said to those in the parable that were hired at the eleventh hour Matth. 11.6 Why stand ye all the day idle They of the eleventh hour were persons possibly very busie and laborious as to their Civil Callings in the world but had stood idle all the day as to any spiritual work as to any work of grace they had not done God nor their poor souls one stroke of work all that while until they were called and the light of grace shined upon them Jesus Christ is the light which lightened the Gentiles and the glory of Israel Luke 2.32 And wheresoever he comes The people which sat in darkness see a great light and to them which sat in the valley of the shadow of death light springs up Matth. 4.16 And that a two-fold light First Light to be saved by Secondly Light to serve God or to do the work of God by Thirdly How comfortable is the light 'T is so comfortable that light and comfort are often put for the same thing God is the Lord aith David Psal 118.27 which hath shewed us light that is the light of counsel what to do and the light of comfort in what we do or after all our sufferings Light is not only a candle held to us to do our work by but it comforts and cheareth us in our work Eccl. 11.7 Light is sweet and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the Sun Hence that of David Psal 65.8 Thou makest the out-goings of the evening and morning to rejoyce that is thou makest men to rejoyce they are glad they rejoyce in or at the out-goings of the morning Man takes comfort at the first appearance of the light light refresheth him at its out-goings in the morning And at the evening men rejoyce too for then they go to their rest being wearied with the labour of the day Possunt exitus matutini vâ—spertini sumi pro hominibus qui hâ—bitant ubi exit dies ubi exit nox i. e. pro Orientalibus Occidentaliâ—â—â— Or we may thus expound that Psalm Thou makest the out-goings of the morning and the evening to rejoyce That is thou makest men who live at the out-goings of the morning and at the out-goings of the evening to rejoyce As if it had been said thou makest the Eastern people and the Western people all people from East to West rejoyce And that which makes all people to rejoyce naturally is the rising of light with them in the East and the coming of light towards them in the West Thus we see what an excellent creature light is both as it hath a continually renewed rising in the morning of every day and as it had its first being in the morning of the world and both from the command of God Whence take these inferences First When we behold the morning coming forth by the command of God Let us consider who God is and what the beauty and purity the majesty and excellency of God are who is clothed with light and dwelleth in light yea who is light and in whom there is no darkness at all There is not any one creature which God doth so formally predicate of himself as this of light As God is love 1 John 4.8 so God is light 1 John 1.5 yet the light which shines to us the morning which God hath commanded for us is but darkness to God who hath commanded it Light it self is darkness compared with God yet 't is the clearest shadow the best resemblance of God in Nature Secondly As we should consider the excellency and beauty of God in the appearance of the morning so his goodness who hath made such a creature for us who hath also prepared so many vessels to hold it and hold it out or to dispence it to us 'T is God who hath made those great lights the Sun to rule the day and the Moon and Stars to rule the night Gen. 1.16 The day would be night to us if God had not prepared the Sun for though there were three days before the Sun was made yet now 't is the Sun which makes the day and the night would be nothing but darkness to us if God had not prepared the Moon and the Stars How great then is the goodness of God to man who hath made light for us and who thus conveys and dispenseth it to us according to our need both by day and by night Thirdly We should hence be minded to pay our debt of thankfulness to God every day History tells us that the ancient Rhodians or inhabitants of the Isle called Rhodes erected a mighty Colossus according to their heathenish superstition in honour of the Sun who once a day at least opened his face upon their Island though it were over-cast with clouds muffled up and vailed to all other parts of the world Though possibly we do not see the face of the Sun every day yet we enjoy the light and influences of it every day God hath commanded the Sun in the Firmament to attend us to be about us to comfort us every morning and shall we be unthankful If in a dark night a friend will but lend us a candle and a lanthorn we thank him What matter of thanks to God then should it be that he hath set up those candles those torches those lamps of light for our comfort and guidance continually Fourthly If God hath commanded the light so excellent a creature to serve us to be for our use then let us make use of the light to serve the Lord in and by let us make use of natural light that of the Sun in the air and of spiritual light that of Christ the Sun in the Gospel most of all Let us make use of natural light as to civil and of spiritual light as to holy ends and enjoyments let no beam of light shine to us in vain It is sinful not to make a good use of natural light 't is very sinful and dangerous not to make a good use of spiritual 't is condemnation to refuse â—piâ—iâ—ual Gospel light and to love darkness rather than the light John 3.19 Fifthly Seeing the Lord ha h commanded the morning light for us then by way of retribution let us shine forth in obedience to his commands and be as the morning light to glorifie God Matth. 5.16 We that have light made for us should carry our selves like lights The Apostle either commends the Saints at Phillippi for shining or commands them to shine as lights in the world Phil. 2.15 The Text runs in the Indicative Mood by way of commendation Among whom ye shine The Margin hath it in the Imperative Mood by way of command Among whâ—m shâ—ne ye as lights in the world The Lord who hath commanded the Sun to â—ise for our light hath commanded us to rise and shine as lights and be as so many Suns of light in the firmâ—ment of the Church and in all places to which we come Therefore as
signifie say others nothing else but the grave or those lower parts of the earth in which mens bodies deceased are buried and laid up to rest till the resurrection When we that are earth in our constitution Per portas mortis intâ—lliguntur loca subterraneana eò quòd ibimortui se peliuntur Pisc Dicuntur portae mortis i. e. mortuorum go out of the world by dissolution our return is into the earth into the lower parts of the earth we sleep in the dust According to this sense it is as if the Lord had said Hast thou seen the state of the dead or how it fares with them that are gone to their graves Hast thou visited the courts and palaces of the King of terrors Thus the gates of death are the gates of the dead Fifthly We may understand by the gates of death in general An nosti quae fiunt in visceribus terrae Vatabl. whatsoever is most remote and farthest off from our sight and view As if the Lord who said before Hast thou entred into the springs of the sea had said here Hast thou entred into the bowels or deepest abysses of the earth which are dark and uncomfortable as the grave or like the very gates of death Knowest thou or canst thou tell me what is done or how things go there Portae mortis umbrae mortis sunt ea loca ad quae vivus non penetrat quae nulla lux â—â—radiat c. Coc. Or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death These words are of a like intendment with the former The gates of death and the doors of the shadow of death are the same thing under a little difference of expression What the shadow of death is hath been shewed chap. 3.5 as alâ—o câ—â—p 10.21 thither I refer the Reader Hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death Surely thou hast not Thou neither desirest nor darest visit the doors leading to those dismal shadows which no light can pierce or where as Job spake chap. 10.21 The light is as darkness The scope of both the queries in this verse is the same also with those in the former even to repulse Jobs curiosity in searching into the secrets of God or to convince him that God had secrets which were no more opened to him than the gates of death and which he could see no more than the doors of the shadow of death Hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death Taking death in a proper sense Note Fiâ—st Bodyly death hath gates and doors passages and entrances into it Deadly sicknesses and extream dangers are as was shewed in opening the words those gates and doors Many have been brought to those gates and have been stepping into those shadows who yet have been recalled and brought back again as David and Hezekiah were and as the Apostle Paul was who had the sentence of death in himself yet was delivered trusting in him who raiseth the dead 2 Cor. 1.9 10. And therefore in all such cases whenever we are brought to the gates of death and to the doors of the shadow of death let us have recourse to the living God to that God to whom belong the issues from death Psal 68.20 He that is our God is the God of salvation of eternal salvation and of temporal salvation of salvation from death by sickness and of salvation from death by danger and trouble our God is the God of salvation to him belong the issues from death As God openeth the gates of death to let man in so he can open the gates of death to let man out As there is a gate to go in unto so there is a gate to go out from or an out-gate from death As the ways to so the issues from death belong to God Davids heart was full of this when having said Psal 141.7 Our bones are scattered at the graves mouth as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth that is we are ready to be cut in pieces and perish by our enemies having I say said this he presently adds vers 8 9. But mine eyes are unto thee O God the Lord in thee is my trust leave not my soul destitute keep me from the snare which they have laid for me c. It is the royal priviledge of Jesus Christ to be key-keeper of the grave Rev. 1.18 I have the keys of hell and of death that is I have power to deliver over to and to deliver or keep from both hell and death The keys are an emblem of power and authority Stewards have the keys He that hath the keys of death can deliver from death Secondly