which he expected from Job Doubtlesse more of all these should have appeared in him and they should have appeared more in that time of affliction There are two things which God looketh for and aims at in the time of our affliction first the mortifying of corruptions that they woâ—k no more at least no more so strongly as they have done secondly The stirring up and acting of our Graces that they may be more woâ—king and work more strongly than ever they have done Where the Lord sees not these effects of affliction that our sins grow lesse and our graces more that we complain lesse and trust or believe more we are like to be afflicted more and he will discover his anger more Because it is not so he hath visited in his anger And thence Note Thirdly Distrust or impatience under the afflâ—cting hand of God or our not trusting God in our worst condition patiently is a very provoking sin We provoke the Lord to visit us in his anger when we do not trust in his mercy Our not trusting God must needs provoke him to anger for when we do not trust him we question him distrust or unbelief questions all that God is and all that God hath promised it questions his Truth and his Faithfulnesse his Power his Mercy and his Goodnesse all these which are the glory of God and in all which the sons of men ought to glorifie him these are all questioned and darkned when we put not forth acts of trust and reliance upon God in times of greatest affliction and extremity Is it not then a provoking sin I say not to with-draw trust from God and give it to an arm of flesh but not to put out fresh and full acts of trust upon God let our affliction or extremity be what it will The Children of Israel were in great extremity at the Red Sea a mighty Army pursuing them at the heels to destroy them and mighty waters being before them ready to swallow them up in these straits whilest they should have done their utmost to get and assure God to be their Friend the Psalmist tells us They provoked him Psal 106 7. But wherein lay their provocation that Scripture saith They remembred not the multitude of his mercies The former mercies of the Lord did not strengthen their trust in present troubles that was one provocation And as former mercies did not strengthen their trust so the present trouble drew out their distrust as another Scripture assures reporting their behaviour in it Exod. 14.11 And they said to Moses Because there were no Graves in Egypt hast thou taken us away to dye in the Wildernesse Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us to carry us forth out of Egypt What were these fearful fore-casts these amazing bodements of an unavoidable as they apprehended ruine but the overflowings of unbelief or distrust in God and this was another provocation Former mercies are forgotten yea eaten up by unbelief as the seaven lean Kine in Pharaohs dream eat up the fat ones and present difficulties are aggravated by unbelief as if all the power of God could not remove and overcome them And will not the Lord think you visit in anger for such a sin as this Again As Elihu doth not say barely he hath visited but he hath visited in his anger or his anger hath visited so consider who was it that was thus visited in anger It was Job a Godly man a man perfect and upright Hence note Fourthly God visits or afflicts even his own people his elect and choicest servants with fatherly anger when they displease and provoke him We find the Scripture speaking expresly of the anger of God towards the best of his servants even towards a Moses as himself made confession Deuter. 1.37 when they displease him Also the Lord was angry with me for your sakes saying thou also shalt not go in thither Moses was a most meek man the meekest man upon the face of the earth nor was he an inferior in any other grace yet the Lord was angry wi h him and angry with him upon that special occasion his unbeliefe Numb 20.12 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron because ye believe me not to sanctifie me in the eyes of the children of Israel therefore c. We read of the Lords anger breaking out against Aaron for another sin Numb 12.9 The anger of the Lord was kindled against them that is against Aaron and Miriam because they had spoken against Moses vers 1.8 Aaron was the High Priest and as he was high in office so eminent in grace and doubtless Miriam was a very gracious woman yet the Lord was not only angry with them but exceeding angry his anger waxed hot against them and kindled when they forgot their duty to Moses and remembred not their distance with reverence Solomon in his prayer at the Dedication of the Temple speaks of the people of God collectively If they sin against thee and thou be angry with them The Lord is not only angry with the world but angry with his Church not only angry with Babylon but with Jerusalem And as Solomon spake that of the whole Nation of the Jewes supposing they might fall under the Lords anger all together as a body so he did experience it sadly in his own person 1 Kings 9.11 And the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel which had appeared unto