Further There are Church-pillars as well as State-pillars men of eminency in knowledge and learning in parts and piety These are pillars of the Church of God So the Apostle cals James and Peter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gal. 2.9 As the Church it self is the pillar of truth so some particular members are pillars of truth bearing it up and holding it forth as pillars doe the Laws or edicts of Princes and Common-wealths As these pillars are of Gods setting up so of Gods bearing up In great shakings of the earth Common-wealth-pillars tremble and Church-pillars tremble yea they would fall did not the Lord sustain them with his hand From all learn the instability of the creature If that which is the basis or foundation of all outward comforts be so easily shaken and tost up and down what are the comforts themselves If Kingdoms and Common-wealths totter who can stand fast When the Saints feel the world shake and tremble under them their comfort is They have received a Kingdom that cannot be shaken Neither man nor devils have any power to shake it and God will not shake it nay with reverence we may speak it the Lord cannot shake that Kingdom for it is his own he cannot doe any thing to his own wrong or dishonour Earth may but heaven shakes not neither shall any of the pillars thereof tremble for ever We have seen two acts of the mighty power of God first in removing those mountains those great massie parts of the earth Secondly In shaking the whole masse of the earth Now the thoughts of Job grow higher and he ascends from earth to heaven and brings an instance of the power of God there in the 7th verse Verse 7. Which commandeth the Sunne and it riseth not and sealeth up the stars And the instance which he makes in the heaven stands as heaven doth to earth in a direct line of opposition to that which he gave about the earth The earth in all the parts of it is a setled fixed body â—â—cut de natura terrae est immobolitas qâ—â—es ita de naturâ coeli ut semper moveatur Aquin. and therefore the power of God is clearly seen in causing it to move but the Sunne is a moveable body a creature in continuall motion and therefore the power of God is clearly seen in checking and stopping the motion of it It cals for as strong a hand to make the Sunne stand still as to shake and remove the earth The staying of that which naturally cannot but move and the moving of that which naturally cannot but stand still require a like power and that which stands as the earth doth or moves as the Sunne doth requires an Almighty power to move or stay it Which commandeth the Sun and it riseth not Which commandeth the Sunne He describes God in the posture and language of a King giving out commands He commandeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dixiâ— illud dicere est cum potestate imperandi God is the Soveraign of the Sunne Yet the word in the Hebrew is no more but he saith or he speaks to the Sunne so Mr Broughton translates He speaks to the Sunne that it riseth not We clearly to the sense He commandeth the Sun because the Word of God to the creature is a Law or a Command upon the creature He commandeth the Sunne and it riseth not The phrase implies an ordinary or a common event But when was there such a thing as this How rare are such events I may ask Did the Lord ever command the Sunne that it should not rise Or did ever any day appear when the Sun did not appear we may answer four or five waies First Non ad factum sed ad Dei potentiam refertur qui si velit possit vicissitudinem ortus occasus solis tollere Olymp. Some conceive Job speaks only of what God can doe as in the former instance not of what he ever did He never actually gave out his command to the Sunne that it should not rise but he hath power to doe it if he pleaseth Many things are spoken of the power of God as presently done which onely are things possible for him to doe That 's a good interpretation of the place Secondly We may carry it further for when he saith It riseth not we need not take it strictly as if the Sunne were staid from making day at all but it may note any stop or sudden disappearing of the Sunne The Sunnes rising is the Suns appearing Non oritur sol tantum est non apparet nam vâ—tas solis apparitio quedam est Bold and when the Sunne disappeareth or is hidden it is to us as if the Sun were not risen Thus God hath actually more then once given out a command to the Sun not to rise Lavater in his comment upon this place reports that in the year 1585. March 12th such a darknesse fell upon the earth that the fowls went to roost at noon as if it had been Sunne setting and all the common people thought the day of judgement was come That of the Prophet is true in the letter as well as in the figure Amos 4.13 He maketh the morning darknesse And Chap. 5.8 He turneth the shadow of death into the morning and maketh the day dark with night The holy story records one famous act of God commanding the Sunne to stand still Josh 10.12 When Joshua was in pursute of his enemies he praied that the day might not hasten down Sunne stand thou still upon Gibeon and thou moon in the valley of Ajalon And the Sunne stood still c. Joshua speaks as if himself could command the Sunne Sunne stand thou still he talks to the Sunne as to his servant or childe stand still It was indeed at the voice of Joshua but by the word and power of God that the Sunne stood still So the Text resolves There was no day like that before it or after it no day so long as that that the Lord hearkned to the voice of a man So then the Lord hearkned to the voice of a man and then the Sâ—â—â—â— hearkened to the voice of a man First the Lord hearkned and then the Sunne hearkned that is by a command from God at the request of a man the Sunne stood still Thirdly It may be understood of ordinary eclipses which are disappearings of the Sunne and though they come in a course of nature and are by naturall light fore-seen many years before they come yet there is somewhat in them which should fill us with high thoughts of the power of God And though an eclipse of the Sun be no miracle yet God once made and can again make a miraculous eclipse When Christ the Sun of righteousnes was shamefully crucified the Sun in the heavens as ashamed to look upon that act as from man of prodigious cruelty and injustice hid his face and from the sixth hour that is Dionysius Areopagita from
with me Why am I brought to such a triall I am sure it is not with thee as with mortall Judges who having eyes of flesh can see no further then the out-side of things and know no more then is told them and therefore must fetch out what lies in the heart of man by examination and if examination will not do it they must do it by torture Lord there is no need thou shouldest take this course Thou canst enform thy self fully how it is with me though I should not speak a word though I am silent yet thine ear hears the voice and understands the language of my spirit Though I hide or cover my self yet the eye of thy omniscience looks quite thorow me seeing then thou hast not eyes like the eyes of men wherefore is it that thou enquirest by these afflictions after mine iniquity and searchest as men use to do after my sin Hast thou eyes of flesh or seest thou as man seeth God hath no eyes much lesse eyes of flesh God is a Spirit and therefore he cannot have eyes of flesh He is all eye and therefore properly he hath no eyes The eye is that speciall organ or member of the body into which the power of seeing is contracted but God is all over a power of seeing The body of man hath severall parts and severall honours and offices are bestowed upon every part The eye hath the great office and honour of seeing committed to it The eye is the light of the whole body and knowledge is the eye of the soul The eye of God is the knowledge of God Ipsum nomen Dei Graecum hanc videndi efficacit atem prae sesert 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nimirum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spectare