Taking death properly note No living man knoweth how or in what way he shall die The gates of death are not revealed to any man he hath no certainty by what means he shall passe out of this world to the grave he cannot tell through what gate he shall go whether through the gate of a natural death or of a violent death as Christ spake to Peter John 21.18 When thou wast young thou girdest thy self and wentest whether thou wouldest but when thou shalt be old another shall gird thee and carry thee whether thou wouldst not this spake he signifying by what death he should glorifie God Peter did not know what death he should die whether a natural or a violent death till Christ signified it to him And if man knoweth not at what kind of gate he shall enter the house of death that is whether by sickness or violence then much less doth he know the particular sicknesse or violence by which as a gate he must pass into the house of death these things the Lord keeps in his own hand And seeing we know not these gates of death we should alwayes pray that we may know the path of life Psal 16.11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life was Davids assurance as a type of Christ And though Christ should not shew any man the gate of his own temporal death yet he sheweth every godly man the path of eternal life and that 's enough for us Thirdly Note God onely knoweth when how and in what way we shall die as also what the state and condition of the dead is Death is the darkest and obscurest thing in the world The grave is a gloomy place and filled not only with natural but metaphorical darkness yet all is light to God he knows the gates of death and the state of the dead Prov. 15.11 The grave and destruction are before the Lord how much more the hearts of the children of men Fourthly Taking the gates of death generally for any secret or hidden thing Note Man knoweth no more than God revealeth to him When God puts the question Have the gates of death been opened or revealed to thee it is as if he had said thou canst not know them unless they are opened to thee And who can open them if I my self do not As all the
the Egyptians with all their learning could not tell the way how God parted the light then that it should be light in Goshen and darkness to feeling or darkness that might be felt in all the other parts of Egypt so who can give a reason of that distribution of Gospel light which God makes to some parts of the world while other parts of it sit in darkness and in the very shadow of death Secondly In that the Lord puts the Qâ—estion to Job Knowest thou c. for we are still to repeat those words in these questions though not exprest Knowest thou that is thou knowest not Hence Note Man is much in the dark about the light and how God distrubuteth disposeth and dispenseth forth the light Those things that are clear to our sense are often very obscure to our undeâ—standing Nothing more clear to sense than that the light is parted yet what is more obscure than this in what way and how the light is parted And as this parting of the light is marvellous so also in the effect of it held out in the latter part of the Verse Which scattereth the East-wind upon the Earth Some because the relative Which is not expressed in the Original take these words as a distinct question 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ventum Orientálem seu trentem subsolanum signifiâ—at per synechdochen hic omnem ventum Sanct. Eurum ventum vehementissimum loco omnium ponit Scult Sol dicitur ventorum pater eurus dicitur subsolanus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod sit sub regimine solis Knowest thou by what way the light is parted and taking up that again by what way he scattereth the East-wind upon the Earth But I shall speak of these words as intending this effect of light the scattering the East-wind The Hebrew Word signifies strictly the Eastern part of the World the Sun-rising and so the East-wind which riseth often with the Sun or upon which the Sun hath a great command and may be here put synechdechically for all the Winds Naturalists tell us that lightning which was the first interpretation doth raise the East-wind or causeth it to blow and that the light of the Sun or the Sun-rising hatâ— also an influence upon the wind or raiseth the East-wind is both the observation of Naturalists and an assertion which hath ground in Scripture The Sun is by some called the Father of the Winds and especially of the East-wind and the East-wind hath denominations both in the Greek and Latine Tongue as the Margin shews implying that it is much as it were under the dominion of the Sun It is said Jonah 4.8 that The Lord at the Sun-rising commanded or prepared a vehement East-wind to blow upon the head of Jonah As if the rising of the Sun had some power in the bâ—inging the East-wind and without all doubt the East-wind as one elegantly describes it at that time by Gods Call fought under the banner of the Sun and was confederate with him for the affliction of that angry Prophet Jonah The East-wind is a vehement wind a drying wind a scorching wind Exod. 14.21 When the Lord lead the people of Israel through the Red Sea it is said He commanded a strong East wind to blow all night and divided the Sea The East-wind it seems was the most proper instrument to serve the Providence of God in dividing or scattering and then in gathering the waters of the Sea as here the light is said to scatter the East-wind upon the Earth Mr. Broughton renders these words as expressing the natural aptitude of the wind to spread it self thus And which way the East-wind scattereth it self over the Earth That is which way it will scatter or in what Country it will blow The winds are of a most diffusive nature they scatter themselves they disperse and pass through the air with much violence and vehemence But I shall not stay upon that The main scope and purpose of the Lord in putting this question being onely this To shew that as the light take it either for the lightning or for the light of the Sun is in the hands of God so also that the wind even the East-wind is at his dispose too Hence Note Winds the most vehement and violent winds are under the power of God He who commands the light commands the winds Prov. 30.4 He gathereth the winds in his fist he comprehends them all in his hand 'Ts a wonderful expression of the power of God that he hath the loose winds as fast as a man hath that which he gripes in his fist and 't is at the opening of his hand that they pass forth Whatever natural causes there are of the winds we must look beyond them all at the power of God as the cause reigning over all other causes Christ John 3. treating with Nicodemus about that most spiritual Doctrine of Regeneration or the New Birth to shew how free an agent the Spirit of God is in it compares his workings to that of the Wind of which he saith vers 8. The wind bloweth where it listeth which yet we are not to understand as if the winds did blow at randome or were carried out by their own power and impression Christ speaks of the wind there as if it had a will or wilfulness rather but we are to understand it thus The wind bloweth where it listeth for any thing man can do or say to it let man say what he will let man do what he can the wind blows where it listeth The wind is not under the controul or command of any man no not of the mightiest Prince on Earth yet it bloweth not absolutely where it self but where God listeth The power and skill of all the men in the World cannot alter oâ— controul the wind Some indeed have traded with Witches for winds as if they had the command of them yet know it is onely the Lords chusing their delusions or his giving them up to those delusions and wickednesses which their hearts chuse if at any time any gain a breath of winâ— by trading with them We should onely look by faith and trade with him by pâ—ayer for the managing and disposing of the winds it is he that scattereth the East-wind over the Earth Knowest thou how the East-winds are scattered over the Earth or by what way the Lord scattereth the East-wind over the Earth Hence Note Secondly The way of the Wind is a secret to man as well as the way of the Light The Lord Christ sheweth mans ignorance with respect to the way of the wind John 3.8 Thou hearest the sound thereof but thou knowest not whence it cometh nor whither it goeth Which we are not to understand as if when a man perceives the wind to blow he did not know whence or out of what part of the compasse it comes or towards what point it goes We know when it comes from the East and when it comes from thence we know
call neesing So then neesing is an effect of the expulsive faculty in the brain The Jewish Rabbins have two observations about neesing First They say neesing is a good sign in prayer and the reason of it as I conceive is this because it shews there is warmth and heat in the brain and some fervency of spirit in the duty That 's the reason I suppose why they say neesing is a good sign in prayer Secondly Both they and others say Neesing is a good sign in a sick man We say commonly Neesing is a sign of health it shews a vigour and quickness in the natural spirits residing in the brain His neesings But what are these neesings of Leviathan They who hold Leviathan to be the Crocodile say Si ronchos edit sternutanti similis emicat flamma Bez. when he is sunning himself or lyeth open with his face to the Sun this causeth him to neese or sneese and then his breath breaking out forcibly at his nostrils is like a shining light 'T is said also that the Whale neesing Baloens ex 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab emittendo fundendo aquas Isid Ora Balenae habent in frontibus ideoque summa aqua natantes in sublime nimbos efflant Plin. Natur. Hist l. 9. c. 6. Sternutationes ejus faciunt splâ—ndorem dum aqua albescens in aero dispergitur Pisc Aquae qua per duas fistulas quam longissimè sursum ejaculatur Balona splendores dicuntur quia lucant candidant Sanct. spouts out water at those pipes or holes which he hath placed or made naturally upon his head or forehead he hath a mouth as it were on the top of his head not to eat with but to spout out water with as when a man neeseth there comes out a vapour at his nostrils so the Whale is supposed to neese when he blows out showers of water through those pipes up into the Air. The word by which the Whale is expressed in Latine signifies this action or his spouting out water and by these spoutings or