall a praying they purifie thomselves Now they are for repentance now they will cast their sins over-board seing themselves almost swallowed up by the raging sea Thus Jon. 1.4 5. When the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea and there was a mighty tempest in the sea so that the ship was like to be broken Then the Marriners were afraid that was the first effect which the tempest wrought in them and what was the next that was a fit of devotion They cryed every man to his God Now they purified themselves by repentance and prayer Were not these Marriners grown very good when beset with evil Thus many pray repent make lamentations over their sins take up resolutions against their sins in a storm then or thus even carnal ignorant common men will purifie themselves in times of great danger We say well true repentances is never too late but late repentance is seldome true We may say also Repentance in a storm is good but repentance in a storm it not always good real dangers may produce but false feniged and forced repentance And they who repent only when they are in or because they are in a storm were never good as yet nor will they continue in that goodness which then they make shew of As a godly man purifies himself when he sees a storm so he purifies himself in a calm too or when he is in greatest safety And if we do not purifie our selves in a calm as well as in a storm our repentance is but the repentance of Heathen Marriners Be in a calm what you are in a storm be when you see Lambs what you were when you see or saw Leviathans Secondly Observe It is a duty to repent when we see great dangers or as the Text speaks great breakings To be sure we ought to repent in a time of trouble We are to repent at all times but then most Be careful you leave not that work undone at any time but do it very carefully at such a time It is said of those that were scorched with great heat Revel 16.9 they blasphemod the Name of God which hath power over
say understand and meditate upon these two things it would quiet our minds in the greatest storms of adversity and be a preservative against all impatience But if with these two we consider a third thing that the end which the Lord hath in bringing sufferings upon his people is to do them good how unreasonable a thing will impatience appear shall we be impatient at our profit If we are well instructed in this great truth that all things work together for good to them that love God and are the called according to his purpose Rom. 8.28 Where is there any room for impatience in those who are effectually called and truly love God! Impatience floweth from ignorance Again in that Job confesseth himself to be the man that hid the counsels of God when he had only been speaking unadvisedly of them Note He that speaketh improperly and unskilfully of the counsel or things of God hideth them When in discourses about divine truths we do not advance the honour of God we as it were cast a vail upon it Not to do what we ought is to do what we ought not our omissions of good may be censured as commissions of evil We should display and magnifie the wisdom of God in all his dealings with us and dispensations towards us else we do unwisely Thirdly Job chargeth it upon himself as a fault that he uttered what he knew not Hence note Our words and our understandings should go both together Let us take heed of venting with our tongues what we have not in some good degree reached with our understandings The understanding should give light to the tongue nor need we any other light to speak by but that of the understanding True light cannot shine out of our mouths if there be much darkness in our minds How shall we utter knowledge if we have it not Psal 147.7 God is the King in all the earth sing ye praises with understanding In singing praises as there is an exercise of our affections so there should be of our understanding also The Apostle puts it twice in those duties of prayer and praise 1 Cor. 14.15 I will pray with the Spirit and will pray with understanding also I will sing with the Spirit and I will sing with the understanding also A word should not go out of our mouths but such as the understanding dictates and directs better not to speak than speak what we know not If we understand not what we speak we seldom edifie others never our selves As the tongues of some utter things above their experiences and affections so do the tongues of others utter words beyond their judgements Fourthly When Job spake he thought he had spoken very well yet now he is convinced of his weakness and mistakes in what he spake Hence note Good-meaning men may sometimes arrogate and pretend to more knowledg than cometh to their share They may think they know the truth in a better manner and measure than indeed they do Our opinion of our selves is often greater than our knowledg of other matters and we may soon imagine we know that which indeed we know not The Apostle saith 1 Cor. 8.2 If any man think that he knoweth any thing he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know He that really knoweth any thing as he ought cannot but have thoughts that he knoweth it but he that thinketh that is is much or proudly thinking that he knoweth any thing doth only think so for he knoweth nothing as he ought that is really groundedly and effectually Fifthly Observe God will bring his servants at last to see how short they are of that knowledg which they sometimes presume to have Job thought he had more knowledg than he indeed had and God made him see it 'T is a work of great goodness in God to shew us how defective we are both in knowledge and goodness We are full of self till God convinceth us of our self-emptiness we are full of self-wisdom and self-strength and self-righteousness till the Lord convinceth us that our wisdom is folly our strength weakness our righteousness an unclean thing and sheweth us yea causeth us to recieve and take Christ for our righteousness strength and wisdom God did not leave Job till he had brought him out of and off from himself as to whatsoever he had too high an opinion of or any confidence in himself Again Job was upon his humiliation before God he had not any gross sin to charge himself with for he stood still upon his integrity as he had done before nor was Job mistaken in that point he had not lived in any gross sin That which he charged himself with was want of knowledg and his erroâ— in managing his cause towards God arising from it Hence note Sixthly Our ignorance and errors are to be confessed and bewailed before the Lord and we to be deeply humbled for them What though we have not any open wickedness to charge our selves with what though the world cannot charge us nor we our selves with any foul and black-fac'd enormities yet have we not errors have we not ignorances have we not weaknesses to confess Jobs eye had none of those beams in it but he began to see the moates in his eye and repented of his shortness in knowledg and of his rashness in language Though great sins call loudest for repentance yet the least sin even a sin of ignorance calleth us to repentance also and wo to those who knowingly neglect or stop their ears against that call When David was only stagger'd at the providence of God giving prosperity to the wicked so spake unadvisedly with his lips as Job in a parallel case did Psal 73.13 14. Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain and washed my hands in innocency For all the day long have I been plagued and chastened every morning Yet as soon as he recovered out of this temptation how deeply did he charge himself ver 22. So foolish was I and ignorant I was as a beast before thee Why did he then call himself a fool a beast was it for adultery and murder which were once his sins no but for ignorance and rashness David called himself a beast in judging of the dealings of God by sense not for living in any beastly sensuality Let us remember and not lightly pass it over that though we have not which rarely we have not gross sins to confess yet we have ignorances and errors too too many The same David said and prayed Psal 19.12 Who can understand his errors cleanse thou me from secret faults that is from those faults and errors which I do not understand yea cleanse me from this fault that I have not a better understanding As he there prayed to be kept from the dominion and so from the guilt of presumptuous sins that is of sins committed against the light of knowledg so to be cleansed from the guilt of his secret sins that is of sins committed without his knowledg Thus
