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
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
keepeth silence because he hath borne it upon him When God layeth his yoke or crosse upon us 't is our duty to be silent and submit Zach 2.13 Be silent O all flesh before the Lord for he is raised up out of his holy habitation that is the Lord begins to worke therefore let all men or men of all sorts and degrees be quiet and say nothing either discontentedly or complainingly In all these Scriptures holding our peace is called for and commanded or shewed at the workes of God Secondly There is a holding of our peace at the word of God or at what God speaketh Thus 't is when not only the tongue but the heart is silent and every thought is brought into subjection or captivity to the obedience of Christ The heart of man often speakes much and is very clamorous when he saith nothing with his tongue That 's to hold our peace indeed when the heart is quiet let God say or doe what he will 'T is not more our duty to resist the Devill that is all his hellish whisperings and temptations to the doing of evill then 't is to submit to God in all his speakings and dispensations Elihu speaking in the name of the Lord faithfully adviseth Job in this sence to hold his peace Hence learne We ought to submit and keep silence when the truth of God is spoken Or when the minde of God is brought unto us there must be no replying but obeying no disputing but submitting They have learned much who know how and when to say nothing Solomon saith Eccl 3.6 There is a time to keep silence and a time to speake but this kind of silence is in season at all times we ought alwayes to be silent thus that is alwayes submit to the minde of God We need to be minded of this because the pride and over-weening of man is great We have need to put a bridle upon our tongues much more upon our hearts it is hard to bring our wills and our understandings under we are apt to strive and struggle when truth comes neere us yea to kick at it when it comes very neeâ—â— and home to us though indeed the neerer it comes the better nor can it ever come too neere The Apostle James apprehended this when he gave that admonition Chap 1.21 Receive with meeknesse the ingraffed word which is able to save your soules Meeknesse is that grace which moderates anger a passionate or fierce spirit receiveth not the word but riseth up against it turnes not to it but upon it and which is worst of all turnes it to evill not to good turnes light into darknesse and so the word of life becomes a savour of death for want of a due submission to it Therefore hearken and hold your peace when the word of God is spoken Do not say it is but the word of man because delivered by man God speaks in and by his faithfull Messengers ye oppose the authority of the living God not a mortall dying creature when you reject the word And remember it is not only our duty but our liberty to give up our selves prisoners to the truths of God we are never so free as when bound by it or to it And as we should hold our peace at or submit to all the truths of God in all cases so especially in these three First When we are reproved for our sins in practice then we should not stand excusing what we have done but repent of it Secondly When we are shewed our errour in opinion then we should not stand disputing and arguing for what we hold but recant it 'T is time to hold our peace when once it appeares to us that we doe not hold the truth To erre is common to man but to persevere in an errour to the defence and patronage of it is more then inhumane devilish Thirdly We should hold our peace when our duty is plaine before us then we should not stand questioning it but doe it Whatsoever thy hand findeth to doe saith Solomon Eccl 9.10 that is whatsoever appeares to be a duty doe it with all thy might Hold thy tongue but doe not withhold thy hand when once thy hand hath found what must be done Elihu at this time was dealing with Job upon all these three poynts He told him his sin that he had been too querious and impatient he shewed him his error that he had been too bold with God because innâ—cent towards men And he pressed him to duty both that and how he ought to humble himselfe before the Lord. The Apostle treating about that great poynt of justification tells us God will at last cause all men to hold their peace Rom 3.19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith it saith to them who are under the law that every month may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God that is man will have nothing to say but sit downe silent and hold his peace or only say I am nothing I have deserved nothing but death and condemnation when he once understands the holiness and strictness of the law together with the unholiness and looseness of his owne heart and life Hence note It speakes yea proclaimes a gracious prudence to know how and when to hold our peace and say nothing When men insist upon their owne conceit and reason when they logick it unduely with God or men and will needs seeme to know more then the word teacheth them what doe they but give evidence against themselves that as yet they know nothing as the word teacheth or as they ought to know and themselves least of all 'T is pride and presumption not prudence and understanding which opens such mens mouths We never profit by what we heare till in the sence opened we have learned to hold our peace The counsel which Elihu gave Job was to hold his peace yet he layd no constraint upon him to refraine necessary speaking but put him upon it in the next verse Vers 32. If thou