him twâ—ce Wise Solomon departed from God through an evil heart of unbelief and vanity after the Lord had come and appeared to him more than once in grace and savour and the bitter effects or fruits of that departure appeared to him shortly after the Lord saith that Scripture was angry with Solomon and the sequel of his History tells us there went out very hot displeasure against him As these Scriptures are a proof of the Lords anger kindling against his people when they sin so we find the Church represented praising the Lord for quenching the fire of his angeâ— Isa 12.1 And in that day thou shalt say O Lord I will praise thee though thou wast angry with me thine anger is turned away and thou comfortest me When we turn from God his anger is turned against us and when we turn to God his anger is turned away from us When the Lord is angry what can comfort us but the turning away of his anger And by the very act of turning away his anger he comforts us though all the world be angry with us But some may say How doth the Lord who is said to love his people with an everlasting love visit them in anger To clear that we may distinguish of anger First There is correcting anger Secondly there is consuming or destroying anger Destroying anger is inconsistent with eveâ—lasting love but not correcting anger correcting anger may be very grievous therefore the Prophet deprecates it Jer. 10.24 Correct me O Lord in Judgement not in thy anger The
Lord doth often exercise that is as often as there is cause and we give him cause too often to exercise a smart and severe anger towards his own people but his consuming and destroying anger is the lot and portion of the wicked If his anger be kindled but a little namely against his enemies blessed are they that trust in him blessed are they that believe when that anger of the Lord breaks forth against unbelievers Or we may state it thus First God is angry with sinful persons thus he is angry with the world or with wicked men Secondly God is angry with persons for sinning there is a great difference between these two anger with sinful persons and anger with persons for their sin or for sinning and thus he is angry with his own people even with the godly when they sin though not for every sin Further We may distinguish of anger thus There is anger mixed with a desire of taking revenge upon those that we are angâ—y with a revengeful anger thus the Lord is angry only with the wicked Of this anger Moses speaks having described a presumptuous sinner who believes not only without a word but against the word who when he heareth the word of the curse blesseth himself in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of mine heart to add drunkenness unto thirst then the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoak against that man c. Deut. 29.19 20. Read more of this revengeful anger of the Lord Deut. 32.22 41 42. Secondly there is anger with a desire to reforme and reclaime those that we are angry with Thus a loving and indulgent father is angry with his child when he hath committed a fault he is angry not with an anger of desire to revenge but with an anger of desire to reforme And thus the Lord is angry with his own people with his choicest servants and dearest children when they forget their duty and play the wantons Lastly We may distinguish of anger thus There is First a temporary anger As there is a temporary faith in hypocrites so we may say there is a temporary anger in God against the faithful when offending that is he is angry with them for a while for a season Sing unto the Lord O ye Saints of his and give thanks at the remembrance of his Holiness saith David Psal 30.4 But why doth he call them to singing we have the reason of it given at the 5th verse For his anger endureth but a moment he speaks there of the Lords anger against his Saints and peculiar people while they indeed have cause to mourn for provoking the Lord to anger they may also sing both because his anger endureth but for a moment that is because if that be all it endureth not at all a moment is of no endurance as also because in his favour is life weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning Once more hear the Prophets report of the Lords anger Micah 7.18 Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage he retaineth not his anger for ever because he delighteth in mercy God doâ—h not retain his anger for ever that is not long yea that not for ever is but a little while a moment and that but a small moment as the Prophet Isaiah spake Chap. 54.7 As if he had said The Lords anger is not retained so long as if it should be alwayes retained his anger towards you is soon blown over and gone upon the matter like a moment as soon as come Such is the anger which God discovers towards his own people Secondly There is an anger for ever an abiding wrath a fire of anger which never goeth out nor can be put out which is kindled in the breast of God against ungodly men and against them only as living and dying without repentance in their ungodliness Job a godly man was visited in the former not in this latter