men but the blasphemy against the holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men As if he had said Though you sin against the Father and the Son it shall be forgiven you but if you sin against the holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven either in this world or in the world to come that is it shall never be forgiven Seeing then there is more in sinning against the holy Ghost then against the Father or the Son who are God the holy Ghost must needs be God For though there is no degree or graduall difference in the deity each person being coeternall coequall and consubstantiall yet the Scripture attributes more in that case as to the poynt of sinning against the holy Ghost then to sinning against the Father or the Son therefore certainly the holy Ghost is God Lastly The holy Ghost is the object of divine worship are not we baptized in the Name of the Father Son and holy Ghost Is the Father and the Son God and the holy Ghost not God who is joyned with them in the same honour Shall a creature come in competition with God And doth not the Scripture or word of God direct us to pray for grace from the Spirit as well as from the Father or the Son 2 Cor 13.13 Rev 1.4 Thus we see how full the Scripture is in giving the glory of the same workes upon us and of the same worship from us to the Spirit as to the Father and the Son And therefore from all these premises we may conclude That the Holy-Ghost with the Father and the Son is God blessed and to be glorified for evermore The Spirit of God hath made me And the breath of the Almighty hath given me life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Spiritus ex ore egregiens halitus flatus anima proprie significat halitem pâ—r metonymiam effecti animam per synechdoâ—hen membri animal Pisc in Deut 10.16 The words carry an allusion as Interpreters generally agree to that of Moses describing the creation of man Gen 2.7 And the Lord God formed man out of the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrills the breath of life and man became a living soule Elihu speakes neere in the same forme fully to the same effect The breath of the Almighty hath given me life or enlivened me As if he had sayd That soule which the Lord hath breathed into me hath made me live The soule of man may be called the breath of the Almighty because the Almighty is expressed infusing it into man at first by breathing And therefore the word Neshamah which properly signifies the breath doth also by a Metonymie of the effect signifie the soule it selfe which causeth breathing Thus our translaters render it Isa 57.16 I saith the Lord will not contend for ever neither will I be alwayes wroth for the spirit should faile before me and the soules which I have made As the soule of man was breathed in by God so the soule is that by which man breathes Breath and soule come and goe together Some comparing the originall word Shamaijm for the heavens with this word Neshamah which here we translate breath take notice of their neere affinity intimating that the soule of man is of a heavenly pedegree or comes from heaven yea the latine word mens signifying the mind is of the same consonant letters with the Hebrew Neshamah and as some conceive is derived from it So then I take these words The breath of the Almighty as a description of that part of man which is opposed to his body The Spirit of God hath made me that is hath set me up as a man in humane shape And the breath of the Almighty hath given me life that is this soule which the Almighty hath breathed into me hath made me a living man ready for any humane act or as Moses speakes God breathing into my nostrills the breath of life I became a living soule Hence observe First The soule of man floweth immediately from God 'T is the breath of God not that God liveth by breathing the way of his life is infinitely above our apprehension But 't is cleare in Scripture That the Almighty breathed into man the powers of life And therefore he is called by way of Eminence The father of spirits Heb 12.9 For though the Almighty is rightly entituled the Father of the whole man though both body and soule are the worke of God yet he is in a further sence the father of our spirits or soules then of our bodyes And here Solomon shewing how man is disposed of when these two are separated by death saith Eccl 12.7 Then shall the dust that is the body returne to the earth as it was and the spirit that is the soule shall returne to God who gave it The body is the gift of God but the body is not the breath of God it is not such an immediate gift of God as the soule is when the body of man was made at first God tooke the dust of the earth and formed his body out of it but when he gave him a soule he breathed that from himselfe it was an immediate effect of Gods power not dealing with nor working upon any prae-existing matter The spirit or soule of man is purely of God solely of God And hence we may inferre First Then the soule is not a vapour arising from the crasis or temperament of the body as the life of a beast is Secondly Then the soule of man is not traduced from the parents in generation as many learned men affirme especially to ease themselves of those difficulties about the conveyance of originall sin or defilement into the soule Thirdly We may hence also inferre then the soule is not corruptible it is an immortall substance How can that be corruptible or mortall which hath its rise as I may say immediately from God or is breathed in by the Almighty who is altogether incorruptible and immortal And whereas there is a twofold incorruptibility First by divine ordination that is God appoynts such a thing shall not corrupt and therefore it doth not so the body of man in it's first creation was incorruptible for though it were in it selfe corruptible being made out of the earth yet by the appoyntment of God if man had continued in his integrity he had not dyed And therefore it is said By sin came death yea doubtlesse if God should command and appoynt the meanest worme that moves upon the earth to live for ever or the most fading flower that groweth out of the earth to flourish for ever both the one and the other would doe so Secondly there is an incorruptibility in some things not meerely by a law or appoyntment of God but as from that intrinsecall nature which God hath bestowed upon them and implanted in them Thus the Angels are immortall they have an incorruptible nature and likewise the soule of man being breathed from the Almighty is in it's owne nature
turnest man to destruction and sayest Return ye children of men Here 's man turning and returning upon the saying of God man turneth to death he returneth to dust and shall at last return from the dust and all this when God saith he must Our life is a very frail thing and it is in the hand of God to continue or take it away to let us hold it or gather it home to himself Thirdly From the manner of speaking If he gather to himself his spirit and his breath Note When man dieth he is gathered to God When as Solomon allegorizeth the death of man Eccl. 12.6 7. The silver cord is loosed and the golden bowl broken c. Then shall the dust that is the body return to the earth as it was and the spirit shall return to God who gave it that is each part of man when he departeth this world shall go its proper way and return to that which is most congenial to it his body to the earth from whence it is his soul to God of whom it is God is a Spirit the creating Spirit and our created spirits are gathered to God when they are separated from the body yet remember there is a two-fold gathering or returning of the spirit to God First To abide and be blessed with him for ever thus the spirits of believers or saints only are gathered to God when they depart out of this world Secondly There is a gathering of the spirit to God to be judged and disposed of by him to receive a sentence of life or death from him And thus the spirit of every man or woman that dieth is gathered to God be they good or bad believers or unbelievers Heb. 9.27 It is appointed for men once to die but after this the judgement 'T is the Statute Law of God man must die and the sound of Judgement is at the heels of death That Text saith but after this the Judgement The general day of judgement shall not be till the resurrection of man from the dead But there is a personal judgement or a determining of every mans state when he dieth and for that end every mans spirit is gathered to God to receive his sentence The spirits of wicked men are gathered to him and condemned the spirits of the righteous are gathered to him and acquitted We are come saith the Apostle Heb. 12.23 to God the Judge of all and to the spirits of just men made perfect David knew he must be gathered to God but he earnestly deprecated such a gathering as most shall have Psal 26.9 Gather not my soul with sinners nor my life with bloody men It is this word when sinners die they are gathered but David would not be gathered as they are gathered They are gathered to God but it is that they may be for ever separated from him they are gathered to a day of vengeance and wrath Therefore David prayed Gather not my soul with sinners Death is called a gathering in a threefold reference First A gathering to our people Thus it is said of Aaron Num. 20.24 Aaron shall be gathered unto his people for he shall not enter into the land c. Death separates the people of God from their people that is from those that are like them on earth but it will be a means of bringing them into the society of their people or fellow believers who are gone before them into heaven Secondly Death is called a gathering to our Fathers 2 Chron. 34 28. Behold I will gather thee to thy Fathers and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace There 's a gathering to a more special company and that with other like Scriptures are an argument that we shall know our relations in heaven For to be gathered to our Fathers spoken of in the first part of the verse is more then to be gathered to the grave spoken of in the latter and by our fathers we are to understand more of our fathers then the grave hath in its keeping which is but their bodies even their souls which are kept in heaven Thirdly According to the phrase of this Text death is called a gathering to God If he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath Whence Note Fourthly The spirit or soul of man hath its original from God It is of him to whom it returneth The soul or spirit of man is of God in a more special way then his body is for though God giveth both yet the Scripture in the place before named speaks of the soul as the gift of God but passeth by the body Eccles 12.7 The dust shall return to the earth as it was and the spirit shall return to God who gave it 'T is God not man alone who hath given us these bodies but 't is not man but God alone who hath given us these spirits therefore men are called the fathers of our flesh that is of the body in way of distinction from God who is the father of spirits Heb. 12.9 We have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us and we gave them reverence shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live that is shall we not rather be subject to God then to man Father of spirits is an Attribute or Title too high and honourable for any but God One of the Ancients in his gracious breathing after God brake out into this holy Passion My soul O God came from thee and my heart is unquiet or restless until it return to thee again God is our center and our rest He gathereth to himself mans spirit and when he doth so what then what 's the issue of it Elihu tells us what in the next verse Vers 15. All flesh shall perish together and man shall turn again to his dust As if he had said As soon as ever the spirit is gathered the flesh is consumed or as we render perisheth All flesh may be taken in the largest sence not only for all men that live but for all living creatures Thus largely Moses extendeth it Gen. 6.17 Behold saith the Lord I will bring a flood of water to destroy all flesh that is all the Beasts of the earth and Fowls of the ayre together with Mankinde except a few of each in the Ark so Psal 136.25 Who giveth food to all flesh that is to man and beast for his mercy endureth for ever Yet some understand this first part more narrowly for all flesh except man because he addeth in the latter part of the verse and man shall return again to his dust But I conceive we are to take all flesh here for all men and only for men it being usual in Scripture to put the same thing twice under different expressions So then All flesh that is every man be he who he will shall perish Thus as all flesh is restrained to man so it extendeth over all men yea over all things of man Isa 40.6 All flesh is grass and all the
commanded a deep sleep to fall on Adam when he tooke the rib out of his side and formed the woman We read also Gen 15.12 that a deep sleep fell on Abraham when God revealed to him what should become of his posterity and how they should be in Egypt and there much oppressed foure hundred yeares c. It is said also 1 Sam 26.12 A deep sleep from the Lord was fallen upon them that is upon Saul and his guards who lay round about him And that might be called a sleep from the Lord both because it was a sleep which the Lord sent and because it was an extream deep sleep Secondly there are dreams in ordinary sleep or in very slumbrings or noddings upon the bed we may call them waking dreames Thus Elihu sheweth God taking severall times or seasons for the revealing of himselfe in dreams sometimes in deep sleep and often in the least and slightest sleeps called slumbrings I shall not here insist upon or discourse the way of Gods manifesting himselfe to the Ancienrs by dreams visions but referre the Reader to what hath already been done upon the 4th Chapter at the 12th and 13th verses where Eliphaz speaks almost in the same manner as Elihu here about visions And indeed there is a very great Consent between their two parts in this booke that of Eliphaz and this of Elihu They were both holy and propheticall men both of them had the same designe in speaking about dreams and visions namely to convince and humble Job and both of them expresse themselves in terms of a very neere Cognation So that if the reader please to consult that place Job 4.12 13. he will find these words farther cleared as to the nature and severall kinds of visions And if he turne to what hath been done upon the 14th verse of the 7th Chapter he may find the doctrine of dreams further opened Only let me adde here a note or two First It hath been the use of God to reveale his mind by dreams And I may give you five reasons why God used to apply himself to man in dreams First because in sleep man is as I may say at best leisure for God to deal with him he is not distracted with businesse nor hurried with the labours of this life but is at rest Secondly when we are awake we are very ready to debate and discusse what we receive by our own reason we are ready to Logick it with God but in sleep we take things barely as offered without discussions or disputes Thirdly in sleepe when all is quiet that which God represents takes and leaves a deeper impression upon the mind of man Common experience teacheth us how dreams stick and how those apprehensions which we have in our sleep dwell abide with us when awake Fourthly I conceive the Lord doth this chiefly that he may shew his divine skill in teaching instructing man or that he hath a peculiar art in teaching he teaches so as none of the masters of learning were ever able to teach and instruct their Schollars There was never any man could teach another when he was asleep they that are taught must at lest be awake yea they must not only be awake but watchfull but now God is such a teacher such an instructor that when we are asleep he can convay instruction and teach us his lessons this I say doth wonderfully magnifie the divine skill and power of God who is able to make us heare and understand doctrine even when we are asleep and cannot heare There may be also a fifth consideration moving God to this Possibly God would hereby assure us that the soul is a distinct essence and hath its distinct operations from the body and that even death it self cannot deprive the soul of man of its working For what is sleep but a kind of death sleep is a short death and death is along sleepe Now when the body is upon the matter laid aside the soul can goe to work when the body lyes like a block and stirs not the soul can bestir it self about many matters and run its thoughts to the utmost ends of the earth yea and raise them up to the highest heavens in blessed intercourses with God himself There 's no need to prove the matter of fact that 't is so what night with reference to some or other doth not utter this poynt of knowledg nor need I stay to prove that this is if not a demonstrative yet a very probable argument of the distinct substantiallity of the soul from the body namely its operations when the body with all its proper and peculiar faculties and powers is a sleepe and contributes nothing to those operations For though it be granted that some irrationall creatures who have no immortall part nor any thing substantiall in them distinct from their bodies though it be granted I say that these may have dreames yet their dreams differ as much from those of men as themselves doe Secondly Note The revelation of the mind of God by dreams and visions was much yea most used in those ancient times When God had not so fully revealed his mind by Scripture or his mind in the Scripture then he spake often in dreams and visions and hence the old Prophets were called seers The Apostle reports God speaking at sundry times and in divers manners in times past unto the fathers by the Prophets Heb. 1.1 The Greek text hath two very significant words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the former most properly implying how God gave out his mind in divers measures or how he parcelled it out the other implying the severall wayes in which he gave it out As the measures were various sometimes more sometimes lesse of his mind about divine matters and mysteries being dispersed so the wayes manners and formes of this dispensation were very various yet the most usuall way was by dreams and visions Numb 12.6 If there be a Prophet among you saith the Lord I the Lord will make my self known unto him in a vision and speak to him in a dreame Yea we find that in the first dayes of the Gospel dreames and visions were frequent The Apostle falling into a trance had a vision Acts 10.10 He saw heaven opened and a certain vessell descend c. And when Christ would have the Apostle Paul carry the Gospell into Macedonia a vision appeared to him in the night Acts 16.9 There stood a man of Macedonia and prayed him saying come over to Macedonia and help us The same Apostle saith 2 Cor. 12.1 2. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord whether in the body I cannot tell or out of the body I cannot tell Pauls soul was wrapt up in such high and intimate converses with God that he even forgot how it was with his body or had little to doe with it Which suites well with that description which the Apostle John gave of himself when he had the whole mind of God
