but as Parties putting in their accusation and pleading against him Hence Observe It is an honour and an exaltation to win the day in any cause or to get the better Whatsoever the contention be or in what way so ever mannaged whether by the Sword or by the tongue or by the Pen to be victorious in it is honourable and hee that loses his Causes loses much of his credit also And though prevailing or successe doth not at all justifie the matter it is the matter which must justifie the successe yet successe doth alwayes exalt the man He that overcomes in a dispute carries away the honour though possibly he carry not away the truth Lastly From the connexion of this with the former part of the Verse Observe They who maintaine errour among men shall not finde favour with God A heart hid from understanding is hid from the truth God loves his truth so well that he will not exalt those who depresse his truth Jobs Freinds being left in the darke as to that point in question Did not speake of God the thing that was right Chap. 42.7 And therefore the Lord sayd to Eliphaz My wrath is kindled against thee and against thy two Freinds Though an error be held unknowne and in zeale for God as they did yet the jealousie of God waxeth hot against such These repenting were and such as they repenting may be pardoned but they shall not be exalted And if they who for want of light of knowledge and in much heat of honest zeale defend a lesser error such was theirs shall not be exalted how will the Lord cast them downe who broach and spread blasphemous errors and damnable Doctrines in a time of cleere light and against frequent admonitions if not convictions Whosoever saith Christ Matth. 5.19 shall breake one of these least Commandements and teach men so Joyning the error of his practice with or turning it into the error of his opinion he shall be called least that is nothing at all or No-body in the Kingdome of Heaven And he who is nothing in the Kingdome of Heaven is not exalted how high soever he may get in the Kingdomes of the earth And if the teacher of error against the least Commandement of the Law shall have no place in Heaven where vvill their place be who teach errors against the greatest Commandements of the Law yea against the most precious and absolute necessary principles and foundations of the Gospell Vers 5. He that speakes flattery to his freind even the eyes of his Children shall faile There is some variety in expounding these words because of the severall notions into which the Originall is rendred As we read the Text it is a plaine affirmation of judgment upon the posterity of Flatterers The word vvhich we translate Flatterie signifies in the Verbe to divide into parts and hence in the Noune 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Divisit in partes in Hiphil emollivit laevigavit blanditus fuit a lott or portion because every lott or portion is divided from the whole it signifies also a prey or booty which men take in Warr or which Theeves and Robbers take from Travellers upon the high way and that upon the former reason because when a prey is taken they divide or cast it into severall portions or parts Hence also say some it signifies to flatter because the tongue of a flatterer is divided from his heart Further It signifieth to smooth and pollish or as wee say to make a thing very glib and neate This comes neerest our translation for a flatterer hath a smooth pollished tongue and his trade is to smooth or sooth both things and persons The flatterers tongue is like the Harlots tongue to whom this word is applyed Prov. 7.21 With much faire speech shee caused him to yeild with the flattering of her lips with the smoothnesse or as some translate with the lenity of her lips shee forced him Flattery seemes to be farr from force yet nothing puts or holds men under a greater force then flattery He that speakes flattery to his freind Flattery is a speciall language though it be spoken in all languages 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Men learne to speake flattery even as we learne to speake Latine French Italian Spanish or any other language Flattery is an Art it hath rules of its owne and termes of its owne he that speakes flattery Master Broughton in this place calls it Vaine-goodly-speech And the Apostle Paul calls it Good words and faire speeches Rom. 16.18 The expressions which the Apostle useth are most proper to the description of flattery they are both Compounds as the spirit of the Flatterer also is He hates simplicity or singlenesse of heart making a shew of much goodnesse in word but is voyd of deed and substance Hee promiseth faire and when hee speakes you would thinke hee minded nothing or were sollicitous about nothing but the Honour and advantage of him to whom hee speakes when indeed he minds nothing but himselfe and selfe-concernements as the Apostle in that place desciphers him He serves not our Lord Jesus Christ Haec est blandities quae a Graecis vocatur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristoteles vulgo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 appellari docet eos qui comiter cum omnibus conversantur sed veram amicitiam cum nemine colunt Arist l. 8. ad Nicom Pertinax Imperator dictus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod blandus esset magis quam benignus Bez. in loc ex Aurelio Vict. but his owne belly and by his good words and faire speeches he deceives the hearts of the simple The Greeks have another characteristicall word for this sort of men by which they meane all such as seeme to carry it faire with all men but maintaine true freindship with no man wee may call them Men-pleasers but Selfe-seekers As also one of the old Emperours had his Sir-name from that word used by the Apostle in the place last mentioned because hee was observed very ready to give all men good words but had no regard to doe good yea he did very much evill or as another gives the reason because he was a Fanning Prince rather then a kinde one Job seemes to charge his Freinds that they were men of such a temperament and had rather faund upon him then been reall freinds to him But here it may be questioned Why doth Job speake his Freinds speakers of flattery Hee had little reason to complaine he was flattered and wee finde him often complaining that he was roughly dealt with Job heard few pollished or buttered words but bitter words great store why then doth he say He that speakes flattery to his freind We may understand it two wayes In reference to Job God First His Freinds had spoken flattery to him for though in some things they were very severe and harsh yet in other things he might interpret their sayings to be but soothings Is est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 qui
till they have done good their eye continues in that holy provocation Psal 132.4 I will not saith zealous David give sleep to my eyes nor slumber to my eye lids untill I finde out a place for the Lord an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob So wicked men give no sleep to their eyes till they have done that mischeife or executed that revenge to which they conceive themselves provoked But the eye of Job did not continue in those unfreindly provocations to watch an opportunity for selfe-revenge upon or of doing mischeife to his Freinds He did not let the Sun goe downe upon wrath that he might devise their ruine in the darke He was not so wise as he should have been to hurt himselfe and hinder his rest by such a continuall poring upon their unkindnesses but he was not wicked at all much lesse so wicked which some from this passage may conceive him as to pore upon their unkindnesses with a purpose to hurt them So that act might have somewhat of sin in it because hee troubled his owne peace more then he needed but it had not this sin in it that he studyed how to trouble the peace of others Lastly We may rather interpret these words to the blame of his Freinds who continued to provoke him then to his whose eye because they did so could see nothing but provocation or at least must see that whatsoever it saw and therefore could not but continue in it How could the eye of Hannah chuse but continue in the provocation of Peninnah when it is sayd 1 Sam. 1.6 7. That as her Husband Elkanah gave her speciall tokens of his love yeare by yeare so shee provoked her to make her fret yeare by yeare therefore shee wept and did not eate While a provocation is continued our sense of it can hardly be intermitted Job having complained of received provocations renews his appeale to God Vers 3. Lay downe now put me in a surety with thee who is he that will strike hands with me The words are an Apostrophe to God That Job speakes to God not to Eliphaz is cleerer then needs be proved The word which we render lay downe signifies also to appoint Exod. 1.11 They did set or appoint over them Taske-masters And againe Exod. 21.13 I will appoint thee a place whither he the man-slayer shall flee Appone cor tuum i. e. adverte quaeso animum meis verbis Vatabl. In the present Text both rendrings of the word are used We make use of the first Put or lay downe What would Job have God lay downe Some give it thus Lay downe or apply thine heart to me attend I pray thee to my words and consider my cause Secondly The words may be conceived as an allusion to those who going before a Judge or having a cause to be tryed by Umpires use to lay downe an ingagement or as wee call it an Assâ—mpsit that they will stand to the award or arbitrement which shall be made Put me in a surety with thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Est fideijubere pro aliquo seu aliquem in suam fidem recipere Hinç arrabo spiritus Pone pignus vadem aut fidejussorem mihi tecum Pagn-Dispone quaeso consponsorem mihi tecum Jun. Num Arrabonem dabis The Originall word properly signifying to undertake for or to give credit and assurance in the behalfe of another and hence the Noune derived from it signifies an earnest because an earnest layd downe is a reall surety that such a thing shall be performed In which sense Thamar useth the word Gen. 38.17 who when Judah promised to send a Kid of the Goates said wilt thou give me a pledg til thou send it and hence in the new Testament the word Arrabo is used in the Greek as also in the Latine for the earnest of the spirit or for that assurance which the spirit settles upon the hearts of Beleevers in this life that they shall inherit eternall life 2 Cor. 1.22 Who hath also sealed us and given the earnest of the spirit in our hearts And againe 2 Cor. 5.5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfe same thing is God God having prepared a place for us prepares us for the place and then gives us our evidences that in due time wee shall take possession of it Who also hath given us the earnest of the spirit The same Apostle tells the Ephesians that After they beleeved they were sealed with the spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance till the redemption of the purchased possession Ephes 1.14 So that an earnest is a reall suâ—ety and a surety is a personall earnest While Job saith Put me in a surety his meaning is hee would have some person to be an undertaker for the ordering of his cause or an ensurer that all should be performed according to the determination that should be given about it Put in a surety with me Who is he that will strike hands with me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sig Defigere infigere si de contractibus dicitur percutere manum He proceeds in the same allusion These words are disposed two wayes Some put the Interrogation after He Give or put me in a surety Who is he I would gladly see the man or know who it is Who is he let him come and strike hands with me whosoever he is As if hee had sayd I shall easily agree that any man should have the hearing and determining of this businesse whom thou shalt appoint Quis est manui meae plaudatur Jun. Quisquis ille sit fide jussor meus veniat paciscatur mecum In sponsionibus manus invicem complodebant hinc manum complodere pro pacisci stipulari Merc. We put the Interrogation after the whole sentence Who is he that will strike hands with me And then the sense appears thus If God once put in a surety to undertake for me who is hee that will contend with mee or engage in this Quarrell against me To strike hands is a phrase of speech grounded upon that ancient forme of making bargaines or entring contracts by joyning or striking hands And these contracts may be taken two wayes or under a double notion First As they concerned suretiship for Money in which sense Solomon speakes of it more then once Prov. 6.1 My Son if thou be surety for thy Freind If thou have striken hands with a stranger that is if thou hast entred into Bond for him and hast testified it by striking hands then c. Prov. 22.26 Haec est sponsio quae propriè ad mammorum negotium spectat Aben Ezra in Prov. 6. Be not thou one of them that strike hands that is Be not too forward to engage thy selfe or to undertake for others as it is expounded in the next words or of them that are sureties for debts such hasty engagements may bring thee into more trouble then thou wilt
AN EXPOSITION WITH Practicall Observations CONTINUED UPON The fifteenth sixteenth and seventeenth Chapters of the Book of JOB BEING The Summe of twenty three Lectures delivered at Magnus neer the Bridge LONDON By JOSEPH CARYL Preacher of the Word and Pastour of the Congregation there JAMES CHAP. 1. VERS 12. Blessed is the Man that endureth temptation for when he is tryed he shall receive the Crowne of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him LONDON Printed by Matthew Simmons and are to be sould by Thomas Eglesfeild at the Marigold and at the Brasen Serpent in Pauls Church-yard 1650. TO THE CHRISTIAN READER TO THOSE ESPECIALLY OF THIS City who have been the movers and continue the Promoters of this WORK SOLOMON who made Many Bookes tells us toward the end of one of them Eccl. 12.12 That of making many Books there is no end and that much study is a wearinesse to the flesh But while Solomon speakes thus doth he not at once blot those many Books which himselfe had written and discourage others from writing any more Though study be a wearinesse to the flesh yet 't is granted that 's no sufficient reason why we should desist the flesh must be wearied and hard wrought 't is good it should be so But there 's no colour of reason why we should begin that which eyther cannot be finisht and brought to an end or which is to no end when 't is brought to an end and finisht How then saith Solomon that of making many Books there is no end His scope cleares this scruple for having read his Son a Lecture upon the vanity of the Creature and having given him many excellent advices for the due steering of his course through this World he applyes all in the former part of this Verse And further by these my Son be admonished Let what is now written take upon thy heart and be accepted with thee For Vers 10. The Preacher sought to finde out acceptable words and that which was written was upright even words of truth Againe Vers 11. The words of the Wise are as Goads and as Nayles fastned by the Masters of Assemblies which are given from one Shepheard Therefore let these words like Goads put thee on and like Nayles fasten thee to the obedience of my counsels By these my Son be admonished As if he had sayd Let not this Booke which discovers the vanity of all worldly things be it selfe accounted vaine If this Book prevaile not with thee if it master not thy judgement and mannage not thy affections 't is to no end for me to make many Bookes seeing this is cloathed with as much compleatnesse of rule to direct as a Book of this Argument can be and is stampt with as much strength of Authority to command as any Book of any Argument can be And further why shouldest thou my Son put mee to the making of many Bookes What if I could make many with as much ease to my owne spirit as I have made this one which was given me in immediately by the spirit yet thou canst not study or as we put in the Margin read many Books without weaâ—inesse to thy flesh So then though Solomon might have just had ground to put the affectation both of writing and reading many Books upon the file of his observed vanities yet hee doth not disoblige from the study of necessary and serious Books nor at all condemne those many Monuments of profitable learning which industrious Pens have in any Age bequeathed to Posterity He indeed which yet is but a second designe if it be at all the designe of that place takes us off from vaine studies and censures those Bookes be they few as well as many which have no tendency to make any man eyther the wiser or the better by reading them Nor can those Books how many soever they are be to their disparagement called Many which center in and promote what is but one in every kinde any kinde of Truth cheifely that which we call Divine or Holy Truth Any One uselesse or erroneous Booke is too many Many usefull and Orthodox Bookes are but One. The five Bookes of Moses are but One Law The foure Bookes of the Birth Life and Death of our ever blessed Redeemer Jesus Christ are but One Gospell All the Bookes of both Testaments are but one Booke Vpon which account we may also say that All those many and many Bookes which faithfully interpret That one Booke are but one Booke And though of making many such Bookes there should as I conceive there will be no end till this World ends as End is taken for a ceasing to make them yet of making many such Bookes there is an end yea many noble ends as End is taken for the good or benefit which comes by making them The making of such Bookes is good and a benefit to the Reader as communicating to him those manifestations of the spirit which are given to every man to whom they are given to profit withall The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there used by the Apostle signifies such a profit as streameth out to community The making of such Bookes is also good and a benefit to the Maker as being an improvement of his Time and Talents to his owne peace and his Masters glory 'T is reward beyond all the World can give for any worke that God hath glory and man peace in doing it As this small peice of worke is directed to these last mentioned ends and as it ought principally to the first of them so that it may reach the former by adding a Mite or two to the Treasury of the Readers knowledge in the best things and by being his encouragement to walke in the best wayes is the hope and prayer and the reaching of it will be indeed a very rich reward and payment of Your affectionate Freind and Servant in this Worke of the Lord Joseph Caryl May 22. 1650. AN EXPOSITION Upon the Fifteenth sixteenth and seventeenth Chapters of the Book of JOB JOB Chap. 15. Vers 1 2 3 4 5 6. Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite and sayd Should a wise man utter vaine knowledge And fill his belly with the East winde Should be reason with unprofitable talke Or with speeches wherewith he can doe no good Yea thou castest off feare and restrainest prayer before God For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity and thou chusest the tongue of the crafty Thine owne mouth condemneth thee and not I Yea thine owne lips testifie against thee WEE are come to the second Session of this great dispute between Job and his three Freinds they have all spoken one turne and now they returne to speake Eliphaz who led the first charge leads the second and that with a very violent march against this sorrowfull man Yet we are not to conceive Eliphaz upon any designe to revile his person or to vex his spirit That were most unsuitable in any Freind much more such we suppose Eliphaz to
have been in a godly freind Non malidicendi studio ferebatur quod abono viro prorsus alienum esset Pined Charity suggests a fairer interpretation of this procedure that he spake thus harshly and dealt thus roughly being moved by some unwary passages in Jobs discourse not well understood or misapplyed At which stone how many stumble at this day First misconceiving and then censuring their Brethren being first offended without any just cause given and then giving just cause of offence Had wee once learned to expound each others actions speeches and opinions by the rules of Charity we should not so often no nor at all breake the Laws of Love We shall make a good improvement of this fayling in Jobs Freind if it may be our warning in dealing to deale better with our Freinds There are three parts of this Speech in the first Eliphaz appeares by way of reproofe and reprehension which extends it selfe from the beginning of the Chapter to the end of the thirteenth Verse and he reproves Job upon five points of errour or misbehaviour of all which he conceived him guilty First He reproves him of folly or for speaking that which was unworthy a wise man in the second and third Verses Should a wise man utter vaine knowledge c. Secondly He reproves him of prophanenesse or for doing that which was unworthy a godly man at the fourth Verse Yea thou castest off feare and restrainest prayer before God The summe of both is Thou speakest unwisely and thou actest wickedly which he takes for so plaine a charge that hee makes him his owne accuser as if there needed no evidence but his conscience though hee had as Eliphaz mis-judged daubed up the matter with faire words and colourable pretences Vers 5 6. Thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity Thine owne mouth condemneth thee and not I yea thine owne lips testifie against thee Thirdly He reproves him of pride and arrogance of selfe-conceit and overweening his owne parts and positions Vers 7 8 9 10. Art thou the first man that was borne or wast thou made before the Hills c. As if he had sayd Thou carryest it as if thou hadst engrossed all wisedome as if thou hadst more knowledge and understanding more learning and experience then any man yea then all men living Fourthly he reproves him for slighting and undervaluing the counsels and the comforts tendered to him by his Freinds at the 11. Verse Are the consolations of God small with thee Fifthly he reproves him for his confident sticking or adhering to his owne principles at the 12. and 13. Verses Why doth thy heart carry thee away c. Thus he reproves his morals in the first part of his discourse In the second he confutes his Doctrinals or that which he supposed Job had asserted sc His owne purity and perfections Vers 14 15 16. What is man that he should be cleane Behold he putteth no trust in his Saints c. In the third place he labours to maintaine his owne assertion that God doth afflict none but wicked men Who ever perished being innocent or where were the righteous cut off Eliphaz asseruisset tantum malos hic a Domino affligi idem ille nunc sed apertius ostendit Merc. Chap. 4.7 This he doth both by the authority of the Learned and from the experiences of the Ancient Vers 17. to the end of the Chapter I will shew thee heare me and that which I have seene I will declare which wise men have told from their Fathers and have not hid it c. These are the parts and this the resolution of the whole Chapter Vers 1. Then answared Eliphaz the Temanite and said Then that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 excipiens Sept. Quilibet pro suis socijs velut in solidum respondet ut nunc patet Sopharis enim defensionem contra Jobum manifeste assumit Eliphaz Bold when Job had made an end of answering Zophar then Eliphaz answered or replyed upon Job That 's properly a replication which takes off the answer given to a former Argument and in this Eliphaz also makes a defence for his Brethren Zophar and Bildad These three stood to one another as much as any one of them did for himselfe as if they had all entred Bond and given security for reciprocall assistance Thus the dispute growes hot but still 't is orderly according to that Apostolicall Canon 1 Cor. 14.29 Let the Prophets speake two or three and let the other judge Eliphaz is now up let us consider what he saith Vers 2. Should a wise man utter vaine knowledge The question denyes he should not No man should least of all he The wise man is here opposed to the crafty man at the 5. Verse There is a wide difference betweene wisedome and craft betweene prudence and cunning A crafty man knoweth what is good but he commonly doth what is evill he is able to see the right but if it be not for his turne he turnes from it and cares not to doe wrong A wise man is he that knoweth how to distinguish betweene good and evill and ever aimes to act what is good his understanding is well enlightned and his conscience binds him to follow the light of his understanding as he can see what is just and right so he cannot but embrace and doe it A wise man in Scripture-language is a holy man and a foole is a wicked man holinesse is the best wisedome and wickednesse is the worst of folly Eliphaz seemes to admit Jobs challenge of being a wise man that he might check him with more advantage for speaking so unlike one As if he had said Should a morall wise man much more a spirituall wise man should he that is or pretends to be thus wise as thou dost should he utter vaine knowledge Job at the 12. Chapter of this Booke Vers 2.3.4 objected ignorance or but popular knowledge to his Freinds I have understanding as well as you I am not inferiour to you who knoweth not such things as these as if he had said You thinke your selves among knowing men the highest in knowledge but who knoweth not such things as these Eliphaz turnes it here upon Job by the way of recrimination or counter-charge he brings in a crosse Bill Should a wise man utter vaine knowledge Thou dost arrogate to thy selfe the reputation of a wise man but art thou wise who speakest at such a rate of folly The Image of thy mind is stampt upon thy words it may be seene as well as heard what thou art by what thou speakest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Scientiam venti vel ventosam i. e. vanam Numquid sapiens respondebit scientiam venti vel scientiam ventosam Merc. Numquid sapiens respondebit quasi in vētum loquens Vulg. Vaine knowledge The letter of the Hebrew is knowledge of winde or windy knowledge The Metaphor is elegant vaine knowledge is justly called windy knowledge Vaine knowledge makes a great bluster and noise
are both the gray-headed and very aged men much elder then thy Father Are the consolations of God small with thee is there any secret thing with thee THe first part of this Chapter is reprehensory In the former context two points of reproofe were opened First Jobs supposed folly in the second and third Verses Secondly his wickednesse in the fourth both which were aggravated in the fifth and sixth In this Context Eliphaz gives him a third and a fourth reproofe a third for the high conceit he had of himselfe and a fourth for the low conceit he had of the comforts of God tendered to him by his Freinds he reproves him for the high conceit he had of himselfe in two things First as if Job had thought his experience greater then any mans Art thou the first man that was borne c. Vers 7. Secondly as if he had thought himselfe immediately inspired Hast thou heard the secret of God c. Vers 8. This he illustrates by a twofold opposition in the ninth and tenth Verses First by the opposition of himselfe and his Freinds in point of knowledge and understanding unto Job As if he had sayd Thou lookest upon us as underlings as men unworthy to carry thy Bookes after thee or to be named the same day but what knowest thou that wee know not What understandest thou which is not in us Vers 9. Thou art not so weighty but we hope we may very well ballance thee and say without pride or partiality that our parts are as good as thine Secondly by the opposition of their party to him and his Vers 10. With us are both the gray-headed and very aged men much elder then thy Father As if he had sayd Our party equalls thine as well as our parts Hast thou aged men on thy side so have we Hast thou the authority of gray haires to back thy opinion So have we Hast thou thy Fathers Copy to shew for these thy Tenets So have we Wee are able to make as great a boast of Antiquity as thou thy selfe canst Doe not thinke that we have received our Learning from some new fangled Sect or from upstart Opinionists of yesterdayes edition No be it knowne unto thee With us are both the gray-headed and very aged men c. As thus he reproves Jobs high thoughts of himselfe so in the fourth place The low thoughts which he had of them and the paines they had taken with him Vers 11. Are the consolations of God small with thee c. Vers 7. Art thou the first man that was borne Numquid ante primum hominem natus es Pagn No natu r minus minimo Est asitatum in omni ut reor lingua ut qui in gradu aliquo ad quandam mediocritatem non pervenere imo qui ininfimo constitere gradu eum eo qui maxime excellit comparentur cum ironia tamen ut si de homine timido dicas non es cum Achille conferendus c. neque aliud voluisse Eliphazem arbitror quam ejus esse aetatis Jobum in qua non multum soleat esse sapientiae Sanct. Or as some read it Art thou borne before the first man This is a high straine of Rhetorick it is impossible to be before the first for as there is nothing lesse then what is least so nothing was before the first but as we say Such a man will see the last man borne when we see him resolved to stay the longest upon a businesse or desirous to live very long So wee may say Such a man was borne before the first or surely he is the first man that was borne whom we see highly conceited of his owne antiquity And indeed when Eliphaz askes the question Art thou the first man that was borne His meaning is to taxe Job for a Punie or a young man yet arrogating to himselfe the glory of longest experience as if he had sayd Thou hast told us that we are but of yesterday and objectest novelty against us to derogate from our authority yet surely thou art none of the oldest thou art not older then Adam I beleeve thou wast not before the first man that ever was no nor the first man It is usuall in many Languages to compare those who are lowest in any degree to the highest and the meanest to the greatest Ironically or in a way of scorne thus 't is said to a Coward or a white-liverd fellow Thou art no Achilles to a Dwarfe or one of a low stature Thou art no Goliah to one of weake parts surely Thou art no Solomon no Aristotle so of one that is but young Surely thou art not Nestor thou art not Adam the first man that ever was Job gave Eliphaz and his Freinds some colour to twit him thus while he sayd Chap. 13.5 O that you would altogether hold your peace and it should be your wisedomes This was as if he had sayd You are but ignorant and the more you speake the more you discover your ignorance And againe Ch. 12.12 With the ancient is wisedome and with length of dayes is understanding where he secretly upbraided them as Juniors and that therefore little or no heed was to be taken to what they spake now saith Eliphaz Art thou the first man borne that is Art thou the wisest man living He who thinks himselfe the first man takes himselfe for a very wise man even as wise as Adam who was not onely the Father but the Teacher and Instructer of his posterity In which sense the Jewes said to Christ Thou art not yet fifty yeares old and hast thou seen Abraham John 8.57 Thou speakest as if thou wert an old man we know thy age thou art but a young man yet thou speakest at the rate of thousands as if thou wert as old as Abraham or the ancient of dayes among men Art thou the first man Or Wast thou made before the hills Some conceive that by the Hills he meanes the Angels Philippus sequutus Augustinum contendit hoc loco angelos collium nomine intelligi Ad facies collium Heb. Num formatus es ante mundum conditum nam colles una cum terra formati fuerunt aliquot diebus ante hominem Drus but that Exposition smels too much of the Allegory Take the Hills litterally for the uppermost parts or bosses of the earth the Originall is Wast thou formed or made before the face of the hills which is an Hebraisme Some interpret the Hills by a Synecdoche for the whole earth then the sense is Wast thou formed before the earth The first man was formed out of the earth and art thou older then the earth So that here Eliphaz puts him by a challenge of greater antiquity then in the former part of the Verse Wast thou the first man that was borne or wast thou made before the earth the earth is elder then man both had not the same birth-day Againe as the Hills are a part of the earth so they may be sayd
usually teacheth by the Word never against it and it is a tempting of God while he gives us meanes to linger after immediate Revelations yea when the Lord reveales himselfe immediately he uses to doe it without mans fore-thought or expectations The Prophets did not set themselves to receive Revelations from God but his Spirit came upon them with mighty power and irresistible evidence And though God doth reveale some of his secrets yet he hath secrets which he will not reveale The secret of the Lord is with them that feare him Psal 24.14 And his secret is with the righteous Prov. 3.32 This secret is either the good will and favour of God of which the World knowes nothing or the good Word and Faith of God of which the World knowes as little Both these sorts of Divine secrets are with the righteous and men fearing God but the secrets of his Counsel are reserved in his owne breast He reveales to his people the secrets of his bounty and of their duty what he will doe for them and what they must doe for him but many things which himselfe will doe shall never be revealed but by the doing of them Hast thou heard the secrets of God And doest thou restraine wisedome to thy selfe That is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Detrahis ad te quod sensu in idem recidit cum eo quod est tibi ascribis fraudando alios negatam aliis sapientiam tibi assumpsisti ex divino arcano Sapientia ultra te suos terminos non porriget Tygur Doest thou thinke there is no wisedome besides thine art thou at the very border and utmost limit of knowledge and understanding is all beyond thee ignorance and folly Hast thou got and engrossed all the learning from others and reserved it to thy selfe alone as thy peculiar with which none must intermedle without a license obtained from thee hast thou the monopoly of wisdome or is all but enough for thee Shall none of thy neighbours share with thee This is either a charge of greater arrogancy then the former Doest thou restraine wisedome to thy selfe or at least a charge of greatest uncharitablenesse goodnesse is diffusive and so is wisedome and it is the duty of good men to diffuse wisedome When they have heard the secrets of God they must communicate them to others not restraine all to themselves But I conceive Eliphaz intends onely the former charge Hence observe It is the highest straine of pride for a man to restraine wisedome to himselfe or to thinke himselfe so wise that all must addresse to him for wisedome God hath not given all wisedome to any one man or sort of men though he hath trusted some with more Talents of it then he hath done others The Priests lips of old under the Law and so the lips of Ministers under the Gospel should preserve knowledge and the people should seek both Law and Gospel at their mouth Mal. 2.7 Yet neither might the Priests then nor may Ministers now restraine wisedome to themselves The rule of the Apostle is Be not wise above what is written that is above holy Writ or above what is written from the immediate dictates of the Spirit of God They are as we say fooles in Print who say they are wise above what is thus written but we may be wise above what is spoken or written by any man for no man ought to restraine all wisedome to himselfe to doe so is the top-staire of Antichristian pride The Pope restraines wisedome to himselfe he boasts that he hath the secrets of God and that all must come to him if they will have them unlockt and opened His sentences from the Chayre are Oracles and there he is infallible all are obliged to receive what he saith because he saith it no man must scruple much lesse oppose or contradict it Thus to impose upon men is to set our selves in the place of the God of Heaven yea to arrogate to our selves that we are Gods on earth So the Apostle hath characteriz'd that man of sin 2 Thes 2.4 He opposeth and exalteth himselfe above all that is called God or that is worshipped that is above all civill powers or Magistracy So that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God shewing himselfe that he is God And as he out of all measure wickedly so many others in a very great measure have shewed themselves as God while they have taken upon them as we speake proverbially To give the Law yea to give the Gospel to other mens consciences or to bind up all mens tongues and judgements unto the rule of their apprehensions When the Apostle had called God to record that he alwayes purposed to be bold and plaine with the Corinthians he presently subjoynes this corrective 2 Cor. 1.24 Not that we have Dominion over your Faith but are helpers of your joy As if he had sayd Doe not thinke that I take upon me as a Lord over your consciences to charge any command or observations of my owne upon them No I am but as a servant of God to instruct you in his counsels and to comfort you with his promises The Grecians who were men of great knowledge and learning a very witty and Philosophicall people called all other Nations Barbarians Such pride appeares among some in name Christians they speake and act as if all knowledge and truth were centred in them or as if all were in the darke who see not by their light Knowledge is apt to puffe up how are they puffed up who thinke they know all though indeed they who thinke they know any thing know nothing as they ought to know 1 Cor. 8.2 God reveales that to Babes and Sucklings which he hides from such wise and prudent ones who restraine all wisedome to themselves God in judgement restraines wisedome from them who in pride restraine it to themselves and as God takes all wisedome from them who in another sense restraine wisedome to themselves that is who will not use it because they have but one Talent of it or but a little so he will give them no wisedome at all who thinke they are possessors or Lord-Treasurers of all the Talents of it as if all wisedome were layd up in them The Babâ—s and Sucklings such as are low humble and meek are the objects of this bounty as for the proud God beholdeth them affar off and they can never get neere wisedome who are farre from the God of wisedome While such vainely restraine wisedome to themselves the hand of God is justly restrained from bestowing it upon them Eliphaz having thus reproved Job for entitling himselfe to so rich a stock of knowledge either brought in by his owne long experience or from the speciall inspirations and teachings of God proceeds to challenge to himselfe and his Freinds a knowledge equall at least to what he really had in the ninth and tenth Verses Vers 9. What knowest thou that we know not what understandest thou that is not in us