anger Yet for the fuller answer to this query as it concerns Jobs case I conceive Elihu speaks with the highest and hardest towards him For though it be a truth thâ—t the Lord discovers as was shewed before a fatherly anger towards his children when he chasteneth them for their sin yet he chasteneth them more or rather in love than in anger As whom he loves he rebukes and chastens Rev. 3.19 so he chastens and rebukes them in love And as for Job whom God dearly loved it is cleare from the first and second Chapters of this Book that God afflicted him not for any special sin or way of sinning but for his tryal and to set him up as a great pattern of patience to all succeeding generations Or we may say that God afflicted Job not because of any provocation which he had given him but at Satans instance and provocation Chap. 2.3 All that can be said for Elihu's help in saying that God visited him in anger is only this That though Job had not provoked the Lord to visit him in anger when he began to visit him yet some impatient and over-bold speeches of his or that liberty of speech which he took in expostulating and almost contesting with God about his afflictions might cause him to visit him in such anger as hath been set forth in answer to the query And now because it is not so because the Lord misseth those acts of grace trust and patience which thy case calleth thee to the exercise of He hath visited in his anger and what followeth Yet he knoweth it not in great extremity Et non advertit ad auctum valde i. e Nihil discrevit sc deus qued non visitaret etiamsi ea re visitatus magis dolerer Nam necesse erat visitatum ita tangi ut sentiret quod fieri non poterat si non pleraque charissima quóque bona adimerentur Coc Elihu seems to have spoken this turning himself to the company and complaining to them of Jobs insensibleness Yet he knoweth not c. Some refer this clause of the verse to God also He hath visited in his anger and taketh no notice of the great increase or of that which is greatly increased that is God hath spared nothing from his visitation although the party visited were never so much grieved or damnified in the loss and spoyle of his all There was a necessity saith this Author that he who was visited should be so toucht as to be sensible of the stroake which could not be unless the greatest of his encrease and those things which were most dear to him were taken away from him or he were stript naked and bereaved of them Our translation refers these words to the person visited as if he though reduced to the greatest extremities yet was not sensible of it or took no notice of what he suffered or was done to him Yet he knoweth it not in
is under the hand of God when God hath him fast in his fetters his wrath doth boyl his fury comes up in his face as it is said Ezek. 38.18 concerning the wrath of God towards his enemies this fully answers that assertion of Eliphaz Job 5.2 Wrath killeth the foolish man What wrath his own wrath he kills himself with vexing and fretting The hypocrite in heart is a wrathfull man when things go not right with him Some have so expounded that Eph. 2.3 Ye were by nature children of wrath even at others Children of wrath that is wrathfull children we are full of wrath full of anger by nature Though I do not take that to be the sense of the Apostle but that by children of wrath he means all men as borne under the wrath of God nor do I conceive this the proper meaning here though not unusefull They heap up wrath that is they grow angry vexed and troubled But Secondly Rather the wrath heaped up is the wrath of God which is the most dreadfull thing in the world and so these words may be expounded by those of the Apostle to an impenitent sinner Rom. 2.4 5. Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thy self wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God To heap up wrath and to treasure up wrath are the same The abusers of the patience and long-suffering of God are treasuring up wrath against themselves from day to day and so do the hypocrites in heart They heap up wrath Hence Note First The wicked or hypocrites in heart grow more wicked while the hand of God his afflicting hand is upon them The more they are under the rod the more they rebell I ground it upon this If they did not heap up sin they should not heap up wrath were they not more vile wicked under their affliction there would not be more anger against them It was said of those that would have brought in the captives which was a very oppressing purpose 2 Chro. 28.13 ye shall not for Whereas we have effended against the Lord already ye intend to add more to our sins to our trespasse Then presently followeth For our trespasse is great and there is fierce wrath against Israel As if it had been said If ye do this thing ye will increase the wrath of God which is very fierce already and blow it up into a consuming flame While men grow more and more wicked and vile God groweth as to the manifestations of wrath more wrathfull When we hear of the increase of wrath we may be sure there hath been a proportionable increase of sin It is said of Ahaz who was a hypocrite in heart a very prophane person 2 Chron. 