are they that put their trust in him Psal 2.12 My wrath is kindled against thee and thy two friends Why Because ye have not spoken that which is right of me Hence note Fourthly When the Lord is angry he will shew cause of his anger God is not angry as men often are without cause When Jonah was angry the Lord said unto him Dost thou well to be angry Yea saith he that I do I have reason enough thought he to be angry though there was no true reason at all for it But when the Lord is angry he always hath reason enough and he sometimes giveth his reason That the Lord doth us good is from free grace there is no reason in us why he doth us good as he told the people of Israel I did this and that for you not because ye were more than others either in weight or number but because I loved you but when the Lord afflicts his people he tells them the reason 't is for your sins or to purge you from your sins and sometimes pointeth them to the special sins for which he punisheth them and from which he would have them purged As here he did Eliphaz and his two friends Ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right as my servant Job hath The Lord doth not charge them with any evil actings but with undue speakings Ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right Hence note Failings in speech or in what we say may kindle wrath as well as failings in what we do Further The Lord doth not charge them with speaking soul and filthy things they had only spoken the thing that was not right A little failing in speech or in what we say concerning God and his ways may kindle wrath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad me coram me Pagn Ye have not spoken of me that is concerning me or concerning my proceedings with Job the thing that is right The Hebrew is To me ye have not spoken to me the thing that is right God was not only the subject of whom they spake but the object to whom they spake this whole disputation being transacted as in the presence of God and both Job and his friends appealing to him as the Judge and Moderator of it Hence the Septuagint render ye have not spoken before me the thing that is right As if God had said all that ye have spoken hath been in my presence I being witness yea I being Judge yet ye spake not right Did we remember that whatsoever we speak as well as whatsoever we do is before God and must come under his judgment we would be more careful both to do and to speak which these men did not the thing that is right Ye have not spoken of me The thing that is right The Hebrew is but one word and it may be taken two ways 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 complectitur veritatem convenientiam cum officio decoro Significat igitur falsa dixisse de Dei judicio Jobo non eo animo dixisse sive vera sive falsa essent quo decobat Coc. Causam meam iniquè egistis Jun. First For rightness in matter Secondly In manner Our translation refers to the matter ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right Yet they failed as the word implieth in their manner of speaking also they handled Gods cause unhandsomely they spake not as they ought as well as what they ought not to a poor afflicted creature they spake not with that tenderness pity and compassionateness as became them to a man in that pitiful case But though the Lord might say in both these senses Ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right yet he said not as the Septuagint over-rashly render Ye have not spoken of me any thing that is right nor doth the Lord charge them absolutely as not speaking right of him but with a modification or comparatively Ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right As my servant Job hath As if he had said Job hath been condemned by you and yet Job hath spoken better than you righter than you though he hath had his failings in speaking yet ye have failed more than he But it may be questioned what was it that they did not speak right and what was it that Job spake righter than they I answer They had not spoken so right as he First About the doctrine of Gods providence by which he governs all things and distributes good and evil that is prosperity and adversity to the sons of men Secondly They had not spoken so right as he taking up the signs or tokens of the love and hatred of God from his outward dispensations Thirdly They censured Job as a sinful doer in former times and that now his sin had found him out because at that time he was so great a sufferer These things were not right Or thus Jobs friends did not speak right First In judging that God was angry with him because he afflicted him Secondly Nor did they speak right in judging Job wicked because afflicted they spake many right things about the justice and power of God but they did not hit Jobs case right They thought and concluded that if Job had not been a great sinner God would not have afflicted him at all at least not so greatly They supposed God could not justly afflict Job as he had done had Job been a just man This was not right they did not well consider First That God may afflict a just man out of Soveraignty Secondly They did not well consider that God hath other ends and reasons in afflicting than for iniquity and therefore they knew not how to justifie the proceedings of God but by condemning Job which there was no necessity to do So then their great errour and mistake was in resolving this question affirmatively Whether he that is greatly afflicted be a great sinner or whether the severe judgments of God light only upon ungodly men Their affimation of this was enough to make Job despair and did provoke him to utter several very passionate and unfitting speeches For though Job spake many things right yet not all right God judged him according to the tendency and scope of his spirit and speech not according to the accidents and suddein extravagancies of either Job spake right First In affirming constantly that God did not afflict him for his sin Secondly That his afflictions were no signs of Gods displeasure against him nor of his wickedness against God Yet Job did not speak all nor always right He failed First When he spake impatiently of his own sufferings Secondly When he spake so boldly to God asking as it were an account of his doings and dealings with him Thirdly He spake not right though that was right which he spake when he spake so much of his own righteousness thereby though not purposely yet according to the apprehension of others reflecting upon
grounds and for right ends against another It is dangerous to stand in the way of their prayers who are accepted of God That man is more safe against whom a thousand are acting than he against whom any one godly man upon a just ground is praying The Lord hath done great things against evil men upon the prayers of the faithful as well as he hath done great things for good men at their prayer David by one ejaculatory petition spoyled the plot of Achitophel the Lord according to that short prayer turned his counsel into foolishness and so overturned the whole design laid against his servant David Thus far of the promise which the Lord gave Eliphaz and his two friends for their encouragement to go unto Job and entreat him to offer up a burnt-offering and to pray for them for him will I accept Now followeth a threat in case they did not Lest I deal with you according to your folly As if the Lord had said Do not slight this advice that I give you no nor forslow it make hast to make your address to Job I will accept him and I tell you I will not accept you alone therefore make hast and do as I have commanded else I shall deal with you according to your folly There is some difference in the reading of these words First Some read Lest I do or act folly to you But how can the Lord do or act folly towards any We may expound this translation by that Psal 18.26 where David saith of the Lord With the pure thou wilt shew thy self pure and with the froward or perverse thou wilt shew thy self froward or perverse But how doth the Lord shew himself froward with those that are froward there is