He retorts what Job said Chap. 12.3 I have understanding as well as you I am not inferiour to you Here Eliphaz tells him we have understanding as well as you Hath God revealed all knowledge to thee surely we know as much as thou What knowest thou which we know not The words are plaine and need no explication Dic age quae sunt tuae partes they sound as if hee had sayd Come shew thy skill and open thy hidden treasures thou hast shewed nothing yet but what is common to us and others thou seemest to speake of mysteries of things that are unknowne and secret to this day but surely thou hast not traded much in these For What knowest thou that we know not thou hast not yet produced any such peice of knowledge if such precious matter be in thee wrap it not up in the napkin of silence any longer bring it forth that we also may know it Hence observe First Man is apt to stand upon termes of comparison with man Qui velit ingenio cedere rarus erit he cannot beare it that another should be thought or thinke himselfe wiser or more knowing then he Some are not troubled because they know little but because they are esteemed lesse knowing then others What knowest thou that we know not Secondly observe Though some men are of higher parts and better naturall abilities then others yet what one man knoweth others may No man can boast himselfe beyond the line and degree of man For as the heart of man answers the heart of man in sinfulnesse so in a possibility of goodnesse One man may be as holy as another as wise and knowing as another onely God is more holy wise and knowing then any man can be hee knoweth many things which no man knoweth nor can know But though it be a straine of pride for one man to say to another What knowest thou that I know not Yet it is a truth that one man may know as much as another and though some men know that which another man in regard of some personall impediments neither doth nor can know yet the humane nature in every person is capable of the same both kind and degree of knowledge Thirdly Eliphaz is about to reprove the pride of Job as he conceives and he doth it as was but now toucht in such a manner as speaks his owne pride What knowest thou that we know not is the language of a high minde I am as good and as wise as thou though it may be so yet it is uncomely to say so Hence observe Some in reproving other mens faults runne into the very same faults themselves the reproofe of a fault may not onely be faulty but the fault which is reproved A man may reprove pride with much pride and lesser vanityes with abundance of vanity All that good men speak for good doth not begin at a principle of goodnesse their owne corruption may rise up against the corruptions of others and sin is often heard chiding vice How many are there who check passion with passion and are very angry in dislike of anger you shall have some men speake against bitternesse of spirit with a bitter spirit and while they are taxing their Brethren with making breaches or with an unwillingnesse to peace discover much unpeaceablenesse yea an unwillingnesse to have those breaches healed Diogenes was observed to trample upon the pride of Plato with greater pride and he who to rebuke pride in Apparrell wore himselfe an unhandsome and torne Coate was rightly told that his pride was seene through the holes of his Coate There may be as much ostentation in wearing sordid as there is in wearing the gayest Cloathes It was a shame for Heathens to declare their owne folly while they declaimed against the folly of their neighbours how scandalous then is this in Christians Vers 10. With us are the gray-headed and very aged men much elder then thy Father This Verse is the proofe of the former some thinke the comparison lyes betweene Jobs Friends and himselfe We are thy Seniors yet thou speakest as if thou wert the oldest man amongst us Here are two termes in the Text which seeme to distinguish old age First Gray-headed Secondly Very aged much elder then thy Father Among the Jewes a man was counted old at threescore which they called The first old age Prima senectus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicitur unde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 senex media senectus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicitur incipit ab anno 70. durat usque ad 80. annum ad quam qui pervenit postea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 decrepitus dicitur quod est ultimae senectutis vocabulum quae durat usque ad vitae finem vel usque ad annum 100. Nam filius centum annorum habetur pro mortuo Drus Etiam Eliphaz qui canus est Bildad qui decrepitus est inter nos Sophar qui major est patre tuo diebut Targ. At seventy he was expressed by the word which we translate Gray-headed and that was his title till he arrived at Fourescore from that to the end of life the whole state was called Decrepid old Age and they who reached those yeares were expressed by the word which we render Very aged men or as we say men having one foot in the Grave for he that was an hundred yeares old was not numbred among the living but among he dead The Chalde Paraphrast applyes the distinction thus With us is Eliphaz who is gray-headed and Bildad who is decrepid and Zophar who is older then thy Father Hierome gives Eliphaz the precedency in age affirming that he was the eldest Sonne of Esau and that at the time of this dispute he was no lesse then a hundred and fifty yeares old Jobs Father ninety and Job himselfe seventy But I stay not upon these conjectures The scope of Elipqaz in these words may be reduced to this account As if he had sayd We need not depend on thy Authority or antiquity For with us that is on our side or of our party and opinion there are men gray-headed yea very aged much elder not onely then thy selfe but then thy Father Therefore doe not thou charge us with novelty know that we have received our Doctrine from venerable Ancestors if thou hast learned these things of thy Father and drunke in thy opinion from the Aged so have we Nor doe we esteeme the Tenets of our fore-fathers meerely by the number of dayes which they lived but by the wisedome and piety with which they were enriched It is observable in Scripture that Teman from whence Eliphaz came was a famous Schoole of Learning Jer. 49.7 Thus saith the Lord of Hosts is wisedome no more in Teman Hee speakes of it as of a knowne place for knowledge and wisedome What Is wisedome no more in Teman As if we in England should say Is there no more learning at Oxford or Cambridge are the lights
extinguisht and the fountaines dry Thus Eliphaz asserts that his abâ—ttors and instructers in the opinion he maintained were both old and learned old men From this contest about Antiquity and ancient men so often renewed and so much urged betweene Job and his Friends We may observe First That they who have most yeares upon their backs are or may be supposed to have most knowledge and wisedome in their heads and hearts Secondly They who have Antiquity on their side are apt to conclude that they have Truth on their side That which is indeed most ancient is most true yet there are very many very ancient untruths It is no new thing to see a gray-headed errour and a false Doctrine much older then our Fathers But I shall not prosecute either of these points having met with matter of this straine before Chap. 8. v. 8 9 10. Chap. 12. v. 12. to which places I refer the Reader Eliphaz having finished his third reproofe of Job for his arrogancy and the high conceit he had of himselfe proceeds to a fourth and that is as hath been sayd for the low conceit which he had of the comforts tendered him in the Name of God Num parum a te consolationes Dei Heb. Supplendum est verbum reputantur Numquid grande est ut consoletur te Deus Vulg. q. d. facile est Deo ut te ad statum prosperitatis reducat Aquin. Existimasnè tuis aerumnis non posse Deum parem consolationem afferre Vers 11. Are the consolations of God small with thee or is there any secret thing with thee These words undergoe much variety of interpretation the Vulgar Latine neer which some others translate gives a faire sense but at too great a distance from the letter of the Originall thus Is it a great thing that God should comfort thee As if he had sayd Art thou so low that all the consolations of God are not able to raise thee up Is it a worke too big for God himselfe to comfort thee Cannot he change thy outward and inward sorrowes into joyes Will not the consolations of one that is infinite serve thy turne Hath not hee balme enough in store to heale thy wounds nor treasure enough in stock to repaire thy losses T is no hard thing with God to comfort the most disconsolate soule that ever was he that made light to shine out of darknesse can give us light in our thickest darkenesse An minores sunt consolationes dei quà m ut te consolari possint Vatab. This is a truth but for the reason above I stay not upon it The Septuagint translation is farre wider then the former Thou hast received but few wounds in comparison of the sinnes that thou hast committed which is a Paraphrase not a translation and such a Paraphrase as seemes to lye quite without the compasse of the text The meaning and intendment of it may be given thus as if he had sayd Thou complainest that thou art greatly afflicted that thy sorrowes are innumerable Pauca prae iis quae peccasti accepisti vulnera Sep. but if thou considerest thy great and many sinnes thy sufferings are few yea thy sufferings may rather be called consolations and thy losses gaines Are the consolations of God small to thee seeing thou hast sinned so much When God layes but a little affliction upon sinfull man he may be sayd to give a great deale of mercy A third gives this sense An consolationes Dei tam contemptibiles judicas ut projiciat eas ante blasphematores Are the consolations of God small to thee That is Doest thou esteeme the consolations of God so cheape that he will give them to such a one as thou or that hee will lavish them out upon the wicked and cast these Pearles to Swine to such as are blasphemers and contemners of God But why doth Eliphaz call these the consolations of God Did God administer them to Job with his owne hand or did he speake to Job from Heaven Some conceive that though he and his Freinds spake them yet Eliphaz calls them the consolations of God by an Hebraisme because he judged them great consolations Thus in Scripture The Mountaine of God Suas et sociorum consolationes vocat Dei consolationes non sine arrogantia fastu Drus and the River of God are put for a great Mountaine and a great River so here As if he had fayd Thou hast received many great consolations from us thy Freinds and doest thou account them small But I rather take the sense plainely that he calls them so because God is the author and giver the fountaine and originall from whom all consolations spring and flow The Consolations of God are two-fold First Arising from good things already exhibited to us Secondly From good things promised to us The Consolations of God in this place are good things promised or offered Promises are Divine conveyances of Consolation The Freinds of Job had made him many promises that he repenting God would make his latter end better then his beginning c. Hence Eliphaz tells him that he had slighted the consolations of God Any man who reads his story may wonder why he should Surely Job was not in case to refuse comfort considering how he was stript of all comfort The full soule indeed loatheth the honey Combe but to the hungry soule every bitter thing is sweet that is those things which dainty palates distast he eates very savourly Job was kept short and low enough he had nothing of consolation left either without or within he was poore and sore without he was full of horrour and terrour within the arrowes of the Almighty had even drunk up his spirit and layd all his comforts wast and doth he yet neglect or undervalue comforts 'T is true he had reall consolations as appeares by that profession of his assurance of Gods favour towards him I know that I shall be justified yet he had no sensible consolations his frequent complaints shew he had not So then the consolations of God for esteeming which little he is reproved were the promises of consolation made to him in the name of God by the Ministry of his Friends Are the consolations of God small unto thee Hence observe First That consolation is the gift and proper worke of God Thou saith David Psal 71.21 shalt encrease my greatnesse and comfort me on every side The Lord shall comfort Sion he will comfort all he wast places Is 51.3 And againe As one whom his Mother comforteth so will I comfort you and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem God comforts as a Mother tenderly and he comforts as a Father yea as a Master effectually I will comfort you and yee shall be comforted As the corrections of God are effectuall and prosper in the worke for which they are sent so also are his consolations Ephraim sayd Jer. 31.18 Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised So every soule
whom God comforts shall say Thou hast comforted me and I was comforted This the Apostle speaks out to the praise of God 2 Cor. 1.3 4. Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of mercies and the God of all consolations all consolation belongs to God he hath all comfort in his owne power and dispose there is not any creature in the World can give out the least dram of comfort to us without the commission or leave of God it is possible for one man to give another man riches but he cannot give him comfort man may give honour to man but he cannot give him comfort A man may have a pleasant dwelling a loving Wife sweet Children and yet none of these a comfort to him The consolation of all our possessions and relations is from God Whosoever would have comfort must trade to Heaven for it that 's a commodity can be found upon no earthly coast you may fetch in wealth from many coasts of the earth but you cannot fetch in comfort till you addresse your selves to the God of Heaven We can procure our owne sorrow quickly but God onely makes us to rejoyce our releife from outward affliction or inward griefe is the gift of God He onely can comfort us in outward afflictions who can command the creature and he onely can comfort us against our inward griefes who can convince the conscience None can doe either of these but God therefore consolations are from God Luther spake true It is easier to make a World then to comfort the conscience the Hebrew phrase to comfort used in diverse places of the old Testament is To speake to the heart Now God onely can speake to the heart man can speake to the eare he can speake words but he can goe no further Therefore the act and art of comforting belongs properly to God Christ is the true Noah Lamech saith of Noah Gen. 5.29 This man shall comfort us concerning our worke and the toyle of our hands it was not in Noah to comfort but as God made him a comfort and he was said to comfort as a type of Christ Christ is true comfort He is comfort cloathed in our flesh he is as it were comfort incarnate Noah sent a Dove out of his Arke which returned with an Olive branch Jesus Christ sends the holy Ghost who is called the Comforter with the Olive branch of true peace to our wearied souls and to shew that it is now the highest act of Christs love care as mediator to give comfort he promised to send the holy Ghost when himselfe was taking his leave of the Church in regard of any visible abode or bodily presence being ready to ascend and step into Heaven he sayd I will send the comforter When God rained fire and brimstone from Heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah it is sayd by some of the Ancients that he sent a Hell out of Heaven But when he powres the holy Spirit from Heaven upon his Sion we may say he sends a heaven out of heaven Heaven above is nothing else but holy comfort and the comforts of the holy Spirit are the onely Heaven below How highly then ought we to esteeme how carefully to maintaine communion with God who hath all comfort seeing comfort is more to us then all we have If wee have comfort let our estate be what it will we are well enough comfort is as the spring of our yeare as the light of our day as the Sun in our Firmament as the life of our lives Have we not reason then to draw yea to presse neerer unto God who hath all comfort in his hand and without whom the best things cannot comfort us Not our riches nor our relations not Wife nor Children not health nor beauty not credit nor honour none of these can comfort us without God and if God please he can make any thing comfort us he can make a crust of dry bread a feast of fat things a cup of cold water a banquet of Wine to us And as he can make our comforts crosses so our crosse a comfort as David speakes Psal 23.4 Thy rod and thy staffe comfort me not onely the supporting staffe but the correcting rod shall comfort if God command it to be a comforter Who would not maintaine communion with this God who can make a comfort of any thing who can answer every crosse with a comfort If we have a thousand crosses God hath ten thousand comforts hee can multiply comforts faster then the World can multiply crosses Againe if God be the God of all consolation then goe to God for consolation as the Angel said to the women when they came to the Sepulcher enquiring for Christ Why seek yee the living among the dead he is risen he is not here So I may say Why seek yee living comforts among dead or dying creatures Seeke them there no longer Job complaines in this Booke When I sayd my bed shall comfort me then thou scarest me with dreames Chap. 7. Job went to a wrong place when he went to his bed for comfort most soules misse of comfort because they goe to a wrong place for it one goes to his bed another to his freind for comfort a third to his wife and Children these saith he shall comfort me alas why seeke yee the living among the dead none of these can comfort though these may be meanes of comfort Who or whatsoever is the instrument God is the author of all our comfort whatsoever hand brings it God sends it God saith Paul who comforteth those who are cast downe comforted us by the comming of Titus 2 Cor. 7.6 Titus was a good man and brought good tydings yet Paul doth not say that the comming of Titus did not comfort them but saith Paul God comforted us by the comming of Titus T is not your freind who comforts you but God who comforts you by the comming of such a freind when you are in sorrow by sending in such reliefe when you are poor by sending such medicines when you are sick such salves when you are sore such counsell when you are in doubt and know not what to doe Once more It is happy for Saints that consolation is in the hand of God if it were in the hand of the creature sure they should have but little of it but it is in the hand of God There are these foure considerations which may comfort Saints that comfort is in the hand of God First Considering his nature he is willing and ready to do good he is full of compassion and to shew mercy pleaseth him more then it releeveth us Secondly Considering his relation to his people he is a Father Will a Father let a Child lye comfortlesse when he can help him he is our Husband he is our Freind all relations provoke God to give out comfort to the Saints Thirdly Considering his Omniscience and Omnipresence he knowes where the shooe wrings he knowes what comfort we want a
freind possibly hath the comfort in his hand which we need and he may be willing to give it out unto us but he knowes not wherein we are pinched God tells Moses I have seen I have seen the afflictions of my people in Aegypt And as he knows how it is with us so we are ever within his reach he can lay his hand upon every joynt where wee are pained and put a Plaster upon every wound here is our happinesse Christ would take off his people from extraordinary cares about the things of the World by this argument Your Father knowes that ye have need of these things Matth. 6.32 your Father who carryes the purse knowes your want Fourthly Consider his Omnipotence he is able to comfort he can command yea create comforts he can bring his comforts through an army of sorrowes to a poore soule yea he can leade comfort through an Army of Devils and temptatioâ—s to a poore soule he is Almighty there is nothing too hard for him to doe nor is he hard to be entreated to doe that which gives ease unto his people Secondly Observe Consolations rightly administred by men are the consolations of God While man speakes God commands Comfort ye comfort ye my people speake comfortably to Jerusalem tell her that her warfare is accomplished and her sin pardoned Isa 40.1 As all the counsells reproofes and Doctrines which the Ministers of Christ dispense according to the forme of wholesome words delivered either in the Law or Gospel are the counsels instructions reproofs and Doctrins of God so also are their consolations And that 's the reason why God takes it so ill at the hands of men when his Messengers who bring either instruction or consolation are refused because himselfe is refused when they are and his consolations are disesteemed when theirs are Thirdly Observe To account the consolations of God small is a very great sinne Moses rebukes rebellious Korah and his confederates for undervaluing the priviledge which they as Levites had to be neer God in holy Services Numb 16.9 Seemeth it a small thing unto you that the God of Israel hath separated you from the Congregation of Israel to bring you neere to himselfe to doe the service of the Tabernacle c. If it were their sin to count it a small thing to be called neer to God in holy administrations how great a sin is it in any man to count it a small thing that God draws neer to him with heavenly consolations Though the consolations of God to us be small comparatively to what some others have yet we must not account any consolation of God small and that upon two grounds First because of our owne unworthinesse the least consolations are great considering how little we are as Jacob speaks Gen. 32.10 I am not worthy the least of all thy mercies Hee thought little mercies too big for him because he was little in his owne eyes They who have great yea any thoughts of their owne merits lessen the mercies of God but hee who sees he deserves nothing but ill sees abundance of mercy in the smallest good Secondly Smallest consolations are very great because they proceed from a great God As no sin is small though comparatively to another sin it may be small because it is committed against the great God so no consolation is small because it comes from the great God God puts an impresse of his owne greatnesse upon the least things that are done or given by him though he give but a peny yet it hath the image and superscription of him our infinite and eternall Caesar therefore see you slight it not As a good heart is carefull to performe the least duty and to avoyd the least sin or as a good heart calls no duty little which God enjoynes nor sin little which God forbids so a good heart is thankfull for the least mercy and calls no consolation small which God the great God sends Fourthly Observe That great afflictions take away the sense of tendered mercies Consolations for the matter were offered unto Job but his palate was so distempered with the gall and wormewood of his afflictions that he could not taste them Phineas his Wife regarded not the joyfull newes that shee had brought forth a Man Child while she was overwhelmed with sorrow that the Arke of God was taken While the Israelites were under hard Taske-Masters in Aegypt they could not attend to the voice of Moses and Aaron who told them of deliverance their troubles and burdens wert so heavy that they looked upon Moses as a trouble or as a burden when hee came to mediate their release And as the Idolatrous Israelites who sacrificed their Children to Moloch beat up Drumms and used loud-sounding-Instruments to drowne the cry of the poore Children that they might not be heard so some afflictions cry so loud and many cry so loud in their afflictions that they drowne the sweet melody and musick of those consolations that are sounded in their eares Great complaints render great consolations small Job was not without some blame in this for though his patience was great yet had it beene greater he might have missed this reproofe from his Friends Are the consolations of God small to thee And is there any secret thing with thee The meaning appeares thus Et verbum latens tecum Heb. Are the consolations of God which we have offered small unto thee because thou hast some secret hidden thing in thy breast This secret thing is opened three wayes First in reference to comfort as if he had said Hast thou some secret comfort besides what we have offered hast thou consolations of thy owne which cause thee to neglect the consolations of God As in the Gospell when the Disciples prayed Christ to eate he told them I have meat to eate that ye know not of John 4.31 32. Christ had secret bread Est ne apud te divinum aliquid recenditum in mente tua prae quo nostras consolationes Divinas contemnis Merc. Istae quas ab ipso Deo acceptas a ferrimus consolationes leviores sunt quam ut eas probare posses nimirum quod apud te quidpiam magis reconditum delitescat Bez. Aut aliquid abscondit eas apud te Jun. i. e. Ita perstringit oculos animi tui ut illas non percipias quai res involucris tectas Jun. Verba tua prava hoc prohibent Vulg. Apud te potius est incantatio mendacium etsi prae te veritatem seras Rab. Abr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Occulium malum incantationem vel mendacium denotat his work was his food My meat is to doe the will of him that sent me So here What hast thou meate which we know not of Some hidden Manna beyond what wee have told thee of that thou carest not for our provisions Secondly others give the meaning thus Hast thou some secret conceit of thy owne wisedome above ours Or is there some unknowne
worth in thee that exempts thee from this generall rule or way of comfort Doest thou so abound in thy owne sense that thou hast no need of our Notions Is all we speake below thee Thirdly they are supposed to aime at some secret sinne or guilt which hindered and unfitted Job to take in their Cordialls and consolations till it were purged out or vomited up by sound repentance So one renders the Text Doth any thing hide them with thee The word signifies to hide and cover 2 Sam. 19.4 David covered his face so here doth somewhat hide wrap up and cover these consolations that thou canst not receive them or what vayles the eye of thy minde that thou canst not behold what we hold out to thee or not finde out the meaning of it If our Gospell be hid saith the Apostle it is hid to those that are lost in whom the God of this World hath blinded the eyes of them c. 2 Cor. 4.3 4. Thus Eliphaz seemes to bespeake Job If the consolations of God be small to thee doth not somewhat blinde thy eyes Doth not some cloud hide them from thee Doth not prejudice against us or some close sin in thy selfe interrupt thy sight This is hinted by the old Latine Translator who saith Thy evill words or the evill matter that is in thee hinder this One of the Rabbins glosseth it thus and the Originall reaches it Some lye some inchantment or witchery hath seized upon thee though thou pretendest truth The Apostle speakes to this sense Gal. 3.1 O foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you that you should not receive the truth Witchery or Inchantment gives a secret wound Is there any secret thing with thee Hast thou any secret comfort for thy selfe any secret conceit of thy selfe any secret sinne in thy bosome hindering the effectuall working or due prizing of those cordialls which we have given thee The first of these secret things never stands in the way of receiving consolation he that hath hidden comfort in him will not refuse spoken comforts nor doe I thinke that Eliphaz aymed at that unlesse in scorne as some resolve it Malo in bonum sumi licet hoc in eum Eliphaz dicat eum ridens Merc. but rather at one of or both the latter though mistaken in both Yet his suspition gives us a ground for these two Observations First That a man who is full of his owne wisedome is not fit to receive instruction counsell or consolation from others Intus existens prohibet alienum that which is within hinders that which comes from without When a man thinks himselfe wiser then his teachers he will not be taught nor learne wisedome by them Some might have knowne much if they had not presumed they knew enough There is no greater impediment of knowledge then an opinion of it Secondly Observe A sinne kept close or secret within us hinders the effect and working of the Word Though comforts and counsels are given they will not operate where secret corruption lyes at heart the filthinesse and corruption of the stomach hinders digestion till it be purged out Physitians remove ill humours before they prescribe Cordialls else they doe but nourish the discase 'T is so in Spiritualls the Apostle Peter gives the rule 1 Epist 2.1 Wherefore laying aside all guile hypocrisie and envy and evill speaking as new born Babes desire the sincere milke of the Word that yee may grow thereby As if he had said Till you cast out these you will never thrive under the Word if a man be to sow Seed in his Garden he will pull up the Weeds and throw away the Stones else the Seed will not spring up to perfection The Prophet tells the Jewes Jer. 5 25. Your sins hinder good things from you as sin hinders good from comming to us so it hinders the Word from working good in us Though the proper businesse of the Word be to cast out or pull up this secret sin yet there is a great stop given it while any secret sin is nourished or not cast out That 's the reason why so many precious promises take not upon the heart some sin some corruption obstructs their operation and like the theefe in the Candle wasteth away their strength and light As the Lord sayd to Joshua when the people of Israel fled before the men of Ai There is some accursed thing among you therefore they cannot stand before their Enemies So I may say when any stand up against the Word of God or resist the consolations which are offered them sure there is some accursed thing some hidden Wedge of stolne Gold or some Babylonish Garment treasured in or wrapt about your hearts and therefore yee can neither see nor submit to the counsells of God for your good This is a usefull truth for us though an undue charge on Job and yet his Freind proceeds if a higher charge can be to charge him higher as will appeare in the two Verses following JOB CHAP. 15. Vers 12 13. Why doth thine heart carry thee away and what doth thine eyes wink at That thou turnest thy spirit against God and lettest such words goe out of thy mouth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 admirantis est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Capere sumere capit pro rapit flectit allicit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est animus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 q. d. permittis te abripiendum transversion agendum affectu tuo nimis animoso Quis te furor cordis exagitat quae te extra te rapit sapientiae jactantia Pined Tam superbus apud te es ut vix temet ipsum capere possit nec quidem tui ipsius capax es Bold ELiphaz insists still upon that unpleasant subject of reproofe the fifth ground whereof here proposed is Jobs over-confident sticking to his owne Principles or his overweening his owne opinion This reproofe is couched in the 12. and 13. Verses Vers 12. Why doth thy heart carry thee away He speakes by way of Question or as some expound him by way of admiration as if he had sayd It is strange even a wonder to me that thy heart should thus carry thee away The word which we translate to carry away signifies to take up or barely to take and lay hold upon Why doth thy heart the heart is the whole inward man here more specially the affections Why doe thy affections master thy judgement why are thy passions too hard for thy reason Others give the sense thus How can thy heart hold thee As if Job had growne too big for himselfe as if he had been so proud and arrogant so transported with selfe-conceit that he could not containe himselfe and keep his bounds or as if he had not stowage enough for his owne thoughts A third thus which comes neere the same sense What doth thy heart attribute or ascribe to thee Sure thy heart doth give thee some great titles such as these Job the wise Job the holy the