contemplari dicitur Nihil est in intellectu quod noÌ„ priâ— suit in sensu The Greeks expresse God by a word which signifies to see and he is therefore said to have eyes and to see because the eye is a principall instrument and seeing a principall means by which man receives knowledge Naturalists tell us there is nothing in the understanding but that which is first in the sence The sences are doors to the minde the furniture and riches of that are conveyed in by the eyes or ears These bring informations to the understanding Naturall knowledge cannot have an immediate accesse to man and 't is but seldom that spirituall hath Both are commonly let in by sence The superiour powers must traffick with the inferiour otherwise they make no gain Though God hath no need of any help to bring in or improve his knowledge yet that is ascribed to him by which knowledge is improved He hath eyes but not of flesh he seeth but not as man Hast thou eyes of flesh Flesh by a Synechdoche is put for the whole nature of man The Word was made flesh Joh. 1.14 not body or soul but Flesh that is man consisting of soul and body Thus here eyes of flâ—sh that is mans eyes And so the later clause of the verse is an exposition of the former Oculi carnei sunt secundum carnem judicantes When he saith Hast thou eyes of flesh It is no more then this Dost thou see as man seeth To have an eie of flesh is to judge according to the flesh and to see as man seeth is to see no more then man When Samuel was sent to anoint a King over Israel in the place of Saul 1 Sam. 16.7 the Lord said concerning the first-born of Jesse Look not on his countenance or on the height of his stature because I have refused him The reason added is this For the Lord seeth not as man seeth for man looks on the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart There we have Jobs doctrine of Gods seeing delivered by God himself Samuel thought he who made the fairest shew to the eie of man must needs be the man who was fairest in the eye of God but the Lord seeth what is not seen and often findes most reality in the least appearance he who hath not eyes of flesh sees beyond the flesh There are seven differences between the eye of flesh or mans eye and the eye of God 1. Mans eye is but a means or an instrument of knowledge Gods eye is his knowledge The act and the faculty are not distinct in God All in God is act Neither is God another thing from his act whatsoever is ascribed to him is himself The eye of God is God seeing The knowledge of God is God knowing The love of God is God loving 2 Man must have a two-fold light to see by an inward light the light of the eye and an outward light the light in the air without both he cannot see man doth not see as Naturalists speak by sending forth a beam or a ray from his eye to the object but by receaving or taking in a beam or a ray from the object into his eie The object issues it's species to the eye which being joyned with the visive power of the eye man seeth But God seeth in himself of himself and from himself he needs no outward light Christ is described having a fiery eye His eyes were as a flame of fire Revel 1.14 Revel 2.18 Even nature teacheth us that those creatures which have fiery eyes see in the dark and see best when it is darkest because they see by sending forth a beam or a flame from their eyes which at once apprehends the object and enlightens the passage to it God who commanded light to come out of darknesse for the use of man commands light in darknesse for his own The darknesse hideth not from thee saith David but the night shineth as the day The darknesse and the light are both alike to thee There is no darknesse nor shadow of death where any of the workers of iniquity can hide themselves Job 34.22 Thus God hath not eyes of flesh he seeth not as man seeth 3. Man seeth one thing after another his eye is not able to take in all objects at once he views now one and then another to make his judgement of them But God seeth all things together he beholdeth all at one view his eye takes and gathers in all objects and all that is in every object by one act The Lord looketh from heaven and beholdeth all the sonnes of men from the place of his habitation he looks upon all the inhabitants of the earth Psal 33.13 14. 4. An eye of flesh seeth at a distance and at such a distance Naturalists tell us there must be a due distance between the eye and the object If you put the object too neer the eye Sensibile positum super sensuÌ„ tollet sensationem the eye cannot see it That which is sensible put upon the sense takes away sensation Again if the object be very remote the eye cannot make any discovery of it The eye cannot see farre and it cannot discern so farre as it
per flagella conflictum Changes and warre are upon me that is such changes as there is in war when first one regiment charges and another seconds and so regiment after regiment company after company file after file now the right wing and then the left at last the reserve Thus the Lord seemed to bring up his bands and troops of afflictions to assault Job in turns and changes till his whole army had assaulted and skirmished with him Those military terms of shooting and warring are frequent figures in Scripture shewing how God conflicts with sinfull weak man after the manner of men Observe hence First That afflictions are at the command of God He marshals and disposes them as armies are by their Generals in times of war He can say to one affliction as the Centurion to his souldiers Go and it goeth to another Come and it cometh to a third Do this and it doth it All armies of sorrow are led by God in chief They charge whom he pleaseth and where he pleaseth high or low person or nation if he gives the word they fall on presently nor will they return till he orders their retreat Secondly Note That the Lord hath variety of waies and means to afflict and try his people Changes and war are against me The Physitian hath variety of medicines for his sick patient if one removes not the distemper he changes and tries a second There is nothing so full of changes as warre not only in regard of the uncertainty of events but variety of means new forces being raised and new stratagems used from day to day Hast thou but one blessing said Esau to his father Isaac the hand of man may be straightned to one blessing or one blow but the hand of God is never straightned As he hath store of blessings so of blows and can give both out both in degree and kinde diversified if one army of evils doth not humble and conquer us to his obedience he can quickly levy a new one All creatures will come in to his help if he do but set up his standard or give command to beat his drum He changed his armies ten times against Pharaoh Pharaoh had indeed changes and warre upon him yet no change wrought in him therefore the war was changed till he was destroied This war with â—ob was not a destroying one but it was a terrible one so terrible that he cries out in the language of his former complaints Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb JOB Chap. 10. Vers 18 19 20 21 22. Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb O that I had given up the ghost and no eye had seen me I should have been as though I had not been I should have been carried from the womb to the grave Are not my daies few Cease then and let me alone that I may take comfort a little Before I go whence I shall not return even to the land of darknesse and the shadow of death A land of darknesse as darknesse it self and of the shadow of death without any order and where the light is as darknesse THese five verses are the conclusion of Jobs reply to Bildad there are four things remarkable in them First He complaineth that ever he lived a day or an hour in the world at the beginning of the 18th verse Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb Secondly He wisheth that he had died speedily seeing he could not have that supposed happinesse not to be born into the world his next request is that he might not have staied long in the world he would not have appeared as a man no nor as a childe but that birth and buriall might have been contiguous not knowing the distance of a day vers 18 19. O that I had given up the ghost and no eye had seen me I should have been as though I had not been I should have been carried from the womb to the grave Thirdly He sheweth that however he had been disappointed of both those votes yet he could not live long As if he had said Though I have found much trouble in the world yet I shall not much trouble the world the time of my departure is at hand I have lived most of my daies already and all my daies are not many vers 20. Are not my daies few Fourthly He entreateth and sueth that the few daies of those few daies which he had to live might be good daies Are not my daies few Cease then and let me alone that I may take comfort a little before I goe whence I shall not return c. The 18th and 19th verses carry a sense very like to that which hath been opened at the third Chapter of this book where Iob complained of his birth and was troubled that he had the favour of a being Sui obliviscitur ut supra vi doloris Merc. because he found such an il-being in the world His passion runneth out here into a vehement expostulation Wherefore hast thou brought me forth out of the womb As there Why died I not from the womb ver 11. Job puts the Question and demandeth an account of God Why he came out of the womb There are three sorts of questions First Such as arise from a desire of necessary information 'T is good to ask that we may learn Secondly Such as arise from a needlesse curiosity 'T is not good to ask what no duty enjoyns us to learn Thirdly Such as arise from pure passion or rather from mudded perturbation not so much desiring information from others as to vent our selves 'T is very ill to ask when we care not to learn Such is the question here put say some a passionate question arising from the fume and vapours of a distempered minde desiring to ask rather then to be answered Wherefore hast thou brought me forth out of the womb As if he had said Was I born only to be an object of evil Came I into the world to be made a sad spectacle to the world to Angels and to men Have my daies been lengthened out on purpose that my troubles might be lengthened Such a troubled sense there is in these words The complaints of Saints may sometimes look like the blasphemies of wicked men Iob complaineth of his birth and seems forgetfull of all former benefits Hence observe Dum ita agis mecum fit ex beneficio tuo noÌ„ beneficium Coc. When we want the mercies we would have we grow angry with the mercies which we have had David speaks it to the praise of God Thou art he that tookest me out of my mothers womb Psal 22. Iob speaks it as a damage to himself Wherefore hast thou brought me forth out of the womb Secondly observe We are ready to think we live to no end if we have not our own ends That 's the voice of nature and so far as nature prevails in us it speaks in us Thirdly
Is there any beauty in darknes in thick darknes where there is no order in darknes where the very light is darknes One of the greatest plagues upon Egypt Nostri theologizantes ad infernum referuÌ„t sed Iob ad sepulchrum respexit Merc. was three daies darknes what then is there in death naturally considered but a plague seeing it is perpetuall darknes If death be such in it self and such to those who die in sin how should our hearts be raised up in thankfulnes to Christ who hath put other terms upon death and the grave by dying for our sins Christ hath made the grave look like a heaven to his Christ hath abolished death not death it self for even believers die but all the trouble and terrour of death the darknes and the disorder of it are taken away Christ hath mortified death kill'd death so that now death is not so much an opening of the door of the grave as it is an opening of the door of heaven Christ who is the Sun of righteousnes lay in the grave and hath left perpetuall beams of light there for his purchased people The way to the grave is very dark but Christ hath set up lights for us or caused light to shine into the way Christ hath put death into a method yea Christ hath put death into a kinde of life or he hath put life into the death of believers All the gastlinesse horrour yea the darknes and death of death is removed The Saints may look upon the grave as a land of light like light it self yea as a land of life like life it self where there is nothing but order and where the darknes is as light Jobs reply to Bildad and complaints to God have carried his discourse as far as death and the grave he gives over in a dark disordered place God still leaving him under much darknes and many disorders of spirit As his great afflictions are yet continued so his weaknesses continue too His graces break forth many times and sometimes his corruption Both are coming to a further discovery while his third friend Zophar takes up the bucklers and renews the battel upon what terms he engages with Job how Job acquits himself and comes off from that engagement is the summe of the four succeeding Chapters FINIS Errata PAg. 18. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 63. l. 5. for 29. r. 19. p. 69 l. 39. for 7. r. 29. p. 152. l. 21. for need r needs p. 201. in marg fòr Apollo r. Achilles in some copies p. 311 l 17. dele the. p. 331. l. 2. dele in p 430. l 22. for affliction r. afflictions p 361. l. 37. for Apologues r. Apologies ib. l. 38. put in to after arguments p. 366. in mâ—rg for polluerunt r. polluerent p. 401. l. 27. for an idol u r. idols are p 413. l. 22. for wearied r. weary p. 418. l. 27. dele not A TABLE Directing to some speciall Points noted in the precedent EXPOSITIONS A ABib the Jewish moneth why so called p. 73 Adamant why so called 160. Affliction A good heart give â— testimony to the righteousnesse of God in the midst of greatest afflictions p. 14 God laies very sore afflictions upon them that are very dear to him p. 279. Afflictions continued cause â—s to suspect that our praier is not answered p. 280. A godly man may be much opprest with the fears of affliction p. â—54 There was not such a spirit of rejoycing in affliction among the Saints of the old Testament as is under the New p. 358. After purgings God goes on sometimes with afflictions p. 372. It is lawfull to pray against affliction p. 399. Affliction removed three waies p. 400. Great afflictions carry a charge of wickednesse upon the afflicted p. 432. An afflicted person is very solicitous about the reason of his afflictions p. 436. Afflictions are searchers p. 469. Afflictions affect with shame p. 573. Vnder great afflictions our requests are modest p. 579. Age what meant by it taken three waies p. 55. Ancient of daies why God is so called p. 460. Angels falling why their sinne greater then mans and God so irreconcilable to them p. 506. Anger in man what it is p. 180 How God is angry p. 181. The troubles that fall upon the creature are the effects of Gods anger p. 181. It is not in the power of man to turn away the anger of God p. 247. How praier is said to do it 10. The anger of God is more grievous to the Saints then all their other afflictions p. 433. Answering of two kindes p. 250. Antiquity True antiquity gives testimony to the truth p. 58. What true antiquity is p. 59. Appearance we must not judge by it p. 360. Arcturus described p. 209. Assurance that we are in a state of grace possible and how wrought p. 479. Awake In what sense God awakes p. 37 38. His awaking and sleeping note only the changes of providence p. 39. Two things awaken God the praier of his people and the rage of his enemies p. 40. B BItternesse put for sorest affliction p. 285. The Lord sometime mixes a very bitter cup for his own people p. 286. Body of man the excellent frame of it p. 516. Five things shew this p. 517. Body of man an excellent frame p. 494. How called a viâ— body ib. Bones and sinews their use