bitter in soule that they account the very bitternesse of death sweetnesse They say not as Agag 1 Sam. 15.32 Surely the bitternesse of death is past but O that the sweetnesse of death would come To be rid of sin makes us long for death spiritually to be rid of paine makes us desire death naturally therefore he saith the bitter in soule long for death The word which we translate by longing signifieth a very vehement desire as you know in our tongue to long for a thing is the highest and hottest acting of desire after a thing It signifieth properly to gape or to breathe Hence by a Trope it signifieth strong desire because they who desire a thing much are said to gape or breath after it just as an hungry man gapes after meate wheresoever he sees it and his mind runnes upon it when he cannot see it that is the force of the word Hence also the word is used in Scripture to note the strong actings of faith and vehement expectations of hope in God when the soule is raised up mightily to beleeve the word of promise then it longs after and opens its mouth wide as it were to receive the thing promised As in Isa 8.17 I will waite upon the Lord who hides his face from the house of Jacob and I will looke for him The Prophet Hosea applies the word to robbers and theeves who stand watching and longing for the traveller and looking at every turning chap. 6.9 As troopes of robbers waite for a man Yet further to cleare this we may take notice that in the Hebrew there are two words which come from this roote whereof the one signifieth the Palate of the mouth because the palate is the part affected with the tast of such meates as we long for Hence we say the mouth waters after such or such a pleasing dish The other word signifies a Fish-hooke and the reason is double either because those hookes are pleasantly baited which when the fish sees he longeth after it and greedily swallowes it downe Or because when the angler hath cast in the hooke he is in great expectation waiting and looking earnestly when the fish will be enticed and bite By all these uses of the Originall word we may collect the exceeding intensivenes of that desire which is here exprest by longing for death They long for death even as a hungry man longeth for any meate or as a woman with child longeth for some speciall meate as a fish longs for the baite or as an angler longeth till the fish bites or as a beleever which as it is the most spirituall so the most ardent desire of all desires to have any promise fulfilled upon which he hath pitch'd his faith and anchors at by hope Which long for death and it cometh not that is it cometh not so soon as they would have it for death will come at one time or other but death doth not come at their time or their pace It cometh not in the Hebrew it is only thus which long for death and it is not we supply it cometh not And dig for it more then for hid treasures To illustrate the greatnesse of this desire after death he adds a similitude of those who seeke for treasures if there be any naturall desire more strong then that of a woman with-child or a longing woman it is the desire of a covetous man the desire of gaine or treasure covetousnesse is the strongest appetite Observe but what a gradation there is in this expression to set forth the greatnesse of their desire after death they doe not only long for it but they dig for it digging you know is no ordinary labour it is an extraordinary worke a hard labour As longing is a strong desire so digging is strong labour hard labour And then it is no ordinary digging neither but digging for a treasure men will dig hard for treasure you see men will dig hard for a stone for iron for coales how then will they dig for a mine of gold or silver A man will dig the earth for a little money but when a man diggeth hoping to find money in the earth that will make him worke indeed now they dig after such a manner And beyond that he saith they dig for it as for hidden treasure that 's a further degree of their endeavour after it That which we translate hidden treasure is but one word in the Hebrew It signifies any hidden thing especially treasures because treasures use to be hid or close layed up And there is a two-fold hiding of treasures There is a naturall hiding and there is an industrious and artificiall hiding There is a naturall hiding so treasures are hid that lie in the bowels of the earth they are naturally hid Then treasures are hid by industry and by art when we are afraid we shall be spoiled of our treasures or that they shall be taken away then there is a hiding them and often a digging to hide them in the earth As now in these times of spoile and violence if a rich man heare that those spoilers are nigh he presently hides his treasure Now either as robbers digge and search for treasures industriously hid or as miners dig and search for treasures naturally hid so saith Job with such earnestnes doe these dig for death There is one thing here to be resolved by way of question before we come to the Observations Namely whether it be lawfull to wish for or to desire death Job here proposeth such as long for death Is it lawfull to desire death doth he speake here only de facto of a thing which some doe or of that which may be done I answer first That death in it selfe is no way desireable and it is not an object of desire We cannot desire that for it selfe which is an enemy or destructive unto us If any should desire death as death or under the notion of death they should desire that which is destructive that which is their enemy so the Apostle calls death 1 Cor. 15. The last enemy which shall be destroyed is death Death is an enemy therefore as death no man can desire it Indeed many have desired death but still we find somewhat else at the bottome of that desire But what bottome or ground makes the desire of death lawfull I answer First It is a holy desire of death if we desire death to be free from sin when the soule saith thus because I see only the end of living will be the end of sinning therefore I long for death that I may sin no longer Secondly It is lawfull to desire death that we may have more full communion with Christ the Lord of life I desire to be dissolved saith Paul but why not that he desired dissolution but that he might be with Christ Phil. 1.23 Christ is life and Christ is our life It is better to enjoy life then to live How much better then is