very great progress in his spirit Both these wayes we may understand it here though chieflly I conceive in the latter Sometimes God keepeth man either by his power or by perswasions and commands sent to him from setting so much as one foot forward in any sinfull way leading to the pit yet often he suffers him to goe on a great way and when he is advanced far towards yea is near very neer to the pits brink even ready to drop into it then then the Lord graciously keeps his soule from falling into it This word is used â—in the negative twice to set forth the high commendation of Abraham Gen. 22.12.16 When God had commanded Abraham to offer his Son and he was so ready to doe it that presently God tells him Now I know thou fearest God seeing thou hast not withheld or kept back thy son thine only son from me Abraham might have had many reasonings within himselfe to keep back and withhold his Son from being a Sacrifice but saith the Lord thou hast not withheld or kept him back There the word is used in the negative as also upon the same occasion at the 16 verse of the same Chapter And so by Job Chap. 7.11 Therefore I will not refraine or keep back my mouth It is as hard a matter to keep back or hold the mouth in as it is to keep back a head-strong horse with a bridle Therefore the Holy Ghost useth that Metaphor Psal 39.1 But saith Job I will not refraine my mouth I will not keep it back let it take its course I will speak in the bitternesse of my spirit The word imports powerfull acting take it either in the negative or affirmative When the tongue is kept back 't is done by a mighty power of grace and O how great as well as gracious is that power which the Lord putteth forth to keep back a poor soul that is going going apace too from falling into the pit He keepeth back His soul from the pit But doth the soul fall into the pit I answer first The soul is often in Scripture by a Synecdoche put for the whole man He keepeth back his soul that is he keepeth him from the pit secondly possibly 't is said he keepeth his soul from the pit to teach us that man by running on in sin ruines his best part it is not only his body and his skin that he destroyeth by sin but his very soul 'T is a mercy that God telleth us aforehand the worst of that danger and the greatnesse of the hazard or how great a matter we venture upon evill wayes and workes He keepeth back his soul from the pit What pit The word is rendred variously First thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 foveat corruptio mors he keeps back his soul from corruption Eruens animam ejus a corruptione Vulg. The word is used for corrupting by sin Gen. 6.12 And God locked-upon the earth and behold it was corrupt for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth that is all men were grown wicked and stark naught In the very next verse vers 13. The same word is used to denote corrupting by punishment due to sin Behold I will destroy or corrupt them with the earth that is I will destroy the face of the earth or deface the beauty of the earth and I will also destroy all men from off the face of the earth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. Prohibebit animam ejus a fovea Targ. Secondly the Septuagint render He spares his soul from death Thirdly the Caldee Paraphrase as we He prohibits his soul from the pit these three corruption death and the pit are of neer aliance and the same word in the Hebrew tongue signifieth corruption the pit and death The pit or grave is the place of corruption and the seat or house of death We find the pit and destruction put together Psal 55.23 they shall goe to the pit of destruction So then the same word may well serve to signifie a pit corruption and death because in the pit dead bodies or carkasses putrifie and corrupt Yet David prophecying of Christ speaks his assurance of escaping corruption Videre foveam est amplius quaÌ„ sepeliri nimiruÌ„ ut is demum perfectè dicatur videre foveam non qui ad tempus est in fovea sed qui ejus vim corruptricem experitur sive videt corruptionem in ea videre enim est sentire sive pati aliquid Coc. though not the pit or grave Psal 16.10 Thou wilt not suffer thy holy one to see corruption or the pit It is this word that is thou wilt not suffer him to corrupt in the pit of the grave though being dead was buried and laid in the pit yet he did not see corruption in the pit That is corruption had no power no mastery over him for he loosed the bonds of death it being impossible that he should be held by them the third day yea with the first of that day or as soon as it might be truly said that it was the third day Christ was buryed in the latter part of the sixth day of the week and arose early the first day of the week even when it did but begin to dawn towards the first day of the week Math. 28.1 And therefore seeing as naturalists according to Scripture evidence Joh. 11.39 testifie corruption doth not naturally take hold of the body till the fourth day after death The dead body of Christ was altogether free from corruption or Christ as was fore-shewed by David in the Psalme saw no corruption Further this word pit is taken not only for death the grave and corruption but for those contrivances and plots which are made and laid for any mans death or distruction Thus David said of his malicious and subtle enemies Ps 7.5 Fovea denotat omnia vitae discrimina Pin. Into the pit which they have digged themselves are fallen that is they are taken in their own plots Those words of the Psalmist are an allusion to Hunters or Fowlers who make pits to ensnare birds or beasts we must not imagine that there were pits literally made for David but the pit was a plot or a contrivance to doe him mischief and he blessed God that as himself had escaped that mischief so that the mischief-plotters and contrivers were taken with it themselves We have David speaking againe under the same metaphor Ps 9.15 The Heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made And Psal 35.7 Without cause they have hid for me their net in a pit which without cause have they digged for my soul that is they have laid a plot to undoe and destroy me And if we take pit in this sence it may hold well enough with the scope of the Text for what is the pit into which pride and evill purposes thrust sinfull man but that mischief and misery which Satan is continually plotting against him And from this mischievous plot
be seasonable if not when we see them dying and going to the grave yet some when they visit sick friends will not speak a word of either they fear it may hasten death to hear of it that speaking of the grave may put them into it then which I know no fear more foolish or more to be feared Yea some will forbid visiters to mention death when their Relations lye sick O doe not speak of death to my Husband saith the Wife c. But remember it if the sick are drawing near to the grave they that visit them should remember them of the grave both in prayer and in conference to speak of death cannot hurt the body but the not speaking of it may hurt the soul and hinder it from getting out of the snares both of spirituall and eternall death Yet godly prudence and great caution is to be used about it none should doe it bluntly nor suddenly but having by discreet insinuations first hinted to the sick man his danger of death we should then by faithfull counsells prepare him for it and by comfortable Scripture cordialls strengthen and arme his spirits against it Such savoury and well mannaged discourses of death may through the blessing of God be a savour of eternall life to the sick man and will not in the least prejudice his recovery from sickness when his soul draweth near to the grave Aâ—d his life to the destroyers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mortificantibus Mont The Hebrew is to those that kill or to lâ—fe destroyers There is a difference among Interpreters who are here intended by these Destroyers to whom the sick mans life draweth near or who are these life destroyers First some thus his life to the destroyers that is to his enemies that are ready to destroy him But that 's improper to the text which speaking of sickness cannot intend any destroying enemy but the last enemy which is to be destroyed death or the antecedents and usuall attendants of it sicknesses Ad Angelos morti praefectos non incommodè resertur sequentis versiculi ratione habita ubi Angeli vitam annunciantis unius de mille mentionem facit ut 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 intelligas mortis â—umcios Merc Secondly by the destroyers others understand Angells who are commission'd and sent of God to cut the thread of life and to take mortalls out of this world by mortall diseases and so the destroying Angell in this verse stands in opposition to that comforting Angell spoken of in the next verse if there be a messenger or an Angell c. That Angells have such a Ministry is clear 2 Sam. 24.16 Where David having chosen to fall into the hands of God an Angell is presently dispatcht to doe execution upon his people And when the Angell stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it the Lord repented him of the evill and said to the Angell that destroyed the people it is enough stay now thine hand c. That destroyer so he is called Exod. 12.23 who slew all the first borne of the Egyptians Gods last and greatest plague upon them his tenth plague is by most interpreted to be an Angell yea by some a good Angell because appointed and directed by God to spare his people the Jewes and to poure out his vengeance upon the Egyptians his and their enemies For most usually the wicked are plagued by good Angells and the good as Job in this book was are afflicted by evill Angells Howbeit that text say some Psal 78.49 leadeth us rather to beleeve that it was an evill Angell He cast upon them meaning the Egyptians the fiercenesse of his anger wrath indignation and trouble by sending evill Angells among them Yet possibly those Angells which destroyed the Egyptians are called evill Angells not because they were so in their nature but because they were Ministers of evill to that hard-hearted people Which way soever we take it there is a truth in it applicable to the Scripture here in hand And so some expound that of Solomon Prov. 17.11 An evill man seeketh only rebellion therefore a cruell Messenger shall be sent against him The text may be rendred a cruell Angell that is an Angell with a Message of wrath and destruction shall be sent unto him The Apostle 1 Cor. 10.10 speaking of those dreadfull judgments which God sent upon his people the Jewes in the Wildernesse such as we are like to find in these Gospell times if we provoke him for all those things are said to have happened unto them for Types or examples vers 11. And there he gives us warning neither murmure ye as some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer That is by the Pestilence or Plague as 't is expressed Numb 14.12 37. which the Apostle Paul calleth a destroyer because doubtless it was executed by some invisible destroyer or Angell The Devill whom John in the Revelation Chap. 9.11 calleth the Angell of the bottomlesse pit is there also set forth by this Title whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon The Devill is the Apollyon the Abaddon both which signifie a destroyer yea the Devill Heb. 2.14 is said to have the power of death as if he were set over that sad work and Lorded it over dying men yet let us know to our comfort the Devill hath not the power of death as a Lord or Judge but only as an Executioner thus the sick mans life may be said to draw nigh to the destroyer that is to the destroying Angell or to the messenger of death Thirdly we may take the destroyers not for persons sent to destroy but for diseases and sicknesses these are destroyers And thus it may be said of a sick man his life draweth nigh to the destroyers that is he is in the hand or under the power of such diseases as probably will destroy him That seems to be Mr. Broughtons understanding of the words Praestat generale est et ad omnia mortis signa et mortifera quicquid illud sit referre Merc who renders his soul draweth nigh to the grave and his life to killing maladies Whatsoever is a death-bringer whatever is deadly or mortall to man may be comprehended under this expression The Destroyers And so these words His life draweth nigh to the destroyer may signifie only thus much he is deadly or as we commonly expresse it mortally sick There 's no hopes of him he is past recovery the Physitians have given him over Heman Psal 88.3 4 5. speaks to this sence and near in this language of himself My soul is full of troubles my life draweth nigh unto the grave I am counted with them that goe down into the pit I am as a man that hath no strength Free among the dead like the slaine that lye in the grave whom thou remembrest no more Heman was alive yet with respect either to the anguish of his soul
or the pains of his body he looked upon himself as one free among the dead that is as a dead man his life drew near to the destroyers And hence Fourthly Others read the words not in an active sence as we Destroyers but in a passive His life draweth nigh to those who are destroyed or dead Dying men are so neere to that they may be reckoned as dead men That word of encouragement in the Prophet Isa 41.14 Which we render Feare not thou worme Jacob and ye men or as we put in the Margin Few men of Israel is rendred by some others Feare not thou worme Jacob and ye that are dead of Israel that is who are in your owne fearefull apprehensions or in the opinion of your proud and prepotent enemies as dead men or nigh unto death or as we may expound it by that of Paul concerning himselfe and his Fellow-Apostles with respect to the continuall hazzard of their lives 1 Cor 4.9 men as it were appoynted unto death yea as the learned in the Hebrew language tell us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 haec vox ex eo nata videter quod simus morti subjecti Ita et a Graecis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 et à latinù mortalu usurpatus Martyn the word translated in the Prophet men with the change but of one poynt and that only in the position of it signifieth properly dead men We find the word applyed specially to wicked worldly men Psal 17.14 who are there called the hand of God to afflict or take away the lives of Godly men and are sayd to have their portion in this life the word I say is applyed to them as implying that how much soever they rejoyce either in the present enjoyments of this naturall life or in the hopes of a long naturall life in this world yet they alwayes are within one poynt or pricke with a pen which is the shortest imaginable space of death In which sense also St Paul speaking of the different state of the body now in this life and after the resurrection from the dead saith 1 Cor 15.54 When this mortall shall have put on immortality that is when we who now live in dying bodyes or in bodyes bearing the markes or tokens of death and looking like dead men shall have put on the beautifull and glorious robes of immortality Then shall be brought to passe the saying that is written Death shall be swallowed up in victory Whereas now death which is ready enough to get the victory over healthy and strong men is so ready to get the victory over weake and sicke men that their life may very well be sayd according to this fourth and last interpretation to draw nigh to the destroyed or those that are already dead Thus if in stead of Death-Bringers or destroyers we read Destroyed or those that have been brought to death the meaning of Elihu in this passage is plaine and easie importing the sicke man so sicke that there is scarce a step or but a poynt between him and those who are actually dead But whether we take the word in this passive sence and translate The Destroyed or in the active as we and translate destroyers thereby understanding either Angels in speciall or diseases in Generall sent by God to destroy or take away the life of the sicke man which way soever of these I say we expound the word it yeilds a cleare sence as to the scope of the text and as to the truth of it upon the matter the very same His life draweth nigh to the destroyers Hence note First Diseases are destroyers Either they themselves destroy when they come or the destroyer comes with them Psal 90.3 Thou turnest man to destruction and sayest returne ye children of men 'T is a Psalme penned by Moses lamenting the frailety of mankinde He lived to see all Israel whom under his hand and conduct God brought out of Egypt dye â—â—cept that renowned two Caleb and Joshua And therefore he having seene the great destruction of that people for their murmurings and unbeliefe for their ten-fold provocations in the wilderness might say from his owne experience more then most men to that poynt of mans mortality And as God turned that people to destruction and sayd according to that irrevocable sentence Gen 3.19 Returne ye children of men to your originall and first materiall dust so he saith the same to men every day who as they are dust so we see them returning to their dust Every disease if so commission'd by God is death and every paine if he say it the period of our lives Againe Elihu is here speaking of a man whom the Lord is but trying teaching and instructing upon his sick bed yet he saith His soule is drawing neere to the grave and his life to the destroyers Hence observe Those afflictions which are but for instruction may looke like those which are for destruction When the Lord hath a purpose only to try a man he often acts towards him as if he would kill him If any shall say this is hard I answer A ruffe horse must have a ruffe rider Ruffe wood will not cleave without a beetle and wedges We put God to use extremities that he may bring us to a moderation Our spirits are often so ruffe and head-strong that they must be kept in with bit and bridle they are so tough and knotty that there 's no working no cleaving of them till the Lord sets his wedges to us and layes on with his beetle of heaviest and hardest afflictions In a word we even compell him to bring us to deaths-doore that he may teach us to live Now seeing paines and sicknesses of which Elihu speakes as the way and meanes by which God speakes to sinfull man are accompanied with such dreadfull symptomes and effects loathing and losse of appetite consumption of the flesh and the breaking of the very bones the soule drawing neere to the grave and life to the destroyers seeing I say there are such sad effects of sicknesse remember First Health is worth the praying to God for Secondly Health is worth the praising of God for and that considered either first as continued or secondly as restored 'T is a mercy not to be pained not to be sicke 't is a more sencible though not a greater mercy to be freed from paine and recovered out of sickness While we are kept free from paines and sicknesses how thankfull should we be and when we are freed from and brought out of the bonds of bodily paine and sicknesses how soule-sicke yea how dead are we if we are not thankfull Thirdly Seeing paines and sicknesses are such sad afflictions be wise and carefull for the preservation of your health doe not throw away your health upon a lust doe not expose your selves to lasting paines and pining sicknesses for the satisfying of a wanton sensuall appetite The health and strength of this frayle body are of more value
then ten thousand of those vanishing delights Yet how many are there who run themselves to the graves mouth and into the thickest throngs of those destroyers for the taking up of such pitifull and perishing delights who to please their flesh for a few moments in surfeiting drunkenness and wantonness bring many dayes yea moneths and yeares of paine and torment upon their flesh yea and not only shorten I meane as to what they might probably have had by the course of nature the number of their dayes but suddenly end extinguish them It hath been sayd of old Gluttony kills more men then the sword that is it casts â—â—em into killing diseases 'T is a maxime in warre Starve your enemy if you can rather then fight him cut his throat without a knife destroy him without drawing a sword that is with hunger Some are indeed destroyed with hunger and hunger if not relieved will destroy any man Yet surfeiting destroyeth more then hunger and 't is a more quicke and speedy destroyer We have knowne many who have cut their owne throats by cutting too much and too fast for their bellyes Pampering the Body destroyeth more bodies then starving Many while they draw nigh to their Tables their soules as Elihu here saith are drawing neere to the grave and their life to the destroyers Therefore remember and consider O ye that are men given to appetite as Solomon calleth such Pro 23 2. or rather as the Hebrew elegancy there hath it ye that are Masters of appetite studying your Bellyes till indeed ye are mastered by appetite to you I say remember and consider Health is more then meate and life then dainty faire All the content that intemperance can give you cannot recompence you for the paines that sickness will give you you may have pleasure for an houre or two and sickness for a moneth or two for a yeare or two And if all the pleasure we take in satisfying that which though it may be glutted yet will not be satisfied a lust cannot recompence the paines that are found in a sick bed for a few dayes moneths or yeares how will it recompence any for those everlasting paines that are found in hell where the damned shall be alwayes conversing with death and destruction and yet never dye nor be destroyed Fourthly Forasmuch as sickness is often accompanied with such grievous dolours and racking tortures let the sick pray much that they may be armed with patience who knows what tryalls and extremities sickness may bring him to Though the beginnings and first appearances of it are but small like the cloud which first appeared to the servant of Eliah onely of a hands-breadth yea though it begin but with the little finger of the hand yet as that little cloud did the whole face of the heaven so this little distemper may over-spread the whole body and put you to the exercise of all your patience it may hang and encrease upon you till it hath broken your bones and consumed your flesh and brought you to the graves mouth therefore pray for patience Lastly Let not the strong man glory in his â—â—â—ngth nor the healthy man in his health sicknesse may come shortly and then how strong soever any man is downe he must and lye by it There 's no wrestling away sickness any way if God send it and bid it come but by wrestling with God as Jacob did Gen 32. in prayer If you