hast any thing to say answer me speake for I desire to justifie thee Lest Elihu should be interpreted to have taken too much upon him or to have denied Job his liberty of speaking when he sayd hold thy peace he here calls him to speake This is a full proofe that his intent was not to barre him from speaking but only that he should forbeare unnecessary speaking As if he had sayd Now that I have gone thus farre if I have spoken any thing that thou at unsatisfied in and dost desire I should explaine my selfe about speake thy minde freely for though I have more to say yet I will not hinder thee from saying what thou canst fairely say for thy selfe neither will I ever-burthen thy memory with too much at once therefore come now and answer if thou wilt or canst to what is already spoken The Hebrew is If thou hast words answer me that is if thou hast arguments to defend thy selfe with or to
that man is apt to nourish himself in those vain hopes that he can hide himself from God or that he shall be hid from God I may cast the foolish presumptions of men about this thing into four sorts First Some hope to be hid in the croud or that they shall not be taken notice of among so many Secondly The eyes of others are so darkned that their sins are hid from themselves yea they take their vices for vertues their evil acts for good and because they see no evil in what they do they are perswaded or presume God doth not Thirdly Many are never so well pleased as when they are flattered or when others not only hide the sinfulness of their wayes from them but commend and extol them as vertuous and praise worthy And because their evil ways appear good to some men they cannot be convinced that there is any evil in them appearing to God Lastly As all impenitent sinners put their sins out of their own sight so nothing pleaseth them more then this imagination that they shall never come into the sight of God Surely the Lord would never urge this matter so often upon the children of men if it were not so But let sinners consider what they will do and what will become of them seeing as it is impossible that they should be hid so it will be most intollerable for them them to appear and stand before God in the day of judgement Psal 1.5 All must come to judgment and appear at the Bar but it will be an inexpressible grief to appear and not be approved or to appear and then be condemned Therefore be wise and hide your selves where you may be hid do not attempt to hide your selves which is the attempt of most sinners where you cannot be hid They who will needs hide themselves in that darkness and shaddow of death here spoken of shall be cast into utter darkness and abide for ever in that infernal valley of the shaddow of death in which there is no ease to be had and from which there is no release to be got Darkness and death will be the portion of those sinners in the next world who have studied to shaddow their sins with any kinde of darkness in this JOB Chap. 34. Vers 23 24 25. For he will not lay upon man more then right that he should enter into judgement with God He shall break in pieces mighty men without number and set others in their stead Therefore he knoweth their workes and he over-turneth them in the night so that they are destroyed IN the 23d verse being the first of this context Elihu further justifyeth the severest proceedings of God with man He that layeth upon man no more then is right may be justified in whatsoever he layeth upon him But God layeth upon man no more then is right Therefore c. The Assumption is expresse in the text Vers 23. For he will not lay upon man more then is right The text strictly rendred is He will not lay upon man more Our translaters supply the words then is right to determine what that more is which God will not lay upon man The words have a two-fold sence First Some interpreters render them as a direct deniall of any power seated in or liberty given unto man to plead capitulate or to come in judgement with God Elihu charging it upon Job that he had not done well in taking or using such a liberty to complaine about his condition addeth here according to this interpretation God neither hath nor will indulge man a liberty as he hath not given him a just cause to complain as if he had don him wrong Quia non ultra unquam ponet deus super virum i. e. potestatem homini nunquam faciet ut de se ille queri possir Merc Neque enim ultra in hominis potestate est ut veniat cum deo in Judicio Vulg And if man when God hath once declared his mind and published his sentence should make his defence or offer to produce his reasonings against it the Lord will not suffer it he will not permit man to proceed in such a way seeing the sentence of God and what he doth upon it is alwayes just and the right stands ever on his side as well as the soveraignty is ever vested in him Master Broughton translates the whole verse to this sense Therefore it is not for man ever to purpose to enter into judgement before the Omnipotent there is no appeale from God nor will he admit sinners by any artifices or delayes to interrupt the progresse of his justice Secondly The words as we render them carry both an assertion that God is just and a demonstration of it For he will not lay upon man more then is right that he should enter into judgement with God that is man hath no cause to enter into judgement with God if God should give him leave and let him be at his liberty in that poynt for God will not lay upon man more then is right There is another supply of a word which also beareth a good sense and suites wel with this exposition thus Non imponet ei amplius quam ferro