neesings we may say as it followeth in the Text A light doth shine Because the water which he spouts up into the Air with a great and vehement force meeting and as it were mingling with the light there looks like light and hath a great brightness in it so that this action of Leviathan and the effect or concomitant of it is as applicable to the Whale as to the Crocodile And his eyes are like the eye-lids of the morning or like the dawning of the day So we translate these words Job 3.9 Let it not that is let not the night in which I was conceived see the dawning of the day or as the Margin hath it the eye-lids of the morning Leviathans eyes are said to be like the eye-lids of the morning because of the lightsomeness of them Christ saith Mat. 6.22 The light of the body is the eye We may call it so in a double respect First because the eye is the most lightsom part of the body or hath most light in it Secondly because the eye gives or lets in light to the whole body They that want eyes or their eye-sight dwell in darkness The eyes of Leviathan are not only light in themselves Palpebrae pro oculis metonymicè sumuntur but are like the eye-lids that is eyes of the morning But wherein doth this likeness consist I answer in two things First His eyes are very great in proportion to his head and body Secondly His eyes are very clear And so Leviathans eyes may be said to be like the eye-lids of the morning First in their greatness Secondly in their brightness or clearness It is usual in Scripture to mention the morning light when it would express the clearest light The Prophet Isa 58.8 assuring the Jews of the greatest outward prosperity in case they kept a true Fast saith Then shall thy light break forth as the morning And when the Prophet Amos describes God making the morning darkness Chap. 4.13 As also turning the shadow of death into the morning Chap. 5.8 his meaning is that the Lord can easily and at pleasure change a state of greatest prosperity into adversity and a state of deepest adversity into clearest or highest prosperity But some may say if the Lord intended to set forth the exceeding clearness of Leviathans eyes it might seem more proper to have compared them to the light at noon-day than to the morning light I answer Though the light at noon-day is clearer than that in the morning considered in it self yet considering the morning light with respect to its neerness or neighbourhood to the foregoing darkness so we are more sensible of that than of the light at noon-day Contraries placed neer together illustrate each other For as soon as the morning appears light conveys it self all over the Hemisphear and makes a wonderful change in the Air. The morning light coming suddenly and immediately after dismal darkness affects us more than the light at noon-day Ardentos oculos suffectos sanguine igne Virg. l. 2. Aeniad Exilit in siccum flammantia lumina torquet Virg. l. 3. Georg. though greater and clearer Leviathans eyes shine bright even like the eye-lids or eyes that is the light of the morning The Ancients give report that Dragons and Serpents have flaming eyes This saith Bochartus is very true of the Crocodile whose eyes are so bright that the Egyptians used to paint a Crocodiles eye when they would signifie the morning light whereas great Authors write that the eyes of the Whale are even covered with the weight of their eye-brows or with fat and are little bigger than the eyes of some sort of bullocks whence it comes to pass that the Whale losing his guide Oculi noctu coruscant ingentium flammarum modo Procul enim visi à piscatoribus ignes esse grandes putantur Olaus lib. 21. c. 5. dasheth against rocks and Sea-shallows Thus he To which I shall only oppose the testimony of no inconsiderable Writer who affirms of the Whales in the Seas of Norway that their eyes in the night-time shine like a huge flame so that the fisher-men who are abroad at Sea judge them to be great fires And to what Bochartus saith of the Whale that he is so dim-sighted when deep in the Sea that he cannot find his way without a guide I may reply from his own shewing out of several Authors that the Crocodile is no better at seeing when much under water they teaching that the Crocodiles eyes are dull while in the water but out of the water very quick or sharp-sighted as if then at last he recovered his eye-sight and if so he hath no advantage of the Whale in that particular Vers 19. Out of his mouth go burning lamps and sparks of fire leap out That is somewhat goes out of his mouâ—h like burning lamps and sparks of fire This is a demonstration of the extream natural heat of
the first day of the world God is the Father not onely of spiritual light Jam. 1.17 but of natural Psal 74.16 The day is thiâ—e the night also is thine thou hast prepared the light and the Sun This glory is ascribed to God by his holy Prophet also Jer. 31.35 Thus saith the Lord which giveth the Sun for a light by day and the ordinances of the Moon and of the Stars for a light by night The Lord gives these as well as command these and who but God can do either None can command the creatures unto their daily motion but God much less could any command the creatures into their first being but God How wise how great soever men are or seem to be in their own eyes or sight they cannot make nor bring forth the least ray of light much less can they make such a world of light as God hath made for the world And surely there is no creature wherein we may see and contemplate more of God than in the light which he made the first day and now commandeth to make the morning day by day Nor is there any thing in the whole compass of Nature either more comfoâ—table or more admirable than the light The commonness of it lessens our esteem of it and because it comes so constantly and never fails we are apt to look upon it as no great matter as no great mercy whereas indeed the light is not onely useful and comfortable but admirable and that it deserves these three attributes I shall briefly shew by giving a touch at each of them That light is an admirable creature must be confessed if we consider First It s original or the way of its production The Apostle treating about spiritual light tells us whence the natural light came 2 Cor. 4.6 God who commanded light to shine out of darkness c. Light came as it were out of the womb of darkness Now that out of darkness black darkness such a beautiful child such a goodly creature as light should be brought forth is it not marvellous Yet thus it was God commanded light to shine out of darkness The History of the Creation reports There was nothing but darkness upon the face of the earth when the Lord said Let there be light Darkness is totally contrary to light 't is the privation of light Now that the habit should come forth out of the privation light out of darkness or life out of death joy out of sorrow peace out of trouble these are the wonderful works of God And we may comfortably meditate upon this when we want any kind of light Whence did the Lord bring light at first even out of darkness therefore let us not think any darkness of trouble a leâ—t to the Lords production of light When we are in spiritual darkness the state of nature is a state of darkness that doth not hinder the Loâ—d can easily bring the light of the new creatuâ—e out of it and when we are in the darkness of any trouble though it be thick darkness darkâ—ess as Job spake chap. 10.22 like darkness it self and where the light is as darkness yet this doth not hinder the Lord can bring light out of it There 's the first wonder the Lord brought light out of darkness Secondly Light is wonderful in its operation power and efficacy in that it doth so suddenly chase away conquer and overcome darkness Light gets victory over darkness in a moment There 's no darkness can abide the face of light As soon as God commands the morning let it be as da k as pitch the darkness must away and fly before it Daâ—kness cannot withstand light nor stand in the presence of it there 's no long dispute light instantly gets the hands the day of darknâ—ss Thirdly If we consider the pure nature oâ— lighâ— 't is as pure as purity it self Light hath an inseparable and an insuperable purity though it may be a while obâ—cured yet it cannot be at all polluted Philosophers have spoken much about the natuâ—e of light but none were ever able to comprehend it Some said it is a habit or quality of a light some body Lâ—x diunt Physici est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seu qualitas corporis â—ucidi yet none of their definitions reach it fully They make it a quality yet we may conceive it is rather to be ranked and reckoned among substances than accidents it being a principal part of the Creation and the express subject of Gods work the first day of it Fourthly The light is very wonderful in the changes and vicissitudes of it How it passeth and repasseth how it increaseth and decreaseth how it comes and goes is an amazing consideration Fifthly Though the light be in continual changes yet there 's nothing more constant than the light to its appointed time Light never fails to come in its season Secondly That light is a most useful and beneficial creature who can deny seeing without light the whole Creation were a nothing to us What had the world been to us if God had not made light and set up lights in it The eye of the body whiâ—h is the light of the body Matth. 6.22 were of no use to us without outward light Till the Sun which is the eye of the great world shines the eye which is the Sun of the little world is no advantage to us There must be light in the aire as well as light in the eye else the most beautiful objects have no appearing beauty and therefore the Lord made light the first day that by it the beauty of the whole Creation might be seen Light discovers it self and all other things Light illustrates all the works of God and sets them in our sight And as all that God hath done would be nothing to us without light so we our selves could do nothing without light We cannot work at all or very hardly or very badly without light hence that of David Psal 104.22 23. The Sun ariseth man goeth forth to his work and to his labour until the evening John 9.4 The night cometh wherein no man can work Night of any sort is not for work because 't is dark and therefore they who work in the night get artificial light to supply the want of natural When the plague of darkness was upon the Egyptians they sate still and no man moved from the place where he was till that plague was removed Exod. 10.22 23. And as we cannot do the work of our Civil Callings without light either natural or artificial so we cannot do the work of our Christian Calling without spiritual light When Christ the Sun of righteousness ariseth with healing in his wings then we go forth to our spiritual labour as Christians and grow up as the calves of the stall Mal. 4.2 How long soever we live in this world we never go forth to that labour till the Sun of righteousness the Lord Jesus Christ ariseth upon us It was