no frowardness in the Lord he is alwayes in a composed and sedate frame infinitely beyond any passion or perturbation the meaning is only this The Lord will deal with men according to what they are the actings and effects of his providence shall be towards a froward man as if he were froward If a man deal perversely with God he will deal with him as if he were perverse and with the pure God will shew himself pure that is he will carry it purely towards them they shall receive good who are and do good Thus here go saith the Lord and do as I bid you Lest I deal folly to you In the Hebrew Language to do kindness with one is the same as to exercise or shew kindness to him That form of speech is used Gen. 20.13 Gen. 24.49 Gen. 40.14 And so to do folly with one is to shew or exercise folly to to him The Lord doth folly to them that do folly that is he makes them see by his wise doing how foolishly they have done Others express it thus Lest I deal foolishly with you or folly to you that is lest I do that which may be accounted foolishness in me You having appeared Advocates in my cause and pleaded for me 't is folly to pay any man with unkindness for the service he hath done us Well saith the Lord look to it I will not accept you but deal folly to you or foolishly with you in the sense of some men possibly but wisely in my own The Lord is alwayes to be admired in his wisdom holiness and in the serenity of his spirit yet in the opinion of the wise men of this world he may seem to deal foolishly or do folly Secondly The words may be rendred Lest I do that which may be disgraceful to you Thus the Chaldee paraphrase readeth Lest I put a disgrace or an affront upon you and make it appear to your shame that you have not carried it aright in this matter but have been shamefully out The word here used is several times used in Scripture to note the defiling or disgrace of a thing Nahum 3.6 I will cast abominable filth upon thee and I will make thee vile that is I will disgrace thee and as it followeth I will set thee for a gazing stock So Micah 7.6 when the Lord would shew the exceeding sinfulness of those times he saith Trust ye not in a friend put ye not confidence in a guide keep the door of thy mouth from her that lyeth in thy bosom for the son dishonoureth the father it is this word the son disgraceth the father he dealeth with his father as if he were a Nabal a very fool When a son knoweth not his distance nor performeth his dury he dishonoureth his father The Prophet Jer. 14 21. speaks in a way of deprecation Do not abhor us for tâ—y name sake do not disgrace the throne of thy glory The Lord is â—ometimes so angry with his people that he even casteth dirt upon the throne of his glory that is upon his Church in and by which he should be glorified as upon his Throne The Lord disgraceth his Church the throne of his glory when his Church disgraceth him and dishonours his gloriâ—us name Deut. 32.15 Jesurun waxed fat and kicked that is Israel the Church was waxen fat the Lord fed Jesurun his Church to the full they had not a lean seâ—vice of it but what did Jâ—surun he forsook God wh ch made him and lightly esteemed the rock of his salvation The word which we translaâ—e he lightly esteemed is the word of the Text Now when Jesurun did lightly esteem or disgrace the Lord he soon after disgraced Jesurun his Church The throne of his glory This is a good sense of the words do as I diâ—ect lest I put a disgrace upon you Thus folly is put foâ— the punishment of folly as sin often for the penal effects and fruits of sin as 't is said 1 King 13.34 This thing â—ecame sin to the house of Jeroboam even to cut it off Our reading saith Lest I deal with you according to your folly that is according to your sin and the hard censures which you have given of my servant Job and as it followeth In that you have not sp ken of me the thing that is right These things have been your folly and 〈◊〉 do not speedily repair with your sacrifice to Job and get him to pray for you what you can do your selves will not makâ— amends for your folly nor mend this breach but I will deal with you according to your folly you shall taste of the fruit of your doings the reward of your hands or of your tongues shall be given to you That 's the general sence of our translation As if the Lord had said Lest I make you understand by your sad experiences by the punishments and chastisements laid upon you that you have done very foolishly and were greatly mistaken in your apprehensions of me and of my providences concerning Job Or thus ye have declared much folly in the management of this matter with my servant Job ye have offended against the common Laws of friendship and humanity insulting over a man in misery and your folly hath been
greater while against the Laws of piety ye have judged of a mans holiness by his outward unhappiness and have censured him as a bad man because he hath in this world endured so much evil This hath been your sin ye have in this dealt foolishly with my servant Job therefore hasten to him and do as I have said Lest I deal with you ac-according to your folly Hence note First Sin is folly And not only is it simple folly which a man committeth for want of wit or because he hath little understanding what a man doth for want of wit and understanding is simple folly but sin is wicked folly which is the abuse of wit and parts and gifts yea the overflowing of lust And though we cannot charge these men that they did intentionally use their wit and parts to grieve Job yet it proved so though it was not the end or design of them that spake yet it was the issue of their speech they did him a great deal of wrong and doubtless Satan stirred much or provoked them to use their parts and gifts to imbitter the spirit of the poor man and God left them to do it This was their folly and all such actings or speakings are no better nor do they deserve better or softer language This word folly is often applied in Scripture to sin especially to great sins Another word is used in the Proverbs of Solomon but in several other places sin is expressed by this Gen 34.7 When that great affliction fell upon Jacob the ravishing of Dinah her bretâ—â—â—â— came home very wroth saying He hath committed folly in â—â—â—â—â—l So Judges 19.23 Judges 20.6 the abusing of the Levites Concubine is called the committing of folly Whoredom is expressed by folly Deut. 22.21 And this word with reference I conceive to the sin of whoredom which is spoken of in that place is translated villany Jer. 29.23 All sin is folly especially any great sin is so For First It is a folly to hurt our selves No man can hurt us if we do not hurt our selves by sin The Apostle Peter saith 1 Epist 3.13 Who is he that will harm you if ye be followers of that which is good 'T is strange that any should Though it be true enough that many have had not only a will to harm them that follow good but have actually done them many and great outward harms yet this is a great truth none can indeed harm them that follow good because all harms turn to their good Nothing can hurt us but our sin Secondly Sin is folly for in sinning we strive with one that is too hard for us Do we saith St. Paul 1 Cor. 10.23 provoke the Lord to jealousie are we so simple are we stronger than he Thirdly It is folly to do that by which we can get no good that 's the part of a fool Rom. 6.21 What fruit have ye of those things whereof ye are now ashamed What have ye got by them have ye made any gains or earnings to boast of the end of those things is death is it not folly to begin that which ends in death and that a never-ending an eternal death Fourthly It is folly to sin for by that at best we run a hazard of our best portion for fading pleasures and perishing profits If we have any pleasure by sin it is but pleasure for a season and that a very short one too What a foolish thing is it to venture things that are incorruptable for perishing things It were a great folly for a man to venture gold against grass they do infinitely more foolishly who sin against the Lord for all that they can get by it is not so much to what they hazard as grass to gold Mat. 16.26 What is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul As all flesh is grass so all that flesh lusteth after is no better What kind of Merchants what kind of Exchange-men are they that will traffick or truck away their souls for the profits or pleasures of sin and 't is for one of these that most if not all men traffick away their souls Secondly Observe When God dealeth mâ—st severely with sinners he dealeth justly with them What rod soever he layeth upon their backs what shame what poverty what sickness he affl cts them with It is but according to their folly they have but their own they have no reason to complain The Prophet told the people of Israel as one man when under grievous affl ctions Jerem. 