thinke to wrestle away bodily sickness by bodily strength and striving with it you will be throwne and get the fall Who can stand before a feaver or a consumption when they arrest us in the name of the Great King and carry us prisoners to our beds Therefore let no man glory in his strength if any man doe it shewes at present his morall weakness and his naturall weakness may quickly teach him another lesson and spoyle his glorying JOB Chap. 33. Vers 23 24 25 26. If there be a messenger with him an interpreter one among a thousand to shew unto man his uprightness Then he is gracious unto him and saith Deliver him from going down to the pit I have found a ransome His flesh shall be fresher then a childes he shall return to the dayes of his youth He shall pray unto God and he will be favourable unto him and he shall see his face with joy for he will render to man his righteousness THese words hold forth the third way by which God speakes or reveales himselfe to man and recovers him out of his sin As if Elihu had said When God hath brought a man to his sick bed and he yet continueth in his blindness not perceiving either his owne errour or the purpose and intention of God to him If then besides all this God so order the matter that in his mercifull providence he provideth for his further instruction and sends a speciall messenger as he doth me to thee an interpreter which is a singular favour of God to explain and expound the meaning of his dealings with him and what his owne condition is to bring him to a true sight and sence of his sin and to set him upright in the sight of God by the actings of faith and repentance this soone altereth the case and hereupon God is presently appeased towards him Then he is gracious and then many blessed fruits and effects of his grace doe follow and are heaped on him Here therefore we have a very illustrious instance of Gods loving kindness to poore sinfull man recovering and fetching him backe when he is as it were halfe dead from the gates of death restoring him both as to soule and body putting him into a perfect so farre as on this side heaven it may be called perfect state and giving him indeed what he can reasonably desire of him In the context of these foure verses Consider First The instrument or meanes by which God brings this about and that is by sending a messenger or a choice interpreter to the sick mans bed to counsel and advise him Vers 23. If there be a messenger with him c. Secondly We have here the motive or first moving cause of this mercy that is the grace or free favour of God then he will be gracious unto him and saith Deliver him from going downe to the pit that is being gracious he will give forth this word for his deliverance Then he is gracious to him c. v. 24. Thirdly We have here the meritorious Cause of this mercifull deliverance and that is a ransom I have found a ransom at the latter end of the 24th verse Fourthly We have the speciall benefits of this deliverance which are two-fold First Respecting his body He is delivered from the pit of death v. 24. And not only so but he hath a life as new as when he began to live His flesh shall be fresher then a childes the dayes of youth shall returne to him againe v. 25. Secondly We have the benefit respecting
have cause to boast of the penny-worth he hath had by sin which hath occasion'd the sorrows of that repentance One houres communion with God in wayes of holiness is better then all the profits and pleasures which any man hath got while he was committing that sin or running any course of sin whereof he now repenteth At the best sin dishonours God troubles our consciences and breakes our peace at the best nothing is got by sin which is worth the having at worst the soule is lost by it which of all things we have is most worth the having Thirdly Note Sin is exceeding dangerous and destructive to man Some would sin for the pleasures and carnal contentments which are found in sin though they knew they should make no earnings or get no profit by it yea though they knew they should be and dye beggers by it Once more if this were all that they should loose heaven by it or if the meaning of loosing their soules were only this that their soules should be no more they would easily venture it But there is an affirmative in the negative and when 't is sayd sin profiteth not the meaning is it brings trouble and renders us miserable for ever Fooles that is all sinfull men saith the Spirit of God Psal 107.17 because of their transgression and because of their iniquities are afflicted and all such among these fooles as dye in their sin are damned and who is able to summe up the dammage of damnation Fourthly Learne Sinners shall be forced at last to confesse that there is no profit in sin True penitents confesse it willingly now and impenitents shall confesse it at last whether they will or no they shall have such a conviction of the evill of sin by their sufferings as will make them say what hath pride profited me and what hath envy profited me what hath malice and wrath profited me And what hath the fraudulent deceiving of my neighbour profited me this will be the cry of sinners to all eternity Oh what hath sin profited us That which is the willing confession of a gracious repentant here will be the forced confession of damned impenitents for ever hereafter This will be a bitter repentance Hell is and will be full of the words of repentance but no fruit of repentance shall be found there The damned shall not find either amendment in themselves or mercy from God This will be the confession of all sinners at last as of those that repent and are saved so of those who repent when damned we have sinned and perverted that which was right and it hath not profited us And when once man hath made this hearty confession to God of his sin and folly then God maketh him a gracious promise of deliverance and mercy as appeares in the tenour of the next verse Vers 28. He will deliver his soule from going into the pit and his life shall see the light There is a two-fold reading of this 28th verse as was shewed in opening the former For whereas that 27th verse is understood by some as the humble confession of the sick man recovered and so read in this forme He looketh upon men and saith I have sinned and perverted that which was right and it profited me not then this 28th verse is rendred to make up that sence as a thankfull acknowledgement of his recovery He hath delivered my soule from going into the pit and my life seeth the light Thus as we had his confession of repentance in the verse fore-going I have sinned Juâ—ta hanc loctionem erit etiamnuÌ„ hic versus ex coÌ„fessione restituti aegri dei in se summam beneficentiam agnoscâ—ntis Merc c. so here we have his confession of praise and thankfulness He hath delivered my soule from going into the pit Mr Broughton translates to this sence He saved my soule from going into the pit that my life doth see the light Thus the sick man being restored breakes out into thanksgiving The Lord in mercy hath freed me from death hell and the grave I need not feare Satans accusations my body enjoyes the light of the world and my soule the light of Gods countenance shining upon me which is better then life But because our owne reading is cleare in the originall text and holds out the scope of the context fully enough therefore I shall prosecute that only He will deliver his soule from going into the pit The words are an assertion of the favour and goodnesse of God to the penitent sick man He that is God looketh upon men and if he heare any saying I have sinned and perverted that which is right and it profiteth me not if he make such an humble and gracious confession this will be the issue the Lord will deliver his soule from going into the pit At the 18th verse we had words of the same import He keepeth back his soule from the pit and his life from perishing by the sword And againe at the 24th verse Deliver him from going downe to the pit To be delivered from the pit as was there shewed is to be delivered from death And the word soule as was then likewise expounded is put for the person As if it were sayd He will deliver him the penitent man from death and that both from temporall death the death of the body and from eternall death the destruction of body and soule or he will deliver him first from the pit of the grave and secondly from the pit of hell He will deliver his soule from the pit And his life shall see the light Videre lucem periphrasis est vitae sicut è contrario tenebrae sunt symbolum mortis Pined That is he shall live to see the light To see the light is a circumlocution of life As if it had been sayd He shall recover out of his deadly sickness and behold the light of the Sun as living men doe Thus David prayed Psal 56.13 That he might walke before God in the light of the living And thus the wicked man is threatned with eternall death Psal 49.19 He shall goe to the generation of his fathers they shall never see light That is they shall never enjoy life but be shut up in a perpetuall night of death or in the night of perpetuall death Secondly When 't is sayd his life shall see the light we may understand it not only for a bare returne to life or that he shall live but that he shall live comfortably and prosperously he shall lead a happy life To see the light is to live and rejoyce light is pleasant it is comfortable to behold the Sun as Solomon speakes To see light comprehends all the comforts of this life and of that to come which is called the inheritance of the Saints in light Col 1.12 For as darkness is put not only for death but for all the troubles of this life and the torments of the next so light is put both for life and
upon as evill doers when we have done nothing for the matter but our duty and that in the manner according to rule Thus when Paul had justified himselfe by denying the evill which Tertullus accused him of Acts 24.12 13. he presently justified himselfe also in what he had done well though his enemies judged it evill ver 14. But this I confesse that after the way which they call heresie so worship I the God of my fathers beleeving all things which are written in the Law and the Prophets This selfe-justification is often very needfull For as there are some who call evill good so there are others who call good evill and make that a mans fault which is his commendation It was accounted a crime by some of old to be lesse vitious then others and it is accounted a crime by some at this day to be more vertuous then others to be more holy more exact more wisely precise and circumspect in our wayes then others many interpret folly and stamp with madnesse 2 Corinth 5.13 Paul was thought beside himselfe a meere Fanatick in his high actings for Jesus Christ when our actions are thus mis-represented and put under such disguises every good man is obliged to doe himselfe right For as we may honestly accuse others and declare the evill that we know they have done when called to it so we may speak out and declare the good we have done maintaine that to be good if it be good which we have done though many call it evill when called to it Thus a man may stand upon his termes with all men and yet be humble and deeply sensible of his owne sinfullnesse and vilenesse before God Paul saw nothing upon the matter but sin in himselfe Rom. 7.14 24. When I would doe good evill is present with me O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death That is of sin as 't is called Rom. 6.6 Thus he spake when he had to doe with God But when he had to doe with men when he saw himselfe called to answer the accusations and wipe off the aspersions which the enemies of the Gospel cast upon him 1 Corinth 4.4 then he saith I know nothing that is no evill by my selfe Paul was very conscious of his naturall infirmity yet very confident of his spirituall integrity And therefore when he saw the Glory of God was like to be obscured through his abasement and to be ecclipsed by the shadowes and darknesse which men cast upon his Ministery then he tooke due honour to himselfe and made the most of himselfe according to truth in the eyes of all the world Thus I have shewed what justifying of our selves is lawfull and I have done it that we may more clearely discerne what I am to shew next or Secondly Namely what that justifying of our selves is which indeed is unlawfull reprovable and blame-worthy I shall instance it in a few particulars First They justifie themselves sinfully who doe good with a desire to be seene and applauded of men for it thus Christ charged the Pharisees Math 6.5 They pray standing in the Synagogues and in the corners of the streets that they may be seene of men and ver 16. They disfigure their faces that they may appeare unto men to fast It is not a sin to be seene of men in doing good but to doe good to be seene of men is sinfull and the patching up of a selfe-justification Secondly They justifie themselves sinfully who would pretend or seeme to have done that good which indeed they have not There is as much of this hypocrisie lodging and working now in the hearts of the children of men as was of old in the heart of Saul 1 Sam 15.13 14. to the 22d verse who professed highly to have fulfilled the will of God to a haires breadth Blessed be thou of the Lord said he to Samuel I have performed the commandment of the Lord Thus he insisted upon his integrity and justified himselfe to the face of Samuel who quickly convinced him that he had done the Lords worke to halves Thirdly They justifie themselves sinfully who either totally deny or extenuate and lessen the evill that they have done this kinde of sinfull selfe-justification was opened largely at the 33d verse of the former Chapter upon that imprecation made by Job If I covered my transgression as Adam by hiding mine iniquity in my bosome I referre the Reader thither for a fuller discovery of it Fourthly They justifie themselves sinfully who mingle their owne workes with the workes or righteousnesse of Jesus Christ for justification for though such pretend to Christ and say they take up Christ and his righteousnesse for justification yet it will be found a selfe-justification only seeing unlesse Christ justifie us wholly he justifieth us not at all As the Apostle concludes Galat 5.4 Christ is become of no effect unto you whosoever of you are justified by the Law ye are fallen from grace That is yee who mingle your workes with Grace are not justified by Grace but which will be unlesse repented of your condemnation by your workes Lastly They justifie themselves sinfully who say they are justified by Christ from their sins while they continue in their sins and hold fast their iniquities For as they that mingle their owne good workes with the righteousnesse of Christ are selfe-justifiers so also are they that take hold of the righteousnesse of Christ while they will not let goe nor part with their evill workes To looke for justification while we continue in the love and practise of any knowne sin and unrighteousnesse is as sinfull as to expect justification by our owne righteousnesse Object But doth not the Scripture say that God justifieth the ungodly Rom. 4.5 I answer Though God justifieth the ungodly yet the justified are not ungodly God justifieth the ungodly and makes them holy by the grace of sanctification as well as righteous by the grace of justification righteousnesse of life is alwayes the fruit of righteousnesse by faith Therefore if any man continuing in any knowne sin saith he is justified he hath justified himselfe for none doe so who are justified of God O how deeply are they condemned by God who thus justifie themselves Nothing is more desirable then to be justified by God and nothing is more dangerous then to justifie our selves either by our owne righteousnesse or in our unrighteousnesse Now as to justifie our selves any of these wayes is exceeding sinfull before God so to justifie our selves any way layeth us open or obnoxious to the censures of men And that 's the reason why this holy man Job was so deeply censured For though he justified not himselfe in any of those sences which are are sinfull yet he did some way justifie himselfe and while he justified himselfe only as he might he was condemned as having justified himselfe in a way which he might not We had need be very cautious how we any way or
used in the second Psalme v. 12. If his wrath be kindled but a little or but as a little thing if the wrath of Christ be kindled only so farre that you see but a sparke of it blessed are they that trust in him There is no standing before the least wrath of the great God by the greatest of the sons of men We translate He would soone take me away or he would doe it in a little time my ruine needs not be long in working he would rid his hands of me presently to take or snatch a man away notes three things First A violent death or a violence in death Secondly A speedy or sudden death a quick dispatch When the fire was kindled and the word sent out against Korah Dathan and Abiram their maker soone took them away he bid the earth open and it tooke them away in the twinckling of an eye they went downe quick into hell It is sayd of a wicked man in this booke Chap 27.21 The East wind carrieth him away there also this word is used that is judgement like some fierce impetuous winde shall blow him from his standing and blast all his glory Some give the sence by the effect of fire Sunt qui 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tolleret me exponant combureret me ut aliquando sumitur hoc verbum a flamma quae in sublimi tollitur Merc My Maker would soone burne or consume me The word in the Hebrew signifieth to burne as well as to take away and we know the burning of a thing is the taking of it quite away fire makes cleane riddance And againe Fire or flame riseth up as a thing that is taken up into the aire and that which is burned in the fire may be sayd to be taken up with it Thus also 't is translated 2 Sam 5.20 21. David came unto Baal-perazim and David smote them there c. and there they left their Images and David and his men burnt them we put in the margin and David and his men tooke them away which is the translation here in Job Either of the readings is cleare and full to the purpose God hath fire he hath hell-fire unquenchable for sinners their maker can quickly consume and burne them up Isa 27.4 Who would set the briars and thorns in battell against me I would passe through them and burne them up together How quickly can the Lord burne wicked men who like briars and thorns scratch and teare the innocent wicked men can no more stand before the wrath of God then briars and thorns can stand before a flaming fire That 's a good reading ours comes to the same sence my Maker would soone take me away Hence observe First As flattery and accepting of persons are great so they are very dangerous sins they are wrath-provoking sins If we flatter men God will not flatter us he will deale plainly with us To receive flattery or to suffer our selves to be flattered is very dangerous as we see in the example of Herod Acts 12.22 23. who having made a very eloquent Oration The people gave a shout saying it is the voice of a God and not of a man They gave him flattering titles or as some render the former part of this verse they wonder'd at his person But what was the issue of it Presently saith the text the Angel of the Lord smote him because he gave not God the glory and he was eaten up with wormes and gave up the ghost Thus his Maker tooke him soone away for taking that glory to himselfe O take heed of entertaining flatteries when given we should put them back from us as we would a poysonous cup. High commendations of Sermons given to the Preacher may have a sad consequence When men give much glory to men 't is hard for men to give the glory back againe to God Herod was so pleased and tickled with the glory which the people gave him that he could not part with it and so lost himselfe Because he forgat that he was a worme he was destroyed by wormes The translation given us by the Septuagint of this text in Job 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 et me tineae edent Sept complyes fully with that dreadfull example in the Acts I know not how to give flattering titles for in so doing the wormes or moths will eate me up The words of Elihu thus rendred in Job are a threatning assertion That the wormes shall eate those that give flatteries and the judgement which fell uâ—on Herod is an example threatning all those that receive flattering titiles with that dreadfull doome of being eaten up by wormes And doubtlesse if not that yet either some other corporal and visible judgement or which is much worse some spirituall and invisible judgement will overtake those who love either to flatter others or to be flattered themselves And as that example shewes how dangerous it is to receive flatteries so to give flatteries hath in it a double danger First It is dangerous to others When Parasites flatter Princes when Ministers flatter the people how doth it ensnare their soules 'T is hell and death to flatter sinners and not to deale plainly with them to give lenitives instead of corosives to give oyle where vineger should be given to heale the hurt of the soule deceitfully is the greatest hurt and wounding to the soule Flatteries are those pillows spoken of in the Prophet Ezek 13.18 sowed to the Arme-holes or elbowes of wicked men upon which many sleepe without feare till they dye without hope yea these flatteries as well as any falsities and errors of doctrine whether respecting faith or worship are that untempered morter of and against which the Prophet speakes in the same Chapter v. 10.15 wherewith some daubed that wall of vaine confidence which others built while they seduced the people saying peace and there was no peace How often doe the true Prophets warne the people against these flatteries of the false Prophets And how sadly doth the Prophet Jeremy bewaile them Lam 2.14 Thy Prophets have seene vaine and foolish things for thee and they have not discovered thine iniquity to turne away thy captivity but have seene for thee false burdens and causes of banishment that is the visions which they have seene they pretend at least to have had from God but they are their owne dreames and brain-sick phansies and so the cause of thy banishment they have undone thee with these deceits soothing thee up in those thy sins which procured thy banishment and caused the Lord to thrust thee out and send thee farre away from thine owne Land They have fed yea filled thee with false hopes till thy condition was hopelesse How many thousands have been destroyed by flatteries both for here and for ever And if flattery be so dangerous to the receiver then Secondly It must needs be much more dangerous to the giver It is no small sin to palliate or cover the sins of others Non leve
