but a day long Jonahs Gourd came up in a night and perished in a night and man commeth up in the morning and perisheth in the evening The Naturalists speake of a Fly they call Ephemeron a creature of one day which comes forth in the morning is very active about noone but when the Sunne declineth it declines too and sets with the setting of the Sunne Man is an Ephemeron a creature of one day for howsoever his life consisteth of many dayes is often lengthened out to many yeares yet betweene morning and evening or from morning to evening he is destroyed The first step he sets upon the stage of the world is a going out of the world his ascending to the height of his natural perfection hath in it a decent One part of his life compared with another is an increase but the whole in reference to his end is a decrease his life is but a breathing death life shortning as fast as it lengthns his life is death hastning upon him continually A hand breadth is quickly measured Behold saith David Psal 29. 5. thou hast made my dayes an hand breadth nothing needs no time to passe it in mans age in it self is but little and comparatively it is nothing it fals under no calculation before the face of Eternity Mine age is nothing before thee But though the life of man be thus short and himself be destroyed between a morning and an evening yet death lasts long they perish for ever without any regarding They perish for ever Death it seemes is everlasting They perish the word is often used in this book for the dissolution of soule and body not for the annihilation of either as perishing properly imports to perish is here but to dye for thus even the righteous perish and no man layes it to heart Isay 57. 1. But doth man perish thus dyes he for ever shall there not be a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 returne a resurrection shall not soule and body be reunited how is it said then they perish or dye for ever For ever is some time put for an infinite time and some time for an indefinite time 1 Chron. 23. 25 The Lord God of Israel hath given rest unto his people that they may dwell in Jerusalem for ever And yet the Jewes are now so farre from dwelling in Jerusalem that they have scarce rest or dwelling among any people The like sense of for ever reade 1 Kings 2. 33. Psal 132. 12 14. Yet further for ever is put for the finite time of one mans life 1 Sam. 27. 12. He shall be my servant for ever that is as long as he lives Psal 23. 6. I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever that is as long as I live In the text before us for ever is as long as this world lasts it notes the utmost terme of time not which is without terme eternity They perish for ever that is they shall not live in this world any more as Job 14. 14. If a man dye shall he live again As if he had said man can dye but once he cannot live againe that is in this world shall he any more return to his house to his wife and children to his riches or honours and shall he here againe enjoy such an estate as he had before That Psal 103. 16. explains it so As for man his days are as grass as a flower of the field so he flourisheth for the winde passeth over it and it is gone and the place thereof shall know it no more that is he shall never returne to that locall place or civill place in which he lived he shall not return to that place of magistracy or ministrey to that place of merchandizing or trading of husbandry or handicraft where he convers'd before Thus his place will know him no more Man dyes but once and therefore when he dies he is said to dye for ever There is a second death but it is only a second condition of life Some shall so live for ever that they shall be dying for ever The misery of all men here is that they are dying while they live the misery of the damned hereafter will be that they are living while they dye We see then that as life is a continuall going out of the world so from death there is no returning to the world they perish for ever when once you die you are dead for good and all as we say there 's an end in respect of any work proper to this world whether naturall civill or spirituall A dying man perishes for ever from eating and drinking from any outward content or pleasure When Barzillai was as it were but upon the borders of death and confines of the grave 2 Sam. 19. 25. he bespeaks David thus who had invited him to Court Can I taste what I eat and what I drink and it followes Can I any more heare the voice of singing-men and singing-women Can I any more as if he had said I am now nigh unto death these delights are gone they are perished for ever I can hardly taste any thing I eat or drink the pleasant Voice or musicall Instrument can I any more hear much more then in death it self are all these outward comforts perished and will perish for ever Againe in respect of civill works he that dyes perishes for ever no more buying or selling or trading or de aling all these things are past and past for ever Yea death puts an end to all spirituall workes such as were the Saints exercise and duty upon the earth at the grave there 's an end of them also a dying man perishes for ever in respect of repenting or believing in respect of praying or hearing the word These are heavenly works but the time for these is while you are upon the earth none of these labours are in Heaven or Hell no nor in the grave whether thou goest as the Preacher concludes Ecclesiastes 9. 10. Therefore Isay 38. 18. Hezekiah in his sickness makes it one part of his suit to God that he might be spared for saith he the grave cannot praise thee they that go downe into the pit cannot hope for thy truth the living the living he shall praise thee as I do this day To praise God shall be the work of Saints for ever and yet the Saints dying are truly said perish for ever from praising God All that praise shall cease in death which belong to the wayes of grace and then such praise begins as suits with glory which is our end That Hezekiah means it of such praise and not of all praise is cleare from his own words Verse 20. We will sing my song to the stringed instruments all the dayes of my life in the house of the Lord that is in the ordinances of thy publick worship They that are in the house of the grave cannot praise the Lord in his house And though the praises of the Lord in Heaven are transcendent
discerning the constitutions of men and studying remedies that whosoever did follow his rules and keep to his directions should never dye by any disease casually he might and of age he must but he would undertake to secure his health against diseases a bold undertaking But he who by his art promised to protect others to extreame old age from the arrest of death could not by all his art or power make himself a protection in the prime of his youth but dyed even as one without wisdome before or when he had seene but thirty Secondly they dye without wisdome That is they cannot carry their wisdome away with them as not their worldly riches and pompe so nor their worldly wisdome and knowledge Chap. 36. 12. Thirdly They dye even without wisdome that is they prepare not wisely for death This is the condition of most men their excellency goes away with them and they die without wisdome they have had wisdome but they die as if they had none that is they apply not their wisdome while they live to fit themselves for death They die before they understand what it is to live on why they live This wisdome is wanting in most men and of all such the Psalmist concludes to this sense of the place Man being in honour and understandeth not is like the beasts that perish Psal 49. 20. That is he perishes foolishly and without wisdome like a beast though in his life a man of honour and excellency He Moriuntur in simenâ—es vel insipienter Drus Prius moriuntur quam quicquam intellexgâ—iâ—t de divina sapientia Mer. that dies unpreparedly dies foolishly It is the wisdome of man to live in the world in the meditation of and preparation fo his departure out of this world And it is such a wisdome as is above man therefore David prayes Psal 39. 4. Lord make me to know mine end and the measure of my dayes what it is that I may know how fraile I am as if he had said Lord I have been considering this and that thing haply Davids thoughts were in the dust and he had been handling the clay out of which he was made yet saith he by all those considerations of my naturall constitution I cannot bring my heart to be so sensible of my frailty as I ought to be therefore he turnes himselfe to God Lord make me to know this thing Here is our wisdom when we seek to God to spiritualize naturall considerations and make them effectuall for the attaining of this wisdom the knowing of our end and the measure of our days But is it not some ignorance of our duty no petition for the knowledge of our end May we desire to know what God hath no where promised to reveale To petition for the literall knowledge of our end that is what yeare or day our lives shall end is a sinfull curiosity and a presumptuous intrusion into the secret will of God But to petition for a spirituall knowledge of our end that is how we may end well any day of the yeare or any houre of the day is a holy duty and an humble submission of our selves to the revealed will of God Thus to know our end how soone ceasing as one translates short lived and brittle ware we be Thus to know how defective we are as the Greeke renders it or what we lack namely to the end of our dayes is above the instruction of any creature We may preach and you hear of death as long as you and we live and yet not know he frailty of our lives till God makes us know it therefore saith he Lord make me to know how fraile I am none could teach him this lesson but God himselfe The same holy desires are breathed out Psal 90. 12. So teach us to number our dayes that we may apply our hearts unto wisdome as if Moses had said Lord I have been numbring my dayes my selfe and telling over my life I can tell no further than three or foure score and yet though I can tell no farther I cannot apply my heart unto wisdome we need but little Arithmetick to unmber our dayes but we need a great deale of grace to number them A child may be wise enough to number the dayes of an old man and yet that old man a child in numbring his own dayes that is not able to number his own dayes so as to apply his heart to wisdome To number them so is a very speciall point of wisdome the true Christian Phylosophy perfectly Meditatio moâ—tis vita est perfecta Greg. Moral 13. Suâ— ma philosophia Bern. to meditate on death is the perfection of life And it is therefore our wisdome to die well because we can die but once Aman had need doe that wisely which he can doe no more An errour in death is like an error in Warre you cannot commit it twice We have most reason to looke to it not to erre at all where it is not possible to erre againe Actually to erre twice is more sinfull but not to have a possibility of erring twice is most dangerous We transgresse the lawes of living over and over a thousand thousand times But as for the lawes of dying no man ever transgressed them a second time That we so often transgresse the law of living is an aggravation of sin upon all men And that we can transgresse the law of dying but once is the seale of misery upon most men Let us then cry unto God to be taught this great wisedome how to die and not without wisedome JOB Chap. 5. Vers 1 2. Call now if there be any that will answer thee and to which of the Saints wilt thou turne For wrath killeth the foolish and envy slayeth the silly one c. THE five first verses of this Chapter containe the fourth Argument by which Eliphaz goes on to convince Job of sinful hypocrisie And the conviction is made two wayes from a two-fold comparison First He compares Job to the Saints and finds him unlike to them Secondly He compares Job to the wicked and finds him like to them if so then Job must needs be a hypocrite who had carried it faire all the while in the world for a great professor and yet when he comes to the tryall was unlike all the Saints and most like the wicked of the world The first Argument may be thus framed He is not a just or a holy man who in his affliction is altogether unlike holy and just men But Job thou in thy affliction art altogether unlike holy and just men Therefore thou art not a holy or a just man The proposition is implied The Minor or the Assumption is in the first verse Call now if there be any that will answer thee and to which of the Saints wilt thou turne As if he should say Inquire as much as thou wilt thou shalt find none among the Saints like thy selfe they who have been somewhat like thee of whom
or are cut downe by some hand of justice The off-spring of a godly man are compared to grasse but in another reference To grasse first because of their multitude and secondly because of their beauty they shall flourish and be green as the grasse which is very pleasant to the beholders eye And in this also Eliphaz aimes at the death of Job's children Thou hast lost thy children they perished miserably but if thou Hoc dicit quia Iob filios amiserat Merc. returne that blessing shall returne thy seed shall be great and thy off spring shall be as the grasse of the earth The blessing of children hath been shewed in the first Chapter therefore I shall but name a point or two now First That The posterity of godly parents stand neerer then others under the influence of heavenly blessings As grace doth not runne in a blood so neither do blessings infallibly runne in a blood yet the children of those who are blessed are neerest a blessing And their possibilities for mercy are fairest Many promises are made to them they are heires apparent of the promises in their parents right others to appearance are strangers from the promises Though we know free grace chuseth often out of the naturall line The mercies of God are his own and it is his prerogative to have mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardneth Secondly When he summes up the blessings of a godly man the blessings of his children are cast into the account Whence note That the blessings of the children are the blessings of the parent As the parent is afflicted in the afflictions of his children so he is blessed in their blessings Relations share mutually both in comforts and crosses Children are their parents multiplied and every good of the child is an addition to the parents good A flourishing and a numerous posterity is a great outward blessing Some have the choisest of spirituall blessings who want this Isa 56. 3. God comforts those that have no children Doe not say that thou art made a dry tree for I will give thee in mine house a place and a name better than of sons and daughters As if he had said the name of sons and of daughters is a very great comfort but it is not the greatest comfort the best biessing thou shalt have a name and a place better than of sons and daughters Vers 26. Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age like as a shock of corne commeth in his season From personall present blessings of this life and the blessings of posterity Eliphaz descends to shew the blessing of a godly man in death A happy death is the close of temporall happinesse and the beginning of eternall A happy death stands between grace and glory like the Baptist between the law and the Gospel and is the connexion or knitting of both And as it was said of John That among them who are borne of women there arose not a greater then he neverthelesse he that is least in the kingdome of heaven is greater then John So we may say that among all the blessings of this life there is none greater then a blessed death neverthelesse that which is least in eternall life is a greater blessing then a blessed death It was an observation among the Heathen That no man is to be accounted blessed untill he die But when life is shut up with a blessing then man is fully blessed As in reasoning so in living the conclusion lyes in the premises A happy death is the result of a holy life Thou shalt come to thy grave That phrase notes two things First A willingnesse and a chearfulnesse to die Thou shelt come thou shalt not be dragged or hurried to thy grave as it is said of the foolish rich man Luk. 12. This night shall thy soule be taken from thee But thou shalt come to thy grave thou shalt die quietly and smilingly as it were thou shalt goe to thy grave as it were upon thine owne feet and rather walke then be carried to thy Sepulcher Secondly it notes the honor and solemnity of burying Thou shalt come to thy grave with honour as it is said of Ahijah the son of Jeroboam 1 King 14. 12 13. When Messengers were sent to the Prophet to enquire whether he should recover the Prophet tels them The child shall die and all Israel shall mourne for him and bury him For he only of Jeroboam shall Come to the grave because in him there is found some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam He only shall come to thy grave the rest shall be thrust into the grave or lye unburied but he shall come that is he shall be buried with honour others shall have reproach cast upon them when the earth is cast upon them Thou shalt come to thy grave In a full age So we translate The word is expounded two 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Senium senectutis tempus wayes In a full age that is in an age when thou shalt be full full of estate full of wealth and honour thou shalt have abundance when thou diest And so it points at Jobs present poverty though thou hast nothing now scarse a ragge to thy backe or a sheet to winde thee in if thou shouldst die yet seeke unto God and thou shalt die in a full age in a golden Age thy wants shall be supplied and thy losses repaired to the full But rather a full Age notes here a sulnesse of daies though the other fullnesse of estate be not excluded The Prophet puts the same difference between aged men and men full of dayes as is between children and young men Jer. 6. 11. I am full of the fury of the Lord I will powre it out upon the children abroad and upon the assembly of young men together The aged with him that is full of dayes That is all ages shall feele the fury of the Lord. A full age is an age full of daies or compleate to the utmost time of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 life Some of the Jewish Writers observe that the numerall letters of this word Chelad make up threescore which they conceive is In numeris notat 60 ea prima senectus est non matura Quidam Hebrae orum viâ—idem senectam nomine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 putant significari ut Caph sit similitudinis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—uâ—è virtutem humidum sonat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Senctutem itaque pollecetur-non quidem mâ—lestam morbosam sed vegetaÌ„ paelicem the age here meant but threescore is not a full old-oge it is rather the beginning of old-age Therefore fulnesse of age is by others interpreted to be strength of age thou shalt die in an old age yet thou shalt have strength and comfort in thy old-age thine old-age shall not be a troublesome age thou shalt not be weake and crazy distempered and sick a burthen to
to live when he dies or he is at the end of his naturall race before he hath set one step in his spiritual Gray haires are the shame and should be the sorrow of old-age when they are not found in the way of righteousnesse From the former branch of this verse observe First To have a comely buriall to come to the grave with honour is a great blessing It was threatned upon Jehojakim the sonne of Josiah as a curse That he should have the buriall of an Asse and be drag'd and cast out beyond the gates of the City Jer. 22. 19. That man surely had lived like a beast whom God threatn'd by name that when he died he should be used as a beast though we know the bodies of many of the servants of God have been scattered and may be scattered upon the face of the earth like dung The dead bodies as the complaint is Psal 79. 2. of thy servants have they given to be meat to the fowles of the heaven the flesh of thy Saints to the beasts of the earth Yet to them even then there is this blessing reserved beyond the blessing of a buriall they are ever laid up in the heart of God he takes care of them he embalmes them for immortality when the remains of their mortality are troden under foot or rot upon a dunghill Secondly observe A godly man is a volunteer in his death He commeth to the grave A wicked man never dies willingly Though he sometime die by his own hand yet he never dies with his own will Miserable man is sometimes so over-prest with terrours and horrours of conscience so worne out with the trouble of living that he hastens his own death Yet he Comes not to his grave willingly but is drag'd by necessity He thrusts his life out of doores with a violent hand but it never goes out with a cheerfull mind He is often unwilling to live but he is never willing to die Death is welcome to him because life is a burden to him Only they come to the grave who by faith have seene Christ lying in the grave and perfuming that house of corruption with his owne most precious body which saw no corruption Observe thirdly To live long and to die in a full age is a great blessing Old Eli had this curse pronounced upon his family 1 Sam. 2. 31. There shall not be an old man in thy house Gray haires are a crown of honour when they are found in the way of righteousnesse It is indeed infinitely better to be full of grace than to be full of daies but to be full of daies and full of grace too what a venerable spectacle is that To be full of years and full of faith full of good workes full of the fruits of righteousnesse which are by Christ How comely and beautifull beyond all the beauty and comelinesse of youth is that Such are truly said to have filled their daies Those daies are fill'd indeed which are full of goodnesse When a wicked man dies he ever dies emptie and hungrie he dies empty of goodnesse and he dies hungry after daies That place before mentioned of Abraham Gen. 25. 8. is most worthy our second thoughts He dies in a good old-age an old man and full so the Hebrew we reade full of years As a man that hath eaten and drunke plentifully is full and desires no more So he dyed an old-man and full that is he had lived as much as he desired to live he had his fill of living when he died And therefore also it may be called a full age because a godly man hath his fill of living but a wicked man let him live never so long is never full of daies never full of living he is as hungry and as thirsty as a man may speake after more time and daies when he is old as he was when he was a child faine he would live hill He must needs thinke it is good being here who knowes of no better being or hath Impij quamvis diu vivant tamen non implent dies suos quia spem in rehus temporarijs collocantes perpetua vita in hoc mundo peâ—frui vellent no hopes of a better It is a certaine truth He that hath not a tast of eternity can never be satisfied with time He that hath not some hold of everlasting life is never pleased to let goe this life therefore he is never full of this life It is a most sad thing to see an old man who hath no strength of body to live yet have a strong mind to live Abraham was old and full he desired not a day or an houre longer His soul had never an empty corner for time when he died He had enough of all but of which he could never have enough and yet had enough and all as soon as he had any of it eternity In that great restitution promised Isa 65. 20. this is one priviledge There shall be no more there an infant of daies nor an old man that hath not fil'd his daies There is much controversie about the meaning of those words The digression would be too long to insist upon them Only to the present point thus much that there is such a thing as an Infant of daies and an old man that hath not fill'd his daies An infant of daies may be taken for an old child that is an old man childish or a man of many years but few abilities A man whose hoary head ann wrinkled face speak fourscoure yet his foolish actions and simple carriage speake under fourteene An old man that hath not fill'd his daies is conceived to be the same man in a different character An old man fils not his dayes First When he fulfils not the duty nor reaches the end for which he lived to old-age That man who hath lived long and done little hath left empty daies upon the record of his life And when you have writ downe the daies the months and yeares of his life his storie 's done the rest of the book is but a continued Blanke nothing to be remembred that he hath done or nothing worth the remembrance Now as an old man fils not his daies when he satisfies not the expectation of others so in the second place his daies are not fill'd when his own expectations are not satisfied that is when he having lived to be old hath yet young fresh desires to live when he finds his mind empty though his body be so full of daies that it can hold no longer nor no more He that is in this sense an infant of dayes and an old man not having filled his dayes though he be an hundred yeares old when he dies yet he dies as the Prophet concludes in that place accursed he comes not to his grave under the blessing of this promise in the text in a full age Lastly observe Every thing is beautifull in its season He shall come to his grave like a
plant while it is rooted by the springs of heavenly promises And what is mine end that I should prolong my life The letter of the Hebrew is That I should prolong or lengthen out my soul that my soul should inhabit longer in the tabernacle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of my body The word prolong is differently joyned to life or dayes Deut. 5. 16. Honour thy father and thy mother as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee that thy dayes may be prolonged c Ezek. 12 22. Son of man what is that proverbe that you have in the land of Israel saying The dayes are prolonged and every vision faileth To prolong dayes and prolong life are the same Yet hear the word Nephesh soul which we translate life may be taken for desire which is a vehement act of the soul The soul expresses it self so much in desires that the same word may expresse both And so we may render Jobs sence thus What is my end that I should lengthen out or extend my desires any further after the things of this world or that I should defer and put off my desires after the things of the world to come Is there any thing in this life worth my staying for it or any thing so worthless in the next that I should not wish presently to enjoy it In this sence the word Nephesh is often used as Gen. 23. 8. Abraham speaks to the children of Heth If it be your soul or your desire we translate if it be your mind that I should bury my dead So Prev 23 2. If thou be a man given to thy appetite or whose desires are thy Lord and master as the elegancy of that place beares And again Psal 27. 12. Psal 41. 2. Eccl 6. 9. The word is applied to signifie the will or desire So here What is mine end that I should prolong my life or my desire of life His End may be considered two wayes First His end may be taken for the latter part of his life which Eliphaz promised would be very comfortable Thou shalt come to thy grave in a good old age as a shock of corn commeth into the flore As if Job should say you are promising me good dayes and a happy old age but what is mine end what 's the latter part of a mans life that he should desire to prolong his dayes to take it out why should I desire to prolong my life I am now well stricken in years and as for the end the latter part of a mans life it is nothing for the most part but trouble and sorrow As old Barzillai 2 Sam. 19. 35. when David offered him the pleasures of the Court answers I am thus old and can I taste my meat and taste my drink or hear musique What is the Fagge-end of mans life that one should hunger after it The sweetest comforts of this life are in the fore-part of life in the spring of youth in the strength and flower of age As for the winter of life what is that but wet and cold but clouds and darkness What is my end of old age that I should desire my life to be prolonged or eeked out to that But rather we may take this End First For the end of his troubles As if he had said What end so gainfull or comfortable can I have of these evils that should recompence my pains in bearing them till I receive it No worldly comforts can answer my sorrows and therefore why should I desire to prolong my life for them Secondly Take End for the very last term of life not that latter part or condition of a mans life troublesome old age as before or a renewed estate as here But take End for the ending the termination the period of life What is my end that I should prolong my life and so End is as much as death what is my death that I should desire to live I know no evil in death that should make me afraid of the end of my life I know no such trouble in dying that I should be desirous to spinne out this troublesome life longer surely the trouble and pain of death is not so much as the present trouble and pain of my life and as for any other trouble I fear none then What is my end that I should prolong my life that I should not desire death or that you should be so angry with me for desiring it Hence observe first There is no strength in man that may give him assured hope of long life What is my strength that I should hope No though man be in the flourish of his age the greenesse of his years yet what is youth or strength or beauty what all those fair leaves and fruits which hang upon and adorn this goodly tree that he should hope to hand long Man in his best estate is altogether vanity Psal 39. 5. He that hopes to live upon any of these things hopes in a vain thing trusts but in a shadow Our hopes to live this natural life as well as the spiritual and eternal must be in the living God The Image of death sits upon the best of our strength and beauty while we grow we decline and while we flourish we wither The lengthening of our dayes is the shortning of them and all the time we live is but a passage unto and should be but a preparation for death We are most miserable if in this life only we have hope and we are most foolish if our hopes of this life be in our own strength And because there is no strength in nature which may give us hope to live long It is our greatest wisdome to consider what provision we have in grace to maintain our hopes that we shall live for ever They are in an ill case who when they cannot hope to live long care not to settle their hopes of living eternally It is a most sad spectacle to see a languishing body and a languishing hope meet in one man Some have a Kalender in their bones shewing them they have but few dayes here and many distempers upon the whole body crying in their ears with a loud voice what is your strength that you should hope to live who yet prepare not at all to die They are both unready and unwilling to be dissolved when they see no hope to keep up their tabernacle from desolution Secondly taking the word in the last sense which I conceive rather to be the mind of the holy Ghost in this place observe That there is no evil in the death of a godly man which should make him unwilling to die or which should make him linger after this life What is the end of a godly man that he should prolong his life All the bitterness of death is removed or sweetned by Christ Death the King of terrours is made a servant to let us in to our comforts by the power of Christ that prince of life who hath abolished death and brought life