as a prayer for their return out of proper captivity and largely for their deliverance out of any adversity So Psal 126.1 When the Lord turned the captivity of Sion we were like them that dream Read also Zeph. 2.7 Secondly From the author of this turn The Lord turned the captivity c. Observe Deliverance out of an afflicted state is of the Lord. He is the authour of these comfortable turns and he is to be acknowledged as the authour of them The Psalmist prayed thrice Turn us again Psal 80.3 7 19. The waters of affliction would continually rise and swell higher and higher did not the Lord stop and turn them did not he command them back and cause an ebb Satan would never have done bringing the floods of affliction upon Job if the Lord had not forbidden him and turned them It was the Lord who took all from Job as he acknowledged chap. 1.21 and it was the Lord who restored all to him again as we see here the same hand did both in his case and doth both in all such cases Hos 6.1 Let us return to the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal us he hath smitten and he will bind us up David ascribed both to God Psal 66.11 12. Thou broughtest us into the net thou layedst affliction upon our loins thou hast caused men to ride over our heads we went through fire and through water The hand of God led them in that fire and water of affliction through which they went but who led them out The Psalmist tells us in the next words Thou broughtest us into a wealthy place the Margin saith into a moist place They were in fire and water before Fire is the extremity of heat and driness water is the extremity of moistneâ—s and coldness A moist place notes a due temperament of â—eat and cold of driness and moistness and therefore elâ—gantly shadows that comfortable and contentful condition into which the good hand of God had brought them which is significantly expressed in our translation by a wealthy place those places flourishing most in fruitfulness and so in wealth which are neither over-hot nor over-cold neither oveâ—-dry nor over-moist And as in that Psalm David acknowledged the hand of God in this so in another he celebrated the Lords power and goodness for this Psal 68.20 He that is our God is the God of salvation and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death that is the out-lets or out-gates from death are from the Lord he delivereth from the grave and from every grief The Lord turned the captivity of Job not only p eserving him from death but filling him with the good things and comforts of this life Thirdly Note The Lord can suddenly make a change or turn As he can quickly make a great change from prosperity to adversity and in a moment bâ—ing darkness upon those who injoy the sweetest light so he can quickly make a change from adversity to prosperity from captivity to liberty and turn the darkest night into a morning light For such a turn the Church prayed Psal 126.4 Turn again our captivity O Lord as the streams in the south that is do it speedily The south is a dry place thither streams come not by a slow constant currant but as mighty streams or land-floods by a sudden unexpected rain like that 1 Kings 18.41 45. Get thee up said Eliah to Ahab for there is a sound of aboundance of rain and presently the heaven was black with clouds and wind and there was a great rain When great rains come after long drought they make sudden floods and streams Such a sudden income of mercy or deliverance from captivity the Church then prayed for and was in the faith and hope of nor was that hope in vain nor shall any who in that condition wait patiently upon God be ashamed of their hope The holy Evangelist makes report Luke 13.16 that Satan had bound a poor woman eighteen years all that time he had her his prisoner but Jesus Christ in a moment made her free Ought not this woman being a daughter of Abraham whom Satan hath bound lo these eighteen years be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day The devil who had her in his power eighteen years could not hold her a moment when Jesus Christ would turn her captivity and loose her from that bond If the Son undertake to make any free whether from corporal or spiritual bondage they shall not only be free indeed as he spake John 8.36 at the time when he is pleased to do it but he can do it at any time in the shortest time when he pleaseth We find a like turn of captivity is described Psal 107.10 11 12 13 14. such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death being bound in affliction and iron because they rebelled against the word of the Lord c. These vers 13. cryed unto the Lord in their trouble and he saved them out of their distresses He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death and brake their bands in sunder Thus far of the first particular considerable in Jobs restitution the Author of it The Lord turned the captivity of Job The second thing to be considered is the season which the Lord took for the turning of Jobs captivity the Lord did it saith the text When he prayed for his friends Some conceive the turn of his captivity was just in his prayer time and that even then his body was healed I shall have occasion to speak further to that afterwards upon another verse Thus much is clear that When he prayed That is either in the very praying time or presently upon it the Lord â—urned his captivity Possibly the Lord did not stay till he had done accorâ—ing to that Isa 65.24 It shall come to pass that before they call I will answer and while they are yet speaking I will hear Or according to that Dan. 9.20 While I was speaking and praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and presenting my supplications before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God Yea while I was speaking in prayer even the man Gabriel whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning being caused to flie swiftly touched me about the time of the evening oblation and he informed me and talked with me and said O Daniel I am come forth to give thee skill and understanding at the beginning of thy supplications the commandement came forth and I am come to shew thee c. What commandement came forth even a command for the turning of their captivity Thus here I say possibly the Lord gave out that word of command for the turning of Jobs captivity at that very time when he was praying for his friends But without question these words when he prayed for his friends note a very speedy return of his prayers that is soon after he had done that gracious office for them he
wrath but of this City the Lord said it is wholly oppression they are given up to oppression every one is oppressing and wronging his brother now when they sinned at this rate when their arm was thus high in wickedness then it was to be broken There is a righteous God that judgeth the earth and therefore the high arm of unrighteouness shall be broken JOB Chap. 38. Vers 16 17 18. 16. Hast thou entred the springs of the Sea or hast thou walked in the search of the depth 17. Have the gates of death been opened unto thee or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death 18. Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth declare if thou knowest 〈◊〉 all IN the former Context the Lord made a short dâ—gression from those questionings with which he had begun with Job concerning his Works the occasion whereof was the mentioning of the wicked who improved not but abused his works In this Context the Lord returns to his former way of interrogating Job and having questioned him about the birth or production of the Sea the bands and bounds of the Sea at the 8th 9th 10th and 11th verses he questions him here First About the depth of the unsearchable depth of the Sea vers 16 17. Secondly About the vast breadth of the Earth vers 18. Thereby to convince Job that he not being able to reach the depth of those mighty waters nor to comprehend the breadth of the earth was much less able to comprehend the depth of those counsels or the breadth of those ways of providence in which himself had been walking towards him That 's the general scope and sum of these three verses as also of all that follow as hath been shewed formerly The last thing about which the Lord put the question was the Light whereby hidden and secret things are discovered here the question is about things that lie out of the light about hidden and secret things all which yet are more plain and obvious to more open and naked before the eye of God with whom we have to do than the Noon-day light to us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Numquâ—d ingressus es vel penetrâ—stâ— Vers 16. Hast thou entred into the springs of the sea Hast thou Doubtless thou hast not nor hast thou any mind to enter into those springs Who hath Hast thou entred or penetrated the springs of the sea There is a twofold entring into the springs of the sea or into any thing that lies remote from us Fiâ—st A Local Secondly An Intellectual entring To be sure Job had not locally entred the springs of the sea and it was as sure that he was not able to make any perfect intellectual entrance thither When therefore the Lord asked Job this question Opartet judicem nosse ea de quiâ—us judicaâ—â—â— us est tu voâ—â— judicas de operibus mo is cum ea non noris â—atabl Hast thou entred into the springs of the sea it is as if he had said It becomes him that makes a judgement upon any matter to enter into it either locally to view it with the eye or intellectually to view it with his understanding but thou O Job hast neither of these ways entred into the springs of the sea and there dâ—scovered how the waters flow or rise up out of the earth how then canst thou make up a judgement about the waters and if not what judgment canst thou make up concerning my deep counsels concerning the secret springs of my judgements Hast thou entred into the springs of the sea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ad