possit Drus God will not lay upon man more then he can beare or hath strength to beare that he should enter into judgement with him if we reade the text so then that of the Apostle 1 Cor 10.13 is a cleare exposition of it There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man but God is faithfull who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to beare it A temptation or affliction common to man is but such as man may beare God will not overburden his people he knoweth what flesh and blood as also what Grace can beare As a man would not lay such a weight upon a childe as would burthen a man we lay a childs burthen upon a child and a mans burthen upon a man so the Lord measures and weighs out his judgements in proportion to every mans strength he will not lay upon him more then he is able to beare That 's a good sense and hath a cleare reason in it why man should not complaine of what God layeth upon him it being only proportionate to his strength But I shall rather prosecute the text according to the supply given in our translation which makes the reason why all such complaints should be forborne and silenced to be this because the sufferings of man are never proportion'd beyond his desert He will not lay upon man more then right That is more then he hath deserved or is equitable in his case whatsoever is layd or imposed upon man beyond right he hath cause to complaine of and may traverse the Judgement or desire another hearing yea he may appeale to some higher Judge if there be any
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
breath bloweth away sickness if he doe but speak to a disease to a feaver to an ague to a dropsie to a consumption O killing malady spare him thou hast done enough any disease might prevaile to death did not God say spare him hold thy hand not a blow more not a fit more O killing malady Death it selfe much more sickness heareth the voyce of God And it may be said to heare him because it doth that which they who have the power of hearing ought to doe that is it obeyeth or yeildeth to the voyce and command of God will no longer afflict the sick man Diseases may be said to deliver a man from death the pit when they depart from him Yet Secondly I conceive this warrant for the deliverance of the sick man is given out to the messenger or interpreter to the one among a thousand that visiteth him in his sickness He having been with him and dealt with his conscience he having brought him into a good frame the Lord is gracious Sequestrem illum Jubebit ei renunciare impetratum esse sibi liberationem Bez and in answer to his prayer sets it upon his heart that he shall recover and warrants him to tell him so which is declaratively to deliver him from going downe to the pit This act of mans delivering the sicke is like that act of man pardoning the sinner John 20.23 that is 't is ministeriall or declarative not originall nor Authoritative The interpreter doth not deliver him but tells him God will We have the Psalmist speaking thus after his supplication and prayer made to the Lord for a sick State or Nation or for a sick Church that 's his scope Psal 85. Wilt thou not revive us againe that thy people may rejoycâ— in thee v. 6. Surely thou wilt and he expresseth his confidence that God would v. 8. I will heare what God the Lord will speake for he will speak peace unto his people and to his Saints When he had prayed he would harken for news or for a message from heaven whether or no the Lord would order him to speak peace to those for whom he had been praying and say deliver them from going downe to the pit Thus did the Prophet Habakkuk I will stand upon my watch and set me upon my tower and see what he will say unto me and what I shall answer when I am reproved Chap 2.1 In the next verse The Lord answered and sayd write the vision and make it plaine upon tables that he may run that readeth it And what was the answer surely deliverance for having sayd in the end it shall speake and not lye v. 3. he concludes v. 4. The just shall live by his faith Believing deliverance he shall at last be delivered from the pit of captivity and live Here in the text we must suppose this messenger had prayed and having prayed he did not neglect his prayer but was hearkning what the Lord would say Elihu was confident the Lord would give a gracious answer though not by an immediate voyce or revelation to his eare yet by an assurance of the mercy given into his spirit When that good king Hezekiah was not only sick unto death but had received an expresse message from the Lord Set thy house in order for thou shalt dye and not live 2 Kings 20.1 'T is sayd at the 2d verse He turned his face to the wall and prayed unto the Lord saying c. And at the 4th verse The word of the Lord came to Isaiah the Prophet saying turne againe and tell Hezekiah the Captain of my people Thus saith the Lord the God of David thy father I have heard thy prayer I have seene thy teares behold I will heale thee c. Here God gave a word formally and put it into the Prophets mouth Goe deliver him from going downe to the pit And though the Lord doth not thus now in such an explicite and open way nor may we expect it yet there is a virtuall saying of this word from the Lord and that sometimes mightily imprest upon the hearts of those who have prayed and sought unto him for the sick man whereby not by an ungrounded vaine confidence but by a scripturall holy confidence comparing the promise with the mans condition they are enabled to tell him The Lord hath delivered thee from going downe to the pit And he shall as certainly be delivered as if the Lord had