it is that God delivereth man while 't is said by Elihu he keepeth back His soul from the pit Some expound the word soul in this former part of the verse in opposition to life in the latter part of it and his life from perishing by the sword Soul and life are sometimes taken promiscuously or indifferently for the same thing yet there is a very great difference between soul and life the life is nothing else but the union between soul and body but the soul is a spirituall substance distinct from the body while remaining in it and subsisting it self alone when separate from it That bond or knot which ties soul and body together is properly that which Elihu speaks of in the next words And his life As God keeps back his soul from everlasting destruction so his life from temporall destruction Though the soul be most precioua yet life is very precious skin for skin yea all that a man hath will he give for his life Chap. 2.5 'T is therefore no small mercy for God to keep back a mans life From perishing by the sword The sword is put sometime for warre that being the principal instrument of warre some insist much on that sence here as if the words contained a promise of being kept from perishing by the sword of an open enemy But the sword is here rather put for any kind or for all kinds of hurtfull evills what ever doth afflict vex or destroy may be called the sword Nomen gladii hoc in loco generalitèr denotare puto quicquid pungit percutit torquet cruciat vel affilgit Bold The text strictly in the letter is thus rendred and his life from passing by or through the sword we say from perishing by the sword which passing by the sword is not to escape the sword but to fall by the sword Thus 't is said of that idolatrous King Ahaz 2 Kings 16.3 He caused his sons to passe through the fire the meaning is not that he delivered them out of the fire but consumed them in the fire for he made them passe through the fire to Molech which was a sacrificing of them to that abominable idoll It is also said 2 Sam. â—2 31 when David took Rabba and destroyed the Ammonites he made them passe through the brick-kilne not to save them but to consume them Some conceive that this brick-kilne through which David made those captive Ammonites to passe was the fire or furnace of Molech that infamous Idoll of the Ammonites with whose bloody and most cruell devotions the apostatizing Jewes or people of God were in after times ensnared And if so then they might see God turning their sin into their punishment and declaring his fiery wrath against them in that by which they had declared their foolish and abominable zeale But that which I quote their punishment for is only the forme of its expression He made them pass through the brick-kilne Transire in gladium est idem quod incidere in manus et tela hostium et cadere in bello Gladius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vocatur quasi missite telum Drus that is perish in it Thus here and his soul from passing by the sword is rightly translated from perishing by the sword The word rendred sword signifies also any missive weapon or weapon cast with the hand especially a dart so Mr. Broughton translates and his life from going on the dart The generall sence of this verse is plainly this The Lord withdraweth man from his purpose and hides pride from man that so he may in mercy preserve him from perishing both in body and soul or that he may keep him not only from the first but from the second death which is the separation of the whole man from the blessed presence of God for ever 'T is a great favour to be kept from the pit where the body corrupts or from the sword that wounds the flesh but to be kept from that everlasting woe which shall overwhelme the wicked in that bottomlesse pit or lake of fire and brimstone this is the highest favour of God to lost man This is the pit this the perishing from which saith Elihu the Lord keepeth back the soul and life of man First from the emphasis of the word he keepeth back importing that God as it were by strong hand or absolute authority and command keepeth the soul of man from the pit Note Man is very forward to run upon his own ruine even to run upon eternall ruine if the Lord did not hold stay and stop him Man would tumble into the pit at the very next step if God did not keep him The way of man naturally is downe to the pit and all that he doth of his own self is for his own undoing And as he is kept back from the pit so as the Apostle Peter hath it 1 Epist 1.5 he is kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation Secondly considering the season signified in the former verse that when man is going upon an evill work or walking in the pride of his heart God is keeping him from the pit Note While man hath sinfull purposes and pride in his heart all that while he is going on to destruction both temporall and eternall Every step in sin is a step to misery and the further any man proceedeth on in sin the further he wanders from God and the further he wanders from God the neerer he comes to misery As the further we goe from the Sun the neerer we are to the cold and the further we go from the fountaine the nearer we are to drought so they that hast to sin hast to sorrow yea to hell Solomon saith of such they love death There is no man loves death under the notion of death there is no beauty no amiableness in death but all they may be said to love death who love sin and live in it Every motion towards sin is a hasting into the armes and embraces of death sinners wooe and invite death and the grave yea hell and destruction Thirdly note The warnings and admonitions which God gives to sinfull man whether waking or sleeping are to keep him from perishing to keep him from temporall to keep him from eternall perishing This is the great end of preaching the Gospel the end also of pressing the terrors of the Law both have this aime to keep man from perishing When man is prest to holinesse and when he is represt from the wayes of sin 't is that he may not perish for ever God hath set up many ordinances he hath imployed many instruments to administer them many thousands goe up and downe preaching to the world and crying out to the sons of men repent and beleeve beleeve and repent and why all this cry but to keep souls from the pit and their life from perishing by the sword The Apostle Jude exhorts to save some with fear and of others to have compassion that is terrifie some that
you may save them make them afraid that they may not be damned save them with fear plucking them as it were out of the fire Sinners are runing into the fire and do not perceive it they are tumbling down to hell and consider it not they must be pulled out of the fire else they will burn in it for ever The great businesse of the Gospell is to pull souls like firebrands out of the burning Fourthly note They who turn from their evill purposes and the pride of their hearts escape wrath the pit and the sword The wages of sin is death and well are they that escape that misse such wages If a sinner turne from his purpose from his sinfull way if his pride be subdued and he emptied of himself then his soul if kept from destruction and his life from perishing by the sword JOB Chap. 33. Vers 19 20 21 22. He is chastened also with pain upon his bed and the multitude of his bones with strong pain So that his life abhorreth bread and his soul dainty meat His flesh is consumed away that it cannot be seen and his bones that were not seen stick out His soul draweth neare unto the grave and his life to the destroyer THe context of these foure verses containeth a description of the second meanes which the wisdome of God is pleased often to use for the humiliation of man and for the discovery or revelation of his mind unto him He speaketh in a dream in a vision of the night as was shewed before he speaketh also by paines and sicknesses as is now to be considered Vers 19. He is chastened also with pain That particle which we render also gives the text an emphasis He is chastened also For it imports that here is a further addition or supplement of meanes whereby the Lord doth awaken sinners to attend and obey his voyce The subject of these foure verses is a sick man or the sickness of man A sorrowfull subject And the sickness of man is set forth in these foure verses by foure sad symptomes or effects The first is paine grievous paine ver 19. He is chastened also with pain upon his bed and the multitude of his bones with strong paine The second symptome of this sickness is loss of appetite and his nauceating all manner of food v. 20. So that his life abhorreth bread and his soul dainty meat The third symptome of his sickness is a generall languishment or consumption all his body over v. 21. His flesh is consumed away that it cannot be seen and his bones that were not seene stick out The fourth and last symptome of this grievous sickness is fainting swooning or a readiness to expire and give up the ghost v. 22. His soul draweth near to the grave and his life to the destroyer That is he is sick and even sick to death All these are speciall symptomes of a sick man or of the sickness of man I begin with the first Vers 19. He is chastened also with pain upon his bed The word which we render to chasten hath a twofold signification in Scripture 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a reguit reprehendit corripuit verbis sive factis First to reprove or convince both by authority and reason Lev 19.17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke him or reproving thou shalt reprove him that is Thou shalt surely reprove him And in that famous Prophecy concerning Christ Isa 11.4 He shall reprove with equity we put in the margin He shall argue with equity or convince by such reasons and arguments as shall carry the greatest equity in them Thus when Christ had finished his Sermon on the mount it is sayd Math 7.28 29. The people his Auditors were astonished at his doctrine for he taught them as one having authority and not as the Scribes This Sermon carrying so great a reproofe of the Scribes and Pharisees both as to their life and doctrine throughout may well be expounded as a fullfilling of that ancient prophecy It being confessed in another place of the Gospel even by the Officers that were sent to attach him John 7.46 Never man spake like this man The words of Christ had so much evidence so much equity in them that they who came to take and catch him were taken and caught if not to conversion yet to such a conviction by what he spake that they could not though they highly displeased their Masters in saying so but say Never man spake like this man As if they had sayd Surely the man that speakes thus is more then a man Secondly The word often signifies to correct which is also to instruct correction is for instruction Chastning is the most reall reproving And so we render it He is chastened Man is instructed not only by speech and counsell but by stripes and corrections Thus David prayed Psal 6.1 O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure The first word which we render rebuke is that in the text As if he had sayd Lord doe not rebuke me by angry afflictions let me not find thee greatly displeased and my selfe sorely chastned at once He deprecates the same againe and how grievous the effects of such dispensations are he sheweth Psal 38.1 Rebuke me not in thy wrath Psal 39.11 When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity He means it not only of word-rebukes but of hand-rebukes also when thou with such doubled rebukes dost chasten man for iniquity What then The effects of it follow even the staining of the glory of all flesh Thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth And so some interpret that Psal 105.15 He reproved Kings for their sakes speaking of his owne people the Lord did not only speak to those Kings but made them feel his hand for his peoples sake Abimelech felt his hand for Abrahams sake And so did Pharoah that hard-hearted King in a whole decade of plagues for Israels sake whom he had oppressed and would not let goe We render the word in this second sense for a rebuke by blowes or by correction which yet hath a language in it and speaks with a loud voyce to man He is chastened with paine upon his bed Paine is both the concomitant and effect of sickness The word noteth First the paine of the body caused either by the violence of inward distempers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doluit corpore vel animo or from the outward stroake of a wound Gen 34. When the sons of Jacob had prevailed with the Shechemites to receive Circumcision It came to passe on the third day when they were sore or pained with the wound of it Simeon and Levi came upon them Gen 34.25 Secondly the word signifieth as bodyly paine caused any way so paine of the mind which is griefe or sorrow Psal 69.29 I am poore and sorrowfull Sorrow is alwayes the effect of paine either outward or
corruption Man is called not only Adam noting the matter of which he was made earth red earth but he is called Enosh that is sorrowfull sighing groaning man he is a pined and a pining man He is also called Abel vanity a poor vain man which two latter Titles have befallen man since man fell from God Fourthly which may check the grosse Atheisme of many Observe Pain and sicknesse come not by chance nor are we to stay in nature for the cause of their coming They come not at all by chance nor doe they come altogether from naturall causes Nature hath somewhat to doe in their coming but somewhat else much more even so much more that in respect of that naturall considerations may be quite shut out and the whole cause ascribed to that But what is that surely nothing else but and nothing lesse then the will of God He is pleased to give commission to pains and sicknesses and then they come Elihu would teach Job what he owned before that God was the sender and orderer of all his afflictions as of the losses he had in his estate and children so of the pains and sicknesses which he felt in his body Moses tells the children of Israel not only that sword and captivity but the Pestilence Consumptions Feavers and burning Agues are sent by God himself Deut. 28.21 22. What are diseases but the Lords Messengers When he pleaseth he can trouble the temper and cause the humours of the body to corrupt He can make them contend with one another to the death let Physitians doe what they can to quiet and pacifie them Yea though some skillfull Physitians have kept their own bodies in so due a temper and to so exact a diet that they could not see which way a disease could take hold of them or have any advantage against them yet sicknesse hath come upon them like an armed man and carryed them away to the grave Further When Elihu saith of the sick man the multitude of his bones are chastened with strong paine Note No man is so strong but the Lord is able to bring him down by pain and sicknesse He that is strong as an Oake and hath as it were a body of brasse and sinews of iron yet the Lord can make him as weak as water The Lord hath strong pains for strong men and can quickly turne our strength into weaknesse Thus Hezekiah lamented in his sicknesse Isa 38.13 I reckoned till morning that as a Lion so will he break all my bones God can arme diseases with the strength of a Lion who not only teareth the flesh but breaketh the bones with his teeth David saith Psal 39.11 When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth surely every man is vanity The word there rendred beauty signifieth desire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Desiderabile bene sanum et bene curatum corpus denotat thou makest his desire or that which is most desireable in him to fade away we well translate beauty because beauty draweth the desires of man after it and is so much desired yea lusted after by man Now as when the Lord doth but touch the body he can make the beauty so also the strength of it to consume away as a moth Sixtly whereas it is said He is chastened with pain upon his bed We learne The Lord can make those things easelesse and restless to us which use to give us most ease and rest He that being up is weary weary with walking riding or labouring hopeth to find ease in his bed yet then doth pain deny him rest there and filleth him as Job complained Chap. 7.4 with tossings too and fro unto the dawning of the day The Lord can make the Stocks or a Rack easie to us and our beds as uneasie to us as the Stocks or a Rack usually are Lastly observe The purpose of God in chastening man with sickness is to teach and instruct him not vex and destroy him The Lord hath many designes upon man when he afflicts him about all which he instructs him by affliction He designes First To humble and breake the stoutness of mans spirit hence sicknesses and afflictions are called humiliations and the same word signifies both to be afflicted and humbled Secondly To make men taste how bitter a thing sin is This is thy wickâ—dness saith the Lord of his sore Judgements brought upon his people Israel Jer 4.18 Because it is bitter Ye would not taste the evill or bitterness of sin by instruction therefore I will teach you by affliction Thirdly To put sorrowfull sinfull man upon the search of his owne heart and the finding out of the errour of his wayes While men are strong and healthfull they seldome find leisure for that worke And therefore they are confined by sickness to their houses to their chambers yea to their beds that they may attend it and read over the whole book of their lives Lam 3.39 40. Wherefore doth the living man complain a man for the punishment of his sin Let us search and try our wayes and turne to the Lord. That 's mans worke upon his bed and 't is Gods aime in binding him to his bed that he may have liberty for that worke Fourthly Afflictions are design'd by God to bring man out of love with sin yea to stirre up a holy hatred and revenge in him against it as upon many other accounts so upon this because it rewardeth him so ill and he finds such unsavoury fruits of it A little digging will discover sin to be the roote of all those evill and bitter fruits which we at any time are fed with in this world Sin is the gall in our cup and the gravel in our bread and we are made to taste bitterness and finde trouble that we may both know and acknowledge it to be so Fifthly The purpose of God in afflicting us is to set us a praying to and seeking after him We seldome know our need of him till we feele it Hos 5.15 In their affliction they will seek me early affliction puts man upon supplication yet every man who is afflicted doth not presently seek God many in their affliction mind not God they seek to men not to God a crosse without a Christ never made any seek God but affliction through the workings of the Spirit of Christ is a meanes to bring the soule to God and we see the effect of it at the beginning of the next Chapter in the same Prophet Hos 6.1 Come let us return unto the Lord for he hath torn and he will heale us c. Sixthly God is pleased to exercise us with crosses for the exercise of our Graces or to set grace aworke Grace hath most businesse to doe when we are taken off from all worldly business and are layd upon our bed our sick-bed Some worke is not done so well any where else as there And many graces worke best when 't is worst