4.18 Thy ways and thy doings have procured these things unto thee Thou hast no reason to complain for thy punishment is of thy own procurement that is thy sin is visible in thy punishment thou eatest but the fruit of thy own doings how bitter soever it is Another Scripture saith Num. 32.23 Your sin shall find you out that is you shall suffer according to what you have done and reap what ye have sowed And is it not folly to sow to the corrupt flesh when of the flesh we shall reap corruption Gal. 6.8 The flesh is a corrupt thing and can yield us no better a thing than it is the effect is like the cause corruption that is a miserable condition both here and hereafter now and for ever Thirdly Note The Lord will not pass by nor spare no not a godly man when he sinneth and repenteth not All this is included in the going of these men to Job As if the Lord had said I will punish you Eliphaz and Bildad and Zophar for your folly unless ye repent They that are in a state of grace cannot expect favour from the Lord unless they turn from their sin and give him glory by repenting and believing Good men doing evil may suffer for it as well as the worst of men The Lord will see a work of repentance and selâ—-humbling a work of faith looking to Christ the sacrifice else he will deal with them even with them as he threatned these good men according to their folly But what was the folly of Eliphaz and his two friends for which the Lord threatned to deal so severely with them The latter part of the verse tells us what God accounted and called their folly In that ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right The Lord had told them as much at the seventh verse My wrath is kindled against you because ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right Here the Loâ—d pointeth them to their sin again and layeth his finger afresh upon the soar But why doth he so Take these three reasons why Probably the Lord repeated these words First To shew that he was very sensible of their sin in speaking amiss of him and very angry with them for it They provoked the Lord much when they measured him as it were by themselves or by their own meet-wand in his ways of
Thess 5.11 Comfort your selves together and edifie one another And at the 14th vers Now we exhort you brethren warn them that are unruly comfort the feeble minded support the weak The weak in the latter words are the same with the feeble in the former and the support spoken of in the one is nothing else but the comfort spoken of in the other Comfort to a feeble mind is like a prop or a pillar to a feeble building the supporter of it And because it is so important a work to comfort feeble minds I shall briefly name some special cases wherein the mind of man is feeble and then hint what word of comfort is most proper for its support in each case First If the mind be infeebled by outward wants apply that comfortable Scripture Mat. 6.32 33. Your father knoweth that ye have need of those things which if received by faith will give the mind great support in that case Secondly In case of the loss or death of friends the Apostle hath put words into our mouths for the comforting of such 1 Thess 4.13 chiefly these two ways First By remembring that their friends are only asleep in Jesus or gone to sleep in the bosome of Jesus Secondly That they shall be raised again at the coming of Jesus Thirdly In case of suffering and persecution read comfort and support Mat. 5.11 12 13. 1 Pet. 4.12 13 14. Fourthly In case of bodily sickness or any chastenings from the hand of God we have a store or treasure of comforting words Heb. 12. from the 5. to the 14th verse Fifthly In case of desertion or Gods hiding his face take comfort from Isa 50.10 Isa 54.7 8. Sixthly When any are under the sence of divine wrath for sin they may take comfort by meditating all those Scriptures which hold out the free grace of God to sinners and the full satisfaction which Christ hath made for sin to the justice of God and so for deliverance from the wrath which is to come 1 Thess 1.10 These are the principal cases wherein we need a comforter and most of these if not all met in Jobs case He was poor and had lost all that was the first case his children were dead that was the second he was persecuted vexed and reproached that was a third he was sick and weak in body that was a fourth he was under grievous desertions that was a fifth he was also under the sence of wrath the arrows of the Almighty drunk up his spirits All these evils God brought upon him and some of them in the highest degree and though he were then got out of them all yet as was said before being got but a little way out of them he needed comfort and therefore his new-come old friends and acquaintance bemoaned and comforted him as a man newly come out of great affliction And we should be much in this duty of comforting others upon these considerations First Comfort upholds the soul when burdened or weakned from sinking Secondly Comfort quiets the soul when tost up and down as with a tempest comforts wisely and seasonably ministred will make a great calm Comfort is the repose and rest of the soul Thirdly Comfort quickens and revives the soul when dying away with sorrow comforts are cordials For which cause we faint not 2 Cor. 4.16 And what the cause was which kept them from fainting we may find both in the verse going before in those words All things are for your sakes vers 15. or in the verse following Our light affliction c. ver 17. Comforts either prevent and keep us from qualms and swoonings or bring us out of them again Give wine to him that is of a heavy heart let him drink and forget his sorrow Prov. 30.6 7. Give him this wine of comfort and it will renew his spirit more than wine Fourthly Comfort confirms and establisheth the soul when we are ready to let go our hold The Apostle sent Timotheus to establish and comfort the Thessalonians concerning their faith 1 Epist 3.2 that is to establish them in the faith both in the doctrine and grace of faith by comforting them Jobs friends might see cause of comforting him upon many considerations possibly upon most of these The Text saith only They comforted him Over all the evil which the Lord had brought upon him The plaister was as broad as the soar or they administred as many plaisters as there was soars They comforted him over all the evil c. This directs us to a great point of holy prudence in comforting the sorrowful even to comfort them in or about every thing which hath been an occasion of their sorrow When we are to stop the holes of a leaking vessel if we stop three or four and leave but one we indanger all the liquor in the vessel you were as good stop none at all as not stop all so it is in this case therefore see how wisely Jobs friends carried it They comforted him over all the evil Which the Lord had brought upon him And all that was the evil of suffering The Lord is the bringer of such evils upon all that suffer them even upon his dearest and most faithful servants those evils come from him who is only good and altogether good The Lord takes these evils to himself I create evil Isa 45.7 and faith the Prophet Amos 3.6 Shall there be evil in a City and the Lord hath not done it As the Lord owns these kind of evils so we honour God in acknowledging him the Author of them Our crosses are of God as well as our comforts our poverty as well as our riches our sickness as well as our health This point hath occurred more than once from other passages in this Book and therefore I shall adde no more now This was the third labour of love which the brethren of Job bestowed upon him They comforted him over all the evil which the the Lord had brought upon him Yet this was not all they did not only bestow a mouthful of good words upon him I speak not lightly of good words they are a weighty piece of charity Good words are much better as was toucht before than gold and silver and may be much more beneficial and useful to the receiver than thousands of gold and silver Yet I say Jobs friends did not only bestow a mouthful of good words upon him for the removal of his inward grief but they brought their handsful of good things to bestow upon him for the making up of his outward losses and this was the fourth act or office of love which they did him as it followeth Every man also gave him a piece of money and every one an ear-ring of gold Here was real kindness as well as verbal Though good words as was said be a great charity yet 't is no charity to give nothing but good words where more is needed unless this be our case that indeed we have nothing more to give The