plorâ—ta i. e. lacrymas mâ—riâ— Drus There is an elegancy in the word rendred springs which some derive from a root which signifies to weep or shed tears Hast thoâ— entred among the tears oâ— weeping places of the sea The same word in the Hebrew signifies an eye Aliqui 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fluenta non a flendo sed a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perplexâ—m esse deducunt Et reddunt perplexitates mâ—ris Sensus eodem recidit sed Grammatica magis quadrat ut a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 flevit destectatur Mâ—rc as also a spring or fountain because as the eye drops yea pours out tears David saith Rivers of tears run down mine eyes so springs pour out waters and are as it were weeping continually Others derive the word from a root which signifieth to be infolden or intangled and so they render it Hast thou entred into the perplexities or intricacies of the sea Pharaoh used that word in the Verb Exod. 14.3 concerning the people of Israel They are intangled or perplexed in the land he thought he had caught them in the briars and should have had his will or satisfied his lust on them The sense is much the same whether we read the springs or the perplexities and intricate places of the sea both tending to the same purpose to shew Job his utter incompetency and inability for such an adventure Hast thou entred into the springs Of the sea The sea is a consluence of many waters the great vessel which God prepared to hold the multitude of waters as was shewed before at the eighth verse onely take notice Mâ—re dicitur Jâ—mim voce deducta à Maiim transpositis quibusdam literis that the word which signifies the sea is composed of the same letters a little transposed with that which signifies the water The sea being the gathering together of waters and water being the substance of the Sea one word in substance serves them both in the Hebrew tongue Yet others say it alludes at least to a word signifying to make a noise or to roar seas and floods make a terrible noise and roaâ—ing David ascribes a voice to the floods Psal 93.3 The floods have lifted up O Lord the floods have lifted up their voices These grammatical criticisms about words have their use giving some light about the nature and qualities of things But to the Text Hast thou entred into the springs of the sea And hast thou walked in the search of the depth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 abyssus vorago altittulo expers fundi This latter part of the verse is of the same importance with the former The springs of the sea and the search of the depth have little if any difference and walking follows upon entring therefore the Lord having said Hast thou entred into the springs of the sea saith Hast thou walked c. But more distinctly what is the search and what the depth The depth is the sea where 't is deepest so deep that no bottom can be found by sounding The word rendred here search notes the last oâ— utmost of any thing and so the deepest of the depth which possibly may be called the search of the depth because how much or how long soever it is searched for it cannot be found out Mr. Broughton renders it The border of the sea the Vulgar Latine The last or
about to frame and O how many how exceeding many or innumerable are they yet God saw not onely some or many but every one of them It was said by one of the Ancients upon this place Profundum mâ—ris deuâ— ingreditâ—r quâ—ndo visitare mentes etiam pressâ—â— sceleribus non dedignatur Greg. l. 29. c. 7 God goes to the depth of the sea as often as he goeth into the depth of mans heart and beholds what is there And there â—e beholds not onely the great but small beasts as the Psalmist calls the fish of the sea that is not onely great but small lusts and foolish imaginations the huge multitudes and shoals of vain thoughts which swim and play in that wide sea of mans heart are distinctly seen and as distinctly judged as if but one were there Thirdly From the scope of this place note That seeing we cannot search into the depth of the sea it should stay our curiosity in searching into and stay us from discontent when we cannot find the depth of Gods Counsels concerning us and of his Providences towards us There is a dutiful search into the Works of God David speaks of it Psal 111.2 The works of the Lord are great sought out of all those that have pleasure in them They are sought out that is they who have pleasure in them do and will endeavour soberly to search them out as much as may be but let all take heed of searching them wantonly or presumptuously that is either to satisfie their curiosity or with an opinion that they can reach the depth of them The Lord would have us satisfie our selves in the ignorance or rather nescience of those natural things which he hath not made known to us Surely then which is as hath been said the scope of this Chapter we should be satisfied though we in some cases know not nor can perceive the reason of Gods providential dealings either towaâ—ds particular persons and families or his Church in general Will any wise or sober man vex and disquiet himself will he be angry and pettish because he knows not all the secrets of the earâ—h and sea as some say Aristotle the Philosopher was to death and drowning because he could not find out the reason why the sea in one place ebbed and slowed seven times in one day Why then should we be impatient because the reason of Gods proceedings with the sons of men or of the strange ebbings and slowings of things in the sea of this world is secreted and hidden fâ—om us And therefore when we are not able to enter into the springs of this sea nor to walk in the search of this depth let it not trouble us but humble us as it did Job to whom the Lord put these questions and proceeded to put more and more hard questions if harder can be in the next words Vers 17. Have the gates of death been opened or revealed unto thee Or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death Here is another strange question Who among the living hath had the gates of death opened to him Oâ— hath viewed the doors of the shadow of death We read often in Scripture of the gates of death Psal 9.13 Num illius profunda quae verè dixirim mortis regiam c. rimatus es Bez. Psal 107.18 and which is all one of the gates of the grave Isa 38.10 but who knows what these gates are yet we may say something towards the clearing of this question A gate in strict sense is that by which we are admitted into any place and so the gates of death are That whatsoever it is by which we enter into death or go into the black hall of the grave Again The gates of death are any great and eminent danger Then we may be said to be at the gates of death when our lives are in great hazard to be lost either by the violence of enemies or by any violent sickness In the former sense David spake in way of supplication Psal 9.13 Have mercy on me O Lord consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me thou that liftest me up from the gates of death that is from deadly danger In the latter he spake by way of narration in his elegant description of the sick Psal 107.18 Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat and they draw near unto the gates of death that is they are ready to die or sick unto death And thus said King Hezekiah upon his sick-bed and as he thought a little before upon his death-bed Isa 38.10 I shall go to the gates of the grave I am deprived of the residue of my years that is of those years which I might have reckoned upon as mine according to the common account of mans life or the usual course of nature These are the more general gates of death and about these all agree But there are several opinions what should be specially intended by the gates of death in this place Portae mortis sunt causae corruptionis quantum advirtutes corporum â—â—lestium Aquin. in loc First One riseth very high saying that by the gates of death we are to understand the visible heavens because the heavenly bodies send down sometimes malignant influences which have a mighty power to corrupt the bodies of men here below so causing death to carry them away Thus he imagins death issuing out of the clouds as out of opened gates upon men on earth But that 's a far fetcht interpretation Secondly Oâ—hers go to the utmost contrary point and say by the gates of death we are to understand Hell The Papists give a description of several receptacles for souls departed under the earth they make at least three distinctions First Limbus Patrum The place where they affiâ—m the souls of the Fathers were before Christ came in the flesh and had accomplished the work of our redemption here on earth Secondly Purgatory the place where the souls of all that die not in mortal sin as they distinguish are reserved to be purged by temporary punishments before they can get to heaven Thirdly The lowest of all is that which we call Hell the place of the damned whither all go say they and we too who die in sin without repentance This place of torment some take for the gates of death But seeing the Lord is here speaking of natural things not of moral actions not of the consequents of them rewards and punishments therefore though we may truly call Hell the gates or power of death yet that notion as well as the former is altogether heterogeneal in this Text. Thirdly Several expound the gates of death in connection with the former verse for the depth or bottom of the sea where many dead carcases lie rotting all such as are cast away by shipwracks or die at sea being usually thrown into the deep and therefore at last the sea shall give up her dead as well as the earth Fourthly The gates of death