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Est vox hoc tantum loco reperta cujus significationem Rab Mardochai dicit esse insinuationem vel indicationem Quid annuunt quid innuunt oculi tui or would not see them and that he winked at their faithfull dealings as slighting or not regarding them Yet further and more distinctly The word which we translate to winke is found onely in this text all the Bible over It properly signifies to insinuate by the eye to speak or make significant tokens by the eye there is a language of the eye as well as of the tongue here Jobs eye gave some ill language to the eye or apprehension of Eliphaz There are various opinions about it â—â—â—st Some interpret it as a note of opposition against or of dissatisfaction with the counsells which his Friends gave him as was lately hinted Shutting of the eye imports shutting of the minde or a refusall of what is spoken When God judicially closed the eyes of the Jewes Aegre qui sibi sapientes videntur ferunt sive concionentur sive disceptent non auditi cum exteruis modestiae attentionis aestimationis signis In auditione vitia sunt supercilia torvitas â—istitia vulius obtuitus vagus nulus c. Plut. lib. de Aud. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 de fixis immotis intentis oculis esse interpretatar Nictu oculi prodis nos nostrasque orationes a te contemni Pined Cordis contumâ—cia ex oculis tuis emicat Nictu te ostendis elatum Merc. In oculis veteribus religio fuit siquidem in iis imago hominis est tacitus sermo mentis Bold In oculis loculis poculis homo cognoscitur Sent. Hebr. saying to the Prophet Isa 6.10 Make the heart of this people fat and make their eares heavy and shut their eyes this shewed the shutting of their minds against the truth so also doth a voluntary or an affected shutting of the eye in some men though in others it is an act of stronger attention or intention of their spirits to what is spoken which some take to be the English of Jobs winking as we shall see a little after Secondly This winking with the eye is expounded by others though not as an opposition against what he heard yet as the gesture of a negligent and carelesse hearer They who speak take it ill to have either ill lookes or not to be looked upon by their hearers The attentivenesse of the eare may be much discerned by the eye One of the old morall Philosophers in his discourse about hearing numbers winking among the vices and offensive behaviours of a Hearer When the Lord Christ Preached Luke 4.20 It is sayd That the eyes of all that were in the Synagogue were fastned on him A fastned eye is the note of a fixed heart as a wandring eye is of a wandring heart They fastned their eyes upon him as if they meant to hear with their eyes as well as with their eares A winking eye is a moveable and an unsetled eye and therefore may well be the discoverer of an unsetled Spirit Thirdly This winking with the eye is also a signe of disdaine and scorne As if Eliphaz had sayd The pride of thy heart sparkles at thine eye while wee are counselling and comforting thee thou art scorning us The Ancients were very criticall about the eye much of a man may be seen at his eye As a man sees so he is seen by his owne eyes The frame of the heart appeares much in the eye a joyfull or a sorrowfull frame of heart an humble or a proud frame of heart a contented or discontented an amicable or a scornefull frame of heart appeares at the eye As the eare and nostrills of the Horse discover him most according to the rules of Naturalists so the eye of man is the greatest discoverer of man whether we consider the constitution or the actions of it And that this action of winking is an argument of a scornefull spirit or the action of a scorner appeares from Davids Petition or deprecation Psal 35.19 Let not them that are mine Enemies wrongfully rejoyce over me neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause it may seem to be a strange piece of prayer why would not David have his enemy wink What was that to him The meaning is this let not mine Enemies have any occasion to scorne and deride me to boast and insult over me There are two sins which are very visible in the eye The first is wantonnesse Isa 3.16 Because the Daughters of Sion are haughty and walke with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes the Hebrew is Deceiving with their eye and the Apostle Peter in his second Epistle Chap. 2.14 gives this character of some They have eyes full of adultery you may perceive the filthines and uncleannesse of their hearts staring out of their eyes The second sin which is so visible in the eye is Pride Solomon speakes of a proud look Prov. 6.17 Six things ths Lord hateth yea seven are an abomination to him And the first of the seven is A proud looke the Hebrew is Haughty eyes Pride and haughtinesse are seated yea conspicuously enthroned in the eye Fourthly These words Why winkest thou with thine eye Ad simulatam quandam innocentiae significationem sanctitatis specimen quod hypocrism redolet referri potest are expounded as a reproofe of hypocrisie and seeming holynesse as if Eliphaz had sayd Thou lookest very demurely and innocently as if according to our old Proverbe Butter would not melt in thy mouth or as if thou wert speaking familiarly to God For as lifting up the eyes or looking to Heaven is a gesture of holy worship John 17.1 Then Jesus lift up his eyes to Heaven So also is winking with the eye It is very usuall with many to shut or wink with their eyes in prayer that so their spirits may be more composed and freer from distraction 'T is not unlikely that Eliphaz observed Job winking with his eyes as if he had set himselfe to seeke God this provoked him What such a one as thou a hypocrite a wicked man what thou goe to God Wilt thou wink with thy eyes as if thou wert wrapt up in some Divine meditation whereas we have ground rather to conclude that thou art devising mischiefe There are two Texts in the Proverbs which give some light to this Interpretation Prov. 6.13 He winketh with his eye he speaketh with his feet teacheth with his fingers frowardnesse is in his heart he deviseth mischiefe continually Solomon puts a winking eye and a froward mischiefe-devising heart together As if he had sayd A wicked man for of him he speakes in the former Verse winkes with the eye as if he had some high rapture whereas his minde is set upon mischeife and pursuing the worst of evills Againe Prov. 10.10 He that winketh with his eye causeth sorrow but how doth a man that winketh with the eye cause sorrow what dependence
is there betweene these two sorrow and winking that the one should cause the other These words he that winketh with his eye are the description of a deceitfull man such a one may cause sorrow enough Qui annuit oculo suo cum fraude both to himselfe and others Solomon intends not a simple but a subtill sly winking with the eye and so the Syriake readeth it He who winketh with his eye deceitfully causeth sorrow Deceit makes the deceived sorrowfull and it will make the Deceiver sorrowfull he must either be sorrowfull to repentance or feele the sorrow of punishment Fifthly This winking with the eye is conceived to be a metaphor taken from those who shoot with Guns or Bowes Quid collimant oculi tui Jun. Metaphora a jaculatoribus sumpta id Gunners and Archers winke when they shoot that they may take aime the better The contracting of the sight strengthens it So here What dost thou wink at that is what dost thou aime at The eye of a mans minde aimes at some marke in meditation and hence it is usuall for a man in vehement meditation to wink with his eye As if Eliphaz had sayd surely thou hast some great designe some grand plot in thy braine thou pretendest to some deep wisedome or unheard of policies thou hast set up some faire marke before thy fancie and thou wilt be sure to hit it what is it that thou aymest at We finde the phrase used in this sense Prov. 16.30 He shutteth his eye to devise froward things moving his lips he bringeth evill to passe he shutteth his eyes as if hee would make his thoughts more steddy and fixt to hit or reach that froward device which he is casting about how he may effect And as a wicked man shuts his eyes to devise froward that is sinfull things so a good man shuts his eyes lest variety of objects should divert or call off his minde when he is devising and studying what is best both for himselfe and others Et quasi magna cogitans attonitos habes oculoâ— Vulg. The rendring of the Vulgar Latine though it be farre from the letter of the Originall and is rather a Paraphrase then a Tranasltion yet it reacheth this sense fully Wherefore doth thy heart carry thee away Oculos in caelo defigere solent cogitabundi quibus gravis inest solicitudo Sanct. and why liftest thou up thine eyes as if thou wert thinking of some great matter Or as if the affaires of Kingdomes and States depended upon thy care or were committed to thy trust All these interpretations are serviceable to the Text before us and though we cannot positively and particularly resolve which of them was here intended by Eliphaz yet considering that his scope was to reprove Job we may take in the sense of them all and conclude that he censured Job in this one word of all those miscarriages of the heart which may be signified at the eye as appeares by the inference which he makes in the next Verse For having sayd What doth thy eye wink at he presently subjoynes Vers 13. That thou turnest thy spirit against God and lettest such words goe out of thy mouth So that this Verse is an explication of the former Explicationem continet praecedentis versiculi Bold and gives us more clearely what Eliphaz meant by the Carrying away of the heart and the winking of the eye His heart is carryed out of all bounds who turneth his spirit against God His eye winks sinfully whose mouth presently upon it speakes unduely Thou winkest with thy eye thou art very thoughtfull and what the fruit or birth of thy thoughts is we may discerne by thy speech while thou lettest such words goe out of thy mouth Thou turnest thy spirit against God As if he had sayd In stead of humbling thy selfe under the punishment of thy sin thou with an incensed minde contestest against God himselfe and though while he saith against God he doth not meane God directly but God in his judgements and counsells in his Word or in his Workes yet this is a very high charge one of the highest that is in the whole Booke but very unjust Indeed Job used some passionate speeches to his Freinds and these Eliphaz judgeth to proceed from an opposition against God Thou turnest thy Spirit against God There is a twofold turning the spirit against God First Naturall Rom. 8.7 Enmity is the turning of the spirit The wisedome or lust of the flesh is enmity against God Secondly Improved when we heighten this opposition in our practice and are enemies to God in our mindes or Gods hearty enemies by wicked workes Col. 1.21 Quod rediri feceris ad Deum spiritum tuum Heb. Quia respondit ad Deum spiritus tuus Mont. Pedire facit verbum qui re spondet Drus The Hebrew is Thou makest thy spirit to returne to God which is expounded two wayes first thou makest thy spirit to turn upon or against God Secondly thy spirit answers or replyeth upon God both meet in one meaning for though there may be a turning away of the spirit without answering yet in one sense all answers are the turning of our spirit if any man aske a question the answer is the returne of his minde who makes the answer so some render Why doth thy spirit returne answer to God as if he rebuked him for his boldnesse in replying Thy spirit returnes upon God if he speak one word thou wilt have two in that sense the word is used Titus 2.9 where the Apostle giving rules among other relations to Servants charges them Servants be obedient to your owne Masters and please them well in all things not answering againe But is it a fault for a Servant when asked a question to make an answer no it were a fault not to answer The meaning is that a Servant being reproved for a fault must not answer that is his spirit must not rise and returne against his Master or if a Servant be directed to doe any warrantable worke he must not answer againe that is hee must not contradict or murmure at the orders which he hath received but addresse himselfe to the fulfilling of them this is the answering againe reproved as a fault in Servants which is rather gain saying then answering as we put in the Margent of our Bibles in which sense answering is taken here according to this interpretation Thy spirit answers God or turnes against him We may cleare it also by that of the Apostle Rom. 9.20 Where having shewed the absolute soveraignty of God in his Decrees and purposes by the example of Jacob and Esau as also by that of Pharoah He concludes Vers 18. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardneth Saint Paul soresaw that this Doctrine would rayse a great deale of dust and cause many to turne their spirits against God which he thus represents Vers 19. Thou wilt say unto me
case a man in nature is composed or constituted of sin and a naturall man is nourished and preserved by sinning Vt deficienti humido resarciendo nihil aptius est aqua utilius ia hominis beatitudini quae ipsi de est consummandae natura nihil suggerit nisi peccatum Coc. Continuall acts increase the habit and as a godly man is nourished by holy acts and strengthened in spirit by spirituall obedence doing the will of God is the food of the soule As Christ speakes John 4.21 so doth every true Christian in his degree It is my meat and drinke to doe the will of my Father which is in Heaven or as Job professeth of himselfe Chap. 23.12 I esteeme the words of thy mouth more then my necessary food Thus also the old man saith It is my meat and drink to doe the will of the flesh and that is indeed the will of his Father which is in Hell The words of his mouth his Counsels and Lawes I esteem more then my necessary food So much for the opening and illustration of this Scripture-phrase Drinking iniquity like water I shall propound one Quere in generall concerning the whole Verse and so conclude it Here is a full description of sinfull man But whether Eliphaz speakes this strictly of a person unregenerate and so applyeth it to Job or whether this description be not also applicable to a man who is regenerate and godly for the maine and was so intended by Eliphaz is here a question Some conceive that the words will suite none but an unregenerate man and t is granted upon all hands that they are most sutable to him An unregenerate man is abominable and filthy he drinks iniquity like water And yet in a qualified sense we may say all this of a man regenerate Even He in reference to the remaines of corruption is abominable and filthy and He under some distempers and temptations drinks iniquity like water Agit Eliphaz cum Jobo non ut improbo sed ut errante Coc. which words of Eliphaz a moderne Interpreter paralels with those of Paul concerning himselfe Rom. 7.25 With the flesh I serve the Law of sin And delivers his opinion in this case That though Eliphaz aimed at Job in all this yet he deales with him not as with a wicked man but as with an erring brother For whereas he had sayd Chap. 13.23 How many are mine iniquities Eliphaz might judge by his words that surely he thought his iniquities were not very many and whereas he had sayd at the 26. Verse of the same Chapter Thou makest me to possesse the iniquityes of my youth Eliphaz might collect surely this man thinks his elder yeares have been so free from sin that God can finde nothing in them which might justifie him in these severe punishments Now Eliphaz opposeth these apprehensions and would both teach and convince him that as originall sin pollutes every man wholly till he is washed and borne againe by the spirit so no man is so farre washed by the spirit but that many spots and pollutions of the flesh doe still cleave to him and often appeare upon him And Eliphaz may be conceived to handle Job in this manner First To shew him that though a man be in a state of regeneration yet he can deserve nothing at the hand of God because his holinesse is still imperfect and his corruptions are abominable Secondly That the greatest sufferings and afflictions of good men in this life are very consistent with the Justice of God Thirdly That he might humble Job who as he feared was still too high in his owne opinion and thought better of himselfe then did become him Fourthly To provoke him to resist his owne corruptions stedfastly And lastly To beare the crosse which the Lord had layd upon him for his good especially for the taming and subduing of his corruptions patiently So that Eliphaz doeh not dispute with him upon this hypothesis or supposition or not upon this onely That man by nature and without the grace of God is filthy and abominable drinking iniquity like water but upon this or this in consort with the former That man in a state of grace or a godly man is filthy and abominable in reference to the flesh that dwelleth in him and that in reference to his frequent sinnings he may be sayd to drink iniquity like water And therefore Job had no reason to be proud how good so ever he was or how much good soever he had done and that there was all the reason in the World he should be patient and take it well at the hand of God how much evill so ever he should suffer This resolution of the Quere as it is profitable so probable For howsoever Jobs Freinds had branded him in diverse passages of this dispute as a wicked man and an hypocrite and were so understood by Job as appeares in his answers and replyes yet 't is most likely his Freinds spake so in reference to his actions not in reference to his state That he had done like an Hypocrite or a wicked man was clearely their opinion but there is no necessity to conclude from what they sayd that they judged him absolutely to be one JOB CHAP. 15. Vers 17 18 19 20. I will shew thee heare mee and that which I have seene I will declare Which wise men have told from their Fathers and have not hid it Vnto whom alone the earth was given and no stranger passed among them The wicked man travelleth with paine all his dayes and the number of yeares is hidden to the oppressour ELiphaz having argued against Jobs supposed opinion of Selfe-cleannesse and personall righteousnesse proceeds to the confirmation of his owne position to which he leads us by a new Exordium or Preface in the 17 18 and 19. Verses of this Chapter Secondly he largely handles and illustrates it from the 20. to the 31. Verse Thirdly hee applyeth the whole Doctrine to Job by way of dehortation at the 31. Verse and so forward to the end of the Chapter The generall argument which he brings to confirme his Tenet may be thus formed up That is true which continued experience and the consent of wise men in all ages have taught and delivered to us But the experience and consent of wise men in all ages have taught and delivered this that a wicked man travels with paine all his dayes that he is punished outwardly by want and sicknesse and inwardly by the gripes and scourges of his owne conscience Therefore this is a truth The major proposition is the sum of the Preface contained in the 17 18. and 19. Verses The minor or second Proposition is held forth in the 20. Verse and is prosecuted to the one and thirtieth I will shew thee heare thou me and that which I have seene I will declare So the Preface begins He layes downe a double proofe in this Preface a proofe first from his owne experience secondly from the
strangers so the happinesse of a people to be freed from the oppression of strangers From the second Observe That it is the happinesse of a people to be free from the mixture of evill men whether such whose worship is impure or Doctrine untrue The Lord made frequent promises of this happinesse to his people Isa 52.1 From henceforth there shall no more come into them the uncircumcised and the uncleane which is as much as to say The stranger for all uncircumcised persons were strangers shall not come into thee We have the like promise Joel 3.17 So shall yee know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Sion my holy Mountaine then shall Jerusalem be holy and there shall no stranger passe through her Why not any stranger Forget not to entertaine strangers saith the Apostle Heb. 13. ◠Jerusalem in her best dayes shall have strangers to be visited and releived by her but Jerusalem should have no strangers in those dayes to defile and pollute her Na. 1.15 Behold upon the Mountaine the feet of him that bringeth good tydings for the wicked shall no more passe through thee for he is cutt off The Hebrew is Belial shall no more passe through thee Belial is he that cannot endure to serve he will not yeeld obedience to the holy commands of God he casts off the yoak of Christ and pulls the shoulder from his burden This Belial shall no more passe through thee The purest times of the Gospel are presented under a like promise Zach. 14.21 In that day there shall be no more the Cananite in the house of the Lord of Hoasts That is the stranger and uncircumcised the wicked and ungodly shall no more be mixed with his people Thirdly in that he puts such under the notion of strangers we learne That wicked and Idolatrous persons should be as strangers to us we must not lay such in our bosome to maintaine any spiritual society with them though in some cases we may have civill society with them 2 Cor. 6.13 14. Be not unequally yoaked together with unbeleevers for what fellowship hath righteousnesse with unrighteousnesse and what communion hath light with darknesse and what concord hath Christ with Belial c. These can never agree together Let no such stranger passe or be approved among us in the fellowship of the Gospel there is not onely sin in letting such passe with our approbation but danger and that a double danger Both which are assigned as reasons why wee should come out of Babylon Revel 18.4 First we are in danger of partaking of their sins and that both by contracting the spot of their sins as also the guilt of their sins Secondly we are in danger of partaking of their punishments as it there follows That yee receive not her plagues There is no safety in being neer those who are under the curse of God The companion of fooles shall be destroyed Prov. 13 20. though possibly he be not a foole in any other respect but because he is in such company Fourthly Taking it for a strange or wicked thing Note That It is the honour of Magistrates when no evill passeth quietly in their Territories When neither Idolatry in the things of God nor injustice nor oppression in the things of men finde any favour with them this is at once their duty and their glory Eliphaz having by way of preface given proofe of what he was about to presse upon Job both from his owne experience and the consent of Antiquity He now proposes the point it selfe Vers 20. The wicked man travels with paine all his dayes and the number of yeares is hidden to the Oppressour In this generall Position Eliphaz intends Jobs personall conviction that he was wicked whom he had heard appealing to God Chap. 2.10 Thou knowest that I am not wicked As if he had sayd Thou wouldest make us beleeve that God will be thy compurgator and give witnesse for thee upon his owne knowledge that thou art not wicked But we who are but men may know the contrary for we see all the markes and brands of a wicked man upon thee The wicked man travelleth with paine all his dayes and so dost thou These soares and sorrows speake who thou art though we say nothing Master Broughton reads The wicked killeth himselfe all his days he is a selfe murtherer that was the report which Eliphaz made of him at the fifth Chapter Vers 2. Envy slayeth the silly one Both Job and his Freinds repeate the same thing often yet with such variety of illustrations that though for the matter it be the same yet it is new for the manner Such repetitions doe not onely delight but profit The wicked man travelleth with paine all his dayes Who is a wicked man hath been opened at large Chap. 10.7 where Job affirmes Thou knowest that I am not wicked There see the temper of a wicked man I will not stay upon it here Onely consider how his appellation and condition suit one with the other The wicked man travells the Originall word for a wicked man signifies an unquiet motion and so one whose life is a continuall not onely motion but unquietnesse Vnquiet is the name and unquietnesse is the state of a wicked man he is alwayes raising stirs and acting Tragedies His life is alwayes in a hurry he travells with paine all his dayes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Proprie significat cruciatum languorem pavorem vel dolorem parturientium vel enitentis molientis facinus aliquod Omnis vita impii in solicitudine 70. in dolore Aquila Dolet ut parturiens Pag. He travelleth with paine This sentence is but one word in the Hebrew the word signifies any griefe or sorrow any torture or torment The translations are various but all meet in this one sense that a wicked mans life is a miserable life All the life of a wicked man is spent in carking care So the Septuagint Another renders It is spent in sorrow But all may be reduced to that which is most proper to the word He is in paine as a woman in travaile and whereas we have heard of some Women in travaile many dayes here is a man in travell all his dayes The wicked man travelleth in paine all his dayes his whole life is nothing else but continuall paine or painefull throes towards the birth of some filthy Monster-sin which sin when it is finished brings forth death Somewhat he hath conceived the Psalmist tells us what He hath conceived mischiefe and hee would bring forth iniquity Cunctis diebus suts impius superbit Vulg. The Vulgar Latine translates The wicked man is lifted up with pride all his dayes which is as much as to say He travelleth in paine all his dayes for though as some say Pride feels no cold yet there is nothing feels so much paine as pride doth And because a wicked man is proud all his dayes therefore he travelleth with paine all his dayes
stops as they will in his way let his first and second and third conceptions of mischeife conclude in the bringing forth of vanity yet he is not concluded by it he will try a fourth and a fifth time too His belly againe prepareth deceit Thirdly His hope to speed at last put him forward to new experiments when former ones have fayled he perswades himselfe he shall obtaine if he continue As the Saints having prayed and wayted long without an answer from God yet goe on praying their belly prepareth new prayers because they have a good ground to hope that God will heare at last So ungodly men persevere in plotting mischeife because they have strong hopes though but the shadow of a ground to hope that they shall one day accomplish their desires As the heart would breake for sorrow so both heart and hand would breake off from labour were it not for hope But where hope of attaineing lives especially where it is lively there such will labour as long as they live Though they have hitherto been deceived in their expectation yet their belly prepareth deceit Thus Eliphaz prosecutes his dehortation and though he saith not to Job as Nathan did to David Thou art the man yet Job was the man he meant the man who in his opinion had conceived mischiefe and brought forth vanity yea the man whose belly was even then preparing deceit How much Eliphaz was deceived appeares upon the whole matter what Jobs belly his minde his inward man was preparing will appeare by his owne answer in the two Chapters following JOB Chap. 16. Vers 1 2 3 4 5. Then Job answered and sayd I have heard many such things Miserable comforters are yee all Shall vaine words have an end Or what emboldeneth thee that thou answerest I also could speak as yee doe if your soules were in my soules stead I could heap up words against you and shake mine head at you But I would strengthen you with my mouth and the moving of my lips should asswage your griefe THIS Chapter and that which followes conteine Jobs second answer to the second charge of Eliphaz Hee calls it an answer but in strictnesse of speech it is a rejoynder and he rejoynes with some accrimonie and sharpnesse of speech The longer contention is maintained the hotter are the spirits of the contenders and the more we are put to answer the more angry are our answers Vers 1. Then Job answered and sayd And what sayd he His answer consists of three generall parts In the first he confutes what Eliphaz had asserted which he doth to the eighteenth Verse of this sixteenth Chapter Secondly He proceeds to corroborate and confirme his owne Tenet or Opinion which he doth to the eleventh Verse of the seventeenth Chapter Thirdly He renewes his former complaints and desires which he doth from that eleventh Verse to the end of the Chapter The first part of his answer is confutation and he begins his confutation with an accusation with an accusation of those who had disputed with him and that 's the subject of these five Verses in all which he taxeth or checks his freinds for their unfreindly uncomly dealing with him and he checks them as Eliphaz had done him at the beginning of the former Chapter upon five points of errour and unfreindlinesse First For speaking unprofitably or for telling him no more then he knew before at the entrance of the second Verse I have heard many such things Secondly He chargeth them for speaking such things as did rather increase and boyle up then mittigate and allay his sorrow Miserable comforters are yee in the close of the second Verse Thirdly He accuseth them for speaking so much or for endlesse speaking their discourse was tedious they would not give over Thus he takes them up at the third Verse Shall vaine words have an end What will you be endlesse Will you never have done Fourthly He accuseth them for their causelesse speaking in the same third Verse What emboldeneth thee or what provoketh thee that thou answerest As if he had sayd Have I given thee any cause Fifthly and lastly He reproveth his and their whole carriage towards him by a serious profession of his contrary carriage or that he was purposed to deale better with them upon supposition that they were in his case and this he doth two wayes First Telling them what he could doe if they were in his case Vers 4. I also could speake as you doe if your soule were in my soules stead I could heap up words against you c. Secondly Telling them what he would doe But I would strengthen you with my mouth and the moving of my lips should asswage your griefe Vers 5. That 's the course which I would take I could deale as harshly with you as you doe with me but I would not you should finde me in another straine and temper Then Job answered and sayd Vers 2. I have heard many such things miserable comforters are yee all We finde this point tossed both wayes Jobs Freinds telling him that he spake but ordinary matter and he telling them that they spake so too Bildad chargeth Job with it Chap. 8.2 How long wilt thou speake these things And how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong winde as if he had sayd Thou speakest impertinently or what thou speakest doth not much concerne the point in hand it comes not up to the matter yea it is quite besides the marke And so Zophar Chap. 11.2.3 Should not the multitude of words be answered And should a man full of talke be justified Thou doest but Verba dare thou speakest to little purpose or little to the purpose though thou speakest much Eliphaz puts the same language upon him Chap. 15.2 3. Should a wise man utter vaine knowledge and fill his belly with the East winde Should he reason with unprofitable talke Or with speeches wherewith he can doe no good Thus his Freinds accused him of that for which he now accuseth them and he himselfe had accused them once and againe of this before So Chap. 12.2 3. Who knoweth not such things as these They are but vulgar truths which you have told me and Chap. 13.1 2. Loe mine eye hath seen all this mine eare hath heard and understood it what yee know the same doe I know also I am not inferiour to you You produce nothing all this while but what I am well acquainted with which is fully the sense of this Verse I have heard many such things that is Rhetorico modo principium sumit ab extenuatione vice quippe defensoris agit Pined Defensor causam fuisse negabit si potest aut eam vehementur extenuabit Cic. l. 2. ad Heren Every man can speak as much as this Here Job playes the Oratour or Rhetorician whose businesse and designe as the great Orator tells us is as much as he can to extenuate and lay low the arguments or reasons of him that
he opposeth Job stands as Defendant here his Freinds as Plaintifs therefore he endeavours to render their Charge weak and what they sayd sinnewlesse I have heard many such things as these Job doth not accuse his Freinds as giving out false and erroneous Doctrine for himselfe had heard and learned those things before but he accuseth them for bringing proofes which were not to the purpose or which were in sufficient to prove their purpose As if he sayd I expected when you would produce some stronger arguments to maintaine your opinion or clearer answers unto mine I waited for some new matter and to have heard somewhat that I had not heard before but you have deceived my expectation For I have heard many such things as these Hence Note First Some truths are of very common observation Who knoweth not such things as these Every Childe that hath been Catechised knowes them 'T is no disparagement to any truth that it hath been often heard and is commonly knowne The more common a truth is the more weighty it may be Yet Which gives us a second Observation Ordinary truths will not serve in extraordinary cases and that which every man knows and heares will not resolve us in those points which few men know or heare As Jobs Person was a Phaenix in the World his age afforded not his second There is none like him in the earth saith God himselfe to Satan Chap. 1.8 So Jobs condition was a Phaenix it had no second there was no man tryed like him in the whole earth and therefore his case eould not be measured by the common Standard or rule of Providence He had need heare that which was never heard before who beares and feeles that which was never borne nor felt before There are some temptations on afflictions as the Apostle speakes 1 Cor. 10.13 Which are common to man Common truths may comfort and satisfie the consciences of such But there are temptations such were Jobs which are not common to man we can hardly finde their paralell or a president of them in the Records of any Age Common truths will not comfort nor satisfie the consciences of such Every dispensation hath a doctrine suitable to it dispensations which are seldome seen call up doctrines which are seldome heard Secondly Job complaines that he heares onely those things which he had often heard Hence Observe It troubles a man in trouble to be often pressed with the same thing A man at ease is pained with unnecessary repetitions much more a man in paine and though they who like and love the things which they have heard doe both love and like to heare them often yet in some cases they may heare them too often Some indeed speak very prophanely what Job spake justly who when they would not put off submission to and attendance upon holy Doctrine say we know before we goe what he will say We know such things as the Preacher usually speaks what can he tell us that we have not heard before That 's the language of the prophane We know as much as he can teach us Though it be granted that a man knowes as much as the Preacher can tell him yet he ought to heare it againe Though the matter be knowne before yet to heare it often may work a better knowledge and leave a stronger impression upon the heart then ever 'T is profitable to write the same things therefore it cannot be unprofitable to heare them Phil. 3.1 Brethren to write the same things to me it is not greivous and to you it is profitable If to write then to speake the same things is profitable In the Story of the Acts of the Apostles when Paul had preached in the Synagogue the Jewes being gone the Gentiles besought him That those words might be preached the next Sabbath Acts 13.42 The repeating and inculcating the same thing is not alwayes blameable and it is sometimes desireable but when a man is under sore afflictions and temptations when he is burthened with many sorrows it is very greivous to have those things that have been often answered or assented to againe objected or asserted A weake stomack must have variety and change to entice the appetite and so must a troubled and distempered spirit I have heard many such things And hereupon he infers Miserable comforters are yee As if he had sayd This is a miserable way of comforting alway to be beating upon and inculcating the same thing Job calls his Freinds Physitians of no value Chap. 13.4 Here he expounds himselfe while he calls them Miserable comforters He is a Physitian of no value who in stead of curing increaseth the disease and he is a miserable comforter who in stead of abating our sorrow adds to it and heightens it Miserable comforters are yee It seems the Freinds of Job at least to his sense had forgotten the designe they proposed to themselves when they first undertook this visit Chap. 2.11 They made an appointment together to come and mourne with him and to comfort him That was the intendment of Jobs Freinds at their fiâ—st addresses Yet after so long a conference he makes this report Miserable comforters are yee yee rather vex then heale any soare you my Freinds have troubled me more then my wounds you have wounded my spirit more then Satan did my flesh Consolatores malorum i. e. malos potestâ—s consolari August Miserable comforters are yee One of the Ancients renders the words thus Yee are comforters of evill men or possibly you may comfort evill men but you cannot comfort me As that which is one mans meat is another mans poyson so that which is one mans comfort is another mans sorrow All good men cannot take in their comforts the same way but the way of comforting good and evill men differ as much as good and evill The words of flattery and falsehood will serve to comfort the one no words will comfort the other but those of sincerity and truth I dare not conceive Jobs Freinds such as would sow Pillows under the elbowes of evill men yet surely they put hard Stones under the sore and aking armes of this good man Consolatores Onerosi Vulg. The Vulgar translation speakes thus Yee are burden some comforters A comforter should take off burdens sorrow is a burden As the judgements that God threatned upon the Jewes and other Nations are represented in the Prophets under the name of burthens The burthen of Judah the burthen of Israel the burthen of Moab the burthen of Babylon the burthen of Idumea So any affliction upon a person is his burthen and the businesse of those who come to comfort a soule in affliction should be to take off his burthen at least to lighten it Jobs Freinds did indeed binde the burthen faster upon his spirit and therefore he might well call them Burthensome comforters False hearts count all truth a burthen The Land saith Amaziah is not able to beare his words Amos 7.10 yet his were