in the body of man p. 516. C CAbits a sect of babling Poets p. 7. Cause Second causes can doe nothing without the first p. 493. Chambers of the South what and why so called p. 210. Chistu the tenth moneth among the Jews why so called p. 209. Christ is the medium by which we see God p. 231 Clay that man was made of clay intimates three things p. 504. Commands God can make every word he speaks a command p. 192. Every creature must submit to his command ib. God hath a negative voice of command to stay the motion of any creature p. 193. Comfort comes only from God p. 348. Yet a man in affliction may help on his own comforts or sorrows p. 351. Comforts put off upon two ground ib. Commendation To commend our selvâ—s very unseemly p. 296 297. Conâ—emnation hath three thing in it which make it very gâ—evous p. 432. It is the adjudging a man to be wicked p. 434. Conscience A good conscience to be kept rather then our lives p. 303. God and conscience keep a record of our lives p. 540. Consent to sinne how proper to the wicked p. 478. Contention Man naturally loves it p. 150. Man is apt to contend with God p. 152. Especially about three things p. 153. Man is unable to contend with God in any thing p. 154. Counsels of wicked men not shined on by God p. 447. Custom in sin what p. 476. D DAies-man who p. 385. why so called p. 386. Five things belonging to a daies-man p. 387. A three-fold posture of the daies-man in laying on his
We can stand no more by such trust to Ordinances then we shall by the neglect of them These and all the materials before mentioned will be found too weak they shall not stand Gifts cannot commend to God If a man had the tongue of men and angels if all the knowledge that ever was scattered in the world were brought together into one head this cannot commend him unto God The devil is as full of knowledge as he can hold and yet he is as full of wickednesse as he can hold Duties cannot commend to God And there are two speciall reasons why the hypocrites duties cannot First He is not at all changed in duties He praies and sins hears and sins professes and continues wicked closely if not openly Secondly He leans upon his duties Could we suppose true grace leaned on that could not stand Nothing is a sufficient strength for us to stay upon but the free grace of God and Jesus Christ Lean to these houses for they will stand for ever Of all other houses you shall say as Adam did of his wife 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deducitur à Gnamad mulier quam dedisti mihi ut adstaret juvaret essetque vicarium auxilium ipsa author hujus mali exstitit Fagius in loc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quafi apud me stans Gen. 3.12 and it is the word here used in the Text The woman which thou gavest to be with me to stay by me to be a helper and a support to me this woman hath given me and I did eat she hath been the cause of my ruine The same will be said of all the gifts and duties and graces which we stand upon God hath given them us and he hath given them us as meet helpers but they will deceive and ruine us if we lean on them We shall fall by them if we hope to stand by them Psal 23.4 Thou art with me in trouble saith David therefore I shall not fall it is this word Thou standest with me Christ will stand by us at all times Thou standest with me or by me When the world faileth and when gifts fail and when duties fail yea when graces fail in degree and activity then Jesus Christ and free grace will stand by us Isa 26.7 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose minde is staied on thee Christ is the only lean-to There is one clause further He shall hold it fast but it shall not endure This clause is of the same importance with the former only the sense is somewhat heightned It notes that the hypocrite shall not only lean upon his house but he shall take strong hold upon his house He shall fasten on it so Mr Broughton A man may lean to a thing and have no hold of it he that takes hold of a thing would make it firm to himself and himself firm to it Thus the hypocrite leans upon his house and takes fast hold of it if it would fall from him if any attempt to pull him away from it or he sticks to it he will not let it go 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eam mordicus tenens se in ea stabilem firmum semper fore putans Merc. The word signifies to hold fast strongly and prevailingly Jobs wife Chap. 2. speaks thus Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity And God himself speaks in the same language concerning Job Doest thou not see though thou hast moved me to afflict him without cause how he holdeth fast his integrity The hypocrite after his manner Mordicus tenet holds his duties performancies gifts tufly or as it were with his very teeth he will hold them to the very death and not let them go the hypocrite will not give over will not be beaten off from trusting to these false and weak props here he sets up his rest he will die by his gifts his duties his outward profession and go no further It is our glory to hold integrity fast to hold grace fast yea and duties in point of practice and obedience but it is our sin and danger to hold them fast in reliance and confidence It is a sad use which some make of this truth when they hear that hypocrites hold fast upon duties c. they let go their duties they let praier go repentance and sorrow for sin go they say it is no matter for duties they need not trouble themselves Christ doth all This is to turn the grace of God into wantonnes We must let go both our graces and our duties in point of justification but hold them we must as our lives in conversation and the tenour of our lives Praier hearing fasting repenting must not die while we live Do them we must but glory in them we must not He holdeth them fast but yet it shall not endure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 á radice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Surrexit ad standum erectus stabilis solidus mansit perseveravit That 's the last thing We see as often as the hypocrite rises to take hold of his hopes so often his hopes fail him before It shall not stand now it shall not endure The word signifies it shall not be established to him he would establish this house to himself but it shall not be established his worldly estate shall not be established his duties his graces his gifts shall not be established The word notes that establishment which is made by a politike act or edict It is the Jews operative word in which they enact laws Esth 9. The word is used three times v. 29 31 32. for a politicall establishment of that decree about the deliverance of the Jews from the conspiracy of Haman they established or made a Law for it Laws are for continuance therefore they are established and setled An hypocrite would do so too he would enact and establish what he doth but it shall not endure it will be null'd and repeal'd quickly The word also signifies that which is substantiall it shall not endure that is it shall not be as a substance it shall appear at last to be but a shadow Gen. 7.23 Every living substance was destroyed it is this word that is every thing that stood up and subsisted So Deut. 11.6 the word signifies the substance and outward estate which Korah Dathan and Abiram had They and their substance went down into the pit The hypocrite thinks his estate is a substantiall estate yet both his worldly house and his spirituall house builded as was before described shall moulder away and rot they shall not endure 1 King 7.21 Solomon set up two pillars in the Temple and an hypocrite in his building sets up two pillars and he calleth them after the name that Solomon called his the text saith The one he called Jachin and the other Boaz Jachin he will establish and Boaz strength Which may note that the people of God who worship him in his temple have two pillars two everlasting pillars they have Christ and the