sent an expresse from heaven to tell him so Then he is gracious to him and saith deliver him from going downe to the pit Hence observe First Death is a going to the pit a going to destruction Thus it is ordinarily with all who dye to the pit they goe Many dye and goe downe to the bottomless pit all who dye may be sayd to goe to the pit To goe to the bottomless pit is the circumlocution of eternall death as to goe to the pit is the circumlocution of temporall death Secondly Forasmuch as the man being sick the Lord gives out this word deliver him from going downe to the pit Note Sickness hath in it a tendency unto death The sick stand as it were upon the borders of the grave Some not only put death farr from them in health but in their sickness untill they are even dead they scarce thinke themselves dying It is good for us in our health and best strength to be looking into the pit and considering upon what grounds of comfort we can descend into the grave How much more should we be thinking of and looking into the pit when we are in a languishing and dying condition Thirdly Observe The word and work of deliverance is from God alone Then he will be gracious and say deliver him from going downe to the pit God can and God only can deliver from death no creature in heaven or earth can speak this but by commission from God none can open this secret till God interpret it Deliverance is the Lords salvation and the word of salvation from sickness as well as of salvation from hell comes out from the Lord. But is it not sayd Pro 11.4 Righteousness delivereth from death I answer when it is sayd Righteousness delivereth from death The meaning is God delivereth the righteous from death He delivereth them from the sting and terror from all that which is properly called the evill of corporall death and he delivereth them wholly from the least touch or shadow of eternall death And this righteousness which delivers from death is not our own but the righteousness of Christ made ours by the appoyntment of God and received as ours by faith 'T is neither any righteousness wrought in us nor any righteousness wrought by us but that righteousness which is wrought for us which delivereth from death and that delivereth us from death because God saith of such a righteous person deliver him as often from temporall death or going downe to the pit of the grave so alwayes from
the land of the living Secondly From the way of expressing this in allusion to a childe or a youth Note God he can quickly make the greatest changes in nature either for the better or for the worse He can turne youth into old age and old age into youth That is he can make a young or a healthy man weake as an old man and an old or sickly man strong as a young man and as it is with naturall so with politicall bodyes as with persons so with nations A nation that is flourishing in its youth heate strength and glory rich and full of peace and plenty God can bring an oldness upon it and cause it to decline every day The Prophet spake of the state of Israel in this notion Hos 7.9 Gray haires are here and there upon them and they perceive it not they thought ttemselves to be in a very youthfull flourishing condition as a state but the Lord brought gray haires that is they were decaying withering weakning and became a decrepid nation And when a nation is gray-hayred old and withered he can make it youthfull he can recover the honour and power of it and cause the dread of it to fall upon the neighbouring nations round about He turnes a land into a wilderness which before was as the Garden of God And he can change that land into a Garden of God which now is a desolate wildernes The unchangeable Lord is visible and glorious in all these changes The health and strength both of the body politick and naturall are at his dispose He can bring a decay upon what is built and repaire what is decayed whether in nations or persons When the earthly house of this Tabernacle is ready to drop downe into the grave and crumble into dust God by a word speaking repayreth it to as much beauty and strength as when the first stone being layd the top-stone was set up When Naaman had once submitted to and obeyed the Prophets counsell which at first he despised washed in Jorden His flesh saith the text 2 Kings 5.14 came againe like unto the flesh of a little childe The holy Psalmist charged his owne soule to praise the Lord and all that was within him to blesse his holy name Psal 103.1 5. Who had satisfied his mouth with good things so that his youth was renewed as the Eagle This renovation of his youth may be understood three wayes First as to his naturall state or bodyly strength Secondly as to his civill state or worldly successes as to his honour and kingly renowne Thirdly as to his spirituall state or the hightning of his gifts graces and comforts 'T is probable David had found a declension in all these and at last through the goodness of God and his blessing upon him the renewing of them all from that oldness to a youthfullness againe like that of Eagles We find the same allusion in the Prophet Isa 40.31 They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up as with Eagles wings Some Naturalists say the Eagle reneweth her strength by sucking blood when her stomack is so weake that shee cannot seed upon the flesh of her prey Saints indeed renew their strength as the Eagle while by faith they sucke the blood of Jesus Christ and they get cure of their owne weaknesses while they believingly lay hold upon his strength Thirdly We heard in the former verse of a divine warrant issued out for this mans recovery Then he is