words of truth and tended to peace Some truths may be burthensome at some times to a good heart Hard words are alwayes burthensome Job had store of them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Consolatores laboris aut molestiae Heb. The letter of the Hebrew gives the sense thus Yee are comforters of trouble that is troublesome comforters As if he had sayd Yee doe not comfort me in my troubles but yee trouble me with your comforts Yee are comforters made up of trouble that 's the predominant Element which denominates your complexion and constitution yee are so troublesome that you seeme to be nothing but trouble Our rendering in the concrete is cleare to Jobs scope Miserable comforters are yee all Hence Observe Some while they goe about to act the part of comforters doe but add to their sorrow whom they pretend to comfort and in stead of comforters prove tormenters But when doth a man deserve this title A miserable comforter That which caused Job to charge his Freinds with this miscarriage of their paines with him will resolve the question and tell us when First They gave him little hope of good or they did not open to him a doone of hope wide enough 't is true they made some overtures that way which yet comparatively to what they ought were scarce considerable And Eliphaz who had been somewhat large upon the point in his first congresse with Job speakes nothing of it in his last For as if he thought his case desperate and had given him for a lost man he shuts up in the darke as we see in the close of the former Chapter where he thunders out the judgements of God upon Hypocrites and Bribe-takers without so much as one word of comfort to the penitent This is to be a Miserable comforter The song of comforters should at least be mixt like that of David to the Lord of mercy and of judgement Psal 101.1 A song of judgement alone or most of judgement to a heavy heart may be called like that of Jeremie A Lamentation but it is not a Consolation Secondly They as was toucht before tyred out his afflicted soule with tedious discourses and unpleasing repetitions they alwayes harped upon the same string and that makes no musicke to a disconsolate soule As God complaines of those prayers as unpleasing which are full of unnecessary repetitions so also those counsels are unpleasing to man which are made up of needlesse repetitions To presse the same point though true oft and oft is a wearinesse to the spirit and because it suggests this suspition that the hearer doth oppose or resist that truth it proves an upbraiding rather then a teaching or a comforting Comfort must be stolne in unawares by a holy sleight of hand it must not be beaten in with beetles as it were by force of hand Solomon tels us Prov. 25.12 As an earering of Gold Subrepere debet consolatio fucum facere affectibus Sen. and an ornament of fine Gold so is a wise reprover upon an obedient eare What he speakes of a reprover is as true of a comforter and he onely is fit to be a reprover who is skil'd or knowes how to be a comforter Hee that will open or launce a soare had need be acquainted with the meanes of healing it The spirit of God who is the Reprover John 16.8 is also the Comforter John 14.26 We may therefore take up Solomons Proverbe here As an earering of Gold and an ornament of fine Gold so is a wise comforter upon an obedient eare They who hang Jewels in their eares as it was the custome of those times and is to this day take that which is of great price and value yet of little weight No man hangs a Talent or a great lump of Gold in his eare Gold is precious but much Gold is ponderous and burdens rather then adornes the eare the bulke of it is more combersome then the beauty of it is conspicuous Esto correptio non levis pretii sed levis pâ—ndeâ—is So comfort which is the most pleasant Jewell of the eare should be pure and precious as the Gold of Ophir but yet it must be like an earering which though it be not light in regard of worth yet it is light in regard of weight We must not load but guide a man with counsell nor must we burden him with many but ease him with pertinent words of comfort Thirdly That which rendered them yet more miserable Comforters was their unkinde grating upon that string of his sinfulnesse and studyed hypocrisie Job acknowledged himselfe a sinner and that he could not be justified in the sight of God by any righteousnesse of his owne yet still his freinds were unsatisfied about his sincerity and still they presented him with suspicions of secret wickednesse as the cause of all his sufferings still they told him of the sad fate of Tyrants of Oppressours of unjust Judges of unsound and false-hearted Worshippers and though they did not apply these Parables personally to Job yet the generall discourse sounded as if they had sayd Thou art the man Now as the Apostle speaks concerning death 1 Cor. 15.56 so we may say concerning any affliction The sting of affliction is sin the sting of sicknesse the sting of poverty the sting of disgrace is sin when the least trouble is armed with sin the strongest tremble at the sight of it A godly man can easier beare the weight of all afflictions then the weight and burthen of one sin so long as he sees all cleare between God and his owne soule so long as he can looke up to God as having his sin pardoned and can approve his heart to God that he lives not in any knowne sin in this case though the Lord lay the heaviest burthen of affliction upon him he can goe lightly under it The spirit of a man will beare all these infirmities but if his spirit be wounded either with the guilt of sin or with the feare of the wrath of God how can hee beare it This afflicts more then all other afflictions This was it which caused Job to cry out Miserable comforters His Freinds ever upbraiding him with his sin his sin his sin as the root and therefore as the sting of all his troubles They applyed nothing but these corrasives to his wounded soule which called alowd for the balme of Gilead There are two sorts of miserable comforters First They who flatter the soule that lives in sin Secondly They who embitter and burden their soules who being under burdens of sorrow are also in bitternesse for their sin Some sow Pillowes under the elbowes of those who delight in sin and dawbe them up with untempered morter others thrust Swords and shoot arrowes into the bowels of those who mourne for sin and in stead of bringing well-tempered morter to binde and cement their soules lay hard stones under them which vex and gaul their soules Both are Miserable comforters They who
undertake the office of comforting others should consider these three things especially First The nature of the affliction whether internall or externall that which will comfort a man in bodily afflictions will not doe it in soule afflictions Secondly The degree or measure of the affliction If the Playster be too narrow for the Soare how can it heale Thirdly They should consider the temper of the Person afflicted if he be pressed in conscience for sin they should not presse his conscience with sin much lesse should they thunder out judgement and terrour against him for sin if he be very weak they should use few words if he be passionate they should use gentle words lest in stead of perswading they provoke his spirit Many a soule is cast downe and swallowed up in despaire by the ignorance or unfaithfulnesse of those who would bee called Comforters and Supporters Ezek. 13.19 They slay the soules that should not dye and save them alive that should not live Unskilfull Physitians of the body kill more then bodily diseases And though the unskilfulnesse of soule-physitians doth not indeed kill soules that should dye for 't is their owne sin that kils them nor can kill the soules that should not dye for the medicine of Christs most precious blood will heale and save such from their sins yet unskilfull soule-physitians shall be judged and dealt with as having done all this because they have done their utmost to doe it which is also the meaning of that Text 1 Cor. 8.11 And through thy knowledge shall the weake brother perish for whom Christ dyed that is an indiscreet use of that liberty which thy knowledge teacheth thee doth that which may be accounted a destroying of thy weake Brother As that knowledge so the ignorance before spoken of slayes the soules that should not dye As it requires the power so the wisedome and teachings of God to comfort and extricate poore sâ—ules in and from the Labyrinth of their sorrows The Lord hath given me the tongue of the learned What to doe That I should know how to speake a word in season to him that is weary Isa 50.4 It is a great peice of learning to speak aright to a weary soule to deale with them so as neither to flatter them in their sins nor oppresse them under their sins to deale with them so in th ir affliction as that we neither cause them to sleight the hand of God nor yet to sink under it He that can guid and steer the course of a soule that is afflicted and tossed with the tempest of sin and sorrow between this rock and gulfe the Scylla of presumption and the Charybdis of despaire he is a learned Pilot indeed This learning is the speciall gift of God Christ himselfe acknowledgeth that the Lord his Father had given him the tongue of the learned for this end This learning is not taught in the Schooles of men Philosophers and Oratours never taught such an art of consolation nor can it be attained by the bare teaching of the holyest Doctors and Preachers of Divine truths Wee may have a rich furniture of materials for this worke and yet make no worke of it nor be able to put truths and consciences rightly together unlesse the annoynting teach us As the Prophet brings in our great Master and Tutor in this heavenly science againe confessing of himselfe Isa 61.1 The spirit of the Lord is upon me because the Lord hath annoynted me to preach good tydings to the meek he hath sent me to binde up the broken hearted to proclaime liberty to the Captives Till we are annoynted by God we cannot speake effectually to man without the spirit who is the comforter wee prove but miserable comforters we bungle at the work and rather undoe soules then doe them any good Wee may Preach good tydings good newes from Heaven the Gospel is nothing else but good newes yet no good comes of it till the good spirit comes with it both instructing the hearts of those that heare and the tongues of those that speake duely to apply the word Master Calvin upon this place saith Some Comforters have but one song to sing and they have no regard to whom they sing it All persons all estates and all conditions are alike to them The wisedome of a comforter consists in discerning and making these differences As the Apostle Jude hints unto us Ver. 22 23. And of some have compassion making a difference and others save with feare As faith saves all so in a sense feare saves some that is they must be terrifyed and made afraid that they may be saved Jobs Freinds would needs save him with feare whereas they should have had compassion of him and have spoken kindly to him Because they could not make this difference therefore they tooke a wrong course with him and were justly taxed without distinction Miserable comforters are yee all Vers 3. Shall vaine words have an end As if he had sayd I have got no comfort I would faine get some rest your words have not refreshed me I desire you would not trouble me you have done me no good will you have done Shall vaine words have an end The Hebrew is Shall words of winde have an end That expression hath ben opened twice before 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Verba vervi i e. ventosa parum solidas rationes habentia How long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong East winde saith Bildad Chap. 8.2 Should a wise man utter vaine knowledge and fill his belly with the East winde saith Eliphaz Chap. 15.2 Job retorts it upon them Shall words of winde have an end You tell mee that my words are windy yours are so indeed I must hide my selfe from these blasts and stormes of your tongues unlesse you grow calmer Shall windy words have an end Words are windy First When they have no solid reason no substance in them reason is the substance of words and so is truth these two goe alwayes together and where these are not nothing goes out of the mouth but winde Projicit ampullas c. we say of all words which are not followed with action Words are but winde we may say so also of all words which are not accompanyed with reason Verba plena spiritu superbiae Secondly Words are windy when they have much pride and swelling conceitednesse in them The Scripture cals such words Swelling words of vanity That which swels our hearts will quickly swell our lips pride doth both Pride is a winde within us vaine words are a winde without us the proud man knowes not how to ease himselfe of this winde within but by breaking it out in words Thirdly Words are windy when they have much passion in them when they are angry and furious an angry man blusters rather then speakes and makes a noise rather then a discourse While David Psal 39.2 3. was dumb with silence while he held his peace from good his sorrow
was stirred his heart was hot within him and while hee was musing the fire kindled While some are even hoarse with speaking while they cannot hold their peace from evill their anger is stirred their hearts are storming within them and all their talke is onely a winde blowing without them We read of a strange distemper in two sorts of men who ought of all others to be most composed and temperate Hos 9.7 Ish ruach The Prophet is a foole the spirituall man is madd Our Translators put in the Margin The man of the spirit for Ruach in Hebrew signifieth both the winde that blowes in the ayre and the spirit of God which moveth in our hearts We take that sense The spirituall man or the man of the spirit that is the man that pretends to have or should have the spirit of God his businesse lying wholly in spirituals this man is madd he is so farr from acting to the height of those graces which the spirit gives that he acts below that reason which nature gives Yet the Originall may be rendred thus and so diverse learned Hebricians render it The man of winde or the windy man is madd Anger is a short madnesse and he that speakes angerly is in danger to speak madly Jobs Freinds were not men of winde nor were they madd and the words which they spake had a generall sense and savor of truth and sobernesse in them yet as to Jobs particular case they wanted some graines of truth and reason they were too high and swelling considering how low and humble he was they were too full of passion being spoken to a man so full of sufferings And therefore though that censure of his Freinds words as vaine who indeed were wise and grave men was too censorious and sharpe yet it must be granted that their words also were too sharpe even such as vexed his spirit and wore out his patience upon which account he expects and begs an end of them Shall vaine words have an end That is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Finis a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 praecidit abscidit Quia finis est tam temporis quam rei praecisio terminus Will you make an end of vaine speaking I pray doe I wish you would Cut off the thred of this discourse you have spun it out and continued it but too long alrâ—ady The Hebrew word which we translate an end springs from a root which signifies to cut off because every end whether of time or things is the cutting off of that time or thing the end of which it is While Job askes the Question Shall vaine words have an end He speakes the vehemency of his owne desire and expectation to see an end of them I shall not stay here to give any observations upon these words but referr the Reader to the Texts before alleadged in the eighth and fifteenth Chapters where this expression is more fully opened Onely Note First Vaine words are very burdensome to a serious eare much more to a sad heart Secondly It is good to end that quickly wee should not have begun Profitable words may be too long continued but unprofitable words cannot be too soon ended It is best not to speak vainely and it is next best to cease or give over such kinde of speaking quickly There is a time to be silent from good words as well as a time to speake them but there is no time to speake evill words all times in reference to them are times of silence An Aposioposis or sudden stop of speech is the most sutable figure of Rhetorick which they can use who speake unsutably As the end of what wee say or doe well is best so the ending of what wee say or doe amisse is best Perseverance in every good word and worke is Angelicall and the highest perfection of duty but perseverance in an evill whether word or worke is Diabolicall and the utmost departure from duty Let not thy mouth open to utter vanity but if it doth shut it quickly be not heard speaking that twice which should not be spoken once Or what emboldeneth thee that thou answerest If thou wilt not make an end then tell me why Give me a reason what is it that stirrs thee to reply upon me What emboldeneth thee to answer The Hebrew word signifies first to strengthen to fortifie or confirme he that is strengthened is emboldened 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Est roborare fortificare acris esse It signifies also to be sharpe or bitter 1 Kings 2.8 David on his death-bed tels Solomon his Son and Successor in the Kingdome that Shimei had cursed him with a greivous curse that is with a strong bitter and provoking curse of which we read the Story 2 Sam. 16.5 This Quaere is rendered three wayes First as we What emboldeneth thee that thou answerest As if he had sayd I thought I should have silenced thee before this time or that thou wouldest have put silence upon thy selfe I wonder who or what it is that sets thee on to speake still doest thou thinke by thy renewed on sets to weary me and make me yeild at last Hast thou a hope to prevaile upon me by thy importunity when thou canst not by thy reason Or hast thou further strength of reason fresh arguments to produce in confirmation of thine opinion Are these but Fore-runners or thy Vauntguard Is the maine battell yet behinde Hast thou some Reserves of greater power then thou hast yet led up against me Let me see them if thou hast If not give over and hold thy peace for what shall eyther I or thou get by a further progresse What emboldeneth thee to answer Job speakes wonderingly his reason was at a losse about the cause of his Freinds boldnesse and therefore he admires it There are two things which may embolden a man to answer First The goodnesse and justice of that cause which he undertakes Secondly The strength and assistance of God to carry him through it Upon these grounds the youngest David may be bold to enter the Lists and dare the Combate with the strongest Goliah But there are two other things which usually embolden men to answer First Selfe-confidence Secondly Unwillingnesse to yeeld They who are thus emboldened will not give over answering though they have no further light of truth or reason to hold out in their answers Job surely had such apprehensions of his Freind Eliphaz which moved him to aske What emboldeneth thee that thou answerest Hence Note Such is the stifnesse and vanity of some that they will hold on a contention though they have no further grounds of truth or reason to continue it upon They will speake on though it be the same thing onely in a new dresse of words They have store of words though scarsity of matter we may justly say to such What emboldeneth you to answer It is more then boldnesse a kinde of impudence in such to answer pertinacy of spirit disdaines to lay
downe the Bucklers They who contend for victory rather then for truth will not be answered how much soever they are answered And they who are more loath be foyled then willing to bee rectified will hardly submit to the plainest and clearest evidence The second reading is What doth provoke thee to answer Quid exacer bu â—e ut respondeas Jun. or What imbitters thy spirit that thou answerest As if Job had said Surely Eliphaz my fayre discourse with thee should have stopped the course of this severe proceeding with me before this time thou hast loaded me with hard words and uncharitable jealousies but have I spoken provokingly or bitterly to thee My conscience tells me that I have not and thou knowest I have not He that impartially reads over Jobs answers to Eliphaz may finde here and there a sowre passage but as we say Proverbially You must give loosers leave to speake The wise Physitian heares his Patient giving him uncomely language yet will not heare it much lesse retort or answer so againe They who are in paine must be borne with though they provoke it must not be called a provocation and though they give offence yet it must not be taken When the Childe cryes the Nurse sings God himselfe beares with the manners of his people so the word intimates Acts 13.18 as a Mother doth with a froward Childe and so should we with the frowardnesse of our weake and afflicted Brethren So that in this sense the provocations which Job gave his Freinds were not to be reckoned as provocations and he might well say to Eliphaz What provoketh thee to answer If I in the case I am in have spoken passionately Wilt thou be provoked by it Thou shouldest not Thou oughtest to passe it by and cover it with the garment of charity Yet further we may take the words as a totall denyall of any provocation given on his part Whence Note Some will speake harshly to and of those who never provoked or gave them cause Water runs cleare till 't is troubled and stirr'd by some outward violence But the spirits of some men run muddy though nothing from without stirrs them The Prophet compares all wicked men to the troubled Sea when it cannot rest whose waters cast up mire and dirt Isa 57.20 The Sea is not alwayes troubled when the Windes are quiet that is quiet wee often see a smooth Sea as smooth as Glasse A wicked man is like the Sea when 't is enraged he is such a Sea as knows no calme he is like the Sea not onely when it is troubled but when it cannot rest Though no breath of Winde from abroad offend him yet he stormes He hath lusts in his owne bowels which provoke him when nothing else doth yea those lusts within provoke him when all without labour to pacifie him So David complaines Psal 120.5 7. Woe is mee that I sojourne in Mesech that I dwell in the Tents of Kedar that is With the Sons or descendants of Ishmael who have learned of their Father to mock and persecute I dwell in the Tents of Kedar But what caused them to mock and persecute Was it any provocation that David had given them No for he saith in the next words I am for peace I would live quietly with all my heart but when I speake they are for Warr. A motion for Peace becomes a provocation to Warr It is sinfull to speake rashly or harshly though we are provoked what is it then to speake so when we are not provoked They angred Moses at the waters of strife they provoked his spirit yet it went ill with Moses for their sakes when he spake unadvisedly with his lips Psal 106.32 33. But what was this unadvised speech Moses reports his owne infirmity Numb 20.10 11. And Moses and Aaron gathered the Congregation together before the rocke and he sayd unto them Heare now yee Rebels must we fetch you water out of this Rock And Moses lift up his hand and with his Rod he smote the Rock twice c. The errour of Moses in this businesse was twofold First That he did not onely smite the Rock but smite it twice with the Rod in his hand whereas he had order onely to take the Rod in his hand and speake to the Rock before their eyes and it should give out water Vers 8. His second errour was that he did not onely speake to the people for which in that transaction he had no order from God but spake bitterly and harshly to them calling them Rebels and slighting them Must we fetch water for you c What for you who are a murmuring and gainsaying people God knew the stubbornenesse of that people and their rebellions against him yet he did not call them Rebels but sayd in the close of the eighth Verse So shalt thou give the Congregation and their Beasts drinke God had more reason and power to call them Rebels then Moses had yet he did not And because Moses did that unadvised speech of his and the actions which attended it were called Rebellion at the twenty fourth Verse of the same Chapter Yee saith the Lord of Moses and Aaron rebelled against my word at the waters of Meribah Now if Moses was thus reproved and censured by God himselfe for speaking passionately to a people who had provoked both God their Deliverer and him their Leader what reproofe doe they deserve who either upon none or very little provocation call their Brethren Hypocrites Hereticks Scismaticks Rebels perjured persons men of prostituted consciences or at least of unsettled and uncertaine Principles will not the Lord take notice of this bitternesse even in those who are his precious Servants towards their fellow-servants when he layd so heavy a penalty as non-admission into the promised Land upon a payre of the most eminent and faithfull Servants that ever he called forth to his work since he layd the foundations of the World This fals heavy upon the present age Whence is that bitternesse that Gall and Wormewood which fals from many both tongues and Pens every day What hath provoked them thus to speak and write I confesse there have been provocations and some doe but give Gall for Gall and Wormewood for Wormewood yet it cannot be denyed but that many speak and write bitterly when they have had no provocation yea most who speake bitterly have been treated gently and few who answer angerly will be able to give a good account what hath provoked them thus to answer and how much soever any man hath been provoked the Lord may justly make him smart for such smartnesse in answering It will not beare us out in acting or speaking besides the rule because others doe so Paul shewes us our duty in his owne practice 1 Cor. 4.12 13. Being reviled we blesse bâ—ing defamed we entreat Wee must not defame them that defame us we must not revile our revilers Then woe to those who revile such as blesse them and defame such as entreat
them O what provoketh such to such wayes of answering There is yet a third reading of this clause which I will but touch Quid tibi molestum est si loquaris Vulg. When shall vaine words have an end But what trouble is it to thee if thou speakest Or Is it any trouble to thee if thou speakest As if he had sayd I cannot much wonder though thou doest not end these vaine ruffling discourses for I am perswaded they are no great trouble to thee how much soever they are to others such words cost thee little study thou needest not beat thy braines or byte thy nayles for such matter as this That which comes next and lyes uppermost is all that some men have to say when they have sayd all They that speake most to the paine of others take least paines themselves We say Good words are cheape it costs little to speake fayre but ill words are cheaper Foule language costs little in the preparation though it may prove costly enough in the event There is a profitable sense in this translation though I will not give it for the meaning of the Text. It is our duty to consider before we speake as well as before we act and to put our selves to some trouble in preparing what we have to say before we give others the trouble of hearing it When God cals us to speake either in our owne defence or for the edification of others on a sudden we may expect according to the promise Matth. 10.19 That it shall be given us in that houre what we shall speake If the providence of God straiten us the spirit of God will enlarge us that promise will helpe us when wee have no time to prepare our selves but it will not if wee neglect the time in which vve should prepare our selves For when Christ saith in that place Take no thought how or what yee shall speake we must expound it like that Matth. 6.25 Take no thought for your life what yee shall eate or what yee shall drinke Which is not a prohibition of all thought about those things but onely of those thoughts which are distracting and distrustfull Job having reproved his Freinds these three wayes for the manner of their dealing with him Now reproves them by a serious profession of his better dealing with them in case as we commonly say The Tables were turned they comming in his place and he in theirs This he doth in the two Verses following Vers 4. I also could speake as yee doe if your soule were in my soules stead I could heap up words against you and shake mine head at you 5. But I would strengthen you with my mouth and the moving of my lips should asswage your griefe Job in this context tels his Freinds two things First What he could doe And secondly What he would doe The former of these is layd downe expressely in the fourth Verse Vers 4. I also could speak as you doe if your soule were in my soules stead c. The Soule is here put as often elsewhere in Scripture for the vvhole man then his meaning is and so Master Broughton translates If you were in my place or in my condition If God should transcribe my vvounds and sorrows upon your backs and consciences or if my greife dwelt in your bowels I could speake as you doe c. The sufferings of the soule hold out the sufferings of the vvhole man upon a twofold consideration First Because the soule is the principall part of man When that vvhich is cheife suffers all may be sayd to suffer Secondly Because afflictions vvhich lye upon the soule are most afflictive The sensitive power of the body is called the soule and vve are most sensible of those afflictions vvhich fall immediately upon the rationall soule That man forgets the sorrowes of his body whose soule is sorrowfull The more inward any suffering is the more greivous it is I also could speake as you doe if your soule were in my soules stead c. Some read the vvords Interrogatively Could I speake as you doe If your soule were in my soules stead could I heap up words against you and shake my head at you Master Broughton gives that sense fully Would I speake as you if you were in my place would I compose bare words against you and nod upon you with my head The meaning is Negative If you were in my soules stead I could doe none of these things Could I doe them No as we say I could as soone eate my owne flesh as doe them If I were at ease and you in paine could I deale thus with you I would dye rather then deale so with you This reading is good and hath a greater emphasis in it then our bare affirmative reading though the sense and scope of both be the same If your soule were in my soules stead Some read this Optatively or as a wish O that your soule were in my soules stead and then the latter vvords are taken as a promise or profession of offices of love First I would heap up words for you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 concinnare apte disponere The Hebrew word vvhich vve translate to heap signifies properly to prepare and fit a thing to fashion and put it into a good frame it is not a rude inartificiall heaping of things together vvithout forme or fashion as the first Chaos was but a beautifull elegant digestion or composure of them in the exactest forme and fashion like that of the severall peices of the World conjoyned in that vvorke of the six dayes creation As if he had sayd O that your soule were a while in my soules stead see how I would use you how I would deale with you truely all the hurt I would doe to you should be this I would prepare the softest and the sweetest words I could with all my skill and rhetorick to ease your sorrows I would speake musicke to your eares and joy to your hearts I would study and compose a speech on purpose to revive and raise your drooping desponding spirits So also the second branch may be interpreted And shake mine head at you or over you For to shake the head notes pitty and compassion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et movissem super vos caput condolenter Chrysost to shake the head is the posture of those vvho mourne vvith or for their Freinds Hence the word is translated to bemoane Nah. 3.7 Who will bemoane him Chap. 42.11 Jobs Freinds came to bemoane him 't is this vvord They came to shake their heads over him because of all the evill which the Lord had brought upon him One of the Ancients makes this exposition the Text I would have shaken my head over you bemoaningly or with compassion The same vvord may vvell signifie to shake the head and to pity seeing they who pity others use to shake their heads over them and say Ah my Freind or Ah my Brother So then if vve read
the vvords as a wish O that your soules were in my soules stead yet Job did not wish it for their hurt but that he might have an opportunity to shew how much hee would labour to bee their Servant in Love to doe them good Hence Note A good man doth not wish ill to those who have rewarded him with evill upon any other termes then a discovery of his owne goodnesse 'T is sin to wish that they who are in a comfortable condition might fall into our misery though they have been miserable comforters to us in our misery We may not in this case wish paine or sorrow to any sort of men except upon one of these two considerations First That vve may give them an experiment of our tendernesse towards them in doing them all the good vve can in their affliction Or secondly That God may give an experiment of his graciousnesse towards them in doing them good by their afflictions The Prophet Isaiah Chap. 14.10 foreshewes how they vvho had been vveakened by the power of Babylon should insult over vveakned Babylon All they shall speake and say unto thee Art thou also become weake as we Art thou become like unto us The people of God shall at last rejoyce in reference to the glory of God and publick good to see their destroyers destroyed and those weake who have weakned them But the people of God in reference to any private or personall interest cannot rejoyce at the destruction or in the weaknesse of any man much lesse can they wish them weake that they might have an opportunity to rejoyce over them Paul was a Prisoner and in bonds yet he did not wish the worst of his Enemies in Prison or in Bonds with him he onely wisht that they might enjoy the same liberty by Jesus Christ which himselfe enjoyed For when he had almost perswaded King Agrippa to become a Christian he sayd I would to God that not thou onely but also all that heare me this day were both almost and altogether such as I am except these bonds Acts 26.28 29. I would keep my chaines and troubles to my selfe I would have none of you know my sorrows but I would that all your soules were in as good a state as mine and knew my comforts A holy heart wisheth all well as well as it selfe and if at any time he wisheth that to the worst of his enemies which is penally evill he doth it with an eye both to their spirituall and eternall good Thus of the words as they are read in the forme of a wish We read them as a Supposition If your soules were in my soules stead And then the two latter branches must be interpreted as acts of unfreindlinesse shewing what Job could but would not doe as was toucht before I could heap up words against you That is I could make long speeches and enlarge my selfe in discourse I could speake terrour and thunder out whole volleys of threats against you I could deafe your eares with loud voyces and sad your hearts with heavy censures There is a figure in Rhetorick called Congeries or The Heape Many words to the same sense especially when there is little in them but words are called justly a heape of words Now saith Job Quassare caput apud authores Latinos gestus est hominis irati aut minantis aut lamentantis Drus .. Ridentes caput motitant Drus I could be as nimble at this figure as you and with my speech I could mix your action Shake my head at you Shaking the head notes scorne and threatning Psal 22.7 All they that seeme laugh me to scorne they shoot out the lip and shake the head saying He trusted on the Lord c. So the afflicted Church complaines Psal 44.14 Thou makest us a by-word among the Heathen a shaking of the head among the people We have this action joyned with two more which signifie the greatest contempt by lamenting Jeremiah Lam. 2.15 All that passe by clap their hands at thee they hisse and wag their head at the Daughter of Jerusalem saying Is this the City that men call the perfection of beauty the joy of the whole Earth Our blessed Saviour upon whom contempt and scorne was to vent it selfe all manner of wayes hee being to beare all that scorne as well as all that paine which was due to our sins our blessed Saviour I say was scorned this way Matth 27.39 And they that passed by reviled him wagging their heads So then to shake or wagg the head at a man in affliction speakes as sometimes our pity so most times our contempt and as it is usually accompanyed with audible mockings so it selfe is a visible mock Which being interpreted speakes thus to the person afflicted Thou evill-doer or thou hypocrite thou doest even well become thy sufferings all these miseries are well bestowed on thee c. In this sense Job seemes to speake here I could shake my head at you I have indeed been as one mocked of his Freind Chap. 12.4 and I could mock my Freinds I could laugh at your calamity and mocke when your feare commeth but my conscience beares witnesse with me that if it should come I would not Hence Note First A godly man hath a power to doe that evill which he hath no will to doe A carnall man hath a will to many evills for which hee hath no power or opportunity A godly man would not doe any evill how much power and opportunity soever he hath And indeed though he hath a naturall or civill yet hee hath not a morall power to doe any evill In which sense the Apostle speakes of a regenerate person 1 John 3.9 He that is borne of God cannot sin He hath a naturall power to sin any sin to lye to be drunk to be uncleane c. He may have a civill power to oppresse to deceive to wrong his Brother yet he cannot turne either his hand or his heart to such works as these are he hath learned better and is better He is borne of God his blood and pedigree is so high that hee cannot meddle nor trade in such low things Wisedome is too high for a foole saith Solomon Prov. 24.7 and folly is too low for a wisedome When Joseph was solicited by his Mistresse to commit folly with her he answers How can I doe this great wickednesse and sin against God Gen. 39.9 Joseph wanted neyther power nor opportunity to doe that wickednesse yet he saith How can I doe it Paul and his fellow-Apostles had wit and parts sufficient to oppose the truth yet he saith 2 Cor. 13.8 We can doe nothing against the truth but for the truth Paul was a great doer and he saith Phil. 4.13 I can doe all things through Christ strengthening of me but Paul could doe nothing to the dishonour of Christ Doubtlesse Paul could have maintained an argument and drive on an objection as farr as another man against the truth if he would have set himselfe to