earthly-poor nor hell all the earthly-rich God doth not give wicked men all the earth but all the earth which they have is of his giving Most of the earth is given to be their possession and all the possession which is given them is of earth therefore it is said He giveth the earth into the hand of the wicked And seeing God giveth the earth into the hand of the wicked we may observe also That wicked men have a just title to the earthly things which they enjoy They are not meer usurpers neither shall they be dealt with as meer usurpers They have no spirituall title no title by Christ they claim not by promise which the Saints doe They have forfeited their title by sinne all is lapsed and escheated into the hand of the great land-Lord Their goods are forfeited and so are their lives into the hand of God and he gives both back for a while into their hands He gives them their lives back and reprieveth them for which time of their reprieve he giveth them the earth to live upon or to maintain their lives and so farre as they use earthly things for the continuance of life they shall not be accounted or reckoned with as usurpers They shall not be charged for using the creaturâ— but for abusing it for making the earth serve their lusts not 〈◊〉 making it a support of their lives And seeing as the Lord hath given them back their forfeited lives so also their forfeited lands by a deed of gift sealed with generall providence this is enough to secure them in those worldly possessions which they have neither got nor hold by injustice from the brand of usurpation Dominium non fundatur in gratia and from the violence of dispossession As what God hath joyned no man may put asunder So what God hath given no man must take away Neither riches nor rule are founded in grace He hath given the earth into the hand of the wicked He covereth the faces of the Judges thereof He covereth There is some Question whom we are to understand as the antecedent to this relative He who is he that co-covereth Tegit ne videant quod aequuÌ„ justum est â—rus Some make the antecedent a wicked man Others say 't is God The earth is given into the hand of the wicked and he that is the wicked one covereth the faces of the Judges thereof Or He that is God covereth the faces of the Judges thereof I shall a little open this expression it needeth some uncovering for it is dark in both relations First Look upon that interpretation which refers it to wicked men He covereth namely That wicked man who is preferred and exalted covereth the faces of the Judges that is he stops the course of justice And there are four waies by which wicked men cover the faces of the Judges Munera caecos reddunt judices First By gifts and rewards Bribes vail yea put out the eyes of a Judge that he cannot see to give every one his due Hence that charge Exod. 23.8 thou shalt take no gift for the gift blindeth the wise and perverteth the words of the righteous Secondly The faces of the Judges are covered by threatnings Fear of losse blindes as well as hope of gain Some send terrible messages to the judge Will not you doe as we would have you Will not you give your sentence and opinion thus at your peril be it Now the Judges face is covered his eyes are put out by a threat the mist and cloud of a Princes displeasure of a great mans indignation is before his eyes His face is covered Thirdly The Judges faces are covered by actuall putting them to shame by casting them out of favour and clouding them with disgrace by taking away their commissions or sending them a Quietus est laying them by as unfit for service any of these is a covering of the Judges face There is a fourth way of covering the Judges face to which the second and third are often made a preparatory And that is by putting the judge to death So much that expression implies in the 40th of this book of Job vers 13. where the Lord with infinite wisdome and holinesse insulting over Job to humble him bids him arise and doe some great thing somewhat which might speak him a man of might Deck thy self now with majesty and excellency and aray thy self with glory and beauty cast abroad the rage of thy wrath and behold every one that is proud and abase him look on every one that is proud and bring him low and tread down the wicked in their place Hide them in the dust together and binde their faces in secret that is cover their faces as men prepared for death as men ready to goe out to execution We may expound it by that Esth 7.8 where as soon as ever the word went out of the Kings mouth They covered Hamans face And by that Mark 14.65 where when Christ was judged worthy of death the text saith They spit on him and covered his face The covering of the face was a mark of a condemned man held as unworthy to behold and enjoy the light of the Sunne or the light of the Princes countenance Thus to cover the faces of the Judges is to condemn the Judges and to take them out of the world by sufferings rather then suffer them to doe right I finde that of Elihu Job 34.29 interpreted to this sense When he giveth quietnesse who can make trouble That is when the Lord doth absolve and acquit a man giving him a discharge then he is free no man can sue him or trouble him much lesse condemn him but if he hide his face who then can behold him So we translate it meaning thus If the Lord hide his own face But this exposition saith If the Lord hide the face of that man that is If the Lord condemn that man or passe sentence of death upon him of which covering or hiding the face was a symboll then Quâ— rei faciem poterit amplius videre quasi absolutus sit Bold I lictor colliga manus caput obnubito in foe lici arbori suspendito Cic. in orat pro Rabir. who can behold him That is who then can see his face or have society with him whom God hath separated to death It was a custom also among the Romans when sentence was pronounced upon a malefactour thus to command the executioner Take him away binde his hands cover his face hang him up And usually with us malefactours who are ready to suffer the pains of death put a covering upon their faces This also may be a good sense of the words He covereth the faces of the Judges that is a wicked Prince oppresseth and putteth the Judges to death And whereas good Princes say Let justice be donâ— though the world perish he saith Let the Judges perish rather then justice should be done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iudices
q d. in me jam seme◠mortuo pene confecto Merc. my pains know not only no period but no pause I have storm upon storm grief upon grief here much and there much I am all waies and everywhere again afflicted though already half-dead with affliction Whence observe God doth often renew the same or send new afflictions upon his choisest servants One would think that light should follow darknesse and day succeed the night that though sorrow continue all the night yet joy should come in the morning that after wounding we should have healing and after sicknesse health So they promised themselves Hos 6.1 Come and let us return unto the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal us he hath smitten and he will binde us up yet many have felt wounding after wounds and smiting after blows darknesse hath stept after darknesse and their sorrow hath had a succession of greater sorrows It was a speciall favour to Paul when Epaphroditus was restored Phil. 2.27 He was sick nigh unto death but saith he God had mercy on him and not on him only but on me also and why Lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow God would not do what some of his enemies thought to do adde affliction to his bonds therefore he healed Pauls helper and kept him alive in whom he so much delighted Sorrow upon sorrow is a mournfull bearing yet many a precious Saint hath born that coat The promise to the Church is That her peace shall be as a river and her prosperity as the waves of the sea Isa 66.12 When the Church shall come to her full beauty and attain a perfect restauration then her peace shall be a continued peace she shall have peace upon peace