gracious to him and saith deliver him Here we have the warrant executed His flesh shall be fresher then a childes Hence observe The commands and warrants of God are effectuall they shall be obeyed and made good to man If God say deliver him from a sick bed he shall be delivered I will worke saith the Lord Isa 43.13 14. and who shall let it for your sake I have sent to Babylon and have brought downe all their Nobles or barrs as the margin reads it I will have it done I will breake all those Nobles who are as barrs in the way of my peoples deliverance So when the Lord sends his warrant for the delivering of a sick man he will break all those barrs and bands by which diseases and sicknesses hold him as a prisoner in his bed Nothing can stand against the word of God as by a word speaking he gave the creature a being when it had none The Lord only spake the word Let there be light let there be a firmament c. and it was so Thus also the word or warrant of God reneweth a wel-being to those with whom it is worst or a comfortable life to those who are compassed about with the sorrowes of death The word of God prevailes over all or is effectuall to every purpose Psal 33.9 He spake and it was done he commanded and it stood fast Further In this restoring of the sick we have a shadow of the resurrection The raysing of a dying man from his bed is like the raysing of the dead from the grave The spring of the yeare is a shadow of the resurrection because then the earth returnes to her youth and is fresh as a child In winter all things are dead and desolate their glosse and beauty is gone but then cometh the spring and all revives againe the face of the earth looks fresh corne and grasse trees and plants flourish and put forth their buds and blossomes Now what the spring of the yeare is to the body of the earth the same is the returne of health to the body of man In both we have an exemplar of the resurrection as also in the regeneration or new birth of the soule by the power of the holy Ghost For till then we are like old sickly men in the old man yea we are dead But no sooner doth the Spirit bring us forth by a second creation into the life of the new man but we become in spirit fresh like Children our youth returnes to us againe that is we returne to that state wherein we were first created and set up by God in righteousness and true holiness yea into a better and surer state then that Man through grace is not only as he was in the first day of his creation but better He returnes to the day of his youth and receives such a youth as shall never decay into old age yea the older he is in nature the younger that is the stronger and more beautifull he shall be in grace He shall according to that promise Psal 92.14 still bring forth fruit in old age he shall be fat and flourishing This renewed youthfullness and flourishing condition of the restored sick man in spiritualls is specially and fully set forth in the next verse For Elihu having shewed the recovery of the sick mans body he proceeds to the recovery of his soule which eminently returnes to the dayes of its youth both in the puttings forth of or exercising the grace of God
poor that 's the case of some it is the Lords with-holding of his blessing which makes all his labours fruitless and successless such a man is indeed one of God's poor or a poor man of God's making and God will surely make the poverty of such a man if he continue in a believing dependence upon him and in an humble submission to him if he know how to want as well as to abound how to be hungry as well as to be full and in every estate hath learned therewith to be content as the holy Apostle had then I say God will surely make the poverty of such a man better to him then riches or the largest portion of this worlds enjoyment The poor of God's special making are under his special keeping and blessing As they have but little so they want nothing God himself will always be not only enough but all to them Take two further inferences from the whole verse First Princes great and rich men must not expect to fare better with God because of their greatness or riches For He doth not regard the rich more then the poor Secondly The meanest man needs not fear that he shall fare the worse before God for his meanness The most high God will not overlook those in a low estate he regardeth the poor as well as the rich and that 's matter of great comfort to the poor when disregarded by the rich Though the Lord doth not make all men of an equal respect in the world 't is his will that some men should be more regarded by men then others are yet himself in the sence opened beareth an equal respect to them all He regardeth not the rich more then the poor for they are all the work of his hands JOB Chap. 34. Vers 20 21 22. In a moment shall they die and the people shall be troubled at midnight and pass away and the mighty shall be taken away without hands For his eyes are upon the wayes of man and he seeth all his doings There is no darkness nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves IN these three verses Elihu doth two things principally First He sets forth the judgements of God Secondly He gives an account of the equity of them He sets forth the judgements of God First More generally Upon People and Nations Secondly Upon Princes and Governours All this in the 20th verse And in this judgement of God upon Nations we may take notice First Of the nature of it and how it is described and that is laid down three wayes First They shall die Secondly They shall be troubled Thirdly They shall pass away Under these Notions the judgement of God upon