men we need not the helpe of fooles to counsell us or of unfaithfull ones to act for us Besides Creatures are no helpe to God For the truth is God and the creature are no more than God alone I say God and the utmost perfection of all creatures put together are no more than God alone The reason of it is because if there be any perfection in creatures it is but what God himselfe hath put into them What a man gives to another is no addition to himselfe much lesse is that which God gives man or Angel any addition to God God is infinite and no addition can be made to infinite When the creature doth most for us the creature of it selfe doth nothing for us God doth all in all by all The creature doth you no more good at one time than at another all the good which is done at any time God doth it So then every way God hath no need of creatures And it is our comfort I am sure it ought to be that he hath not He saith to wisemen I have no need of your counsels to rich men I have no need of your purses and to great men I have no deed of your power hee sees all is vanity Lastly If God trust not Angels let not us trust in man if he charges his Angels with folly let not us adore the wisedome of man This discovery of imperfection in Angels should lay all creatures low before us and take us off from confidence or boasting in any arme of flesh To this sense Eliphaz prosecutes the argument in the following words to the end of the Chapter If Angels the chiefest and choicest of creatures be thus weake what then is man who dwels in a house of clay whose foundation is in the dust and who are crushed before the moth JOB Chap. 4. Vers 19 20 21. How much lesse on them that dwell in houses of clay whose foundation is in the dust which are crushed before the moth They are destroyed from morning to evening they perish for ever without any regarding it Doth not their excellency which is in them goe away they die even without wisedome THese three verses containe a description of man in opposition to the Angels The forme of the argument was given before to this effect That if Angels those excellent creatures cannot stand before God or be justified in his sight then much lesse man a weake creature man who dwels in a house of clay and whose foundation is in the dust Two things this Context holds forth to us concerning the weaknesse of man in opposition to Angels First It shewes that man is a materiall substance so are not Angels Angels are spirits spirituall substances Secondly It shewes us that man is a mortall substance so are not Angels spirits die not That man is a materiall substance is proved in the beginning of the 19. verse from those words He dwels in a house of clay whose foundation is in the dust That man is a mortall substance is implied in the former That which is made of clay and dust must needes be brittle ware But besides that his mortality is implied in those words it is proved expresly and in termes in the words following to the end of the Chapter And this mortality of man is set forth by divers adjuncts or circumstances 1. By a similitude shadowing the quicknesse or the suddennesse of mans death They are crushed before the moth 2. By the shortnesse of life They are destroyed from morning to evening 3. By the everlasting power which death hath upon us respecting this world They perish for ever 4. By the common and generall insensiblenesse and inconsideration of this fraile life of this long lasting death Man saith he is destroyed from morning to evening he dieth quickly perisheth for ever he lies as long as the world lasts in his grave yet such is the stupidity of man that none regard all this he dies without any regarding 5. And least any should say surely man is not such a pitifull creature as this sad description represents him man was the most excellent part of the inferior creation God planted many noble endowments upon man and is there no more to be said of him but this he is crush'd like a moth and dies no man regarding That objection is taken away in the last verse as if the Holy Ghost had said I grant that man besides dust and clay which are his materials hath many heavenly yea divine endowments he hath the impressions of Gods Image in reason and understanding stamped upon him but though he be thus qualified yet all his excellency all that which may be accounted the choisest and the best in him will not keepe him sweet or protect him from death and rottennesse Doth not saith he their excellency which is in them goe away as if he had said If you alledge that man is more than dust and clay then weaknesse and corruption t is granted but what then Doth not their excellency that is in them goe away doth it not vanish and where is it and where is he All naturall perfections whatsoever man hath under the notion of a reasonable creature be they never so high and raised quickly passe wither and decay They have no abiding excellency in them Doth not their excelleny that is in them goe away They have wisdome but they die without wisedome even as bruit beasts either their wisdome decayes while they live or it is not able to keepe them alive wisedome parts and learning stand them in no stead to prevent death Now if their excellency goe away they must goe too if wisedome cannot keepe them alive die they must as we shall see further in opening the severall parts having thus given the sense in generall These things considered we may see the strength of the Argument in the 19. verse How much lesse on them who dwell in houses of clay c. as if he should say Forasmuch as Angels cannot stand in competition with God or approve themselves in his sight certainly much lesse can man how great thoughts soever he hath of himselfe much lesse can man be justified in his sight who comes so many degrees short of Angelicall perfections For his soule which is within him though it be a noble and a spirituall substance and that wherein he is most like to Angels yet this soule of his sojournes dwels and acts in a body composed of corruptible clay and hath no better a foundation in a naturall capacitie than the very dust And so subject is this man to mortality thus composed of dust and clay as what through the inward distempers of his body what through outward accidents and casualties he is as transitory and as subject to death as the meanest worme as the poorest creature in the world he is crushed before the moth How much lesse on them that dwell in houses of clay The Hebrew beares a double rendring either how much lesse as we or
and more perfect then those in his house on Earth yet it is a higher act of grace to desire to live to praise God then to be willing to dye that we may praise him because in this we deny our selves most Praysing God on earth is a work as well as a reward but praising God in Heaven is a reward rather then a work And we put forth the most spirituall acts of grace when we cheerfully goe on with a work which we know stands betweene us and the best part of our reward But I returne to the Text. They perish for ever without any regarding or without any laying it to heart The word heart is not in the mouth but it is in the heart of this Scripture For the sense is paralell with that Esay 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Absque apponente Pereunt eoquòd nemo opponat eis medicinam 57. The righteous perish and no man layes it to heart The Chaldee gives a strange glosse They perish or dye because no man giveth them medicine as if he had said there is no Physitian can give an Antidote against death or by any medicines prolong mans life It is a truth that the decayes and ruines of Nature will at last exceed the repairs of Art but this glosse hath little regard to the text which we translate well They perish without any regarding it that is none or very few regarding it The negative is not absolutely universall excluding all as if there were none in the world who take notice of the shortnesse and frailty of mans life or of his for ever perishing condition So in that place of Isaiah the righteous perish and no man layes it to heart that is there are very few scarce any to be found who lay to heart in comparison of the number which neglect the death of righteous men Observe hence Few of the living regard how suddenly others do or themselves may dye Till we see a friend gasping and dying till we see him bedewed with cold sweats and rackt with Convulsions till our eye thus affects our hearts our hearts are seldome affected with the sense of our mortality It is one reason why Solomon advises to go to the house of mourning Eccles 7. It is better to goe to the house of mourning then to the house of mirth for saith he that is the way of all men all must dye and the living will lay it to heart or the living will regard it As if he had said the living seldom lay death to heart till they come to the house of death He seems to promise for the living that then they wil yet his undertaking is not so strict as if every man that goes to the house of mourning did certainly lay it to heart but he speaks probably that if living man will at any time lay death to heart then surely he will when he goes to the house of mourning When will a man think of death if not when he sees death and looks into that dark chamber of the grave There are many who lay it to heart only then for a fit at a Funerall they have a passion of the heart about mortality And very many have gone so often to the house of mourning that they are growne familiar with death and the frequency of those meetings take off all impressions of mortality from their hearts As we say of those Birds that build roost in steeples being used to the continuall ringing of the bels the sound disquiets them not or as those that dwel near the fall of the river Nylus the noise of the water deafens them so that they minde it not Many have been so often at the grave that now the grave is worn out of their hearts they look upon it as a matter of custome and formality for men to dye and be buried and when the solemnity of death is over the thoughts of death are over as soone as the grave is out of their sight preparations for the grave are out of mind It is storied 2 Sam. 20. 12. that when Amasa was slain by Joab and lay wallowing in his blood in the midst of the high way every one that came by him stood still but anon Amasa is removed out of the high way into the field a cloth cast upon him then the text saith all the people went on after Joab It is so still we make a stop at one that lyes gasping and groaning at one that lyes bleeding and dying but let a cloth be throwne over him and he draw aside put into the grave and covered with earth then we goe to our businesse to trading and dealing yea to coveting and sinning as if the last man that ever should be were buried Thus men perish for ever without any regarding If this kinde of perishing were more regarded or regarded by more fewer would perish Thoughts of death spiritualliz'd have life in them thoughts of death laid to the heart are a good medicine for an evil heart It followes Verse 21. Doth not their excellency which is in them go away they dye even without wisdome This Verse as I noted in the begining prevents an objection which might be made as if man had wrong done him and that it were too great a diminution to his honour whom God made the chief creature in the inferiour world and but little inferiour to Angels themselves that he should be looked upon only as a heape of dust or a lumpe of clay as a mortall momentany perishing creature therefore he grants that man hath an excellency but all the excellency that he hath whether naturall or artificiall bred in him or acquired by him as a man when he goes goes too Doth not their excellency which is in them go away or journieth not their excellency with them as Mr. Broughton translates alluding to our passing out of the world as in a journey when a man dies he takes a journey out of the world he goes out for ever and saith he doth not his excellency journey along with him yes the question affirmes it when man goes his excellency goes too The word Jether which we translate excellency signifies primarily a residue or a remaine and that two ways First a residue of persons Judges 7. 6. But all the rest of the people bowed downe on their knees to drink water So the vulgar understands it here They who are left after them shall be taken away from them namely their heirs or posterity Secondly it signifies a residue of things Ps 17. 14. where describing worldly men who have their portion in this life he saith their bellies are fill'd with hid treasure they are also full of children and leave the rest of their substance to their babes Thus others take it here Doth not the wealth and riches which men leave when they dye dye also and go away as their persons are mortall so are their estates there is a moth will eat both And Iather quod est
notes a man hasty bold inconsiderate rushing on hand over head without feare or wit A man who either is master but of little knowledge or that which he hath be it little or much masters him It agrees fully in sense and is the same to a letter in found with our English word Evill Such the Prophet Zech. 11. 15. describes Take saith he the instruments of a foolish sheapheard he doth not meane the instruments of a rude and meerely ignorant sheapheard a man that hath no knowledge or learning but of a rash and imprudent shepheard or of a lazie and idle shepheard who though hath knowledge yet knowes not how or hath no heart to improve his knowledge for the good of his flock The Prophet Ezekiel gives us the character of such Chap. 34. 4. The diseased have ye not strengthened nor have ye healed that which was sicke nor bound up that which was broken c. but will ye know what work they made with furie and with crueltie have ye ruled them ye have been moved with fury not with pity and acted by passion not by reason much lesse by grace So in this place the foolish man whom envy slayes is not a meere ignorant one that hath no brains but one hare-brayn'd and uncompos'd Eliphaz hints at Job secretly in this word whom he knew reported for a man of great knowledge and learning according to the learning of those times yet he numbers him with Nâ—n his solum sed calamo iâ—os â—imur in scribendo eumque 〈◊〉 fraâ—gâ—mus pectoâ—â—s penecallo alcato res tesseris cuicunque instrumento quilâ—bet ex quo dâ—fficultatem se paâ—â— arbitratur August â—ra stultitiae comeâ— sooles because he conceived him wrathfull rash intemperate not having any true government of himselfe Anger resteth in the bosome of fooles Eccles 7. 9. A foole is not able to judge of the nature of things or times or occasions and therefore he is angry with every thing that hits not his nature or his humour He will be angry with the Sunne if it shine hotter then he would have it and with the winds if they blow harder then he would have them and with the clouds if they raine longer then serves his turne They that are emptiest of understanding are fullest of will and usually so full of will that we call them will-full Hence unlesse every thing be ready to serve their wills they are ready to dye by the hand or judgement of their passions Wrath kills this foolish man Wrath may be taken here two woyes either for the wrath of God or for the wrath of man In the former sense the meaning is That the wrath of God kills foolish men Which is an undoubted truth but I rather adhere to the latter which gives the meaning thus That the wrath of a foolish man kills himselfe his own wrath is as a knife at his throate and as a sword in his own bowels The word which we translate wrath signifies indignation anger teastinesse or touchinesse Properly wrath is anger inveterate anger is a short fury and wrath is a long anger when a man is set upon 't when his spirit is steeped and soak't in anger then 't is wrath Esau raked up the burning coales of his anger in the ashes till his Fathers Funerall The time of mourning for my father will shortly come then will I slay my brother But our word rather notes a servent heate and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 distemper of spirit presently breaking forth or an extreame vexation fretting and disquieting us within As Psal 112. 10. The wicked shall see it and be grieved that is he shall have secret indignation in himselfe to see matters goe so He shall gnash with his teeth and melt away Gnashing of the teeth is caused by vexing of the heart And therefore it followes he melts away which notes melting is from heate an extreame heate within The sense is very suitable to this of Eliphaz wrath slayeth the foolish or wrath makes him melt away it melts his grease with chafing as we say of a man furiously vext Hence that deplorable condition of the damned who are cast out of the presence of God for ever is described by weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth which imports not onely paine but extreame vexing at or in themselves Those fooles shall be slaine for ever with their own wrath as well as with the wrath of God Wrath killeth c. But how doth wrath kill a foolish man his wrath sometimes drawes his sword and kils others but is his wrath as a sword to kill himselfe Many like Simeon and Levi in their anger have slaine a man but that the anger of a man should slay himselfe may seeme strange The passion of vvrath is such an engine as recoyles upon him that uses or discharges it As the desire of the slothfull killeth him Prov. 21. 25. so the wrath of a foolish man kils him that place enlightens this how comes desire to stay the slothfull thus A man slothfull in action is full of desires and quick in his affections after many good things he would faine have them he longs for them but the man is so extreame lazie that he will not stirre hand or foot to get the things which he desires and so he pines away with wishing and woulding and dies with griefe because desire is not satisfied So in like manner wrath is said to slay a man first because it thrusts him headlong upon such things as are his death he runnes wilfully upon his own death sometimes by the dangerousnesse of the action whence casuall suddaine death surprises him sometime by the unlawfulnesse of the action which brings him to a legall or judiciary death Secondly his wrath is said to kill him because his wrath is so vexations to him that it makes his life a continuall death to him and at last so wearieth him out and wasts his spirits that he dyes for very griefe and so at once commits a three-fold murder First he murders him intentionally against whom he is wroth Secondly he really murders his own body and thirdly he meritoriously murders his soule for ever except the Lord be more mercifull then he hath been wrathfull and the death of Christ heal those wounds by which he would have procured the death of others and hath as much as in him lies procured his own And envie slayeth the silly one These two expressions meet neere upon a sense Envy is the trouble which a man conceives in himselfe at the good which another receives This disease gets in at the eyes and eares or is occasioned by seeing or hearing of our neighbours blessings In the 1 Joh. 2. All the lusts in the world are reduced to three heads The lust of the eyes the lust of the flesh and the pride of life Envy is the chiefest lust of the eyes and it is properly called the lust of the eye because a man seldom envieth another untill
thy selfe or friends thou shalt die as some translate in a good old-age or as Mr. Broughton thou shalt die in lusty old-age Time shall not wither thee nor drinke up thy blood and spirits Thou shalt have a spring in the Autumne and a Summer in the winter of thy life As it was with Moses Deut. 34. 7. who died when he was an hundred and twenty yeares old yet saith the text His eye was not dimme nor his naturall force abated This is to die in a full old-age full of daies yet full of strength and health It is a great blessing when a man is in this sense youthfull in old-age when others see with foure eyes and goe with three leggs he uses neither staff nor spectacles but renews his strength like the Eagle Or we may take the sense more generally for any one that liveth long and liveth comfortably as it was said of Abraham Gen. 25. 8. That he died in a good old-age an old man and full of yeares He died in a good old-age The young-man is counsel'd To remember his Creator in the dayes of his youth before the evill daies come Eccles 12. 1. What are those Those evill daies are the daies of old-old-age The words following being an Allegoricall elegant description of old age old-Old-age in it selfe is the evill day The lives of many old-men are a continuall death They live as it were upon the racke of extreame paines or strong infirmities therefore it is a speciall blessing for man to be old and yet to have a good old-age that is a florid comfortable old-age To have many yeares and few infirmities is a rare thing In some old-age flourishes and in others old-age perishes Job gives us this difference in the use of this word Chap. 30. 2. Yea whereto might the strength of their hands profit me in whom Chelad old-age was perished As if he had said some old-men are active and strong but these who were faded and flatted in all their abilities in what stead could they stand me They were a trouble to themselves and therefore could be no comfort unto others This full old-age is explained further by way of similitude He shall die in a full age lie as a shock of corne commeth in in his season When a young man dye he is as greene corne The Psalmist imprecates that some may be like the grasse or corne on the house-top that withereth before it is cut downe whereof the mower Psal 129. 6 7. filleth not his hand nor he that bindeth up the sheaves his bosome The life of a man sometimes is like corn growing upon the house top that withereth Or as it is in the parable of the sower Mat. 13. like the corne that fell on the high-way side or among stones and thornes which came not in in it's season it never staid the ripening or reaping but was eaten up or dried or choaked before the harvest Now here man is compared unto corne sowed in good ground well rooted and continuing out it's season and is brought in ripe at harvest Old-age is the harvest of nature Some divide mans life into seven parts comparing it to the seven planets Some into five comparing it to the five acts of an interlude but commonly the life of man is divided into foure parts and so it is compared to the foure seasons of the yeare And in that division old-age is the winter-quarter cold and cloudy full of rheumes and catarrhs of diseases and distellations But here old-age is the harvest though thou art a very old-man thou shalt not die as in winter but thou shalt die as it were in harvest when thou art full ripe and readie as a shock of corne that is laid up in the barne The generall judgement of the world is compared to a harvest and death which is a particular day of judgement is a harvest too Those words He shall come to his grave as a shock of corne are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ascendere significat â—vanescere velut in auras tolli velè medio tolli further considerable the Hebrew is He shall ascend as a shock of corre and that referring to death is sometimes translated by cutting off or taking away Psal 102. 25. Cut me not off in the midst of my daies The letter is Let me not ascend in the midst of my daies Whether it have any allusion to that hope or faith of the Saints in their death that they doe but ascend when they die or to their disappearing to the eye of sence when they die because things which ascend vanish out of sight and are not seene In either sence when the Saints are cut downe by death they ascend 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Propriè significat acervum frugum qui in And they are elegantly said To ascend as a shock of corne because that is taken from the earth and reored or stackt up and so by a Metaphor it signisies a Tombe or a monument errected or high-built over a dead corpse much after the manner of a shock of corn area erigitur Metaphoricè tumultum ceu currulum teâ—rae vel monumentuÌ„ sepulcro imposiâ—um So the word is used He shall remaine in the tombe or Heape Job 22. 32. So then the sum of this verse is a promise of comfort and honour in death He shall die in a full age when he is readie and ripe for death Yet this is not to be taken strictly that every godly man dies in such a full old age in an age full of daies or full of comforts Many of Gods best servants have had evill daies in their old age their old age hath had many daies of trouble and sickness of paine and perplexity But thus it is with many in old age and this is especially to be look't upon as an Old Testament promise when the Lord dealt more with his people invisible externall mercies Yet in one sense it is an universall truth and ever fulfilled to his people for whensoever they die they die in a good age yea though they die in the spring and flower of youth they die in a good old age that is they are ripe for death when ever they die when ever a godly man dies it is harvest time with him though in a naturall capacity he be cut down while he is green and cropt in the bud or blossome yet in his spirituall capacity he never dies before he is ripe God ripens his speedily when he intends to take them out of the world speedily He can let out such warme rayes and beams of his Spirit upon them as shall soone maturate the seeds of grace into a preparednesse for glory whereas a wicked man living an hundred yeaers hath no full old-old-age much lesse a good old-old-age he is ripe indeed for destruction but he is never ripe for death he is as unreadie and unripe for death when he is an hundred years old as when he was but a day old He hath not begun
beat a thing to powder 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Contudit contrivit comminuit or to beat a thing to pieces Psal 143. 3. He hath smitten my life downe to the ground that is He hath beaten me as it were to dirt So Job here I would have the Lord even beat me to dust or dirt The word is used for contrition of spirit Isa 57. 15. I dwell with him that is of an humble heart and of a contrite spirit That is with him that hath a spirit beaten to powder or all to pieces as any hard thing is with a hammer or pestle A hard heart is a heart all in a lumpe condensate and closed together but an humble a repenting heart is a heart beaten small and ground to powder Thus Job desires here O that it would please God to beat my life downe to dust and breake me all to shatters that he would crush me as Eliphaz spake in the 14th Chapter ver 19. as a Moth. Observe then in how sad a condition Job was who not onely makes but renewes such a request as this Some upon a suddaine pang wish to die and hastily call for death yet are willing it should take it 's own time and come leisurely and as soon as death appeares they are crying as hard for life It is rare for any mans second thoughts to keepe up to such desires Job spake once and he speakes it over again O that I might die yea he wooes destruction and is an importunate suiter for the grave How sad is a mans outward condition when he hath only this complaint left that he cannot die when a man hath no helpe but in destruction or healing but in a deeper wound Job in this appeares like a man that is to be pressed to death lying under a heavy weight yet the weight not heavy enough to crush him to death he cries out more weight more weight It will be a kindnesse to crush out my breath and bowels the greatest favour I expect in this world is but to have more weight laid upon them that I may die Some of the Martyrs when the fire was scant have cried out more fire The cruellest flame was their friend and the more the fire raged the more merciful it was to them The book of our Martyrs reports of reverend Latimer that when he was giving witnesse to the truth and glorifying the name of Christ in the fire he cried out Oh I cannot burne the fire came not fast enough upon him Such this expression of Job seemes to be Oh I cannot die I cannot be destroyed I cannot perish yet O that the hand of God would lay more weight upon me that I might die He seemes to aske such a curtesie as that Amalekite said King Saul craved of him 2 Sam. 1. 9. Stand I pray thee upon me and slay me for anguish is come upon me because my life is yet whole in me This is the favour the only favour that remaines for me I am capable of no worldly comfort but a quicker dispatch out of the world And that he would let loose his hand and cut me off Here is the same Petition though other language That he would 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Loco movit evulsit excussit let loose his hand That 's an elegant expression The word signifies to loose the bond that a man may have use of his hands or feet As prisoners are loosed Psal 146. 2. The Lord looseth the prisoners So that it is as if Job had said Lord thou hast been smiting and wounding me but I see thou hast not given thy hand the full scope thy hand is as it were bound or tied behind thee As you know a man that hath great advantage of another or is much his over-mach will say to him I will fight with thee with Translatio ab his qui manum vinctam habent my hand tied behind me The truth is God is able to contend with all the creatures with his hand bound behind him with his hands fast bound that is without putting forth the least part to speake on of his power He can overcome with speaking Job observing here that God contended with him as it were with his hands bound or tied up desires now that God would give himselfe full scope and put out his strength and not strike as if his hand were a prisoner And he may have a respect in speaking thus to the Non se gera◠erga me instar hominis colligatam habentis manum restraint or binding up of Satans power In this worke Satan was Gods hand God put power into the hand of Satan All that he hath is in thy power or in thy hand Chap. 1. 12. First God loosened Satans hand to take away his estate Next he let loose his hand a little further to the afflicting of his body but saith God spare his life there he bound up his hand againe Now Job alluding probably to that restraint Lord saith he loosen thy hand a third time doe not only loosen it to take away my estate to take away my health and strength but O that thou wouldest loosen it to take away my life too enlarge I pray thee Satans Commission who is thy hand let it quite loose that he may make an end of me and cut me off The word here used to cut off comes up to heighten Jobs sence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Inexplebilem cupiditatem atque immanem aviditatem vulnerandi humani sanguinu perfundendi sign ficat still signifying to cut off with an unsatiable appetite of revenge As if he should say Cut me off spare me not spare not my blood doe it as they who are most greedy of blood and thirst most vehemently after revenge Let Satan that blood-sucker come with as great revenge thy hand being loosened from restraining his as ever the greatest Tyrant hastned with to suck the blood of innocents Let him greedily cut me off even as if he were to have some great gain or get some rich booty by my blood What profit is there in my blood saith David Psal 30. 9. Let him make what profit he can of my blood saith Job The word signifies to covet or desire gaine And it notes the worst kind of covetousnesse covetousnesse of filthy lucre or covetousnesse of bloodie lucre Hence Job saith Let God cut me off as if he were to have profit or raise Avidè me absumat quasi ex mea morte ingens lucrum reportaturus Pined himselfe a revenew out of my blood or let Satan come upon me and take his penny-worths out of my blood let him murder me as if he were to find all manner of treasure in my bowels and could thence fill and adorn all his chambers of darknes with spoils We may note from hence First That God dispenceth and acteth his power as he pleaseth He looseth his hand gradually as to him seemeth good First To the estate then to the body