received Sixthly There are gifts of incouragement to those that are industrious and deserve well which we may call remunerative gifts These are as oil to the wheel of ingenuous spirits in a good work it is lawful at any time and sometimes necessary to bestow such gifts Seventhly There are gifts of bribery which pervert justice and put out the eyes of Judges They are not the rewards of industry but the wages of unrighteousness such as Balack would have given Balaam he offered him great gifts I will promote thee to honour But what was it for even to hire him to curse the people of God Let all take heed of giving or taking gifts to pervert justice or to encourage any in the doing of any wickedness or unworthiness these are corruptive gifts Further Whereas they gave not only a piece of money or a lamb but every one an ear-ring of gold which we may consider not only as to the matter as it was gold but as to the form as it was an ear-ring or an artificial piece of gold that an ornamental piece of gold they might have given gold and probably they did in the pieces of money which they gave him but they gave him ear-rings also in which the fashion or use is most considerable and the workmanship more worth than the mettal Hence Note It is lawful to wear ornaments Not only may we wear that which serves for a covering to the body but that which is for the adorning of it An ear-ring is an ornament As all are to wear cloths to hide their shame and nakedness so some may wear robes to shew their state and greatness Job received ear-rings he did not cast them by as vain things When Abraham sent his servant to take a wife for his Son Isaac he stored him with cabinets of precious jewels to bestow upon her Gen. 24. and when he found Rebeccah at the well and found who she was he took a golden ear-ring of half a shekel weight and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold and gave them to Rebeccah And afterwards when her parents had given consent to the marriage then ver 53. The servant brought forth jewels of silver and jewels of gold and raiment and gave them to Rebeccah c. Abraham would not send such things to a Wife for his Son had they been vain in their own nature or sinful in their use Yet take the point with these cautions We may wear ornaments but First We must not be proud of them Secondly We must not set our affections upon them Thirdly We must beware of an affectation in wearing them Fourthly We must take heed of wastfulness we may not lavish out an estate upon ornaments nor make our selves poor to make our selves fine I grant some Scriptures speak negatively in appearance as to the use and wearing of jewels and ornaments 1 Tim. 2.9 In like manner also let women adorn themselves in modest aparel in shame fastness and sobriety not with broidened hair or gold or pearl or castly array This Scripture seems to cross the point directly and so doth that other 1 Pet. 3.3 Whose adorning speaking of women let it not be that outward adorning of plating the hair and of wearing of gold and of putting on of aparel but let it be the hidden man of the heart How then can good women wear these ornaments I answer These Scriptures do not absolutely forbid the wearing of ornaments but only as to those exceptions before given to wear them in pride or to set our affections upon them or to affect them or to wear them wastfully beyond our purse and place such wearing of ornaments is indeed unlawful Again it is not sinful to have or use ornaments but to make them our ornaments that is sinful our adorning must be the hidden man of the heart that must be grace That this is the Apostles mind is clear because he saith their adorning must not be the putting on of apparrel as well as not the plating of the hair and wearing of gold Therefore the negation is not absolute but comparative let not them count these their ornaments but grace or the hidden man of the heart As the Lord saith I will have mercy and not sacrifice that is mercy rather than sacrifice so I will have the hidden man of the heart not costly jewels and apparel your ornament that is I esteem the one much rather than the other and so ought you to esteem both your selves and others accordingly Take this caution further Times of affliction and suffering are very unseasonable to wear ear-rings of gold and ornaments When there is any great appearance of the displeasure of God against a people then how unsutable are all our pleasant things The Lord said to the people of Israel Put off your ornaments that I may know what to do with you Exod. 32. When we live in such a time in humbling days or are called to humbling duties we should be very watchful about these things and rather appear in raggs than robeâ— with dust upon our heads rather than with ornaments upon our backs Thus far of the first part of Jobs restauration the return of his friends and the significations of their friendliness towards him eating bread with him bemoaning him comforting him and presenting him with gifts of honour if not of enrichment pieces of money and earings of gold Yet all their civilities and bounties reached but a little way if at all towards that restauration which the Lord intended him the doubling of his whole estate which he soon received in full measure heaped up pressed down and running over as will appear in opening the two next verses and those which follow to the end of the chapter JOB Chap. 42. Vers 12 13. 12. So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning For he had fourteen thousand Sheep six thousand Camels and a thousand yoak of Oxen and a thousand She-Asses 13. He had also seven sons and three Daughters IN these two verses we have the second and the third part of Jobs restauration His friends were restored to him in the former verse his further restauration is set down in these two verses First generally at the beginning of the 12th verse So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning Secondly Particularly and First With respect to his Cattle of outward estate for he had saith the Text Fourteen thousand sheep and six thousand Camels c. Secondly With respect to his issue or children vers 13. He had also seven Sons and three daughters Vers 12. So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning In these words we may take notice of four things First the means or as I may call it the procuring cause of Jobs increase or of his growing and flowing prosperity it was a blessing Secondly We have here the Author or Fountain of this blessing it was the Lord. Thirdly