28.22 that in the time of his distresse he trespassed yet more against the Lord and trespassing more against the Lord he heaped up more of the Lords wrath against himself For 't is added v. 23. He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which smote him he got nothing but blows for his paines or impious piety in serving them And he said because the gods of the Kings of Syria help them therefore will I sacrifice to them that they may help me But what got he by this encrease of his sin Surely nothing but an encrease of wrath for it followeth in the same verse They were the ruine of him and of all Israel God makes new rods when men make new sins and he multiplyeth swords while men multiply transgressions The more men draw iniquity with cords of vanity the more they draw misery upon themselves and are held the faster in the cords of affliction Secondly When 't is said The hypocrites in heart heap up wrath We know hypocrites are cunning gamesters they hope to sin so closely and artificially that no hurt shall ever come to them by it yet The hypocrites in heart heap up wrath Hence Note The wiles and policies of hypocrites will availe them nothing They shall not avoyd wrath do what they can the Lord will find them out The Apostle saith Gal. 6.7 God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap for he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting Let hypocrites in heart sow as cunningly as they can though they seem to sow only good seed yet they shall reap bad fruit because they sowed with a bad heart Hypocrites may deceive men and heap up their favours to themselves but they cannot deceive God who knows their hearts and will therefore consume them in his wrath which they have heaped up to themselves Thirdly Elihu puts it upon hypocrites in heart to be at this work of heaping up wrath All impenitent sinners do it but he puts it upon them especially All sinners open professed sinners that sin and hide it not that throw up even the very name and profession of Religion these all heap up wrath yet they heap up most and are here spoken of as the only helpers up of wrath who are hypocrites in heart Hence Note God is extreamly angry with hypocrites or the wrath of God doth burn extreamly hot against hypocrites He heats the Furnace of his wrath seven times hotter for hypocrites in heart than for ordinary sinners The Lord Isa 10.5 speaking of the Assyrian saith The staff in their hand is mine indignation I will send him against an hypocriticall Nation and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge to take the spoyle and to take the prey and to tread them down like the mire in the streets The Lord put a staff in the hand of that great King of Assyria and he called it his indignation it was the Lords indignation which was a staff in the Assyrians hand But against whom will he send it That text answers against an hypocriticall Nation Who are they the people of his wrath God hath wrath for all sinners but the generation of hypocrites are the people of his wrath beyond all other people None abuse God like hypocrites For first hypocrites carry it towards God as if he were like the Idols of the Heathen that have eyes and see not ears and hear not hands and handle not feet and cannot walk That is they carry it towards God as if he were but an Idol satisfied with meer outward shews and services An Idol sinds no fault nor troubles any for their hypocrisie and false-heartedness All that is required in the Idols service is but outside and bodily exercise Thus the hypocrites deal with God as if he also would be satisfied and taken up with a little outside service or as if sacrifice would please him when his word is disobeyed 1 Sam. 15.23 Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings
way of admonition and counsel forasmuch as he had done amiss before and carried himself unduly under the hand of God even so far as to fulfil the counsel of the wicked that therefore he would now for the time to come take heed and be more wary And lest Job should slight this admonition or counsel Elihu adds a powerful motive to urge that duty upon him even the wrath of God Beware Why Because there is wrath Beware and beware lest this wrath breaking forth he take thee away with a stroke And how dreadful the wrath of God is Elihu shews in these three verses by a threefold Consideration First because if we fall into the Lords hand when he is in wrath there is no meanes under heaven that can deliver or bring us off This he asserteth at the latter end of the 18th verse Then a great ransome cannot deliver thee It is dangerous coming un-der that wrath from which a ransome especially a great ransome cannot deliver What that ransome is which cannot deliver us is expressed in the 19th verse Will he esteem thy riches no not gold A Second motive to beware oâ— this dreadful wrath is this because if once the wrath of God be up as there is no ransom so no power in the creature that can deliver That we have in the latter part of the 19th verse nor all the forces of strength though