passe out against him A if he had said Let not God spare me let him write â—s bitter a sentence against me as he pleaseth for my part I would not conceale the word of the most High but I would publish his judgement and sentence against me yea I would praise him and extoll him for it The vulgar Latine to this sence I would not contradict the word of the holy One Let him not spare me for as for my part whatsoever God shall determine and resolve whatsoever word God shall speake concerning me I will never withstand or open my mouth against it This is a truth and carries in it a high frame of holinesse when we can bring our hearts to this that let God write as bitter things against us as he pleaseth we will never contradict his word or decree but our minds and spirits shall submit wholly and fully to his dispositions of us and dispensations towards us It is as clear an evidence of grace to be passive under as to be active in the word of God Not to contradict his writ for our sufferings as not to conceale what he speaks for our practise But I rather stick to the former interpretation Job giving this as a reason of his great confidence in pursuing his petition for death because he had been so sincere holding forth the word of God both in doctrine and in life And so we may observe from it First That the testimony of a good conscience is the best ground of our willingnesse to die That man speakes enough for his willingnesse to die who hath lived speaking and doing the will of God and he is in a very miserable case who hath no other reason why he desireth death but onely because he is in misery This was one but not the only reason why Job desired death he had a reason transcending this I have not concealed the words of the holy One and I know if I have not concealed the word of God God will not conceal his mercy and loving kindness from me David bottoms his hopes of comfort in sad times upon this Psal 40. 9 10. I have preached righteousness in the great Congregation I have not refrained my lips O Lord thou knowest he was not actively or politickly silent I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart if lay there but it was imprisoned or stifl'd there I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvations I have not concealed thy loving kindness and thy truth from the great Congregation Upon this he fals a praying with a mighty spirit of beleeving vers 11. Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me O Lord let thy loving-kindness and thy truth continually preserve me for innumerable evils have compassed me about The remembrance of our active faithfulness to the truth of God will bear up our hearts in hoping for the mercy of God He that in Davids and in Jobs sence can say I have not concealed the words of the most high may triumph over innumerable evils and shall be more then a conquerer over the last and worst of temporal evils death God cannot long conceal his love from them who have not concealed his truth Secondly observe positively That the counsels of God his truths must be revealed God hath secrets which belong not to us but then he puts them not forth in a word nor writes them in his book he keeps his secrets close in the cabinet of his decrees and counsels but what he reveals either in his word or by his works man ought to reveal too It is as dangerous if not more to conceal what God hath made known as to be inquisitive to know what God hath concealed Yea it is as dangerous to hide the word of God as it is to hide our own sins And we equally give glory to God by the profession of the one as by the confession of the other Paul with much earnestnesse professes his integrity about this as was even now toucht Act. 20. Fourthly observe That the study of a godly man is to make the word of God visible I have not concealed that is I have made plain I have revealed or I have published the words of the holy One Much of Jobs mind is concealed under that word I have not concealed For in this negative there is an affirmative as if he had said this hath been my labour and my businesse my work in the world to make known so much of the will of God as I know This was the work of Christ here below Father I have glorified thee upon earth I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do Joh. 17. 4. What this work was he shewes vers 6th I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world Lasty observe That it is a dangerous thing for any man to conceale the word of God either in his opinion or in his practice For it is as if Job had said if I had ever concealed the words of God I had bin but in an ill case at this time God might now justly reveale his wrath against me if I had concealed his word from others or God might justly hide his mercies from me if I had hid his word from men Smothered truths will one time or other set the conscience in a flame and that which Jeremiah spake once concerning his resolution to conceale the word of God and the effect of it will be a truth upon every one who shall set himselfe under a resolution to doe what he under a temptation did Jer. 20. 9. Then I said I will not make mention of him nor speake any more in his name what followes Then his word was in my breast as a burning fire shut up in my bones and I was weary with forbearing If a gracious heart hath taken up such a sodaine resolution to conceale the word of God he quickly repents of it or smarts under it He findes that word as a burning fire in his bones he is not able to bear it I was weary with forbearing saith the prophet Nothing in the world will burthen the conscience so much as concealed truth and they who have taken a meditated resolution that they will not reveale the word of God may be sure that word will one time or other reveale it selfe to them in the Light and heat of a burning fire seeding upon their consciences I have not concealed the words whose words The words of the Holy One Who is that The Holy One is a periphrasis for God When you hear that Title The holy One you may know who is meant This is a Title too bigge for any but a God All holinesse is in God and God is so holy that properly he onely is Holy Hence the Scripture sets God forth under this as a peculiar attribute The Holy One The Prophets often use this addition or stile The Holy One of Israel The Holy One Is One separate or set apart from all filthinesse
God Deicidium Sin would not allow him a being in the world who gave the world it's being Sin in the nature of it is The unholy thing and God is The holy One These two must contend for ever so far as things or persons are unholy they directly strike at the Being of God Sin would put down all rule and all dominion but it 's own Observe Fourthly They who despise holiness despise God himself They who despise holiness despise the very glory of God God is glorious in holiness and this is his glorious Name THE HOLY ONE Some of the Prophane wretched Jewes derided and blasphemed God under this title the Prophet had long threatned judgement and had told them that the holy God would be avenged of them for their filthiness and profaness for their hypocrifie and idolatry But when these wretches saw God delaying to come out and bring forth the treasures of his wrath against them they fall a jeering and they jeer at God under this title Isa 5 19. Let him make speed and hasten his work that we may see it as if they had said God is too slow let him make more hast and let the counsel of the holy One of Israel draw nigh and come that we may know it him that you have so often told us of The holy One let him make hast and bring on his work Without question God came speedily upon those and he will come speedily upon all those unclean spirits and tongues who blaspheme that holy Name The holy One Lastly Hence we learn Why none can see God why none have any fitness for communion with God but holy Ones holy persons the reason is because God is the holy One. That great Law is gone out from the mouth of God Levit. 10. 3. I will be sanctified in those that come near me why sanctified Because God is the holy one Unlesse we sanctifie God we cannot draw nigh to God As holinesse is a separation from evil so iâ— is an approximation to the chiefest good But some may demand how can man sanctifie God God sanctifies us but can we sanctifie him We cannot sanctifie God as he sanctifies us We doe not sanctifie God by adding or communicating any holiness unto him but we sanctifie God by acknowledging his holiness or by acknowledging that he is The Holy One drawing nigh unto God with a holy heart with holy affections is the sanctfying of God For this is the language of such preparation I have a holy God to go unto therefore I must have a holy heart to come unto him with this is sanctifying God And that 's the reason why none can see God but they that are holy Heb. 12. 14. Without holiness no man shall see the Lord because God himself is holy therefore they cannot see God who are unholy There must be an inward holiness holiness in the Organ to take in the holiness of the object God first works holiness in us and then we behold him the holy God And that was the reason why the Prophet Isa chap. 6. when the voice proclaimed that thrice holy Name of God Holy Holy Holy cried out I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips I have an unclean heart and how shall I stand before this holy holy holy God This made his spirit recoyl though he was a holy Prophet If the remainders of unholinesse in him made his spirit faint when there was an appearance of the holy God How will they that are nothing but corruption or a lump of uncleanness lying still in the dregs of nature be able to stand before God The holy One the holy holy holy One This is the summe of the first reason upon which Job grounds his request to die it was not the misery he suffered but the integrity in which he had lived He had not concealed the words of the holy One therefore as his affliction made his life troublesome to him so the goodness of his cause and conscience made death welcome to him JOB Chap. 6. Vers 11 12 13 14. What is my strength that I should hope And what is mine end that I should prolong my life Is my strength the strength of stones Or is my flesh of brass Is not my help in me And is wisdom driven quite from me To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty JOB as hath been shewed in this context from the 8th verse renewes his former request and desire of death confirming it by divers arguments some of which were opened in the 10th verse especially that from the clearness and integrity of his own conscience in that he had not concealed the words of the the holy One He had dealt faithfully in the cause of God and therefore he was not afraid to appear before God And his desire did not hang about his lips as if it would return and deny it self therefore in this 11th verse he puts forth two reasons further why he moves or re-enforces his motion to die The first is grounded upon the small hope he had to live long if he should desire it What is my strength that I should hope The second is grounded upon the strong hope yea assurance which he had that it should be well with him in death or that death could be no dammage to him And what is my end that I should prolong my life Put these two together And then consider is it any wonder that a man in much misery desires to die speedily when he hath no hope no ground of hope that he can live long and when he hath no fear no ground no nor shaddow of fear that it shall be ill with him when he dies This I conceive is the sum and strength of his reasoning contained in the 11th verse I shall now open the words distinctly What is my strength that I should hope Some render it What is my strength that I should bear that I should be able to sustain this weighty burthen this mighty load of affliction pressing my wounded soul and wearied body Thus it refers to his present sufferings to the enduring and standing under which he found his own strength altogether insufficient And so the My in the text What is my strength seems to be His sustinendis impar sum haec mea vita miseriis obnoxia sustentatur non meis viribus sed divina gratia fide dilectione in filium Dei Pined opposed to some other strength As if Job had said Eliphaz you advised me in the former Chapter verse 8. to seek unto God and to commit my cause unto him to seek help at his hands Why do you think I have not done that all this while Do you beleeve that I have stood out these assault in My own strength What is My strength that I should bear That I should bear this burthen so long as I have born it Surely I have been held up by the power of
and immortality to light by the Gospel A believer buries all his feares of death in the grave of Christ He looks upon death as the funeral of his so rows and the resurrection of his joyes When the Psalmist had described the troubles and stormy conflicts of a godly man together with the flourishing outward pompe of the wicked he concludes with this advice Mark the righteous man observe him well take special notice of him the latter and of that man is peace if his end be peace there is nothing in his end which can make him afraid of it or put it off All desire peace they especially Pacem te poscimus omnes who are wearied out with war The life of the holiest man is a warfare and his end is peace Then what is his end that he should prolong his life When a worldly man looks upon his end he saith O what is my end that I should desire to die His end is such as makes him justly afraid to die There is nothing in the end of a wicked man but matter to feed the fear of death and the desire of prolonging life as long as he can This is the reason why when God cals him to die he is deaf at the call yea that call is death to him before he dies Lot had a mind to prolong his time in Sodom it was a goodly City and he was not well assured whether to goe or how he should be lodged next night This caused him to linger so long till the Angels came and thrust him out Natural men have all their portion and estates in the Sodom of this world And if they hear a message of departing or going out they linger and make excuses they run behind the door or hang about the posts till God thrusts them out of the world and puls from them their pleasures by head and shoulders as we say They would never leave the world if they might enioy it because they have nothing to enjoy beyond it A worlding groans because he must be uncloathed of his house of earth and the Saints groan earnestly that they may be cloathed upon with their house from heaven Who would not be willing to exchange a suit of flesh a suit of sackcloth and sorrow for a suit of glory for a cloathing of immortality and garments of everlasting praise Ver. 12. Is my strength the strength of stones Or is my flesh of brass These words may refer to the former part of the eleventh verse What is my strength that I should hope What is it Let us seriously Deficio Saxeus aut Calibe us non sum Lapides corpora sunt non solum gravia sed robusta dura quae non facilè cedunt aliis corporibus undè robur lapidum pro duritie examine and consider what my strength is Is my strength the strength of stones or is my flesh of brass Am I made of such hard mettle think you that I am able to endure any thing Only a body of brass and sinewes of Iron are strong enough to endure this tryal Stones and brass are hard bodies and heavy bodies they can bear blows and knocks without breaking They yield not easily to the hammer It is hard to make an impression upon them with many and those violent strokes To say a man is as strong as stones or that he hath a body of brasse is to give him strength which is not mans and to set him two degrees below himself Beasts are stronger and can endure more hardship then man Trees are stronger and can endure more than Beasts Stones are yet stronger and can endure more then Trees Therefore while he asks whether his strength be not only like that of beasts who have no reason or like that of trees which have no sense but like that of stones and brass which have no vegetation or growth he puts it to the utmost as if he had said If a man had as much strength as a Beast or a Tree he must needs fall at these stroaks and troubles but it seems ye put me lower then senseless beasts or trees and that I can stand it out against all storms and batteries like a stony rock or a brazen wall I confesse though the oxe loweth when he wants fodder and the wilde Asse brayeth when he hath no grasse yet the stone complains not when you give it no food nor doth brass cry out when you melt it in a Furnace unless you can find that I am in nature like stones or brass you have no reason to find fault with me Allow me to be either man or beast and you must allow me to be sensible of my sorrows and destroyable by them Only stones can be thus trampled on and brass thus hammer'd without pain and dying As when man in his spiritual capacity is said in Scripture to have a heart of stone an iron sinew a brow of Brass It notes him resolved against all threats and strong against all oppositions of the word to commit the evil of sin So in his natural capacity to say his strength is the strength of stones notes him a man able to bear all the evils of trouble and to stand against all the stormes of tribulation Such kind of speaking is frequent among the ancient Writers Homines Adamantini ferrei saxei nati è scopulis â—li robur aes trip ex circa pectus Hor. Graeci vocant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who when they would express a man of undanted courage a man whose strength would not easily be broken or his spirit be taken down A man insuperable whom no difficulties could overcome Of such an one they say he hath An heart of brass and a back of steel he is a man made up of stones born of a rock He is a man of Adamant he hath Treble brass about his breast as he was described who first ventured in his ship to sea The comman use of the word hath made it proverbial in all languages for a man of more strength then is commonly found in man or for a Master of dangers and extremities Jobs question denies Is my strength the strength of stones Or is my flesh of brass No it is not As if he had said I am made of flesh and bloud as well as others I must shortly yeeld to these stroaks I am not able to hold out and to contend everlastingly with afflictions I cannot stand against these assaults and batteries for ever I am made of the same mould whereof your selves are I am sensible how it is with me I feel what I endure and I cannot long endure what I feel My strength is not the strength of stones Note hence First Mans natural constitution makes him sensible of affliction and subauable by it Mans body is no impregnable Castle We are not made of stones and brasse but of flesh and bloud I will not contend for ever saith God Isa 57. 16.
Prayer Meditation and the whole course of holy obedience The life of man is a continued temptation and that 's a spiritual warfare a continual bickering with a world of enemies And though they without stand still yet a soul can scarce passe one hour but he shall have many fights and bouts with his own heart In this sence Is there not an appointed time of warfare or temptation to man upon earth Our life is a warfare in divers respects First it is a warfare because Christians do or ought to live under the greatest command of any in the world they ought to stand armed at a call A Souldier is under absolute command he must not dispute the Orders of his General but obey them The Centurian in the Gospel saith I have Souldiers under me and I say to one go and he goeth to another come and he cometh and to a third do this and he doth it which he speaks not as commending the special vertue and good disposition of his own Souldiers but as describing the duty of all Souldiers therefore Souldiary is well defined To be the obedience of a stout and valiant mind Militia est obedientia quadam fortis invicti animi arbitrio carentis suo out of his own dispose A Souldier moves upon direction so must a Christian he is in a warfaring condition he must have a charge or a word from his Commander for every step he treads or action he undertakes Secondly it is a warfare in regard of perpetuall motions and travels A Souldiers life is an unsetled life while he is in actuall service he hath no rest he is either marching or charging and when he comes in his quarters his stay is but little he cannot build him a house he can but pitch him down a tent for a night or two he must away againe Mans life hath no stop we have here no abiding City we dwell in tents and tabernacles waifaring and warfaring out our dayes Thirdly a warfare because of continual watching It is the watch-word which Christ gave his followers I say unto you watch that 's the souldiers word and work too warring and watching goe together The Souldier stands Centinel fearing the enemies surprise A Christian should stand upon his guard and his watch at all hours is not that a warfare Fourthly a warfare because Christians ought to keep their rank and file that is the places and relations wherein God hath set them A Souldier commanded to stand such a ground must not stirre though he die for it and if he stirs by Martial law he shall die There is so much keeping of order in warre and Battels that whatsoever keeps order is said to fight or warre The Sarres are said to have fought against Sisera in their courses Judg. 5. 20. The Stars are embattaild or encampt in their sphears out of which they move not and are therefore often called the Militia or host of Heaven Fifthly a warfare because so full of hazzards troubles and labours or because so much hardship is to be endured A Souldier converses with dangers and dwels in the territories of death continually This caused Deborah to begin her Triumphant Song with praise to the Lord because the people offered themselves willingly Many are forc'd and press'd to the warrs and most who are not press'd by the Authority of others are press'd by their own hopes of gaine or desire of vain-glory and renown A true Voluntiere in warre is a rare man There is so much danger in it that there is seldome much of the will in it The whole life of man is full either of visible or invisible dangers he passes the pikes every day The Apostle reckons eight distinct perlis in one verse which met him which way soever he turned 2 Cor. 11. 26. He was in deaths often And though there are but few such Heroes as he yet 't is seldome but any of us are in deaths Especially while we remember the mighty spirituall enemies and oppositions which encompasse and beset us every day We wrastle not with flesh and blood but with principalities and powers c. And are therefore advised to take to us the whole armour of God never to stir without our sword Sixthly a warfare in regard of the issue victory and triumph or slavery and death is the issue of our lives Either we overcome and are more then conquerours that 's the Apostles language Rom. 8. or else we are conquered and more then captives that 's the Apostles sence too both in allusion They are taken captive by the Devill at his will To be led captive by the Devill is the lowest captivity lower then any captivity unto men In reference to 2. Tim. 2. 26. the spirituall part of our warfare there 's no comming off upon equall rermes We must be victors or slaves conquer or die Only this is the Saints assurance that as the Captaine of their salvation was made perfect by sufferings and conquer'd by dying so at the worst shall they spirituall death as sinners hath no power over them at all and when they die as men naturall or by men violently they shall receive fuller power Thus our life is a warfare upon earth But take the word as we translate for an appointed time Is there not an appointed time to man upon the earth And the reason why it beares that sence is grounded upon these two things 1. Because there is a speciall season of the yeare most fit and Non significat tempus simpliciter sed tempus certum ac constitutum ea analogia quod determinato anni tempore exerceri solet militia Militia ideo tempus determinatum dicitur quia non quae vis aetas bello apta est sed determinata certa sutable for warre 2 Sam. 11. 1. And it came to passe at the return of the yeare when Kings go forth to battell The time for war is such a known appointed season that the same word signifies warfare and any appointed season 2. Because men go out to war at a speciall time of their age There is an appointed setled time of mans life wherein he is fit to beare arms Every age is not fit for arms Old men and children are not fit for the field Hence we finde Numbers the first throughout that the muster of the children of Israel is thus made ver 3 20 22 c. From twenty yeares old and upward all that are able to goe forth to warre The Roman and Greek histories are distinct in this In some Common-wealths from Fifteen to Fifty in others from Twenty to Sixty and in ours the appointed time is between Sixteen Sixty so men are press'd and listed for war And because there is such an appointed or a set time of life in all States to goe out to war therefore that word is elegantly applied to signifie a set or an appointed time for any businesse Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth Vpon earth
