you may save them make them afraid that they may not be damned save them with fear plucking them as it were out of the fire Sinners are runing into the fire and do not perceive it they are tumbling down to hell and consider it not they must be pulled out of the fire else they will burn in it for ever The great businesse of the Gospell is to pull souls like firebrands out of the burning Fourthly note They who turn from their evill purposes and the pride of their hearts escape wrath the pit and the sword The wages of sin is death and well are they that escape that misse such wages If a sinner turne from his purpose from his sinfull way if his pride be subdued and he emptied of himself then his soul if kept from destruction and his life from perishing by the sword JOB Chap. 33. Vers 19 20 21 22. He is chastened also with pain upon his bed and the multitude of his bones with strong pain So that his life abhorreth bread and his soul dainty meat His flesh is consumed away that it cannot be seen and his bones that were not seen stick out His soul draweth neare unto the grave and his life to the destroyer THe context of these foure verses containeth a description of the second meanes which the wisdome of God is pleased often to use for the humiliation of man and for the discovery or revelation of his mind unto him He speaketh in a dream in a vision of the night as was shewed before he speaketh also by paines and sicknesses as is now to be considered Vers 19. He is chastened also with pain That particle which we render also gives the text an emphasis He is chastened also For it imports that here is a further addition or supplement of meanes whereby the Lord doth awaken sinners to attend and obey his voyce The subject of these foure verses is a sick man or the sickness of man A sorrowfull subject And the sickness of man is set forth in these foure verses by foure sad symptomes or effects The first is paine grievous paine ver 19. He is chastened also with pain upon his bed and the multitude of his bones with strong paine The second symptome of this sickness is loss of appetite and his nauceating all manner of food v. 20. So that his life abhorreth bread and his soul dainty meat The third symptome of his sickness is a generall languishment or consumption all his body over v. 21. His flesh is consumed away that it cannot be seen and his bones that were not seene stick out The fourth and last symptome of this grievous sickness is fainting swooning or a readiness to expire and give up the ghost v. 22. His soul draweth near to the grave and his life to the destroyer That is he is sick and even sick to death All these are speciall symptomes of a sick man or of the sickness of man I begin with the first Vers 19. He is chastened also with pain upon his bed The word which we render to chasten hath a twofold signification in Scripture 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a reguit reprehendit corripuit verbis sive factis First to reprove or convince both by authority and reason Lev 19.17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke him or reproving thou shalt reprove him that is Thou shalt surely reprove him And in that famous Prophecy concerning Christ Isa 11.4 He shall reprove with equity we put in the margin He shall argue with equity or convince by such reasons and arguments as shall carry the greatest equity in them Thus when Christ had finished his Sermon on the mount it is sayd Math 7.28 29. The people his Auditors were astonished at his doctrine for he taught them as one having authority and not as the Scribes This Sermon carrying so great a reproofe of the Scribes and Pharisees both as to their life and doctrine throughout may well be expounded as a fullfilling of that ancient prophecy It being confessed in another place of the Gospel even by the Officers that were sent to attach him John 7.46 Never man spake like this man The words of Christ had so much evidence so much equity in them that they who came to take and catch him were taken and caught if not to conversion yet to such a conviction by what he spake that they could not though they highly displeased their Masters in saying so but say Never man spake like this man As if they had sayd Surely the man that speakes thus is more then a man Secondly The word often signifies to correct which is also to instruct correction is for instruction Chastning is the most reall reproving And so we render it He is chastened Man is instructed not only by speech and counsell but by stripes and corrections Thus David prayed Psal 6.1 O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure The first word which we render rebuke is that in the text As if he had sayd Lord doe not rebuke me by angry afflictions let me not find thee greatly displeased and my selfe sorely chastned at once He deprecates the same againe and how grievous the effects of such dispensations are he sheweth Psal 38.1 Rebuke me not in thy wrath Psal 39.11 When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity He means it not only of word-rebukes but of hand-rebukes also when thou with such doubled rebukes dost chasten man for iniquity What then The effects of it follow even the staining of the glory of all flesh Thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth And so some interpret that Psal 105.15 He reproved Kings for their sakes speaking of his owne people the Lord did not only speak to those Kings but made them feel his hand for his peoples sake Abimelech felt his hand for Abrahams sake And so did Pharoah that hard-hearted King in a whole decade of plagues for Israels sake whom he had oppressed and would not let goe We render the word in this second sense for a rebuke by blowes or by correction which yet hath a language in it and speaks with a loud voyce to man He is chastened with paine upon his bed Paine is both the concomitant and effect of sickness The word noteth First the paine of the body caused either by the violence of inward distempers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doluit corpore vel animo or from the outward stroake of a wound Gen 34. When the sons of Jacob had prevailed with the Shechemites to receive Circumcision It came to passe on the third day when they were sore or pained with the wound of it Simeon and Levi came upon them Gen 34.25 Secondly the word signifieth as bodyly paine caused any way so paine of the mind which is griefe or sorrow Psal 69.29 I am poore and sorrowfull Sorrow is alwayes the effect of paine either outward or
very great progress in his spirit Both these wayes we may understand it here though chieflly I conceive in the latter Sometimes God keepeth man either by his power or by perswasions and commands sent to him from setting so much as one foot forward in any sinfull way leading to the pit yet often he suffers him to goe on a great way and when he is advanced far towards yea is near very neer to the pits brink even ready to drop into it then then the Lord graciously keeps his soule from falling into it This word is used â—in the negative twice to set forth the high commendation of Abraham Gen. 22.12.16 When God had commanded Abraham to offer his Son and he was so ready to doe it that presently God tells him Now I know thou fearest God seeing thou hast not withheld or kept back thy son thine only son from me Abraham might have had many reasonings within himselfe to keep back and withhold his Son from being a Sacrifice but saith the Lord thou hast not withheld or kept him back There the word is used in the negative as also upon the same occasion at the 16 verse of the same Chapter And so by Job Chap. 7.11 Therefore I will not refraine or keep back my mouth It is as hard a matter to keep back or hold the mouth in as it is to keep back a head-strong horse with a bridle Therefore the Holy Ghost useth that Metaphor Psal 39.1 But saith Job I will not refraine my mouth I will not keep it back let it take its course I will speak in the bitternesse of my spirit The word imports powerfull acting take it either in the negative or affirmative When the tongue is kept back 't is done by a mighty power of grace and O how great as well as gracious is that power which the Lord putteth forth to keep back a poor soul that is going going apace too from falling into the pit He keepeth back His soul from the pit But doth the soul fall into the pit I answer first The soul is often in Scripture by a Synecdoche put for the whole man He keepeth back his soul that is he keepeth him from the pit secondly possibly 't is said he keepeth his soul from the pit to teach us that man by running on in sin ruines his best part it is not only his body and his skin that he destroyeth by sin but his very soul 'T is a mercy that God telleth us aforehand the worst of that danger and the greatnesse of the hazard or how great a matter we venture upon evill wayes and workes He keepeth back his soul from the pit What pit The word is rendred variously First thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 foveat corruptio mors he keeps back his soul from corruption Eruens animam ejus a corruptione Vulg. The word is used for corrupting by sin Gen. 6.12 And God locked-upon the earth and behold it was corrupt for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth that is all men were grown wicked and stark naught In the very next verse vers 13. The same word is used to denote corrupting by punishment due to sin Behold I will destroy or corrupt them with the earth that is I will destroy the face of the earth or deface the beauty of the earth and I will also destroy all men from off the face of the earth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. Prohibebit animam ejus a fovea Targ. Secondly the Septuagint render He spares his soul from death Thirdly the Caldee Paraphrase as we He prohibits his soul from the pit these three corruption death and the pit are of neer aliance and the same word in the Hebrew tongue signifieth corruption the pit and death The pit or grave is the place of corruption and the seat or house of death We find the pit and destruction put together Psal 55.23 they shall goe to the pit of destruction So then the same word may well serve to signifie a pit corruption and death because in the pit dead bodies or carkasses putrifie and corrupt Yet David prophecying of Christ speaks his assurance of escaping corruption Videre foveam est amplius quaÌ„ sepeliri nimiruÌ„ ut is demum perfectè dicatur videre foveam non qui ad tempus est in fovea sed qui ejus vim corruptricem experitur sive videt corruptionem in ea videre enim est sentire sive pati aliquid Coc. though not the pit or grave Psal 16.10 Thou wilt not suffer thy holy one to see corruption or the pit It is this word that is thou wilt not suffer him to corrupt in the pit of the grave though being dead was buried and laid in the pit yet he did not see corruption in the pit That is corruption had no power no mastery over him for he loosed the bonds of death it being impossible that he should be held by them the third day yea with the first of that day or as soon as it might be truly said that it was the third day Christ was buryed in the latter part of the sixth day of the week and arose early the first day of the week even when it did but begin to dawn towards the first day of the week Math. 28.1 And therefore seeing as naturalists according to Scripture evidence Joh. 11.39 testifie corruption doth not naturally take hold of the body till the fourth day after death The dead body of Christ was altogether free from corruption or Christ as was fore-shewed by David in the Psalme saw no corruption Further this word pit is taken not only for death the grave and corruption but for those contrivances and plots which are made and laid for any mans death or distruction Thus David said of his malicious and subtle enemies Ps 7.5 Fovea denotat omnia vitae discrimina Pin. Into the pit which they have digged themselves are fallen that is they are taken in their own plots Those words of the Psalmist are an allusion to Hunters or Fowlers who make pits to ensnare birds or beasts we must not imagine that there were pits literally made for David but the pit was a plot or a contrivance to doe him mischief and he blessed God that as himself had escaped that mischief so that the mischief-plotters and contrivers were taken with it themselves We have David speaking againe under the same metaphor Ps 9.15 The Heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made And Psal 35.7 Without cause they have hid for me their net in a pit which without cause have they digged for my soul that is they have laid a plot to undoe and destroy me And if we take pit in this sence it may hold well enough with the scope of the Text for what is the pit into which pride and evill purposes thrust sinfull man but that mischief and misery which Satan is continually plotting against him And from this mischievous plot