thou hast armies millions of men in armes yea though thou hast legions of Angels in pay yet they cannot prevail all the forces of strength cannot deliver thee There is also a third consideration to shew the unavoidableness of the wrath of God namely because there is no sleeing no making an escape from it Some indeed are so angry that you cannot satisfy them with a ransom and so powerful that no strength can deliver you from their power yet possibly you may make an escape and hide from them you may get out of the way and lye out of sight but saith Elihu that will not do neither in this case v. 20. desire not the night when people are cut off in their place the night or darkness will be no cover to thee from the wrath of an angry God Thus you have the sum and substance of this admonition to Job Beware because there is wrath and that wrath of God so terrible that nothing can deliver from it no ransom no power nor can we deliver our selves by flight or by darkness I shall now open the words more distinctly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 calor ira a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 caluit incaluit quod iracundi incalescunt Verse 18. Because there is wrath beware c. The word which we translate wrath comes from a root that signifies heat or to be hot and we know they that are angry and in wrath are very hot their mind and spirit are enflamed we use to say to an angry man why are you so hot the wrath of man is hot the wrath of God is certainly much hotter Because there is wrath but where is it I answer First there is wrath in the breast or heart of God there his anger is kindled against sinners Secondly There is wrath in the decree of God against sinners Zeph. 2.2 Thirdly there is wrath in the threatnings of God there it first appeares and breaketh forth Deut. 29.20 So the Apostle Rom. 1.18 The wrath of God is revealed from heaven How is it revealed As his love is revealed in promises so his wrath in threatnings Fourthly there is wrath in the works of God in his Judgments acted upon the children of men As there is wrath hidden in his breast and decreed so wrath is heard from his mouth in terrible threatnings and seen in his hand by terrible Judgments executed upon his enemies We may see wrath in the dealings of God his works tell us he is angry Therefore fear to persist lest in his anger he take thee quite away We should beware of sinful works lest we provoke and stir up the Lords anger to make bloody work There is wrath particularly as to the dealings of God with thee O Job saith Elihu therefore Beware The word beware is not expresly in the Hebrew texâ— but it is plainly intended and supplied by Interpreterâ— in geneâ—al to make up and clear the sence of this verse We have a like reading in the 36th of Isaiah v. 18. Beware lest Hezekiah perswade you c. The word beware is a supplement added there in a different character to shew that it is not expressed in the Hebrew As if Raoshakeh had said If Hezekiah perswade you to stand out against my Master Sennacherib you will provoke his wrath to your utter ruine and destruction therefore beware There as here beware bespeakes our caution because there is wrath take heed what you do or say Hence note First There is a wrath of God against sin or God will appear in wrath against sinners The Apostle John in his first Epistle Chap. 4.8 tells us in a direct predication God is love and 't is as true God is wrath The wrath of God is a divine perfection it is the perfection of God as his love is God is one and the same he is not divided into several passions perturbations or affections but thus the Scripture speaks of him to denote what we may expect from him and what he is and will be in his actings towards them who obey him not Secondly note The wrath of God appears and is put forth in his works of judgment As the goodness of God is his love acted or as the good things which God doth for us are love-actions so the evils that are upon us are wrath-actions I do not say that every evil which we endure in this world is the acting of wrath upon us but I say there is wrath in the actings of evil upon us Moses said to Aaron Numb 16.46 Go quickly take a Censer hast hast and make an atonement there is wrath gone out How did he know wrath was gone out He tells us in the next words the plague is begun He saw wrath in that dispensation of God the plague begun argued that God was angry Because there is wrath beware Hence note Thirdly We should by all meanes take heed and beware of the wrath of God The wrath of man is a small matter to the wrath of God yet we are very careful to beware of the wrath of man especially of great men The wrath of the Kings and Princes of the world is like the â—oaring of the Lion saith Solomon and we are ready to tremble at that but O how should we tremble at and beware of the wrath of God! Who knoweth the power of thine anger Psal 90.11 We may take some scantling some measure of the wrath of man and know how far it can go and what it can do but we can take no measure of the wrath of God for it is immesurable and therefore we should avoid every