adopted sons Came and presented themselves before God This should teach us to imitate Angels this we pray for That the will of God should be done on Earth as it is done in Heaven The Angels alwayes present themselves they alwayes stand before God ready to doe his will we should be ever in the presence of God in this sense that is presenting our selves standing as in the presence of God ready to take and receive instruction to doe his will what ever it is Lord what wilt thou have me to do Is as it were the voyce of an Angell standing before the throne of God It should be the voyce of every soul Lord what wilt thou have me to doe This is the presenting of the soule before God Then consider here who Satan was Satan was as good in his Creation as any of those who are called the sonnes of God They are called the sonnes of God and he is now called nothing but Satan an adversary His condition was once as good as theirs Note hence There is no created excellency but if it be left to it selfe will quickly undoe it selfe These Angels were as good at the first as any of those that were here called the sonnes of God They were not confirmed they stood upon their owne bottome they fell and had no tempter at all they turned about upon the freedome of their owne will and left their habitation saith the Scripture There is no trusting to any estate out of Christ Further note this what was the difference between those sons of God and this Satan only sin one was as good as the other in the creation nothing else made an Angell a Devill but only sin Sin despoyles the creature of all it's comfort and honour at once Againe note this the Angell falling and becomming sinfull hath his name presently changed he is called Satan an Adversary An adversary to God an adversary to man He that is wicked himselfe will quickly be an adversary an opposer of all goodnesse no sooner a sinner but a Satan Lastly Note this To be an opposer of good is to be conformable to the devill The devill is the Adversary the Satan and so proportionably as any one is an opposer of good so much of Satan so much of the devill he hath in him Therefore Christ said to a chiefe Apostle when he did oppose him in that greatest good of all the working out of our redemption in dying for us get thee behind me Satan Mat. 16. All opposition of goodnesse is a spice of the devill So the Apostle Paul Act. 13.10 when he speakes to Elymas the sorcerer saith O thou child of the devill thou enemy of all goodnesse To be an enemy of goodnesse is to be the child of the devill it is the very character of the devill He is a Satan in respect of all goodnesse and good persons And surely my brethren if this be a character of the devill and to be conformable unto Satan how conspicuous is that conformity in this age How many thousands beare this marke of the devill not only in their hands closely but in their fore-heads openly How many visible walking Satans are there among us enemies of all goodnesse oppressours of all righteousnesse opposers of our peace opposers of our liberty opposers of the Gospell opposers of Christ These are all as so many Satans in the world so many enemies Now is a time that Satans are let loose in the world the devill now if ever workes mightily in the hearts and spirits in the hands and tongues of these children of disobedience It becommeth us then that as there are many adversaries and opposers of goodnesse to shew our selves friends and patrons of goodnesse Christ hath many challenges let him find some Champions Now it is time to raise your spirits not only to love the truth but to maintaine the truth as it is the height of wickednesse not onely to doe evill but to oppose good so it is the height of holinesse not only to doe good but to oppose evill This is just to be on the contrary point to Satan he doth wickednesse and opposeth good let us doe good and oppose all evill To be a Satan against Satan is the glory of a Christian Now set your selves against the Sathans be adversaries to that Adversary and all his adherents so shall you approve your selves the friends of Christ JOB 1.7 8. And the Lord said unto Sathan whence commest thou Then Sathan answered the Lord and said From going to and fro in the earth and from walking up and downe in it And the Lord said unto Sathan hast thou not considered my servant Job that there is none like him in the earth a perfect and an upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evill IN the former verse we shewed you that great and glorious Session the Lord with his holy Angels about him and Sathan too comming among them In the verses following to the end of the 12th We have the businesse or acts of the Session recorded God Interrogates Satan answers Satan moves God grants This is the summe of all the businesse that pass'd in this Session God puts two Interrogatories to Satan one concerning his travells or where he had bin vers 7. The other concerning his observations or what he had done vers 8. In the 7th verse we have the first qustion the Lord beginneth with Sathan And the Lord said unto Satan whence commest thou How the Lord speakes is a point almost unspeakeable There are many disputes about it I will not stay upon them only to open this that you may take in all Scripture of the like kind wherein the Lord is said to speake We must know that as in Scripture God is said to have a mouth and a voice alluding unto man by that common figure so likewise when the Lord speakes we must understand it by the same figure it is but an allusion to the manner of men God is said to speake as men are said to speake but God doth not speake as men speake forming a voice by such organs or instruments of speech But when the Lord speakes it is either by forming and creating a voice in the ayre so God is said to speake sometimes As when Christ was babtized there came a voice from Heaven saying This is my beloved Sonne c. So Joh. 12.28 There came a voice from Heaven saying I have glorified thee which all the people heard sounding in the ayre Secondly God is said to speake when he manifests and declares himselfe either to the spirits of men or unto Angels who are spirits God doth speake unto the spirits of men sometimes without any forming of a voice so the phrase is usuall in the Prophets The word of the Lord came unto me which is to be understood that the Lord did secretly reveale himselfe to the spirits of his Prophets and not by any externall audible voice it was an inward not an outward word So when the