upon as evill doers when we have done nothing for the matter but our duty and that in the manner according to rule Thus when Paul had justified himselfe by denying the evill which Tertullus accused him of Acts 24.12 13. he presently justified himselfe also in what he had done well though his enemies judged it evill ver 14. But this I confesse that after the way which they call heresie so worship I the God of my fathers beleeving all things which are written in the Law and the Prophets This selfe-justification is often very needfull For as there are some who call evill good so there are others who call good evill and make that a mans fault which is his commendation It was accounted a crime by some of old to be lesse vitious then others and it is accounted a crime by some at this day to be more vertuous then others to be more holy more exact more wisely precise and circumspect in our wayes then others many interpret folly and stamp with madnesse 2 Corinth 5.13 Paul was thought beside himselfe a meere Fanatick in his high actings for Jesus Christ when our actions are thus mis-represented and put under such disguises every good man is obliged to doe himselfe right For as we may honestly accuse others and declare the evill that we know they have done when called to it so we may speak out and declare the good we have done maintaine that to be good if it be good which we have done though many call it evill when called to it Thus a man may stand upon his termes with all men and yet be humble and deeply sensible of his owne sinfullnesse and vilenesse before God Paul saw nothing upon the matter but sin in himselfe Rom. 7.14 24. When I would doe good evill is present with me O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death That is of sin as 't is called Rom. 6.6 Thus he spake when he had to doe with God But when he had to doe with men when he saw himselfe called to answer the accusations and wipe off the aspersions which the enemies of the Gospel cast upon him 1 Corinth 4.4 then he saith I know nothing that is no evill by my selfe Paul was very conscious of his naturall infirmity yet very confident of his spirituall integrity And therefore when he saw the Glory of God was like to be obscured through his abasement and to be ecclipsed by the shadowes and darknesse which men cast upon his Ministery then he tooke due honour to himselfe and made the most of himselfe according to truth in the eyes of all the world Thus I have shewed what justifying of our selves is lawfull and I have done it that we may more clearely discerne what I am to shew next or Secondly Namely what that justifying of our selves is which indeed is unlawfull reprovable and blame-worthy I shall instance it in a few particulars First They justifie themselves sinfully who doe good with a desire to be seene and applauded of men for it thus Christ charged the Pharisees Math 6.5 They pray standing in the Synagogues and in the corners of the streets that they may be seene of men and ver 16. They disfigure their faces that they may appeare unto men to fast It is not a sin to be seene of men in doing good but to doe good to be seene of men is sinfull and the patching up of a selfe-justification Secondly They justifie themselves sinfully who would pretend or seeme to have done that good which indeed they have not There is as much of this hypocrisie lodging and working now in the hearts of the children of men as was of old in the heart of Saul 1 Sam 15.13 14. to the 22d verse who professed highly to have fulfilled the will of God to a haires breadth Blessed be thou of the Lord said he to Samuel I have performed the commandment of the Lord Thus he insisted upon his integrity and justified himselfe to the face of Samuel who quickly convinced him that he had done the Lords worke to halves Thirdly They justifie themselves sinfully who either totally deny or extenuate and lessen the evill that they have done this kinde of sinfull selfe-justification was opened largely at the 33d verse of the former Chapter upon that imprecation made by Job If I covered my transgression as Adam by hiding mine iniquity in my bosome I referre the Reader thither for a fuller discovery of it Fourthly They justifie themselves sinfully who mingle their owne workes with the workes or righteousnesse of Jesus Christ for justification for though such pretend to Christ and say they take up Christ and his righteousnesse for justification yet it will be found a selfe-justification only seeing unlesse Christ justifie us wholly he justifieth us not at all As the Apostle concludes Galat 5.4 Christ is become of no effect unto you whosoever of you are justified by the Law ye are fallen from grace That is yee who mingle your workes with Grace are not justified by Grace but which will be unlesse repented of your condemnation by your workes Lastly They justifie themselves sinfully who say they are justified by Christ from their sins while they continue in their sins and hold fast their iniquities For as they that mingle their owne good workes with the righteousnesse of Christ are selfe-justifiers so also are they that take hold of the righteousnesse of Christ while they will not let goe nor part with their evill workes To looke for justification while we continue in the love and practise of any knowne sin and unrighteousnesse is as sinfull as to expect justification by our owne righteousnesse Object But doth not the Scripture say that God justifieth the ungodly Rom. 4.5 I answer Though God justifieth the ungodly yet the justified are not ungodly God justifieth the ungodly and makes them holy by the grace of sanctification as well as righteous by the grace of justification righteousnesse of life is alwayes the fruit of righteousnesse by faith Therefore if any man continuing in any knowne sin saith he is justified he hath justified himselfe for none doe so who are justified of God O how deeply are they condemned by God who thus justifie themselves Nothing is more desirable then to be justified by God and nothing is more dangerous then to justifie our selves either by our owne righteousnesse or in our unrighteousnesse Now as to justifie our selves any of these wayes is exceeding sinfull before God so to justifie our selves any way layeth us open or obnoxious to the censures of men And that 's the reason why this holy man Job was so deeply censured For though he justified not himselfe in any of those sences which are are sinfull yet he did some way justifie himselfe and while he justified himselfe only as he might he was condemned as having justified himselfe in a way which he might not We had need be very cautious how we any way or
men but the blasphemy against the holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men As if he had said Though you sin against the Father and the Son it shall be forgiven you but if you sin against the holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven either in this world or in the world to come that is it shall never be forgiven Seeing then there is more in sinning against the holy Ghost then against the Father or the Son who are God the holy Ghost must needs be God For though there is no degree or graduall difference in the deity each person being coeternall coequall and consubstantiall yet the Scripture attributes more in that case as to the poynt of sinning against the holy Ghost then to sinning against the Father or the Son therefore certainly the holy Ghost is God Lastly The holy Ghost is the object of divine worship are not we baptized in the Name of the Father Son and holy Ghost Is the Father and the Son God and the holy Ghost not God who is joyned with them in the same honour Shall a creature come in competition with God And doth not the Scripture or word of God direct us to pray for grace from the Spirit as well as from the Father or the Son 2 Cor 13.13 Rev 1.4 Thus we see how full the Scripture is in giving the glory of the same workes upon us and of the same worship from us to the Spirit as to the Father and the Son And therefore from all these premises we may conclude That the Holy-Ghost with the Father and the Son is God blessed and to be glorified for evermore The Spirit of God hath made me And the breath of the Almighty hath given me life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Spiritus ex ore egregiens halitus flatus anima proprie significat halitem pâ—r metonymiam effecti animam per synechdoâ—hen membri animal Pisc in Deut 10.16 The words carry an allusion as Interpreters generally agree to that of Moses describing the creation of man Gen 2.7 And the Lord God formed man out of the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrills the breath of life and man became a living soule Elihu speakes neere in the same forme fully to the same effect The breath of the Almighty hath given me life or enlivened me As if he had sayd That soule which the Lord hath breathed into me hath made me live The soule of man may be called the breath of the Almighty because the Almighty is expressed infusing it into man at first by breathing And therefore the word Neshamah which properly signifies the breath doth also by a Metonymie of the effect signifie the soule it selfe which causeth breathing Thus our translaters render it Isa 57.16 I saith the Lord will not contend for ever neither will I be alwayes wroth for the spirit should faile before me and the soules which I have made As the soule of man was breathed in by God so the soule is that by which man breathes Breath and soule come and goe together Some comparing the originall word Shamaijm for the heavens with this word Neshamah which here we translate breath take notice of their neere affinity intimating that the soule of man is of a heavenly pedegree or comes from heaven yea the latine word mens signifying the mind is of the same consonant letters with the Hebrew Neshamah and as some conceive is derived from it So then I take these words The breath of the Almighty as a description of that part of man which is opposed to his body The Spirit of God hath made me that is hath set me up as a man in humane shape And the breath of the Almighty hath given me life that is this soule which the Almighty hath breathed into me hath made me a living man ready for any humane act or as Moses speakes God breathing into my nostrills the breath of life I became a living soule Hence observe First The soule of man floweth immediately from God 'T is the breath of God not that God liveth by breathing the way of his life is infinitely above our apprehension But 't is cleare in Scripture That the Almighty breathed into man the powers of life And therefore he is called by way of Eminence The father of spirits Heb 12.9 For though the Almighty is rightly entituled the Father of the whole man though both body and soule are the worke of God yet he is in a further sence the father of our spirits or soules then of our bodyes And here Solomon shewing how man is disposed of when these two are separated by death saith Eccl 12.7 Then shall the dust that is the body returne to the earth as it was and the spirit that is the soule shall returne to God who gave it The body is the gift of God but the body is not the breath of God it is not such an immediate gift of God as the soule is when the body of man was made at first God tooke the dust of the earth and formed his body out of it but when he gave him a soule he breathed that from himselfe it was an immediate effect of Gods power not dealing with nor working upon any prae-existing matter The spirit or soule of man is purely of God solely of God And hence we may inferre First Then the soule is not a vapour arising from the crasis or temperament of the body as the life of a beast is Secondly Then the soule of man is not traduced from the parents in generation as many learned men affirme especially to ease themselves of those difficulties about the conveyance of originall sin or defilement into the soule Thirdly We may hence also inferre then the soule is not corruptible it is an immortall substance How can that be corruptible or mortall which hath its rise as I may say immediately from God or is breathed in by the Almighty who is altogether incorruptible and immortal And whereas there is a twofold incorruptibility First by divine ordination that is God appoynts such a thing shall not corrupt and therefore it doth not so the body of man in it's first creation was incorruptible for though it were in it selfe corruptible being made out of the earth yet by the appoyntment of God if man had continued in his integrity he had not dyed And therefore it is said By sin came death yea doubtlesse if God should command and appoynt the meanest worme that moves upon the earth to live for ever or the most fading flower that groweth out of the earth to flourish for ever both the one and the other would doe so Secondly there is an incorruptibility in some things not meerely by a law or appoyntment of God but as from that intrinsecall nature which God hath bestowed upon them and implanted in them Thus the Angels are immortall they have an incorruptible nature and likewise the soule of man being breathed from the Almighty is in it's owne nature