tempt in the day but as he hath a power given him but permitted he causes sometimes sinfull and fifthly dreames as Augustine bewailes in the tenth book of his Confessions sometimes terrible and troublesome Aug. confess li. 10. Ca. 30. dreames sometimes treacherous and deluding dreames It is by some conceived that the dreame of Pilats wife Mat. 27. 19. was from the Devill she comes to Pilat and desires him to have nothing to doe with that Just man for saith she I have suffered many things this night in a dreame because of him The reason why some conceive that dreame was from the Devill is this because thereby Satan would have hindred the work of mans redemption if Christ had not died and so by saving him would have destroyed us all I will not assert this but it is cleare to the point in hand that there are dreames from the temptations motions and suggestions of the Devill who hath a power over us as God lengthens out his chain both day and night But when it is said Thou skarest me with dreames what dreames were these divine or Diabolicall Job speaks unto God Thou skarest me with dreames doubtlesse divine dreames had an influence upon his spirit and left terrifying impressions there But Satan having power to afflict Job which way he pleased was instrumentall here and yet Job saith to God Thou skarest me As before when Satan by his instruments took away all from him he said The Lord hath taken so here when Satan vexed him with visions representing horrid and fearfull spectacles yet he saith Thou skarest me with dreames and terrifiest me with visions as pointing still unto the power and providence of God who hath all second causes Satan and all at his own dispose Observe here first That even our dreames are ordered by God Though Satan be the instrument yet we may say Thou skarest me with dreames and terrifiest me with visions Job was not ignorant that second causes had a great power upon the body to produce dreames and nightly fancies he was not ignorant that the strength of a disease might doe very much in this and that Satan his former enemy was busie to improve the distempers of his body for the trouble of his mind yet he overlooks all these as he did before and saith Lord thou skarest me with dreames and terrifiest me with visions Dreames are in the hand of God As our waking times are in the hand of God so are our sleeping times when we are sleeping we are in the armes of an ever waking Father Satan hath not power to touch us sleeping or waking without leave Secondly Ged can make our sleepe an affliction Jobs were skaring and terrifying dreames Some dreames are for warning and admonition The Lord warned Joseph in a dream Some are for counsell and instruction he revealed great things in dreames Others are for comfort and consolation Many a soul hath tasted more of heaven in a night-dreame than in many daies attendance upon holy Ordinances As the lusts of wicked men have dreames attending them so also have the graces of the Saints Jobs dreames were for terrour and afflictions Observe secondly Satans desire of troubling poore souls is restlesse It is restlesse indeed for he will not give them leave to rest they shall not sleep in quiet their very dreames shall be distractions and their nightly representations a vexation to them Note further That if God permit Satan can make dreames very terrible to us He can shew himselfe in a dreame and offer ugly sights extreamly perplexing to the Spirit He is able to cast himself into a thousand ill favour'd shapes into horrid and dreadfull shapes he can cloath himself with what habit he pleases if God give him a generall Commission And hence the devill terrifies not only by temptations to the mind but by aparitions to the eye and is seen at least conceived to be seen especially by such as labour under strong diseases like a Lion a Beare a Dogge gaping grinning staring whence we say of any terrifying sight it looks like a devill We depend upon God as for sleep so for the comfort of sleep Many lie downe to sleep and their sleep is their terrour As that evill spirit in the Gospel went about seeking rest but found none So he hinders some and would more from finding rest when they seeke it Therefore blesse God for any refreshing you have by sleepe Blesse God when your dreames are not your skares nor your beds your racke See the effect what deepe impressions dreadfull dreams made in Jobs spirit he was so affrighted with them that he professes with his next breath Verse 15. My soule chuseth strangling and death rather then life I loath it I would not live alwayes So that my soul chooseth strangling He renews his former often repeated motion but with a greater ardency He not only prefers death before his troubled condition but a violent death and in the opinion of some the worst of violent deaths strangling which though it be not the most painfull of violent deaths yet it is looked upon as the most ignominious of violent deaths Some referre these words to the terrour which Job had in his dreames and visions as if they were so violent upon him that they almost distracted him and made him mad that they even put him upon desperate thoughts of destroying himselfe My soule chooseth strangling that is I am often tempted and almost prevailed Ab hujusmodi spectris multos sejam strangulasse profiliisse in puteos asserit Hippoc. with to make my selfe away The learned Physitians tell us that their Patients have often attempted to destroy themselves thorough the terrours of dreams and visions Yet we may understand the word strangling only of naturall and ordinary Every death is a kind of strangling and some diseases stop and choke a man even as strangling doth so that My soule chooseth strangling may be taken in generall My soul chooseth death rather then life My soul chooseth He puts the soul as it is often in Scripture for the whole man and the sence of all is as if he had said If I might be my own chooser if I might have my election I would even take the worst of deaths rather than the life which now I live My soul chooseth strangling And death rather then life If we take strangling for a speciall death then here death is put in generall As thus if strangling be too easie a death let me die any kind of death Death rather then life The Hebrew in the letter is And death rather than my bones which some render thus And death rather than to be with my 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Os a robore dictum nihil in ipso taem sorte firmum quod vis doloris non debilitarat confregerat Aquin. bones To be with our bones is to live Others make this choosing an act of his bones My soul chooseth strangling and my bones death that is every
Almighty chastens us p. 329. Children of wicked parents often wrapt up in the same judgement with their parents p. 200. Children of godly parents nearest the blessing p. 389. Blessings upon children are the parents blessings p. 390. Chirurgion Three necessary qualifications for him either in a natural or mystical sence p. 337. Christ confirmed the good Angels p. 139. No stability in any estate out of Christ ib. Christ is not onely a principle but a pattern of holiness 175. Faith can live upon nothing but Christ p. 487. Cloud what p. 613. Dying man like a cloud ib. Commendations with a But wound p. 17. Committing our cause to God what it imports p. 228. Committing our cause to God a great ease to the soul 231. A caution about committing our cause to God p. 232. Complaining when sinful 622. Concealing the word of God sinful four wayes of concealing it p. 462 463. Confession of sin a general confession may be a sound one p. 679. Divers ingredients of it p. 680. The holiest have cause to confesse sin and why p. 682. Sin not confessed gets strength three mayes p. 683. It makes the soul very active about the remedies of sin p. 684. Confidence Holy confidence what it is p. 21. Confidence in God settles the heart in all conditions p. 30. Conscience the testimony of it the best ground of willingness to die p. 465. Correction what it is p. 313. The greatest afflictions upon the children of God are but corrections 314. How a correction differs from a judgment ib. 315. A child of God is happy under all corrections 316. What it is to despise corrections opened 319 320 Crafty men who they are 273. Craft wisedome of natural men is craft 275. Crafty men Satan desires to get to his side and service why pag. 276 277 c. Crafty men full of hopes 279. and industry ib. They want power to effect what they devise 279. It is a wonderful work of God to stop the devices of crafty men p. 281. In what sence any of their devices prosper 282. How God takes the wise in their craftiness p. 284 287. No craft of man can stand before the wisdome of God p. 286. Creatures a book wherein we may learn much both of God and our selves 618. Creatures cannot give us any comfort without God 633. He can make any creature helpful to us ib. Counsel in counselling others we should shew our selves ready to follow the same counsel p. 233. God turns the counsels of wicked men against themselves p. 287. What counsel is 290. Rash hasty counsels are successless pag. 292. Curse What it is to curse p. 190 The Saints in Scripture rather prophesie of then pray for curses upon the heads of wicked men 191 No creature can stand before the curse of God p. 196. D DAlilah What it signifies pag. 303. Darkness in the day time what it signifies p. 293. Death consumes us without noise p. 153. Man cannot stand out the assauts of death p. 154. We are subject to death every moment 155. Death hastens upon us all the dayes we live 156 157. What death is p. 162. In death all natural and civil excellencies go away p. 162. Greatest wisedome to prepare to die well 164. How man is said to perish for ever when he dies 157 158. Few of the living observe how suddenly others do or themselves may die 159. Thoughts of death laid to the heart are a good medicine for an evil heart 160. A happy death what 390. A godly man is a volunteer in death 395. When a godly man dies he hath had his fill of living 396. In what sence a man may be said to die before his time and in the midst of his dayes 397. Assurance of a better life carries us through all the paine of death with comfort 457. So doth the testimony of a good conscience 465. No evill in the death of a godly man 480. Death the end of worldly comforts pag. 618 Deliverance is of the Lord pag. 341. The Lord can deliver as often as we can need deliverance 341. God delivers his people from evill while they are in trouble pa. 344. Despaire A godly man may think his estate desperate p. 545. Devices what p. 272. Discontent at the dealings of God with us a high point of folly 182. Discontent at the afflictions of God afflicts more than those afflictions p. 183. Dreams The several sorts and causes of them p. 636 637. Our dreams are ordered by God 638. Satan makes them terrible p. 639. E EGg White of an egg what it emblems p. 443 End two wayes taken p 599. Envy what it is p. 180. Fnvy a killing passion ib. 181. Envy a sign of folly p. 184. Errour he that is shewed his errour should sit down convinc'd 529. He is in a fair way to truth who acknowledges he may erre p. 533. What is properly called an errour as distinct from heresie 533. Vpon what terms an errour is to be left p. 534 Eternity how the longest and the shortest p. 644. Example of God and Christ how our rule p. 175. Exhortation a duty p. 229. It must be joyned with reproof ib. The best Saints on earth may need brotherly exhortations ib. Exhortations must be managed with meekness p. 230. Experience the mistress of truth 186. Experience works hope pag. 305. F FAll A three-fold fall in Scripture p. 12. Family To order a family well is a great point of wisdome p. 387. A family well ordered is usually a prosperouus family ib. Famine A very sore judgement the effect of it p. 345 346. How many wayes the Lord redeems from famine p. 347. Fatherless who p. 546. Such in a sad condition 548. A grievous sin to oppress them p. 549. Faith ought to be great because God can do great things p. 224. We must beleeve not only what we cannot see but what we cannot understand 248. Faith should encrease in us when God works wonders for us p. 253 254. Fear Natural what p. 92. It is natural for man to fear at the appearances of God why ib. Four effects or symptoms of natural fear 93. It is a strong passion 98. From what kind of fear God exempts his people in times of danger p. 358. Fear Holy fear what it is pag. 19 20. They who have most holy fear in times of peace shall have most confidence in times of trouble 27. It keeps the heart and life holy 30. Fear of God ever joyned with love to our brethren p. 495. Fearful persons cannot be helpfull p. 516. Eellow-feeling of others afflictions a duty p. 415. It adds to a mans affliction when others have no feeling of it 416. We cannot be truly sensible of the afflictions of others till we troughly weigh them 417. He that hath not been afflicted seldome feels the afflictions of others ib. Fool who and what a fool is p. 177. Every wicked man is a fool 181 186. A fool ever worst when he is at ease p. 186.
the soule but thou art driven with every blast in this thy hope Hope makes Heb. 6. 1â— not ashamed but thou either art or oughtest to be ashamed is this thy hope The feare of the Lord is cleane but thou art defiled Rom. 5. 5. is this thy feare Then againe consider this when Job carries himselfe thus in his trouble Eliphaz telleth him what is not this thy feare thou art surely but an hypocrite for if thy feare were true it would have preserved thee from these impatient complainings and distempers Hence observe That true feare holy feare preserves the soule and keepes it holy Holy feare is as a golden bridle to the soule when it would runne out to any evill It is like the bankes to the sea which keepes in the raging waves of corruption when they would overflow all If thou haddest feare indeed thou wouldest never thus breake the bounds of patience The feare of the Lord is to depart from evill that 's the definition of it therefore if thou haddest any feare of God indeed thou wouldest never have done this evill Curse thy day Prov. 14. 27. The feare of the Lord is a fountaine of life to depart from the snares of death that is either from sinne which is spirituall death or from damnation which is prepetuall death the feare of the Lord is a fountaine of life to depart from both these snares of death where this feare is not we are ready to joyne with every evill and so to fall into the jawes of every death Abraham Gen. 20. 11. argues so The feare of the Lord is not in this place therefore they will kill me when we perceive a bent of spirit to devise evill and a readinesse of the hand to practise it we may conclude the feare of the Lord is not lodged in that heart Fourthly observe That trust or confidence in God settles the heart in all conditions Is not this thy confidence Thy confidence certainly is but a shadow for if it had been reall thou hast been established and upheld notwithstanding all that weight of affliction that lies upon thee When there was an unquietnesse upon the soule of David he first questions his soule about it Why art thou disquieted O my soule and then directs trust in God Psal 42. 11. So the Prophet promiseth Isa 26. 3. Him wilt thou establish in perfect peace whose heart doth trust upon thee They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion Psal 125. 1. He that is carried and tost thus about with every winde of trouble and gust of sorrow shewes he hath not cast out this anchor of hope upon the Rock Jesus Christ But here a question must be answered for the cleering of all and likewise for discovering the strength or weaknesse of this argument brought by Eliphaz in this particular case of Job Eliphaz taxed Job with hypocrisie because his graces did not act or they did not act like themselves like graces he gave not proofe of them at that time Hence the doubt is Doe a mans fallings or declinings from what he was before or what he did before argue him insincere Is there sufficient strength in this Argument for Eliphaz to say Job thou hast been a comforter of others thou hast profest much holinesse heretofore and now thou art come to the triall thou canst not make it out thy selfe therefore thou hast no grace therefore all thy religion is vaine For the resolving of that I answer first that the proposition is not simply true that every one who faileth or declineth or falleth off from what formerly he was or held forth is therefore an Hypocrite or that his graces are false and but pretences there may be many declinings and failings many breaches and backslidings and yet the spirit upright Indeed falling away and quite falling off are an argument of insincerity and hypocrisie for true grace is everlasting grace true holinesse endures for ever Therefore we are here to consider whence these failings were occasioned in Job and how a failing may be exprest and continue so as to conclude insincerity or hypocrisie First it was from a sudden perturbation not from a setled resolution Job was not resolvedly thus impatient and unruly an unexpected storme hurri'd his spirit so violently that he was not master of his own actions Job had not his affections at command they got the bridle as it were on their necks and away they carried him with such force that he was not able to stop or stay them Secondly it came from the smart and sense of pain in his flesh not from the perversnesse of his spirit If the taint had been in his spirit then Eliphaz had a ground a certain ground to have argued thus against him Thirdly Jobs graces were hid and obscured they were not lost or dead the acts were suspended the habits were not removed when the grace which hath been shewed is quite lost that grace was nothing but a shew of grace painted feare and painted confidence but in Jobs case there was only a hiding of his graces or a vaile cast over them Lastly We must not say he fals from grace who falleth into sin nor must it be concluded that he hath no grace who falls into a great sinne It followes not that grace is false or none because it doth not work like it selfe or because it doth not sometimes work at all True grace workes not alwayes uniformly though it be alwayes the same in it selfe yet it is not alwayes the same in its effects true grace is alwayes alive yet it doth not alwayes act it retains life when motion is undiscern'd Wherefore they who doe not work like themselves or do not work at all for a time in gracious wayes are not to be concluded as having no grace or nothing but a shew of grace And so much be spoken concerning this first Argument contained in these six Verses the conviction of Job from his failing in the actings of his grace the putting forth of that fruit which formerly he had born and shewed to the world JOB Chap. 4. Vers 7 8. Remember I pray thee who ever perished being innocent or where were the righteous cut off Even as I have seen they that plough iniquity and sow wickednesse reape the same IN these two Verses and the three following Eliphaz coucheth and confirmeth his second Argument wherein he further bespatters the innocency of Job and hopes to convince him of hypocrisie The Argument is taken from the constant experience of Gods dealings in the world Remember I pray thee who ever perished being innocent We may give it in this forme Innocent persons perish not righteous men are not cut off But Job thou perishest and thou art cut off Therefore thou art no innocent or righteous person The major proposition is plaine in the seventh Verse for that question Who ever perished being innocent or where were the righteous cut off is to be resolved into this Negation No innocent person
exprest the righteous perish that is they dye as it is explained afterward they are taken away from the evill to come they rest in their beds sc in their graves so Matth. 8. 25. Master save us we perish say the Disciples when they thought they should all be drowned Lord helpe us or else we all dye presently and so we translate Job 34. 15. where Elihu speaking of the power of God thus describes it If he should but shew himselfe all flesh saith he shall perish together that is all flesh shall dye they are not able to stand before Gods power and greatnesse the word which he useth there strictly taken 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to expire or give up the ghost yet we translate it all flesh shall perish together that is they shall all give up the ghost and dye if God should appear in his power and greatnesse Thirdly by perishing we may understand outward afflictions and troubles falling upon either godly or wicked these are called a perishing Josh 23. 13. Joshua tels the people If you will not obey and walk according to the Commandements of God ye shall quickly perish from off this good Land that is ye shall be removed by outward afflictions from your Land you shall goe into captivity And so if I perish I perish saith Esther Chap. 4. 17. that is if I bring trouble and affliction upon my selfe let it be so I will venture it A Syrian ready to perish was my father Deut. 26. It is meant of Jacob a man much verst in trouble as he himselfe acknowledgeth Few and evill have been the dayes of my pilgrimage Fourthly to perish notes eternall misery as it is put for the miseries of this life so for the life of misery for that life which is an everlasting death John 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave Omnimodam rei perditionem significat oâ—pâ—â—niâ—uâ— enim generationi his onely begotten Sonne that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life perishing is opposed to everlasting life and therefore implyes everlasting death Fifthly to perish notes utter desolation and totall ruine A cutting off or a destroying the very name and remembrance of a person or of a people He that speaks lyes shall perish Pro. 19. 9. that is he shall be utterly destroyed In this sense the word is used for the Devill because he is a destroyer to the utmost as Christ is a Saviour to the utmost He is called Abaddon from Abad the word here used Rev. 9. 12. and Apollyon his businesse is to destroy totally and eternally Thus also Antichrist The first-borne of the Devill 2 Thess 2. 3. is called the sonne of perdition take it actively he is a destroying sonne one that destroyeth bodies and soules as in Scripture a bloody man is called Ish dammim a man of blood and passively he is a sonne of perdition that is a man to be destroyed both body and soule These two latter senses namely eternall destruction in Hell and utter destruction in this life are joyned together Prov. 15. 11. Hell and destruction or Hell and perishing are before the Lord and Chap. 27. 20. we have the same words againe Hell and perdition or Hell and destruction are never full So that to perish in a strict sense notes even in this life an utter extirpation so some render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Abscondit ne amplius auditur vel videatur per metonymiam sublatuâ— doletus succisus Sublata enim è medio non apparent amplius sed absconduntu◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it here Who ever saw the righteous plucked up by the roots so as there should be no remembrance no remainder of them The other word which is joyned in the Text cut off carries the same sense though it signifies properly to hide a thing yet it is so to hide it as it appeareth no more or so to hide it that it can neither be heard of nor seen any more Hence by a Metonymie it signifies to take away or to cut off because things that are taken away and cut off are as things hidden and seen no more Here then is the height of the sense either to take it for perishing in Hell or for such a perishing in this life as is joyned with totall desolation and desertion Then for the termes innocent and righteous The word we translate innocent signifieth empty And it is therefore applyed to an innocent person because innocent persons are emptied of malice and wickednesse their hearts are swept and cleansed purged and washed there is in some sense a vacuum a holy vacuum in the hearts of holy persons they are freed from that fulnesse of evill which lyes in their hearts by nature that filth is cast out Every mans heart by nature is brim full top full of wickednesse as the Apostle describes the Gentiles Rom. 1. 29. being filled with all unrighteousnesse and it is a truth of every mans heart it is a Cage full of uncleane Birds a stable full of filthy dung he hath in him a throng of sinfull thoughts a multitude of prophane ghests lodging in him Now a person converted is emptied of these these ghests are turned out of their lodgings the roomes are swept and emptied therefore an holy person is called an empty person Emptied not absolutely emptied of all sinne but comparatively there is abundance cast out so that considering how full of sin he was he may be said to be emptied of sinne and that his malice is cast out In the fourth of Amos the Prophet threatens cleannesse of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 teeth it is a suitable judgement that uncleane hearts and lives should be punished with cleane teeth or innocency of teeth for it is the word of the Text. Famine is elegantly so called Want of bread makes empty or cleane teeth And where were the righteous that 's the other terme cut off One may put the question where were the righteous surely Job had very good eyes if he could finde any righteous man upon the earth he might seem to have clearer eyes then the Lord himselfe if he could finde any righteous God looked downe from heaven and he saw none righteous no not one Psal 53. 3 4. Yet here Eliphaz bids Job enquire about the righteous where they were cut off To clear that By righteous here we are to understand not righteous persons in a strict and legall sense but in a Gospel mollified sense righteous with an allay righteous by way of interpretation and not in the strictnesse of the letter And so men are called righteous first in reference to the work of regeneration There are none righteous in the root or originall in their first setting and plantation in the soyle of the world but there are righteous persons as regenerate and transplanted into the body of Christ as wrought and fashioned by the Spirit of Christ Secondly there are none righteous that is none exactly perfectly compleatly
one commended and approved from the mouth of God for a man perfect and upright should be thus afflicted what Shall weake Job be justified before God Yea though Job be considered in his greenest flourishings of grace and highest pitch of his prosperity as he was Geber indeed the greatest the mightiest man in the Easterne world yet shall he be more pure than his Maker No cease your complainings God is just and his honour must be vindicated in what he doth or in what he shall doe against the weakest or against the mightiest against the meanest or against the best of men God will be found just and man a lyar Either of these three senses are faire from the construction of the Text and may be profitable for us I shall therefore draw them down into five or six conclusions which will be at least a portion of that marrow and fatnesse which this Scripture yeilds us to feed upon First we may observe That man naturally preferreth himselfe not onely above other men but even before God himselfe A principle of pride dwels in our hearts by nature which at some times and in some cases breeds better thoughts in us of our selves than of God himselfe And it is this height of spirit which the heavenly vision here would levell to the ground We know it was the first sin of man that man desired to be like God Gen. 3. The first temptation was baited with a parity to the Divine powers Ye shall be as Gods knowing good and evill This also was the language of Lucifers heart Thou hast said in thy heart I will ascend into heaven I will exalt my throne above the starres of God I will ascend above the heights of the Clouds I will be like the most high I say â—4 13 14. And the practise of the man of sinne is thus prophesied That he shall exalt himselfe above all that is called God 2 Thess 2. 4. But the heart of man is yet more mad and hath out-growne those sinfull principles For in troubles and temptations when things go not according to his minde he sometimes hath thoughts not only that he is like God but that he is more just than God and if he had the ordering of things he would order them better than God he sometime thinks himselfe juster than God and if he had the punishing of offenders justice should proceed more freely and impartially than it doth which is upon the matter not onely to exalt himself as the Man of Sin doth above Nuncupative Gods or all that is called God but to exalt himself above him who is God by nature above the onely one-most God Even to speak in this Dialect of highest blasphemy that he is more just than God more pure than his Maker Secondly Take this conclusion That it is a most high presumption not onely for low weak man but for the best the highest of men to compare themselves with God or to have any thoughts concerning his wayes as if they could mend them When God cals us to amend our wayes for us to presume we could amend Gods wayes is the very top branch the highest tower yea the most towring Pinnacle of presumption We say amongst men that comparisons are odious but this is the most odious comparison of all for a man to compare himselfe with God his thoughts with Gods thoughts what he hath done or would doe with what God doth If you consider the termes of opposition that are in the Text this conclusion will be more clear unto you Consider how Enosh weak mortall man is opposite to Elohah the mighty the strong God it is presumption for a weak man to compare with a strong man what presumption is it then for a weake man to compare with the mighty God for a reed to compare in strength with a rock for darknesse to compare with light for a cloud to compare with the Sunne for death to compare with life for folly to compare with wisdome for uncleanenesse to compare with holinesse for nothing to compare with All how presuptuous Will ye provoke the Lord saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 10. are ye stronger than he It implies that some such thoughts lodge in man as if he could make his partie good with God or might be stronger than he And it is equall folly in us and provocation against the Lord to thinke our selves juster as to thinke our selves stronger than he And then marke the other termes of opposition Man and his Maker Shall the great man compare with or be more pure than his Maker as if he should say How great and excellent soever this man is he was made and made by God with whom he thus compares than whom he thinks himselfe more pure And shall the thing formed stand upon termes with him that formed it shall the potsheard or the pot contend with the Potter what though it be an excellent vessell a vessell determined for the most excellent ends and uses yet whatsoever it is it was made to be and made to be by God both in its constitution and uses Shall it then boast it selfe against its maker The Lord made Geber as well as Enosh the strong man as well as the weake the wise and learned man as well as the foolish and ignorant the Noble as well as the base the holy and righteous as well as the wicked and prophane In a word the vessels of honour are as much yea more of his making than the vessels of dishonour shall they then be more pure than their Maker hath the Lord given more to others than he hath in himselfe hath he made a creature his superior or his Peere hath his bounty impaired his own stock or hath he made man more than God That God hath made the best out of the dust is enough to lay all our pride and boasting as low as the dust That what we are we are from another should ever keep us humble in our selves Thirdly Take this Conclusion That God in himselfe is most just and pure Shall mortall man be more just than God The question hath this position in it that God is infinitely just infinitely pure therefore he is perfectly pure perfectly just God is essentiall Justice essentiall purity Justice and purity are not qualities in God but they are his very nature A man may be a man and yet be unjust but God cannot be God and be unjust A man may be a man and yet impure but God cannot be God and be impure so that Justice and purity are not qualities or accidents in God but his very essence and being destroy or deny the purity and Justice of God and you put God out of the world as much as in you lies for he cannot be God unlesse he be both just to others and pure in himselfe Fourthly Take this conclusion The best men compared with God are evill and the holiest are impure Not onely is it presumption but a lye for men to compare with God