no rest till he establish and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the Earth Isa 62. ver 6 7. This duty is now doubled on us by the great afflictions and greater feares of Sion When Christ was in his agony he prayed more earnestly Luk. 22.44 And when his Church is in an agony we ought to pray more earnestly At such a time we must mingle more fire with our prayers we must pray more fervently At such a time we must mingle more water with our prayers wee must pray more repentingly We must with Jacob Hos 12. weepe and make supplication At such a time we must mingle more faith with our prayers we must pray more beleevingly In a word at such a time every prayer must be a pleading yea a wrestling with God a wrestling with resolution not to let him goe untill wee have got a blessing till wee prevaile with God to destroy his Churches enemies as Satan in the text moved God to destroy Job his servant and his friend So it followes Thou movedst me against him to destroy him To destroy him The word Destroy signifieth to swallow up or to devoure You have it Gen. 41.4 where it is said that the seven leane eares and seven leane kine did devoure or eat up the seven full eares and the seven fat kine And Exod. 7.12 the text saith That Moses his rod did swallow up the rods of the Magicians Psal 124.3 Vnles the Lord had been on our side they had swallowed us up quicke In all these places it is the same word we have here thou movedst me to destroy him In the former Chapter where Satan desired God to touch Job I shewed what kind of touches Satan desired to lay upon the people of God you see it now cleared by God himselfe Thou movedst me to destroy him to swallow him up Thy words were moderate and diminitive doe but touch him but thy intentions were bloody and destructive thou movedst me to destroy him to make an end of him that was thy meaning Without cause But will the Lord the wise God doe any thing without cause A wise a prudent man will not doe any thing without cause though Satan may be so brutish and unreasonable to move God to doe a thing for which there is no cause would the Lord be so perswaded by his motion to doe it without cause The text seemeth here to speake so thou movedst me to destroy him without cause and God hearkned to his motion before and gave him up all his estate to doe with it what he pleased Briefly to cleare this Without cause It is the same originall word used in the former Chapter Doth Job serve God for nought or without cause as was then opened so here Thou movedst me against him to destroy him without cause or thou movedst me against him for nothing or for nought We may consider this phrase of speech without cause three wayes First in reference unto Satan Secondly in reference unto God Thirdly in reference unto Job himselfe From each of these considerations light will shine into this point First in reference unto Satan God tells Satan thou movedst me against him without cause that is Job never gave thee any cause why thou shouldest make such a motion against him Job had never wronged thee or done thee any hurt as David saith of his enemies they are mine enemies without cause I was never injurious or unjust unto them So Satan was Jobs enemy without cause Job never gave him occasion Indeed the holinesse and goodnesse of Job was Satans griefe and Satans trouble but for any other trouble or wrong Job never did him therâ—fore without cause it was in reference unto Satan 2. In reference unto Satan without cause that is Thou didst not alleadge any sufficient cause or charge him with any particular crime thou didst onely bring in a generall suspition against him there was not so much as a common fame as you know it was a course to accuse men upon common fame So saith God here it was nothing but a suspition raised out of thine owne braine as indeed those common fames that we heard of not long since upon which many were accused yea condemn'd were only suspitions borne in the brains of those men So here Job was charged meerly upon the suspition of Satan there was no crime directly alleadged nor any evill report in the world against him cause was not shew'd legally therefore without cause thou movedst me against him 3. In reference unto Satan without cause that is it now appeareth upon the tryall that thou didst move me against him without cause that which thou didst pretend to be the cause was not found in Job thou pretendest he was an hypocrite and served me for himselfe now thou seâ—st thy selfe confuted it appeareth he did serve me for nought sincerely and not for his owne endâ— He is no painted sepulcher no rotten self-seeker If we consider the words in the second place with reference unto God Thou didst move me against him without cause then we must take heed of thinking that God doth any thing without cause No the wise God doth every thing in number weight and measure he doth every thing upon great reason upon the highest reason God will not doe the lowest thing but upon the height of reason he doth the least thing upon greater reason than the greatest Polititians in the world doe the greatest Therefore God had reason important reason to give Job up to be afflicted He did it for the tryall of Job he did it for the magnifying of his free-grace and the graces of his free Spirit in his weake creature he did it that Job might be set up as an example of patience he did it to discover the slander of the devill therefore he did it for strong reasons it was not without cause in reference unto God himselfe Lastly If we consider it in reference unto Job it was not absolutely without cause neither for though there was not that cause in him which Satan pretended namely grosse hypocrisie yet if the Lord should search and sift him narrowly as if he should search and sift the holiest of his servants his pure eyes and holy nature would find sinne enough in them which might justifie him or shew to his justice sufficient cause take the sinne in it selfe not onely to afflict them temporally but to lay his hand upon them for ever Should God I say have tryed him thoroughly and looked upon sinne in it selfe he might finde cause to afflict him in regard of his sinne So then absolutely in reference unto Job it was not without cause God might have found cause in regard of his sinne But there were other causes in reference unto Job it was to try Iob to exercise Iob it was that Iob might have further honour after the tryall There might have been a reason in sinne if the Lord had marked iniquity And there were many reasons in referrence to his good why