or corruptions How often is the flesh in a morall sence that is the outward profession of a hypocrite consumed in sickness and no more seen will the hypocrite alwayes call upon God Job 27.10 He will not He that doth all to be seen that 's the character of a hypocrite Math. 6.5 will in a little time doe such a little or rather such a nothing in Religion that it cannot be seen at all His profession is sick when he is fick and then also that which was not seen sticks out the hypocrite covereth many of his corruptions his impatiency murmuring and unbelief in a day of prosperity with the skin at left or fair shew of faith but in a day of trouble those dead bones appear and stick out A day of sorrow sicknesse and trouble is a great discoverer it occasions the appearance and sticking out of many base lusts that were not seen before 'T is so also in the better way with godly men their corruptions that appeared upon them before are abated wasted and consumed by affliction and many of their graces which lay hid and unseen stick out and appear gloriously in a day of trouble or upon a sick bed Their patience submission of spirit under the hand of God their long-sufferance and sweet self-resignation to the will of God which lay hid shew themselves Sicknesse and affliction make wonderfull changes and discoveries both as to the outward and inward man 't is seldome seen or known either how good or how bad any man is till he is in paine or reduced to some extreamity till his very bones are vexed or till as Elihu further describes the sick man in the next verse Vers 22. His soul draweth nigh to the grave and his life to the destroyer When the disease is at the height as Physitians speak then the sick mans soul draweth nigh unto and is ready to goe downe into the grave But doth the soul goe to the grave I answer the soul here as frequently in Scripture is put for the person as if he had said the man draweth nigh to his grave The soul being the noblest and most princely part of man is honoured with the denomination of the whole man or because all the world is nothing to us as Christ told his Disciples Math. 16.26 if we lose our souls therefore man is spoken of as if he were nothing but a soul Gen. 14.21 The King of Sodom said unto Abram give me the souls and take the goods to thy self we translate give me the persons and put in the Margin give me the souls Thus 't is said Gen. 46.27 All the souls of the house of Jacob that came into Egypt were threescore and ten The Apostles rule of obedience to Magistrates runs in this straine Let every soul that is let every man be subject to the higher Powers Rom. 13. And I conceive the Apostle expresseth it so because there ought to be an inward subjection to that as to any other Ordinance of God the soul must be subject as well as the body to the powers of this world that is there must be though no subjection of conscience yet a conscientious subjection unto Magistrates Thus here his soul that is himself the man draweth neer Vnto the grave to corruption say some to the pit say others 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Corruptioni sepulchrum a graecis vocatur Sarcophagus Both are joyned or meete in the grave for that is the pit of corruption The Greeks call the grave Flesh-eater to draw nigh to the grave imports such a prevalency of diseases as bring a man to the graves mouth to the very poynt of death and then as we say he is drawing on Whither is a sick man drawing on surely to his grave David Psal 107.18 having described the condition of sick men adds they draw nigh unto the gates of death Here which is the same Elihu saith his soul draweth near to the grave Hence note Diseases and death are near one another A sick bed and a grave are not far distant David speaking of himself and others in extreame danger of death by the cruell plots and cunning snares of the enemy hath a like expression Psal 141.7 Our bones are scattered at the graves mouth as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth as if he had said we are so near death that 't is a miracle if we escape it Though we are yet alive yet we have the sentence of death in our selves and are within sight of our graves What David spake there of himself in consort with others Heman spake personally of himself Psal 88.3 My life draweth nigh unto the grave We are alwayes in our health drawing towards the grave but in sickness we are drawing near unto it There is but a little distance between any man and the grave there is scarcely any distance at all between a man that is very sick and the grave Now if the sick man be drawing near unto the grave then First Let them that are sick remember the grave 't is our duty to be alwayes remembring and meditating upon the grave in our health much more should that be our remembrance meditation when we are sick most of all when we are sick unto death or ready to dye and drop into the grave Secondly If the sick are drawing neare unto the grave then let sick men draw near unto God if ever you will draw near unto God the living God be sure to doe it upon the borders of death 't is good yea best to draw nigh unto God when we are well and all is well with us even at best in the world Psal 73.25 But when we are in danger or drawing nigh unto death O how earnestly should we draw nigh unto God in the actings of faith and love To whom should we goe as Peter said to Christ Joh. 6.68 in the appearances and approaches of temporall death but unto him who hath the words of eternall life It is high time for us to draw nigh unto God when any of the comforts of this life are withdrawing from us is it not more then high time therefore to draw nigh to him when life it selfe is withdrawing from us and we drawing nigh to the grave How miserable is their condition who have death near them and God far from them Though we walke through the valley of the shadow of death yet as David professed he would not Psal 23.4 we need not feare any evill while God is with us but how will the very shadowes of death put us in feare if God be not with us and what confidence can we have of his being with us if we are not acquainted with him if we use not to draw neare to him Thirdly If they that are sick draw near unto the grave then it is good for such as come to visit their sick friends wisely to mind them of the grave when will a discourse with our friends of death and the grave
Christ to declare to man this righteousness for his uprightness And that hence it is as Elihu proceeds in the next verse to assure the sick man that God is and will be gracious to him Vers 24. Then he is gracious unto him and saith Deliver him from going downe into the pit I have found a ransome These words hold out the generall issue and fruit of the labours and good counsell of that messenger or Interpreter dealing with the sick man and shewing him his uprightness There are three distinct interpretations which run quite through this verse and they arise from a different apprehension about the antecedent in this pronoune He then he is gracious unto him He who is that All the Popish interpreters refer it to the Guardian-Angel sent to attend on this sick man Then he the Angel will be gracious and he will say deliver him But as I then layd by that opinion that the messenger was an Angel properly taken so I shall not stay upon that which is a consequent of it here Secondly Severall of our Protestant interpreters referre this he to the Messenger or Interpreter to the Prophet or any spiritually wise and holy man sent of God to assist and help the sick man in his distresse Some are so positive in this opinion that they deny the text any other reference Hoc de nuncio dicitur non de deo aptè enim tribuitur nuncio etinterpreti voluntatis dei ut miscreatur hominis in summo vitae discrimine constituti Merl Et de gratia eum alloquutus dixerit redime cum nec desceÌ„dat in soveam expiatione quam inveni Jun Summa orationis quae apud deum pro afflictis habenda est Jun This is to be understood of the Messenger saith one and not of God And I grant 't is sutable to the business of the messenger who comes to comfort and instruct the sick man that he should pitty and compassionate him in that disconsolate condition and likewise pray for him according to the tenour of these words in the text or to the same effect O Lord God be gracious to him and deliver him let him not goe downe to the pit for the ransome sake which I have found As if Elihu had sayd When that faithfull messenger shall have declared the benefits and grace of God to the afflicted man then pittying his afflicted soule he shall pray for him O God deliver him from death and condemnation from the pit and from destruction for I have found and shewed him a ransome by which his soule may be delivered and his sins pardoned In the 19th Chapter of this Booke at the 27th verse Job useth this word in his application to his friends for their pitty to him and more favourable dealing with him Have pitty upon me have pitty upon me O my friends for the hand of God hath touched me As if he had sayd The hand of God presseth me sore O let not your hand be heavie upon me too This exposition carrieth a great truth in it and is not at all inconsistent with the letter of the text yet I shall not insist upon it but adhere rather to a third which makes the antecedent to this He to be God himselfe Then he is gracious That is when the messenger hath dealt with the sick man when he hath opened his condition to him and shewed him his uprightness or how he may stand upright before God or what his righteousnesse is before God and hath brought his heart to an unfeigned sorrow for his sin and to the actings of faith upon the promise then God is gracious and then he gives out the word for his restoring and orders it to be presently dispatcht away to him saying deliver him unloose him unbind him let him not goe downe into the pit I have found a ransome Taking this for the generall sence of the Text I shall proceed to open the particulars Then he will be gracious or then he will have mercy upon him as Mr Broughton translates Then and not before till then the Lord lets his bones ake and his heart tremble till then he suffers him to be brought so low that he is reckoned among the dead but then though not before he sheweth himself gracious unto him When a poor man is reduced to the utmost extreamity then is Gods opportunity then is the season of mercy and the Lord therefore lets us be at the lowest that we may be the more sencible of his goodness in raising and lifting us up The Lord suffers many as Paul spake of himself 2 Cor. 1.9 to have the sentence of death in themselves that they may learn not to trust in themselves but in him who raiseth the dead We seldome give God either the glory of his power by trusting him or of his goodnesse by thanking him for our deliverances till we are brought to the last cast as we say or to such an exigent as leaves no visible meanes in probabillity no nor of possibility to escape And when 't is thus with us then he is gracious Secondly Then he is gracious that is when the man is doubly humbled when the mans heart is graciously broken when the man is growne into an abhorrence of himself and of his sin or loathes himself for his sin as much as he loathed his meat as 't is said in the former verse when his heart is thus taken quire off from all that is below in the world and gathered up beleevingly to Jesus Christ in the word of promise Then he is gracious 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Misertus gratificatus gratia prosecutus fuit ex gratia donavit benesecit The Originall word hath many comfortable significations in it yet all resolvable into this one he is gracious It signifies to pity to have compassion tenderly to regard to bestow grace to doe good there is enough in the bowells of this word to bear up the spirit of the sickest body or of the most troubled soul It is said Gen. 6.8 Noah found grace or favour in the eyes of the Lord. Noah was the only man that held out the grace of God in that age him only did God find perfect or upright in his Generations Gen. 6.9 and Noah only was the man that found grace or favour in the eyes of the Lord in that generation Gen. 6.8 God was gracious to him and his when the whole world periâ—hed by water That proper name John is derived from this word when God gave Zachary and Elizabeth a Son in their old age he also directed how he would have him called ye shall call his name John which name as we may well conceive was assigned him either because God did very graciously and favourably bestow that gift upon his Parents in their old age and so shewed them much favour a child at any time is a great favour from God especially in old age or secondly because John was to open the Kingdome of Grace to preach the
their hearts are soft and tender but I will take away the heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh Yet Secondly as to the poynt in hand there are conditionall acts of grace I may call them second acts of grace or renewed acts of grace For when after conversion we fall into sin and by that evill heart of unbeliefe remaining in a great measure unmortified we depart from the living God Heb 3.12 God doth not give out fresh acts of grace but upon repentance and the renewings of our communion with him Having once received grace we being again helped and assisted by grace act graciously before God declares himselfe gracious to us When a man is cast upon a sick bed for sin that 's the case of many the Lord will see repentance before he will raise him up againe James 5.15 The prayer of faith shall save the sick and if he hath committed sins they shall be forgiven him that is if he being cast upon a sick bed to correct or chasten him for the sin that he hath committed shall humble himselfe and seek the Lord by prayer praying and calling for prayer Then the sin committed shall be forgiven him and the Lord will raise him up againe 'T is not the prayer of another that can obtaine deliverance for the sick much lesse the forgiveness of his sins if himselfe be prayer-lesse and repentance-lesse But while others pray for the sick mans bodyly health they praying also for his soules health the Lord gives him repentance for his sin and then a comfortable sight of pardon So then before the Lord puts out these second acts of grace he looks for and finds something in the creature yet still that also is an effect of his grace both to them and in them They who have already received grace must stir up their grace and renew acts of grace thorough grace towards him before he dispenses acts of grace towards them And as consolation in this life so that highest and last act of grace salvation in the life to come is not bestow'd upon any till they are fitted God calls and converts the worst of men those that are in their filth and mud and mire but he will not save a filthy person he will have him first purged and prepared Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not enter into the kingdome of God 1 Cor 6.9 and that without holiness no man shall see the Lord Heb 12.14 There is no eternall salvation without preparation nor is there any promise of temporall salvation without it When a man is sick to death as in the text salvation comes not the Lord is not gracious till the sick mans spirit is humbled and set right till the messenger hath shewed him how he may stand upright before the Lord and he hath imbraced his message then and not till then he is gracious And as in these words we have the occasion of this grace so in the following words we have the publication of this grace Then he is gracious And saith Deliver him from going downe into the pit And saith that is the Lord gives out an order presently he gives out a warrant for the release of the sick man When earthly Princes have once granted pardon to an offender they say deliver him they signe a warrant for his deliverance out of prison or they signe a pardon and say deliver him from death when he is at the place of execution Thus concerning this sick man God saith deliver him from going downe to the pit The word rendred deliver signifies also to redeem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ideÌ„ quod 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 redemit liberavit verbum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non alias reperitur et pro ratione loci intelligitto et exponitur pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Merc 't is used in this forme no where else in all the Scripture To free deliver or redeeme a man intimates his person in hold then will he say deliver him From what there are as many sorts of deliverances as there are of troubles each particular strait and trouble hath a proportionable deliverance There is deliverance First from captivity or bondage Secondly from want or poverty Thirdly from imminent sudden danger or perill by land or Sea Fourthly from sicknesses and diseases Fifthly from death and that two-fold First from temporall Secondly from eternall death Here when he saith deliver him we may determine this deliverance by the latter words of the text to be a deliverance from deadly sickness deliver him from going downe to the pit that is deliver him from death To goe downe to the pit is often in Scripture put to signifie dying Further The pit implyes corruption because in the pit or grave the body corrupts It is sayd indeed Numb 16.30 of that rebellious triumvirate Corah Dathan and Abiram they went downe alive into the pit but they went downe to death and ordinarily the dead only goe downe to the pit The same phrase is used Psal 28.1 Psal 88.4 Ezek 31.14 Ezek 32.18 24 29 30. That text is very remarkeable Prov 28.17 He that offereth violence to the blood of another he shall flee to the pit let no man stay him That is The murderer who in wrath and hatred or upon private revenge destâ—oyeth the life of any man shall hasten to destruction either as chased and hurried by his owne feares like Cain and Judas or as prosecuted by the justice of the Magistrate And as he thus hasteth to the pit so let no man stay him that is First let no man conceale him Secondly let no man move for his impunity or sollicite his pardon or if any doe then Thirdly let not the Magistrate grant his pardon For the old universall Law tells him his duty Gen 9.6 He that sheddeth mans blood by man that is by the Magistrate commanding and by his officers executing shall his blood be shed And as another Law hath it Deut 19.13 Thine eye shall not spare him c. The Magistrate who is in Gods stead may not say of him as here God doth of the sick man Deliver him from going downe to the pit His blood is ill spared who would not spare the blood of another But it may be questioned for as much as the text saith only in general deliver him Into whose hands this warrant for his deliverance is delivered or who is directed to deliver him Master Broughton represents God speaking this to the sick mans disease for thus he renders the text Then he will have mercy upon him and say Spare him O killing malady from descending into the pit God will speak thus to the disease and there is a great elegancy in it spare him O killing malady Diseases come and goe at Gods command they hurt and they spare at his direction As the Lords breath or word bloweth away the winds Math 8.27 The men marvelled saying Who is this that even the winde and the seas obey him So the Lords