everlasting successions of peace a river being supplied and fed with a constant stream the waters that flow to day will flow again to morrow peace like a river is peace peace or perpetuall peace Sions peace shall not be as a land-floud soon up and as soon down again but as a river and which yet heightens it her prosperity shall be as the waves of the sea If the winde do but stir upon the face of the sea you shall have wave upon wave waves rolling and riding one upon the back of another Such shall be the prosperity of Zion on earth for a time and such it will be for ever in heaven there peace shall be as a river to eternity and prosperity as the waves of the sea joy upon joy and comfort upon comfort riding and rolling one upon the back of another As it shall be thus with the peace of the Church at last so it may be with the afflictions of the Church or of any member of the Church at present Their afflictions may be as a river and their sorrows as the waves of the sea coming on again and again renewed as often as abated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mirabilis sis in me Again Thou shewest thy self wonderfull or marvellous against or upon me Both renderings are consistent with the originall Marvellous upon me That is thou dost not punish or afflict me in an ordinary way Marvels are not every daies work Thou takest a new a strange course to try me such afflictions as mine have no parallel such have scarce been heard of or recorded in the history of any age Who hath heard of such a thing as this thou seemest to design me for a president to posterity Mirificum fit spectaculum homo qui tam dira patitur tam constanti invictoque animo or to shew in my example what thou canst do upon a creature Thou shewest thy self marvellous upon me As Moses speaks concerning Korah Dathan and Abiram when they murmured and mutined against him and against Aaron If these men die the common death of all men or if they be visited after the visitation of all men then the Lord hath not sent me but if the Lord make a new thing and the earth open her mouth and swallow them up then c. The Lord to manifest his extream displeasure against those mutineers did as it were devise a new kinde of death for them If these men die the common or the ordinary death of all men then the Lord hath not sent me These men have given a new example of sinne and surely God will make them a new example of punishment Iob speaks the same sense Thou shewest thy self marvellous upon me thou wilt not be satisfied in afflicting me after the rate or measure of other men All the Saints should do some singular thing and many of them suffer some singular thing The Apostle assures his Corinthians 1 Cor. 10.13 There hath no temptation taken you but that which is common to man Iob seems to speak the contrary A temptation hath taken me which is not common to man Further These words Thou art marvellous upon me have reference to God who sent those afflictions as well as unto the afflictions which he sent As if he had said Lord thou actest now besides thy nature and thy custom thou art mercifull and thou delightest in mercy Thou art good and thou doest good how or whence is it then that thou art so fierce against me and pourest out so many evils upon me I could not knowing thee as I do have beleeved though it had been told me that thou wouldest have been so rigorous and incompassionate if a professed enemy had done this he had done like himself and had been no wonder unto me But now as thou hast afflicted me till I am become a wonder unto many so thou O Lord art become a wonder unto me and to all who hear how thou hast afflicted me Meek Moses made himself a wonder when he broke out in anger Every man is wondered at when he doth that which he is not enclined to doe or not used to do Is it not a wonder to see the patient God angry the mercifull God severe the compassionate God inexorable Thus saith Iob Thou shewest thy self marvellous upon me Hence observe First That some afflictions of the Saints are wonderfull afflictions As God doth not often send his people strange deliverances and works wonders to preserve them so he sends them many strange afflictions and works wonders to trouble them And as many punishments of sin upon wicked men so some trials of grace upon godly men are very wonderfull The Lord threatneth the Jews Deut. 28.59 that he would make their plagues wonderfull he would make strange work among them And he saith of Ierusalem I will wipe it as a man wipeth a dish wiping it and turning it up-side down or wiping it and turning it upon the face thereof 2 King 21.13 To see a great City handled like a little dish or a strong Nation turned topsie turvy as we say or the bottom upwards is a strange thing It is an ordinary thing to see cups platters turned up-side down but it is not ordinary to see Kingdoms and Nations
great affliction and now a little comfort would go a great way with him When the people of Israel were in bondage under Pharaoh and his task-masters and had heavier burdens laid upon them they do not so much as move for a totall release from their task but modestly complain There is no straw given unto thy servants and they say to us Make brick As if they had said Let us have straw and we are willing to make brick A poor man cries out for a half-peny for a farthing not for hundreds or thousands He that is ready to starve will not ask good chear or a plentifull feast but let me have a crust of bread or a little water When Dives was in hell what did he desire of Abraham Did he beg to come into his bosome Doth he say Lazarus is in a good place let me come too No he desired but a drop of water and what was a drop of water to flames of fire O how would it delight the damned in hell to think of a cessation but for one hour from their pain What a joy would it be unto them if it should be told them that a thousand or ten thousand years hence they should have one good day or that they might be let alone to take comfort a little They who are low make low demands Think of this ye that enjoy much comfort and swim in rivers of pleasure Let not the great consolations of God be small to you when you hear Job thus instant and importunate for the smallest Let me alone that I may take comfort a little But why is he in such haste for a little comfort One ground is in the former words My daies are few and he backs it with a second in the next If it come not quickly it will come too late I am ready to take my last journey Therefore let me take a little comfort Verse 21. Before I go whence I shall not return even to the land of darknesse and the shadow of death Before I go That is before I die Death is a going out of the world Periphrasis moriendi qui m ritur dicitur abire unde abitionem pro morte veteres usurparunt Drus Christ intimates his death under this notion Joh. 16.7 If I goe the Comforter will come And I go from you c. Dying is a journeying from one region to another Death is a changing of our place though not of our company Before I go Whether Whence I shall not return That 's a strange journey indeed That which pleaseth us in our longest journeys while we live is a hope of returning to our own homes again But when we die we take a journey from whence there is no returning Not return Shall not man return when he dieth Is death an everlasting departure an eternall night No Man shall return but he shall not return to such a life or state as he had before Fidem resurrectionis non laedit Pin. He is gone for ever out of this world and out of all worldly interests Job believed a resurrection or a returning from the grave by the power of God and he knew there was no returning by the power of nature or by the help of any creature In that reference we go whence we shall not return So David speaks of his dead Infant I shall go to him but he shall not return to me Indicat nullam esse vim in natura cui pareat mors cui receptacula animarum obediaÌ„t reddereque cogaÌ„tur quem semel receperunt Pin. 2 Sam. 12.25 When once we are shut