Thirdly Such strivings with God are the exercisings of our lusts and corruptions Then is the time for anger and discontent or any evill affection to come forth and act their part Fourthly Striving with God is an argument that sin hath much strength in us and that corruption hath got a mighty hand over us Fifthly Striving with God layeth us open to all the temptations of Satan to all the fiery darts of the Devill Our shield is gone when once we strive with God who is our shield in all Satans strivings and assaults against us And then we stand naked before that armed enemy Sixthly Striving with God doth at once unfit us for every good duty and putteth us further off from every desired mercy Seventhly and lastly Striving against God makes man most like the Devill who is the most unquiet and discontented creature in the world and is alwayes both striving with God and vexing at his owne condition The devill 's sin at first was striving with God and 't is the summe of all his actings and workings against man ever since None resemble the devill more lively then male-contents and who are they but such as strive and struggle against the afflictive providences of God Now for the preserving and keeping of our hearts from this great this complicated sin a sin containing many sins in it and disposing us to all sin Lay these things to heart First let us consider our own nothingness in comparison of God God is all and what are we we are nothing and shall we strive with God shall folly strive against wisdome and weaknesse against strength When the Prophet would comfort the people of God against the strivings of the nations with them he doth it upon this consideration Isa 40 17. All nations before him are as nothing and they are counted to him lesse then nothing and vanity To whom will ye compare him And surely we may by the same argument much more deterre all men from striving with God Shall single persons strive against him to whom not only they but whole nations are nothing yea and lesse then nothing Secondly Doe we find our selves under a crosse or in a hard condition remember we have deserved no better As we are nothing so we have deserved nothing Jacob to keepe his spirit quiet in a time of great distresse confessed Gen 32.10 Lord I am unworthy of the least of thy mercies As if he had sayd I have no reason to complaine or be angry to fret or vex at this dispensation yea though thou shouldst let the cloud of my brothers wrath breake upon me and swallow me up for what am I If we consider we have deserved no good we shall never strive with God about any evill that befalls us especially if we consider Thirdly That we are ill-deserving or such as deserve the greatest evills None of us suffer but what our owne sin hath procured yea sin might have procured us soarer sufferings Every sin hath a crosse in the belly of it And shall we strive with God because of our crosses when our sins have made them Fourthly Why should we strive with God about these things are they worth the striving with God about surely they are not wotth the striving with men about much lesse with God If we were in the best outward estate that ever any man enjoyed in this world yet we were not then got a step beyond vanity Psal 39.5 Every man in his best estate is altogether vanity Suppose God should give you a blank and bid you sit downe and write what you would have as to your outward state and then bestow it upon you yet in this best estate you and your all are altogether vanity And will ye strive with God for taking a vaine thing from you Will you be so much dissatisfied for the taking away or want of that which could not satisfie you when you had it nor can when you have it againe If a man had all these comforts which he strives for they could not make him happy why then should he strive because they are removed from him But as they are vanity because unable to satisfie when we have them so they are vanity because of our uncertainty to hold them Yea suppose we hold them as long as we can have them it is but a while And shall we strive with God about loosing that which at longest we cannot keepe long To be sure these things are not necessary for us Christ sayd to Martha There is one thing necessary Luke 10.42 But a worldly comfort of any kind is not the neceâ—â—â—â—y thing which Christ there intends And shall we strive with God about unnecessaries Fifthly Know afflictions are the portion of the people of God in this life They are the corrections of a father and there is no son but hath his correction or may have it And shall we strive with God for sending us our portion our son-like child-like portion Sixthly I would say this to believers Why will ye strive with God about any of your afflictions they are for your good and benefit And will ye strive with God because he is doing you good let your afflictions be never so sad never so sore and to sence never so bad yet God is doing you good by them be not angry with your owne good Lastly Why doe we strive with God under our afflictions He loveth us as much under affliction as in a prosperous condition God is tender to his in their troubles and shall they be harsh to him when he is so tender towards them A parent that hath but nature will tender his child most when sick and weak and will not God Let us take heed we be not found striving with or having hard thoughts of God while the bowels of his most tender compassions are moving towards us To shut up this whole poynt As Christ when he saw his Disciples in danger to be carried away with the feare of man saith to them Luke 12.4 5. Be not afraid of them that can kill the body and after that have no more that they can doe But I will forewarne you whom you shall feare feare him which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell yea I say unto you feare him Now as because men are apt to feare yea mostly to feare that which they should not Christ sheweth them whom to feare So as hath been shewed because men are very apt to strive but they commonly strive with those and about those things which they should not Therefore I will tell you with whom and with what ye should strive If ye will needs be striving pray First Strive with the sin in your owne bosomes strive with your owne lusts and corruptions One of the great Gospel duties which we are called to is to mortifie our earthly members To strive with all inordinate affections with pride with envie with love of the world and with uncharitablenesse to the death is our duty if ye will
arcanum Further the Hebrew is as we put in the Margin He revealeth or uncovereth the eares of men This revealing or uncovering of the eare say some noteth only private speaking and is a similitude taken from a common custome among men who when they would convey their mind secretly to a friend that stands by put their head near to his eare and take up the brim of his hat or put by his haire if long that they may whisper in his eare Thus in a dreame God whispers and speaks silently unto men This seems to have a sutablenesse with that Chap. 4.12 13. where Eliphaz spake of a thing brought secretly to him or that was whispered or stoln into him But I conceive there is more in this place then the intendment of a secret and private conveyance of the mind of God unto man in a vision or dreame And therefore this opening of the eare imports the removing or taking away of that whatsoever it is which hinders the effectuall hearing or obeying of those messages which God sends to men When God spake in a dream he did more then speak aliquid in illorum aures in susussirare vellet deducebat defluentes copillos et in apertes aures tacito â—â—â—mure aliquid instillabat Sanct Cinthius aurem vellit et admonuit c. Horat. Loquitur et audire facit Aurem revelare vel aperire est insinuare aliquid auribus animisque quod intimis sensibus reponendum sit Clariorem et penetrantiorem insinuationem voluntatis divinae denotat Coc he open'd the ear yea he gave an eare to hear This powerfull work of God upon the heart is elegantly expressed by opening the eare because when the ears are stopt we cannot hear till that which stops them is pluckt out or taken away so that here we have speaking with effect or the cleare and penetrating power of the Spirit of God sweetly and prevailingly insinuating his mind to man God speaks so as he will be heard Hence Observe First The eare of man is naturally stopt against the teachings of God There are many things which stop the eares of man or man hath many eare stoppers I will name seven all which God removes and takes away when he effectually reveals his mind to man First the eare of man is stopt with ignorance that 's a thick vaile or covering upon the eare and keeps out the mind of God till it be removed And Secondly Unbelief is another ear-stopper till the Lord removeth that we cannot hear Thirdly Impenitency or hardnesse of heart stops the eare there are a number of Scriptures I might give for each of these Fourthly the love of any particular sin is an eare-shutter or an eare-stopper and the Lord removes that when he opens the eare Fifthly Prejudices stop the eare prejudices somtimes against the person speaking somtime against the word spoken That man will never hear a word to purpose who hath a prejudice against the person or a prejudice against the word either a prejudice against the man or against the matter Sixthly Pride stops the eare too the proud man will not hearken therefore God humhles and brings down the spirit that the word may be heard Seventhly and lastly the World is a great ear-stopper that locks up the eare against the word the world in the profits of it and the world in the pleasures of it and the world in the cares of it and the world in the fears of it the world by or in every one of these stops the eare and by these the ears of all men naturally are stopped so that they are as it is said Psal 58.4 like the deafe adder that stops her eare and will not hear the voyce of the charmer charme he never so wisely Till all these stoppers are removed and the eare opened there is no receiving of the word Secondly Observe God is able to open and unlock the eare of man Though it hath never so many stopples in it he can pull them out never so many locks upon it though all the seven spoken of and seven more obstruct the ear yet he can open them all and make a free and uncontroulable passage for his word into the remotest and closest chambers of the soul God can speak loud enough not only to make the deafe but the dead hear his voyce Verily verily I say unto you saith Christ Joh. 5.25 the hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the voyce of the Son of God and they that hear shall live By the dead he means not those who are corporally but spiritually dead that is dead in sins and trespasses and in danger of eternall death for their sins and trespasses even these heard the voyce of the Son of God then speaking personally and heard it afterwards ministerially in the dispensation of the Gospell and that voyce revived them not only by giving them the comfort of that naturall life which they had before but by bringing in a new spirituall life which before they had not Then the internall eare is opened to purpose when those internall or mystically darke graves of sin are opened and the soul comes forth into the light of life Yet more distinctly God may be said to uncover or open the eares of men when he doth these four things First When he makes us not only to heare but to attend not only to heare but to hearken or not only to heare but to give eare Many give the word of God the hearing but they doe not give eare to the word of God Secondly God opens the ear when he makes us not only attend but understand or when he takes the vaile off from our minds The Apostle saith of the Jewes 2 Cor 3.14 The vaile remaineth upon them untaken away to this day in the reading of the old Testament and it doth so still so that as they could not so yet they cannot Looke to the end of that which is abolished that is to Christ who was the end or scope at which the whole Ceremoniall Law now abolished did then ayme When once the eâ—re is divinely opened then the vaile of ignorance and spirituall blindnesse is taken off from the mind both as to that greatest truth and all other necessary truths The opened eare is an understanding eare Thirdly God openeth the eare when he causeth us to believe what we perceive and understand As faith sets the whole soule aworke for God so faith is the great worke of God upon the soule When the eare is opened truth is not only knowne but savingly believed Fourthly This opening of the eare maketh the soule obedient Jesus Christ in that great prophecy of him Psal 40.6 to shew his ready obedience to his fathers command saith Mine eare hast thou opened or digged The eare of Christ was never shut in the least either through ignorance or unbeliefe but he is sayd to have his eare opened only to shew his constant preparedness and readiness for obedience
ears to receive the word and then sealeth instruction upon them The Apostle speaking of some persons converted who were the fruit of his ministry saith Ye are the seale of mine Apostleship 1 Cor 9.2 3. that is ye confirme and ratifie my ministry that it is of God and that God is in it Now as the conversion of sinners and the building up of Saints is the seale of our ministry so the sealing of instruction upon the soule is the conversion of sinners and the edification of Saints When a sinner is converted his instruction is sealed upon him and when a Saint is built up and edified and increaseth in the things of God then instruction is sealed upon him also And untill we thus profit by the word we have the word as I may say without a seale nothing fastens upon us Thus much of the first designe of God in sending dreams and visions in those times it was to open the ears of men and to seale their Instruction This being only a generall benefit aymed at by those meanes we have those which are more speciall set downe in the words which follow Vers 17. That he may withdraw man from his purpose and hide pride from man This 17th verse containes two of those blessed ends or designes of God in revealing himselfe to man by dreams and visions or by visions in a dream of which Elihu spake in the two former verses as then he takes an opportunity to open the ears of men and seale their Instruction to fasten and fix his word upon them to make it stick and stay by them so in all this his purpose is That he may withdraw man from his purpose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 auferre erit vel mutare in melius The word rendred to withdraw signifies to take off or put away to remove or change for the better Isa 1.16 Put away the evill of your doings that is doe no more evill or as the Lord speakes by another Prophet Jer 44.4 O doe not this abominable thing that I hate we render the word in the other sense Job 27.2 He hath removed my Judgement farre from me There is in man a kind of settledness and resolvedness upon his purpose he will on but saith Elihu the Lord withdrawes him he stretcheth forth his hand and pull's him back He withdraweth Man Adam the earthly man The proper name of the first man is the common name of all men Man is earthly by nature and so are all his naturall purposes To draw