turne it into joy And this is more considerable in reference to the persons with whom Job had to doe they had given him very hard measure yet he would not requite them with hard measure he would measure that to them which was good and hee would give them good measure It is the common rule of humanity to doe good to those who doe us good it is more then beastly even devillish cruelty to hurt those that doe us good it is the height of Christianity to doe good to those who have been a hinderance to us and to comfort those who have caused our sorrow The Apostolicall rule is Recompence to no man evill for evill Rom. 12.17 And againe v. 19. Dearely beloved avenge not your selves but rather give place unto wrath The Apostle doth not meane that we should give place to our owne wrath if we doe so wee give place to the Devill as the same Apostle intimates Ephes 4.26 27. Our owne wrath must be stopt and resisted quenched and put out Then what or whose wrath is it that we are commanded to give place unto This wrath may be taken two wayes First For the wrath of that man who is our enemy we must give place to his wrath not by approving him or his wrath but by not answering him with wrath If when another storms we are calme if when he rages we shew all gentlenesse and meeknesse both of speech and spirit then we give place to his wrath that is We make it roome to passe away and evaporate Solomons Proverb is the summe of this Exposition Pro. 15.1 A soft answer turneth away wrath but greivous words stirr up anger Secondly When Paul adviseth us not to avenge our selves but rather to give place to wrath we may understand it of the wrath of God and the very next words which the Apostle alleadgeth from Deut. 32.35 carry the sense clearely this way For it is written vengeance is mine I will repay faith the Lord As if the Apostle had sayd if you take upon you to avenge your selves you take Gods work out of his hand it belongs to God as much to take revenge as it doth to give reward And therefore as a man who having done good is over carefull and anxious how to get his reward takes rewarding worke out of Gods hand and shall have no more reward then he can get himselfe as Christ tels the Pharisees in that case Matth. 6.2 Verily I say unto you yee have your reward And all that a man can get himselfe is not worth the having So the man who having suffered wrong goes about to revenge himselfe takes revenging worke out of Gods hand and shall be righted no further then hee can right himselfe which is but little if any thing at all whereas if he would give place to the wrath of God that is Let God alone by such wayes as his Justice shall raise up to right him against his adversary he would right him fully So that our Interest doth not lye in returning evill for evill but in returning good for evill to our enemies as Saint Paul concludes Rom. 13.20 Therefore if thine Enemy hunger feed him of he thirst give him drinke for in so doing thou shalt heape cooles of fire on his head That is thou shalt eyther melt and mollifie his spirit towards thee as hardest mettals are by coales of fire some such melting we may see in Saul towards David when he forbore to take vengeance on him 1 Sam. 24.16 Chap. 26.21 or thou shalt heape coales of divine vengeance upon him by making his malice and hatred against thee more inexcusable Which latter though it may be looked upon as a consequent of our doing good to our Enemies yet we must take heed of making it the end why we doe so for that were to seeke revenge while we forbeare it and to doe good for that end were to be overcome of evill which the Apostle forbids in the close of that Chapter Job in this Text was farr from professing aâ— readinesse to asswage the griefe of his unkinde or enemy-like Freinds upon hope that God would encrease their sorrow Secondly Observe Words duly spoken and applyed are of great power How forcible are right words Is Jobs question Chap. 6.25 He doth not there answer his question nor tell us how forcible they are but here he doth They are of such force that they strengthen weak soules and asswage the most swelling floods of sorrow God at first gave being and motion to all creatures with the moving of his lips He by the moving of his lips hath ever since ordered all their motions The word of man produceth great effects the tongue sets all hands on worke and what almost cannot the tongue of man doe The tongue is a little member saith the Apostle James Chap. 3.5 â—ond boasteth great things Now as the tongues of vaine men boast great things which they cannot doe so the tongues of wise men can really doe great things Vaine men as we say will take thirteene to the duzzen but cannot performe one Wise men though they speake not much yet they can performe much with a word speaking And though as the same Apostle declaimes most holily against the tongue of a wicked man Vers 8. that his tongue is such an unruly evill that no man can tame it yet there have scarse ever been found any men so unruly but the tongues of wise and godly men have tamed them yea the tongue of a vvise man is to an unruly man and often to a multitude of unruly men as a bit in a Horses mouth or as a Rudder to a Ship turning him or them about which way soever he listeth as this Apostle teacheth us by these similitudes Vers 3.4 the tongue of every man is to and doth to himselfe vvhether it be good or evill And as the tonge is thus powerfull in civillizing the â—ude and in appeasing the humours of those who are most ' outragious so it is very powerfull in supporting those that are ready to sinke and in asswaging the griefe of those who are most disconsolate and sorrowfull Lastly Whereas Job speakes peremptorily as if he saw the effect or were assured of it aforehand I would strengthen you with my mouth and the moving of my lips should asswage your greife Job knew that the successe of all his counsells depended upon the concurrence and blessing of God yet thus he speakes Hence Note A man may say he hath done that for the doing of which he hath used suitable and faithfull endeavours whether the thing be done or no The Lord saith to Jerusalem by the Prophet Ezekiel Chap. 24.13 Because I have purged thee and thou wast not purged Now as God takes it upon him that he had purged them though they vvere not purged because he gave them so many meanes and helpes for their purging so any man in his proportion may take it upon him that he hath strengthned their faith abated their griefe
yea and saved their soules among and towards vvhom hee hath diligently used those meanes appointed by God for the attaining of those great and noble ends though possibly those ends be not attained God himselfe reckons thus of all the labours of his faithfull servants they shall be rewarded as having done that vvhich they have been doing vvith their hearts hands and tongues though they see little fruit of eyther Then I sayd I have laboured in vaine Isa 49.4 but though it vvas in vaine to those for whom he laboured that is they got no good by it yet it was not in vain to him who laboured he got much good by it as it follows in the same Verse Surely my judgement is with the Lord and my worke or my reward one vvord signifies both reward and vvorke to shew that these can never be seperated my worke saith hee is with my God and Vers 5. Though Israel be not gathered yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord and my God shall be my strength As vve are not to judge of the goodnesse of any cause by the successe but by the justice of it so neither doth God adjudge the reward of any vvorke by the successe but by the goodnesse of it together with the sweat and sincerity of him that doth it As the will of a godly man is accepted for the deed so his deed is accepted for the successe JOB CHAP. 16. Vers 6 7 8 9 10 11. Though I speak my griefe is not asswaged and though I forbeare what am I eased But now he hath made mee weary thou hast made desolate all my company And thou hast filled me with wrinkles which is a witnesse against me and my leanenesse rising up in me beareth witnesse to my face He teareth me in his wrath who hateth me he gnasheth upon me with his teeth mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me They have gaped upon me with their mouth they have smitten mee upon the cheek reproachfully they have gathered them selves together against me God hath delivered me to the ungodly and turned me over to the hands of the wicked IN the five former Verses of this Chapter Job reproved the personall faylings of his Freinds towards him hee now enters upon the confutation of their opinion This is the constant method both of Job and his Freinds they never come to the matter till they have fallen upon the man nor touch the opinion till they have dealt with the person And this is the tenour of most mens spirits to this day in disputes and controversies and some doe not onely deale with the man before the matter but lose the matter in dealing with the man entangling and engaging themselves so much in personall quarrels that they forget or desert the doctrinall quarrell Job and his Freinds though they were too mindfull of the former yet they did not forget the latter and here Job addresses himselfe unto it Yet before he enters upon the state of the question he sets forth his owne state and shews how it was with him granting which Eliphaz had made the ground of his accusation that he was in an extreamely afflicted condition yet denying what he from thence inferred that he was therefore wicked or continued knowingly in any sinfull course He describes his afflictions with much variety of Argument and Elocution to the seventeenth Verse First Aggravating them by their unmoveablenesse or remedilesnesse His sorrows were stubborne and such as would not yeeld to any kinde of remedy Vers 6. Though I speake my griefe is not asswaged and though I forbeare what am I eased In the former Verse Job speakes in a high straine of assurance that if his Freinds were afflicted The moving of his lips should asswage their griefe But it seemes his owne experience had taught him that the moving of his lips could not asswage his owne greife Though I speake saith he here my griefe is not asswaged Hence Observe A man may doe that for others which he cannot doe for himselfe He may comfort others in their sorrows when hee cannot comfort himselfe he may resolve others in their doubts when he cannot resolve himselfe hee may answer to cases which their consciences put him when he cannot answer his owne yea 't is possible for a man to speak such words to another as may turne him from his sin and save his soule and yet himselfe continue in sin and lose his owne soule for ever Naturalists have a rule concerning the senses That when a sensible object is brought too neere or layd upon the sense it not onely hinders but takes away the present sensation This holds a proportion in rationall actings the neerer any one is to us in relation the harder it is to fixe counsell upon him and because wee are neerest to our selves therefore it is hardest of all to counsell our selves Our Saviour Christ prevents what he foresaw some ready to object against him Luke 4.23 Yee will surely say unto me this Proverbe Physitian heale thy selfe The Proverbe in its Originall is I conceive to be understood personally but as Christ suggests it there it is to be understood Nationally or Provincially Heale thy selfe is heale thy owne Countrey exercise thy power of working miracles there as well as thou hast done it in other places that this is the meaning of it appeares plainely by the next words Whatsoever we have heard done in Canaan doe also in thine owne Countrey For Christ as yet had wrought no mighty workes of healing there Mark 6.5 But why was Christ so slow in manifesting himselfe to his owne Countreymen Hee gives the reason Vers 24. And he sayd Verily I say unto you no Prophet is accepted in his owne Countrey The Gospel of Mark Chap. 6.4 adds two closer relations His owne Kin and his owne House They in a mans house are neerer to him then his kindred abroad and his kindred are neerer to him then his Countrey-men now among these a Prophet hath no honour They know him so much that they doe not respect him or his sayings The Jewes sayd Is not this the Carpenter the Son of Mary the Brother of James c. Christ being thus neere to them had little honour among them Now for as much as a man is neerer to himselfe not onely then his Countrey-men but then any of his Kin therefore his owne counsels and comforts have ordinarily so little effect upon himselfe he is not accepted in his owne breast There are some indeed so gracious or great in their owne eyes that they vvill aske counsell of none but themselves nor follow any advise but their owne but usually man seeks out as being neither able to satisfie his owne doubts nor abate his owne sorrowes though possibly more able for both then he to whom he seekes Though I speake my griefe is not asswaged and though I forbeare what am I eased Some conceive Job speaking here like an Orator who seems to stand in doubt vvhat to doe
Eloquar an sileam Quid agam si locutus fuero c. Vulg. and therefore trembles out his Preface in such vvords as these Shall I speake or shall I be silent Shall I open my lips or shall I forbeare Jobs paine received no check vvhich way soever of these he tooke and therefore it seemed vaine to attempt either Though I speake That is If I stand up in my just defence to answer and take away your objections yet my greife is not answered Nunc eo res redierunt ut quo me vertam nesciam aut quid agam nam nec loquendo nec tacendo quicquam proficio Merc. that is as busie with me and as talkative as ever it was yea then you object my impatience under sufferings as an argument of my sin And though I forbeare That is If I byte in my paine and speake not if I stand mute as attentive to heare you speake yet my sorrow moves not yea then you judge my silence an argument of my secret guilt and that all is true which you have sayd against me because I say nothing for my selfe Thus What am I eased sayth the Text in our translation The Hebrew saith What goeth from me That is What of my paine what of my sorrow goeth away from me when I cease or forbeare to speake So that The generall sense of this Verse is to shew that his troubles were past hope of redresse they found no cure none by speech none by silence Griefe is sometimes eased by speaking sometimes by silence eyther our owne or others To say nothing is a medicine for some mens sorrow the sorrow of others cannot be medicin'd but by saying much A playster of words hath cured many a wound and the more words have been used the more some wounds have festered and the anguish of them hath increased Hence Observe There is no meanes of remedy left for that evill which is not remedyed by the use and tryall of contrary meanes If neyther speech nor silence ease a mans minde what can We finde such a kinde of arguing though in a different case used by Christ Matth. 11.16 17. Where when hee would shew how impossible or at least how extreamely difficult it was to please the Jewes they vvere a humourous people and let a man put himselfe in what posture he would they would finde some fault or have somwhat to object against him Wherunto saith Christ shall I liken this generation they vvere so untoward that Christ speakes as if he vvere straitned how to finde out a fit comparison for them or could scarse tell to vvhat they vvere like yet he tells us They are like unto Children sitting in the Markets and calling to their fellows saying Wee have piped and yee have not danced we have mourned to you and yee have not lamented When a man vvill neyther mourne vvith us nor rejoyce vvith us vvhat shall we doe vvith him How shall vve please him For vvhat company is he fit That such vvas the tendency of this similitude appeares plainely in the application vvhich Christ makes Vers 18. For John came neither eating nor drinking and they say he hath a Devill They did not like the mournefull austere course of John The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they sayd Behold a man gluttonous and a Wine-bibber a freind of Publicans and Sinners They did not like the free converse of Christ When a people are of this spirit or at this lock that neither a man vvho is affable and courteous ready both to receive and give civilities is welcome to them nor yet he who is austere and reserved close and strict in his way can give them any content who or what can content them When neyther piping nor mouring when neither dauncing nor sorrowing takes with us what can When we would describe a person whose troublesomenesse of spirit seemes unanswerable we say of him He is quiet neither full nor fasting that is he is never quiet or nothing can make him quiet Abraham saith to his Nephew Lot Gen. 13.8 9. Let there be no strife I pray thee betweene me and thee and betweene thy Herd-men and my Herd-men for we are brethren c. If thou wilt take the left hand then I will goe to the right or if thou depart to the right hand then I will goe to the left Now as it is an argument of the sweetest spirit and fayrest disposition when a man is ready to take eyther hand rather then breake the peace so it argues the sowrest spirit and most untractable disposition when a man will neyther goe to the right hand nor to the left when he will neither move forward nor backward when he will neither give nor take neyther buy nor sell there is no dealing with such a man for he wavâ—s all the wayes of dealing Thus also we conclude a people incorrigible who continue in their sins whether God smite or heale whether he deliver them from or deliver them up into the hand of judgements because these are the utmost bounds or the extreames of all those providentiall dispensations which God useth at any time to turne a people from their sin Againe Wee say they are unperswadeable whâ—m neyther faire meanes nor foule can reduce speake them faire they are naught speake them foule they are naught still promise them good they remaine evill threaten them with evill they will not be good You may carry it out in all experiments wheresoever you finde an evill frame of minde or body or of affaires which mends not or doth not alter for the better by the application of the other contrary when the former hath been applyed without successe you may write under it as to humane helpes This is a desperate case a distemper incurable Yet further Job in these words reflects upon his Freinds as if he had sayd Some men by complaining and opening their soares to those who visit them in their affliction finde their Freinds releeving them presently with sound counsell and powring the oyle of consolation into their wounded spirits but alasse it is not so with me for whether I speake or hold my peace it is all one yee are all against me and are neither perswaded by my speech nor by my silence to apply proper remedies for the asswaging of my griefe or the easing of my paines Hence Note It is the duty and should be the care of those who visit Freinds in affliction to pick somewhat out of what they say or at least to take occasion from their silence to administer consolation to their grieved mindes When the Servants of Benhadad came to Ahab to sue for their Masters life the Text saith 1 Kings 20.33 The men did diligently observe whether any thing would come from him that is whether any word of hope would come from Ahab and they did hastily catch it And Ahab had no sooner sayd He is my Brother but they catcht at this as a word of comfort they had what
enjoy more fully the presence of God Yet God himselfe sayd at the first when man was created It is not good for man to be alone There was no morall evill in that alonenesse for when God spake this word there was no such evill in the visible World but God called it evill because it was so inconvenient for the civill well-being and inconsistent with the naturall propagation of man And therefore as in reference to both these evils God sayd with his own mouth It is not good for man to be alone so in reference to the former of the two God sayd by Solomon Two is better then one and woe to him that is alone Eccles 4.9 10. Job puts his alonenesse among his woes Thou hast made desolate all my company But it may be said Had Job no company Were not his Freinds about him Did not these three come to mourn with him and to comfort him And had they not been in discourse with him all this while Yes he had company but it was not suitable company he had evill ones about him as he complaines Chap. 19. and Chap. 30. and though his three Freinds were good men yet to him they were no good company because so unpleasant in their converse with him Hence Note Some company is a burthen We say of many men Wee had rather have their roome then their company Man loves company but 't is the company of those he loves The comfort of our lives depends much upon society but more upon the suitablenesse of society It is better to dwell in the corner of a house top then with a brawling Woman in a wide house Prov. 21.9 And it is better to be in a Desert among wilde Beasts then in a populous City among beastly men This made the Prophet desire a lodging in the Wildernesse Jer. 9.2 The Countrey about Sodome was pleasant like the Garden of God yet how was the righteous soule of Lot vexed with the filthy and unrighteous conversation of the Sodomites How uneasie are our lives made to us by dwelling among either false Freinds or open Enemies In the Creation when God said It is not good for man to be alone he subjoynes Let us make him a helpe meet for him Adam had all the beasts of the earth about him but they were no company for him man knowes not how to converse with beasts or employ his reason with those that have none As it is not good for man to be alone so to be in company that is not meet for him is as bad or worse then to be alone Therefore saith God Let us make him a helpe meet for him the making of a Woman brought in meet company for mankinde yet some men are as unmeet company for men as beasts are and are therefore in Scripture called Beasts Paul fought with such beasts at Ephesus there are few places free of them and many places are full of them David cryes out Woe is me that I am constrained to dwell in Mesech c. There was company enough but it was wofull company The Primitive Saints associated themselves they continued in fellowship one with another as well as in the Apostles Doctrine or in breaking of bread and prayer Acts 2.42 They were all of one minde and were therefore fâ—t to make one body The communion and fellowship of the Saints is the lower heaven of Saints And the making of such a company desolate is the saddest desolation that can be made on earth Communion of Saints in Heaven is one great accession to the joy of Heaven And 't is a great comfort to the Saints in the midst of all the ill neighbourhood which they meet with here to remember that they shall meet with no ill neighboures there none but Freinds there none but loving Freinds There shall not be a crosse thought much lesse a crosse word or action among those many millions of glorified Saints for ever nor shall there be any among them there but Saints no tares in that feild nor chaffe in that floore no Goates in that Fold no nor any Wolves in Sheep-skins no prophane ones there no nor any Hypocrites there Uunsutable company would render our lives miserable in Heaven it self If God should say to the godly and the wicked as David once did to Mephibosheth and Ziba Thou and Ziba divide the Land divide Heaven among you might they not answer with reverence as Mephibosheth did to David Nay let them take it all to themselves O our soules come not into their secret and unto their assembly let not our honour be joyned if Swearers Adulterers Lyers should be our company in Heaven Heaven it selfe were unheaven'd and everlasting life would bee an everlasting death And that which further argues the burdensomness of unsutable company is that even wicked men themselves cannot but confess that they are burdned with the company of those who are good if such come in presence where they associate in any sinfull converse how weary are they of their company How do they even sweat at the sight of them And how glad are they when such turne their backs and are gone the onely reason why they like them not is because they are not like them and they are not good company because they are good All company is made desolate to us which is not made suitable to us Job had many about him yet he complaines Thou hast made desolate all my company Job goes on yet to describe his troubles he wanted desireable company about him but he had store of witnesses against him he was emptyed of his comforts but filled with sorrowes as might be seen in the symptomes and effects of sorrow Vers 8. Thou hast filled me with wrinckles which is a witnesse against me and my leannesse rising up in me beareth witnesse to my face As if he had sayd Though I hold my peace and say nothing Si vellem caelare aut verbis extenuare dolorem meum rugae meae testimonium daub c. though I doe not aggravate my griefe yea though I should extenuate and hide it yet there are witnesses enow of it my wrinkles speake my griefe and my leannesse shewes that I am feasted with the sowre hearbes of sorrow That 's the generall sense of this Verse Thou hast filled me with wrinkles It is but one word in the Hebrew we might render it Thou hast wrinkled me or as Master Broughton Thou hast made me all wrinkled The word is not found in this sense any where else in Scripture 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rugas contraxit active corrugavit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 corrugastime Non alibi quam in hoc libro in scriptura reperitur Quod succidisti me testimonio est Merc. but very frequently among the Rabbins There are also two other significations of it which Interpreters have taken in here First It signifies To cut off or to cut downe Chap. 22.15 16. Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have troden
Which were cut downe out of time That old way was the way of sin the way of holinesse is the oldest way but the way of sin is a very old way They who have trod the way of sin were cut downe by judgement and they were cut downe out of time that is the course of divine Justice prevented the course of nature and struck them to death before death useth to strike So some render it here and then the sense riseth thus Thou hast cut me downe by the stroke of these afflictions and this is a witnesse against me In significatione Chaldaica exponitur pro ligare constringere Secondly The word according to the Chaldee signifies to binde and fasten one with Cords or with fetters of Iron as Malefactors are bound in Prison Prov. 5.22 His owne iniquity shall take the wicked and he shall be holden with the Coards of his sin The Hebrew word which we render to hold or fasten is expressed by this of Job in the Chaldee Paraphrase Taking this sense of the word the interpretation given of the whole is Thou hast bound or straitened mee with the cords of my affliction Quod his dolorum vinculis constrictum me tenes ne qua elabi queam testimonium fecit in me Merc. lest I should get out or make an escape and this is a witnesse against me There is a truth in both these readings as to this place but because wrinkles are more proper to the leannesse which followes therefore I shall not stay upon them but keep to our owne reading Thou hast filled me with wrinkles Wrinckles are caused two wayes First Through old age for then the moysture of the body being consumed and so the skin contracted wrinckles appeare These naturall wrinckles cannot be avoyded if nature hold out to old age Secondly There are accidentall wrinckles such as are caused by strong diseases which sucking up or drawing out the moysture of the body fade the beauty of it Great sicknesses hasten on gray hayres and make a young man looke old Job was not filled with the wrinckles of old age hee was in the strength of nature at that time but he was filled with the wrinckles of sicknesse and sorrow griefe had made furrows in his face and his teares had often filled them we commonly say Sorrow is dry 't is so because it is a dryer Solomon tels us that A merry heart doth good like a medicine but a broken spirit which is the effect of much sorrow dryeth up the bones Prov. 17.22 The Church cryes out in the Book of Lamentations My flesh and my skin he hath made old Lam. 3.4 How did God make them old He made them old not by giving them many yeares but by giving them many troubles Many troubles in one yeare will make a man older then many yeares We have heard of some whose hearts being filled with vexing cares have filled their heads with gray hayres in a very short time As some have an Art to ripen Fruits before nature ripens them so the Lord hath a power to hasten old age before nature makes us old Thou hast made my skin old that is full of wrinckles and leannesse these are the liveries which old age gives The Apostle assures us that Christ shall one day present the Church to himselfe in the perfection of spirituall beauty and glory that beauty and glory is described by the removall of that from her spirituall estate which Job complaines of in his temporall estate Job was full of spots and wrinkles but shee shall appeare Not having spot or wrinckle Ephes 5.27 that is Without any note or marke of old age upon her A spot defaceth the beauty of a Garment and wrinckles spoyle the beauty of the face An old Garment is full of spots and an old face is full of wrinkles Old things passe away when we are made new creatures by grace yet in that state because we are not perfectly freed from the old man our garments have some spots and our faces some wrinkles upon them But in the state of glory when all old things even all the image of the old Adam shall be totally abolished we shall not have so much as one spot or one wrinkle Beleevers have now a righteousnesse in Christ without spot or wrinkle or any such thing they shall then have a holinesse in themselves without spot or wrinkle or any such thing that is They shall not onely not have any spot or wrinkle upon them but they shall have nothing like it nothing which hath any relation to it nothing which either themselves or others shall mistake for it they shall neither suspect nor be suspected to have a spot or a wrinkle about them A perfect soule-state and a perfect state of body hath no wrinkle in it Job to shew the decayes and blemishes of his body saith hee was full of wrinkles Againe These wrinkles by an elegant metaphor may referr to his whole outward condition For as a mans face is wrinkled when he growes old so are his riches when he growes poore and so is his honour when he growes out of repute Poverty is the wrinkle of riches and disgrace is the wrinkle of honour we may take in all three here for not onely was Jobs body but his wealth and honour were extreamely wrinkled and therefore he had great cause to cry out according to all the the interpretations Thou hast filled me with wrinkles Which witnesse against me I shall give the meaning of that when I have opened the latter clause where it is repeated My leannesse rising up in me beareth witnesse to my face both parts of the Verse have the same meaning My leannesse rising up in me Some thinke that Job answers vvhat Eliphaz had given as part of the description of a vvicked man in the fulnesse of his prosperity Chap. 15.27 where he tells us that Hee covereth his face with fatnesse and maketh collops of fat on his flanks as if he had said Freind Eliphaz thou hast told me that wicked men are fat and full if so what are they who are leane and meagre canst thou according to thy owne rule read wickednesse in my physiognomie My leannesse riseth up in me canst thou raise an argument from that against me My leannesse Jobs body was leane his Purse and Name were leane his leannesse and his wrinkles were of the same extent both reaching all his worldly concernments The Lord threatens Idolaters Zeph. 2.11 that he will famish or make leane so we put in the Margin all their Gods Jehovah the true God who saith to man Psal 50.12 If I were hungry I would not tell thee tels these false Gods that hee will make them hungry But what was the meat of these Gods It was the honour and credit the worship and service which they had among men Indeed they who deny the true God his due honour and worship doe what they can to famish or make him leane and when the true