People and Nations is exprest Secondly We may here consider the suddenness of all this In a moment they shall die Thirdly We may consider the season or rather as to man the unseasonableness of it it shall be though in a dreaming time when they little dream of it The people shall be troubled at midnight Thus we have the judgement or sad dispensation of God described in this 20th verse both as to the acts of it and likewise as to the manner of it upon the people Elihu having shewed the judgement of God upon the people in the former part of this 20th verse declares also his judgement upon the Princes in the latter end of it The mighty shall be taken away without hand Where we see First How Princes are expressed or called They are the mighty Secondly What kinde of judgement befalleth them They are taken away Thirdly The manner how this is brought about They are taken away without hand From the matter of the judgement of God both upon people and Princes Elihu proceeds to give the reason why the Lord deals thus with both This he doth in the two verses following First Because of their sin They are workers of iniquity in the close of the 22th verse Secondly Because as they are workers of iniquity so God is fully acquainted with all their iniquity c. He seeth all their works and the iniquity of their works nothing can cover it or them from his fight and therefore as Elihu asserts the omniscience of God positively in the 21th verse so negatively in the 22th verse There is no darkness nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves Now seeing the works of those Nations and Princes were naught and the naughtiness of them was evident to God how could he but punish them And how just and righteous is he in punishing of them By all this Elihu clears his general Assertion or the point he drives at all this chapter over namely to prove that God is righteous against which position he tells us before Job having spoken dangerously he was engaged to maintain it vigorously which he doth here especially in that eminent branch of it mentioned at the 19th verse That he accepteth not the persons of Princes nor regardeth the rich more then the poor For Princes as well as common people fall under his hand So much for the parts and resolution of these three verses as also for the general scope of them Yet before I go on to the particular explication of them I would only minde the Reader of another Translation of the whole 20th verse which varieth somwhat from ours rendring it as a description of the judgement of God upon Princes by the violence of the people whereas according to our Translation it is a description of the judgement of God both upon people and Princes The Translation I mean is that of the Vulgar Latine which runs in this form Vers 20. Suddenly shall they die Subito morientur in media nocte turbabuntur populi per transibunt auferent violentum absique manu Vulg. at midnight the people shall be in a tumult and shall pass over and take away the violent man without hand This Reading and the expositions given upon it prove That God is so far from accepting the persons of Princes that he does not only tell them their own and reprove them to their face for their wickedness and Apostacy as was shewed from the former reading of the 18th verse but deprives them also of their dignity and pulls them from their power And he doth it in such a manner that every man may understand and see the hand of God in it because they see no hands in it The less of man appears in any work of providence whether it be in a way of mercy or of judgement the more of God is to be acknowledged in it and where nothing of man appeareth all or the whole must be attributed unto God The judgement which Elihu speaks of here seems according to this Interpretation to have much of man in it yet because the men supposed to be in it are looked upon as such as can do little in it or ought to do nothing in it therefore 't is said to be done without
helples as is imaginable yet the Lord is able to save them he wil do it in the fittest season As this is true in reference to Princes and Nations in their publique capacity so private Christians may take up the comfort of it What though great distress and affliction be nigh and no hand to save you yet the Lord can save without hand if you are low he can raise you though none lend a hand to raise you if poor he can enrich you if weak he can strengthen you though you have no means for either It is an everlasting spring of comfort that the Lord can do all things without hand that he needs not be beholding to the creature nor stands in need of their help to effect either threatned judgments against Babylon or his promised mercies unto Sion Thus we have seen Elihu describing the righteous though severe dealings of God both with people and Princes who despise his counsels and provoke his wrath The reason why they fall under his wrath is further discovered in the next words JOB Chap. 34. Vers 21 22. For his eyes are upon the wayes of man and he seeth all his goings There is no darkness nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves IN the former verse Elihu reported the judgement of God both upon the people and upon the Princes of the earth In a moment shall they die c. In these two verses he gives us a proof that the Lord is righteous in judgement both upon Princes and people or he assignes the ground of it That the words are a reason of the former the Causal Particle in the beginning of the 21th verse puts it out of question Vers 21. For his eyes are upon the wayes of men As if he had said God doth not these things he troubles not Nations