an earthly man from that which is earthly is no easie matter only the power of God can doe it He withdraweth man From his purpose The word which we render purpose properly signifies a worke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fecit and so it is translated not only elsewhere but here by severall Interpreters Mr. Broughton is expresse That the earthly man leave off to work and then by work he means an evill work as by purpose an evill purpose The word work set alone usually signifies an evill work as the word wife put alone is taken for a good wife Prov. 8.22 He that findeth a wife findeth good every one that findeth a wife doth not find good there are many bad wives only he that findeth a good wife findeth good Vt a mâ—vâ—aâ— homo opus scâ— suum et animuâ— malum Iun So on the contrary the word worke standing here alone implyeth a bad work And to withdraw man from his work or from his purpose is to withdraw him from his evill work or purpose The Septuagint gives it clearly so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept that he may withdraw man from unrighteousnesse And Mr. Broughton glossing his own translation saith that he leave off mans work and do the work of God Againe This terme work seemes opposed to the thought or concupiscence of the inner man he withdraweth man from his work that his hand may not effect what his heart hath contrived that the bitter root may not bring forth evill and bitter fruit Or if we follow our translation the sence will be the same He withdraweth man from his purpose that is he checks and stops the inward motions and workings of mans heart and so keeps him from bringing it to perfection by an outward evill work Jam. 1.15 Then when lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin and sin when it is finished brings forth death God in great mercy takes man off from his purpose when he finds him upon an evill device or purpose he crusheth the Cockatrice's egge that it may not be hatched and destroyeth the conception of those Babylonish brats that they may never come to the birth Mic. 2.1 Woe to them that devise mischief on their beds when the morning is light they practice it because it is in the power of their hand The work begins at the heart there 't is plotted and contrived the heart is the work house of sin now the Lord withdraws man from his purpose and will not suffer the inward work to be accomplished by the outward work Further we may refer these words either to what is past or to what is to come some translate referring it to what is past that he may turn Vt avertat hominem ab iis quâ— fecit Vulg. or withdraw man from those things which he hath done that is from those evills to which he hath already set his hand this is done by giving man repentance which is our being humbled for and turning away from any evill already committed Our translation refers it to what is intended to be done for that 's a purpose So the meaning is God doth these things that he may keep man from doing that evill or mischief which he hath resolved upon or at least is forming and hammering in his thoughts Abimelech had an evill purpose for the matter though possibly the purpose of his heart was not evill for he said to God and God said he spake true in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this Gen. 20.5 6. he was I say about an evill purpose for the matter when he thought to take Abrams wife from him but the Lord came to him in a dream and withdrew him from the evill of his purpose Laban intended evill or hard dealing to Jacob but the Lord met him also in a dreame and withdrew him from his purpose saying Gen. 31.24 Take heed thou speak not to Jacob neither good nor bad that is hinder him not in his journey either by threathings or by promises Thus man is taken off or withdrawn from evill purposes by preventing grace and from evill workes by repenting grace I shall prosecute the words according to our reading only which imports that when man hath some evill purpose upon his heart the Lord visits him in dreames and visions of the night to withdraw him from that purpose Hence observe First Man is very forward and eager upon
purpose Lastly consider God withdraweth man from his sinfull purpose all or any of these wayes by putting forth his mighty power with them For his word alone his works alone his patience alone the counsell of man alone would not doe it if God did not stretch forth his own arme in and with these meanes for the doing of it Nothing is any further efficacious then as God is with it Numb 22. Balaam was going on in his wicked purpose being sent for by Balak to curse the people of God And though the Lord sent his Angell to be an adversary to him in his way vers 22. so that his Asse turned out of the way into the field yet Balaam went on in his purpose yea though the Angell standing between two walls caused his Asse to turne so suddenly that she crusht Balaams foot against the wall vers 25. yet Balaam went on in his purpose Once more though the Angell went further and stood in a narrow way where there was no way to turne to the right hand nor to the left so that the poor Asse fell down under him v. 27. and speaking as the Apostle Peter expresseth it 2 Epist 2. with mans voyce rebuked the madnesse of the Prophet Yet so mad he was that all these checks and warnings could not withdraw him from his purpose And what the Lord did at that time to Balaam by an Angell that he doth by some other means and providences to stop many from their evill purposes who yet will not be stopt He speaks to them in the ministry of his word he speaks to them in his works he spreads their way with roses he hedgeth up their way with thorns he bestoweth sweet mercies upon them he sends sharp afflictions upon them to withdraw them from their evill projects and purposes yet on they goe like Balaam unlesse he send more then an Angell even his holy Spirit to withdraw them Lastly Elihu reports it as a speciall favour of God to withdraw man from his purpose Whence note It is a great mercy to be hinder'd in sinfull purposes and intendments Disappointments are acts of grace when we are acting against grace If God stop us from doing evill not onely by his word but by blowes or by a hedge of thorns yea if he stop us by a drawn sword it is a great mercy Though God throw us to the ground as he did Saul afterwards Paul when he went with a bloody purpose to vex and persecute the Saints Acts 9. let us count our selves exalted and rejoyce in it more then in any worldly exaltation 'T is a rich mercy to be kept from executing an evill purpose though by our owne poverty and outward misery The doing of that which is sinfull is worse then any thing that can be done to us or endured by us as a stop against sin Sin hath death in it sin hath wrath in it sin hath hell in it sin hath Devill and all in it therefore to be kept from sin let it be by what means it will if by paines and pining sicknesses if by reproaches and disgraces yea if by death we have cause to blesse God The greatest and sorest Judgement which God powres upon sinfull men is to let them alone in or not to withdraw them from their sins To be suffered to goe on and prosper in sin is the worst of sufferings the last of Judgements the next Judgement to hell it selfe and an infallible signe of an heire of hell Thus the wrath of God waxed hot against Israel when he gave them up to their owne hearts lusts and they walked in their owne Councel Psal 81.11 This was the highest revenge that God could take upon that sinfull people He sayd a little before Israel would none of me when God wooed them they were so coy they would have none of him and then said he goe on take your fill of sin I give you up to your owne hearts lusts The Lord did not say I gave them up to the sword to the famine or to the pestilence but to their owne hearts lusts and to walke on in their own way That person or people may be sure God hath purposed evill against them whom he will not withdraw from their evill purposes The severity of the wrath of God against the Gentiles is exprest and summ'd up in this Rom 1.26 28. He gave them up to vile affections he gave them up to a reprobate mind to doe things which were not convenient A naturall man left to himselfe will soone doe such things as nature it selfe abhorreth and blusheth at The same dreadfull doome is denounced Rev 22.11 He that is unjust let him be unjust still and he that is filthy let him be filthy still I will not withdraw him from his way let him goe on and perish let him goe on and sink downe to the pit of perdition for ever As St. John in the Revelation foretelling the Church given up or left to not in great sufferings of all sorts Here is the patience of the Saints So when we see the world given up and left in great sinnings of any sort especially if to sinnings of all sorts we may truely and sadly say Here is the wrath of God 'T is therefore a great mercy if God will any way withdraw man from his sinfull wayes and purposes especially when he taketh such gentle wayes as dreams and visions counsels and instructions to withdraw man from his purpose and as it followeth in this verse to hide pride from man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 texit operuit imponendo aliquid quo tegas The word which we render to hide is to hide by casting a covering a vayle a garment or any other thing over what we desire should be hid Prov 12.23 A prudent man concealeth knowledge it is this word he doth not pretend to know so much as he knoweth he puts a vayle upon his own abilities as Moses upon his face when there was such a shining beauty imprinted there rather then reveales them unnecessarily or uncalled 'T is the foolish man or he that hath but a shew of wisdome who loves and affects to be shewing it But to the text The word is used also to note that gracious act of God his pardoning the sin of man Psal 32.1 Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven and whose sin is covered God covers our sins in the riches of his grace by the perfect righteousnesse of Jesus Christ Now there are two wayes by which God hideth pride from man First by pardoning it Secondly preventing it Here to hide pride from man properly is not to pardon it when acted but to prevent or keep man from the acting of it God indeed hides the pride of man by pardoning it and that 's a high act of grace and he hideth pride from man by keeping man from doing proudly or from shewing his pride in his doings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 superbia excellentia The word rendred pride
it is that God delivereth man while 't is said by Elihu he keepeth back His soul from the pit Some expound the word soul in this former part of the verse in opposition to life in the latter part of it and his life from perishing by the sword Soul and life are sometimes taken promiscuously or indifferently for the same thing yet there is a very great difference between soul and life the life is nothing else but the union between soul and body but the soul is a spirituall substance distinct from the body while remaining in it and subsisting it self alone when separate from it That bond or knot which ties soul and body together is properly that which Elihu speaks of in the next words And his life As God keeps back his soul from everlasting destruction so his life from temporall destruction Though the soul be most precioua yet life is very precious skin for skin yea all that a man hath will he give for his life Chap. 2.5 'T is therefore no small mercy for God to keep back a mans life From perishing by the sword The sword is put sometime for warre that being the principal instrument of warre some insist much on that sence here as if the words contained a promise of being kept from perishing by the sword of an open enemy But the sword is here rather put for any kind or for all kinds of hurtfull evills what ever doth afflict vex or destroy may be called the sword Nomen gladii hoc in loco generalitèr denotare puto quicquid pungit percutit torquet cruciat vel affilgit Bold The text strictly in the letter is thus rendred and his life from passing by or through the sword we say from perishing by the sword which passing by the sword is not to escape the sword but to fall by the sword Thus 't is said of that idolatrous King Ahaz 2 Kings 16.3 He caused his sons to passe through the fire the meaning is not that he delivered them out of the fire but consumed them in the fire for he made them passe through the fire to Molech which was a sacrificing of them to that abominable idoll It is also said 2 Sam. â—2 31 when David took Rabba and destroyed the Ammonites he made them passe through the brick-kilne not to save them but to consume them Some conceive that this brick-kilne through which David made those captive Ammonites to passe was the fire or furnace of Molech that infamous Idoll of the Ammonites with whose bloody and most cruell devotions the apostatizing Jewes or people of God were in after times ensnared And if so then they might see God turning their sin into their punishment and declaring his fiery wrath against them in that by which they had declared their foolish and abominable zeale But that which I quote their punishment for is only the forme of its expression He made them pass through the brick-kilne Transire in gladium est idem quod incidere in manus et tela hostium et cadere in bello Gladius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vocatur quasi missite telum Drus that is perish in it Thus here and his soul from passing by the sword is rightly translated from perishing by the sword The word rendred sword signifies also any missive weapon or weapon cast with the hand especially a dart so Mr. Broughton translates and his life from going on the dart The generall sence of this verse is