God as he hath done by the Preaching of the Gospel turnes men from Idols to serve and worship him the living God then he famisheth those Gods When Idols lose their esteeme their leannesse riseth up and they goe downe Thus also it is with man his leannesse may be said to rise when his credit fals Further There is a twofold leannesse First Of the soule or inward man Secondly Of the body or outward man When the Jewes lusted in the Wildernesse and called for flesh to satisfie the flesh God saith the Text Psal 106.15 gave them their request but sent leannesse into their soule The soule in a proper sense is neither fat nor leane and therefore the soule in this place of the Psalme must be taken improperly or else the leannesse of it must The soule is put improperly for the body or for the whole man and so he sent leannesse into their soules is the curse of God caused them to pine secretly or he slew the fattest of them openly and smote downe the chosen men in Israel So this leannesse is expounded Psal 78.31 as if he had sayd God made them a thin and a leane company before he had done with them Yet besides this I conceive the Text doth intend some spirituall judgement and then the soule is taken in a proper sense but leannesse in an improper sense and so he sent leannesse into their soules is while they inordinately desired meat for their bodies God withheld the ordinary food of their soules He did not administer his grace and holy spirit which are the fatners of the soule while they were thus hungry after dainties for the flesh Jobs Freinds thought him a leane soule but he here confesses the leannesse of his body and in that his continuall sorrow the cause of it So the Prophet cryes out My leannesse my leannesse woe unto me Isa 24.16 My leannesse rising up Fatnesse riseth up and not leannesse when a man growes leane his flesh fals and abates skin and bone stick together Why then doth hee say My leannesse riseth up Though when a man is leane his flesh falls yet his bones rise A fat mans bones are as it were buried in flesh you can scase feele his ribs but when he growes leane his bones stick out and rise up That is the meaning here my leannesse rising up Maciei videtur dare personam ut paulo ante rugis Job ascribes a rationall act both to his wrinkles and to his leannesse as if both did speak and which is more give evidence concerning him he brings them forth as witnesses at the barr this speakes and that speakes he doubles it My wrinkles witnesse against me and my leannesse rising up witnesseth to my face When a witnesse is to give in his evidence in any cause before a Judge he riseth up or standeth forth that all may see him Job presents his leannesse in the proper posture of a witnesse rising up The Originall varies somewhat in the latter clause from the former we render both by vvitnessing but vve may read it thus Thou hast filled me with wrinkles that hath been or is a witnesse or as Master Broughton reads a proofe my leannesse rising up or vvhich riseth up against me answers or speaketh to my face The meaning is These outward evils are evidence enough to my Freinds that God is angry with me and that I am wicked against God Job grants that those wrinkles and this leannesse vvere witnesses of his afflictions he never questioned their testimony as to that point neither indeed could he Jonadab sayd to Amnon Why art thou being the Kings Son leane or thin from day to day wilt thou not tell me 2 Sam. 13.4 His leannesse told his Freind plaine enough that all was not vvell he read that in his face onely hee could not read the particular illnesse there Magnum certè peccatum quod tantum in florente illa aetate deformitatem senilem speciem induxit Putant tantas afflictiones testes esse magnae culpae irae Dei. Coc. If vve see a young man especially the Son of a Great man or of a King who is waited upon with all worldly delights vvrinkled and leane is it not a witnesse that he hath been sick or is overwhelmed vvith sorrow these testifie to his face he cannot conceale it But Jobs Freinds said these were vvitnesses of his sin they produced the wrinkles of his body as a vvitnesse of his vvrinkled soule and the leannesse of his outward man as an argument of his inward leannesse they sayd these testified plainely that he was not onely a great sinner but an Hypocrite And thus they argued all along this vvas their constant plea Job must needs be according to this opinion a man of an evill life because his life was filled with evills Thou hast filled mee with wrinkles which is a witnesse against me c. Hence Observe First Great afflictions leave their marks behinde them Little afflictions leave no wrinkles no leannesse behinde them vve recover out of them and nothing appeares of them as it is in sinning some sins leave no mark such are our daily infirmities and common failings but there are other sins which leave a mark behinde them you cannot get them off suddenly it may be you cannot claw off the marks of some sins as long as you live though the sin be fully pardoned yet the mark the vvrinkle the leannesse of it may remaine to your dying day David being defiled with adultery and murder prayes Cause the bones which thou hast broken to rejoyce Those two vvere such sins as broke his very bones they vvere to his soule as the breaking of a bone is to the body If a man break a bone though it be vvell Set yet it leaves a mark David carryed the skarr of those sins to his Grave Though God had forgiven those sins and did not remember them to impute them to David yet when God had occasion to speake of David to his highest commendation he could not forbeare the mention of those sins 1 Kings 15.5 David did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the dayes of his life save onely in the matter of Vriah The vvrinkle or staine of that sin stuck upon Davids reputation when the guilt of it vvas quite removed and vvashed off from his person 'T is so with afflictions some afflictions leave no mark others goe deep Though all afflictions are light comparatively to the weight of glory as the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 4.17 For our light affliction which is but for a moment workes for us a farr more exceeding and eternall weight of glory Yet afflictions being compared among themselves some are light and some are heavy As a Cart that is heavy laden cuts deep into the earth and tells you where it hath gone so doth the vvheele of a heavy affliction drawne over body soule or state Secondly
Observe which is the naturall theologie of the Text. Wrinkles and leannesse in youth or strength of age are an argument of extraordinary sorrow Thirdly Take the words according to the sense of Jobs freinds which Job also hints as meeting with their objection They witnesse against me that is You use them you bring them as witnesses against me Then Note Great afflictions are looked on as proofes or witnesses of great sins We no sooner heare of or see a man under great afflictions but our first thought is surely he hath committed some great sin This is almost every mans suspicion but it is an ill grounded suspicion This point was spoken to Chap. 10.17 where Job tels the Lord Thou hast renewed thy witnesses against me c. There 't was shewed how afflictions are brought in by God and man as a vvitnesse and this was the greatest evidence and upon the matter all the evidence which the Freinds of Job brought against him his wrinkles and his leannesse I shall here onely add this caution Take heed of passing judgement upon the evidence of such vvitnesses as these wrinkles and leannesse for though every vvrinkle vvitnesse that a man is a sinner were it not for sin we should have remained ever in our body and outward condition as Beleevers shall be restored by Christ without a wrinkle yet they are not vvitnesses that a man is wicked I may say two things of these vvitnesses First They are alwayes doubtfull witnesses Secondly For the most part they are false witnesses It is a very questionable and uncertaine evidence which afflictions give against us For no man knowes love or hatred by all that is before him We can but guesse at the best by vvhat they say Rugae meae testimonium dicunt contra me suscitatur falsiloquus adversus faciem meam contradicens mihi Vulg. But usually they beare false witnesse against the innocent so they did against Job they witnessed that of him to his Freinds which was not right Therefore the Vulgar translates the latter branch though not well to the letter of the Originall yet well as to the sense A falâ—e witnesse is risen up against my face contradicting me that is Opposing or weakning all that I have said concerning my owne innocence Yea if we make affliction a witnesse we may rather make it a witnesse of sincerity and of grace a marke of adoption and sonship a mark of divine Favour and Fatherly love then of mans wickednesse or of Gods rejection and disfavour The word is cleere and expresse for this Heb. 12.6 7 8. For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every Son whom he receiveth c. But if yee be without chastisement whereof all are partakers then are yee Bastards and not Sons So then our wrinkles and our leannesse may upon Scripture warrant be brought as witnesses for us but we have no warrant to conclude upon their witnesse either against our selves or others But it seemes Job had a higher witnesse against him if such witnesses might be allowed then a wrinkled skin or a leane face Behold now his torne flesh and his limbs rent in sunder as if not onely like Daniel he had been cast into a Lyons Den but as if which Daniel did not he had felt the worst of the Lyons teeth and pawes Vers 9. He teareth me in his wrath who hateth me he gnasheth upon me with his teeth mine enemy sharpeneth his eye upon me Strange language He teareth me in his wrath who hateth me Job gives us a description of the Lords dealing with him in allusion to the fury of wilde Beasts Lyons Tygers and Bears who gnash their teeth and sparkle with their eyes when they either fight one with another or fall upon their prey He teareth me in his wrath who hateth me 'T is doubted whom Job meaneth by this Tearer Some judge this Title applicable onely to the Devill and interpret Job speaking of him the Devill hateth me He teareth me in his wrath Job was delivered into the hand of the Devill Chap. 2. And this is the courtship of Hell He teareth Secondly Others understand it of his extreame paine and torturing disease that tore him like a savage Beast A third expounds it of his Freinds as if he compared them to wilde Beasts who in stead of comforting his spirit did upon the matter teare his flesh between their teeth Fourthly 'T is conceived he meanes those vaine ones of whom hee speakes Chap. 19. that came about him and troubled him But fifthly and most generally this Text is interpreted of God himselfe He teareth me in his wrath who hateth me For though Job speaks here distractedly discovering rather his griefe then his enemy or as a man wounded and smitten in the darke Ejusmodi querimoniae in neminem certo jactatae afflicti hominis propriae sunt he perceives he hath an enemy he feeles the smart and beares the blowes but he is not able to see who hurts him yet in this confusion of language his heart was still upon God who ordered and disposed all those armies of sorrow which assaulted him on every side He teareth me in his wrath The Hebrew word Taraph is neer in sound to our English Teare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ferarum praedam rapientium lacerantium proprium est and it signifieth to teare as a Lyon his prey Gen. 49.9 Judah is a Lyons whelpe from the prey my Son thou art gone up The same word in the Verbe notes Tearing and in the Nowne a prey because the prey is torne by the teeth or clawes of the Lyon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Est totis viribus adversari idem cum Satan unde Satanas dictus Ira sua rapit quasi odio intestino prosequatur me Jun. He teareth mee in his wrath Wilde Beasts teare not so much from wrath as for hunger they teare out of a desire to fill themselves rather then out of malice to destroy others But Job saith He teareth me in his wrath who hateth me The word signifies not an ordinary but an inward hatred and with the change of a letter it is the same by which the Devill is expressed Satan an adversary or the adversary so called because of his extreame hatred against mankinde yea against Christ himselfe Job speakes of God as if he bare such a hatred against him as Satan doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Frenduit dentibus est invidentium irascentium irridentium habitus Loquitur ad similitudinem bestiae quae homini comminando dentes contra ipsum parat Aquin. an inward perfect hatred Thus some translate He prosecutes me with inward hatred A hard expression of God Doth he teare a harmelesse soule and teare him in wrath Yet this is not all to make up the measure of this excessive language take two aggravations more He gnasheth upon me with his teeth Job pursues the allusion still Beasts as it were whet their teeth that they may devoure their
prey This action of gnashing the teeth is ascribed to men and it notes four things First Extreame envy Psal 12.10 The wicked shall see it and be grieved he shall gnash with his teeth and melt away the desire of the wicked shall perish But at what was this wicked man greived till he gnashed his teeth Was it a griefe of compassion at the misery of others No it was a griefe of envy at the prosperity of others as is cleare from the words immediately foregoing The horne of the righteous shall be exalted with honour Envy is the vexation and depreson of our owne spirits at the exaltation of another man in riches or in honour It is not a sicknesse catcht from another mans disease but a sicknesse catcht from another mans health Secondly Gnashing of the teeth notes extreame derision or highest contempt and insultation over a man in misery Psal 35.15 16. But in mine adversity they rejoyced and gathered themselves together that is then gathered themselves together for joy or to rejoyce yea the very abjects gathered themselves together such as all honest or civill men had cast out of their company and society associated and knotted themselves into companies against me they did teare me that is my good name and ceased not with hypocriticall mockers at feasts they gnashed upon me with their teeth Where it is also observable that we have the former act complained of by Job joyned with this Tearing with gnashing of the teeth Thirdly Gnashing of the teeth is the effect of extreame paine thus the damned in Hell shall gnash their teeth for ever Matth. 8.12 Matth. 13.42 That gnashing of teeth ariseth from a mixed passion partly from envy and partly from sorrow envy at the good which the Saints enjoy and sorrow at the evill which themselves feele hence comes gnashing of teeth in Hell Fourthly Gnashing of teeth is an argument of extreame wrath and anger Acts 7.54 where it is sayd of Steevens at once Auditors and Enemies When they heard those things they were cut to the heart Peters Auditors Acts 2. were prickt at the heart with godly sorrow Stevens Auditors were cut to the heart with ungodly anger and they gnashed upon him with their teeth The gnashing of teeth here spoken of is the concommitant of supposed wrath He teareth me in his wrath and gnasheth upon me with his teeth Yet further Mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me This notes the fiercenesse of an enemy Wilde Beasts when they fight whet their eyes as well as their teeth and a man that is extreamely enraged looks upon his opposite as if he would looke through him Thus Job represents the Lord in all the postures of an enemy Hee sharpeneth his eyes against mee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acuit detersit gladium ut splendeat ad terrorem polivit instrumenta ferrea autanea Placidis oculis aliquem intuemur quando facta ejus bene interpretamur Aquin. The word signifies to sharpen as a Sword or a Speare or any instrument of Iron is sharpened 1 Sam. 13.20 There was no Smith in Israel but all the Israelites went downe to the Philistims to sharpen every man his share c. That word is used here Mine enemy sharpeneth his eye like a Sword as if he would strike me through with his eye we say a man hath a peircing eye when he looks very angerly When we are well pleased kindnesse is seen in our eyes we give our Freinds a pleasant and gentle looke Christ tels the Spouse Cant. 4.9 Thou hast ravished mine heart my Sister my Spouse thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes The Hebrew is Thou hast taken away my heart with one of thine eyes Per metaphoram ad scintillationem oculorum transfertur ubi oculi ad modum aeris candentis vel lampadis ardentis vel aurorae radios vibrare dicuntur Bold Ingenii vim in eo fulgor oculorum ostendebat quorum aâ—iem instar siderum vibrantem intentius eum intuentes ferre non poterant Pezel Mellis Hist par 2da Knolles Turk Hist A holy love-looke stole away Christs heart he could not but love the Church when through the comlinesse which he had put upon her shee looked so lovely on him As thus a look of love from the Churches eye stole away Christs heart so a look of mercy from Christs eye broke Peters heart yea and opened the Flood-gates of his eyes too Luke 22.61 62. And the Lord turned and looked upon Peter and Peter went out and wept bitterly There are soft looks as well as soft words and there are hard looks as well as hard words The eye is a Speare and an Arrow yea a sharp Sword as well as the tongue He sharpneth his eyes upon me as if he would stab me to the heart with a glanse of his eye The eye hath its scintillations its sparklings even as bright burnisht Brasse or as a burning Lampe or as the morning Sun sends forth his rayes and beames such scintillations doth the eye of some men send forth naturally The Romane Historians report of Augustus Caesar and our Turkish Historian reports of Tamerlane that such a majestick lustre sparkled from their eyes as dazled the eyes of their beholders which saith my Author caused the latter in a comely modesty to abstaine from looking earnestly upon such as spake with him What the eyes of these great Princes did naturally the eyes of many doe when they looke passionately Christ hath a sharpe eye so sharpe that his eyes as represented to John in a Vision were like a flame of fire Revel 1.14 The eyes of God are so sharpe naturally or according to the excellency of his nature that no eye can behold his face and himselfe beholdeth not onely every face but peirceth into every heart yet besides this naturall sharpnesse of his eye towards all he angerly sharpens his eye against his Enemies God was indeed Jobs Freind and Job was Gods Favorite yet here he speakes of God as he had also done before as of his Enemy and as of an Enemy declaring himselfe at his eye Mine enemy sharpeneth his eye upon me Job attributes this to God in the extremity of his paine Adversarium suum vocat Job non amicos solum sed omnem creaturam quae resistit Domino resistente accusat Domino accusante damnat Domino damnante aut ipsum Deum adversarium intelligas Brent this was the voice of his flesh it was not the voyce of Job himselfe this was the voice of his sense not the voyce of his Faith Would you know what was the voyce of Job himselfe or of Jobs Faith Heare that Chap. 13.15 16 18. Though he kill me yet will I trust in him He also shall be my salvation and I know that I shall be justified Heare againe his Faith speaking Chap. 19.25 I know that my Redemeer liveth and I shall see him againe with these eyes Though sense saw God as an Enemy sharpening his eyes upon
the right hand let him give thee a smarter a hander blow that is If a man disgrace thee a little reward him not with disgrace but prepare to beare a greater turne the left cheek And the reason of this was because slaves and condemned persons were thus smitten as also such as were supposed to speake irreverently to the Magistrate Hence it was that when Paul had spoken freely to the Councell saying Men and brethren I have lived in all good conscience before God untill this day presently Ananias the high Priest commanded those that stood by him to smite him on the mouth Acts 23.1 2. In which case Christ himselfe was smitten by an Officer that stood by John 18.22 From all which Scripture testimonies it is more then manifest that to smite a man on the cheek is to disgrace because they who fell under disgrace were usually smitten on the cheek and this I take to be the most suitable interpretation of Jobs complaint in this place They smite me on the cheek reproachfully Hence Observe First The best Saints on earth have been smitten and deepely wounded with reproach God himselfe gave an honourable testimony of Job there was none like him he had no peere on earth for holinesse and uprightnesse yet men gave testimony against him as if he had been the scumm of the World for unholinesse and hypocrisie David a man after Gods owne heart was not onely reproached but a reproach among all his Enemies but especially among his neighbours or neerest Freinds both in habitation and relation and he heard the slander of many Psal 31.11 13. The word of God was made a reproach to the Prophet Jeremy Chap. 20.8 And the spirit was made a reproach to the Apostles Acts 2.13 Others mocked saying These men are full of new Wine When indeed they were filled with the holy Ghost Vers 4. Drunkards made Songs upon David but the Apostles were sung about for Drunkards We are fools saith Paul that is We are so called and accounted for Christ and being defamed or as the word bears blasphemed to speake against any thing of God in Man is blasphemy as well as speaking directly against God we entreat And to shew that this was no prick with a Pin or small scratch upon their credit which made him complaine hee tels us what this fame did amount unto We are made as the filth of the World and as the off-scouring of all things unto this day 1 Cor. 4 13. The whole World lieth in wickednesse which is a morall filthinesse so that to be the filth of the World is to be the filth of filthinesse the filth of a cleane thing is bad enough what then is the filth of a filthy thing The off-scouring of any thing is base then what is the off-scouring of all things which must needs include the basest things These Apostles who were the ornament and glory the purest and most refined peeces of the whole inferiour World were yet made not that these reproaches did at all change them from what they were in themselves but they made them to be in the opinion of others what they least of all were the rubbish and the refuse the sweepings and the drosse of the whole World The Apologies of Tertullian and others doe abundantly testifie what reproaches the Primitive Christians suffered both in reference to their practice and worship Athanasius was called Sathanasius as if he had been a Devil incarnate by the Abbettors of the Arrian Heresie which he stiffely opposed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est stercoreus hinc Coprion scarabeus a luto scilicet Bech de Orig. Ling. Lat. And some who were displeased with the Opinions and Writings of Cyprianus called him in contempt Coprianus or one that gathers dung as if his Bookes were nothing but dung heaps How Luther Calvin and other Reformers of the former age were smitten reproachfully both by the tongues and Pens of the Popish Party is knowne of all these parts of the World And how much this trade which is indeed the Devils trade of slandering the footsteps of Gods annoynted ones is continued unto this day we have but too much evidence A man can scarse appeare indeed for God but he is thus smitten on the cheek by men Religion and the power of godlinesse have ever been an occasion of contention and for the most part to smite with reproach hath been the manner of contending There are not many enemies of good men who have a Sword to draw against them but all the Enemies of good men have ill words enow at command to throwe against them and of them they are seldome sparing And though which is bad enough yet no better can be expected of them this trade of reproaching be driven most by evill men against those who are good yet which is farre worse wee may learne from this instance betweene Job and his Freinds for even they did not spare to reproach him that which shall be A second Observation A good man may so farr forget himselfe as to speake reproachfully against his Brother Yea the reproaches of Professors one against another have been as they are the saddest so the sharpest and bitterest reproaches They who agree in most things take it most unkindely when they differ in any thing and are more ready to revile one another about the points wherein they differ then to blesse God for those wherein they are agreed The Papists did not more reproach Luther and Calvin whose judgements concurred in opposing them then Lutherans and Calvinists have reproached each other where they are opposite in judgement The corrupt remaines even in good men tell them that whosoever differs from them stands in their light and obscures their excellency and therefore that themselves may shine the brighter in what they hold they little care when master'd by selfe and passion how obscure yea foule they render them who hold the contrary While Infidels reproached Christians it was the glory of Christianity and while the wicked reproach the godly it is the glory of godlinesse but while one Christian reproaches another the glory is departed from godlinesse Is it not enough that the Servants of God are thus smitten by the world must they needs smits their fellow-Servants and revile those who are upon the maine in the same way of God wherein they are onely because they are not fully in their way Yea when possibly they may be in a higher and more perfect way then they Is it not enough that the Bryars and Thornes which are among the Lillyes teare and scratch them Shall the Lillyes degenerate into Bryars and Thornes one towards another Or if at any time a Lilly of the one side teare and be harsh should not the Lilly on the other side be kinde and gentle If Israel transgresse let not Judah offend too Luther was often at Sharps with Calvin but Calvin professed and that was a Noble profession Though Luther call me Devill yet I will honour Luther as
a Servant of God Holy Job cannot be excused for his faylings in this who as he complaines here that he was reproached by his Enemies yea and by his Freinds too yet he gave his Freinds some advantage to complaine also of harsh words if not of reproaches cast upon them Thirdly Observe Reproach is a very heavy burthen Remember Lord the reproach of thy Servant how I doe beare in my bosome the reproach of all the mighty people wherewâ—th thine Enemies have reproached thee O Lord wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine annoynted Psal 89.50 51. And againe Psal 69.9 The reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen on me Yet more Psal 42.10 As with a Sword in my bowels or in my bones they reproach me while they say c. Reproach is not onely a burden upon the back but a Sword in the bowels A reviling reproaching tongue is compared in Scripture to three things First To a Raisor Secondly To a Sword Thirdly To an Arrow A Raisor is so keene that it takes off every little hayre reproach cuts a hayre it will have to doe even with undiscernable evils A Sword wounds at hand and smites those that are neere an Arrow wounds afarr off So that whether a man be farr off or neer whether his error be small or great or but imaginary it is all one to a reproachfull spirit his tongue serves him for all turnes David was tryed by all manner of reproaches but those which pinched and pressed him most were his reproaches about spirituall things Any reproach is bad enough but a reproach in Religion is worst to be reproached with our prayers and with our God Where is your God Such reproaches how deep doe they goe They strike to the very heart Credit is a precious commodity a man is more tender of it then of his flesh now all reproach falls upon our credit and the more excellent that peece of our credit is upon which the reproach fals the more greivous is that reproach to us Credit in spirituall things is the most excellent credit Thus David was reproached and so was Job Is this thy feare and thy confidence Is this the thing thou hast so long boasted of Christ was to beare the greatest burden of affliction and therefore he did not onely beare the Crosse but reproach with it he suffered death and reproach with death he suffered the shamefull death of the Crosse in which there was more then a reproach a curse Cursed is every one that hangeth on a Tree Christ must dye an ignominious death as well as a painefull and the ignominy was a heavier burden then the paine Wee are exhorted Heb. 13.13 To goe out bearing his reproach as intimating that to beare the reproach of Christ would be harder to us and a stronger temptation then to beare the crosse of Christ As the greatest part of Christs sufferings for us was to beare our reproach so the greatest part of our sufferings for Christ is to beare Christs reproach Let us goe forth unto him without the Camp bearing his reproach And indeed reproach is so great a burden that were not this consideration in it that is Christs no man would bear it and they will yeeld to doe any thing rather then suffer reproach who are not able to say that their reproach is the reproach of Christ Moses looked upon his reproach as the reproach of Christ he did not esteeme his owne reproach but the reproach of Christ greater riches then the treasures of Aegypt Heb. 11.26 Our reproach is nothing but dung or drosse which hath weight in it to presse us but no worth in it to enrich us but the reproach of Christ is treasure which though it have weight in it to presse us yet it hath abundance of worth in it to enrich and crowne us The Apostle cals it The reproach of Christ both because Christ did beare such reproach himselfe and because Christ owned Moses in bearing that reproach yea he owned that reproach which Moses bare as if he had borne it himselfe while we are reproached for Christs sake Christ is reproached and though it should grieve us that Christ is reproached in us yet it may comfort us that Christ takes our reproach as his They have smitten me on the cheek reproachfully and yet they have not done with me They have gathered them selves together against me It seemes they contemned and reproached him singly or every man apart but they joyned altogether in consulting and plotting against him The word that we translate to gather together hath a second signification namely to fill either as a roome is filled with Goods or Persons or as the stomack is filled with meat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Implere complere 2. Colligere congregare quod rebus collectis impleantur loca or food or as an Army with Men. Hence Master Broughton translates They come by full Troops upon mee And another They will be filled with me or upon me The Vulgar explaines it thus They are filled or satiated with my punishment or as a third They have taken their fill of pleasure at my miseries The reason of this sense ariseth from the former because where many things or persons are gathered together they fill up that place First It signifies to gather together as men are gathered in a civill Society and combination Job supposed his Freinds conspired his hurt and that they gathered themselves together against him who pretended to gather themselves together for him or wee may apply this to his professed Enemies who were very unanimous to vex and trouble him Hence Note Super me implebuntur Mont. Men are apt to agree in doing hurt Union is not alwayes a signe of a good cause 'T is but seldome we can agree to doe a common duty Good men want the cement of love in a good cause evill men seldome want it in a bad Behold saith God Gen. 11.5 6. This people are one and they all speake one language their language was one and so were their hearts to build a Tower whose top might reach to Heaven The builders of Babel are more united then the builders of Sion The Psalmist complaines of the Enemies onenesse Psal 83.5 6 7. They have consulted together with one consent or heart they are confederate against thee Gebal and Amon and Amalek the Philistims and them that dwell at Tyre Ashur is also joyned with them c. All Nations even Hetrogeniall Nations can joyne in mischiefe men of severall Kingdomes and spirits Pilate and Herod joyne to crucifie Christ but as it is most beautifull and pleasant Psal 133. So O how hard a thing is it for Brethren to dwell in unity They who have one God one Lord one Faith one Spirit one Baptisme one Hope yea they who in one sense are one Body and one Spirit Ephes 4.4 5. are seldome one Satiati sunt paenis meis Vulg. In malis meis voluptatem suam exploverunt Tygur From
sentence is but one word in the Hebrew yet more then a single word it is elegantly doubled in construction to imply double affliction Grammarians tell us that two words put together or the same word twice put encrease the sense Ordinary words will not serve to expresse an extraordinary condition he speakes great and compounded words because his sorrows were great and compounded sorrows Jobs was not a single but a double breaking yea his vvas a manifold breaking He vvas often broken and utterly broken the repeated stroaks which fell upon him by divine dispensation from all hands had beaten him to dust and atomes He hath broken me in sunder Further The root of the vvord signifies to make voyd to dissipate to scatter to bring to nought or to make nothing of Psal 33.10 The Lord brings to nought the counsell of the heathen So againe Isa 8.10 It is used often for breaking the Law by frequent and vvilfull sinning against it Proud sinners vvould break the Law in sunder or pull it all in peices They have made voyd thy Law Psa 119 As if they would not onely sin against the Law but sin away the Law not onely vvithdraw themselves from the obedience of it but drive it out of the World they would make voyd and repeale the holy acts of God that their owne wicked acts might not be questioned and lest the Law should have a power to punish them they vvill deny it a power to rule them that 's the force of the simple vvord here used as applyed to highest transgressing against the Law of God Now as vvicked men by sinning vvould batter the Law to peices so God by afflicting doth sometimes break good men to peices Consider what course usage the holy Law of God hath in the hearts and lives of vvicked men O how they tear it and vex it and batter it every day Thus doth the Lord deal vvith many of his holy servants vvho had they their vvish would not make the least breach in the Law and vvhose hearts are often broken vvith godly sorrow because they cannot but break it yet to these he doth not onely give a bruise or a blow but breaks them asunder There is yet another elegancy in the signification of the vvord For as Hebreicians observe it notes a bruising like that of Grapes or Olives vvhich are trodden in a presse to make Wine or Oyle Confractus sum velut uvae aut olivae in torculari hence also a Noune from this Verbe signifies the Wine-presse Isa 63.3 Now Grapes and Olives being trodden are broken and bruised in peices not onely is their forme and beauty totally spoyled but all their sweetnesse juyce and liquor is vvrought out of them and they are left as a dry lumpe Now look vvhat Grapes and Olives are vvhen taken out of the Presse even such a lumpe vvas Job he vvas broken asunder in the Wine-presse though not of Gods vvrath as his Freinds mis-judged yet in the Wine-presse of his chastisements and severest tryalls all his vvorldly moysture vvas squeezed out and his earthly glory vvas quite defaced he had nothing left of that but as it were a dry huske yet his spirituall estate was still juicy and his soule by these pressings treadings and breakings had distilled much sweet Oyle and Wine and much more was still remaining in him From these heightned significations of the word layd together Observe in generall God doth not onely afflict those whom he loves but afflict them soarely and severely He afflicts some not onely to the empayring and abating but to the undoing and ruining of their outward comforts and worldly enjoyments Nothing can be sayd to descipher an afflicted state beyond what this word will beare And that God doth afflict his chosen ones to the utmost rack of this phrase will appeare also from all that follows to the end of the fourteenth Verse the opening of which will be a continuall proofe and illustration of this great and often experimented truth upon and among the precious Sons of Sion This I shall hint all along besides those observations which arise out of them He hath broken me asunder and what follows in the same Verse He hath also taken me by my neck and shaken me to peices Is not this to deale severely A loving Father takes his Son about the neck and kisses him what a rough salute did the Lord give this Son of his when he tooke him by the neck and shook him to peices Such a carriage seemes not to be after the manner of men much lesse after the manner of Fathers yet this was the manner of God to Job who was also his Freind and Father He hath taken me by my neck The neck is as the tower and strength of the body and when a man is taken by the neck he is assaulted in his chiefest strength and taken at the greatest advantage There is a threefold metaphor or allusion in these words which being considered distinctly will let out their meaning yet more fully First They beare an allusion to Wrestlers who take one another by the neck or collar he that is the strongest not onely takes his Antagonist by the neck but shakes him as if he would shake him to pieces God wrestled with the Patriarch Jacob literally and corporally though the greatest labour and stresse of Jacobs wrestling was spirituall and internall And when he saw that he prevailed not Jacob prevailed with God for so much strength that now God could not according to that dispensation prevaile against Jacob yet he touched the hollow of Jacobs thigh and made him halt God wrestled with Job not corporally yet in corporall things the stresse also of his wrestling was spirituall and he prevailed with God and over Satan yet God was pleased not only for the present to touch a joynt and make him halt but even to shake every joynt and limbe to peices Secondly It is an allusion to Sergeants or Bailiffs that are sent to arest men for debt or for their evill deeds This sort of men are boysterous enough they having power will not forbeare to lay hold on Persons obnoxious and take them by the neck when they attach them We have that usage expressed Matth. 18.28 The evill Servant to whom the Lord had forgiven ten thousand Talents a vast debt found one of his fellow Servants who owed him an hundred pence an inconsiderable summ and would needs exact the utmost from him the Text saith The same Servant went out and found one of his fellow-servants which ought him an hundred pence and he layd hands upon him and took him by the throat saying Pay me that thou owest He took him by the throat the word signifies properly to choake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Premebat sauces illius debitoris tanquam suffocaturus obtorto collo premebat Eras or to take another so rudely by the throat as to choake or as wee say throttle him It is translated to choake with water Mark 5.13