We have the Subject of this blessing as here exprest and that was the latter end of Job or Job in his latter end Fourthly We have the quantity or greatness of this blessing which is exprest comparatively it was more than his beginning The Lord blessed his beginning but his latter end was more blessed I shall consider the two first together the cause of his flowing prosperity a blessing and the Author or fountain of it the Lord the Lord blessed There is a twofold way of blessing First a wishing or desiring of a blessing We are not thus to understand it here as if the Lord did only wish a blessing upon Job Secondly There is a commanding of a blessing and so we are to understand it here The Lord blessed that is the Lord commanded a blessing or effectually poured out a blessing upon Job The word blessed The Lord blessed hath two things in it First It implyeth plenty and abundance a copious and a large provision of good things For as the word abundare in Latine and to abound in English Sicut abundare ab undis Latinè dicunt ita videri possunt Hebraei 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi affluentiam denominare à fonte aut piscina quam appellant Berecah comes say Grammarians ab unda from water because waters abound and flow so this Hebrew word Beracah which signifieth a blessing comes from or at least is near in sound to the word Berecah which signifieth a Fish-pond where there is a great confluence of waters and a great multiplication of fishes or a Fountain from whence waters flow continually So that to bless notes the bringing in of abundance or of a great increase like the waters of a Fish-pond or Fish in the waters To increase as Fish is to increase abundantly It is said of the Children of Israel They multiplyed like fish that 's the significancy of the word used Exod. 1.12 while they were under the oppression of the Egyptians Secondly This Expression The Lord blessed Dei benedicere idem est quod benefacere Beatum non facit hominem nisi qui fecit hominem August Epist 52 ad Macedon imports a powerful effect following it The Lord blessed the latter end of Job that is he made his latter end very blessed As the Lords saying is doing as his word is operative and will work so the Lords blessing or well-saying is well-doing his saying is doing whether for good or hurt Man blesseth man by wishing or praying for a blessing upon him or that God would do him good Man blesseth God when he praiseth him for his goodness and for the good which he hath done either to himself or others But when God blesseth man he doth more than wish he makes him blessed Man blesseth man ministerially God blesseth man effectually as he also did the seventh day Gen. 2.3 And therefore the Lord is said to command the blessing Levit. 25.21 especially in Sion even life for evermore Psal 133.5 Nor was it less than a command by which The Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning Hence Note The good word or blessing of God is enough to procure the good of man Every word of God hath its effect he speaks no vain words his Word going out of the mouths of his Ministers returns not to him void but accomplisheth that which he pleaseth and prospers in the thing whereunto he sends it Isa 55.11 that is either for the conviction or conversion of those that hear it Surely then the word of blessing going out of his own mouth shall not return to him void or without effect David spake thus of or to God Psal 145.16 Thou openest thine hand and satisfiest the desire of every living thing When the Lord opens his hand he also opens his heart and when his heart and hand open his mouth opens too that is he gives forth a word of blessing and he gives it forth to satisfaction Thou satisfiest every living thing And again Psal 104.28 Thou openest thine hand they are filled with good They that is whatsoever lives upon the earth or in the Sea wait upon thee as it is said vers 27. that thou maist give them their meat in due season that thou givest them they gather thou openest thy hand they are filled with good The hand of God is full of good and his blessing fills all with good out of his hand This may comfort the godly in their lowest condition What was it that raised Job from poverty to riches from weaknes to strength from the dunghil to the throne Only this The Lord blessed him Though all be lost his word of blessing will restore all again If estate be lost his blessing will make us rich if health be lost his blessing will make us well if strength be lost his blessing will renew it if credit be lost his blessing will repair it and get us honour for disgrace or reproach The blessing of the Lord is every good thing to us and doth every good thing for us As it is dreadful to stand under the droppings of a curse to be cursed is every evil so happy are they who stand under the sweet influences of a promise to be blessed is every good And if God blesseth us the matter is not much who curseth or wisheth ill to us The curse causeless shall not come nor can any curse come where God hath blessed But some may enquire who are they that the Lord will bless To be blessed is not every mans portion A man may be rich yet not blessed great yet not blessed healthful yet not blessed A man may have many blessings for the matter yet not be blessed This then is a material question Who are they that may expect a blessing from God upon their souls upon their bodies upon their estates upon their families upon their all I answer First In general They that are in a state of grace they that are in the Covenant or as the Apostle calls them Heb 6.17 Heirs of promise These are the blessed of the Lord and these both great and small the Lord will bless Eph. 1.3 Blessed be God who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ Being in Christ we are in Covenant and being there we cannot miss being blessed with all spiritual blessings and with whatever is a needful blessing in outward things to He that blesseth in the greater will not with-hold his blessing in the less according to our need Secondly As they are the general subjects of the blessing who are in the Covenant of grace or in Christ so are they more specially who act graciously and walk as they have received Christ for a person that is in a state of grace may hinder the blessing from flowing down upon his soul upon his body upon his estate upon any thing upon every thing he hath and doth by acting sinfully and walking unevenly David put the question Psal 24.3 Who shall
imponuntur Hieron in Proaem Comment in lib. Mich. as prophecying or hoping at least they will really be what they are in name or what their names promise One of the Ancients reports this practice of the Ancients We give names saith he wherein we hold forth our wishes and desires and pray to God that our children may answer the signification of their names Many Scripture-names have mysterious meanings in them Hosea signifieth a Saviour his parents therein prophecying as it were and shewing their faith that he would be a Prophet and prove instrumental for the salvation of others Obadiah signifieth the servant of God his parents gave him that name we may suppose hoping he would and wishing he might be a faithful servant of God Zachariah signifieth the memery or remembrance of God his parents earnestly desiring that God would both remember him which is all mercy to man or that he might alwayes remember God which is all duty to God Remember now thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth that is perform all duty to God Nomina erant quasi omina vel monita vel vâ—ta rei futurae We see then it hath been usual among godly parents to give significant names to their children either that they might be minded of the mercies of God to them or of the duties which they were to perform to God I shall only adde for the close of the point this short admonition to all to women especially because the Text speaks of them that As it is useful and usual for parents to give good names to their children so children should have a gracious ambition to make good the signification of their names What will it advantage a man to be called John which signifieth grace if himself be graceless or to be called Obadiah which signifieth a servant of God if he neglect to serve God or to be called Zechariah which signifieth the Remembrance of God if he forget God Again what will it benefit a woman to be called Susanna which signifieth a Lilly a beautiful flower if she be not like that lilly among thorns the Church Cant. 2.2 but only a lilly in the wilderness of this world What will it benefit a woman to be called Tamar which signifieth a Palm-tree tall and strait if her self be of a low base and crooked diâ—position 'T is better to be a crooked shrub in bodily stature than a tall strait Palm-tree with a crooked mind and a low spirit To be named Jemima as fair as Day to be named Kezia as sweet as spice or perfume to be called Keren-happuch as beautiful as the very horn of beauty what will it advantage any women unless they have real vertues and gracious qualities answering these names Yea these names will be real witnesses against them at last and fill their faces with shame To profess our selves to be or to have a name to be what we are not is to be deeply hypocritical and to bear that in our names which we are not nor take any