plainly this The Lord withdraweth man from his purpose and hides pride from man that so he may in mercy preserve him from perishing both in body and soul or that he may keep him not only from the first but from the second death which is the separation of the whole man from the blessed presence of God for ever 'T is a great favour to be kept from the pit where the body corrupts or from the sword that wounds the flesh but to be kept from that everlasting woe which shall overwhelme the wicked in that bottomlesse pit or lake of fire and brimstone this is the highest favour of God to lost man This is the pit this the perishing from which saith Elihu the Lord keepeth back the soul and life of man First from the emphasis of the word he keepeth back importing that God as it were by strong hand or absolute authority and command keepeth the soul of man from the pit Note Man is very forward to run upon his own ruine even to run upon eternall ruine if the Lord did not hold stay and stop him Man would tumble into the pit at the very next step if God did not keep him The way of man naturally is downe to the pit and all that he doth of his own self is for his own undoing And as he is kept back from the pit so as the Apostle Peter hath it 1 Epist 1.5 he is kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation Secondly considering the season signified in the former verse that when man is going upon an evill work or walking in the pride of his heart God is keeping him from the pit Note While man hath sinfull purposes and pride in his heart all that while he is going on to destruction both temporall and eternall Every step in sin is a step to misery and the further any man proceedeth on in sin the further he wanders from God and the further he wanders from God the neerer he comes to misery As the further we goe from the Sun the neerer we are to the cold and the further we go from the fountaine the nearer we are to drought so they that hast to sin hast to sorrow yea to hell Solomon saith of such they love death There is no man loves death under the notion of death there is no beauty no amiableness in death but all they may be said to love death who love sin and live in it Every motion towards sin is a hasting into the armes and embraces of death sinners wooe and invite death and the grave yea hell and destruction Thirdly note The warnings and admonitions which God gives to sinfull man whether waking or sleeping are to keep him from perishing to keep him from temporall to keep him from eternall perishing This is the great end of preaching the Gospel the end also of pressing the terrors of the Law both have this aime to keep man from perishing When man is prest to holinesse and when he is represt from the wayes of sin 't is that he may not perish for ever God hath set up many ordinances he hath imployed many instruments to administer them many thousands goe up and downe preaching to the world and crying out to the sons of men repent and beleeve beleeve and repent and why all this cry but to keep souls from the pit and their life from perishing by the sword The Apostle Jude exhorts to save some with fear and of others to have compassion that is terrifie some that
those who are true fruit-bearing branches more and more that they may bring forth more fruit And the means by which he purgeth them that is mortifieth their corruptions seldome reach this blessed effect at once or twice working and therefore the Lord is even constrained to worke these things twice thrice or oftentimes else the worke would not be brought to the intended issue Thirdly In that it is sayd All these things worketh God oftentimes not alwayes Observe Man should make hast to answer the call of God and come up to what he requireth of him For though God worke these things oftentimes yet no man knowes how often he will worke and we may all know he will not worke alwayes 'T is a high and dangerous presumption to deferre at any time upon hopes that God will work at another time because in some cases he workes oftentimes Remember as was shewed before in opening the words this thrice is the least number of often as twice is the least number of any two or three are the least number that makes a Church-assembly Math 18.20 The Prophet saith Amos 2.4 For three transgressions of Judah and for four I will not turne away the punishment thereof Implying that if men multiply their transgressions God will not alwayes give them meanes of repentance but powre out wrath upon them So Elihu saith God worketh twice and thrice but if men will sin three or foure times where is their warrant that God will pardon or passe by their sins The Prophet did not binde up the mercy of God precisely to two or three transgressions Rabbi Solom colligit tertantum homini ignoscere deum at quarto si ad peccandum redierit esse quod sibiâ—Ã gehenna timeat et id esse putat quod hoc loco ab Elihu dicatur but if men sin without bounds he shewes they have no ground to expect God should be mercifull One of the Jewish Rabbins as some expound him concludes peremptorily If man sin twice or thrice God will spare but if foure times God will punish We doe not circumscribe the grace of God to a speciall number and possibly that Rabbin did not intend it so but only that all should take heed they doe not abuse the grace of God That God multiplyeth to pardon or as we render Isa 55.7 Pardoneth aboundantly is no security for any man to sin aboundantly or to multiply transgressions My spirit shall not alwayes strive with man saith the Lord Gen 6.3 I have striven long already and I will yet strive longer even an hundred and twenty yeares but I will not strive alwayes God gave Jezebel a space to repent Rev 2.21 but when she repented not he did not promise her a new space to repent in but threatned her with wrath to the utmost if she repented not There is a frequency in the worke of God to reduce sinners but not a perpetuity And as in this verse Elihu reports this frequency of his worke so in the next he reports that to be the designe of it Vers 30. To bring back his soule from the pit to be enlightned with the light of the living This verse I say sheweth the purpose of God in working twice thrice or oftentimes with man This purpose as was touched before is two-fold First to free and deliver him from evill the worst of evills a horrible pit Secondly to estate him in and give him possession of not only that which is good but best of all the light of the living Not is this purpose of God a bare desire that 's often fruitless and successless but a strong or setled resolution to bring back the sick mans soule from the pit And Elihu we may suppose spake thus as to presse Job to hasten the worke of his repentance so to put him in hope upon consideration of this designe of God in afflicting him that he should be delivered from his afflictions and have not only his life continued but the comforts of it restored to him As if he had sayd Be not afraid doe not look upon thy condition as hopeless or that the humiliation of thy selfe will be fruitlesse for I dare assure thee God hath gracious purposes and intendments towards thee in working these things And here we have a two-fold gracious purpose of God expressed First to deliver him from evill to bring back his soule from the pit Secondly to doe him good or to bestow positive blessings upon him as was shewed at the 28th verse even to be enlightned with the light of the living As if he had sayd God in all this aymes only at mans good that his sin unrepented of be not his death and destruction and that under a sence of Divine favour towards him he may lead a comfortable life here and be happy for ever To bring back his soule from the pit It is sayd at the 28th verse He will deliver his soule from going into the pit in both places the pit is the same But seeing the Lord there promised to deliver his soule from going into the pit how is he sayd here to bring back his soule from the pit A man being delivered from going to the pit cannot be sayd to be brought back from the pit I answer in two things the words rendred to bring back his soule from the pit may be read thus to turne away his soule from the pit that is to preserve him from death So the Hebrew word is used Chap 15.13 as also Mal 2.6 He walked with me in peace and equity and did turne away many from iniquity If we take that rendring of the word then the expressions in both places beare the same sence But taking it according to our reading in which to bring back his soule from the pit sounds as if the man had been in the pit already and it may well be sayd so because a man in great affliction whether of soule or body is as it were dead or buried alive For as when God converts a sinner he upon the matter brings him back from hell so when he delivers him from any grievous sickness he doth upon the matter bring him back from the grave Heman in spirituall afflictions and soule-desertions the terrours of the Lord being upon him called himselfe free among the dead like the slaine that lye in the grave whom God remembreth no more and they are cut off from thy hand Psal 88.5 They that are neere the pit of death are not much improperly called dead and they that being in such a desperate case are kept from going downe to the pit are not much improperly sayd to be brought back from the pit or pulled out of it In which sence we may keep to our owne reading and so to bring back his soule from the pit notes only the extreame danger wherein he was whether spirituall or temporall and Gods graciousness in delivering him from it Hence note When God restores a man out of any desperate condition whether of
soule or body he gives him a new life he brings him in one respect back from the grave and in another from hell As a sick man he is brought from the grave and as a sinner he is brought from hell Great deliverances are a kind of new creation And fresh blessings are to us as fresh beings Take these two inferences from it First How should they who have been under great outward afflictions praise the Lord when they are delivered They who having had the sentence of death in themselves should look upon themselves when restored as men raised from the dead And how should sinners praise the Lord when he hath reconciled them to himselfe and pardoned their sins In doing this for them he delivereth them from wrath from hell and from eternall death Let such praise the name of the Lord and say as in the text He hath delivered our soules from the pit Secondly Let such live unto God having received a new life from God They that have received a new temporall life from God ought to dedicate it unto God how much more they that have received new spirituall life They that have received it indeed cannot but dedicate it unto God This negative mercy calls aloud for all that we are or have to be given up to God but that positive mercy which followeth calleth yet lowder for it And to be enlightned with the light of the living Nomen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non sumitur pro quibuslibet hominibus hac vita fruentibus sed pro diviâ—ibus potentibuâ— vivere est vigere valere Sunt qui ad futuram vitaÌ„ referunt sed id sâ—nam quidem Allegoricè intelligi postquam ad literam de hac vita intellecteru Merc Take it for temporall spirituall or eternall life all these ends are accomplished in those mercifull workes of God to poore sinners some restraine the text to the light of this temporall life others enlarge it to the light of spirituall and eternall life We are enlightned with the light of the living When the comforts of this life are restored much more are they who are restored to the comforts of their spirituall life and so to the hope of eternall life By the living we are not to understand those who are barely on this side the grave and yet breath in the ayre or who have only a weake shadowed spirituall life which they scarce know of or perceive The living here are they that live comfortably and prosperously both as to soule and body Thus 't is sayd in that Prophecy of Christ Psal 72.13 He shall live and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba prayer also shall be made for him continually and dayly shall he be praised Christ lives to purpose he lives as a Prince in power and dignity yea he is the Prince of life It was more then a sensitive or rationall life which Davids faith was assured of when he sayd Psal 118.17 I shall not dye but live his meaning was I shall live honourably and triumphantly declaring with joy the workes of the Lord. Thus here To be enlightned with the light of the living is to enjoy a comfortable life or to live happily Hence note A troubled state is a dark state sickness and sorrow whether inward or outward are darkness They are darkned with the darkness of the dead whose life is wrapped up in anguish and sorrow Secondly Note The designe and purpose of God in all his ordinances and providences towards his people is for their good All that hath been sayd before emptieth it selfe into these sayings To keep back his soule from the pit and to be enlightned with the light of the living The Lord hath no eye in these workes to his owne gaine but mans good The Lord doth not willingly grieve nor afflict the children of men Lam 3.35 He taketh no pleasure in it abstractly considered nor doth he look for any profit by it Much lesse doth he it as it follows v. 36. meerely to crush under his feete all the prisoners of the earth All that he expects by it as to himselfe is to be glorified by all for himselfe is above all and therefore designeth himselfe in all yet the glory which God hath by man is only the manifestation of his glory not any addition to it The benefit which God aymes at in afflicting man returnes to man He would have man bettered by affliction and as soone as man is bettered