mysteries of the Gospel are hidden from us till God is pleased to reveal them so in nature there are many things which are mysteries and secrets to us till God makes them known to us And there are some things which God will no more open to us than he hath the gates of death or the doors of the shadow of death And if so then as God will never blame us for not knowing those things which he hath hidden so we should not busie our selves with any enquiries about hidden things Though the secret of the Lord be with those that fear him Psal 25.14 yet they that fear him will not dare not meddle with nor search into the Lords secret Therefore Lastly Observe Whatsoever God is not pleased to reveal to us or is pleased to hide from us that we should be content not to know and be satisfied that it is hidden from us Deut. 29.29 The secret things belong unto the Lord our God but those things which are revealed belong unto us and our children for ever It is both our duty and our interest to be content with our own share or to be satisfied with what belongs to us and not to invade Gods peculiars or reserves It was Jobs fault he would be entring into the secrets of God but saith God Have the gates of death been opened unto thee or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death if not then be not troubled that those things are not opened to thee which I have reserved to my self God hath not straitned us in any needful point of knowledge there is enough opened to us though the gates of death be not Is it not enough for us that in the glass of the Gospel God hath set before us the mysteries of eternal salvation unless he also acquaint us in the day of our trial which was Jobs case with all the whole mystery of his temporal dispensations The Lord having urged Job with these hard questions about the depth of the Sea and the gates of death seems now to offer him a more easie question in the next verse Vers 18. Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth Declare if thou knowest it all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. Sic terram elegantèr circumloquuntur nâ—m qui quid sub coelo â—â—reâ— terra est â—er terram ambit Drus The Septuagint render Hast thou perceived the breadth of that which is under the heavens Under the Cope or Canopy of the heavens Hast thou perceived how broad that is which is spanned or compassed about by the heavens that is as we translate the breadth of the earth That which is circled or suâ—rounded by the aereal heavens is the earth Hast thou perceived the breadth of that Though the earth be better known to man than the depth of the sea yet no man ever saw the whole earth Many parts of the earth are deserts and unpassable by man The best Writers say the whole compass of the earth is 21600 miles yet that is rather a supposition than a demonstration no man having ever visited or viewed the whole face of the earth We find Job 11.9 length ascribed to the earth and breadth to the sea But in this place the Lord having ascribed depth to the sea gives breadth to the earth We are not here to take the breadth of the earth according to the rules of Geography for so the length of the earth is from East to West Terrae latitudo hoc in locâ— est universus terrae ambitus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pluralis a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 latitudo In qualibet re major dimensâ—o vocâ—tur longitudo minor latitudo Aquiâ— and the breadth from North to South but breadth is here put sinecdochically for all the dimensions or the whole circumference of the Earth As it the Lord had said Dost thou know how big how spacious the Earth is The breadth of the Earth imports the largeness of it opposed to straitness or narrowness and to shew that here the breadth contains all dimensions the word is in the Plural Number Hast thou known the breadths of the Earth that is the whole compass of it how broad and how long and so how big the Earth is Hast thou perceived the breadth of the Earth Hence Note First The earth is a huge vast body That is very big whose bigness is not easily perceived if at all perceivable and such is the breadth or bigness of the earth Whence take this double Inference First If the earth be such a great thing that a man cannot perceive the breadth or dimensions of it then how great are the heavens The earth in comparison of the heavens is but as a point 't is as little as is imaginable O what a broad thing is heaven if the earth be such that we cannot reach the breadth of it Secondly If the earth be so great how great is God who made the heavens and the earth too That 's it which God would lead Job to the consideration of even of his own infinite greatness How great is God who made this great earth To him as the prophet Isaiah speaks chap. 40.15 16. The Nations the people of the earth are but as the drop of a bucket and as the dust of the ballance He weighs the mountains in scales and the hills in a ballance He holds the dust as one single grain in his hand What a nothing are all things to God seeing the earth is a nothing to the heavens God puts the question to Job Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth and we may put that question into this negative Proposition O Job Thou hast not perceived the breadth of the earth The wisest of men know not the breadth or bigness of the earth Some have undertaken to tell us how great the circle of the earth is but theirs are but guesses though somewhat may be said that way yet no man can give it exactly and therefore the Roman Orator attempting to write about the earth and the dimensions of it prefaceth or apologizeth thus for himself De Geographia dabo operam ut tibi satisfaciam sed nihil certi polliceor magnum opus est Cicero ad Atticum l. 2. ep 4. I will do my endeavour to satisfie thee about Geography or the dimensions of the earth but I promise nothing of certainty 't is a great work Hast thou known the breadth of the earth Declare if thou knowest it all As if the Lord had said I have put the question to thee come now answer me declare what thou knowest let me know what her thou knowest it all God provokes or challengeth Job to say his utmost We may refer these last words either strictly to the immediate question only or generally to all the questions before yet I conceive they are rather to be restrained to the last question concerning the breadth of the earth because they run in the singular number Declare if thou knowest it all
His largeness of heart though like the sand of the sea will be but narrowness of heart compared with the enlargements which Saints shall have there Glorified Saints shall be in natural things exact Philosophers able to answer all the questions here put to Job In spiritual things they shall be exact Divines all dark Scriptures shall be clear to them Châ—ist will be their Comment all daâ—k questions will be clear to them Christ will be their light Those perplexed Cases and fatal Controversies which have troubled the peace of the Church and have occasioned the calling together of some hundreds of the ablest Scholars to debate and determine them shall at one view be understood shall have all their knots untied and their difficulties removed by the meanest if among them there shall be found any meaner than others of glorified understandings What sweetness the soul shall feel at this revelation of all knowledge a little knowledge will serve to judge For then not only to this challenge which the Lord made to Job about those special matters the gates of death and the breadth of the earth but also to any other Declare if thou knowest it all Every soul will readily and confidently answer Lord in thy light I know it all JOB Chap. 38. Vers 19 20 21. 19. Where is the way where light dwelleth and as for darkness where is the place thereof 20. That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof and that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof 21. Knowest thou it because thou wast then born Or because the number of thy days is great THe Lord having posed Job in the former Context about the depth of the Sea the darkness of Death and the vastness of the Earth here calleth him to an account about the light of the Sun and the darkness of the Air in these three verses As if he had said If thou knowest the breadth of the whole earth about which I enquired last of thee then tell me in what part of the earth doth the light dwell and where is the place of darkness Vers 19. Where is the way where light dwelleth The Septuagint translate In what land doth light dwell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In qua terra Sept. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vbi via in quae habitat scil â—post viae itineris spatium emensum Or where is the land of light We say Where is the way The Hebrew word notes a trodden beaten way or as we speak a high-way Where is the way where light dwelleth That is whither light retireth and doth as it were betake it self in the night when it hath gone its journey and is past thy Horizon For every one knows where light dwells while the Sun is up with us and shines upon us But what becomes of it or whither it goes when 't is gone from us that 's a question and here say some the question The word which we translate dwelleth implieth a retirement Verbum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est ad quietem noctem traducendam alicubicommorari a rest after long labour and travel Where is the way where light-dwelleth and as for darkness where is the place of it Here are two gâ—eat contraâ—ies which cannot agree nor dwell together in any one subject yet met together in this Text Light and darkness and there is some yea not a little darkness in this question about the light We need a great measure of Divine Light to answer this question about the Light Where is the way where light dwelleth Tell me O Job if thou canst where light lodgeth where it reposeth it self when the Sun is gone down and departed out of thy sight Tell me what way leadeth to the lodging of light The words as Interpreters give it have in them a poetâ—cal tincture as if the Sun setting retired to his chamber as we do when the light and business of the day is ended David speaks of the Sun as a Bridegroom coming out of his chamber Psal 19.5 And when his race as to us is run every day he hath a chamber ready for him not that the Sun doth at all end its motion or sit down to rest but because it seems to rest when it goeth down to us As if the Lord had said Hast thou travelled to the place of the Suns rising and setting Where is the way where the light dwelleth There may be a threefold answer given to these questions as light is taken properly for the natural light the light of the day caused by the Suns approach and as darkness is taken properly for natural darkness caused by the with-drawing of the Sun First Some because the word dwelleth notes a stay or an abode for such is a dwelling place answer the question geographically and say light dwelleth under the Poles There are two poles of the earth the Northern and the Southern under both which interchangeably light and darkness abide six moneths together and because of the long stay and abode of light and darkness there Geographers reckon and conclude the dwelling of light and the place of darkness