care to be is highly disgraceful But when names are fulfilled in persons when men and women who wear good names are or do the good signified by their names how precious are their names and their memories how honorable And when the good or vertues of the three feminine names in the Text meet and center in the person of any one woman when Jemima the day-light of true knowledge and understanding is joyned with Kezia the perfume of reputation ascending from Keren-happuch store of beautiful graces put forth in the gracious actions of a spotless and unblameable conversation what Pencil is able to draw to the life the ravishing features of such a person Such I believe were those noble Ladies Jobs daughters named in the Text which was the joy of their fathers heart and the staff of his old age Thus much of the names of Jobs daughters and of the signification of them both in reference to the then present change of Jobs estate and the hope he had of their future good estate with respect to the beauty and gracefulness of their bodies but especially to the beauty and graciousness of their souls or minds Now as the beauty and vertues too of Jobs three daughters were implyed and wrapt up in their names so their beauty is plainly expressed in the next words Vers 15. And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughâ—ers of Job and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren In this verse we have two things concerning Jobs daughters First The supereminency of their beauty Secondly The greatness of their dowry or portions bestowed on them by the bounty of their father The former we have at the beginning of the verse And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job When 't is said in all the land we are to understand it of all the land of Vz 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In ea quae sub coelo Sept. Tota terra est sub coelo hic autem restringitur ad certam Regioâ—em Drus Yet the Septuagint extend it to all lands all the world over rendring all under heaven but the word in the Original will not reach so far though the truth might But in all that land were no women or women kind as Master Broughton reads found so fair that is none were so fair as they The word found is to be taken as in that of Moses Exod. 35.23 Every man with whom was found that is with whom there was or who had blue and purple c. brought them And as in that which is spoken of Christ Phil. 2.8 He was found that is he was or appeared in the form of a man So Mal. 2.6 2 Chron. 19.3 For we are not to conceive that there was an inquiry or search made amongst all the women of the land of Vz who was fairest and that upon the return none were found so fair and beautiful as Jobs daughters The meaning is only this none were known so fair as they or they had no known Peers in fairness and this is a sufficient proof that those notable names were not given Jobs daughters without a cause either seen or foreseen at least desired the issue answering the desire In all the land there were none so fair as they There is a bodily fairness and a soul fairness The word into which we render the Hebrew signifieth properly the fairness of the face or body Non sunt inventae juxta filias Job meliores eis Sept. but the Septuagint translate it by a word signifying the souls fairness They say No women were found better than the daughters of Job Their goodness without question as it was far more excellent in it self so more contentful and delightful to him than their fairness But we may very well take in both as was hinted before namely that his daughters were excellent both for the one beauty and for the other Yet I conceive
Son of righteousness with open face For as this Son of righteousness hath said behold me behold me Isa 65.1 and again Look to me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth Isa 45.22 that is all ye that dwell on earth even to the ends of it so he gives a power or a spiritual eye to behold and look upon him and that beholding or looking is a healing to them as the beholding of the Sun is to the natural eye of the Eagle Mal. 4.2 To them that fear my name shall the Son of righteousness arise with healing in his wings Sixthly Do Eagles suck blood both young and old so do believers The first living of the new creature is upon blood every godly man drinks the blood of Jesus Christ by faith as offered to him both in the promises and in the Ordinances of the Gospel A believer could not live a moment nor have any subsistence in grace if he had not as the Eagle blood to suck in and drink A godly man is nourished by a believing contemplation upon the sufferings of Christ and the effusion of his blood Seventhly Doth the Eagle feed upon the slain so believers feed upon Christ as slain Christ by his death is become our food to eternal life Joh. 6.51 53. Though the raised and glorified body of Christ be entred into the full possession of a divine and eternal life and though we by faith look to Jesus Christ not according to the flesh nor as dead but as living and sitting for ever at the right hand of the Father there making intercession for us yet we must look to him as entring into the holy place by the sacrifice of himself and with his own blood not with the blood of others Heb. 9.24 25 26. The Apostle told the Corinthians I determined to know nothing among you but Jesus Christ and him crucified that is so to know him as to feed upon him my self and so to make him known to you that you might feed upon him also Further It is considerable that as believers in Scripture are compared to Eagles and the Lord is said to have born the old Church of the Jews upon Eagles wings so under the Gospel Eagles wings are said to have been given to the Christian Church whereupon she was born out of the reach of danger Rev. 12.13 15. And when the Dragon saw that he was cast to the earth he persecuted the woman that brought forth the man-child And to the woman were given two wings of a great Eagle that she might flie into the Wilderness that is convenient and sufficient means to further her slight and retirement into her place wheresoever it is where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time from the face of the serpent All the means of the Churches escape from danger are shadowed by two wings not but that God hath more means than two by which his providence works and procures the safety of the Church but because it had been improper speaking of her flight to express more wings than two For the Seraphims which are described having each one six wings Isa 6.2 yet two of them only were put to that use of flying And these two wings given the Church are said to be the two wings of an Eagle because among all the winged tribes Eagles are stâ—ongest and swiftest of wing they can fly fastest and they can fly furthest as in height so in length Nor are the wings given the Church barely called the wings of an Eagle but of a great Eagle implying not only the best kind of wings but the best wings of that kind not only the wings of an Eagle but of a great Eagle By all which is meant the wise and tender care of God over his Church in times of greatest danger when the Dragon become a Serpent or the Serpentine Dragon seeks most to annoy her Thus far the Lord hath been interrogating Job not only about the inanimate creatures the Heavens the Air the Sea the Earth but also about several Animals in the least of which because they not only have a being but life sense and motion more of the power wisdom and goodness of God shines forth than in the greatest of the former And all the questions proposed to Job in these two Chapters have as hath been hinted heretofore and should be constantly minded this general scope to convince as then Job so now all men both of their own nothingness and of the all-sufficiency wisdom care and power of God who hath so wisely made and doth so wisely dispose of all the creatures which he hath made And therefore man who hath received more from God than they all and of whom God is more tender than of them all should submit to the dispose of God in all things without disputing about much more without murmuring at or complaining of his dispensations in one kind or other The Lord though he had done much in the way of interrogating hath not yet done interrogating Job concerning the works of his hands Nevertheless before he proceeded any further to enquire of him about the creatures he saw it fit to feel his pulse a little by a close application of what he had already said mingled with high language and cutting reproofs thereby to try what effect this forepassed discourse had wrought upon him or whether he were come to a more humble and submitting frame than before as will appear in opening the former part of the Chapter following JOB Chap. 40. Vers 1 2. 