causing others to fall before them In so much that the very name of a Giant was dreadfull And when those unbeleeving Scarchers of Canaan brought up an evill report of that Land the worst which they could say of it to the discouragement of their Brethren was this Numb 13.33 And there we saw the Giants the Sons of Anak which came of the Giants and we were in our owne sight as Grasse-hoppers and so we were in theirs Men of strength and courage were as much afrayd at this story of Giants as Children are of Bug-beares and Fayries So then when Job sayd That God did run upon him as a Giant his intent was onely to shew with how much terrour God was pleased to cloath himselfe and how much strength he put forth while he thus contended with him The truth is God needs not lay out his strength to afflict man he can crush the strongest of men as a moth with the touch of his finger The weaknesse of God is stronger then man yet God in afflicting his people will sometimes personate a mighty man exercising his power to the utmost and arming himselfe from head to foot while he combates with an enemy which still confirmes the generall Observation That God doth not onely afflict such as he loves but he afflicts them sorely Doth he not so when he shaks them in peices Doth he not so when he sets them as his mark When a multitude of skilfull Archers compasse them about when he cleaves their reines asunder when he powres out their Gall upon the ground Doth he not so when he sets Engines of battery to make breach upon breach and then runs up as a Giant to the assault Thus God hath dealt with many precious soules and thus he dealt beyond his dealings with many with his precious Servant Job And as no man eyther in his estate or health either in his credit or comforts is so strong a wall but God by his Artillery can quickly make a breach upon him so who is able to stand in the breach or make it good when God comes up to the assault Can thine heart endure or can thine hands be strong in the dayes that I shall deale with thee saith the Lord Ezek. 22.14 When the Lord as a Giant runs upon man the strongest Giant among the sons of men is but as a Pigmie yea but as a Pismire he is but as the Chaffe before the winde or as the potters Vessell before the Iron Rod. But though flesh and blood cannot stand in the breach when God assaults yet Faith and patience can Moses by Faith stood in the breach and turned away the wrath of God when he came to destroy Israel Psal 106.23 Job by patience stood in the breaches which God made upon him when he seemed utterly to destroy him For what did Job to God when God did all this to him Did he oppose Did he strive with his Maker The two next Verses shew that prayers and teares were all the Weapons he used in this holy Warr with God JOB CHAP. 16. Vers 15.16 17. I have sowed sack-cloth upon my skin and defiled my horne in the dust My face is foule with weeping and on my eye-lids is the shadow of death Not for any injustice in my hands also my prayer is pure THE former words shewed in what manner Job was afflicted and because the manner of his afflictions did almost exceed words therefore he strained himselfe to the highest pitch of holy rhetorick to make his unkinde Freinds sensible of it And as there he told us what God had done to him so here he tells what he did or how he behaved himselfe under the hand of God he tells us how he took those tearings and those wounds how he received those showres of Arrows from the Almighties Bow Eliphaz taxed Job in the fifteenth Chapter with height and haughtinesse of spirit in his low estate Vers 12.13 Why doth thine heart carry thee away And what doth thine eyes winke at that thou turnest thy spirit against God and lettest such words goe out of thy mouth And Vers 25. he more then intimates that Job stretched out his hand against God and strengthened himselfe against the Almighty In both passages he is severely charged not onely with impatience under the hand of God which is bad enough but with opposition against the hand of God which is farre worse Job refutes these unfreindly censures and professeth another kinde both of spirit and practice in this Text. As if hee had sayd I am not so madd as thou takest me to be to runn upon God or to stretch out my hand against him while he smiteth me I have learned better then to shoot the arrowes of blasphemy against God whilst he shoots the arrows of calamity against me and if you desire to know what I have been doing seeing I deny that I have been doing what you suggest This is the account which I give of my selfe and of my behaviour Vers 15. I have sowed sack-cloth upon my skin and defiled my horne in the dust That is I have humbly submitted my selfe to receive and entertaine those saddest dispensations Hence Observe That the surest way to confute the censures and wipe off the aspersions which are cast upon us is to shew our selves doing contrary to what others are speaking of us A practicall answer is the strongest answer we may speak more for our selves by our hands then we can doe by our tongues in many cases The Papists mouths are stopt who call us Solifidians when they see Protestants forward in and zealous for good workes He that is accused of uncharitablenesse may best free himselfe from that charge by giving freely to the poore and he that is accused of injustice may soonest doe himselfe right by shewing that he hath done right to every man Bare denyals that we have done evill are nothing but when our doing of good appeares who can deny it The old Philosopher answered him that denyed motion by rising up and walking not by arguing Job answered Eliphaz who affirmed that he turned his spirit and stretched out his hand against God by falling downe and submitting to it I have sowed sack-cloth upon my skin c. And this Job offers as to remove and take away that objection of mis-behaviour towards God Hoc assert ut ad miserecordiam socios moveat paenitentiam sc suam humilitatem quod sese in his afflictionibus non extulerit Merc. so to move his Freinds to better behaviour even to compassion and pitty towards him He was in a sorrowfull case and he had acted the part of a sorrowfull man God had layd him low and hee layd himselfe low this might have taught them moderation why should they speake so harshly against him who had dealt but coursely with himselfe Sowing sack-cloth upon his skin and seeing he abased himselfe even to the defiling of his horne in the dust why should they abase him too It stirrs up pitty
towards a professed adversary to see him in misery especially when he submits unto it and suffers with patience Much more should the misery of a professed Freind he also quietly submitting to it stirr up the bowels of pitie So then the scope of this report which Job makes of himselfe was not onely to answer what Eliphaz had charged him with but also that he might obtaine from his Freinds a milder answer I have sowed sack-cloth upon my skin The word which we render Sack-cloth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Saccus vâ—x quae hic habetur Sak habet eundem sonum in omni sere lingua quod unum arguit linguam Hebraeam omnium esse matrem is of the same sound in the Hebrew and almost in all other languages which is observed as an argument of its antiquity and that it is the mother of all languages But how did Job sow sack-cloth upon his Skin This is a hard peece of Sempstery The Roman Historian reports of cruell Nero that when he fled out of the City fearing the sentence of the displeased Senate which quickly pursued him and had got into a grove or thicket like a wilde Beast he commanded those about him to make a trench in the earth fitted to the dimensions of his body which he ordered them to line with such peeces of Marble as were to be had upon the place thus as it were preparing his owne Tombe he wept and often cryed out See what a workman is here now ready to perish What that wretch sayd of himselfe I may say of this holy man in the Text whom I finde thus busied at his Needle as if he were preparing his owne Grave-clothes or winding-sheet What a workman have we here ready to perish Job looked upon himselfe as a dying man Qualis artifex pereo and behold he is sowing sack-cloth upon his skin When men of worth dye they are wrapt in fine linnen so Joseph of Arimathea wrapt the body of Jesus Mark 15.46 And a living man full of soares needs the finest and softest linnen to wrap him in Sack-cloth is a course stubborne cloth greevous to a sound body painefull to those who have never a breach upon their flesh but for a man as Job describes himselfe full of breaches having breach upon breach his body being broken all over as if it were but one continued breach to lap up such a one in sack-cloth is an extreame addition to his paines and sorrows How is it then that Job was thus severe to his owne soares To cleare this Sack-cloth may be taken two wayes First Properly Secondly Improperly Properly so sack-cloth is that hairy rough Garment which was very usuall among mourners whether in times of sorrow for sin or judgement Sack-cloth was the Livery of both these sorrows The King of Israel was a close-mourner in sack-cloth 2 Kings 6.30 The King rent his clothes as he passed by upon the wall and the people looked and behold he had sack-cloth within upon his flesh There being a terrible Famine in Samaria that Kings wore Sackcloth as an embleme of his sorrow yet he wore it somewhat concealedly it was within upon his flesh And so 2 Kings 20.31 when the Servants of Benhadad came to Achab they put sack-cloth upon them And 2 Kings 21.27 Achab himselfe when hee heard that sore judgement denounced against him humbled himselfe and put on sack-cloth and went softly In a time of common calamity the Prophet tells us Every head shall be bald and every beard clipt upon all the hands shall be cuttings and upon the loynes sack-cloth Jer. 48.37 And that it was the usuall weare in time of repentance is taught us in the Prophesie of Jonah 3.8 where Proclamation was made by the King of Niniveh That all should fast and put on sack-cloth Christ himselfe describing what Sodome and Gomorah would have done if the Gospell had been Preached or the mighty workes done in them which were done in Bethsaida and Corazin saith They would have repented long agoe in sack-cloth and ashes that is they would have put on sack-cloth and sate in ashes in token of deepest humiliation for sin Thus sack-cloth properly taken was often used in times of great affliction whether personall or publique as also in times of deepest and most professed repentance Secondly Wee may take sack-cloth improperly and so two wayes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cutis vox Arabica non alibi in Scriptura reperitur Et Gelad propriè significare cutim crustavi quae plagae siccae superinducitur Rab. Levi First As to Jobs then present condition hee was full of sores and those sores were to him as a course covering of sack-cloth for he was sore all over In some extraordinary diseases a scab puts forth all over the body like the bark of a tree Jobs scabs and sores were like the barke of a tree or a garment of sack-cloth hee speakes neere this language Chap. 30.18 By the great force of my disease is my Garment changed As if he had sayd I have another kinde of Garment then I was wont to weare I was wont to weare the best and the costlyest Garments but now By the force of my disease is my Garment changed it bindeth me about as the colour of my coat that is My sores binde me about as the colour of my Coat Thus the Greek Expositors render this Text affirming Nigrorem nacta est cutis mea propter cruciatuum acerbitatem quasi saccus quidam ex vellis contextis effectus Sanct. that his Skin was discouloured and black and began to look like sack-cloth through the heat and distemper of his inward parts As health and soundnesse of constitution put out a fresh and lively tincture so sicknesse and diseases deface and darken the beauty of the body Secondly Take it again improperly as to Jobs then present action and then I sowed sack-cloth upon my skin is as if hee had spoken plainely I have greatly abased or humbled my selfe I have beene as one who putteth on sack-cloth Such was his posture Chap. 2.8 He tooke a pot-sheard and scraped his sores and sate downe among the ashes As he who wore sack-cloth did humble himselfe greatly or at least would be accounted to have done so so he that is really humbled and that greatly may be sayd to have put on sack-cloth The signe is often put for the thing signified in reference both to joy and sorrow White garments and unctions were signes of joy and therefore when Solomon exhorts to joyfulnesse hee saith Let thy garments be alwayes white and let thine head lack no oyntment Eccles 9.8 which we may expound either by that which goes before Eate thy bread with joy and drinke thy Wine with a merry heart Vers 7. or by that which follows Vers 9. Live joyfully with the wife of thy youth As to bid a man put on white garments is to bid him rejoyce so to bid a man put on blacks or sack-cloth is to bid him
Cloud to us in the day of distresse That is best which is good to us in our worst estate The favour of God the pardon of sin the fruites of the spirit are alwayes pleasant to the Saints but then most when the yeares or times are upon them of which they not onely say with the Preacher Eccles 12.1 Wee have no pleasure in them but vve have much paine and trouble in them The face of the new creature is never foul with vveeping nor is the horne of our salvation defiled when vvee lye in the dust or on the dunghill Job having according to his manner accurately described his calamities and shewed vvith vvhat deep sense and self-abasement he had entertained them he passeth to a refutation of that inference vvhich his Freinds drew and had often pressed upon him from those premises of his affliction Eliphaz suggested him impious and unjust because hee was thus smitten Job plainly denyes it Vers 17. I have not received these wounds in my body and estate for any injustice in my hands no nor for any impiety in my heart also my prayer is pure This Verse takes off both parts of that generall assertion as to Jobs personall condition Chap. 15. Vers 34. The Congregation of Hypocrites shall be desolate fire shall consume the Tabernacles of bribery There Eliphaz closely hinted that Job was an Unjust man and an Hypocrite Job answers no my Tabernacle is not the Tabernacle of bribery there is no injustice in my hands my Congregation or those with whom I joyned in vvorship vvere not a Congregation of Hypocrites my prayer is pure As if he had sayd Though it be a truth that the Congregation of Hypocrites shall be desolate yet it doth not follow that every man is an Hypocrite whose Congregation is made desolate for mine is desolate and yet I know my prayer is pure And though fire shall consume the Tabernacles of bribery yet every man is not guilty of bribery whose Tabernacle is consumed with fire for so is mine and yet I avouch it there is no injustice in my hands Vers 17. Not for any injustice in my hands The word that we translate injustice signifies rapine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Propriè rapina violentia injuria violence or wrong done by violence any open tyrannicall oppression The Harpie being a ravenous Foule hath his name from this root in Hebrew as also in the Greek from one of the same importance because he doth not subtlely surprize his prey but openly assault it It signifies also violence mingled with scorne and contempt as is observed upon that of the Prophet Ezek. 22.26 Her Priests have violated my Laws The Priests did not goe behinde the doore they made an open breach upon the Law of God they did not sin secretly as if they had been afrayd to be seen but avowedly and before the Sun Hence some have rendred that Text Her Priests have contemned my Lawes noting eyther that it was a violation vvith contempt or that Lawes which are once contemned cannot be long unviolated Thus Job professeth there is no such injustice in my hand Job did not disclaime all faylings in doing justice but all intendments of doing injustice he did not peremptorily deny that there was no injustice in his hand arising from mistakes of the Law but none from contempt of the Law Not for any injustice In my hand Injustice is ascribed to the hand not because injustice is alwayes though usually it be done with the hand vvith the hand men take away and vvith that men detaine the right of others David speakes thus 2 Chro. 12.17 Seenig there is no wrong in mine hand that is I have done no wrong The hand is the great instrument of action most injustice is done by the hand though much be done by the tongue and a Judge who gives an unjust sentence with his tongue may be sayd to have injustice in his hands Besides he may be sayd to have injustice in his hands who keeps any thing in his hands vvhich vvas gotten by injustice he also may be sayd to eate injustice who feeds upon vvhat he got unjustly Prov. 4.17 They eate the Bread of wickednesse and drink the Wine of violence that is they eate Bread and drink Wine gotten by wickednesse and violence Job disclaimes injustice in all these notions There is no injustice in my hands as if hee had sayd I have not gotten wealth by injustice nor enricht my selfe by making others poore I have not been as an Harpie to scratch and teare from others to feed my selfe Hee gives a full account of this Chap. 29. and Chap. 30. wiping off those aspersions of injustice by a large narrative of his proceedings in that publick capacity as a Magistrate the breviate of vvhich is summed up in this negative There is no injustice in my hand Further Injustice may be taken two wayes Either strictly for the act of a Magistrate perverting the Law and going besides the rules of righteousnesse Or largely for any wrong that one neighbour in a private capacity doth another To doe justice is every ones duty as well as the Magistrates vve use to say Every man is eyther a Foole or a Physitian vvee may say Every one is eyther a doer of justice or a dishonest man For though to doe justice is chiefely the Magistrates work yet no man who hath any thing to doe in the World can live as he ought vvithout doing justice In this large sense also vve may expound Jobs disclaimer of injustice as if he had sayd I have not willingly fayled in any of those duties which the Law of love towards my neighbour calls for and obliges me unto There is no injustice in my hands Also my prayer is pure Prayer is taken two vvayes as injustice is Eyther largely for the whole vvorship of God My house shall be called the house of prayer Matth. 21.13 that is All kinde of publick worship shall be performed and tendered to me there Prayer being so principall a part of vvorship may vvell comprehend all the parts of worship that which is chiefe in any kinde often denominates all the rest So Love is put for all the duties of the Law and Faith for all the duties yea and for all the Doctrines of the Gospell though in both many other duties and Doctrines are contained Strictly Prayer is that part or worship which consists in calling upon God Prayer is the making knowne of our desires or the opening of our hearts to God It is the ascent of our soules to God David being about to pray saith Vnto thee O Lord doe I lift up my soule In this place we may take prayer in both the notions of it My prayer Is pure The word signifies shining bright glorious a gracious prayer shines so bright that there is a glory in it My prayer is pure Zophar charged Job for saying My doctrine is pure Chap. 12.4 Now Job himselfe saith My prayer is pure The truth of
that is One wickednesse is heaped upon another There is an aggregation Aggrâ—gant peccata peccatis Chald. or a combination of many sins together their sins are so thick set that there is not the least space eyther of time or place betweene them they sin continually and they sin contiguously sin toucheth sin Thirdly By blood in this active sense we may understand those speciall sins which draw blood the sin of oppression and the sin of murder The Scriptures last cited include these principally though not these alone or not these exclusively to other sins Sins of cruelty are often called blood by name and such are named bloody men who commit such sins Psal 55.24 Blood-thirsty and deceitfull men shall not live out halfe their dayes that is Murderers and Oppressours shall not When Shimei cursed David he sayd Goe thou bloody man thou Son of Belial 2 Sam. 16.7 8. He calls him bloody man in reference to that particular act with which David had stained his hands the murder of Vriah Hab. 2.12 Woe to him that buildeth a Towne with blood that stablisheth a City with iniquity that is By the iniquity of oppression Hee builds with blood who to set his owne nest on high throwes downe the right or takes away the lives of others Under this third as also the second notion of blood wee may best interpret Jobs imprecation O earth cover not thou my blood that is The oppressions and cruelties which I have committed if I have committed any Some conceive that Job referrs to the story of Cain and Abel Gen. 4.10 The earth would not cover Cains blood that is the blood of Abel which Cain had spilt Eliphaz told Job before in a third person that his Tabernacle was a Tabernacle of bribery as much as to say That hee had done wrong in his place Si quam caedem maleficiumvè quod objicitis patravi illud revelet testificetur terra Jun. O Tellus ne celes scelera mea capitalia Tygur and had been a grinder of the faces of the poore Now saith Job O earth cover not my blood if I have been an oppressour if I have drank the blood of the poore or am guilty of such like abominations I desire that the earth would not cover or dissemble it but let it be published to my shame and brought forth to my judgement Master Broughtons note is full to this sense If there be any injury in my hands let the earth reveale it And the Tygurine O earth doe not conceale my capitall crimes The second branch of the imprecation fals crosse to this for in this Job prayes that his evill deeds might be discovered in that he prays that his very prayers which were his best deeds might not be accepted if he had eyther been or done as was suspected And let my cry have no place The word signifies a loud cry a greevous cry the cry of a man extreamely pressed yea even utterly opprest This cry is expounded three wayes First For the very cry of griefe or for a cry caused meerly by griefe Let my cry have no place that is Let not my paines and sorrows my groanes and sighes in midst of all these evills be regarded either by God or Men if I have done such evils as I am accused of 'T is a great affliction which puts a man to his cry whether to God or Man but it is a greater affliction to cry and not to be heard neither by God nor man The cry of a poore man is then said to have no place with a Judge when he will not heare it or take notice of it Secondly Others expound this for the cry of sin Great sins are called a cry not onely because they make others cry but because themselves are very clamarous and crying Clamat quia innocens effusus est dicitur inter pellare dominum non prosecutione Eloquii sed indignitate commissi Ambros Sin hath a tongue to speake and it hath teeth to bite every sin speakes but some sins have a loud voice they cry The blood of thy Brother which thou hast spilt cryes unto me saith God to Cain Gen. 4.10 The sin of Sodome cryed up to Heaven Gen. 18.20 Oppression causeth a cry so here Let my cry that is my crying sins or the cry of my sins have no place that is none to hide or shelter themselves in And then this clause of the imprecation is of the same sense with the former O earth cover not thou my blood Thirdly By this cry we may understand Jobs prayer and that of two sorts First Prayers Petitions or complaints to men let not any Freind regard my cry Secondly Prayers to God for as there are crying sins so there are crying prayers The Lord sayd to Moses Wherefore cryest thou unto mee Exod. 14.15 Asa cryed unto the Lord 2 Chron. 14. The Ninevites were commanded to cry mightily to God John 3.8 and Christ himselfe prayed with strong cryes Heb. 5.7 As there are two things especially which make sins crying sins First When they are earnestly committed Secondly When they are constantly committed So two things make prayers crying prayers First When we pray with earnestnesse Secondly When we pray with continuance or perseverance Ne in Caelum efferatur suscipiaturce clamor meus si sim eâ—â—smodi Jun. We find David often crying to God in prayer so that when Job saith Let my cry have no place his meaning is Let not God hear my most earnest prayer A dreadfull imprecation When wee who have no helpe on earth shall wish that we may have none in Heaven neither what can wee wish worse to our selves then this From the words in generall Observe It is lawfull to use imprecations Job did not sin in this There are imprecations of two sorts First Upon others when we wish them evill or curse them this in some rare cases may be done David useth imprecations against the incorrigible enemies of the Church and so may we but in reference to personall injuries the Gospel-rule is Blesse them that curse you pray for them that despitefully use you Matth. 5.44 Secondly Upon our selves such are the imprecations intended in this point Job cals downe mischeife upon his owne head in both parts of the Verse Let all my sins be discovered let all my prayers be refused if ever I have done this thing Imprecations or wishes of evill upon our selves may proceed upon a double ground First For the assuring of what we promise or engage our selves to doe As to say I will doe such a thing or I promise to doe it if I doe it not I wish evill may befall me This is to put our selves under a curse which we doe at least implicitely in taking any promissory Oath There are two sorts of Oaths First Assertory Oaths when we affirme such a thing to be true Secondly Promissory Oaths when wee promise to doe such a thing calling God to witnesse and laying our selves under a penalty
of entring there purifies himselfe not onely as Heaven is pure but as God is pure in whose sight Heaven it selfe is impure Chap. 15.15 Thirdly Heaven is high Then Heaven is a safe place High places are secure places the high places of the earth are so accounted and when God promises safety to his people he tels them they shall dwell on high while they are here below Isa 33.16 He shall dwell on high his place of defence shall be the munition of rocks and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth Isa 58.14 When those builders of the Tower of Babell thought to make themselves safe they sayd Let us build a Towre whose top may reach to Heaven If there should come another flood they hoped to be dry and to get above the danger Once in Heaven and we are out of Gun-shott not onely beyond the reach of man but of Devils too They who are got into that high place shall neyther feele nor feare the Destroyer any more Fourthly Heaven is a high place then it is a large and capacious place As a Sphericall or round Figure is the most capacious so the utmost round of that Figure is the most capacious round in Heaven there is roome enough though we are crouded here yet there we shall not We may call Heaven as Isaac did the Well about which there was no contention betweene his Herdmen and the Herdmen of Gerar Rehoboth roome Gen. 26.22 In Heaven we shall not contend for roome Christ assures us that in his Fathers house are many mansions John 14.2 He had sayd before to his Disciples Chap. 13.33 Whither I goe yee cannot come And when Peter troubled at this speech put the Question Vers 36. Lord whither goest thou Jesus answered him Whither I goe thou canst not follow me now but thou shalt follow me afterwards Christ perceived his Disciples more plunged in their spirits with this answer and promise to Peter and therefore adds a prohibition of their feares at the beginning of this Chapter Let not your hearts be troubled yee beleeve in God beleeve also in me in my Fathers house are many mansions As if he had sayd Doe not thinke that I told you yee cannot follow me now and that Peter shall follow me afterwards as if the place I goe to were onely large enough for me and Peter for beleeve me there are many mansions I tell you not how many neyther can they be told but there are enow not onely for my selfe and Peter but for you all yea for all those who eyther have or shall beleeve on my Name if it were not so I would have told you I would not delude you with vaine hopes I am well acquainted with all the roomes in my Fathers house and though when I came into the World for your sakes there was no roome in the Inn for me to be borne in but a Stable among Beasts yet I will take care that when you come to my Fathers house you shall not be straitned for Quarters I who am your Redeemer will also be your Harbinger I goe to prepare a place for you and I am certaine my Fathers house will hold all his houshold Tophet is prepared of old it is deep and large Isa 30.33 Hell is large enough for a Prison there 's roome for all the Children of disobedience to lye bound for ever But Heaven is large as a Pallace or as a Paradise there 's roome enough for all the heyres of promise to walke at liberty for ever JOB Chap. 16. Vers 20 21 22. My Freinds scorne mee but mine eye powreth out teares unto God O that one might plead for a man with God as a man pleadeth for his neighbour When a few yeares are come then I shall goe the way whence I shall not returne JOB having strongly asserted his owne integrity at the seventeenth Verse of this Chapter and thereupon as strongly imprecated the heaviest vengeance upon his owne head 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Verbum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in hiphil significat Eloqui facundum esse su mitur etiam pro illudere quia id non sine sermonis venustate fieri solet Merc. Collâ—quutores mei Vatab. Rhetores Pagn Cum amici mei Rhetorica oratione contra me agunt manâ—ntibus lachrymis Dei opem imploro Tygur in case he had not spoken truth Vers 18. Having also made his appeale to Heaven calling God to witnesse that it was truth which hee had spoken Vers 19. Here at the twentieth Verse he gives us a reason why hee made that appeale and the reason was he found no comfort in the creature he had no hope of helpe on earth and therefore he resorts to Heaven Vers 20. My Friends scorne me but mine eye powreth out teares to God There is some variety in the translation but the sense of all meets in one My Freinds scorne me or Scorners are my Friends The word signifies to deride or scorne not in a rude homely way but to doe it with quaintnesse of speech or in refined language to doe it wittily and cunningly close and home Hence the word signifies a Rhetorician or an Orator and is so translated here by diverse of the Learned My friends play the Rhetoricians they speake eloquently they compose fine orations and set speeches against me but alas I onely speak teares Yet further it signifies to interpret Gen. 42.23 Joseph spake unto his Brethren by an Interpreter it is this word That 's the interlineall reading of this Text Interpretes socii mei Mont. My Friends are Interpreters or rather for that must be the meaning Misinterpreters they put wrong expositions upon all my speeches and corrupt my Text with their unfreindly glosses We read in the ordinary acception of the word My freinds scorne me or My freinds are scorners As if Job had sayd These my freinds whose profession and relation call them to administer serious and wholesome counsell to my troubled minde even they breake forth into scorne they powre the Vinegar of their sharpest censures into my already wrankled wounds in stead of the suppling skinning Oyle of comfort and consolation Quis talia fando temperet a lachrymis and therefore mine eye is pressed to powre out teares to God Who can forbeare weeping while hee is but reporting my sufferings How then should I who suffer My freinds scorne me c. Hence Observe The best of freinds may prove unfreindly Men are but men and so they act There is no repose eyther upon the wisedome or strength or affection of the creature they are all mutable and may doe that which is most opposite both to their profession and relation A Freind a Scorner What more unsutable And that may be a second Note Scorne is wholly opposite to the Law of love He departs farr enough from the rules of freindship who doth not pitty and assist his afflicted Freind how farr is hee gone from it who scornes and derides
his Freind in affliction Thirdly Considering the Person who was thus scorned Job a man beloved of God the great Favorite of that Age to the King of Heaven Hence Observe They who are highly approved and honoured of God may fall under the contempt and scorne of men As they who are applauded and flattered yet adored by men may be the scorne and contempt of God What Christ speakes of things is true of persons Luke 16.15 That which is highly esteemed amongst men is abomination in the sight of God So they who are highly esteemed of God are often an abomination to men God seeth not as man seeth no not as good men see God and good men are not alwayes of an opinion eyther about things or persons and as the worst of men finde some to flatter and applaud them so the best of men finde some to undervalue and deride them and they sometimes finde good men doing so There is no judging eyther of men or of matters by what is sayd of them In this sense all men are or may be lyars carrying a fals report in their mouths Should we judge concludingly of men by the opinion of man how base and contemptible would many precious soules appeare to us And how precious would many appeare to us who are onely worthy to be contemned Christ gives the rule John 7.24 Judge not according to appearance or by the face but judge righteous judgement 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Secundum vultum vel faciem Wee must not judge eyther of things or persons till they appeare nor may we judge of them by appearances especially not by those appearances which the tongues of men put upon them The Greek in that Text of John saith Judge not according to the face For though the face in its naturall frame be the Index or discovery of the minde yet as a man may artificially set his face to a look altogether unlike his minde so others may set a face upon the wayes and actions of a man altogether unlike both the man and his actions He that had judged Job by the face which God had put upon his outward condition or by that which Satan and his Freinds put upon his wayes and actions must have judged him eyther an hypocrite serving God onely to serve his owne turne or else prophane casting off the service of God All the morally illfavoured faces in the World are of one of these two features or complexions the opinions that went abroad of Job made him appeare like both and yet he was a man most beautifull in the eye of God a man that had received the fairest Letters commendatory under Gods owne hand that ever man had to that day My Freinds scorne me What then But mine eye powreth out teares unto God As before he had appealed to God so now his eye powreth out teares unto God The Hebrew is Mine eye powreth out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Stillare seu diffluere instar aquarum stillando quasi attenuari The word signifies to flow forth like water and to wast in flowing forth his eyes were as a Fountaine which flowes continually yet retaines a perpetuall stock of water but his strength abated and his spirits issued with those waters Mine eye powreth out we add the word Teares because teares are the onely eye-waters or all the waters which flow from the eye Mine eye powreth out teares The word signifieth sometimes onely to drop Translatio est a stillicidijs eyther as a Limbeck drops downe the water which is raised up by the heat into fumes or as the Eaves of a house drop in a time of raine so mine eye distilleth or droppeth teares Job had a heate within him which might well cause those distillations and showres without him which might well cause those droppings This distilling dropping or powring out of teares was the powring out of his sorrows and there was more in it then silent sorrow there was a voice in his sorrows or a voice of mourning was mingled with his weeping yea this word implyes speaking in many places of the old Testament where to drop is to Prophesie Phrasi Hebraica stillare saepe pro loqui sumitur and Prophecying is a vocall act Micah 2.6 Prophesie yee not say they to them that prophesie the word is Dropp not Both are expressed Amos 7.16 Prophesie not against Israel and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac So Ezek. 21.2 Drop thy words towards the holy places and prophesie against the Land of Israel And the reason of it is because words fall into the eare of the hearers as drops of raine upon the dry and thirsty ground both to soften and make fruitfull Jobs teares preacht the dropping of his eye was a kinde of prophecying Teares are not words formally but they are virtually Weeping is inarticulate speaking And though God by reason of his infinite and unchangeable happinesse never spake that language yet hee understands it fully There are saith the Apostle arguing against speaking in an unknowne tongue it may be so many kinds of voyces in the World and none of them are without signification 1 Cor 14.10 The voice of teares is very significant yet God onely knowes the speciall signification of it man knowes onely the generall that it signifies sorrow Possibly words went with Jobs teares but if not yet his teares had the force of words Weeping speakes though the weeper speake not Mine eye powreth out or speaketh teares There are seven or eight sorts of teares spoken of in Scripture and every one speakes First Teares of wordly sorrow Esau had enow of them he found store of teares when he lost the blessing He for one morsell of meat sold his birthright but hee could not purchase it againe with floods of sorrow For he found no place of repentance that is hee could not prevayle with his Father Isaac to change his minde though he sought it carefully with tears Heb. 12.17 Esaus teares spake his hunger after that which he had sold to buy off hunger or to pay a debt to nature Secondly There are the teares of repentance and godly sorrow such were those of Mary Luke 7.38 who wept and washed Christs feet with her teares and wiped them with the haire of her head Shee had been a sinner such a sinner as bore away the name from all the sinners in the City and shee mourned so for sin that shee bare away the name from all the mourners in the City Maries teares spake her tender respect to Christ who saveth sinners and her abhorrence of her selfe for sin Thirdly There are teares of craft and wicked dissimulation Jer. 41.6 Ishmael goes forth to meet the men that came towards Jerusalem weeping all along as he went his were made teares he shed teares that he might shed blood and weep himselfe into an opportunity of doing mischiefe unsuspected Ishmaels teares spake treachery but because those plain-hearted men could not interpret them they