how much more If it be rendred how much lesse then it referres to the first clause of the former verse Thus if he Patricula 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro qua est simpliciter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hoc loco â—â—rumque desig nat sc vel quanto minus vel quanto magis Drus puts no trust in his Angels then much lesse doth he put trust in men who dwell in houses of clay If it be rendred how much more then it referres to the latter clause of that verse Thus If he charged his Angels with folly then how much more may he charge them with folly who dwell in houses of clay Which words are a description of man either in his civill condition or in his naturall constitution Some take these words in the very letter The house for that which we ordinarily call a house the house wherein man ordinarily inhabits as if Eliphaz had thus said Angels dwell in Heaven they have everlasting mansions but man dwels in a house of clay the best and goodliest houses are but clay and dust a little refined and sublimated by art or nature brick and stone all these materials or but dirt concocted by the heate of fire and Sunne so that if the allusion were to the very houses in which man-kind dwels in oppsition to the habitation of Angels these set them farre inferiour to and below the Angels As these take it for the house wherein man lives so some understand it of the house where man lyes being dead namely the grave The Chaldee is expresse paraphrasing thus How much more the wicked who dwell in a sepulcher of clay That the grave is called a house the Prophet helps us Isa 14. 18 19. All the Kings of the Nations even all of them lie in glory every one in his own house that is in the grave as the next words prove But thou art cast out of thy grave c. But I rather take it as was before intimated to be an expression of mans naturall constitution He dwels in a house of clay whose foundation is in the dust And so the Apostle is expresse 2 Cor. 5. 1. If our earthly house of this Tabernacle were dissolved the earthly house is the body and 2 Cor. 4. 7. the body is called an earthen vessel We have this treasure namely the precious Promises 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Turbidus lututentus mixtus ut cum aquae turbantur in eis lutum itae commevetur ut confundantur luto miscentur ut in cementum degenerent and truths of God in the dispensation of the Gospel in earthen vessels We dying men preach eternall life we have death in our faces while the word of life is in our mouths The word here used signifies clay either wrought or unwrought either naturall slimy dirt or dirt made up for use by art So Gen. 11. 3. when they attempted the building of that Tower it is said They had slime for morter it is the word of the Text which is used for both slime and morter they had slime which is natural for morter that is by Art and industry they made morter of slime The body of man is a house of clay but not of rude naturall clay the power and if I may so speak the art of God hath wrought it beyond it self and refined it for this goodly building the body of man The body of man is called a house or building in two respects First because of the comely fabrick it is set up by line or by rule there is admirable architecture admirable skill in building and raising up of the body of man story after story room after room and contrivance after contrivance in all so compact and set together that the most curious piles in the world are but rude heaps compared to it so then in respect of the frame and structure it is fitly called a house Secondly * Hoc corpus luteum domus animae dicitur quia anima humana quantum ad aliquid est in corpore sicut homo in domo vel sicut nanta in navi in quaÌ„tum scilicet est motor corporis anima a utem non unitur corpori accidentaliter sed formaliter ut forma materiae dicitur enim materia fundamentum formae eò quod est prima pars in generatione sunt fundamenâ—um in constitutione domus Aquin. the frame of the body is called a house in respect of the soul the soul dwels in or inhabits the body as the whole man inhabits or dwels in a house the soule guides and orders the body as the inhabitant orders the affairs of the house or as the Mariner and Pilot steer and direct the motions of the ship Not that the soul is in the body accidentally we must not strain the similitude so far as a man is in a house or a Mariner is in a ship there is a formall union between the body and the soul only the soul is said to dwell in the body and the body or the matter is after called a foundation because there is the beginning Man was begun at his body as the house is at the foundation first God formed man that is the body out of the dust of the earth and then he breathed into him the breath of life and man became a living soule Thus the body is a house and it is a house of clay or a house of Coâ—pus humanum lutum digitur quod ex teâ—ra aqua gravioribus clementis abundantius constat Aquin. earth so called chiefly in two respects First because of the matter of it it is made of earth Though all Elements as Naturalists teach meet in mixt bodies yet earth is predominant in grosse or heavie bodies Secondly because of the continuance of it or the means by which it is supported for as it was at the first framed out of the earth so it is still supported and maintained by earth earthly creatures meat and drink with such like accomodations continue and repair this house from day to day untill at last it be laid down in the dust and returne to earth again So then it is called an earthly house not only from the matter of which it is made but also from the means by which it is kept in repair earth and earthy all Whose foundation is in the dust These words aggravate the weakness of mans condition Suppose man were formed out of the dust and were but clay yet had he a strong foundation that would support and strengthen him The strength of a building is in the foundation and that building whose wals are but weak may stand long being firmely founded The Church of Christ is weak of it self but because the Church hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pulvis propâ—ie rarior tenuinat qualis in superfiâ—ie terrae Meâ— in Gen. Significaâ— non simpliciâ—ur pulverem sed pulveâ—eÌ„ canosum â—â— lâ—mosum Fapius in Gen. 2. 7 Pulvis levissimus ex quo
clay they lye in the frame and between the rafters of this house sucking up the spirits and wasting the strength spending the heate and drinking up the naturall moisture of the body we know not how we consume but we consume we know not how we decline but we decline we dye we know not how but we dye Is it not then as with a moth creeping upon us yea feeding upon us without noise Againe Take it by way of similitude not as before actively or instrumentally they are crushed as by a moth or as a moth crushes but passively or subjectively They are crushed as a moth that is they are crushed as a moth is crushed alluding to the easinesse of crushing a moth A moth is dust as soone as you crush it the least touch kills it Man in his house of clay is so weake that if God doe but touch him he dies and falls to dust the Lord needs not bring his great Artillery and make batteries against the body of man the body of man is no such strong Fort or Bulwarke to stand out a long siege or endure much assaulting and opposition he is crushed as a moth betweene your fingers Hence David most humbly deprecates the stroake of God which he saw comming or felt as come because he was not able to beare it Psal 39. 10. Remove thy stroake away from me I am consumed by the blow of thine hand Lord if thou strike me thus I shall quickly consume And least you should think that Davids flesh he being a King was tender and delicate and so lesse able to beare any hardship therefore in the following words he puts the case in generall concerning man or man-kind Take the man whose strength is as the strength of stones and his flesh as brasse yet this man breakes and vanishes under the hand of God so he affirmes ver 11. under this passive consideration of a moth When thou with rebukes doest correct man for iniquity thou makes his beauty to consume away like a moth And then closes with that common axiome of mans mortality surely every man is vanity Selah Further Man may well be said to be crushed or die even as a moth for as the garment breeds the moth and then the moth eates the garment so besides that power of God or the outward stroake of his hand of which David spake mans own distempered body breeds ill humours they diseases and these breed death As it was with Jonas gourd so it is with us we give life and suck to a worme in our own roots which sucks out our life causing our leaves to fall and our goodly branches suddenly to wither Thirdly From that sense he is crushed before Arcturus or as long as the Starres continue Observe That as mans state is fraile and weake so it will be the for ever of this world Doe not looke that ever there shall rise up a generation of men that shall have better houses then houses of clay or houses stronger built then our present buildings As we are risen up in our fathers stead a generation of sinfull men so we are risen up in our fathers stead a generation of weake mortall men and our children will arise in the stead of us their fathers a generation of men as mortall as we their fathers Till the whole compages and course of nature be changed man shall not exchange the infirmity of his nature He shall never be without crushing sicknesses till he is above them The sad story of man holds on still and growes yet more sad before it was crushing now it is destroying Verse 20. They are destroyed from morning to evening they perish for ever without any regarding it We may understand the former verse of naturall death and this of casuall and violent death Destuction and perishing import violence Though I conceive naturall death be here also intended They are destroyed from morning to evening they perish for ever without any regarding it or as Mr. Broughton reads it between a morning and evening they are wasted without any regarding or without any thinking upon it They are destroyed that is they are subject or liable to destruction A mane ad vesperam i. e. per torum diem quâ—ppe mane vespera sunt paâ—tes diei Drus That phrase from morning to evening notes the whole day it is as much as to say they are destroyed continually or all the day long as the Apostle speaks out of the Psalme Rom. 8. 36. For thy sake are we killed all the day long The morning and the evening are the parts of a naturall day Gen. 1. 5. or the two termes of a civill day these include and take in the full compasse of the day This sense teacheth us That man is destroyable every moment He wasts in one sense while he growes and dies from the morning of his birth and comming into the world to the evening of his returne and going out of the world And not only so but he is obnoxious to the violent assaults of death every day and all houres of every day From the morning when he rises to the evening when he goes to bed he walkes among armies of dangers and within the Gunshot of destruction The Apostles catalogue of perils is true to this day 2 Cor. 11. 26. In perils of waters in perils of robbers in perils of mine own countrymen in perils by the Heathen in perils in the City in perils in the wildernesse in perils in the sea in perils among false brethren Every place is a peril and every person a peril Where can we goe with whom can we meete and not goe among or meete with perils And doe not all these perils speake destruction from morning to evening Pauls experiences both in regard of a natural but especially of violent death brought forth these conclusions which come full up to the point I die daily 1 Cor. 15 31. in deaths often 2 Cor. 11. 23. we are killed all the day long Rom. 8. 36. Secondly Take the words as a proverbiall speech by which the shortest time is signified As Isa 38. 12. Hezekiah complayning sets forth his mortall sicknesse threatning present death and cutting off thus Mine age is departed and removed from me as a sheapheards tent I have cut off like a weaver my life he will cut me off with pining sicknesse from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me that is either continually or suddenly from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me I am wasting perpetually or before night within the compasse of this day thou wilt destroy and make an end of me these were the thoughts of my heart when I was in the hands of that acute dispatching disease The Psalmist Psal 90. 5 6 describes man as grasse in the morning it flourisheth and groweth up in the evening it is cut downe and withereth that is man continueth but a very short time His life is but a spanne long or
he sees some good he hath above himselfe This passion is a murderer also it begins at the eyes but it rots down into the bones Envy slayeth the silly one There is not much difference between the nature of these two the foolish man and the silly one But the Originall words by which they are expressed are very different The roote signifies to perswade to intice or allure And it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sua sus per sua sus dâ—â—eptus seductus fuit hâ—nc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sua deo apud Grecos 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Japheth le Jaâ—heâ—h is taken sometime in a good sense as in Gen. 9. 27. where the Holy Ghost speakes with admirable elegancy God will perswade the perswadable we translate it God will perswade Japhet Japhet had his name from being perswaded or perswadable God shall intice or perswade Japhet which was a prophecie of the calling of the Gentiles who are descendants from Japhet as the Jewes are from Shem. So that word is applied to Gods drawing or alluring men by the sweet promises and winning enticements of the Gospell God doth let it be taken in holy reverence tole men on by promises and deceive them graciously into the Gospell Hos 2. 14. I will allure her and bring her into the wildernesse And because by perswasions men are often deceived and seduced to evill therefore the word signifies also to deceive and beguile as well as to perswade and in the passive to be beguiled and deceived Hence the word in the text is derived which we translate a simple one or a man that will easily be perswaded led by another a sequatious or easie man whom you may carry with a mouth full of good words and faire promises whether you will Yet we finde this word Psal 116. 6. used in a good sense for a man without sinfull guile and craft a simple honest plaine-hearted man The Lord preserveth the simple But here and often else-where it is taken in an ill sence for a man without sence and reason without heart and spirit a man that cannot in any competency judge of things or make out his way but is meerly led and lives upon the opinion and judgement of another To such wisdome cryeth without and uttereth her voyce in the streets how long yee simple ones will ye love simplicity Prov. 1. 20 22. This silly one envie slayeth Exiguo animo abjecto spiritu He is out of his wits already and a little matter will put him out of his life Envy slayeth him that is a simple man looking upon the prosperity and blessings of God upon his neighbour will needs afflict himselfe he lookes upon himselfe as having lost all if that man gaine he fals if his brother stands and can with more ease die miserably then see another live happily In this sense it is That envie kils the silly one Now the reason why Eliphaz speakes of these two the foolish and the simple one and characters them as dying by the hand of these two lusts wrath and envie is because he conceived all Jobs troubled and as he thought muddy complaints in the third Chapter arose from these two impure and filthy springs wrath and envie from proud wrath and impotent envie he looked upon him as angry and displeased yea as enraged because God had dealt so ill with him and he supposed he saw him pale and wanne eaten up and pined with envie because others were so well because his friends enjoyed health lived in prosperity round about him As if he had said Thou art wroth at thy owne povertie sicknesse and sores and thou art envious at our plentie health and ease And may not folly and simplicitie challenge that man for Theirs whose spirit thus resents either his own evils or his neighbours good Observe hence First Every wicked man is a foolish a silly man Sinne is pure folly In the Proverbs all along wickednesse is the Interpretation of foolishnesse It is folly to take brasse Counters for gold and to be pleased with Bugles more then with Diamonds When an heyre is impleaded for an Ideot the Judge commands an apple or a counter with a peece of gold to be set before him to try which he will take if he takes the apple or the counter and leaves the gold he is then cast for a foole and unable to mannage his estate for he knows not the value of things or how to make a true election Wicked men are thus foolish and more for when bugles and diamonds counters and gold are before them they leave the diamonds and the gold and please themselves with those toyes and bables when which is infinitely more sottish Heaven and hell life and death are set before them they chuse hell rather then Heaven and death rather then life they take the meane transitory trifling things of the world before the favour of God the pardon of finne a part in Jesus Christ and an inheritance among the Saints in light All the wisdome of wicked men is wisdome in their owne conceits And Solomon assures us that there is more hope of a foole then of such that is of those who are sensible of their owne failings and are willing as the Apostle directs to become fooles that they may be wise 1 Cor. 3. 18. Opinion in it selfe is weake but self-opinion is very strong even the strongest of those strong-holds and the highest of those high Towers which the spirituall warre by those weapons which are mightie through God is to oppose and cast down which till they are cast down these fooles are impregnable and will not be led captive unto Christ Secondly observe That to vex and to be angerie at the troubles that fall upon us or at the hand which sends them is a high point of folly and of ignorance Wrath and discontent slay the foolish such are at once twice slain slain with the wrath of God and with their own To die thus is to die like a foole indeed For first this wrath of man springs from his ignorance of God Man would not be angry at what the Lord doth if he knew he were the Lord and may doe what himselfe pleases The ground of anger is a supposition of wrong Secondly This wrath of man springs from ignorance of himselfe He cannot be angry with any crosse who rightly knows himselfe First to be a creature This notion of our selves teaches us that lesson of humility to be subject to the will of our Creatour The law of our creation cals us to all passive obedience as well as unto active as much and as quietly to suffer as to doe the will of God But especially if a man did fully know himselfe to be a sinfull creature he would not be angry yea he would lay a charge upon his mouth not to utter a word and a charge upon his heart not to utter a thought against what the Lord doth with him I will beare the
your selves despise it It is most just with God that they who loath his will should at last loath their own desires And that the creatures should not long please them who take no heed to please the Creator The least mixture of Gods displeasure sowres our sweetest contents and makes our very pleasures loathsome Where also by the way we may observe the great difference between earthly and spirituall things The best of earthly things used too much or too often grow loathsome Angels food Manna or Quailes will not goe down long with us But Christ the spirituall Manna and all heavenly things the more we have of them and the longer we are dieted with them the more we shall delight in them These will not loath us after two or five or ten or twenty dayes or after a whole months feeding on them No we shall feed on them dayes without number or the whole day of eternity without any loathings use and delight shall never cease or abate appetite shall renew every moment though our enjoyment be but one and the same Yea the Saints shall be so farr from loathing the pleasant cup of glory that they ought not to loath and Christ strengthning them they shall not loath the bitter cup of sorrow Their stomachs shall not turne though dieted more then two or five or ten or twenty dayes with the bread of adversity and the water of affliction That is the first sense of the word in allusion to nauseating at the sight or long use of meate Loath not the chastning of the Lord. Or the word may seeme to carry a reference to physick or medicines as well as meate which you know is many times given in a better pill or in a distastfull potion The sick man is apt to loath the potion brought him and turne his head away from it what he take it no not he He had rather die then drink such a draught he is ready to through it against the wall and spil it one the ground rather then drinke it But then his friends or the Pbysitian perswade with him Be not angry though it â—e loathsome to your stomach yet it is wholesome for your body It is an enemy only to your disease therefore loath it not So here Eliphaz as it were brings in God standing like a Physitian or a father or a tender mother at the beds-side where a sick child oâ— friend lies using many entreaties and perswasive reasons to take a bitter potion my child or my friend doe not loath doe not dispise no nor distast this medicine doe not cast it away though it â—e bitter in your mouth yet take it downe and the effects of it will be sweet to your whole body We find in Scripture afflictions compared to a cup Our Lord Jesus calls all his sufferings for our salvation a cup and it was a cup tempered with the venome and poison with the gall and wormewood of all our sinnes it was a loathsome potion indeed and such as would have turned the stomachs of all men and Angels to have drunke it So much of the first sense of the word as it signifies loathing whether in respect of meates or medicines Now forasmuch as here is a charge given under this notion not to loath chastnings We may observe There is or possibly may be an aversnesse in the best of Gods children for a time from the due entertainement of chastnings He speakes as if most were loth to take them downe and therefore he exhorts not to loath them Even the Lord Jesus Christ so farre as he was partaker of our nature seemed to loath the bitter cup of sufferings Hence he prayed hard once and againe ye a third time Father if it be possible let this cup passe from me Mat. 26. 39. Yet at another time he speakes as if he had been a thirst for that cup and angry with Peter who would have hindred his draught The cup which my Father giveth me shall I not drinke it Joh. 18. 11. and shortly after he indeed drunke it up to the bottome Affliction is also a bitter cup to the Saints and they as Christ pray again and again yea thrice against it because to sense no chastning seemeth joyous but grievous Heb. 12. 11. through grace perswades them to drinke it and faith gives them a tast of much sweetnesse when they have drunke it As a sick man is backward to take a distastfull medicine till his reason hath overcome his sense so a godly man is unwilling to beare afflictions till his faith hath overcome his reason Nor can he quietly endure the troublesome smart of the rod till he is assured of the peaceable fruits of righteousnesse which grow from it to those who are exercised by it When the Apostle is carryed up on those Eagles wings of assurance to see a house not made with hands eternall in the Heavens then he groanes earnestly under the burden of his earthly Tabernacle and desires to die yet looking upon death he saw no forme or comelinesse in that why he should desire it and therefore he seemes to correct himselfe at least to draw his mind plainer with the next drop of his pen Not for that we would be uncloathed but cloathed upon that mortality may be swallowed up of life He speakes somewhat like a man who in a time of heate hastily strips himselfe to goe into the water but putting a foot in and finding it cold calls for his cloathes againe The Apostle in a true holy heate of spirit had in his desires almost stript himselfe of his body but putting a foot into the grave he found that so cold that he had no great mind to it and therefore had rather keepe on the cloathing of his body and have a suite of glory over it then lay it downe The Saints desire to live with Christ but in it selfe they desire not to die They had rather their mortality should be swallowed up of eternall life then their temporall life should be swallowed up of mortality They that have grace like not the disunions of nature Now as it is in the case of death which iâ— to the Saints the last and greatest affliction so likewise in the case of all afflictions which are as renewed and lesser deaths Though they embrace and kisse them both in a holy submission to the will of God and in an assured expectation of their own good yet they have nothing pleasing in them much which creates so much loathing that the best doe but need counsell and encouragement to take and digest them And then if there be some aversnesse even in the best from these potions of affliction tempered with the mercy and goodnesse of God no wonder if there be an abhorrence in wicked men from those deadly potions mixt only with his wrath and justice The Psalmist presents the Lord to us with a cup in his hand Psal 75. 8. In the hand of the Lord there is a cup the wine thereof
potion and mistooke his case his was good searching physick for the foul stomach and grosse spirit of a hypocrite but it is enough to kill the heart of an upright-heart when God seemes angry with him and appeares against him when he is smitten without and smitten within by sore afflictions of mind and body then for his comforters to smite him with their tongues to lay at him with hard words and wound him with their unreasonable jealousies then for his counsellers and helpers to be angry with and opposite against him too Observe hence That not only words untrue but words misapplied are unsavoury and may be dangerous They are no food and they may be poison Prudence in applying is the salt and seasoning of what is spoken As a word spoken in the right season is precious and upon the wheele so is a word right placed When that faith full Prophet Ezek. 13. reproves the false prophets he saith They dawbed with untempered morter ver 10. it is the word of the text and why was theirs untempered morter even because they applied the word of God wrong They made sad the hearts of those whom God would have refreshed and they cheared the spirits of those whom God would have sadned they slay the souls that should not dye and save the souls alive that should not live This was untempered morter The Apostle advises all Col. 4 6. Let your speech be alwayes with grace seasoned with salt And speech must be seasoned not only with the falt of truth but with the salt of wisdome and discretion and therefore the Apostle adds that ye may know how to answer every one that is that you may give every man an answer fitting his case and the present constitution of his spirit Of some have compassion saith the Apostle Jude ver 22. making a difference and others save with feare This shewes the holy skill of managing the word of God when we make a difference of our patients by our different medicines and not serve all out of the same boxe Hence our Lord calleth those great Teachers of the Gospel and dispensers of his Oracles Light and Salt You are the Light of the world and you are the salt of the earth because they were to speake savoury things to every person to every pallate as well as to enlighten them with knowledge and prevent or cure the corruption of their manners and keep their lives sweet As there is an unsavourinesse in persons when they are mis-employed so there is an unsavourinesse in speeches when they are mis-applied The history of the Church speaks of one Eccebolius who changed religion so often and was so unsetled that at last Conculcate me salem insipidum Niceph. he cast himselfe down at the congregation doore and said Trample upon me for I am unsavoury salt And that word though in it self a truth which is unseasonably delivered or unduly placed may be cast at the doores of the Congregation to be trampled on for in this sence it is unsavoury salt Such corrupt the word and their's is but corrupt communication such as cannot minister grace unto the hearers and often grieves the holy Spirit of God These work-men for their ill division of the word of God have reason enough to be ashamed and the Lord may justly reprove them as he did Jobs friends Chap. 42. 7. Ye have not spoken of me nor of my wayes the thing that is right JOB Chap. 6. Vers 8 9 10 c. O that I might have my request and that God would grant me the thing that I long for Even that it would please God to destroy me that he would let loose his hand and cut me off Then should I yet have comfort yea I would harden my selfe in sorrow Let him not spare for I have not concealed the words of the holy One c. IN the former part of this Chapter we have had Job defending his former complaint of life and his desire of death In this context from the 8th verse unto the end of the 12th he reneweth and reinforceth that desire He not only maintaines and justifies what he had done but doth it again begging for death as heartily and importunately as he did in the third Chapter O that I might have my request and that God would grant me the thing that I long for The request it selfe is laid downe in the 8 â—h and 9 â—h verses and the reasons strengthning it in the 10 11 and 12 verses So these 5 verses are reduceable to these two heads 1. The renewing of his desire to dye 2. An enlargement of reasons confirming that desire O that I might have my request It is such a vehement desire and so exprest as Davids was 2 Sam. 23. 15. And David longed and said Oh that one would give me drinke of the water of the well of Bethlem which is by the gate David did not long more to tast a cup of that water then Job did to tast the cup of death The summe and scope of Jobs thoughts in this passage may be conceived thus He would assure his friends that his faith was firme and his comforts flowing from it very sweet That it was not impatience under the troubles of this life but assurance of the comforts of the next which caused him so often to call for death That these comforts caused his heart to triumph and glory in the very approaches of the most painfull death and made him despise and lightly to esteeme all the hopes of life That he was gone further then the motives which Eliphaz used from the hopes of a restitution to temporall happinesse he now was pitcht upon and lodg'd in the thoughts of eternall happinesse That he call'd for death not as that with which he had made any Covenant or was come to any agreement with but only as that which would bring him to his desired home The one Thing he desired That his comforts had not a foundation in a grave where all things are forgotten but in the Covenant of God who remembers mercy for ever and therefore it should not trouble him to die before he was restored to health riches and honour which his friends proposed to him as a great argument of comfort and of patience For in death he should have riches and glory and hence it was that he had rather endure the extreamest paines of death then stay to receive any outward comforts in this life His desires to be dissolved were not so much from the sence of his present paine for he would harden himselfe to endure yet more as from the apprehension of future joy This was not a fancie or a dreame but he had good proof and reall evidence of it in the whole course of his life which had been as a continued acting of the word of God and to a fitting him for nearest communion with God This in general The letter of the Hebrew runneth thus Who would give me that my request or that