price I have found a ransome I am well paid saith God for mans deliverance This ransome every poor soul may plead before the Lord for his deliverance both from sickness death and hell He that hath nothing to offer to the Lord as indeed the best have nothing of their own worth the offering and if they offer any thing of their own of how much worth soever it may seem to be it will not passe nor be accepted he I say that hath nothing of his own to offer yet may tell him he shall be well paid he may tell God he shall have more by saving him then by damning him If he damne him he shall have but his own blood the blood of a creature for satisfaction but if he save him he shall have the blood of his Son the blood of God as a ransome for his salvation Thirdly Observe Though the Gospel was not clearly and fully revealed in those elder times yet it was then savingly revealed How doth the grace of God shine forth in mans deliverance by a ransome in this Scripture Here is nothing said of deliverance from sickness by medicines but by a ransome and if they knew that deliverance from a disease must come in by a ransome how much more that deliverance from damnation must come in that way The old Patriarkes had the knowledge of Christ to come and not only was there a knowledge of him to come in that nation and Church of the Jewes but the light scattered abroad the Land of Vz had it Job had it as hath appeared from severall passages of this Booke Elihu had it as appeareth by this Fourthly Observe Not only our eternall deliverances but even our temporall deliverances and mercies are purchased by the blood of Christ A beleever doth not eate a bit of bread but he hath it by vertue of the purchase of Christ Christ hath bought all good for us and Christ hath bought us out of all evill Christ hath not only purchast deliverance from hell and salvation in heaven for us but he hath purchast deliverance from a sick bed and freedome from bondage to men for us Zech. 9.11 As for thee also saith the Lord by the blood of thy Covenant that is the Covenant which I have made with thee I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein was no water that is from the Babylonish captivity The Jewes were delivered from corporall slavery as well as spirituall by the blood of Jesus Christ and so are the Covenant people of God to this day The blood of the Covenant serves to all purposes for the good things of this life as well as of that which is to come Nothing else can do us good to purpose or deliver us from evill but the blood of Christ Ps 49.7 8. They that trust in their wealth boast themselves in the multitude of their riches none of them can by any meanes redeeme his brother nor give to God a ransome for him In some cases as Solomon saith Prov. 13.8 The ransome of a mans life are his riches As a mans riches doe often endanger his life all the fault of some men for which they have suffered as deep as death hath been only this they were rich so a man by his riches may redeeme his forfeited or endangered life he may buy off the wrath of man and so ransome his life by his riches But all the riches in the world cannot buy his life out of the hand of sickness though a man would lay out all his substance and spend all that he hath upon Physitians as the poor woman in the Gospel did yet that could not doe it We need the blood of Jesus Christ to help us out of a sick bed and from temporall sufferings as well as from hell and everlasting sufferings And the more spirituall any are the more they have recourse to the blood of Christ for all they would have whether it be freedome from this or that evill or enjoyment of this or that good Therefore First When we hear of a ransome let us remember that we are all naturally captives Here is a ransome for our souls and a ransome for our bodies we are ransomed from hell and ransomed from death surely then we are through sin made captives to all these Secondly In that the ransome is exprest by a word that notes hiding or covering it should mind us that Jesus Christ by his blood which is our ransome hath covered all our bloody sins and surely the blood of our sins will appeare not only to our shame but to our confusion unlesse the blood of Christ cover them Thirdly We may hence infer The Lord shall be no looser by saving the worst of sinners His Son hath taken care for that he hath undertaken to see his Honour saved and his Justice satisfied Fourthly In all your outward afflictions and sicknesses apply to the blood of Christ for healing for helpe and deliverance Fifthly Being delivered from going down to the pit from death by sickness blesse Christ for his blood We are rescued from the arrest of death from Deaths Sergeant sicknesse by the blood of Christ And remember that as Christ ransomes us from going downe to the grave when we are sick so Christ will ransome us from the power of the grave when we are dead Hosea 13.14 I will ransome them from the power of the grave Which though it were primarily meant of the deliverance of the Jewes out of Babylon where they seemed to be not only dead but buryed yet the Apostle applyeth it clearly to the ransoming of the body dead indeed and laid in the grave by the power of Christ at the generall resurrection 1 Cor. 15.54 For then shall be brought to passe that saying that is written Death is swallowed up of victory O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy Victory Yea Christ hath ransomed all those from going down to the pit of hell who take hold of his ransome by believing See that you have an interest in this ransome else you will never have deliverance from going downe to that pit We read not all the Scripture over of any ransome to deliver those who are once gone downe to that bottomlesse pit They that are in the grave shall be ransomed and recovered by the power of Christ but they that goe into hell shall never be ransomed from thence Take hold of this ransome that ye may have full deliverance both from sickness leading to death here and from hell which is the second death hereafter JOB Chap. 33. Vers 25 26. His flesh shall be fresher then a childes he shall returne to the dayes of his youth He shall pray unto God and be will be favourable unto him and he shall see his face with joy for he will render unto man his righteousness IN these two verses Elihu proceeds to shew the perfecting of the sick mans recovery the foundation of which was layd in the Lords graciousness
received and in receiving more grace favour and comfort from God as will appeare in opening the words Vers 26. He shall pray to God and he will be favourable to him and he shall see his face with joy for he will render to man his righteousness Elâ—hu gave us before one meanes of the sick sinfull mans recovery from his bodyly and soule sickness that was the counsell and instruction given in by the messenger the interpreter one of a thousand And here he sets downe another meanes by which he is restored to both especially to the sweetness of both He shall pray unto God The word here used to pray signifieth not barely to pray 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 multiplicavit propriè verba fortia et magnacopia fudit in oratione inde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 supplices Zeph. 3.10 or put up requests to God 'T is a word with an emphasis implying the Multiplying of prayer and that not the multiplying of prayer so much by number as by weight the powring forth or multiplying of strong prayers or as it is sayd of Christ In the dayes of his flesh Heb. 5.7 the offering up prayers and supplications with strong crying and teares There may be a multiplying of weak insignificant words in the eares of God by prayer But the faithfull people of God through the Spirit powre out many strong words in prayer as Christ did in the dayes of his flesh to him who is able to save them from death or danger and give them life When Elihu saith He shall pray he intends such prayers even the urgency importunity or vehemency of the soule in prayer When Isaac saw his wife Rebecca was long barren he was forty yeares old before he married and many yeares being elapsed in marriage there was no appearance of Children Then saith the Text Gen 25.21 Isaac intreated the Lord for his wife because shee was barren and the Lord was entreated of him and Rebecca his wife conceived It cannot be imagined that Isaac being so holy and gracious a man had not prayed for that mercy before Doubtless he prayed that God would fullfill the promise to his father Abraham in giving him a childe but when he saw the promise so long delayed or stick so long in the birth then he intreated the Lord 't is this word he powred out many and strong prayers The word is used againe concerning Manoah after his wife had received a promise from the Lord of hearing a Son afterwards called Sampson Judg 13.8 Then Manoah entreated the Lord and sayd O my Lord let the man of God which thou didst send come againe unto us c. Fearing they might not fully follow the instructions given his wife for the education of their son he earnestly begged of the Lord further direction in that matter That prophecy either of the Gentiles to be converted or of the returne of the dispersed Jewes expresseth them by this word Zeph 3.10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants shall come even the daughter of my dispersed shall bring mine offerings As if the Prophet had sayd They shall spend themselves in supplications at their returne they shall come with strong petitions with mighty prayers as making prayer their business They shall not come with frozen affections and cold requests but with hearts flaming up in the ardency of their desires and urgency of their supplications to the Lord. That 's the force of the word He shall pray As if Elihu had sayd He shall not come with dead-hearted prayers and petitions as many doe in their sicknesses and sorrowes nor with a formal Lord have mercy upon me and helpe me but he shall make a business of it he shall pray to purpose he shall pray with his whole strength In which sence the Lord bid Ananias goe to Saul afterwards Paul Acts 9.11 For behold he prayeth intimating that he had never prayed all his dayes before nor indeed had he though being brought up a strict Pharisee he was much in the forme of prayer ever prayed in power before He shall pray Some understand this He relating to the messenger praying for the sick man He shall pray and God will be favourable to him That 's a truth 't is the worke and duty of the messenger to pray for as well as advise the sick man But I conceive rather the person here intended praying is the sick man for himselfe who after he hath been counselled directed and advised by the messenger what to doe applyeth himselfe to the doing of it Further Some who agree that the sick man is the person praying yet understand it of prayer after his recovery who finding himself healed and strengthened prayeth unto God for grace or for a right use of his health strength But I rather understand it of his prayer unto God in the time of his affliction who when his sins and transgressions have been laid before him by the messenger and his soul-soars searched to the bottome and faithfully dealt with and so brought to a sight of himselfe and of his sin with the sad effects of it visible upon this pained and consumptive body is then stirred to seek the Lord and entreat his favour He shall pray unto God Hence Note Sicknesse is a prayer season Prayer is a duty never out of season yet at some times more in season and most in season in times of affliction Is any man afflicted let him pray James 5.13 And among all afflictions the affliction of sickness seemes to be a speciall season calling for this duty Therefore in the 14. verse of the same Chapter assoon as he had said is any man afflicted let him pray it followeth is any sick among you let him call for the Elders of the Church and let them pray over him 'T is high time for us when sick to look about us to call in prayer-aide or helpe from others in prayer yet 't is not enough fot the afflicted or the sick to get others to pray for them they must pray for themselves some put off the duty of prayer to others and think it sufficeth if they send bills to ministers or move friends to pray for them I know sickness indisposeth to prayer bodily paine and weakness hinder continuance and abiding in the duty but that doth not excuse the sick from praying for themselves To desire others to pray for us in bodyly sickness and neglect it our selves is an ill symptome of a sick soul yea to desire others in that case to pray for us when we have no heart to pray for our selves is too cleare a prognostick that their prayers will not profit us nor be prevailing for us Pharoah when under those dreadfull plagues could send for Moses and Aaron more then once and said unto them entreat the Lord for me Exod. 9.27 28. Chap. 10.16 17. But we read not that he entreated the Lord for himself Simon Magus when struck with the terrible threatnings of Peter said Pray ye to the
those who are true fruit-bearing branches more and more that they may bring forth more fruit And the means by which he purgeth them that is mortifieth their corruptions seldome reach this blessed effect at once or twice working and therefore the Lord is even constrained to worke these things twice thrice or oftentimes else the worke would not be brought to the intended issue Thirdly In that it is sayd All these things worketh God oftentimes not alwayes Observe Man should make hast to answer the call of God and come up to what he requireth of him For though God worke these things oftentimes yet no man knowes how often he will worke and we may all know he will not worke alwayes 'T is a high and dangerous presumption to deferre at any time upon hopes that God will work at another time because in some cases he workes oftentimes Remember as was shewed before in opening the words this thrice is the least number of often as twice is the least number of any two or three are the least number that makes a Church-assembly Math 18.20 The Prophet saith Amos 2.4 For three transgressions of Judah and for four I will not turne away the punishment thereof Implying that if men multiply their transgressions God will not alwayes give them meanes of repentance but powre out wrath upon them So Elihu saith God worketh twice and thrice but if men will sin three or foure times where is their warrant that God will pardon or passe by their sins The Prophet did not binde up the mercy of God precisely to two or three transgressions Rabbi Solom colligit tertantum homini ignoscere deum at quarto si ad peccandum redierit esse quod sibiâ—Ã gehenna timeat et id esse putat quod hoc loco ab Elihu dicatur but if men sin without bounds he shewes they have no ground to expect God should be mercifull One of the Jewish Rabbins as some expound him concludes peremptorily If man sin twice or thrice God will spare but if foure times God will punish We doe not circumscribe the grace of God to a speciall number and possibly that Rabbin did not intend it so but only that all should take heed they doe not abuse the grace of God That God multiplyeth to pardon or as we render Isa 55.7 Pardoneth aboundantly is no security for any man to sin aboundantly or to multiply transgressions My spirit shall not alwayes strive with man saith the Lord Gen 6.3 I have striven long already and I will yet strive longer even an hundred and twenty yeares but I will not strive alwayes God gave Jezebel a space to repent Rev 2.21 but when she repented not he did not promise her a new space to repent in but threatned her with wrath to the utmost if she repented not There is a frequency in the worke of God to reduce sinners but not a perpetuity And as in this verse Elihu reports this frequency of his worke so in the next he reports that to be the designe of it Vers 30. To bring back his soule from the pit to be enlightned with the light of the living This verse I say sheweth the purpose of God in working twice thrice or oftentimes with man This purpose as was touched before is two-fold First to free and deliver him from evill the worst of evills a horrible pit Secondly to estate him in and give him possession of not only that which is good but best of all the light of the living Not is this purpose of God a bare desire that 's often fruitless and successless but a strong or setled resolution to bring back the sick mans soule from the pit And Elihu we may suppose spake thus as to presse Job to hasten the worke of his repentance so to put him in hope upon consideration of this designe of God in afflicting him that he should be delivered from his afflictions and have not only his life continued but the comforts of it restored to him As if he had sayd Be not afraid doe not look upon thy condition as hopeless or that the humiliation of thy selfe will be fruitlesse for I dare assure thee God hath gracious purposes and intendments towards thee in working these things And here we have a two-fold gracious purpose of God expressed First to deliver him from evill to bring back his soule from the pit Secondly to doe him good or to bestow positive blessings upon him as was shewed at the 28th verse even to be enlightned with the light of the living As if he had sayd God in all this aymes only at mans good that his sin unrepented of be not his death and destruction and that under a sence of Divine favour towards him he may lead a comfortable life here and be happy for ever To bring back his soule from the pit It is sayd at the 28th verse He will deliver his soule from going into the pit in both places the pit is the same But seeing the Lord there promised to deliver his soule from going into the pit how is he sayd here to bring back his soule from the pit A man being delivered from going to the pit cannot be sayd to be brought back from the pit I answer in two things the words rendred to bring back his soule from the pit may be read thus to turne away his soule from the pit that is to preserve him from death So the Hebrew word is used Chap 15.13 as also Mal 2.6 He walked with me in peace and equity and did turne away many from iniquity If we take that rendring of the word then the expressions in both places beare the same sence But taking it according to our reading in which to bring back his soule from the pit sounds as if the man had been in the pit already and it may well be sayd so because a man in great affliction whether of soule or body is as it were dead or buried alive For as when God converts a sinner he upon the matter brings him back from hell so when he delivers him from any grievous sickness he doth upon the matter bring him back from the grave Heman in spirituall afflictions and soule-desertions the terrours of the Lord being upon him called himselfe free among the dead like the slaine that lye in the grave whom God remembreth no more and they are cut off from thy hand Psal 88.5 They that are neere the pit of death are not much improperly called dead and they that being in such a desperate case are kept from going downe to the pit are not much improperly sayd to be brought back from the pit or pulled out of it In which sence we may keep to our owne reading and so to bring back his soule from the pit notes only the extreame danger wherein he was whether spirituall or temporall and Gods graciousness in delivering him from it Hence note When God restores a man out of any desperate condition whether of