by affliction every thing shall goe better with him and he shall be delivered from affliction Rom 8.28 All things worke together for the good of them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose And as all things worke together for the good of them who are the called according to his purpose so it is the purpose of God that all things should worke together for their good and that is not a successless purpose Indeed every rod upon the backs of the wicked hath a voyce in it to call them from the pit of death and destruction and to be enlightned with the light of the living but God makes this call effectuall to all his elect none of whom shall perish with the world So that a godly man should be so farre from judging himselfe dealt with as an enemy as Job in his extremity did when he is most sorely afflicted that indeed he may see the love and fatherly care of God in it All the providentiall dispensations of God worke to glorious ends Sometimes for the outward good of his people in this life alwayes for good as to their spirituall and eternall life Therefore lay aside hard thoughts of God whatsoever hard things he is a doing or you are suffering The wayes in which God leads us may possibly be very darke yet they run to this poynt to keep us from the pit of darkness and that we may be enlightned with the light of the living Thirdly Note Man would undoe himselfe both for here and for ever if God did not worke wonderfully for him and powerfully keep him from destruction All these things God worketh twice and thrice to keep our soules from the pit man left to himselfe would run head-long upon mischiefe in this world upon eternall misery in the world to come Nothing but the hand of God can hold man from ruining himselfe The heart of man is so set upon sin that he will rather loose his soule then leave his lust and will rather dye then that shall 'T is as easie to stay the motion of the Sun or to turne back the course of nature as to stay or turne back the naturall motion or course of the heart in sinning An almighty power must doe the latter as well as the former So that if the Lord did not put forth more then mercy even mercy clothed with power no man could be saved should God wish us never so well and tell us what good he hath layd up for us if we
goodliness thereof as the flower of the field that is all men are perishing and all that man hath meerly as a man is as fading and perishing as himself is Some take notice that man was not called flesh till after his fall It 's said before when God set him up in that primitive purity of his Creation Man became a living soul He was not spoken of at first as flesh but as a living soul Gen. 2.7 but as soon as man had sinned he was called flesh as if he had no soul There may two other reasons be given why man is called flesh both following from the former First Because man since his fall doth most for his flesh and neglects his soul altogether till being planted into the second Adam he is brought out of that wretched condition into which he fell by and with the first Adam Secondly He is called flesh because since the fall man is become weak and frail both as to Naturals and Morals Gen. 6.3 My spirit shall not alwaies strive with man for that he also is flesh As if the Lord had said Now man declareth himself to be flesh indeed he acts like an impotent sorry creature he acts as if he scarce had a soul in him as if he were no more then the beasts of the earth My spirit shall not alwaies strive with man for that he also is flesh and therefore v. 30. God told Noah The end of all flesh is come before me that is Man and all his worldly glory shall all be swept away with a deluge of water as here All flesh shall perish together There is a two-fold perishing First By way of annihilation Secondly By way of transmutation When Elihu saith all flesh shall perish we are not to understand it of annihilating all flesh God can do that he can turn man back into that nothing out of which he was made but the perishing in the Text importeth only a change Death is called a change a change to perishing as that good great woman said I will go in unto the King and if I perish I perish Hest 4.16 that is If I die I die The Prophet laments Isa 57.1 The righteous perisheth and no man layeth it to heart All flesh shall perish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Together That is without exception one as well as another rich and poor high and low strong and weak all are alike in the hand of God Psal 33.13.15 The Lord looketh from heaven he beholdeth all the sons of men c. he fashioneth their hearts alike or together that is he fashioneth the hearts of all men God doth not so fashion mens hearts alike as to make them all alike faces do not differ so much as hearts but as he fashions one mans heart so anothers he fashions the heart of a King as well as the heart of a begger All flesh shall perish together none either by power or policy can stand against a displeased God Again We may take the word together for all at once God can make a total devastation in the earth and sweep all away as filth with the besome of destruction He can destroy all the world of all men who are the chiefe part of the world together or at one blow so that as the Prophet Nahum speaks Chap 1.9 Affliction shall not rise up a second time All flesh shall perish together And man shall returne againe unto dust Or he shall goe backe unto dust that is he shall dye that 's the sentence which God gave upon man when he had sinned Gen 3.19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou returne unto the ground for out of it wast thou taken for dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou returne Man was dust before he sinned yet he had not returned to dust if he had not turned from God by sin Sin brought in death and death brings us to the dust All flesh shall perish together and man shall returne againe unto dust Hence observe There is no one man hath more priviledge then another against the sentence of death The Greatest Prince dyeth as soone as the meanest peasant Death can as soone and as easily breake into the strongest fort or tower of stone as into the meanest cottage of reeds High and low shall perish together Let none hope to secure themselves by any thing of this world from going out of this world Riches availe not in the day of death Pro 11.4 High Titles and honours availe not strength availeth not beauty availeth not none of these can be a protection if God send out a writ or summons to the grave Happy are they who get an assurance of life after death for none have an assurance of life against death Againe In that death is here expressed under this notion of perishing Observe Man is but in a perishing condition while he is in this world As all the things of the world are so is man while he abideth if I may say he abideth in this world Christ earnestly exhorts John 6.27 Labour not for the meat that perisheth Why should we labour that is set our selves with our whole strength and might to pursue perishing things seeing we our selves are perishing The more perishing we are the more reason we have to looke after and labour for those things which doe not which cannot perish When the Apostle saith 1 Pet 1.18 We are not redeemed with corruptible things from our vaine conversation c. He doth not instance in flowers or fruits of the earth which quickly rot but in gold and silver which are the most durable and lasting metalls even these are corruptible but we our selves as to this bodyly life are corruptible not only as gold and silver but as the most fading flowers and summer fruits of the earth Further From that other description of death as 't is called a returning againe unto dust We learne Man is of the dust Unlesse man as to his body were of the dust when he began to live he could not be sayd to returne unto dust when he dyeth or departs this life Many men pore upon their pedegree and heir minds swel with pride because they are of such or such a noble descent but let them remember man is of the dust The soule or spirit of man is indeed from above as was shewed before and the body of man is I grant a compound of all the foure Elements Our bodyly spirits say Naturalists are of the fire our breath of the ayre our blood of the water and our flesh and bones are most properly of the dust of the earth yet the whole body of man is denominated dust or earth or as the Apostle stileth it 2 Cor 5.1 'T is an earthly house If our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved For though we may truely say there is water and ayre and fire in this house yet because earth is the predominant Element the whole body beares the denomination of
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
But if what is awarded against him be right according to Law and sutable to Justice let the sentence be what it will let him be able to beare it or no much more if he be able also to beare it as in this case it is he hath no cause at all to desire a review of it Thus it is saith Elihu in all the dealings of God with man He will not lay upon man more then is right that he should enter into judgement with God To enter or goe into judgement as the word is is either to begin or renew a sute and to desire the hearing of the cause againe God makes no faulty Judgements why then should any cause determin'd by him come to a second hearing there may be reason enough among men to heare a cause againe but what God resolves needs not be reviewed much lesse reversed Here then Elihu meets with those frequent complaints of Job under his afflictions and likewise with those his severall motions and earnest petitions to have his cause heard afresh as if God had prest him too sore or at least had not done him right in suffering him to be so sorely prest by men Thus Elihu seemes to say God never gave any man any just cause to plead his cause over againe with him nor hath he given thee O Job any cause to desire it of him 'T is true carnall men yea and sometimes godly men when as Job here they are greatly afflicted are ready to thinke and say they are over-severely dealt with But the reason of Elihu stands good and firme against all these thoughts and sayings For he will not lay upon man more then is right Hence note God never wronged nor will wrong any man There are two speciall cases in which God never did nor ever will wrong man First he will not wrong man by denying him that reward which he hath freely promised no man shall serve God for naught he shall not say God hath promised but he hath not performed The experience of his people seale to the truth of his promises as wel as their faith imbraceth it That hope of man which is anchored in a promise of God never miscarried not made any man ashamed Secondly God will not wrong man by laying upon him a greater punishment then he hath threatned The Magistrate cannot be charged with laying more punishment upon an offender then is right if he punisheth him not more then the Law alloweth There may be a great deale of severity I grant in punishing up to the rigor of the Law but there is no unrighteousness in it The Mosaical law allowed of forty stripes now if they had layd forty-one upon any offender they had layd upon him more then was right because they exceeded the Law and to have layd full forty stripes which was the utmost they could by Law had been severe therefore they usually abated one stripe at least Hence the Apostle Paul saith 2 Cor 11.24 Of the Jewes five times received I forty stripes save one if they had given Paul forty stripes they had done no wrong as to the Law though one had been too many for and a wrong to him who had not broken their law Seeing the Lord lays no more upon the worst of sinners then the law alloweth he doth not lay upon man more then right Yea not only the chastisements which the Lord layeth upon his owne servants but the greatest punishments which he layeth upon the worst of the wicked in this world are much lesse then might with Justice be inflicted This was Ezra's humble acknowledgement before the Lord Ezra 9.13 And after all that is come upon us for our evill deeds and for our great trespasse seeing that thou our God hast punished us lesse then our iniquities deserve The punishment that was upon the people of Israel was exceeding great in so much that Daniel saith in his prayer Chap 9.11 12. Vnder the whole heavens hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem yet Ezra speaking of that very dispensation saith Thou hast punished us lesse then our iniquities deserve In this life the greatest of our punishments are lesse then the least of our sins Every sin or transgression of the Law deserves eternall death therefore in this life the greatest punishments that fall upon sinners are lesse then their sins As the least mercies which God bestoweth upon them are greater then the greatest of their deservings That was Jacobs free confession Gen 32.10 I am not worthy of the least of or I am lesse then all the mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant So the greatest punishments that fall upon them in this life are lesse then the least of their sins And in the next life where sinners shall have full measure heaped up pressed downe running over and that for ever yet then they shall not have one graine more either of weight or measure then they have deserved The Lord layeth upon no man in this life so much nor in that to come more then is right Hence it followeth Secondly Man hath no cause to complaine of God or God hath not given any man any cause to complaine whatsoever his sufferings are Why should he complaine who hath but his right As God hath not given any man a liberty to complaine so he hath not given any man just occasion or a true reason to complaine If the burden of punishment be heavy upon any man let him thanke his own sin or selfe for it he hath but his due from God We are often cruel to and wrong our selves God is usually mercifull and never but just to us yea how great soever any affliction is 't is a mercy that 't is no greater and God can quickly make it greater how great soever it is and still be just As he never doth more then he may so he never doth so much as he can in punishing us The Lord hath more in the treasures of his wrath then yet he hath powred upon the worst of sinners Nor indeed can the most capacious vessels of wrath hold all his wrath 't is as himselfe is infinite Cain sayd My punishment is greater then I can beare Gen 4.13 yet God could have made his punishment greater then it was Therefore Jeremy confessed Lam 3.22 It is of the Lords mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions faile not Whatsoever is lesse then utter consumption hath some mixture of compassion in it every punishment hath somewhat of compassion in it except that of everlasting damnation O then let all flesh feare and tremble to enter into Judgement with God to complaine or take offence at any of his proceedings with them There are foure things considerable in God which should stop all mens mouths from daring to doe so First He is most powerfull there is no escaping out of his hands Secondly He is most wise and seeth quite through all that man hath done with his hand