and when he wills he can reach the life Secondly observe If God put out his power no creature can stand before it If God doe but let loose his hand man is cut off presently It is but as a little twigge or as grasse before the sith or before a sword there is no more in it As when God openeth the hand of his mercy he satisfieth the desire of every living thing Psal 145. 2. So when God looseth the hand of his judgements he takes away the life and comforts of every living thing God hath a hand full of blessings and mercies if he please but to open that hand all things are filled with comfort God hath another hand full of judgments and afflictions if he open or loosen that all creatures fall before him like a withered leafe The reason why the enemies of God live and are mighty is because God doth not fully loosen his hand against them if he would but unprison his power and let out his hand he can with ease destroy and cut them off in a moment Therefore the prophet prayes but for this one thing Psalm 74. 11. That God would pluck his hand out of his bosome why with drawest thou thy hand even thy right hand pluck it out of thy bosome Lord saith he this is the reason why enemies yet prevail thy hand is tyed up that is Thine owe act hath tyed up thy hand thy will stayes thy power or thy power is hid in thy will Gods power kept in by his will is his hand in his bosome Among men a hand in the bosome is the embleme of sloth Prov 19 24. Man hides his hand in his bosome because he will not be at the paines to worke God is said to hide his hand in his bosome when it is not his will and pleasure to work therefore he saith Lord if thou wouldest but let loose and put out thy hand all mine enemies shall be consumed And that 's the reason why there are such various dispensations of providence in these times when the enemy prevailes God with draweth his hand he keepeth his hand in his bosome And when at any time his servants have victorie it is because his hand hath liberty If God holds his hand men stretch forth theirs in vain Observe Thirdly Assurance of a better life will carry the soule with joy through the sorrows and bitterest pains of death It was not any Stoical apathy or ignorant regardlessenesse of life which raised the heart of Job to these desires He did not invite his end like a Roman or a philosopher or by the height and gallantry of naturall courage set the world at nought and bid defiance to destruction But he had laid up a good foundation against this day upon this he builds his confidence He knew as Paul that he had Christ while he lived and should have gaine when he dyed The joy which was set before him made him over-look the crosse which was before him So much of his request now he tels us the consequence or effect it would have upon him in case it were granted Vers 10. Then should I yet have comfort yet I would harden my selfe in sorrow Let him not spare for I have not concealed the words of the holy One Then should I yet have comfort If I had but this suit granted I were refreshed notwithstanding all my sorrows the very hope of death would revive me Nothing doth so much refresh the soule as the hearing of a Prayer and the grant of a desire when desire cometh it is as a tree of life saith Solomon therefore Job might well say when my longing comes I shall have comfort and lest any should think that as David would not drinke the water he so longed for when it was brought unto him So when the cup of death should be brought to Job he might put it off somewhat upon those termes which David did and say I will not drinke it for it is my bloud my death therefore he adds Yea I would harden my self in sorrow As if he had said though some call hastily for death and repent with as much haste when death comes yet not I I would harden my selfe c. The Hebrew to harden hath a three-fold signification among the Jewish writers though it be used but this once onely in all the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Significat 1. Solidare roborare 2. Calefarere urere 3 Orare suppliciter praecari Scripture And hence there is a three-fold interpretation of these words I would harden my selfe in sorrow It signifies 1 To Pray or to beseech 2 To heat or to Warm yea to scorch and to burn 3 To harden or to strengthen strengthning is hardning in a metaphor According to the first sense the text is rendred thus Then should I yet have comfort yea I would pray in my sorrow that is I would pray yet more for an increase of my sorrow that I might be cut off If I had any hope that my request should be granted this hope would quicken my desire and I would pray yet more that I might obtain it Secondly as the word signifies to warm or to heat the sense is given thus Then should I have comfort yea I would warm my selfe in my sorrow And so it refers it to those refreshings which his languishing soul his soul chilled as it were with sicknesse and sorrows should receive upon the news of his approaching death This newes saith he would be as warm cloaths to me it Hac spe certissin â moriendi incalescerem refocillarer would fetch me again out of my fainting to heart of dying But besides a warming or a refreshing heat the word also notes scorching burning heat Mr. Broughton takes that signification of the word I shall touch that and his sence upon it by and by We translate according to the third usage of the word I would harden my self and so the construction is very fair I should yet have comfort yea I would harden my self in sorrow that is I would now set my selfe to endure the greatest sorrowes and afflictions which could come upon me for the destroying and cutting off the threed of my life And so he seems in these words to prevent an objection before hinted Why Job dost thou desire to be cut off and to be destroyed thou hast more pain upon thee already then thou art able to bear thou cryest out of what thou hast thou must think when death comes thy wound will be deeper and thy pain sharper Iob seemes to answer I have considered that before I know there will be a hard brunt at parting I prepare for it and am thus resolved I would harden my self in sorrow that is I would set my selfe to bear the pangs and agonies of death if I had but this hope that my miserie were near expiring The Apostle useth that phrase 2 Tim. 2. 3. in his advices to young Timothy Thou as a good souldier of Jesus Christ endure
hardnesse or bear evil As if he had said thou dost not know what hardship thou shalt be put unto in thy ministry I who am a veterane 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an old beaten though never conquered souldier in this warfare of Christ have been put to much hardship in my time and from my owne experience I advise thee to inure thy selfe to hardship to lie hard to fare hard to work hard to hear hard words and receive hard usage A tender spirit and a delicate body which must have warme and soft and fine and sweet continually is unfit for the warfare of the Gospel Such a sence is here I know I must endure more than now I doe but I would harden my selfe against that time and resolve to endure it let come what could come I am resolved and have fore-thought the worst Further for the clearing of these words it is considerable that some learned Interpreters put the two middle expressions into a parenthesis and read the whole thus I should have comfort though I should scorch with paine and though God should not spare me for I have not concealed the words of the holy One. One thus This yet is my comfort even while I scorch with pain Iunius and God doth not spare me that I have not concealed the words of the holy One Mr. Broughton as I touched before comes near this sence and translation So I should yet find comfort though I parch in paine when he would not spare For I kept not close the words of the most Holy That is when the long expected houre of my death shall come though God to take away my life should heat the fornace of my affliction seven times hotter then hitherto so that I must parch in paine yet I should have comfort Or take it in Master Broughtons owne glosse in all these pangs if God would make an end of me it should be my comfort and I would take courage in my sicknesse to beare it by my joy that I should die because I professed the Religion of God So that the strength of Job to bear the hand of God was from the conscience of his former integrity in doing the will and maintaining the truth of God Let him not spare Job having taken up his hope that he should have comfort 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pepercit clementia usus fuerit and this resolution that he would harden himselfe in sorrow speaks now as if he were at a point let God doe what he pleaseth let him not spare as if he had said what course soever the Lord shall see good to take for the cutting me off I am content he should goe on with it Let him not spare The word signifies to indulge or shew mercy to him whom by all right a man might justly destroy Ezek. 5. 11. Because thou hast done thus and thus saith God therefore will I also diminish thee neither shall mine eye spare neither will I have any pity Job seemes to invite what God threatens others Let him not spare let him not have any pity let him take his full swing in destroying of me In this sence it is said Rom. 8. 32. That God spared not his own sonne That is he abated not any thing which justice could inflict Christ therefore saves to the uttermost because he suffered to the uttermost He was not spared one blow one drop one sigh one sorrow one shame one circumstance of all or any one of these which justice could demand as a satisfaction for mans sinne Yea though in a sence he cryed to his father that he might be spared yet he was not There is a three-fold mercy in God There is a preventing mercy mercy that steps between us and trouble And there is a delivering mercy mercy that takes us out of the hand of trouble There is a third kinde of mercy coming in the middle of these two and that is called sparing mercy and that is two-fold First sparing for the time when God delaies and staies long ere he strike Secondly sparing for the degree when the Lord moderates and mitigates abates and qualifies our sufferings not letting them fall so heavie upon us as they might This sparing mercy stands I say in the middle of the two former it is not so much as preventing mercy stopping trouble that it come not neither is it so much as delivering mercy removing it when it is come Now Job did not only not aske delivering mercy that he asked not sparing mercie Let him not spare me in the time let him not delay or loose time let him come as soone as he will And let him not spare me in the degree and measure let him strike me as hard and lay his hand as heavily upon me as he will David Psal 39. 13. makes this his request O spare me that I may recover strength before I goe hence and be no more That is abate and mitigate my sufferings that I die not but Job desireth not to be spared at all He rather saith take away all my strength that I may goe hence and be seen no more Observe hence That the hope troubles will end comforteth yea hardneth in bearing present troubles Then will I comfort my selfe then will I harden my selfe let him not spare if I may have my request and die The sharpest sting of trouble is that it is endless and it is next to that when we can not looke to the end of it nor see any issue or way out of it That which discourages the damned in bearing their sorrowes and softens both their flesh and spirits to receive home to the head every arrow of wrath and dart of vengeance is they see no end and are assured there will be none They know they cannot be cut off and therefore they cannot harden themselves in sorrow no that very consideration makes their hearts which have been hardned to commit sin tender to receive punishment and exactly sencible of their pains could they see that at last they should be cut off even they would be hardned to bear the torments of Hell in the meane time though that time should be very long yea as long as time can be onely not endlesse The pain it selfe doth not afflict so much as the thought that they shall be afflicted for ever As the assurance that the glory of Heaven shall never end infinitely sweetnes it so the assurance that the paines of hell shall never end infinitely sharpens them And not to see the ending of worldly troubles neer puts us further off from comfort then the bearing of those troubles Therefore saith Job if I might be assured that God would cut me off I would harden my selfe in sorrow and let not God spare I would not desire him to hold his hand to mitigate or abate my paines * Eâ— haec mihi merces esset ejus seu pro eo quod nâ—n occultavi unquam sed diligentisâ— simè observavi quam commendatissima habui
verba Domini Opin Nonnullorum Hebraeorum apud Merc. Yea I would account every blow an embrace and every wound a reward For not concealing the words of the holy One In these words Job gives the reason or an account of his renewed prayer and request to die As the desire of Job was strong and passionate so likewise it was well grounded He had a very high reason an excellent ground upon which he bottom'd this request to die His reason was spirituall and therefore strong He beggs to be delivered from the troubles of his life though by a painfull death because he was clear in himselfe that he had led a blamelesse life That which set him above the paines of bodily death was the tranquillity of his spirit in this testmony of his conscience I have not concealed the words of the holy One As if he had said You may wonder why I should be so forward and ready to die why I seeme so greedy after the grave why I am such an importunate suiter for my dissolution The account I give you is this I have the testimony of a good conscience within me notwithstanding all the troubles which are upon me notwithstanding all your harsh vnfriendly accusations jealousies and suspitions of me yet my own breast is my friend my heart speakes me faire and gives me good words even these It tells me that I have not concealed the words Mirum est ut mihi non parcat quum illius verba non celarim neque dissimulaverim Aben Azr. of the holy One That I have not smothered any light he hath sent me that I have not refused any councell he hath given me that I have not wilfully departed from any rule he hath prescribed me that I have been faithfull to God to his cause and to his truth that I have declared his will and spoken his minde to others that I have not hidden any thing he hath given me in charge to declare or committed to my trust the word of God hath appeared in my life and therefore I am not afraid yea I have boldnesse to die and to appear before God I have not concealed The word signifieth to hide a thing so as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Significat abscondere ne vidleatur vel audeatur ne amplius appareat it be neither heard of or seen But may not we conceal the words of the most high it is said of Mary that she hid the words of Christ in her heart and of David that he hid the commandements of God in his heart Psal 119. 11. Did not the wise merchant hide the treasure namely Gospel truth Math. 13. 44. as soon as he had found it It should seem all these concealed the word of God how then is it that Job improves this as a speciall point of comfort that he had not concealed the words of the holy One There is a double hiding or concealement of the truth There is first a hiding from danger Secondly a hiding from use There is a hiding to keep a thing safe that others shall not take it from us and there is a hiding to keep a thing close that others may not take the benefit of it with us When it is said that Mary and David and the wise Merchant hid the word of God it was lest they themselves should lose it lest any should deprive them of it they hid it from danger They layed it up as a treasure in their hearts but they did not hide it from the knowledge or use of others and that is it which Job affirmes of himselfe I have not concealed the words of the holy One And there are four wayes by which the word of God is sinfully hid or concealed from all which Job seemes to acquit himselfe The first is when we conceal the word of God by our own silence when we know the word and truth of God and yet we draw a vaile over them by not revealing them The Apostle Paul Acts 20. 27. acquits himself in this to the Church of Ephesus I have not shunned to declare unto you the whole counsell of God and verse 20. You know how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you Silence to what is spoken is consent and silence when we should speak is concealement There is a second way of concealing the word of God and that is by silencing others Some conceale the words of the holy One themselves and they cannot endure that others should publish them The chiefe Priests and the Rulers Acts 4 18. charged Peter and John that they should not speake at all nor teach any more in the name of Jesus They would stop the Apostles mouthes from speaking the words of the holy One These keep the truth lockt up as Christ charges the Lawyers Luk. 11. 52. by taking away the key of knowledge Thirdly There is a concealing of the word of God under false glosses and misinterpretations or a hiding of it under errours and misconstructions This is a very dangerous way of concealing the words of the holy One The Pharisees made the law of God of none effect by their expositions as well as by their traditions by the sence they made of it as well as by the additions they made unto it Fourthly The word of the holy One may be concealed in our practise and conversations The Apostle exhorts Phil. 2. 16. To hold forth the word of life in a pure conversation The lives of Christians should publish the word of life The best way of preaching the word is by the praictse of the word The wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse of men who hold the truth in unrighteousnesse that is who by their unrighteous practises and ungodly conversations imprison fetter restrain and keep in the word Mans holy life is the loudest Proclamation of the word of God And a sinfull life is the concealment of it Job here acquits himselfe from all these concealements I have not eâ—ncealed the words of the holy One either by my own silence or by imposing silence upon others I have not concealed the word of the holy One by my own corrupt glosses and interpretations nor by a corrupt practise and conversation I have desired and endeavoured that the whole word of God might be visible in my actions and audible in my speeches that I might walke cloathed as it were with the holy counsels and commandements of my God There is a reading of the words different from this Whereas we Malo potentialiter exponi omnia utinam inquit non parceret Nequenim occultarem dicta sancti sed ejus in me sententiam praedicarem laudarem Merc. say I have not concealed the words of the holy One that gives it thus I would not conceale the words of the holy One and so the word of the holy One is taken not for the truths of God in generall but for that special word of decree or sentence which God should
his discourse refutes that tenet of Eliphaz that he was punished and scourged for his wickedness by shewing that to be afflicted is the common condition of man and therefore no such judgement of any mans wickednesse or sinfulness could be made from his afflictions Or Secondly That Job here confutes that promise which Eliphaz made about the twentieth verse of the fifth Chapter concerning outward prosperity He shall know that his tabernacle shall be in peace and he shall be delivered c. by proving it inconsistent with the present estate of mortals to look for such uninterrupted happiness or fair dayes without any clouds and stormes as Eliphaz seemed to undertake he should Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth are not his dayes also like the dayes of an hireling c. Or thirdly the connection may be made with these words which himself had spoken at the four and twentieth verse of the former Chapter Teach me saith Job and I will hold my tongue and cause me to understand wherein I have erred In which words we shewed Job makes an humble submission of himself and in case his friends could instruct him better he was willing to learn he was not wedded to his own opinion or resolved never to be removed from it In pursuance of which promised teacheablness he in this Chapter grants what was grantable in the former discourse of Eliphaz Eliphaz had said Chap. 5. ver 7 8. That man was born to labour as the sparks fly upward and thereupon presently inferres I would seek unto God c. both these the Doctrin and the Vse Job seems to prosecute in this seventh Chapter as if he should say what thou hast rightly spoken I will grant thee thou hast said Man is born to trouble I say so too Is there not an appointed time unto man of trouble and are not his daies as the daies of an hireling And thou advisest me to seek unto God and apply my self to him it is good counsel and therefore I will follow it As we read he doth at the seventeenth and twentieth verses of this Chapter O remember that my life is wind what is man that thou shouldest magnifie him I have sinned what shall I do unto thee O thou preserver of men Why doest thou not parnon my transgression and take away mine iniquity Language full of humility and sounding out the brokenness of his heart But lastly rather thus Job having in the former Chapter refuted those arguments by which Eliphaz would convince him and having renewed his request to die expostulated with his friends about their unkindness toward him and admonished them to a more equal dealing with and hearing of him he now proceeds to the confirmation of his first request to die which he doth from divers grounds 1. From the general condition of mans life vers 1. Is there not an appointed time to man c. 2. From the condition of some particular men A servant earnestly desireth the shadow and an hireling looketh for the reward of his work may not I therefore desire death which onely will be a shadow to me till when I shall not have my reward And 3. From his own special condition at the third verse and so forward to the seventh therein expressing how sad how restless how troublesome his life was to him which as he apprehended nothing could give remedy to but onely death My disease appears curable only by a grave and my only medicine is a mouth full of earth Therefore the matter standing so with me have I not rightly and reasonably desired either that I had not lived at all or that I may quickly die and that God would cut off my life Having by these arguments confirmed that former desire In the next place he again renews his former complaints from the eleventh verse of this Chapter unto the seventeenth Thirdly he abases himself before God as unworthy that God should take any notice of him or bestow a thought a visit a smile or a chastisement upon him What is man that thou doest magnifie him that thou doest visit him c Lastly he concludes with confession of his sin and earnest desire of pardon at the twentieth and the one and twentieth verses Thus in general both for the dependance of the latter part of his speech upon the former and the principal parts contained in this Verse 1. Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth and are not his daies also like the daies of an hireling The question affirms there is an appointed time to man upon earth and his daies are like the daies of an hireling From whence we may form his argument thus He that hath a certain terme of life appointed him to serve in doth not sin in desiring an end of his service But there is an appointed time c. Therefore it is not sinful to desire it Is there not an appointed time The Hebrew thus Is there 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Militia per Metaphoram tempus ordinatum determinatum constitutum ipsum â—ilitâ—ae tempus not a warfare to man upon earth So you find it in the margin of your Bibles Our Translators put warfare there and Appointed time in the text The word signifies both because warres of all other actions have their seasons and their appointed times and the life of man is well described under both or either of those notions Consider it first under the most proper signification and so many read it Is there not a warfare to man upon the earth Isa 40. 1 2. Comfort ye comfort ye my people saith the Lord speake comfortably to Jerusalem Why Tell her her warfare is ended In that place our translators put appointed time in the margin and warfare in the text as here they put appointed time in the text and warfare in the margin The sence in both is the same Tell her that her warfare is ended that is the time appointed or constitued for her trouble is ended So here Is there not an appointed time that is is there not a set determined time of the troubles or troublesome warfaring life of man The Greek Translators interpret it Temptation Is there not an Graeci 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi tentationis officinam ubi homo varia experiatur varijque eventis periculis sit expositus ut miles in bello appointed temptation to man upon the earth And that gives us the same meaning for temptation is a warfare temptation is our spiritual warre the exercise and probation of a Christian There are three things in which the greatest exercise of a Christian life consists Prayer Meditation and Temptation First Prayer wherein man is seeking unto and working his heart towards God Secondly Meditation wherein he is preparing himself by holy thoughts and divine considerations for his nearer addresses unto God in prayer and how to walk in every duty towards man Thirdly Temptation wherein he wrastles and strives with those enemies opposing
a vineyard to hirelings who wrought for a penny a day and at night they had every one their pay It is so in reference to the whole course of this life we are hirelings in the evening we shall have our penny verily There is a reward for the righteous their labour is not in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 15. And as the righteous have a reward so the wicked shall have wages Satans hirelings shall have full pay though no content for all their works The wages of sin is death there 's pay such as it is woefull pay a black penny The daies of man are as the daies of an hireling there is an issue a reward for every work Fourthly note from the Metaphor while an hireling is doing his masters work he doth his owne too that is his owne profit comes in by those acts in which he labours for another It is thus also in the generall state of man above all Christs servants and hirelings gaine by the duties of obedience they performe to Christ their own profit comes in with his honour A godly man cannot doe a stroake of worke for God but he works for himself too the servants of God must not be self-seekers and self-workers they may not make themselves their end but as it is with an hireling let him be never so upright hearted toward the master he serves let him lay self by in all he doth yet he hath a share of profit in all his labors God hath so espoused and married his owne glory and the good of man together that whosoever really promotes the one promotes both It is so likewise with those who work the works of darknesse and doe the lusts of the devill While his slaves are doing his worke they are gaining towards destruction and their owne wages encreases daily they are treasuring up wrath and judgement against the day of wrath As the measure of their sinne fils so doth the measure of their punishment Thus also the daies of man are as the daies of an hireling There are two generall observations which I shall but name because they will occurre again 1. The life of man it is short As the daies of an hireling The servant doth not abide in the hous for ever a hireling is but for a time And it is good for a man that it is so some complaine exceeding much because their lives are so exceeding little But let them weigh it well and they shall see cause to rejoyce much because they live so little In some respect it is good for wicked men that their lives are so short if their lives were longer they would be wickeder and so heaping up more sin they would heap up more wrath against themselves And it is very well for the Saints that their lives are so short Their corruptions temptations their weaknesses and infirmities their troubles and afflictions are so many that it is well their dayes are so few If they should have length of life added to heaps of sorrows and perpetuity with outward misery how miserable were they Christ promises it as a point of favour to his that the days of trouble should be shortned Except those dayes should be shortned no flesh should be saved that is kept or preserved alive in those tribulations but for the Elects sakes those dayes shall be shortned Mat. 24. 22. It is a favour also to the Saints that their particular dayes are shortned that their's are but as the dayes of an hireling for as much as their present dayes are dayes of trouble and travel The dayes of the best are so full of evil that it is good they are no fuller of dayes And further it is good they are so evil or full of trouble It is well for wicked men that their dayes are full of trouble the sweeter their lives are to them the sinfuller they are against God Their outward comforts are but fewel and incouragement to their lusts and while their lives are calm and quiet they do but saile more quietly down into that dead sea of everlasting misery And the Saints have this advantage by the troublesomenesse of their lives to be kept in continual exercise and more dependance upon God they would love the world too well and delight in the creature too much if God did not put bitternesse into their cup. Job having thus shadowed the state of man seems to make out his intendment or scope thus There is no reason why I should be charged so deeply for desiring death For what is the life of man Is it not a life full of travel and of trouble full of dangers and temptations is not the time of his life short and set Is it not a speedy passing time and yet a firmly appointed time Why then should not I think the period of my life to be at hand Why should not I think my appointed time is come Forasmuch as I have so many evidences and symptoms of death before me and have heard so many messages and summons to the grave Death sits upon Plurima mortis imago my lips ready to come in while I am speaking Death hath taken possession of me already and seiz'd my port death is in my face I am the very picture of death and images of death stand round about me Therefore Eliphaz why should I not call to have my daies summed up that I may see the end and summe of these troubles Or wherefore wouldest thou stay my complaint against my life or stop my desire of death by giving me hopes of many daies and of a flourishing estate in this world That 's his first argument from the general condition of mankind Now he proceeds to consider somewhat more special in that condition Verse 2. As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow and as an hireling looketh for the reward of his work Verse 3. So am I made to possesse months of vanity and wearisom nights are appointed to me As a servant earnestly desireth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Traxit aerem ad os per Metaphoram inbiavit ardentur cupiit qui enim vehementer aeliquid cupiunt prae desiderii expectationis magnitudine ad os rem trabunt seu frequentiùs respirant To desire earnestly is but one word in the original it is so full of sence that we cannot empty it into any one word in our language The letter is As a servant breaths after the shadow And because a man that hath an earnest longing desire for a thing pants breaths and gasps after it therefore that word which signifies to gape and draw in the air pantingly signifies also to desire or to desire earnestly As a servant earnstly desireth The shadow Some understand it of the night when the servant comes to rest himself after his labour all the day Night is but a great shadow Secondly We may take it for the shadow of the day A servant that is heated in labour abroad in the open field earnestly desires a