soule or body he gives him a new life he brings him in one respect back from the grave and in another from hell As a sick man he is brought from the grave and as a sinner he is brought from hell Great deliverances are a kind of new creation And fresh blessings are to us as fresh beings Take these two inferences from it First How should they who have been under great outward afflictions praise the Lord when they are delivered They who having had the sentence of death in themselves should look upon themselves when restored as men raised from the dead And how should sinners praise the Lord when he hath reconciled them to himselfe and pardoned their sins In doing this for them he delivereth them from wrath from hell and from eternall death Let such praise the name of the Lord and say as in the text He hath delivered our soules from the pit Secondly Let such live unto God having received a new life from God They that have received a new temporall life from God ought to dedicate it unto God how much more they that have received new spirituall life They that have received it indeed cannot but dedicate it unto God This negative mercy calls aloud for all that we are or have to be given up to God but that positive mercy which followeth calleth yet lowder for it And to be enlightned with the light of the living Nomen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non sumitur pro quibuslibet hominibus hac vita fruentibus sed pro diviâ—ibus potentibuâ— vivere est vigere valere Sunt qui ad futuram vitaÌ„ referunt sed id sâ—nam quidem Allegoricè intelligi postquam ad literam de hac vita intellecteru Merc Take it for temporall spirituall or eternall life all these ends are accomplished in those mercifull workes of God to poore sinners some restraine the text to the light of this temporall life others enlarge it to the light of spirituall and eternall life We are enlightned with the light of the living When the comforts of this life are restored much more are they who are restored to the comforts of their spirituall life and so to the hope of eternall life By the living we are not to understand those who are barely on this side the grave and yet breath in the ayre or who have only a weake shadowed spirituall life which they scarce know of or perceive The living here are they that live comfortably and prosperously both as to soule and body Thus 't is sayd in that Prophecy of Christ Psal 72.13 He shall live and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba prayer also shall be made for him continually and dayly shall he be praised Christ lives to purpose he lives as a Prince in power and dignity yea he is the Prince of life It was more then a sensitive or rationall life which Davids faith was assured of when he sayd Psal 118.17 I shall not dye but live his meaning was I shall live honourably and triumphantly declaring with joy the workes of the Lord. Thus here To be enlightned with the light of the living is to enjoy a comfortable life or to live happily Hence note A troubled state is a dark state sickness and sorrow whether inward or outward are darkness They are darkned with the darkness of the dead whose life is wrapped up in anguish and sorrow Secondly Note The designe and purpose of God in all his ordinances and providences towards his people is for their good All that hath been sayd before emptieth it selfe into these sayings To keep back his soule from the pit and to be enlightned with the light of the living The Lord hath no eye in these workes to his owne gaine but mans good The Lord doth not willingly grieve nor afflict the children of men Lam 3.35 He taketh no pleasure in it abstractly considered nor doth he look for any profit by it Much lesse doth he it as it follows v. 36. meerely to crush under his feete all the prisoners of the earth All that he expects by it as to himselfe is to be glorified by all for himselfe is above all and therefore designeth himselfe in all yet the glory which God hath by man is only the manifestation of his glory not any addition to it The benefit which God aymes at in afflicting man returnes to man He would have man bettered by affliction and as soone as man is bettered by affliction every thing shall goe better with him and he shall be delivered from affliction Rom 8.28 All things worke together for the good of them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose And as all things worke together for the good of them who are the called according to his purpose so it is the purpose of God that all things should worke together for their good and that is not a successless purpose Indeed every rod upon the backs of the wicked hath a voyce in it to call them from the pit of death and destruction and to be enlightned with the light of the living but God makes this call effectuall to all his elect none of whom shall perish with the world So that a godly man should be so farre from judging himselfe dealt with as an enemy as Job in his extremity did when he is most sorely afflicted that indeed he may see the love and fatherly care of God in it All the providentiall dispensations of God worke to glorious ends Sometimes for the outward good of his people in this life alwayes for good as to their spirituall and eternall life Therefore lay aside hard thoughts of God whatsoever hard things he is a doing or you are suffering The wayes in which God leads us may possibly be very darke yet they run to this poynt to keep us from the pit of darkness and that we may be enlightned with the light of the living Thirdly Note Man would undoe himselfe both for here and for ever if God did not worke wonderfully for him and powerfully keep him from destruction All these things God worketh twice and thrice to keep our soules from the pit man left to himselfe would run head-long upon mischiefe in this world upon eternall misery in the world to come Nothing but the hand of God can hold man from ruining himselfe The heart of man is so set upon sin that he will rather loose his soule then leave his lust and will rather dye then that shall 'T is as easie to stay the motion of the Sun or to turne back the course of nature as to stay or turne back the naturall motion or course of the heart in sinning An almighty power must doe the latter as well as the former So that if the Lord did not put forth more then mercy even mercy clothed with power no man could be saved should God wish us never so well and tell us what good he hath layd up for us if we
all flesh perisheth and turneth again unto what it once was dust 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Hebrew word which we render to gather signifieth to add one thing or person to another When Rachel had conceived and bare a son Gen. 30.22 23. she called from this word his name Joseph and said the Lord shall add to me another son Thus here If God add or gather to himself his spirit and his breath that is the spirit and breath of man c. We may distinguish between these two Spiritus animam flatus vitam quae ab anima provenit conservatur significat ego opinâ—r idem esse hoc loco Sanct. spirit and breath Some insist much and curiously upon this distinction The spirit denoting the soul or the internal rational power of man and the breath that effect of life which followeth or floweth from the union of soul and body The life of man is often expressed by breath Cease ye from man whose breath or life is in his nostrils Isa 2.22 If once man's breath goeth out his life cannot stay behinde the spirit of a man is in this sence distinct from his breath for when the breath is vanished and is no more the soul or spirit liveth The Apostle in his prayer for the Thessalonians 1 Thess 5.23 puts soul and spirit together The very God of peace sanctifie you wholly and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved harmless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ There 't is most probable by the soul he intends the inferiour powers in man or his affections and by the spirit his higher powers of reason and understanding yet the spirit is often put for that whole part of man which is contradistinct to his body Into thy hands I commend my spirit that is my soul not forgetting my body And I conceive we may safely expound it here in that latitude as comprehending the whole inner man Yet it is all one as to the sence of this place whether we take spirit and breath distinctly or for the same the spirit being so called from spiration or breathing If he gather unto him his spirit and his breath The gathering of the spirit and breath of man unto God is but a periphrasis or circumlocution of death or of man's departure out of this life when man was formed or created Gen. 2.7 it is said God breathed into him the breath of life and man became a living soul And when man dyeth his breath or spirit may be said to be gathered or returned back unto God so then the meaning of Elihu in this double supposition If he set his heart upon man if he he gather to himself his spirit and his breath is clearly this if God were once resolved or should but say the word that man must presently die die he must and that presently Hence Note First God can easily do whatsoever he hath a minde to do If he do put his heart upon the doing of any thing it is done Men often set their hearts yea and their hands unto that which they cannot do if men could do that which they set their hearts to do or have a minde to do and thereupon set their hands to do we should have strange work in the world 'T is a mercy to many men that man is often frustrated in his thoughts and purposes in his attempts and undertakings and 't is a glorious mercy to all that have an interest in God that God never lost a thought nor can be hindred in any work he setteth his heart upon He that can lett or stop all men in their works can work and none shall lett or stop him What God will do is not defecible or undoeable if I may so express it by any power in heaven or earth And as God can do what he will and ask no man leave so he can do what he will without trouble to himself 't is but the resolve of his will the turning of his hand or the cast of his eye all which are soon dispatcht and 't is done Thus God breathed out his wishes for the welfare of Israel Psal 81.13 O that my people had hearkned unto me c. I should soon have subdued theâ—r enemies and turned my hand against their adversaries As if he had said I could and would have eased them of all their enemies even of all that rose up against them easily even with the turning of my hand What is more easily done or moâ—e speedily done then the turning of a hand Many things are hard to man and indeed very few things are easie to him except it be to sin or to do evil he can do evil easily some things are not only hard but too hard impossible for man but there is nothing hard much less too hard for God he can easily do the hardest things yea the hardest things are as easie to him as the easiest for as Psal 139.12 Darkness hideth not from the sight of God the darkness and the light are both alike to him so hardness hinders not the work of God hardness and easiness are both alike to him if he set his heart upon it From this general truth take two inferences First How should we fear before this God How should we tremble at the remembrance of and walk humbly in our highest assurance with this God We are much afraid to displease those men who can easily hurt us and in whose hand it is to ruine us every hour But O how little are we in this thought to fear the Lord to take heed of displeasing the Lord who can with ease either help or hurt either bring salvation or destruction who in a moment can thrust the soul out of the body and cast both into hell Secondly We may hence make a strong inference for the comfort of the people of God when their straits are most pinching and their difficulties look like impossibilities and are so indeed while they look to man when their enemies are strongest and the mountains which stand in the way of their expected comforts greatest if then God will be entreated to set his heart and cast his eye upon them their straits are presently turned into enlargements difficulties become easie and mountains plains If we can but engage the Lord his own promise is the surest engagement and indeed all that we can put upon him or minde him of if I say we can thus engage the Lord to be with us who can be to our hurt many will be to their own against us Secondly Note Our life is at the beck dispose and pleasure of God He can gather the spirit and the breath to himself whensoever he pleaseth Psal 104.29 Thou hidest thy face and they are troubled and thou takest away their breath they die and return to their dust If God hideth his face from us 't is death while we live but if he take away our breath we cannot live but die Psal 90.3 Thou
that God is not sayd to forme man of the water or ayre or fire but of the dust of the ground Gen 2.7 though all those as well as earth were ingredients in the composition and formation of mans body As man with respect to his spiritualls and moralls is denominated from that which is chief in him so with respect to his naturalls Every man hath the seeds and principles of all sin in him yet many men are knowne and expressed by some speciall sin Thus one is called a covetous man another a malicious man c. because covetousnesse and malice are their predominant sins in practice though the principles of all other sins are in them So for grace one is sayd to be a patient man and another an humble man and a third a self-denying man Though where any grace is all graces are yet a godly man is knowne by that grace which acts most eminently and vigorously in him In this notion man is sayd to be of the dust and to returne to dust as if he were nothing but dust because dust is the predominant Element in the naturall constitution of man And if so then this is an humbling consideration Some walke as if they thought the ground or earth not good enough for them to goe upon Moses setting forth the dreadfullness of famine as a punishment threatned the Jewish nation in case of disobedience tells us it shall fall on all sorts both of men and women Deut 28.56 The tender and delicate woman among you which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness c. Some are loth to put their feet to the ground whereas the best foote that ever trod upon the ground is dust as wel as the ground trodden on and 't is but dust to dust when they are in the dust and dirt to dirt if they fall into the dirt The Apostle among other reasons for this also calleth the body of man a vile body Phil 3.21 Who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body Our bodies are vile chiefly from the contagion of sin that hath made them most vile But they are comparatively vile with respect to the very matter out of which they were all representatively made when the first man was made without the least taint or touch of sin Man at best as to the body is but a little breathing dust or moving clay And did we spiritually look upon the matter of our bodyes it would exceedingly humble our spirits and keep them low even when like Jordan they are ready to over-flow all the banks of modesty and moderation We heare of a bird who priding himselfe in spreading and perusing his fine feathers is presently as it were ashamed by looking down upon his owne black feete Surely did man often consider that his whole body is of the earth it would be an excellent meanes to keepe his heart in a lowly frame how highly soever himselfe is exalted in the earth And as man while he lives is from the dust so when he dyeth that 's another humbling consideration his body not only returneth unto dust but turneth into dust David as the figure of Christ cryed out Psal 22.15 Thou hast brought me into the dust of death Dust and death are neere acquaintance and all that dy grow quickly into neerer acquaintance with the dust It is sayd Psal 103.14 The Lord knoweth our frame he remembreth that we are but dust But what advantage is that to us that the Lord knoweth the one and remembreth the other I may answer as the Apostle doth to another question Rom 3.2 much every way chiefly because he will pitty us and spare us and deale tenderly with us as considering how frayle we are Now as it may be our comfort that God remembreth we are but dust so 't is our duty to remember that we are but dust and that we must to the dust Shall God remember that we are dust and shall not we remember it our selves Did we more remember that we are dust we should more prepare for our return to the dust Yea I may say we should be more in heaven if we were more in our dust that is the gracious and serious meditation of our naturall vilenes and infirmities would provoke us to looke heaven-wards and prepare for heaven where these our naturall bodyes shall become spirituall 1 Cor 15.44 that is they shall be like spirits though not turned into spirits living without food or sleep living free from weariness and sickness from paines and languishments yea free from the remotest feare of ever dying or returning againe into dust Such as these and many more would be our soules advantages did we often as becomes us remember that our bodyes are of the earth and must shortly be earth againe Thus to be earthly minded is the way to be heavenly minded Many are earthly minded that is they mind earthly things but few mind that themselves are earth In what holy heights and elevations of spirit should we be if we could spiritually remember how low we once were and how low as to our bodyes we within a few dayes shall be Lastly This truth should take us off from all creature-confidence from trusting in man Cursed is the man saith the Lord Jer 17.5 that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arme 'T is a cursed thing for man to trust in man becausâ— trust is an honour proper to God he alone is to be trusted And as it is a cursed so it is also a foolish thing to trust in man David a Great Prince giveth us this counsel from God Psal 146.3 4. Put not your trust in Princes nor in the son of man in whom there is no help his breath goeth forth he returneth to his earth or to his dust in that day all his thoughts perish happy is the man that hath the God of Jacob for his help What can dust do for dust what can dust get by dust that which is weake may become strong by trusting to or leaning upon that which is strong the weakest man is strong enough while he trusteth upon the strong God but if weake trust upon weake how shall it be made strong Therefore let all flesh hearken to the words of the holy Prophet Isa 2.21 Cease ye from man whose breath is in his nostrills for wherein is he to be accounted of Man himselfe is a soone-ceasing creature David useth the noune of this verbe to expresse himselfe so Psal 39.4 and therefore we have reason to cease from man to cease from any high estimation of the highest men much more from any confidence in them What can we assure our selves of from any man living seeing he hath no assurance of his owne life The Prophet would have us understand that while he saith his breath is in his nostrills Mans life is gone as soone as his breath is gone and how soone may that be
sight of God Jer 32.19 He is great in councell and he is mighty in working for his eyes are upon all the wayes of the sons of men to give to every one according to his wayes and according to the fruit of his doings Fourthly If the eyes of the Lord are upon all the wayes of the Children of men then the Lord will call all men to an account for their wayes Why doth he take notice of their wayes but to bring them to a reckoning That 's the Apostles conclusion Rom 14.12 So then every one of us shall give an account of himselfe to God God would not take an account of our wayes while we live if he did not intend to bring us to an account when we dye As the omniscience of God fits him to call every man to an account so it is an evidence that he will Why should our wayes and workes be strictly observed and recorded if they were not to be judged Fifthly This truth that the eyes of God are upon all the wayes of man should awaken every man to take heed as David resolved he would Psal 39.1 to his wayes Did we walke as remembring we are under his All-seeing eye O how circumspectly should we walke doth the Lord inspect our wayes O how should we inspect our owne wayes It argueth a great deale of Atheisme in the heart if not the grossest Atheisme yet Atheisme quo-ad hoc as to this or that thing while that which some are afraid to doe if a man yea if a child see them they are not afraid to doe though they heare that God seeth them To feare to doe a thing when the eye of a creature is upon us and yet to doe it notwithstanding God seeth us what is this but either an unbeliefe that the eye of God seeth us or a contempt of his All seeing eye This Divine Attribute the All-seeing eye of God wel wrought upon the heart by faith is enough to over-aw the sinfullnesse of our hearts And though the people of God have a higher principle upon which they forbeare the doing of evill then this because God will see it and punish it yet to keep the heart in a holy feare of doing evill upon that principle is both needfull and our duty The Apostle would not have servants doe their Masters commands with eye-service as men-pleasers It is indeed a baseness in a servant to doe his duty meerely because his Masters eye is upon him or to forbeare to doe what is against or beside his duty because his Master seeth him but how great is the impudence and wickedness of that servant who will not keep to his duty when his Masters eye is upon him So in this case meerely to forbeare doing evill because we heare God sees us is eye-service but how great is their wickedness who will not forbeare to doe evill though they heare and know that God seeth it Which Elihu confirmes yet further in the next words Vers 22. There is no darkness nor shaddow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves This verse holds out that truth negatively which the former held out affirmatively There Gods knowledge of mans wayes was asserted here his ignorance or nescience of the wayes of man is denied There is no darkness c. The words seeme to be the prevention of an objection For some possibly might say 'T is true indeed God hath a large knowledge his eye seeth farre but we hope we may sometime be under covert or compassed about with such darkness that the Lord cannot see us Therefore saith Elihu there is no darkness nor shaddow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves The Prophet gives a parallel proofe and testimony of this knowledge of God both in the affirmative and negative part of it Jer 16.17 where he first asserts that God seeth all mine eyes are upon all their wayes and then denyeth that any thing is a secret unto him They are not hid from my face neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes These latter words of the Prophet are of the same signification with these of Elihu There is no darkness c. We may take darkness two wayes First for naturall darkness that darkness which spreads it selfe over the face of the earth upon the going downe of the Sun 't is the privation of Light Secondly there is artificiall darkness that darkness which men make to hide themselves and their actions in from the eye of God or man many are very skillfull yea and successefull in making shaddowes to hide their actions from men They cover the evill which they have done with such cunning excuses or flat denyalls and they cover what they purpose to doe how foule soever under such faire trappings of words and specious pretenses they glosse their worst actions and intentions with such appearances of good that the wisest and best sighted men cannot finde them out When Absalon had a most unnaturall as well as a most disloyall purpose to rayse a tebellion against his king-father he coloured it with a devout profession of performing a vow This was artificiall darkness 'T is reported by the naturall Historian of a little fish which seeing its enemy neare casts out a kinde of blackness from it selfe which darkens the water and so escapes the danger Thus men indeed hide themselves from man and they would hide themselves from God too but there is no darkness neither naturall nor artificiall that can cover their wayes from his eye No Nor shaddow of death The importance of this expression hath been opened more then once in this book chap. 3.5 chap 10.21 chap. 12.22 chap. 28.3 therefore I shall not stay upon it here only consider when he saith There is no darkness nor shaddow of death by shaddow of death he means extreamest darkness If there be any darkness as Job speaks chap. 10.22 like darkness it self and whose light is as darkness that is it The metaphor is taken from the grave where the dead being buried have not the least glympse ray or shine of light coming in to them death wraps us up in extreamest darkness And we finde in Scripture the shaddow of death put first to express the extreamest of spiritual darkness or the darkest spiritual state Isa 9.2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light they that dwell in the land of the shaddow of death upon them hath the light shined that is they that were wrapped up in the ignorance utter unbelief of God in Christ to these is Christ the true light of God the Sun of righteousness preached and openly revealed and they pressed to the receiving of him that their souls may live further as the shaddow of death is put for the worst of spiritual evils or to note man's natural state before conversion so likewise it is used in Scripture to note the worst of his spiritual evils who being converted is in a spiritual state He that is in a