to be there and that therefore the Sun hath two dwelling houses one in the North the other in the South Secondly When Astronomers answer these questions Where is the way where light dwelleth and where is the place of darkness They say The East is the place of light and the West the dwelling of darkness And the reason given is this Because the Sun riseth in the East and goes down in the West leaving the World Forvide Titan obitus pariter tecum Alcides vid it Ortus novitque tuas utrasque domos Sen. in Herc. Act. 4. Alludere videtur ad signorum Zodiaci spatia per quae Sol cursum suum perragit quae ab astrologis Mansiones vel Domus solent appellari Itáque Zona illa sive fascia Zodiaci in cujus medio protenditur eccliptica est via solis qui in tot habitare domus dicitur quot in illa sunt signa Bold that half of the World upon which it shined in the day over-shadowed with darkness It is by the access and recess by the rising and setting of the Sun that we enjoy light or are wrapped up in darkness And so East and West are called by the ancient Poets the houses or dwellings of the Sun Astronomers have found out according to their doctrine twelve houses or dwelling places of the Sun they imagine a girdle or bond passing quite through the heavens which they call the Zodiack and there a line which they call the Ecliptick in which the Sun moveth or which is the way of the light and in this line they place the twelve signs the first of which the Sun entreth the first moneth of the year and is called Aries the second Taurus the third Gemini c. These are onely fictions by which they represent the gradual motions of the Sun in the several seasons of the year and
would confess that his own right hand could save him Note He that can destroy all others can save himself Illa facere posse seipsum salvare unius ejusdem sunt virtutis There goes no more to save our selves out of any trouble than to destroy all others The Apostle James saith Chap. 4.12 There is one law-giver who is able to save and destroy God is this law-giver he is able to do both and because he can destroy all he can save all and will save all that trust in him The devil is called a destroyer he is called Abaddon in Hebrew and Apollyon in Greek that is a destroyer Rev. 9.11 but he cannot destroy all if he could he would soon make sad work none should be saved There is but one law-giver who can save and destroy take away life and give life he can do the one as well as the other and both as often as he will The Lord hath an absolutely supream power over men and may dispose of them for life or death as he pleaseth even eternal life and death salvation and damnation are in his hand 't is therefore a fearful thing to fall into the hand the revenging hand of the living God Heb. 10.31 upon the neglect much more upon the despising and contempt of the covenant of life and peace by Jesus Christ as 't is said at the 29th verse of that Chapter Christ is the best friend and the worst enemy To him belong the issues from death Psal 68.20 and he hath the keyes af death and hell Rev. 1.18 Let us rejoyce with trembling before him who is able to save and destroy Secondly Note Man cannot save himself by the best of his power No not by his own right hand Man cannot save himself First from temporal evils he cannot save himself from sickness nor from poverty he cannot save himself from any danger that is ready to fall upon him nor can the strongest creatures save him Psal 33.17 A horse is a vain thing to save a man and man is as vain a thing to save himself a horse cannot deliver us by his great strength or by the greatness of his skill and wisdom Secondly much less can man save himself from spiritual and eternal evils While we consider First out of what misery we are saved Secondly from what mighty enemies we are saved Thirdly from whose wrath we are saved Fourthly what price was required that we might be saved Fifthly what mercy and grace were needful to save us we must needs confess that our right hand cannot save us spiritually and eternally Who can save himself out of the hand of that great enemy the devil and his legions of darkness who can save himself from that gulf of misery into which sin hath plunged us who can deliver himself from the curse of the Law or from sin the sting of death who can deliver himself from the power of his lusts from the pride unbelief covetousness and hardness of his own heart Our own right hand cannot save us from any of these evils The devil and the world are too strong for us and so is every lust and corruption of our own evil hearts Can we by any power of our own convert our selves or preserve our selves after conversion Can we get out of the Kingdom of darkness by our own power or put our selves into the Kingdom of light by our own poâ—er That we are either temporally or spiritually or eternally saved is all from the power from the right hand of God not at all from our own Unless we give all to God we take all from him He that is our God is the God of salvation and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death Psal 68.20 Salvation of every kind and the issues from every kind of death are of the Lord. Thirdly Note God can save alone or by his own right hand That the Lord would have Job understand and this we understand from other Scriptures Psal 17.7 Shew thy marvellous loving kindness O thou that savest by thy right hand those that put their trust in thee This is one of Gods royal Titles Thou that savest by thy right hand Psal 98.1 O sing unto the Lord a new song for he hath done marvellous things his right hand and his holy arm hath gotten him the victory Psal 44.4 Thou art my King of old commanding deliverances for Jacob. How easily can the Lord save with his hand who can save with his tongue and deliver by commanding deliverances Nor is it one deliverance only which the Lord commands but many yea any That Psalm gives it plurally commanding deliverances The Prophet speaks of this sole and solitary saving power of God Isa 59.16 He saw that there was no man that is no man that offered any help and wondred that there was no intercessor that is no man to speak a good word for them therefore his arm brought salvation to him and his righteousness it sustained him And again Isa 63.5 I looked and there was none to help and I wondred that there was none to uphold therefore mine own arm brought salvation to me This is it which was said before vers 3. I have trodden the wine-press alone and of the people there was none with me Hence we may infer First If the Lords right hand can save alone Then there can never be too few hands for God to save us by There may be sometimes too many for God to save us by but never too few Why because he can save by his own right hand The Lord said to Gideon Judg. 7.2 The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands they were so many that the sole salvation of God would not appear lest Israel vaunt themselves against me saying mine own hand hath saved me Though we have but little strength yet it may be too much for Gods purpose we being apt to boast our selves when we have any hands to save us as if our own right hand had saved us Secondly If God can save by his own right hand Then when we see none when we see nothing to save us by let us trust God alone If God be with us we have strength enough and hands enough with us It is all one with the Lord to save by few or by many yea by few or by none at all for his own right hand can do it Thirdly Then trust in Gods right hand alone for salvation how many hands soever you have at any time at work for your salvation This is our sin that when we have many hands to save us we trust in them rather than in the right hand of God The Lord often and usually makes use of mans hand to save us by Obad. ver ult And Saviours shall come upon mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau and the Kingdom shall be the Lords Now though the Lord useth other right hands to save us by and to judge
in God full of assurance of the glory of God They whose days are filled with these divine enjoyments dye full of days how few days soever they have lived in this world They who live thus live many days in one day they who live thus have the tast and first fruits of eternity every day and therefore cannot but be satisfied with their days be they many or be they few He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high Psal 91.1 that is who trusteth fully in God for safety by Christ in this world and for salvation in the next stands under the shadow and sweet influences of many promises mentioned in that Psalm for the preservation and prolongation of his life in the midst of a thousand deaths and dangers all which are summed up in that promise given at the 16th or last verse of the Psalm With long life will I satisfie him and shew him my salvation The Hebrew is with length of days will I satisfie him Which as it is true and firstly intended in that Psalm of a long life here and hath in that sense been often fulfilled â—o those who trust in God fully God gives to such not only a present escape from death in a time of Pestilence but gives them long life or their fill of living afterwards even in this world yet that which doth chiefly satisfie them is that long life of which the longest life in this world is but a shadow and to which it is a very nothing What is this long life Surely not a life of an hundred and forty years long as Job's was Job was so satisfied with the length of his life that he was willing to the as hath been shewed but Job was not so satisfied with it as to take that for his long life Every man would be satisfied but what doth satisfie a godly man what doth he hunger after for satisfaction Is it after honours No Is it after riches No Is it after pleasures No Is it after many dayes here No What is it then Nothing can satisfie the hunger of a gracious soul but life after this life the long and blesed life of eternity and that is chiefly intended him in that promise With long life will I satisfie him and shew him my salvation No length of life can satisfie us but as in it we have the fore-sights and fore-tasts of everlasting life or of that long life which is eternal salvation With this Job was satisfied with this the old Patriarchs were satisfied It is said of Abraham Gen. 25.8 He died in a good old age an old man and full of years Oâ— Isaac also it is said Gen. 35.28 29. He died being old and full of dayes both had their fill of time but that which filled them both and that