and Nobles People or Princes by an absolute and soveraigne power or because he will but he finds just cause to do it What men do is enough to justifie God in what they suffer He hath alwayes power enough in his hand to destroy all men and to turn this world back into its first nothing but he never useth his power nor puts it forth without cause For his eyes are upon the wayes of man c. God is a Spirit the simplicity of his Essence is his first and highest perfection he is purely incorporeal yet as the passions of man's minde so the members of his body are often in Scripture attributed unto God we read of the face of God of the hand of God of the ear of God and as in many other places so in this of the eyes of God Now as the ear of God notes only his power of hearing and the hand of God his power of working so the eye or eyes of God note only his power of seeing knowing and discerning the wayes of men And when Elihu saith his eyes are upon the wayes of man his meaning is only this he clearly discerns and understands the wayes of man These words his eyes are upon the wayes of man intimate First A present act he doth not say they were or they will be upon the wayes of man but they are Secondly They imply as a present so a continued act his eyes are so upon the wayes of man that they are never off them The eyes of God dwell as it were upon the wayes of man His eyes are said indeed to run to and fro through the whole earth 2 Chron. 16.8 yet they do not wander from one object to another but are fixed and setled upon every one Thirdly they imply an intentive act or the seriâ—usness of the heart of God upon the wayes of man We may behold a thing and yet take no great notice of it but when our eyes are said to be upon any thing this imports they are busied much upon it Fourthly This manner of speaking signifieth not only a clear sight but that which is operative carrying with it a most exact scrutiny or disquisition of the wayes of men according to that expression of the Psalmist Psal 11.4 His eyes behold his eye-lids try the children of men God doth not only behold but his eye-lids try the wayes of men that is he so looks upon them that he looks through them and discerneth what they are to the utmost God doth not only behold the body and bulk of our actions but the soul and spirit of them and while he seeth them he seeth into them All this and much more then we can apprehend is comprehended in those words His eyes are upon The wayes of man The word is plural not way but wayes which shews the extensiveness of the sight or knowledge of God The word being put indefinitely is to be taken universally His eyes are not confined to this or that object to this or that place to this or that person but his eyes look over all His eyes are upon the wayes of man Yet further the wayes of man may be distinguished First As they are either internal or external The internal wayes of man are the wayes of his heart as the Prophet hath it Isa 57.17 He went on frowardly in the way of his heart And these wayes of the heart our inward wayes are first our thoughts what we imagine and conceive secondly our affections what we love and what we hate what we rejoyce in and what we mourn for declare the way of our hearts Thirdly The wayes of the heart are a man's purposes resolutions and intentions what to do Fourthly The wayes of the heart are man's designes or his aims what he drives at or proposeth as his end in all that he doth In this latitude we are to understand the present Text when Elihu saith the eyes of God are upon the wayes of man remember they are upon his thoughts upon his affections upon his purposes upon his designes and aimes all these are before the Lord as it is said of Christ Johâ— 2.25 He needed not that any should testifie of man for he knew what was in man that is both the state of his heart and all the movings of it And if the Lord's eyes be upon the internal wayes of man then certainly they are upon the external wayes of man if he knoweth what work the heart is at or about certainly he knoweth what the hand is at or about He that knoweth which way the minde goeth cannot but know which way the foot goeth His eyes are upon the external wayes of man but 't is his chief glory that his eyes are upon the internal wayes of man Gen. 6.5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth He saw man's actions or outward wayes were very wicked but besides that saith the Text He saw that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually He saw the wayes within what was formed up or as the word there notes what creatures were made and fashioned in the minde of
sent to destroy 362. How the Angels come to know the mystery of the Gospel 408 Anger full of heate 10 11. Anger in the cause of God is good 15. Anger prevailes most in those who have least reason 27. They who give counsel must bridle anger 28. We should see good reason to be angry before we are 40 Answer unlesse we answer home we give no answer 82. A fourefold way of answering 232 233. Apostates who are so 620. Apostacy or turning back from God 700. Apostates grow worse and worse every day 705 Archimedes much transported with joy and why 85 Arrow put for a wound 525. Two sorts of arrows 525 Attention the best men may need to have their attentions quickned 551. B Barachel what that name signifieth 11. Behold a fourefold use of it in the Scripture 460 461. Behold to behold taken two wayes in Scripture 658 Belial what it signifieth and who may be called Belial 622 623 Bernard his description of an Opinionist in his time 115 Best not barely good but the best things to be looked after and chosen 