spiritual state may be under great spiritual evils great soul afflictions and troubles may fall upon him which I conceive David intended while he shewed such high confidence Psal 23.4 Though I walk through the valley of the shaddow of death I will fear none evil as if he had said Though I were in the worst of soul-afflictions having no light of the favour of God shining upon me nor any comfort in my spirit though as Heman bemoans his deserted condition Psal 88.3 My soul is full of troubles and my life draweth nigh unto the grave though I am laid in the lowest pit in darkness in the deep yet I will fear no evil for thou art with me thy rod and thy staffe they comfort me Again the shaddow of death is often put in Scripture for the worst of outward worldly evils Jer. 13.16 Give glory to the Lord your God before he cause darkness c. and while ye look for light he turn it into the shaddow of death that is while ye expect good times and things ye fall into the worst or the worst befal you Now as these words the shaddow of death signifie the worst of both in spirituals and temporals so here they signifie the closest concealment of moral evils some sinners think themselves as much out of sight as a buried carcass and they vail their wickedness with such darkness as is like the very shaddow of death Sin is it self a shaddow of death yea death it self and they who are dead in sins and trespasses will do their best that their sins may be no more seen then the dead are But there is no darkness nor shaddow of death Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves What it is to be a worker of iniquity was opened at the 8th verse of this chapter and thither I refer the reader Only in general know Workers of iniquity are more then ordinary sinners they are cunning at the committing and cunning at the hiding of sin Some are but bunglers at sin they cannot sin with such an hellish skill as others do and when they have sinned they have not the art of hiding it but others are as we say their crafts-masters both wayes and they are properly called workers of iniquity Yet saith Elihu the very workers of iniquity they that make it their profession their study and their business to do evil and to hide the evil they have done to work mischief in the dark and to keep their works in the dark even they cannot be hid in any darkness And when the Text saith there is no darkness c. wherein the workers of iniquity may hide themselves the meaning of it is they stand naked and in the open light before the eyes of God For though Elihu doth not say from what they cannot hide themselves yet we may take it two wayes they cannot hide themselves first from the sight of God he will discern them The Prophet saith of God Isa 45.15 Thou art a God that hidest thy self it is the word of the Text in another construction that is as I conceive it may be expounded Thou art an invisible God God hides himself naturally or in his own nature for that is invisible likewise God somtimes hideth himself voluntarily as somtimes he manifesteth or sheweth himself voluntarily but he is a God alwayes hid as to his nature because he is invisible and so he is called a God that hideth himself in opposition to Idols or false gods who are obvious to the eyes of men Idols have eyes and see not but themselves are seen by every eye Jehovah the true God seeth but hath no eye neither can any eye see him Thus he is a God hiding himself in the spirituality of his own being which gross Idols cannot the following words in that Text in the Prophet seem to make out this sence vers 16. They shall be ashamed and confounded all of them that is all Idol-makers and Idol-worshippers shall be ashamed and confounded they shall go to confusion together that are makers of Idols Now as God hideth himself both these wayes somtimes voluntarily or in his will he resolves to hide himself from his people as David complain'd Psal 13.1 How long wilt thou hide thy face from me alwayes in the spirituality of his own nature so sinful men would be hidden too though they cannot be hidden as to their nature that being corporeal yet they would hide themselves in their will their wits are bent upon it to make covers and shaddows for themselves that they may keep out of the sight of God or that they may not be seen of him who cannot be seen but is in that sence a God that hideth himself And as men cannot hide themselves from the sight of God so not secondly from the revenging power of God This followeth the former for he that would keep out of the sight of another doth it usually that he may be hid from that danger and evil which he fears that other might bring upon him Thus it is with the sinner he hath his hiding places he would withdraw himself from the revenging power of God like a malefactor who is unwilling to appear and come to the Bar before his Judge but all in vain Meer natural or unregenerate men are much hidden from themselves that is they see little what themselves are they know not their own condition nor upon what terms they stand even a godly man is much hidden from himself his life is hid with Christ in God Col. 3.3 his life is not only hidden from the world but in a great measure from himself the excellency of his spiritual state surpasseth his present sight but a wicked man is much more hid from himself he doth not see the wickedness of his own heart nor the danger the desperate danger he is in he seeth not that he is within a step of the pit or that there is as it were but a wainscot between him and hell fire he seeth none of these things Thus a wicked man is hidden from himself and 't is his work to prepare darkness and shaddows of death to cover his dead works from God But there is no darkness will serve his purpose nor shaddow of death wherein he may hide himself Hence Note First It is usual for and natural to sinners to seek hiding places When Elihu saith There is no darkness c. he plainly intimates that it is the designe and business of sinners to make darkness to hide themselves it is as much their business to hide themselves when they have done evil as it is their business to do evil while the workers of iniquity confess in general the eyes of God behold their ways they deny not in word that God is All-seeing yet as they often blear the eye of man so they are not out of hope to put darkness and raise a mist between themselves and the eye of God Or if they rise not to this vain thought that they can
a sinfull way this is rebellion this is sin in the very height of it This was the rebellion of Ahaz 2 Chron 28.22 Who in the time of his distresse trespassed yet more against the Lord. And this was the rebellion of Judah Isa 1.5 Why should ye be strieken any more ye will revolt more and more Take heed of this 't is too much that we sin at all let us not be found adding rebellion to our sin I may say these two things concerning the habit or any act of sin First It is a burthen to a Godly man O wretched man that I am sayd Paul who shall deliver me from this body of death Secondly As it is a Godly mans burthen when he sins so it is his care and study not to sin he would not sin at all he watcheth himselfe that he may not sin in the least degree That was the Apostle Johns desire and care for all the Churches 1 John 2.1 My little children these things I write unto you that ye sin not I would have you watch over your hearts and wayes so narrowly that no sin might slip you that ye might not have a wrong thought nor speake an idle word how much more should we take heed that we adde not rebellion to our sin There is somewhat of rebellion in every sin even in the sins of good men but 't is sad when they adde rebellion to their sin Samuel gives a dreadfull description of that sin which is rebellion 1 Sam 15.23 Rebellion is as the sin of witch-craft and stubbornness is as Iniquity and Idolatry Witch-craft is that sin wherein men have much converse and compliance with the devill The devill and the witch or the devill and the Diviner as our Margin hath it act as loving companions they have mutual converse yea commerse they trade together Rebellion is that sin or we sin rebelliously when we declare our selves most averse to God The witch declares himselfe a friend to the devill the rebellious soule defieth and despiseth God now those sins that have most compliance with the devill and most defiance against God are put together if a man doth much set himselfe to oppose God by sinning against light against reproofes and against providences whether the gracious or afflicting providences of God If a man I say rebell thus against God it is like the sin of witch-craft which is compliance and converse with the devill Here is an extreame on the one side and an extreame on the other side yet both meete rebellion is as the sin of witch-craft and stubbornness is as Iniquity and Idolatry These latter words are exegaticall stubbornness that is when a man is stout and will goe on his way is as Iniquity and Idolatry We may consider a great elegancy in those words Stubbornness is as Idolatry What is Idolatry it is worshipping or giving honour to a false god which is indeed worshipping the devill all Idolatry is devill-worship the witch worshippeth the devill intentionally and so doth the Idolater though he intend it not 1 Cor 10.20 The things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to devills and not to God I doe not say every error or fayling in worship is devill-worship but that which is Idolatry indeed or the setting up of a worship of our owne devising is Idolatry and devill-worship Thus stubbornness is as Idolatry and rebellion is as witch-craft What is witch-craft compliance with the devill What is Idolatry devill-worship a falling downe to the devill Let the wicked consider what they doe when they rebell and let the people of God take heed of any sin or way of sinning which may be accounted rebellion To sin with much will against much light against many reproofs from men and against the reproving or against the inviting providences of God hath rebellion in it He addeth rebellion to his sin Secondly Taking the words in the mildest sence Note Sometimes a good man may goe backward he may be worse and worse and doe worse and worse We should be alwayes growing in grace that 's the condition of believers and their duty yet under some dispensations they may decline for a time and grow worse and worse adding that which is like rebellion to their sin Thirdly If we consider these words in connection with the former Elihu having prayed for further tryall upon Job as fearing that else he might adde rebellion to his sin Note He that is not throughly convinced and chastned may quickly grow worse and worse He may or he will adde rebellion to his sin I doe not know where a mans sin will end if the Lord should let him alone 'T is a mercy that any man especially that God hath a continuall inspection over us if some mens wayes were not tryed and questioned they might adde rebellion to their sin who knows where they would stop it is a mercy to have both words and actions examined by brethren and Churches how sadly else would many wander yea it is a mercy to be tryed by affliction When God keeps us from a foule way by building a wall against us it is a mercy else we might adde rebellion to sin No man knowes the measure of his owne evill heart or what it would doe for though believers have a generall promise to be kept by the power of God to salvation yet how lamentably have good men â—â—llen though kept from falling away Elihu aggravates this yet further by the example of Job in the latter and last part of the verse He clappeth his hands amongst us and multiplieth his words against God He clappeth his hands or maketh a noyse amongst us as Mr Broughton reads it clapping of the hands in Scripture hath a three-fold signification First It implyeth passion or sorrow A man under affliction claps or wrings his hands for griefe Both those gestures are of the same significancy Secondly There is a clapping of the hands with indignation when we are very angry then we clap our hands Thirdly There is a clapping of the hands for joy or in a way of triumph when a man thinks he has conquered and got the day he claps his hands and so doe they who are on his side Psal 47.1 O clap your hands all ye people shout unto God with the voyce of triumph Explosurus esset nos ut qui vicisset nos disputando Pisc I conceive Elihu intends Job clapping his hands in this third sense he clappeth his hands amongst us or insults over us as if he had conquered and wonne the Garland and therefore Elihu prayed that he might be further tryed This is another aggravation of that ill frame which Elihu conceived Job to be in And indeed to clap our hands when we have done or spoken evill is worse then the evill which we have either done or spoken He clappeth his hands And multiplieth his words or may multiply words against God Solomon saith Pro 10.19 in the multitude of words there doth not want sin that is
his soule v. 26. He shall pray and God shall be favourable to him and he shall see his face with joy for he will render to man his righteousness Thus you have the parts and purpose of these words I shall now proceed to the particulars If there be a messenger with him Hypothetica locutio significat libertatem dei in conferendo hoc beneficio Indicatio contingit quibus deus vult Coc. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 missus legatus nuncius These words are Hypotheticall or by way of supposition if there be noting that it is not alwayes so every one hath not this mercy to have a messenger sent him it 's a speciall priviledge granted by God to some If there be A messenger What or who is this messenger The word in the Hebrew hath a three-fold signification all which are insisted upon by interpreters upon this place First It signifieth an Angel Now Angels properly taken are spirituall or incorporeall substances whose both office and high dignity it is to attend about the throne of God and to be sent forth upon his speciall service Psal 103.20 Bless the Lord ye his Angels that excell in strength that doe his commandements and hearken to the voyce of his word God hath thousand thousands of these servants ministring to him and ten thousand times ten thousand standing before him Dan 7.10 Some stay upon this exposition affirming that here we are to understand an Angel by nature And hereupon ground the ministring of Angels to those who are either sick in body or troubled in mind Yea the Popish writers would hence prove the intercession of Angels for man and mans invocation of Angels but though the exposition be granted yet it yeilds no ground for this Inference For what though God should send an Angel to instruct and comfort a sick man will it therefore follow that the sick man should pray to him and so give him the honour which is due to God Secondly The word is applyed in particular to Jesus Christ the uncreated Angel or the creating Angel the Lord of Angels who by way of eminency is called The Angel of his presence Isa 63.9 and the Angel or messenger of the Covenant Mal 3.1 He also was that Angel of whom the Lord spake to the children of Israel Exod 23.20 saying Vides quam clarè hoc loco Elihu de Christo concionetur per quem omnis conscientia quontumcunque per legem occisa vivificatur per quem omnis crux vitae et liberationis initium est Brent Behold I send an Angel before thee to keepe thee in the way and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared Beware of him and obey his voyce provoke him not for he will not pardon your transgressions if you persist in them for my name is in him that is he is of the same nature with my selfe and with that nature he hath my name Jehovah Thus some carry it here as if Elihu specially intended the ministration of Jesus Christ the Angel of the Covenant to the sick sinner for his restoring both as to the health of soule and body 'T is true Jesus Christ is the great Angel or messenger and he primarily and chiefly doth all the business for poore sinners he is the messenger sent from God and he is the interpreter of the mind of God he came from the bosom of the father and reveales the mysteries of heaven to us by his holy Spirit He indeed is the one of a thousand the chiefest of ten thousand to shew unto man his uprightness Yet I conceive that in this place not the Lord of Angels alone but some Angel of the Lord is also intended And therefore Thirdly The word Angel is applyable to every Messenger The Scripture gives it first to those that are sent by men about any errand or business 1 Sam 23.27 But there came a messenger unto Saul saying hast thee and come for the Philistims have invaded the land We read of an evill messenger Pro 13.17 who is either such a one as brings an evill message or is himselfe evill Isa 14.32 What shall one then answer to the messengers of the Nation the Lord hath founded Zion and the poore of his people shall trust in it And as it notes a messenger first by man so a messenger sent by God The ancient Prophets were in this sence the Angells of God his messengers and so are the Ministers of the Gospel at this day The Epistles to the seaven Churches are all directed to the Angells of the Churches that is to the severall Pastors or Ministers of the Churches respectively And thus we may conclude that by the messenger in this text we are to understand any faithfull Minister of Christ sent to convince convert or comfort a sick troubled soule And as was intimated before we may very well gather up both these latter interpretations into one that which applyeth it to Christ and that which applyeth it to the Ministers of Christ For so we have here both the author and the instrument of this comfort to the sick man Jesus Christ is the chiefe messenger and comforter of poore sinners and the Ministers of the Gospel are instruments in his hand sent out by him for the perfecting of that worke The word is applyed to both Mal 3.1 Nuncius est propheta aliquis seu doctor à deo missus Pisc Behold I will send my messenger or my Angel and he shall prepare the way before me John the Baptist was Christs messenger as Christ himselfe an infallible interpreter assureth us Math 11.10 And presently it follows The Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his Temple even the messenger of the Covenant whom ye delight in Behold he shall come saith the Lord of hosts In the first part of the verse John is called the Lords messenger and in the latter part Christ is called the Lords messenger Both were messengers yet with a mighty difference and therefore John the messenger of Christ saith of Christ the messenger Math 3.11 He that cometh after me is mightier then I whose shoes I am not worthy to beare And againe John 1.26 He it is that coming after me is preferred before me whose shoes latchet I am not worthy to unloose If there be a messenger Hence note First The Ministers of Christ are the messengers of Christ Christ is the fathers messenger and they are messengers sent out by Christ As my father hath sent me so send I you said Christ to his Apostles John 20.21 And though that Title of Apostle which signifieth One sent or a Messenger be most properly attributed to those who were immediately called and inspired by Christ yet in an allayed sence it may be applyed commodiously enough to any true Minister of the Gospel for he also is sent he hath both his mission and commission mediately from Christ Yea the word Apostle is applyed in common to all or