to flow in upon us Christ said to the sick man Matth. 9.2 Be of good cheer thy sins are forgiven thee Fourthly It is a precious mercy because it stops and keeps off all evils and judgements strictly so called I forgive I will not destroy Our comforts cannot stand before the guilt of sin and our troubles cannot stand long before the pardon of sin Isa 33.24 The highest wtath of God appears in this when he will not pardon and it argues the greatest displeasure of man against man when he prayeth that he may not be pardoned That was a most dreadful prayer of the Prophet Isa 2.9 The mean man is bowed down and the mighty man humbles himself therefore forgive them not here was a prayer that they might not be forgiven and the ground why he prayed so seems to be as strange as the matter of it was dreadful Is it a sin to be excepted from pardon to see a mean man bow down and a mighty man humble himself The meaning is they bowed themselves not to God but to idols all bowing and humbling our selves either to worship an idol or in idol worship is rebelling against God We have a like prayer Jer. 18.23 the Prophet having spoken of the plots and devisings of the people against him turns himself thus to God Thou knowest all their counsel to slay me forgive not their iniquity neither blot their sin from thy sight Nothing can be wisht worse to any man then this that his sin may never be pardoned And here it may be questioned how the Prophet could make such a prayer which seems to have the height of all uncharitableness in it I answer first The Prophet was led by an extraordinary Spirit to do this Secondly We are not to conceive that the Prophet prayed for their eternal condemnation but that God would call them to a reckoning and make them feel the evil of their own doings There is a sin unto death for the pardon of which we are not to pray 1 John 5.16 yet there is no sin about which we are to pray that it may never be pardoned The worst prayer that can be made against any man is that he may not be pardoned and there is nothing better to be prayed for then pardon It shewed the height of Christs love when hanging on the Cross he prayed thus for his enemies Luke 23.34 Father forgive them they know not what they do And the Protomartyr Stephen breathed out a like spirit of charity while he was breathing out his life in a shower of stones powred upon him from more stony hearts Acts 7.60 with this prayer Lord lay not this sin to their charge Thus I have finished this 31th verse both according to our own Translation and that other insisted upon by many of the learned only from the connexion of this verse with the next according to the latter reading To God who saith I pardon I will not destroy it should be said that which I see not teach thou me if I have done iniquity I will do no more Observe The very consideration that God is ready to pardon sin should make us resolved against the committing of sin The sin-pardoning mercy of God is one of the highest and most spiritual arguments by which the soul is kept from sin There is forgiveness with thee saith David Psal 130.4 that thou mayst be feared that is because thou art so merciful as to forgive sinners therefore they ought to fear thee in doing what thy will is and in avoiding whatsoever is contrary to thy will 'T is prophesied that frame of spirit shall dwell upon the people of God in the latter dayes Hos 3.5 They shall fear the Lord and his goodness that is Si scirem homines ignoraturos Deos ignoscituros tamen non facerem Sen◠they shall fear to offend the Lord because he is so good and ready to pardon It was said by a Heathen and it may shame many who profess themselves Christians that a heathen said so if I did know that men should never know the evil which I do and that the gods so he speaks in their language would pardon and forgive the evil which I do yet I would not do it Surely the spirit of a true believer must needs rise thus high and higher upon the clear grounds of Gospel grace and discoveries of the free love of God Cannot a true believer say though I know that God will pardon my sin though he hath declared that my sin is pardoned and though I could be assured that men should never know of this sin if I commit it yet I will not do it To God who saith I pardon it should be said I will sin no more I shall now proceed to the 32d verse which stands fair to either reading Vers 32. That which I see not teach thou me if I have done iniquity I will do no more Some carry the general sence of these words as if spoken by God himself to Job and spoken by an irony or in scorn as if he had thus bespoken him If I have afflicted thee beyond thy desert or have overthrown thy judgement that Job had more then once complained of Si quid me fugit in te affligendo vel si quid errarem tu me doceas Si te venando perperam egi vel injustè me habui non ultra id fecero 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Merc. if I have not kept to the true rules of reason and righteousness in chastening thee if in my dealings with thee I have done amiss or have not done thee right Shew me wherein O Job and I will afflict thee so no more I shall not stay upon this but take the words according to our Translation as the whole verse intends a further description of a person deeply humbled under and sensible of the hand the chastening the afflicting hand of God who having said with respect to all known sins in the former verse I will offend no more saith here in this verse concerning all unknown sins That which I see not teach thou me and if I have done iniquity I will do no more That which I see not There is a two-sold sight First Corporal the sight of the bodily eye Secondly Intellectual the sight of the eye of the minde or of the understanding when Elihu represents the penitent afflicted person speaking thus What I see not c. he intends not a corporal sight but an intellectual Seeing is here as often elsewhere in Scripture put for knowing the understanding is the eye of the soul How blinde and dark are those men who have no understanding in the things of God! Eph. 4.18 When Christ had sayd For judgement am I come into the world that they which see not might see and that they which see might be made blinde some of the Pharisees said unto him John 9.41 are we blinde also have we no eyes Jesus said unto them If ye were blinde ye should have
they might sin against God he knew no sin they had run into nor could charge them with any excess but he was jealous they had sinned nor did Job speak thus as if his meaning were that possibly in their feasting some corruption might work in them he knew there is no man in the best duties of his life wholly freed from the workings of sin but he had this jealousie that they might have fallen into some great sin and so provoked God greatly against them therefore he did as it were way-lay such guilt and early sought reconciliation with God As Job was thus jealous of his children so a gracious heart though he cannot charge himselfe with this or that evill yet he is apt to suspect his owne heart and feares it may be worse with him then possibly it is Secondly When he saith If I have done iniquity This humble man though he doth suppose that he might have done iniquity yet he doth but suppose it Hence note A godly man may live free from the doing of any grosse sin He doth not put an if upon it whether he had sinned or no but whether he had done iniquity Zachariah and Elizabeth were not without sin but they did no iniquity for saith the text Luke 1.6 They were both righteous before God walking in all the commandements and ordinances of the Lord blamelesse It cannot be imagined but that the people of Israel sinned yet Num 23.21 God saw no iniquity in Jacob nor perversenesse in Israel There may be such a time in the Church when the people of God have no iniquity no provocation to be seene or found among them Though a Godly man cannot deny but he hath sinned yet he can affirme that he hath not indulged himselfe in any sin If I have done iniquity I will doe no more The Hebrew is I will not adde We render I will doe no more As if he had sayd If upon tryall it be found that I have done iniquity yet I will not adde iniquity to iniquity I will not goe on I will not persist nor proceed in iniquity I will not take a step more in any way which God shall discover to me to be an evill way If I am out of the way I will not goe on in my way Hence observe First A godly penitent person is resolute against sin His will is set against it I will doe no more I shewed in opening the former verse It is meere to be sayd unto God I have borne chastisement I will offend no more in what sence a godly man may make such a promise or say I will sin no more here I say A godly man is resolute against sin especially against great sins As a carnall man hath but very weake resolves for the doing of good he hath as some expresse it but a velleity somewhat like a will to doe that which is good so a carnall man makes but weake resolves against evill he hath not a setled will but a kind of noleity against it He makes some flourishes of profession against it but he is not resolvedly ingaged against it whereas a godly man is resolute both as to the doing of good and the not doing of evill If a godly man might have his will he would never sin more And as a Godly man waiteth joyfully for that state of glory wherein he shall sin no more so a resolution to sin no more hath as I may say somewhat of glory in it In glory we shall sin no more and where grace is in truth that soule would gladly be rid of sin and sin no more A godly man is resolved against all ungodlinesse and this is a kind of entrance into glory Againe Whereas the penitent man saith I will doe no more Note Continuance in any knowne sin for saith he what I know not teach thou me or in that which is made knowne to us to be sinfull is inconsistent with true repentance Repentance for and continuance in sin cannot consist in the same subject This is the voyce of every gracious soule I would not sin any more or I would not continue any longer in sin To sin is common to man but to continue in sin is proper to a wicked man To erre and faile that 's humane but to persevere in error is diabolicall Sin will continue in us while we continue in this world but they that are not of the world doe not will not continue in sin how long so ever they are in the world Sin may be considered three wayes First as remaining in us Secondly as reserved Thirdly as preserved by us There is sin remaining in the best of Saints on this side heaven Rom 7.20 21 22 23 24. Sin is reserved only in carnall men they save their sins and would be saved not from but in their sins Sin is preserved or maintained and defended in the worst of wicked men Sin is heightned to the utmost where 't is not only retained but maintained and preserved The Apostle having closed the fifth Chapter of his Epistle to the Romanes in the triumph of Gospel grace That as sin hath reigned unto death so grace might reigne through righteousnesse unto eternall life by Jesus Christ our Lord begins the next with a prevention of the abuse of this Grace What shall we say then shall we continue in sin that grace may abound God forbid How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein How can we continue in sin that are partakers of Gospel grace Sin will continue in us but we cannot continue in it The question implyeth a kind of impossibility We were once dead in sin but now we are dead to sin how then can we live or continue in it Perseverance is either our best or our worst To persevere is best when we persevere in good and to persevere is worst when we persevere in evill It is bad to be or doe evill but it is worse to abide in evill The first best is not to sin the next best is not to continue nor lodge in sin no not for an houre Paul sayd in another case Gal 2.5 To whom we gave place by subjection no not for an houre We should not give place to sin no not for a minute but resist it to the utmost and totally displace it if we can Lastly From the Hebrew elegancy which saith I will not adde Note A godly man may commit sin after sin but he doth not adde sin to sin When he hath committed any one sin he breaks it off and dedestroyeth it by repentance He doth not adde sin to sin because the sin formerly committed is destroyed by repentance His former sin is taken off the file before he acts a second who heartily repenteth of the first and as heartily resolveth not to commit a second Such a man doth not run a round of sinning and repenting though he sinneth after â—he hath repented Daniel gave that advice to Nebuchadnezzar Dan 4.27 Break off thy sins by