loathsome We may hence learne what our own bodies are The Apostle Phil. 3. 21. cals the body a vile body not that the worke of God was vile The worke of God was noble and honourable in all he wrought especially in that Master-peece of it the fabrique of mans body but as the body is come out of the hands of sinne so it is a vile body that is it is a body subject to corruption and will quickly corrupt be vile and loathsome 1 Cor. 15 53. This corruptable must put on incorruption The body of man is but one remove from wormes and corruption Chap. 17. 4. I have said to corruption thou aâ—t my Father and to the worme thou art my mother We shall quickly bear the image of our parents wormes and corruption Then be not proud of your bodies nor of your beauties They who are now the fairest and goodliest to looke upon may quickly have a broken and a loathsome skin A disease one fit of sicknesse will spoile all thy beauty deface and blemish thy excellent feature and if a disease doth it not old-age will time will draw furrows in thy face and make wrinkles in thy brow Strength and beauty of body are no matches for time All things were made in time and time will marr all things So long as generation continues corruption must Againe take heed of pride in cloathing The two externals of which man is most subject to be proud are beauty and apparell Cloaths are a flag of vanity and pride sits upon the skirts But remember how fine soever your cloathing is this day and houre God can put you on another suite before to morrow We see what change of apparrell Iob had a godly man an humble man That which God did to try the grace of one he can quickly do to punish and chastise the sin of another he can quickly put you on such clothing as you shall have little cause to be proud of He can make you weare wormes and clods of dust And if we consider it we have little reason to be proud of clothes for if we follow the best of them to their originall they will be found to be but a clothing of wormes and clods of dust what are silkes sattins and velvets but the issue of wormes And what is your gold and silver what your pearls and precious stones are they any thing if you will resolve them into their principles but clods of dust They are indeed better concocted by the heat of the Sunne refined and polished by the art of a man but if you search their pedigree they also are but clods of dust In your most glorious aray you are but cloathed with dust and wormes and if you be proud of such cloathing God can cloth you with worms and clods not onely of unrefined and unpollished but of putrified and filthy dust Thus we see the first thing the picture or description of Iobs body His friends at first sight might be convinced that a body in such a case could take little rest day or night He carries on his complaint a degree further at the 6. verse Verse 6. My daies are swifter than a Weavers shuttle and are spent without hope My daies are swifter The Seventy render it thus My daies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are swifter or nimbler than a word or speech Nothing moves faster or passeth away more lightly than a word a word is gone and it is gone suddenly Hence the similitude is used proverbially Psal 90. 9. We spend our daies as a tale that iâ— told or as a meditation so some translate suddenly or swiftly a discourse is quickly over whether it be a discourse from the mouth or in the mind and of the two the latter is far the more swift and nimble of foot a discourse in our thoughts out-runs the Sunne as much as the Sunne out-runs a snaile the thoughts of a man will travell the world over in a moment he that now sits in this place may be at the worlds end in his thoughts before I can speak another word So that the translation of glosse by speech or meditation aggravates the sence and extends it to the highest But the word properly signifies as we translate a Weavers shuttle which is an instrument of a very swift and sudden motion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And the word which we render Swifter signifies that which is fitted for the swiftest motion Any light thing because those things which are light move swiftest and we call a good runner a man light of foot Hab. 1. 8. The horses of the Chaldeans are thus described Their horses are swifter or lighter of foot than the Leopards so swifter or lighter than the weavers shuttle which passeth the loome or web with such speed that it is growne to a Radius Textoris dictum proverbiale radio velocius proverbe for all things which are quick and transient The Latines expresse it by that word which signifies a ray of the Sunne which is darted in a moment from one end of the heavens to another But a question rises Iob in the third Chapter and so in the fifth complains that his life was so prolonged and slow-paced that it was very tedious to him and in this Chapter by a repeated request he spurrs and hastens his life to it's journies end he thought it seemes his time not wing'd but slow footed how is it then that in this place he complaineth of the swiftnesse of his daies My daies are swifter than a Weavers shuttle I answer In a word By his dayes here we are to understand his good dayes his dayes of comfort and prosperity the dayes of my peace and plenty are slipped away and gone even as a weavers shuttle But when he complains that his life is slow-footed and requests that his dayes might move faster he meanes the dayes of sorrow and trouble which had overtaken him in his journey the former were too swift and the latter too slow It is as if he had said Alas all my faire dayes of prosperity are gone they are slipt away as a weavers shuttle they are as a tale that is told nothing remaines of them but the remembrance which is an addition to my sorrow but now I have dayes that seeme long very long they hand upon my hands I cannot get them off my sorrowes clog my time and make every houre seeme a yeare Hezekiah in his complaint upon his sick bed useth this allusion Mine age is departed and removed from me as a shepheards tent I have cut off like a weaver my life Isa 38. 12. As the weaver cuts off the thred when the web is finished so it is with me I have cut off as a weaver my life Not that Hezekiah was active in his own death we are not to understand it so for he pray'd that God would spare him and he spake this upon the promise of God to lengthen out his life and to tye the thread of his dayes
againe according to which the web was woven on for fifteen yeares more But this speech of Hezekiah as a weaver I have cut off my life is like that of the Apostle I have finished my course He compares the passing of his life to a shuttle and the conclusion of it to the cutting off of the thread Nights and dayes passe this shuttle forward and backward to and againe the night casts it to the day and the day to the night beween these two time quickly weares off the thred of life The heathen Poets had a fiction answering this allusion of the holy Ghost they tell us a story or a fiction rather of three sisters whereof the one held the wheele or the distaffe the Tres Parcae elotho Lachesis Atropos second drew out the thred and a third cut it off In this they shadow the state of mans life our ordinary phrase for living long is spinning a long thred and for dying the cutting off the thred of life And they are spent without hope Some translate they are spent so as that there is no hope left The word which here we 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 english spent signifies both consumption and consummation or sometimes in a good sense the end or perfecting of a thing and sometime in an ill sense the end or consuming of a thing Gen. 2. 1. So the Heavens and the earth were finished It is this word they were ended God ended his works by way of perfection and consummation he made his work compleate But here and often in Scripture it notes ending by way of consumption or as we translate the spending of a thing Jer. 14. 12. I will consume or make an end of them by the sword And Exod. 33. 3. God commands Moses to goe with the people into the wildernesse for saith he I will not goe up in the midst of them lest I consume them in the way And to shew how deep an expence and consumption of time was upon him Job tells us it had devoured and eaten up all his hope It is worse to have our hope spent then to have our dayes spent now saith he my dayes are spent and that is not all my hope is spent Some translate so my dayes are spent and I have Cum inopia spei vel defectu spei sc longioris vitae want or penury of hope as I have spent my dayes so I have spent my hope And his hopelessenesse may refer two wayes I have no hope or my hope is spent First in regard of long life I see I am so afflicted with this disease that there is no hope I should hold out under it Secondly without hope that is without hope of being in a better condition that is of having my estate restored unto me again if I should have health restored and a longer life continued In both these sences as he saw the thred of his dayes cut off so he saw the thred of his hope cut off he was near death and his hope was dead My dayes are spent without hope or there is no hope remaining This also is a negative to both parts of Eliphaz his promise either of longer life or of a better We may observe hence first a common truth which I shall not insist upon about that pretious commodity a commodity more pretious then the gold of Ophir Time All time is short and we have a very short estate in time Man is not master of one day and a servant but of few dayes The holy Ghost gives us very many remembrances of this which is an argument that we are very apt to forget it Man is slow to take notice of the swiftnesse of time and very dull in apprehending the speed of his dayes It is a wonder that such a plaine common doctrine should be handled so often and that the Holy Ghost should as it were labour for similitudes and fetch in all things that are more then ordinarily transitory in nature to teach us the transitorinesse of our condition We meete with many in this booke all hinting at the sudden invisible motion of time This is a point easie to be known but very hard to be beleeved every man assents to it but few live it And surely the holy Ghost would not spend so many words about it nor gather up so many illustrations of it from sence if it were not of much importance to our faith We usually slight the hearing of common principles â—nd a Sermon preacht upon this subject the shortnesse of our lives and the speed of time is judg'd a needlesse shortning of time and the houre seemes very long which runs out upon the speed of time we think it an easie doctrine and a Theame for boyes But the truth is if the heart did well disgest how few our dayes are we should have better dayes and men would live holier if they knew indeed their lives were no longer Therefore though I only touch this subject yet doe ye dwell upon it and stay long in your thoughts upon the shortnesse of your lives Common truths neglected cause a neglect of every truth Had we more serious thoughts of Heaven and hell that these are and what these are that there is a God and who he is that there will be a judgement and what it will be we should more profitably improve and trade our time and talents Secondly note Time passeth irrecoverably When the weavers shuttle is once out of his hand 't is gone presently there is no hope time past should be recalled or time in motion stopt To consider time under that notion should make us very good husbands of our time or as the Apostle advises to redeeme the time Redemptions are made by purchase to redeem a thing is to buy it with a price the price we redeeme time with is our labourand faithfull travell It is matter of mourning to consider that so little care is taken in spending that which when it is gone we have no hope it can be restored to us again Thirdly In that Iob complained before that his life was so long and now complaineth of the shortnesse or swiftnesse of his life we may note That Man thinks good daies end too soone and that evill dayes stay too long or will never have an end We love the company of good dayes and are therefore sorry when they depart When the Disciples were upon the Mount and had such a good day of it how desirous were they to have continued there and sorry they were the day was at an end Master saith Peter it is good for us to be here The sudden passing of our comforts is our trouble Time is alwayes of the same pace no creature keeps his pace more evenly then time doth it alwayes moves at the same rate neither faster nor slower but man thinks this time short and that time long this time speedy and that time slow according to the severall objects he meets with and to the conditions
wherein he is Fourthly observe That hope is the last refuge of the soule My dayes are spent without hope my hope is spent too If I had hope left I had somewhat left but my hope is gone It is so in naturall things it is so in spirituall things The Apostle Heb 6. tells us that hope is the anchor of the soule sure and stedfast while hope holds comfort holds and when hope 's gone all 's gone Observe lastly That sometimes a godly mans hope may lye prostrate My dayes saith he are cut off without hope Job thought as I have noted from some passages before that his case was desperate his hope lay in the dust as well as his body or his honour Every godly man is not an Abraham of whom it is said Rom. 4. 18. That against hope he beleeved in hope Nay Abraham is not alwayes Abraham he that hath such a strong hope hath it not alwayes even his hope may sometimes possibly be hopelesse There are weakenesses in the strongest and imperfections may come upon those who are perfect ebbings after the greatest flowings and declinings after the greatest heights of graces and gracious actings My dayes are spent without hope Job having thus complained of his condition and asserted his own desires of death now turnes from his friends with whom he had discoursed all this while and betakes himself to God to speake a while with him The next words are generally understood an Apostrophe to God Verse 7. Or member that my life is wind mine eye shall no more see good c. O remember that my life is wind To remember is not here taken strictly for to God all things are present Remembrance is the calling of that to mind which is past when the act of remembring is applied to God in Scriprure it hath one of these three sences 1. It notes a resolution or setled purpose in God to act his justice or inflict punishment upon his enemies Psal 137. 7. Remember O Lord the children of Edom that is Lord bring forth that decree of thine for the ruine and destruction of these bloudy Edomites who have been cruell against thy people Secondly it signifies an affection in God ready to help and releeve his own people Psal 74. 2. Remember thy Congregation which thou didst purchase of old that is doe good to thy Congregation blesse thy Congregation Thirdly To remember imports an act of present consideration to remember is fully to weigh observe and take notice of the estate of things or persons Psal 38. 39. He remembred that they were but flesh a wind that passeth away and cometh not againe that is he consider'd and weighed the estate of man So in this place O remember that my life is wind that is consider and weigh it well Lord put my condition into the ballance observe what a weak creature I am how short my llfe is therefore deal with me as with a weak short-lived creature Thou needest not lay any great stresse upon me thou needest not trouble thy self much to make an end of me my life is but wind 't is but a puffe which quickly passes away O remember that my life is wind This is a proverbial speech Vita ventus Elegans proverbiale like that before of a weavers shuttle The word translated wind signifies the holy Ghost the third Person in the blessed Trinity As also a Spirit in general And because the wind is of a spiritual nature invisible swift powerful therefore it is applied to that aerial or elementary spirit And the operation of the holy Ghost is shadowed by wind or breath Christ breathed upon his Disciples saying receive the holy Ghost John 20. 22. and the holy Ghost came as a mighty rushing wind Acts 2. 2. When Job saith remember that my life is wind he means my Quasi ventus Targum life is like the wind It is a similitude not an assertion The life of man is like the wind in two things First the wind passeth away speedily so doth mans life Secondly the wind when it is past returns no more as you cannot stop the wind or change its course So all the power in the world is not powerful enough to recallor divert the wind which way the wind goes it will goe and when it goes 't is gone Ps 78. 34. He remembred that they were but flesh wind that passeth away in this sence Job calleth his life a wind it passeth away and shall not return by any law or constitution of nature or by any efficacy of natural causes Yet here observe Job saith not His soul was a wind but his life was a wind Some have philosophiz'd the soul into a wind a blast or a breath and tell us that it goes as the soul of a beast that life and soul are but the same thing when the life 's gone out of the body the soule 's gone from its being They acknowledg a restoring of it again with the body at the resurrection but deny it any existence when separate from the body How dishonourable this is to the noble constitution of man and how dissonant to Scripture is proved in mentioning it we acknowledge that life which is the union of soul and body is a wind and passeth away In all the learned languages Hebrew Greek Latine the * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Flare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Spiritus a spirando Animum quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quidam dictum existimant Graeci pro respiratione seu spiritu quem ducimas aceipiunt primo quod vita nostra respiratione indigeâ—t sccundo quod flatu videatur humana vita in prima sua origine constitisse word which signifies spirit or life hath its original from respiring and when we say my wind was gone or my wind was almost beaten out of my body our meaning is my Life was almost gone In the creation Gen. 2. 7. God breathed into man the breath of life or of lives implying the many facultes and operations of life And in as much as the body of man was first formed and this life brought in after to act and move it this is an abundant proof that the soule of man is not any temperament of the body the body being compleated as a body before it and yet no life resulting Wheras beasts to whom that beastly opinion compares man in his creation had living bodies as soone as bodies their totall form being but an extract from the matter Solomen Eccl. 3. 19 20 21. brings in the Atheist drawing this conclusion from those confused oppressions which he observed in the world men carried themselves so like beasts preying upon and devouring one another that he who had nothing but carnall reason to judge by presently resolves That which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts even one thing befalleth them as the one dieth so dieth the other yea they have all one breath so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast for all
gale of love breathing through the covenant of Grace And as the life of man is compared by Job to a cloud so to that which is the matter of the cloud by the Apostle James Chap. 4. verse 14. where he puts the question what 's the life of man Is it not saith he even a vapour that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away A vapour is exhaled from the earth by the heat of the Sunne and is the matter out of which the cloud is made Mans life is not only like a cloud which is more condense and strong but like those thin vapours sometimes observed arising from moorish grounds which are the original of clouds and more vanishing then clouds Even these are but vanishing enough to shadow the vanishing decaying quickly dis-appearing life of man As the cloud consumes and vanishes the next words speak out the mind of the comparison So he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more The grave is a descent And the word which is here used for the grave is Sheol about which many disputes are raised among the learned The root of it signifies to desire or to crave with earnestness and the reason given is because the grave is always craving and asking Though the grave hath devoured the bodies of millions of men yet it is as hungry as it was the first morsel still it is asking and craving The grave is numbred among those things which are not satisfied Prov. 30. 16. In the Greeke of the new Testament it is translated Hades which by change of letters some form out of the Hebrew Adam and Adamah the earth unto which God condemned fallen man to returne Gen. 3. 19. We find this word Sheol taken five wayes in Scripture 1. Strictly and properly for the place of the damned Prov. 15. II. Hell and destruction are before the Lord how much more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then all the hearts of the children of men God looks through the darkness of hell which is utter darkness Tam infernus quam sepulchrum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. Status mortuorum vel sepalchrum nam ut anima de corpore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 de sepulchro usurpatur Ps 16. Drus 2. It is put Metaphorically for great and extream dangers or miseries which seem irrecoverable and remediless these are figuratively called hell because hell properly taken is a place from whence there is no recovery There 's no release from the chaines of darknesse all changes are on earth Heaven and hell know none When David praises the Lord Psalm 86. 13. for delivering his soul from the lowest hell he meaneth an estate on earth of the lowest and deepest danger imaginable Mercy helpt him at the worst To be as low as hell is to be at the lowest 3. The word signifies the lower parts of the earth without relation to punishment Psal 139. 8. If I go down into hell thou art there He had said before if I ascend up into Heaven thou art there by Heaven he meanes the upper Region of the world without any respect to the estate of blessednesse and hell is the most opposite and remote in distance without respect to misery As is he had said let me go whither I will thy presence finds me out 4. It is taken for the state of the dead whether those dead are in the grave or no Psal 30. 3. Isa 38. 18 19. Gen. 37. 35. In all which places to go out of the world is to go to Sheol Jacob in the text alledged Gen. 37. 35. said he would go down into the grave to his son mourning yet Jacob thought his Son was devoured by a wild beast he could not goe down into the grave to his son for the bowels of a wild beast was his supposed grave but he meaneth only this I wil even die as he is dead So Numb 16. 33. where that dreadful judgement of God upon Korah Dathan and Abiram is storied it is said that they their sheep and their oxen and their tents and all went down into Sheol that is they were all devoured and swallowed up But 5. Sheol signifies the place where the body is layed after death namely the grave Prov. 30. 16. Man hath a demension of earth fitted to the dimensions of his body this portion or allotment is his Sheol Yet it signifies the grave only in generall as it is natural to man-kind not that grave which is artificial and proper to any particular man this the Hebrew expresses by another * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 word He that goeth down to the grave goes to his long home to a house out of which he is never able to see or make his way and Ainsw in Gen. 37. therefore it followes He shall come up no more No that 's sad news indeed to go down to the grave and come up no more Are all the hopes of man shut up in the grave and is there an utter end of him when his life ends Shall he come up no more Many of the Greek writers tax Job as not acquainted with the doctrine of the Resurrection as if he either knew not that mystery or doubted at this time of it And some of the Rabbins say plainly Hic abnegat Iob resuscitationem mortuorum Rab. Sol. Non negatur resurrectio ad vitam sed ad similem vitam Pined he denied it But he is so cleare in the 19th Chapter that we need not think him so much as cloudy here And if we look a little farther himself will give us the comment of this text When he saith he shall come up no more it is not a denyal of a dying mans resurrection to life but of his restitution to the same life or to such a life as he parted with at the graves mouth They who die a natural death shall not live a natural life again therefore he addeth in the next verse Verse 10. He shall return no more to his house He doth not say absolutely he shall return no more but he shall return no more to his house he shall have no more to do with this world with worldly businesses or contentments with the labour or comforts of the creature or of his Family He shall return no more to his house But some may say how doth this answer the comparison That as the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more for we find another description of clouds Eccles 12. 2. where the text saith that the clouds return after raine So that it seems though clouds vanish and are consumed yet they returne and come againe The clouds are like bottles full of raine or spunges full of water God crushes these spunges or unstops these bottles and they are emptied and in emptying vanish away but yet Solomon affirms the clouds return after raine how then doth Job say that as the cloud vanisheth so man goeth to the grave