508 510 Binding the great use of it for healing 608 Bladders wicked men how like them 691 Blindness spirituall or of the understanding to be smitten with it how sore a judgement 699 Boasting man is very apt to boast of himselfe 83 84 Man is apt to boast in the evill he doth much more of the good he doth 84. His boasting of wisdome 85 Bones what they are to the body 337. Paine in the bones grievous 337 338 Breath and spirit their difference 590 C Call of God it is dangerous to refuse or not hearken to his first call 268 Cato his answer to a voluptuous person 505 Change or turning of a man into another man twofold 55 Changes God can quickly make the greatest changes both in naturall and civill things 418 Charities done rightly produce a great encrease 566 Chastisements are documents 340. What properly a chastisement is 789. Chastisement is for amendment 797. When God chastneth us we should promise amendment 797. In what sence we may promise being chastned to offend no more 798 Chirurgion three things required in him answerably those three in those who would cure the soule 101 Christ remembrance of his humbling himselfe a great meanes to humble us 325. Christ the Angel of the Covenant 371. We must have union with Christ else we can have no benefit by him 429. Christ the only hiding place for sinners 672. Sinners under a fourefold consideration may hide themselves in Christ 672 Churches of the Gentiles to be warned by the severe dealings of God with the Church of the Jewes 697 Chusing or chusing of Instruments how it differs from Gods 61. Chusing or election what it is 506. The chusing of judgement what 506. It is not enough to know or doe good unlesse we chuse it 509 Clay that all men are clay how it should worke 187 Comforts the best in the creature vaine 347 Company to chuse ill company the signe of an evill man 538 543. To be much in the company of good men a signe of goodness 540. In what sense a good man may be sayd to goe in company with evill men 541 542 Condemnation supposeth a man to be wicked 29. To condemne and make wicked the same in Scripture 29 30 31. Condemnation out of our owne mouth must needs stop the mouth 196 Condemne to condemne those whom we cannot answer how sinfull 29 30 31. To condemn God the great wickedness of it and in what sense many doe it 618 619 Conditional acts of grace 398 Confession threefold 445. Sin must be confessed 449. Whether a generall confession be enough 449 Confidence or trust in man a strong argument against it from mans weakness 600 Conviction what or when a person may be sayd to be convinced 78 79. Three great convincers shewed 80 81 Conversion the worke of God not of man 89 Consideration what it is 707 711. Not to consider the wayes and word of God very sinfull 713 714. The duty of consideration prest 717 Corruption doth not prevaile upon the dead body of man till the fourth day 328. Corruption why sin is so called 797 800 Courtesies They watch for a discourtesie who aske courtesies of us beyond our power 210 Croesus the answer which the Oracle gave him ambiguous 160 Cry of the oppressed will goe up to God 718. Their affliction hath a cry though they cry not 719. They are the worst of wicked men who cause the poore to cry 720. God graciously heareth the cry of humble oppressed ones 722. Vide oppressed D. Darkness twofold 666 Death is a going downe to the pit 402. Sickness hath a tendency to death 402. When man dyeth he is gathered to God 593. Death is called a gathering in a threefold sense 594. No man hath priviledge against death 597. Death of two sorts 639. Death of any sort may befall all sorts of men 640. Death comes suddenly upon many men and may upon all men 640. Violent death sweepes away many in a moment 641 Declining how a good man may decline and grow worse 860 Deferre God sometimes deferrs to doe his servants right 520. Deferrings are very afflictive 520 Deficiencies of the best men two wayes to be considered for their humbling 323 Delaying dangerous though God be patient 467. Delayes in business may be no stop of it 483 Delighting in God what 545 546 Deliverances of five sorts 399. Deliverance is from God only 403. God conveighs deliverance by man or meanes usually 403. Our deliverance from sin is costly 410. Deliverances are obtained three wayes 410 411. Temporall deliverance by Christ also 412. Great deliverances give us a new life 470 Despayre of the end puts an end to endeavour 6. Despayre in creatures yet hope in God 528 Destruction in whose destruction God hath pleasure 811 Devills sin and condemnation what 86 Diadumenus his resolution 12 Differences what hinders the healing of them 483 484 486 487 488 Diligence how it makes rich 635 Discontent the Devills sin 59 Diseases and death not farre asunder 360. Diseases are destroyers 365. Diseases at the command of God 400 Displeasure of God renders all outward comforts nothing to us 348 Disputing tough and hard worke 3 Disputation the true law of it 193 Drawing and withdrawing two gracious acts of God towards man 299 Dreame what it is 280. Naturall dreams caused foure wayes 281 Diabolicall dreames 282. Divine dreames five messages upon which they are sent 282 283. It hath been the use of God to reveale himselfe by dreames 285. Five reasons why God revealed himselfe in dreames 286. Dreames the way of Gods revealing himselfe to the Church of old 287. Luthers prayer about dreames 288. A profitable use may be made of dreames at this day 289 Drinking what it signifieth in Scripture 533. A threefold measure of drinking 534. To drinke scorning like water what it imports 535 Dust in what sence all men are but dust 598. Humbling