a sinfull way this is rebellion this is sin in the very height of it This was the rebellion of Ahaz 2 Chron 28.22 Who in the time of his distresse trespassed yet more against the Lord. And this was the rebellion of Judah Isa 1.5 Why should ye be strieken any more ye will revolt more and more Take heed of this 't is too much that we sin at all let us not be found adding rebellion to our sin I may say these two things concerning the habit or any act of sin First It is a burthen to a Godly man O wretched man that I am sayd Paul who shall deliver me from this body of death Secondly As it is a Godly mans burthen when he sins so it is his care and study not to sin he would not sin at all he watcheth himselfe that he may not sin in the least degree That was the Apostle Johns desire and care for all the Churches 1 John 2.1 My little children these things I write unto you that ye sin not I would have you watch over your hearts and wayes so narrowly that no sin might slip you that ye might not have a wrong thought nor speake an idle word how much more should we take heed that we adde not rebellion to our sin There is somewhat of rebellion in every sin even in the sins of good men but 't is sad when they adde rebellion to their sin Samuel gives a dreadfull description of that sin which is rebellion 1 Sam 15.23 Rebellion is as the sin of witch-craft and stubbornness is as Iniquity and Idolatry Witch-craft is that sin wherein men have much converse and compliance with the devill The devill and the witch or the devill and the Diviner as our Margin hath it act as loving companions they have mutual converse yea commerse they trade together Rebellion is that sin or we sin rebelliously when we declare our selves most averse to God The witch declares himselfe a friend to the devill the rebellious soule defieth and despiseth God now those sins that have most compliance with the devill and most defiance against God are put together if a man doth much set himselfe to oppose God by sinning against light against reproofes and against providences whether the gracious or afflicting providences of God If a man I say rebell thus against God it is like the sin of witch-craft which is compliance and converse with the devill Here is an extreame on the one side and an extreame on the other side yet both meete rebellion is as the sin of witch-craft and stubbornness is as Iniquity and Idolatry These latter words are exegaticall stubbornness that is when a man is stout and will goe on his way is as Iniquity and Idolatry We may consider a great elegancy in those words Stubbornness is as Idolatry What is Idolatry it is worshipping or giving honour to a false god which is indeed worshipping the devill all Idolatry is devill-worship the witch worshippeth the devill intentionally and so doth the Idolater though he intend it not 1 Cor 10.20 The things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to devills and not to God I doe not say every error or fayling in worship is devill-worship but that which is Idolatry indeed or the setting up of a worship of our owne devising is Idolatry and devill-worship Thus stubbornness is as Idolatry and rebellion is as witch-craft What is witch-craft compliance with the devill What is Idolatry devill-worship a falling downe to the devill Let the wicked consider what they doe when they rebell and let the people of God take heed of any sin or way of sinning which may be accounted rebellion To sin with much will against much light against many reproofs from men and against the reproving or against the inviting providences of God hath rebellion in it He addeth rebellion to his sin Secondly Taking the words in the mildest sence Note Sometimes a good man may goe backward he may be worse and worse and doe worse and worse We should be alwayes growing in grace that 's the condition of believers and their duty yet under some dispensations they may decline for a time and grow worse and worse adding that which is like rebellion to their sin Thirdly If we consider these words in connection with the former Elihu having prayed for further tryall upon Job as fearing that else he might adde rebellion to his sin Note He that is not throughly convinced and chastned may quickly grow worse and worse He may or he will adde rebellion to his sin I doe not know where a mans sin will end if the Lord should let him alone 'T is a mercy that any man especially that God hath a continuall inspection over us if some mens wayes were not tryed and questioned they might adde rebellion to their sin who knows where they would stop it is a mercy to have both words and actions examined by brethren and Churches how sadly else would many wander yea it is a mercy to be tryed by affliction When God keeps us from a foule way by building a wall against us it is a mercy else we might adde rebellion to sin No man knowes the measure of his owne evill heart or what it would doe for though believers have a generall promise to be kept by the power of God to salvation yet how lamentably have good men â—â—llen though kept from falling away Elihu aggravates this yet further by the example of Job in the latter and last part of the verse He clappeth his hands amongst us and multiplieth his words against God He clappeth his hands or maketh a noyse amongst us as Mr Broughton reads it clapping of the hands in Scripture hath a three-fold signification First It implyeth passion or sorrow A man under affliction claps or wrings his hands for griefe Both those gestures are of the same significancy Secondly There is a clapping of the hands with indignation when we are very angry then we clap our hands Thirdly There is a clapping of the hands for joy or in a way of triumph when a man thinks he has conquered and got the day he claps his hands and so doe they who are on his side Psal 47.1 O clap your hands all ye people shout unto God with the voyce of triumph Explosurus esset nos ut qui vicisset nos disputando Pisc I conceive Elihu intends Job clapping his hands in this third sense he clappeth his hands amongst us or insults over us as if he had conquered and wonne the Garland and therefore Elihu prayed that he might be further tryed This is another aggravation of that ill frame which Elihu conceived Job to be in And indeed to clap our hands when we have done or spoken evill is worse then the evill which we have either done or spoken He clappeth his hands And multiplieth his words or may multiply words against God Solomon saith Pro 10.19 in the multitude of words there doth not want sin that is
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
9. 106. Hebrewes 1. 1. 265. 2. 14. 754 363. 3. 7 13. 268. 3. 12. 703. 5. 11. 498. 5. 1â— 12. 50. 5. 13. 376. 6. 10. 556. 6. 18 19. 266. 9. 27. 593 268 266. 10. 10 26. 268. 11. 1. 78. 11. 25 26. 507. 12. 4. 262. 12. 5. 79. 12. 9 10. 594 92. 12. 14. 434. James 1. 5. 57. 1. 17. 54. 1. 20 21. 100. 2. 1 2 3 4 5. 124. 2. 9. 80. 2. 10. 712. 2. 12. 147. 4. 12. 811. 5. 15. 398. I Peter 1. 12. 408. 1. 18. 598. 3. 6. 220. 3. 19 20. 740. 4. 11. 159. 4. 17. 94. II Peter 1. 9. 441. 1. 18 19. 266. 3. 16. 9. I John 1. 9. 556. 2. 19. 155. 2. 27. 821. 3. 7. 4. 5. 16. 815. Jude 0. 6. 317. 0. 15. 197 81. Revelation 2. 9. 155. 3. 0. 155. 10. 8. 3â—8 11. 3. 270. 14. 13. 560. 15. 4. 695. 21. 17. 183. ERRATA PAge 14 line 27. for History read Historian p. 145. l. 22. for words r. word p. 236. l. 11. for inseparable r. insuperable p. 238. l. 13. for hath r. had p. 328. l. 23. supple Christ p. 338. l. 8. for epethite r. epithete p. 339. l. 24. dele and. p. 239. l. 26. for to r. being p. 355. l. 38. for 61. r. 11. p. 390. l. 9. for in r. to p. 392. l. 30. for yet more r. Thus. p. 409. in the Margin for Cato r. Calvin p. 511 l. 14. dele yea p. 639. l. 9 for 2. r. 12. p. 652. l. 30. for 58. r. 52 p. 709. l. 23. for God r. good p. 787. l. 39. for yet a r. but. FINIS Books lately printed for Thomas Parkhurst at the Sign of the three Crowns over against the great Conduit at the lower end of Cheap-side A Commentary upon the three first Chapters of Genesis by Mr. John White in fol. A learned Commentary or Exposition upon the first Chapter of the second Epistle to the Corinthians by Dr. Richard Sibbs published for publick good by Thomas Manton Folio There is come forth Mr. William Fenner his Continuation of Christs Alarm to drowsie Saints with a Treatise of effectual Calling The Killing Power of the Law The Spirituall Watch New Birth A Christians ingrafting into Christ A Treatise on the Sabbath which were never before printed bound in one Volume Fol. and may be had alone of them that have his other Works as well as bound with all his former Works which are newly printed in the same Volume The History of the Evangelical Churches of the Valleys of Piemont Containing a most exact Geographical Description of the place and a faithfull account of the doctrine life and persecutions of the Ancient Inhabitants Together with a most naked and punctual relation of the late bloody Massacre 1655. and a Narrative of all the following transactions to 1658. Justified partly by divers ancient Manuscripts written many hundred years before Calvin or Luther By Samuel Morland Esq in fol. Divine Characters in two parts acutely distinguishing the more secret and undiscerned differences between the Hypocrite in his best dress of seeming vertues and formal duties and the true Christian in his real graces and sincere obedience by Mr. Samuel Crooke in fol. The humbled sinner resolved what he should do to be saved or faith in the Lord Jesus Christ the only way of salvation by Mr. Obadiah Sedgewick in 40. The Fountain oâ—ened and the water of life flowing so th for the refreshing of thirsty sinners by the same Author in 4. Anatomy of secret sins presumptuous sins sins in dominion and up ightnesse on Psal 19.12 13. together with a Treatise of the sin against the Holy Ghost by Obadiah Sedgewich The hypocritical Nation described with an Epistle prefixed by Mâ— Samuel Jacomb in 4. A Sermon of the baptizing of Infants by Mr. Stephen Marshal in 4. The unity of the Saints with Christ the Head by the same Author in 4. Truth brought to light and discovered by time or an Historical Narration of the first fourteen years of King James in 4. The Tryall of the Marquesse of Argyle wherein you have his Inditement and his Answer together with his last speech and words upon the Scaffold in 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the Great Mysterie of Godliness opened by way of Antidote against the Great Mystery of Iniquity now awork in the Romish Church wherein 1. The Incarnation of the Son of God is fully displayed 2. Ceremonies in poynt of Worship proved to be by Christ abrogated 3. Christian liberty with its 8 Steps and 5 Boundiaries by Thomas Douglass M. A. in 4. Moses and Aaron or the Priviledges and Boundaries given by God both to Magistrates and Ministers Mr. Robinsons Christians Armour in large 8o. A Book of Emblems with Latine and English verses made upon Lights by Robert Farlie small 8o. The one thing necessary By Mr. Thomas Watson Minister of Stephens Walbrook 8o. The Riches of grace displayed in the offer and tender of salvation to poore sinners by Obadiah Sedgewick in 12. Hidden Manna by Mr. Fenner in 12. Picturae Louventes or Pictures drawn forth into Characters in 12. A most excellent Treatise containing the way to seek Heavens Glory to fly Earths Vanity to feare Hells Horror with godly Prayers and the Bell-mans Summons 12. The singular Actions of sanctified Christians in several Sermons on the 5. of Math. 47. An Exposition on the whole book of the Canticles by R. R. There is printed an Exhortation of the Churches of Bohemiah to the Churches of England wherein is set forth the good of unity order discipline and obedience in Churches rightly constituted With an Exhortation premised of the order and Discipline used in the Churches of the Brethren of Bohemia Dedicated to His Most Excellent Majesty Charls the IId in Holland at His departure for England if possibly it may be for an accommodation among the Church of Christ By J. Amos Comenius the only surviving Bishop of the remains of those Churches Grace to the humble as a preparation to the Sacrament in five Sermons by Dr. John Preston Johnsons Essaies expressed in sundry Exquisite Fancies Sion in the House of Mourning because of Sin and Suffering being an Exposition on the fifth Chapter of the Lamentations by D. S. Pastor of Vpingham in the County of Rutland Groans of the Spirit or the Trial of the Truth of Prayer A Handkercher for Parents Wet-eyes upon the death of their children or friends The Dead Saint speaking to Saints and Sinners living in several Treatises viz On 2 Sam 24.10 on Cant. 4.9 on John 8.15 on John 1.50 on Isa 58.2 on Exod. 15.11 Never Published before By Samuel Bolton D. D. late Mr. of Christs Colledge in Cambridge Peoples Need of a Living Pastor at the Funerall of Mr. John Frost M. A. by Mr. Zach. Crofton A Treatise against the Toleration of all Religions By Mr. Thomas Edwards Catechizing Gods Ordinance in sundry Sermons by Mr. Zachary Crofton Minister of Buttolphs Algate London the second Edition corrected and augmented A Theatre of Political Flying Insects Wherein especially the Nature the Worth the Work the Wonder and the manner of the Right-ordering of the Bee is discovered and described By Samuel Purchas M. A. and Pastor at Sutton in Essex The second part of Mans wilfull Impenitency upon Ezek. 18.32 By Mr. William Fenner late of Rochford in Essex With some other Pieces of his preserved by a special Providence