up in those chambers of death and made prisoners in the grave though all the Princes in the world send warrants for our release we cannot get released The pertinacy and stiffnesse of the grave is such as yeelds to none We are fast shut up when we are shut up there Love and the grave will hardly part with that which they have closed with and are possessed of The grave is one of those three things which are never satisfied or say it is enough Prov. 30.15 And as it is unsatiable in receiving so it is as close in keeping it will part with nothing A grave is the Parable of a covetous man he is greedy to get and watchfull to hold when his money goes into his purse he saith it shall not return The grave hath a strong appetite to take down and as strong a stomack to digest Till God as I may so speak by his mighty power gives the grave a vomit and makes the earth stomack-sick with eating mans flesh Veteres Romani dicere solebant abâ—it reversurus est resurrectionem carnis haud obscurè innuentes Ter. Salve aeternum mihi maxime Palla Aeternumque vale Virg. Aenead it will not return one morsel At the resurrection this great Eater shall cast up all again And as they who take strong vomits are put into a kinde of trembling convulsion all the powers of the body being shaken such will the prognosticks be of the resurrection there was an earth-quake when Christ arose God made the earth shake and commanded it to give back the prisoner because it was not possible that he should be holden of it And when God speaks the word it will not be possible for the grave to hold us prisoners till then it will It was usuall among the Ancients to say of a dead friend He is gone and he will come again intimating a resurrection Heathens not knowing nor believing it call earth Valeant qui inter nos dissidiuÌ„ volunt Terent. An eternall leave-taking or farewell never to meet again Observe from this description of the grave That the statutes of death are unrepealable Death is an everlasting banishment from the world I shall goâ— whence I shall not return This may lie very sad upon their spirits Animula vagula blandula c. quae nunc abibis in loca Aâ—r. who have not a better place then the world to go to when they go from the world To go whence we shall never return and yet where we cannot endure to be a moment is deepest misery Such a man cannot chuse but set out with a sad heart And that 's the reason why wicked men whose consciences are awakened go so unwillingly to this sleep they know whither they are going only they know they cannot return Make ye friends 't is Christs counsel of the Mammon of unrighteousnesse that when ye fail they may receive you into everlasting habitations Luk. 10.9 Mammon of unrighteousnesse that is say most Interpreters Mammon gotten unrighteously but surely Christ would not teach any to make men our friends by that which makes God our enemy Quod est falsum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab Hellenistis usu HebraeoruÌ„ dicitur Hens exercit Sacr. They translate better who render it Make ye friends of the false or unfaithfull Mammon that is of that Mammon which will deceive and leave you shortly
therefore make you friends of it while you have it that when ye fail that is when you die or goe out of the world they may receive you that is ye may be received into everlasting habitations leave not this habitation till ye have got interest in a better The Saints arm themselves against death by this argument We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hand eternall in the heavens 2 Cor. 5.1 We know there is no return to buildings made with hands we must leave our houses for ever our lands for ever and our relations for ever but we are assured of a building of God an house not made with hand eternall in the heavens This supported their hearts when their earthly houses were falling Job having thus described death it self proceeds to describe the grave which is the place of death or the Black-â—all of the King of terrours Would you know what this place is from whence there is no returning It is saith he in the close of this verse even the land of darknesse and the shadow of death And in the last verse Verse 22. A land of darknesse as darknesse it self and of the shadow of death without any order and where the light is as darknesse This is the place where death dwels or the seat of death and here 's a description of it which exceeds the phansie of Poets and the rhetorick of all Heathen Oratours The Spirit of God riseth to the height of eloquence in discovering that unpleasant region This subterranean Geography gives a double character of it 1. A land of darknesse 2. A land of the shadow of death both which are aggravated by their additions It is a land of darknes but not of any ordinary darknes It is a land of darknesse as darknesse it self It is a land of the shadow of death not of an ordinary shadow of death but of the shadow of death 1. Without any order 2. Where the light is as darknesse A land of darknesse That is abounding with darknesse a land where darknesse is the staple and the only commodity to be had Darknesse is the hangings and ornament of the house of death The grave is elswhere called A land of forgetfulnesse Psal 88.12 because there all things are forgotten We read Jer. 12.5 of a land of peace that is a land where peace abounds a land in every corner whereof peace springs and groweth up Canaan Deut. 8.8 was called A good land a land of brooks of water of fountains and depths that spring oâ—t of the valleys and hils A land of wheat and barley and vines and fig-trees and pomegranates A land of oyl olive and of honey That is a land where these good things were naturall and plentifull A land where neighbour Nations might furnish themselves and fraight their ships with those commodities Cum sepulchruÌ„ dicitur terra tenebrarum ibi tanquam in nativo solo obsâ—uritas intelligitur provenire In such a sense Iob cals the grave A land of darknes As if he had said Would you know what the merchandize of the grave is I will tell you it is darknesse there you may have darknes as much as you desire and besides that nothing how much so ever you desire it This shews the terrour of death to a meer naturall understanding Many are afraid to be at all in the dark how much more to be alwaies in darknesse As light is put for joy so darknesse for sorrow Darknesse whether spirituall or naturall is afflictive Dark houses are unpleasant what then is a land of darknes The face of a man is darkned with sorrow and joy is the light of it It hath bin observed that some great Princes have had light beaming out from their eyes Augustus had so sparkling an eye Suetonius in Augusto c 7 9. that few could look upon him his eye cast forth raies like the Sun dazling the beholders Good gracious Princes cast out beams of favour upon their people which refresh them as the light Death the grave have no light in their faces Death looks black and grim hell is extreamest darknesse and the pains of hell are chains of darknes And of the shadow of death There is more then the shadow of death in the grave death it self dwels there The words sound an abatement of the sense Terra cujus palpebrae sunt sicut caligo umbrarum mortis Tâ—rg but indeed they heighten it The shadow of death is thick darknes thickest darknes the very strength of darknes This shadow is the substance of death or death with addition of greatest deadlines Job having given the land this dreadfull name A land of darknesse and of the shadow of death makes it yet more dreadfull by this further explication A land of darknesse as darknesse it self Or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A land of darknesse which looks like darknesse The word signifies wearinesse restlessenesse and vexation of spirit To be in a dark condition is to be in a wearisome condition The Vulgar reads it A land of misery Some darknes hath a degree of light mingled with it but this is pure or unmixed darknesse darknesse in it's proper hue darknesse