1. Moreover the Lord answered Job and said 2. Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him he that reproveth God let him answer it IN the two former Chapters we have heard what the Lord said to Job out of the Whirlwind with what questions he apposed him about the works of Creation and Providence To all or any of which Job being unable to make Answer especially to give a present and perfect Answer the Lord it seems gave him some little respite to recollect himself in expectation of his Answer but finding him silent proceeds in this Chapter to urge him yet further upon the whole matter for an Answer yea the Lord having said all this to him â—sets it home upon him with this sharp reprehension Moreover the Lord answered Job and said shall he c. As if he had said O Job hadst thou diligently considered my work of Creation in making and my work of Providence in governing this whole world even the motions of the least and most inferiour Creatures therein contained surely thou hadst never ventured to think what thou hast uttered and now thou canst not but see how unduly thou hast complained of my proceedings with thee nor canst thou be unconvinced how unable thou art to enter into the secrets of my Counsel for as much as the causes of many lesser and common things in the world are secrets unto thee and such as exceed the reach of thy understanding Thus
we may conceive the Lord at once speaking to and severely reprehending Job in the words which follow Verse 2. Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him Shall he or can he surely he shall not surely he cannot There are several readings of this former part of the verse I shall only name four and then come to the explication of the words as they lie in our Translation Raâ—bi David First The words are rendered thus Is it wisdom or learning to contend with the Almighty This reading puts the latter words first Is it wisdom or instruction or is that man well instructed or well in his wits who contends with the Almighty The sense of that reading is plain and the improvement of it might be very useful for indeed these two are utterly repugnant and contrariant Non est ille eruditus neque bene obsequens divinae disciplinae qui deo castiganti obstreâ—it litem intendit Vatabl. To contend with God and to be wise to contend with God and to shew our selves well taught That man hath not received instruction either by or about divine correction who mutters or quarrels at God correcting him For how wise soever he is in his own eyes he shews himself a very fool at least as to that point or attempt very foolish So then 't is a great truth which this reading holds forth Is it wisdom is it learning to contend with the Almighty Whosoever doth so erres in doing so and will at last both see and feel his errour by sad experiences Secondly thus Should he be instructed who contends with the Almighty This Translation may have a double interpretation First Surely that man deserves not to be instructed but corrected who contends with the Almighty he deserves not to be taught but to be punished Should he be taught that contends with the Almighty Doubtless onely as Gideon taught the men of Succoth Judg. 8.16 with briars and thorns of the wilderness that is with severest chastisements Secondly Should he be instructed that contends with the Almighty That is is a learner a competent match for God is one that needs instruction and teaching fit to take up the bucklers and enter the field of dispute with God He had need to be a Master not a Scholar a Teacher not a Learner that undertakes to deal wiâ—h God That man had need be skilled and well furnished he had nâ—ed be as â—e speak his Crafts-master and all little enough yea all too little who contends with the Almighty Thirdly The word which we render to instruct Numquid contendet cum omnipotente quem ille castigat Lavat signifies also to correct taking it so the Text is thus rendred Shall he contend with the Almighty whom he corrects or Shall a man corrected by or under the correcting hand of the Almighty contend with him Shall any give God words for his blows or expostulate the matter with him No man may with such a spirit say unto God What dost thou whatsoever he suffers nor may any man be displeased with what God doth whatsoever he is pleased to do either with himself or others Lastly which was hinted in the second Doth not contending with the Almighty deserve chastening Certainly it doth or Is not chastening due to contending that is to contenders with God Nonne contentioni cum deo castigatio upple debetur Doubtless it is He that will contend with God though but in words is worthy of no answer nor satisfaction but in blows Every one of these Translations hath a fairness in it as also with the Hebrew Text but I shall insist upon our own reading only and give you some few notes from that Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him There is a twofold contending First By force and strength of arm or strength of arms We cannot suppose the Lord speaking here of such a Contention There were a sort of robustious men Giants of old 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 called fighters with God and many profane Atheists have blasphemously set themselves against heaven as if they would pull God from his Throne Such as these are not the Contenders with God here intended Job was far from being a man of that spirit Secondly Qui offert se disputaturum cum eo Aqu. There is a contending with God by force of Argument or by reasonings This I conceive is here meant Job was often found in these contendings with God But shall any think to logick it with God to enter a dispute with God to argue with or reply upon him as the Apostle speaks Rom. 9.20 O man who art thou that repliest against God Arguing and replying are a kind of contending and this is of two sorts First With the Word of God declaring what God would have us do or what God would have us believe Thus many contend with God even as many as submit not to his Word This is a common quarrel whether the Word of God or mans will shall stand whether the Law of God or the lusts of men shall carry it and bear the sway The Apostle is express in it Rom. 8.7 8. The carnal mind is enmity against God and if so then it contendeth with God for enmity will be contending and what kind of contending is there meant appears in the next words it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be Every natural man till subdued and conquered by grace is contending with the Word of God he submits not to what God would have him do nor to what God would have him believe he will not form either his faith or his life as God would have him Infinite are the Contentions of man with God in this notion but neither is this the contending here aimed at and I would speak to no more than is directly to the scope of the Text. Therefore Secondly There is a contending with the works of God or with what God himself hath done or is doing Thus also there are many Contenders with God in the world and this is the Contention here spoken of a Contention about the works of God what God either hath done or is doing All the debate which Job had with God was about his dealings with him God had laid him low and stript him naked God had broken his estate and filled his body full of sores and pains God had wounded his spirit and filled his soul with gall and wormwood God had with-drawn hiimself or his comforts from him and his friends were against him or at best but miserable comforters were they all Now though he was a patient man yet under these pressures he often broke out into impatient speeches Thus Job contended with the Almighty Moreover the Lord answered Job and said shall he that contendeth with the Almighty about what he is doing Instruct him Shall he have the better of him and be able to teach him or put him in a better way than he is in Shall he