of God only The clouds also shew forth the handy work and power of God Psal 147. 8. Who covereth the heavens with clouds The hand of God drawes those curtaines and puts that maske upon the face of Heaven But as the heavens declare the glory of God so they publish and declare the weaknesse of man the vapours and the winds shew forth how fraile he is As the invisible things of God to wit his eternall power and Godhead are seen in the things which are made God is as it were visible in the creatures so likewise the frailty and mutability the weaknesse and inconstancy of man is visible in the things which are created we may reade a lecture of our own transitorinesse in the most transitory texts of nature And that is an admirable contrivance and complication of things that out of the very same text of the creature where the infinite wisdom power of God may be learned man also may learn his own frailty He that studies the creature much shall find much of God and of himselfe Some conceive when Isaac Gen 24. 63. went forth into the field to meditate that he studied the booke of the creatures probably the holy man did so but we are sure he might How will it shame those men at last who know not God not themselves when they have or might have had without cost or travell so many tutors and instructers JOB Chap. 7. Vers 11 12 13 14 15 16. Therefore I will not refraine my mouth I will speake in the anguish of my spirit I will complaine in the bitternesse of my soule Am I a sea or a whale that thou settest a watch over me When I say my bed shall comfort me my couch shall ease my complaint Then thou skarest me with dreames and terrifiest me through visions So that my soul chuseth strangling and death rather then life I loath it I would not live alwayes let me alone for my dayes are vanity IN the context of these six verses we may take notice of foure things 1. Jobs violent resolution to complaine ver 11. 2. His vehement complaint ver 12. 3. An amplification of his sorrowes ver 13 14. 4. A renovation of his often repeated desires to die and the tediousnesse of his life ver 15. 16. Therefore Job having in an apostrophe to God shewed his weake condition takes up a fresh resolution of complaining to God Therefore I will not refraine my mouth c. as if he had said The consideration of these things is so farre from putting me to silence that it doth rather enlarge my heart and open my mouth to speake and complaine once more seeing death is by Gods appointment the certain end of all outward troubles and perceiving my self upon the very borders or brink of death my body past cure my estate irrecoverable and remedilesse therefore I will complaine yet againe I will yet farther lay open my misery before the Lord and presse him to hasten me thorough the confines of this land of sorrow that I may accomplish my dayes and see an end of these troubles for my soule is in great bitternesse I will not refraine my mouth The word signifies to stop inhibit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Proprie est continere probibere cum ad liuguam orationem refertur â—ffert suppressionem quandam cohibitionem eluctantis spiritus sermonis conantis se aperto ore effundere or prohibit Those writs which stay the processe of inferiour Courts are called Prohibitions and then no man may open his mouth more in that businesse untill the Prohibition be dissolved or taken off I saith Job will not give my self a prohibition I will not silence or suppresse my sorrowes I will give my heart full liberty to meditate and my tongue to speake out my sufferings Being emptied of all my comforts I will surely take my fill of complainings It will be some ease to me to make known how I am pained I will not refraine my mouth That word is used Isa 58. 1. Cry aloud spare not when the Prophet is commanded to tell the people of their sins the Lord sets his tongue at liberty spare not thou art not silenced or limited therefore cry aloud Theirs were crying sins and crying sins must have crying reproofs loud sinners must not be whispered to therefore Cry aloud spare not I will not spare my mouth saith Job or refraine as we translate But I will speake in the anguish of my spirit or in the straightnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ie in angustiis spiritus mei coarctat me spiritus pectore inclusus patefaciam liberum illi aditum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à radice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Proprie meditari vel ex meditatione interius animo concepta aliquid exterius agere loqui orari conqueri Vocem edam querulam musfitando meditandi Merc. of my spirit I am in a straight I am pent in my spirit and unlesse I let my spirit out my heart will breake I must give it vent and ayre I will speake in the anguish of my spirit I will complaine in the bitternesse of my soule The word render'd complaine signifies to meditate and so to speake upon meditation or to speake deliberately It implies first a forming and fashioning of what we would say in our thoughts Thoughts are the moulds of our words Job intends not rash speaking what he intended to speake should be moulded shapt and wrought in his heart before brought forth by his tongue Prayer is exprest by this word because prayer ought first to be formed in the heart Prayer is the manifestation of our desires to God If the tongue speakes before the heart before the heart makes up our requests we take Gods name in vaine Hannah takes up this word 1 Sam. 1. 16. Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial for out of the aboundance of my complaint or meditation so the word is rendered and greife have I spoken Hunnah was praying her voice was not heard only her lips moved which caused Eli to suspect and censure her for drunk or distracted but she answers in words of turth and sobernesse O my Lord count not thine handmaid a daughter of Belial for though my voice hath not been heard yet I have been speaking out of the aboundance of my complaint that is out of the aboundance of my meditation my complaints are not the work of my tongue but of my heart and my lips moved not untill my heart moved my complaint is my meditation Hence likewise that phrase of powring out prayer Psal 142. 2. I powred out my complaint before him He that powres out must have somewhat yea much within where there is a constant stream there also is a fountain I powred out my complaint or my complaining prayer it is the same word here I have gathered the bitter waters of sorrow into my own heart and now I powre them forth in complainings I will complain
seemes to looke upon it as too great honour though it were a burdensome one that Saul a King one so much above him would follow and pursue him Against whom is the King of Israel come out against a dead dog or against a flea Alas I am no match for thee thou puttest too much weight upon me in that thou contendest with me To make great preparations and to send out a great army and skifull Commanders against an enemie magnifies that enemy that is it begets an apinion that surely he is some great and potent enemy against whom such great preparations are made In this sense you may understand it that affliction is a magnifying of a man because the great God comes forth to battle against him who is but dust and ashes but as a dead dogg or a flea The Heathens had such a notion they looked Hoctamen infoelix miseram solabere morte Aenei magni dâ—xtra cadis Virg l. 10. Occumbens I nunc Herculis armis Donum ingens semperae tuis memorabile factis Valer. Flac. l. 3. Argon upon it as no small priviledge for a man to be slaine by some famous great Commander Comfort thy selfe in this miserable death said one thou fallest by the hand of great Aeneas thou art magnifyed enough in this that thou hast such a man as Aeneas to fight with thee And another To die by the arme of Hercules amighty favour and alwaies to be remembred Some kind of trouble is an honour as well as a trouble The magnifying of man as well as an afflicting of him Man is so farre from deserving any favour from God that as a creature he is not worthy a blow though as a sinner he is most worthy of death from God But secondly we may answer it that man is not only thus notionally but really magnified by afflictions and that two waies First in this life the very humblings of the Saints are their exaltations their afflictions are their glory There was never any so famous for greatnesse for riches for honours as some have been for sufferings Who is there upon record throughout the whole booke of God who is there in any historie of the world so famous for greatnesse and riches and high atchievements as Job a sufferer All the victories of Alexander or Caesar yea of Joshua and David have not render'd them so famous to posterity as the conflicts of Job His affiictions have magnified him more then all his other greatnesse or then the greatnesse of other men hath magnified them If Job had only been the richest man in the East I believe we should never have had a word of any of his acts or so much as mention of his name in Scripture That which gave him the honour to have a whole booke written of him alone by the pen of the holy Ghost besides the often mention of his precious name in other books is this that he endured so much That man is magnified really who is thus afflicted and comes off holily Secondly Afflictions have an influence upon the life to come The Apostle is expresse in that 2 Cor. 4. 17. where he exhorts not to be troubled with our present afflictions for they worke for us a farre more exceeding weight of glory That which workes for us an exceeding weight of glory magnifies us It is not said any where in the Scripture that mans honours or his riches or his greatnesse in the world worke for him a farre more exceeding weight of glory There is no such thing ascribed or atributed to outward comforts and priviledges but our afflictions worke for us a farre more exceeding weight of glory Not as Papists abuse that Scripture as if afflictions did merit glory but as the way Duntaxat significatur quo itinare ad gloriam pervenitur and course wherein God sets men and through which he will exalt and lift them up to greatest glory Glory is the purchase of Christ and all the heaviest sufferings of the creature are not able to purchase one graine of glory not the least imaginable weight of glory much lesse an exceeding weight of glory but God brings his people to glory and makes them as he did the Lord Christ in their degree perfect through sufferings Hence observe That afflictions are if rightly improved the exaltations and magnifyings of the Saints The rod of discipline in Gods hand becomes a scepter of honour in ours This crosses the common thoughts of the world The truth is there is scarce a soule in the world under affliction but he thinks himself abased by it and saith that God hath laid him low Yet the right use and improvement of affliction is the best preferment The Apostle Jam. 1. is expresse Let the brother of low degree rejoyce in that he is exalted The low have an exaltation yea their lownesse is their exaltation yet we are ready to have undervaluing thoughts of our selves when the hand of God is upon us when God takes away that for which men set a price upon themselves they scarce thinke themselves worth any thing But this especially reaches that sinfull contempt of others a man afflicted is esteemed by most as a man abased They who have prized a man and had great thoughts of him when he had a great estate c. let him once fall in temporals though he continue the same in spirituals yea though he increases in them and his grace shines as much or more then ever yet he is dis-esteemed and laid low in their thoughts So much for those words what it is to magnifie and likewise how they may have a sutablenesse with Jobs condition he being so afflicted and emptied when he spake them And that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him To set the heart notes foure things in Scripture First Great care and intention of spirit Prov. 27. 23. Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks and looke well to thy herds the Hebrew is set thine heart upon thy herds The heart is set upon the herds in providing and taking care of them in looking to the welfare of the herds and of the flocks Samuel uses that language to Saul 1 Sam. 9. 20. when he came seeking his fathers asses As for the asses saith he set not thine heart upon them that is take no care for them never trouble thy selfe more about that businesse that care is over they are found In this sence God sets his heart upon man What is man that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him That is that thou shouldest take so much care of him and watch over him As the Lord speakes of his vineyard Isa 27. 3. I the Lord will keepe it lest any hurt it I will keepe it night and day He set his heart upon the vineyard to watch it least any should touching hurt it God in this sence takes so much care for man that he seemeth as it were carelesse of all other creatures 1 Cor. 9. 9. Doth God take
atque in summa aqua extaret Herod l. 1. b Montanus ex iib. Mifna cap. de phase was anciently the Emblem of everlasting forgetfulness or of a resolution never to recal that which was resolved †A learned Hebrician observes that it was a custome among the Jewes to take those things which they abominated as filthy and unclean and cast them into the sea which act noted either the purging of them or the overwhelming them out of sight for ever And a like usage is noted by * Iosephus Aeosta l. 5. de Historia Natur Moral Novi orbis a reporter of the manners of the Americans that those barbarous people either desciphering some wicked thing upon a stone or making a symbole or sign of it used to throw it into a river which should carry it down into the sea never to be remembred Thirdly Pardon of sin is noted by washing and purging to shew that the filthiness of it is removed from us Psal 51. 2. Fourthly By covering Psal 32. 1. and by not imputing ver 2. Fifthly By blotting out Isa 43. 25. and blotting out as a thick cloud Isa 44. 22. All these notions of pardon concurre in this one that sin passes away is lifted up and taken off from the Conscience of the sinner when it is pardoned The summe of all which is read in that one text Jer. 50. 20. In those daies and in that time saith the Lord the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none c. why For I will pardon them whom I reserve So that pardoned sin in God's account is no sin and the pardoned sinner is as if he had never sinned Forgiveness destroys sin as forgiving a debt destroyes the debt and cancelling a Bond destroyes the Bond. Thirdly observe When sin is pardoned the punishment of sin is pardoned Both words signifie both the punishment and the sin and Job having complain'd that he was set up as a mark and wounded by sharp afflictions now seeks ease in the surest and speediest way the pardon of sin why doest not thou pardon my transgression c. There are three things in sin The inward matter the foul evil the stock the root of sin which is natural corruption dwelling in us and flowing out by actions Secondly The defilement and pollution of sin Thirdly The guilt when we say sin is pardoned or taken away it is not in the former though in pardoned persons corruption is mortified and the actings of it abated but in the latter the guilt is taken away which is the Obligation to punishment and so the punishment is taken away too nothing vindictive or satisfactory to the justice of God shall ever be laid upon that soul whose sin is pardoned Hence Isa 33. 24. the Prophet fore-shewing how happy a pardoned people shall be assures them The inhabitant shall nâ—â— say I am sick the people that dwell therein shall he forgiven their iniqâ—â—ty When iniquity is forgiven our infirmity is cured When the soul is healed the body shall be recovered Both the body natural and the body politick Plague and sword and famine and death all these evils go away when sin goes Judgments are nothing else but unpardoned sins sin unpardoned is the root which giveth sap and life to all the Troubles which are upon man or Nation And as sin committed is every judgment radically that is there is a fitness in sin to produce and bring forth any evil upon man so pardon of sin is every Mercy radically when you have pardon from thence every other particular Mercy springs you may cut out any blessing any comfort out of the pardon of sin particular Mercies are but pardon of sin specificated or individuated brought into this or that particular Mercy of all blessings you may say this is pardon of sin that 's pardon of sin and t'other is pardon of sin Forgiveness destroyeth that wherein the strength of sin lies it destroyeth our guilt and to us abolisheth the condemning power of the Law in these the strength of sin lies Hence when the people of Israel had committed that great sin in making the golden Calf the first thing Moses did was to pray for the pardon of sin and he did it with a strange kind of Rhetoricke Exod. 32. 32. Oh this people have sinned a great sin and have made them gods of Gold And now if thou wilt forgive their sin what then Moses There 's no more said Moses is silent in the rest it is an imperfect speech a pause made by holy passion not the fulness of the Sentence Such are often used in Scripture as Luk. 13. 9. And if it bear fruit what then Our own thoughts are left to supply the event Our translaters add well The Greek translators supply that in Exodus thus If thou wilt forgive them their sin forgive them We may supply it with the word in Luke If thou wilt forgive them well As if Moses had said Lord forgive them and then though they have done very ill yet I know it will be very well with them God cannot with-hold any mercy where he hath granted pardon for that with the antecedents and requisites of it is every mercy Moses knew what would follow well enough if they were pardoned and what if they were not therefore he adds And if not blot me I pray thee out of thy book which thou hast written If their sins must stand upon record Moses would not he knew if they were an unpardoned people they were an undone people all miseries would quickly break in upon yea overwhelm them and he desired not to out-live the prosperity of that people If Israel must bear their sins they must also bear the wrath of God and if their sin be but taken off then his love is settled on them God gives quailes sometime but he never gives pardons in anger Fourthly observe The greatest sins fall within the compass of Gods pardoning mercy The words in the text are of the highest signification Job speaks not in a diminutive language he is willing to lay load upon himself they whose hearts are upright will not stand mincing the matter and say they have sins but theirs are small ones sins not grown to the stature of other mens As the sins of a godly man may be very great sins so when they are he acknowledges that they are I know not where to set the bounds in regard of the nature or quantity of sin what sin is there which a wicked man commits but a godly man possibly may commit it excepting that against the holy Ghost These Job did and the Saints may put to God in confession and as he did not so they need not be discouraged to ask pardon for them because they are great The grace of the Gospel is as large as any evil of sin the Law can charge us with The grace of the Gospel is as large as the curse of the Law whatsoever the Law can call or
though sin cannot be more pardoned in respect of God at one time than at another yet in regard of man it may He apprehends the pardon of his sin more now than before and may hereafter apprehend it more than now And it is worth the while to bestow pains in prayer for pardon to have the pardon a little more inlightned The degrees of any grace or favour as well as the matter and substance of them are worthy all our seekings and most serious enquiries at the throne of Grace Fourthly He that hath assurance of the pardon of sin is to pray for the pardon of sin because he continueth still to sin And though it be a truth that sin uncommitted is pardoned in the decree and purpose of God yet we must not walk by the decrees of God but by his commandements and rules His decree pardons sin from all eternity but his rule is that we should pray for pardon every day as we pray for the bread we eat every day Matth. 6. 11 12. We must not say God hath pardoned all sin at once therefore no matter to ask it again or I have once had the sight of pardon and therefore the sight of sin shall never trouble me seeing we are directed to search our hearts for sin and to seek to God for pardon continually So long as we sin it becomes us to be suitors for the pardon of sin He that hath ceased to sin may cease to ask the forgiveness of sin till then I know neither rule nor promise that gives a dispensation for this duty To close this point there are two Cases wherein believers are especially to renew their suits about the pardon of sin First which though it be lamentable yet it is possible in the case of falling into scandalous and gross sins These not only weaken assurance and be-night the soul but exceedingly dishonour God and grieve the holy Ghost This caused David to pray and cry for the pardon and purging of his sin as freshly and as strongly as if he had never received a pardon or any evidence of Gods love of which yet he had great store before that day Ps 51. Secondly In times of great troubles and trials whether personal or National the Saints re-inforce prayer about pardon This was Jobs case his personal afflictions occasion'd him to begg the remission of sins and not only remission for sins then committed but for all the sins he had committed either before or after Conversion Even our formerly pardon'd sins need pardon when we loose the sight of pardon and when the soul hath no visions but visions of terrour it must seek visions of peace in the free-grace of God renewing and sealing pardon in the bloud of Jesus Christ Job having thus breathed his spirit in arguings complaints and prayers moves the Lord for a speedy end and gracious answer otherwise he sees no way but he must breath back his spirit into the hands of the Lord who gave it and lay his body in the dust from whence it was taken For now shall I sleep in the dust and thou shalt seek me in the morning but I shall not be Now shall I sleep in the dust What he means by this sleep hath been handled Chap. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Propriè est cubare hinc mortui 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vocantur ut etiam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 13. where it was shewed that death is called a sleep why and in what manner death is a sleep The word here translated to sleep signifies properly to lie down but the sence is the same because men lie down when they compose and fit themselves to sleep And the dead are called down-lyers as well as sleepers in the Hebrew The Septuagint reads it now shall I go to the earth David speaks near this language Psal 22. 15. Thou hast brought me to the dust of death Observe hence whether we are travelling and where we must take up a lodging for our bodies ere long They whose heads are highest they who lie in beds of Ivory must lie down in a bed of earth and rest their heads upon a pillow of dust Most sleep in the dust while they live but all must sleep in the dust when they die Earthly men have earthly minds and they cannot rest but in earth for it is their Center Onely he who hath laid up his heart in Heaven can comfortably think of laying down his head in the dust Further it is remarkable in how pleasing a notion Job speaks of death when his life was most unpleasant to him He complained of restless nights in the third fourth thirteenth and fourteenth verses of this Chapter yet he could think of a time when he should lie quietly in his bed and not have so much as a waking moment or a distracting dream And when he was once gone to this bed the curtains of darkness being close drawn about him he should open his eyes no more till the eye-lids of that eternity-morning opened therefore he concludes Thou shalt seek me in the morning sc of time but I shall not be In the Hebrew Thou shalt seek me in the morning is but one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Si dilucula veris me ficto verbo word And some cut out a latine word fit to serve it We may English it strictly to the letter If thou morning me that is if thou commest to seek me as the force of this word hath been formerly given with never so much diligence and care I shall not be found thou wilt not have Job alive upon the earth to bestow thy mercies upon For I shall not be The Hebrew is And not I that is I shall not be alive I shall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non ego subaudi sum vel ero Cum jam in isto not be to be had he means a non-existence not a non-essence a being he should have but he should not appear to be It is as if he had said Lord I shall not be a Subject capable of outward deliverances and bodily comforts unless they come speedily Lord if thou wilt give me any help give it for death hastens upon me as if it hoped to be too nimble for or to out-run thy succours Mr. Broughtons translation seems to intend another sence pulvere decumbam aut quid non tempesti ivè requisivisti me ut non essem Jun. which others of the learned Hebricians favour too He renders the latter part of the verse thus Whereas I lie now in the dust referring it to his present condition I am now lying in the dust to be pitied of the keeper of men so he himself expounds Lord I lie in the dust a pitiful object then Why doest thou not quickly seek me out that I should no more be which he interprets I would by a quick death be rid from these pains As if in these words Job had again renewed his former desire of death concerning which many
shock of corne that is brought in in his season Even pale death hath beauty in it when it comes in season Eccles 7. 17. Be not wicked over much why shouldst thou dye before thy time No man can dye before Gods time but a man may dye before his time that is before he is prepared by grace and before he is ripened in the course of nature Those two wayes a man dyes before his time First when he dyes without any strength of grace Secondly when he dyes in the strength of nature In this sense the Prophet describes the hand of God upon him Psal 102. 23. He weakned my strength in the way â—â— shortned my dayes and therefore prayes in the 24th verse I said O my God take me not away in the midst of my dayes That is in the strength or best of my times according to the line and measure of nature A godly man prayes that he may not dye out of season but a wicked man never dies in season That threatning is ever fulfilled upon him in one sense if not in both Psal 55. 23 The blood-thirsty and deceitfull man shall not live out halfe his dayes A wicked man never lives out halfe his daies for either he is cut off before he hath lived halfe the course of nature or he is cut off before he hath lived a quarter of the course of his desires either he lives not halfe so long as he might or not a tenth not a hundreth part so long as he would and therefore let him dye when he will his death is full of terror trouble and confusion because he dies out of season He never kept time or season with God and surely God will not keep or regard his time or season Vers 27. Loe this we have searched it so it is heare it and know thou it for thy good As Eliphaz began his dispute with an elegant preface so he ends it with a rhetoricall conclusion as if he had said Job I have spoken many things unto thee heare now the summe and upshot of all Loe this we have searched it so it is heare it and know it for thy good Two things he concludes with First with an assertion of the truth of what he had spoken So it is Secondly with a motion for his assent to what was spoken Heare it Or the words may fall under a three-fold consideration As the 1. Conclusion of his speech 2. Confirmation 3. Application And this application is strengthned by a three-fold Motive By a motive first from experience Loe this we have searched it we have found the thing to be true Secondly By a motive from the truth of the thing in it selfe so it is we have searched it we have experience of it so it is the thing is certaine And then Thirdly From the fruit and benefit of it if he submit unto and obey the truth delivered know it for thy good thou shalt reap the profit of it These are three motives by which he strengthens his exhortation in applying the truth he had beaten out in his former discourse We have searched it As if Eliphaz had said we have not taken 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Scrutatus perscrutatus est remota aut abstrusa these things upon trust or by an implicite faith we have not received them by tradition from our fathers but we have searched and tryed and found out that thus the matter stands in Gods dispensations both to a wicked man and to a godly man in all the particulars run thorough in this Chapter Or we have searched that is we have learned these truths by experience That God punisheth not the innocent that man cannot compare in justice with God that hypocrites shall not prosper long and that mans afflictions are the fruit of his transgressions The word signifies a very diligent and exact scrutiny Deut. 13. 14. Thou shalt enquire and make search and aske diligently it is to search as Judges Diligenti inquisitione verita is scrutatiene nec non reconditorum divinae providentiae judiciorum consideratione rem ita se habere compeâ—imâ—â— search and enquire about any crime or question in Law determinable by their sentence and as we search to find the meaning of a riddle Judg. 14. 14. The word is also applied to the searchings and enquiries of a Spie Judg. 18. 2. sent to bring intelligence A spie is an exact inquisitor into all affaires given him in charge for discovery So here we have searched out we have spied out and tryed this thing to the utmost we have as it were read over all the records of divine Truths we have examined all experiences and examples and this is the result the summe of all Loe thus it is A question arises here how Eliphaz can say we have searcht it when as Chap. 4. he saith A thing was secretly brought to me It seemes these were matters attained and beaten out by study not sent in by divine revelation and so are rather the opinions of men then the oracles of God Men inspired by the Holy Ghost speak another language As Thus saith the Lord or this we have received not this we have searched Scripture is given by inspiration from God not by the disquisitions of men Some have hence concluded this speech of Eliphaz Apocryphal Ex quo intelligimus hanc Eliphae dissertionem non or aculi fuisse sed studij nec ad Dei revelantis responsa sed ad humani ingenij inventa pertinere Janson in loc as being rather matter of humane invention then divine inspiration Or the work of mans wit rather then of Gods Spirit But I answer First The Apostle Paul hath sufficiently attested the Divine Authority of this discoruse by alledging a proof out of it 1 Cor. 3. 19. Secondly That which was secretly brought to Eliphaz was that one speciall Oracle Chap. 4. 17. Shall mortall man be more just then God shall a man be more pure then his maker The other part of his discourse to which these words Loe this we have searched refer were grounded upon the experiences which himselfe and his friends had observed in and about the providence of God in all his dealings both with the godly and the wicked all agreeable to that grand principle received by immediate revelation And therefore as he told Job before that the generall position was brought him in a vision so all ages and the records kept of them in all which he had made a diligent enquirie came up fully to the proofe of it As if he had said The Lord told me so and all he hath done in the word proclaimes that it is so His word is enough to assert his own justice but his works witnesse with it Loe this we have searched so it is We have searched He speaks in the plurall number he begun his speech in the fourth Chapter and he concluds it here in the plurall number Yet we are not to think that this was a discourse penn'd