it self When a man of skill acts skilfully we say he acts like himself and when a wicked man doth very wickedly we say he doth like himself The darknes of the grave looks like nothing but it self Every evil the more like it is to it self the worse it is When the Apostle would shew sin in its colours he calleth it sinfull sin Rom. 7.13 Sin by the commandment became exceeding sinfull the commandment caused it to look like it self Sorrowfull sorrow and painfull pain are the worst of pains and sorrows There is sorrow which may consist with some joy and pain which may cohabit with some ease but he that hath sorrow like sorrow it self and pain like pain it self hath the extremity of both Thus also every good the more like it is to it self the better it is holines like it self is the purest holinesse grace like it self is the sweetest grace When a holy man works like himself his work is best God is ever like himself in all he doth and every thing we do is then best when it is done most like to what God doth And of the shadow of death without any order or The shadow of death and not orders 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et non ordines The word which we translate order is frequent in the Rabbins the holy Text hath it only in this place and here in the plurall number A land of darknesse and the shadow of death and without any orders a land unordered Ther 's no government no method in the grave And if it hath no order then it hath nothing in it but confusion nothing but disorder That the grave or the state of death is without any order may be understood two waies
Hebraei ad vices diei noctis aestatis hiemis c. referuÌ„t Expertem vicissitudinem Jun. First Without order because it hath no changes or vicissitudes in it there is no difference in the grave between night and day winter and summer hot and cold wet and dry between the rising and setting of the Sun This is the order which God hath set in nature and when the floud had put all things into a kinde of confusion God promised That seed-time and harvest and cold and heat summer and winter day and night should not cease that is there should be an everlasting order continued in the creature The dead know none of those changes and vicissitudes as much of the vanity so some of the comforts of this life consist in changes but all is alike in death Secondly There is no order in going to the grave men do not keep to a rule in dying nor observe their ranks The old go not alwaies first and then the young the great before and the mean following after Death hath no master of the Ceremonies but takes promiscuously here a childe and there a man here a rich man and there a beggar And as there is no order in going thither so none when we are there the grave mingleth the dust and bones of one with another We cannot distinguish the rich mans dust from the dust of the poor nor the bones of Kings from those of the lowest subject Though rich men are buried in more eminent places and Kings under stately Monuments though their Tombs differ from their inferiours yet their bones do not An old Philosopher was observed searching a caemitery and prying busily among the Tombs and being asked what he looked for answered I come to see if I can finde the dust of rich men and the bones of Princes but I cannot see which is which the dust of the rich and of the poor of Princes and pesants are all alike to my eye And seeing Iob makes this an aggravation of the misery of death that it is without order We may observe That order hath an excellency and a beauty in it The lesse order there is in any place or state the worse it is and where is no order there it is worst of all Civil order is the beauty of Common-wealths and spirituall order is the beauty of the Church The Apostle rejoyced to behold the order of the Colossians as well as their faith Col. 2.5 His charge to the Corinthians is Let all things be done decently and in order 1 Cor. 14.40 He had warned them ver 33. to take heed of disorder because God is not the God of confusion but of peace where order is not kept the peace cannot be kept Death is evil and that 's without order hell is worst of all and there is no order at all It is a kinde of death to see any disorder and a very hell to see all in disorder And where the light is as darknesse Some read by the verb where it shineth like darknesse or thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 aâ—radice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Floruit splenduit fulgorem magnifiâ—entiam exercuit Tenebrescet ficut caligo Mon. Quod in ea spâ—endidissimum est caligini fim le est where it lighteth like darknesse The Vulgar paraphrases rather then translates Where there is everlasting horrour Job said before it was a land of darknes and of darknes like darknesse it self yet now he seemeth to affirm that there is light in the grave and if there be how is that darknes like darknes it self His meaning is that which looks most like to light in the grave is darknes and it is therefore darknes like darknes it self because if you can imagin any thing to have a shew of light in the grave that very light is as darknes When the Apostle would invincibly argue the infinite wisdom and strength of God he saith The foolishnesse of God is wiser then men and the weaknesse of God is stronger then men 1 Cor. 1.25 God is only wise only strong how then speaks this Apostle of the foolishnesse or weaknes of God His meaning is look what act soever of God appears to man as having foolishnes or weaknes in it even that foolishnes is wiser and that weaknesse stronger then men In what sense Paul saith The foolishnes of God is wisdom the weaknes of God is strength or which is all one the darknes of God is light in the same Iob saith The light of the grave is darknes For as God is wisdom and in him there is no foolishnes at all strength and in him there is no weaknes at all light and in him there is no darknes at all So Iob supposeth of the grave that in it there is darknes and no light at all while he affirms the light found there is as darknes Christ speaks near this language of Job Mat. 6.23 If therefore the light that is in thee be darknes how great is that darknes he had said before The light of the body is the eye and if the eye be single the whole body is light that is if a man have right aims and pure ends these will keep him right in all his course but if his eye be dark his ends base how base will his actions be how great his darknes We may argue thus to the point in hand if the light of the grave be darknes how great is that darknes The Prophet Amos sets forth great changes in States and Kingdoms by prodigious changes in the air Lo he makes the morning darknes Cha. 4.15 Again He turneth the shadow of death into the morning and maketh the day dark with night Chap. 5.8 When either civil or morall good is turned into evil we are past all hope of good if once our light be dark we must expect nothing but darknes The best works of hypocrites will be found wickednes how wicked then will they be in their worst If their holines be unclean how unclean is their unholines All their morall light is as darknes and all their civil light shall be turned into darknes Some especially Popish Interpreters understand this description not of the grave but of hell The same word in the Hebrew serves both hell and the grave Death looks like hell and bears much of it's image What is there in hell but the agonies and sweat of death the pangs and palenes of death the chains and bonds of death The state of the damned in hell is an eternall act of dying And all that Job speaks of the grave is fulfilled there to the utmost There is darknes like darknes it self called therefore utter darknes there is the shadow of death without any order there the light is as darknes But though the Text be true of hell yet Job had nothing to do or suffer beyond the grave and I shall carry his discourse no further keeping within those confines We may learn That death in it self is no way desirable