which only can fill any whose lives are yet measured by time is the hope of a blessed eternity I shall close the Point with an answer to this question why no more is said of Job but That he died being old and full of dayes whereas in both those places last named concerning Abraham and Isaac it is not only said that they died being old and full of days but this is added And were gathered to their people Abraham died and was gathered to his people Isaac dyed and was gathered to his people Why is it not also said of Job so good a man dying full of dayes and fuller of graces that he was gathered to his people I answer Abraham and Isaac lived and died among a people who were as themselves were in Covenant with God whereas Job lived among the Idumeans some affirming him to be of the posterity of Esau others of Abraham by his second wife Keturah Now all the sons which Abraham had by her he sent away from Isaac his son while he yet lived Eastward into the East Country Gen. 25.6 So that it being doubtful at least whether the people among whom Job lived were a godly people or no and that they were not being more probable as was shewed if not concluded in opening the first verse of the first Chapter for this reason I say we may suppose for the Scripture determines nothing in this matter that when the death of Job was spoken of nothing was spoken of his being gathered to his people So Job died being old and full of dayes This is that Job who was First A sorrowful man yea even a man of sorrows for a time among men as some expound his name Secondly A man hated by Satan at all times as others expound his name Thirdly A man highly approved and loved of God as appears by the testimony which he gave of him both first and last This is that Job who was First Famous for the afflictions with which God exercised and tryed him to the utmost Secondly More famous for his patience and constancy under those afflictions and tryals Thirdly Most famous for his wonderful deliverance out of those afflictions and tryals This is that Job who was First Famous for his riches and prosperity Secondly More famous for his vertues and integrity Thirdly Most famous for his victory over Satan in his deepest adversity This is that Job who was First Reviled by his Wife Secondly Reproached by his Friends Thirdly Deserted by his nearest Relations in the day of his greatest need This is that Job who was First Unjustly accused of charged with censured for the worst of iniquities Secondly Who stoutly maintained his own innocency against all those censures and charges Thirdly Who was clearly acquitted from them all by the testimony of his own conscience alwayes and by the testimony of God himself in the end This is that Job who was First Greatly distressed by the malice of the devil through the permission of God Secondly Mightily supported against the malice of the devil by the power of God in all his distresses Thirdly Fully resolved to trust in God with all his heart though he died under his hand in never so great distress This is that Job who First In the greatness of his pain expostulated sometimes with God over-boldly yet Secondly At the last submitted and humbled himself at the foot of God meekly Thirdly Was honoured as a Mediator for his mistaken friends and accepted in it by God graciously Once more This is that Job who First After his restoring was filled with the blessings of this life Secondly Lived long even to fulness of dayes in the full enjoyment of those blessings Thirdly Died peaceably and passed sweetly into the enjoyment of a better of a longer even an eternal life Thus I am come to the end of Job and to the end of the Book of Job yet before I end let me leave these five words as so many Uses of the whole Book of Job First While you live in this world live in the expectation of and preparation for changes Job met with them and who may not Secondly Be patient under all the troublesom changes which you meet
1009. Inward beauty most desirable 1010 Beginning taken two ways 623 Behemoth described six wayes 606 607. Behemoth may signifie all the beasts of the field 609. Why though a word of the plural number applicable to one 609. Behemoth how the chief of the wayes of God 624 Beholding of things or persons twofold 577 Believers why called the first fruits of Gods creatures 221. A believer mounts high like the Eagle especially in two things 478. Believers do not only mount high but abide on high 480 Belief that which is much desired in some cases is hardly believed 454. Why the same word signifieth to stand fast or steddy and to believe 456. Birth new birth three things in it 322 Blessing two wayes of blessing one 977. The blessing of God effectual for the good of man 978. Seven characters of those whom the Lord will bless 979 980. They who are blessed are also loved of God 981. Three things whence it is that many mind not a blessing from God 982. All successes are not from the blessing of God 984. Temporal things are blessings but spiritual things are the best blessings 989. How we may know when temporal things are a blessing and come to us in love 990 Bochartus his opinion that Behemoth is not the Elephant but Hippopotame 611 612. Borrowing fear not to lose what God borrows of us 951 Brethren and sisters two wayes taken Scripture 956 Building two things most considerable in it both eminent in Gods building the World 59 C Canutus his answer to his flattering Courtiers 110 Captivity how taken in Scripture 931 Any affliction is a kind of captivity 932 Care to be cast upon God 177. Care of God over the beasts of the earth and fowls of the air should convince man that God will take care of him 279 288. Care of God to provide for the vilest creatures 296. Care of God for his p ople seen in two things 643 Carefulness what to be avoided 746 Carnal men judge of God by themselves 834 Causes natural causes produce natural effects and so do spiritual causes spiritual effects 214 Charity a great trial of it 880 Children not to charge their parents when able to help themselves 324. They who excel in any thing are elegantly called the children of it 781 Children a great blessing 993. Parents duty in naming them See names how it is a blessing to have many children 1023. Good children a great joy 1024 Christ his eternity 45. He is the corner-stone 69 70. Christ a light for two great ends 122. Christ compared to a Lion in four respects 283. Christ resembled by the Hind in three things 312. Why Christ is called a horn of salvation 381. Christ like the Eagle shewed in seven things 489 490. Christ a relief against all evil 648. Christ the best friend 958 Church a vain thing to oppose it 685 Church set out by Christ in her spiritual excellencies 721. God terrible in the Church 729 Cloathed to be cloathed with any thing what it imports 428 429 Cloud how a garment to the sea 101. Clouds called the Arcenal of heaven why 192. The wisest men can neither tell how many the clouds are nor fully what they are 272 Cock why crows at Mid-night 254. He is a natural clock 270 Cold whether natural or spiritual is a great binder 243 Comforting the sorrowful a great duty 967 Six cases which call us to comfort others together with so many ways of ministering comfort to them 968. Four considerations moving to this duty 969 Command of God creating 114 115 Comeliness it consisteth in three things 717 Company no company pleaseth but such as is sutable 340 Compulsion grievous to beasts much more to men 341 Condemnation of self what good 545 Confession of sin when right 525 Contending of two sorts 497. How man contendeth with the word how with the works of God 497 498. There is a spirit in weak man ready to contend with the strong God 499. In two cases we are apt to contend with God about his works 501. Four considerations moving us to beware of all contendings with God 502 503. In what way we may contend with God 503 504. They who contend with God would seem wiser than he 505 Conversion why so difficult a work 360 Covenant Hebrew word notes two things and why 670 Counsel what it is 25. The word counsel put absolutely or alone notes Gods counsel 25 Counsel of God may soon be darkned by us 30. Some do it intentionally the greatness of their sin 30 31 Courage where God gives courage man cannot make afraid 438. True courage fears not present danger 449 Craft Some creatures full of it 292. What some cannot do by strength they do by craft 292 293 Creation that work calls us to praise God 89. Four things in creation move us to praise God 90 Creatures God can make any of them hurtful to us 188. Two things shew the power of God in the creature 189. Several degrees of excellency in the creatures 625. An inference from it 626. God can easily subdue the strongest creatures 638. Two inferences from it 638 639. God to be magnified in the qualities and quantity or bigness of his creatures 663. All creatures made serviceable to man 672. Some creatures terrible to man 690. An inference from it 690. God pleased in setting forth the natural excellencies of his creatures 718. The excellencies of the creature shew the excellency of God 722. God would have man know the excellencies of the creature 723 Crocodile not tongueless 662 D Danger to leave any thing in danger and not provide against it is great folly 402. Dangers put all creatures to their utmost shifts 419. They who think themselves out of danger despise danger 420. Danger is the Element of courage 446. It is best not to do or quickly give over doing that which is dangerous 680. They are cruel to themselves who run upon danger unadvisedly 692. Great dangers may make the stoutest afraid 753. Great dangers put bad men upon repentance 758 Darkness what 166 Day of Judgment like to be a terrible day 18. It will be a discovering day 125. Days when and whose days may be said to be full 1029 1031. Day-light never riseth two days together exactly in the same place 126 Death the Gates of it what 151 152 154. No man knoweth how or in what manner he shall dye 155. Death takes all and that upon a two-fold ground 1025. Four cautions from it 1025. A good man willing to dye 1031 Deering his discourse upon his death-bed 168 Deliverance out of trouble is Gods work 933. He can soon work it 934 Demanding of two sorts 818 Desire what we most desire we would fain be at 441 444 457 Devil in bonds always 111. Devil like the Hawk 473. With what weapons we may prevail against him 766 Dew how caused 222. Two things considerable in the falling of the dew 222. God the Father of it 223. The great benefit of