perished Fourthly There are teares of love unfeigned and strong affection Thus David and Jonathan kissed one another and wept one with another untill David exceeded 1 Sam. 20.41 When Jesus Christ wept at the Sepulcher of Lazarus The Jewes sayd Behold how he loved him John 11.35 36. They saw his heart at his eyes These teares spake mutuall and reall endearements Fifthly There are the teares of holy prayers and fervent desires Jacob wept and made supplication Hos 12.4 He cryed and prayed The voyce of his teares was lowder then the voyce of his supplication and his prayers were in this sense even drowned in teares Jacobs teares spake the fervency of his spirit and his faith in prayer The Angell understood them so and he prevayled Sixthly There are teares of compassion for the miseries of others Weep with them that weeP is the Apostles rule Rom. 12.15 When Nehemiah heard the report of Jerusalems ruine and of the sad condition of his Brethren there He sate downe and wept Nehem. 1.4 His teares spake pitty to his Country-men and zeale for God Seventhly There are the teares of passion in reference to our owne afflictions Such teares speak humane frailty or the common infirmity of the flesh Eighthly There are the teares of damnation Hypocrites and their associates in Hell are described Weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth for evermore Their teares speak despayre or misery without hope of remedy The tears which Job powred forth were of the seventh sort teares of passion or sorrow caused by the afflicting hand of God but especially by the unkindnesses of his Freinds My freinds scorne me but mine eye powreth out teares unto God Job knew that as God had a Book for his prayers so a Bottle for his teares yea he knew teares should be heard as well as prayers Teares are powerfull Oratours God reads our hearts in those lines which teares draw on our faces One of the Ancient Phylosophers hath adjudged weeping unworthy a man Lachrymae a viris claris auferendae sunt mulieribus autem relinquendae Plat. de rep Dial. 3. and tells us it is onely for Women and Children to weepe But as there are teares of effeminate and childish pusillanimity so there are teares of heroicall and holy importunity To weep for feare of sufferings from man is indeed below man but to weep to God when we suffer eyther under the hand of God or man doth well become the best of men not to weep to God when we eyther suffer or have sinned proceeds not from courage but from sullennesse and is not the argument of a noble spirit but of a hard heart Who so couragious as David who feared not a Lyon nor a Beare who would not be afrayd though an Hoast of men encamped against him and though he walked in the valley of the shadow of death yet how often do we read him weeping and crying to God Psal 39.12 Hold not thy peace saith he at my teares David in that case could not hold his peace from crying to God and he was perswaded that God would not hold his peace at his cry he expected to have his teares answered He did not say Hold not thy peace at my words or at my prayer but as importing that his very teares had a voyce and language in them he desired that they might be answered David did not weep for feare of men but in faith to God And so did Job Mine eye powreth out teares vnto God God was the object of his teares as much as of his prayers God is above and yet our teares fall into his bosome these waters ascend this raine doth not fall but rise these showres doe not come from the Clouds but they peirce the Clouds As the heate of the Sun drawes the water upward so doth the heate of Gods love Some of the Ancients use strange Hyperbolies about the power and motion of teares I will not stay upon them we may say too much of them but thus much we may safely say that from a heart rightly affected and touched with the sense eyther of sin or suffering they have much weight in them and are pressing upon God Mine eye powreth out teares unto God From the conexion of this latter part of the Verse with the former Observe When wee are scorned by men it is good for us to mourne to God My Freinds scorne me now I weep and pray It is best for us to apply our selves to God when we live in the embraces of men when all men speake well of us and applaud us what is all this if we have not the good word and the good will of God unlesse we have an applause in Heaven it will doe us no good to have the true applause much lesse the flatteries of men on earth Suppose they speake right and give us but our due yet we must not rest in that but goe to God The good word of God is better to us infinitely then the best vvord of the best men to him let us have recourse when we have the greatest favour and fairest Quarter in the World but when the World scornes and rejects us then is a speciall season for us to hasten into the presence of God wee should live neerest and closest to God when men cast us off or throw us out of their societies and affections There is a twofold recourse to God whereof the first is from choice the second from necessity It is best to make our recourse to God upon choise but he will not refuse us if necessity drive us to him God is most worthy to be our choyce but he is willing to be our refuge yet he is indeed a refuge to those onely in evill times who have made him their choyce in the best times When all goes well with us in the World we should not thinke our selves well till we enjoy God It is good for me to draw neere to God saith David Psal 73.28 It is good for me to doe it in good times in the best times this I make my election And when David saith It is good he meanes it is best that positive beares the sense of a Superlative and therefore he had sayd a little before Vers 25. Whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee But in an evill time God is both the choyce and the refuge of his people He is our refuge properly to whom we come when others cast us off and hee is our choyce to whom we come when others call for us and seeme ambitious to be kinde unto us It is not thank-worthy to make God barely a refuge to come to him because wee can goe no where else we should thinke our selves no where till we are in his presence wheresoever we are and that we have nothing till we have him whatsoever we have Not to preferr the least of God before all the World is not onely un-ingenuous in us but sinfull against and
dishonourable unto God Job who here wept to God in his low estate had often rejoyced in God in his best estate and preferred him before his cheifest joy They may confidently weep to God in sad times who have delighted themselves with God in comfortable times Secondly Observe Liberty of addresse to God when men scorne and reject us is the great priviledge of the Saints Every man cannot do this can the men of the world powre out teares to God when they are scorned by the world can they powre out prayers to God when they are ill intreated by the world Can they goe into the imbraces of God when they are cast out by men they cannot They can vexe themselves when they are vexed by others and perhaps vexe those that vexe them they can be angrie when they are scorned and perhaps scorne their scorners but how to spread their condition before God or to powre out tears to him they know not they who can doe thus are honoured by God when scorned by men and God will powre out comforts into their bosomes who can powre their teares into his they can never be at any losse who finde out God to weepe to Job having thus given the reason of his appeale to Heaven enforceth it farther with a stong wish according to our translation which is also confirmed by the concurring vote of divers other translations Vers 21. O that one might plead for a man with God as a man pleadeth for his Neighbour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vtinam disputare posset vir cum deo et filius hominis sodali suo Pagn Optat ex aequari haeo duo hominis cum deo et hominis cum homine disceptationem Merc. Certe hic aliquid subauditur ut et quis deo viro vel ut faciat ac concedat Deus sc hoc viro Merc. The Summe of his desire may be drawne up into this Breife that he might argue his case as freely with God as men of the same rank and degree argue out their cases with one another Some expound it as a correction of his boldnes in appealing to God As if he had said I have indeed called God to witnes but what am I or what is my Fathers house that God should descend to my concernments The infinit distance which is between the Creator and the creature seemes to forbid and check my motion bidding me keep within my owne line or spheare and medle with my equals But O that I might speake with God as man with man or man for man I doubt not but I should carry the day and prove my selfe innocent not that Job intended a controversie with God or would stand upon his defence with the most high I have before shew'd how far this was from the temper of his broken spirit All that he intends by the proposall of this desire is the gaining of an opportunity to set himselfe right in the opinion of men by that impartiall dâ—cision of his cause which he was vvell assured God would give upon the whole matter in question betweene him and his friends if once he would be pleased to vouchsafe him a free and familiar hearing of it As if he had further said I have not apealed to Heaven because I am unwilling to have my condition knowne on earth Vtinam mihi conâ—ederetur causam meam adversum vos apud Dei Tribunal disceptare sicut agere homines cum hominibus consueverunt Bez. that men should see the worst of me for my desire is that I might plead before God as a man for his Neighbour and that I might be laid open in open Court by the evidence of witnesses and a full examination of my cause Taking these explications of the text in the forme of a wish The scope of it seemes to be the same with what he spak before Chap. 9. 33.34.35 God is not a man as I am that I should answer him and we should come together in judgement neither is there any Dayes-man betwixt us c. In which words as in these before us while Job lifts up the Majesty of God and humbleth himselfe as unworthy to have to doe with God yet he discovers the vehement longings of his soule to receive a judgement or determination from God in this suit or controversie which had depended so long between him and his friends The Observations which arise from this reading and sence of the Text are of the same straine with those formerly given upon that and some other passages where Job knowing his own uprightnes and integritie declares not only willingnesse but extreame earnestnesse to have his cause tryed at the Bar and before the Tribunal of God who both saw his wayes and searched his heart who as he had justified him from all guilt in reference to himselfe by not imputing sinne unto him so he would justifie him against the sinnes which men imputed to him by saying he was not at all guilty These points having been more then once hinted already I shall not insist upon them here Secondly The words are rendred as noting the designe which Job had in powring out teares to God and then the connection betweene this and the former verse stands thus Apud Deum stillat oculus meus utdisceptet causam viri cum deo sicut filius hominis causam amici sui Jun. I powre out teares to God that he would be pleased to plead the cause of a man with God as the Sonne of man pleades the cause of his friend Mr. Broughton joynes fully with this Vnto the puissant doth mine eye drop that he mould decide the cause for earthly-wight before the puissant as the sonne of Adam doth with his Neighbour Our translation carries the sence of a wish that a man might have liberty to plead with God as man with man this carries the sence of a wish that God would plead the cause of a man with God as a man pleades the cause of his friend which is indeed to desire God to be his advocat Ad Deum stillat oculus meus ut judicet viro cum Deo silium hominis respectu proximi sui Coc. How God is an advocat with God wil appear further in the prosecution of the text A third reading keepes to this dependance upon the former verse and to the same scope of this yet varyes the translation Thus Mine eye powreth out teares to God that he would judge for a man with God and that he would judge the Sonne man in respect of his Neighour The first reading makes the latter branch of the vvords a description of the manner how Job desired to plead with God even as man doth with man The second makes it a description of the manner how Job desired God to plead the cause of man with God even as man pleades with man This third makes it a second distinct desire and the whole verse to consist of two distinct desires First That God would judge for a man
with God Secondly That God would judge the Sonne of man in respect of his Neighbour In the former he petitions for mercy with God in the latter for right against man or in the former he sues for a judgement of acceptation for himselfe and in the latter for a judgement of reproofe and redargution upon his friends This difference is grounded upon the different construction of the vvords in the originall For the word which is rendred to plead or judge is construed with or governs as gramarians speake the Dative case in the first and the Accusative case in the latter clause of the verse Hence the former is rendred That he would judge or plead for a man with God which notes favour and a benigne defence or patronage of his cause with God so this is used by the Prophet Isai 11.4 He shall reprove argue judge or plead with equity for the meeke of the earth that is he shall reprove or plead in favour of the meeke or on their side he shall undertake their cause and make their defence for them And thus at last God did judge or plead for Job giving sentence in his behalfe and casting the scales on his side against his friends and therefore the latter clause is rendred thus That he would judge the Sonne of man in respect of his Neighbour that is that he would reprehend and reprove him for the wrongs vvhich he hath donâ— to and for the uncharitable censures vvhich he hath layd upon his Neighbour The meaning of the whole verse according to this translation may be represented and paraleld in that prayer of David Psal 35.1 2 3. Plead my cause O Lord with them that strive with me fight against them that fight against me c. say unto my soule I am thy salvation Thus Job as David desires the Lord to speake a word of comfort to him and to tell his enemies or his uncomfortable friends their owne I shall only leave one observation upon this exposition When Christ comes gratiously to assert the innocency of his owne people he will severely rebuke those who have done them wrong Laban had given Jacob hard usage vvhile he was a Servant in his House and when he was gone Laban persued him vvith hard thoughts but God pleaded for Jacob and rebuked Laban Gen. 31.42 the Prophet foretels That the mountaine of the Lords house shall be established in the top of the mountaines that is he vvill not only deliver but advance his oppressed Church The house of the God of Jacob Isai 21.2 3. and when he doth this He shall judge among the Nations and shall rebuke many people Vers 4. Some have observed the same difference in these latter words of Isay which hath been noted in the text of Job and render it thus He shall judge among the Nations that is the Heathen Nations who have vexed his Church And he shall rebuke or plead it is the same word in the Grammaticall construction as here in Job For or in the behalfe of many people that is for many of his owne people who have been opposed by those Nations the effect whereof wee have in the next words And they shall beate their swords into plow-shares that is God will so judge those Nations that his people shall not need to stand upon their guard or learne warr any more because their enemies shall either be turned to them or be totally overturned woe to the Nations when God stands up for his people he will certainly ruine Babylon when he undertakes the controversie and pleades the cause of Zion Yea the day hastens when he will Convince all that are ungodly of all the hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him Jud. vers 15. that is against his people for his sake Fourthly Besides these three expositions of the Text I finde another which is more litterall and yet more spiritual then any of the three and it is that which our late learned Annotators have given us Mine eye powres out teares unto God And he will plead for a man with God and the Sonne of man for his friend The mind of which translation is this He that is Christ Jesus the Mediatour betweene God and man will plead for a man that is for me he speakes in the third person for modesties sake though he meanes himselfe he will plead for me though you plead never so much against me for me I say he will plead with God that is with God his Father the Hebrew word here used for God is in the singular number Eloah not Elohim and so it is in the close of the former verse Mine eye powreth out teares to Eloah God and he will plead with God which more then intimates a distinct personalitie or subsistence in the divine nature One who is and is called God acting towards another who is and is called God though God be but one or unissimus One-most in nature Job weepes to God the Son in assurance that he will plead for him with God the Father He will plead for a man with God And the Son of man that is Jesus Christ whom he called God before he cals now The Sonne of man this Title is frequently attributed unto Christ in the New-Testament Matth. 8.20 The Foxes have holes c. but the Sonne of man hath not where to lay his head so Matth. 10.23.11.19.12.8 c Jesus Christ is called the Sonne of man First to shew the truth of his humane nature he being lineally descended from David according to the flesh and is therefore styled The Sonne of David Secondly to shew the depth of his abasement Christ humbled yea emptyed and nothing'd himself when Being in the forme of God he was made in the likenesse of men Phil. 2. when being the Sonne of God he submitted to so meane a style The Sonne of man Ezekiel amongst all the Prophets is oftenest called Son of man The reason which some assigne is very probable That God spake to him under that Title to keep him humble in the midst of his many visions and revelations for which end Paul in the same case had A I horne in the flesh the Messenger of Satan to buffet him 2 Cor. 12. and though Jesus Christ needed nothing either to make or keepe him humble he being infinitely beyond the reach of pride yet he needed much to shew and give proofe how humble he was Nor could there be any greater evidence of it then this that he was pleased to be The Sonne of man Yet I conceive Son of man may be here only an Hebraisme denoting man which kinde of speaking is also usuall among the the Greekes And that Job might speake of Christ under this notion is cleare from that faith which he discovered in the mysterie of his incarnation that great mysterie of godlines God manifested in the flesh of which he spake so confidâ—ntly Chap. 19.25 26 27. I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter
day upon the earth whom I shall see for my selfe and mine eyes shall behold c. Job believed that he should see this Redeemer with humane eyes and therefore he did believe that his Redeemer should have a humane Nature or be The Son of man Jesus Christ was A Son of man in reference to his participation with us in all things which concerne created nature And he was The Son of man by way of Eminency in reference to his freedome from any participation with us in corrupted nature otherwise then in the paenall effects of that corruption as the Apostle states it Heb. 2.17 chap. 4.15 In all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren and he was tempted in all points like as we are yet without sinne He that is in all things like man except sinne is rightly called The Sonne of man for sinne is not at all the forme but all the deformity of man Hence Jobs faith prophesied The Sonne of man will plead For his friend The word in the Hebrew comes from a root which signifies to feed either our selves or others because friends use often to feed together and sometimes one friend seeds or provides and offers food to another It is taken sometimes largely for a Neighbour and not seldome strictly for a speciall friend Deut. 13.6 if thy friend who is as thine own soule entice thee c. that is if the nerest and friend that thou hast in the world entice thee c. in this strict sense the word is to be taken here Job was not one of Christs friends at large he was a special a Bosome-friend Job was not according to the known use of that word among us A friend of Christ extraordinary but he was Christs friend in ordinary a man who dayly convers'd with Christ and Christ with him a man who dayly performed Offices of dutifull love to Christ and a man to whom Christ dayly performed the Offices of bountifull and mercifull love Hence his holy assurance that Christ would perform that Office of mercy for him The Son of man will plead for his fiend The vvords thus opened are as I may say An Epitome of the Gospel a little gospel yea I may cal them the whole Gospel what is the Gospel but this good newes that Christ God-man mediates for his people All that Christ was is expressed in this what so-Christ did more then this on earth is implyed in this and this is all Christ now doth for us in Heaven He ever lives to make intercession for us saith Saint Paul Heb. 7.25 which is the same in effect with what holy Job professeth in this Text Hee will plead for a man with God and the Sonne of man for his Friend There is one thing further to be noted for the clearing of this Text For possibly the Reader may scruple how the same words should be rendred by some as a wish O that one might plead for a man with God and by others as a conclusion He will plead with God for a man Againe how the latter branch should be rendred by some in the forme of a similitude As a man for his neighbour and by others as a direct assertion And the Son of man for his Freind I answer to the first That the same word may be thus diversly rendred according to differing Moods of Grammar and so the signe of the Optative Moode which is in the forme of a wish is by some judged most sutable to the scope of this place So that a wish may here be understood and safely supplyed though it be not expressed To the second scruple I answer that the particle Vau in the Hebrew placed at the beginning of a word though it be usually taken as a Conjunction knitting one sentence to another yet according to the exigence and scope of the Scripture it undergoes diverse other significations As first A disjunctive Exod. 12.15 Ye shall take it out from the Sheep or from the Goates The Hebrew is And from the Goates but because the Law did not command both but gave a liberty to chuse eyther of the two therefore we render not And but Or from the Goates So Judg. 11.31 See the Margin of our Bibles which shewes that Jepthtah did not binde himselfe to offer up whatsoever should meet him in Sacrifice but one of the two he did binde himselfe to eyther to dedicate that to the Lord or to offer it up for a burnt Offering Secondly It is often used Adversatively and is rendred But Gen. 42.10 Psal 44.17 c. Thirdly Causally and it is rendred For Psal 60.11 Isa 64.5 c. Fourthly Besides diverse other acceptions of it which I shall omit it is used Comparatively or as a Note of likenesse Prov. 25.25 As cold water to a thirsty soule so is good newes from a farr Countrey The Hebrew is And good newes So Pro. 26.7 and very frequently in that Book Thus in the Text the particle Vau is taken by some as a note of likenesse comparing the two parts of the Verse with each other but by others it is taken onely as a conjunction copulative knitting both parts of the Verse together He will plead for a man with God and the Son of man for his Freind From the words according to this latter readinâ—â— Observe First There is an Advocate between God and Man Sin hath made a breach there needs a Mediator to heale it God and sinfull man are as we speake Two and they cannot be made One but by a Third Man was created in a state of amity with God that state needed no Mediatour man being restored is in a state of reconciliation unto God that state needs a Mediatour both to settle and continue it And hee who is the Mediatour betweene both parties is an Advocate a pleader a Patron for the one partie There was need of a Mediatour even in regard of God himselfe that both his State might be preserved and his Justice satisfied But there was need of an Advocate onely in regard of man that so his wants and miseries might be declared and that mercy together with helpe in the time of need might be obtained The Apostle Gal. 3.20 describing the nature of a Mediatour saith A Mediatour is not of one or as we supply not a Mediatour of one A Mediatour is of two yea and for two But an Advocate though he be betweene two yet he is but for one or of one eyther of one individually taken or of one specifically taken eyther of one man or of one sort or company of men who though they are many in number yet their state or case is one Thus Christ is an Advocate for one or of one all that he is an Advocate for being in one and the same condition for the maine though some particulars in every mans case may vary The Greek word which is rendred Advocate in the New Testament is applyed to the holy Ghost But there is a great difference betweene
Christ his being a Paraclete or an Advocate and the spirits being an Advocate John 16.7 If I goe not away saith Christ the Comforter or the Advocate will not come unto you that is The holy Ghost will not come unto you One Advocate goeth away that the other Advocate may come Christ is an Advocate by way of impetration the spirit is Advocate by way of application Christ is an Advocate vvith God to get mercy for us the spirit is an Advocate with us to prevaile on our hearts to receive that mercy Though Christ be our Advocate in Heaven pleading for us with the Father yet if we had not the spirit to plead in our hearts on earth we â—ould never receive the good that Christ hath purchased for us of his Father Christ appeares for us in Heaven Heb. 9.24 He appeares as an Atturney in Court for his Client he is gone to Heaven to appeare for us the spirit comes from Heaven and appeares in us Christ began the worke of his intercession here John 17. Hee is gone into Heaven to continue and perfect it The spirit doth both begin and perfect his intercession here he doth not plead for us but in us or the spirit makes intercession for us by stirring us up to prayer by teaching us how to word and mould or rather how to sigh and groane our prayers Christ makes intercession for us by presenting and tendering those prayers to the Father which the spirit helpes us to make or by making prayers for us himselfe to the Father Some dispute how they inquire much after the manner how Christ makes intercession or performes the office of an Advocate for us but it is enough for us to know that hee is an Advocate or that he makes intercession for us though we are not able to describe the manner how Whether it be First Onely by presenting himselfe to the Father and his appearing for us which is an equivalent if not a formall intercession Or secondly By the tendering of his righteousnesse and merits as satisfaction to the Father Or thirdly By expressing our wants and his desires for us Whether by all these or by which of these or whether by some other way is not determinable by us yet this is cleare that he performes the office of an Advocate for us and that we receive every good thing from the hand of God through his hand Further Christ may be considered First As an Advocate for the whole Church There are some causes of common concernement to all the people of God Thus he was an Advocate for Jerusalem when under bonds and captivity in Babylon Zech. 1.12 Then the Angell of the Lord not a created but the creating Angell or the Angel of the Covenant who is the Son of God answered and sayd O Lord of Hosts how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the Cities of Judah against which thou hast had indignation these three score and ten yeares And as Christ pleads for the whole Church so for every particular member of the Church and that also under a twofold notion He is Advocate first to take away our sins If any man sin saith the Apostle John 1 Epist 2.1 we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous c. Secondly Christ is an Advocate for us with the Father in our sufferings and troubles to get them taken off from us or sanctified to us Doubtlesse Job made use of Christ continually as an Advocate to take off the guilt of sin yet here he makes use of Christ as an Advocate to get off his sufferings especially these misjudgings of his Freinds who deeply censured and aspersed him because of his sufferings yea a Beleever makes use of Christ as an Advocate to get any good thing whether little or great whether for soule or for body as much as he doth for the removing of any evill whether of sin or trouble Secondly Observe The Doctrine of a Mediator betweene God and Man was knowne and beleeved in the World long before Christ came into the World Many saw Christ by Faith before he was seene in the flesh Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seene Heb. 1.1 And as it is the evidence of things so of persons that are not seen Christ tells the Jewes John 8.56 Your Father Abraham rejoyced to see my day and he saw it and was glad And when the Jewes quarrelled at this Thou art not yet fifty yeares old and hast thou seen Abraham Jesus sayd unto them Verily verily I say unto you before Abraham was I am As Abraham saw his day by Faith so David in spirit called him Lord Mat. 22.43 And as these persons with all the holy Elders saw Christ by Faith in the promise so the whole Ceremoniall Law was a representation of Christ to faith by sense Every slaine Sacrifice spake the death of Christ and the sprinkling of that blood the sprinkling of their consciences and ours for the remission of sins Yea They did all eate the same spirituall meat that is the same which we now eate and did all drinke the same spirituall drinke for they dranke of that spirituall Rock that followed them and least we should mistake what was meant by that Rock the Apostle expounds it himselfe And that Rock was Christ The Rock did not follow them but Christ who was signified by that Rock did follow them They who are built upon Christ the Rock shall never be moved yet Christ is a moving as well as a living Rock to those who are built upon him whither soever they move he follows them Thus Jesus Christ was meate and drinke to the Jewes as well as to us for he is the Lamb slaine from the foundation of the World Revel 13.8 that is The vertue ot his death saved all who have been saved from the foundation of the World As Christ was slaine from Eternity in the counsell of God so he was slaine from the beginning of time in the promise of God Gen. 3.15 which was the publication of his death he was then also slaine as to the heart of Beleevers whose Faith having once a word for it makes that which is absent in regard of place spiritually present and that which is not in regard of time truely to be Thirdly Observe The Mediatour betweene God and man hath beene knowne and beleeved in all Ages under a twofold nature both God and Man We have both in this profession of Jobs Faith He beleeved the Mediatour to be God for he saith Mine eye powreth teares to God There is the divine nature He beleeved that the Mediatour should be man and therefore adds The Son of man for his freind there is his humane nature so that not onely the generall Doctrine of the mediatorship of Christ but this particular about the constitution of his person as Mediator was also knowne Had not our Advocate been man he could not have suffered for us and had hee
will plead for a man with God and the Son of man for his Freind As if Job had sayd I know I have a Freind of Christ and Christ lookes on me as his freind and therefore I have highest confidence that he will plead my cause and take off this scandall So much for Jobs earnest desire upon his appeale that his cause might come to a hearing and that Christ would undertake the pleading of it before his Father He gives a reason in the last verse why he was thus pressing to have the businesse brought to an issue why he did thus appeale to God as his witnesse why he did powre out teares to Christ that he would plead for him Why all this Vers 22. When a few yeares are come then shall I goe the way whence I shall not returne Deum vellem jamjam in presentia disceptationem in se recipere quia ad mortem propero Jun. As if He had said For as much as I must dye shortly I desire to have this difference taken up before I dye I cannot live long in this world and I would not goe out of the world under such a cloud as is now upon me Is it not time for me to hasten my cause to an end when mine end hastens and to get my busines determined before my yeares are Anni numeri Heb. i. e. qui numerati sunt adeo et brevissima periodo circumscripti When a few yeares are come The Hebrew is yeares of number that is Yeares which may easily be numbred Isai 10.19 The trees that remaine shall be few that a Child may write them they shall be trees of number that is a small number and Gen. 34.29 Jacob saith We are but few the Hebrew is We are men of number we may soone be told a Child may tell us and yet you provoke Citie and Countrie against us We very well translate according to the Hebraisme yeares of number a few yeares When a few yeares are come I shall goe the way whence I shall not returne What way is that which hath Vestigiv nulla retrorsum where all steps are forwards and none backward this is such a way as wee meet not with in all our earthly travels yet every man on earth is travelling towards such a way travell which way you will you have as many steps backwards as forwards men comming and going but saith Job I shall goe the way I shall not returne What way is this This is the way of all flesh Joshua 23.15 1 King 2.2 This is the way to the grave that way hath no steps backwards But are there no returne from the grave It is true some have risen there have been some first fruits of a resurrection but they who have come from the grave are so few that their foot-steps are worn out by those many many thousands of thousands who have gone to the grave What multitudes have gone the way to the grave and are not returned some few have returned but these so few that we may still affirme the way to the grave knowes no returning That which is very rarely done the contrary being very frequently done is said not to be done at all or never to be done But Job seemes to deny his owne returne he speakes as if he should not be only lodged for a while but lost for ever in the grave I shall goe the way whence I shall not returne I answer That Jobs faith was clear in the point of the resurrection of the body appeares by the confession which he makes Chap. 19.25 26. and therefore when he saith I shall not returne his meaning is as was shewed upon a like passage Chap. 10.21 First That he should not returne by any power of nature Secondly That he should not returne to a State of nature he believed fully that he should returne by the power of God to an estate of glory Our bodies which are sowen naturall bodies shall be raised spirituall bodies Though that which was sowed shall returne yet vvhen it returnes it shall not be as it was sowed Lastly whereas Job saith I shall not returne his meaning is vvhen I dye or if I dye I shall no more returne to my house and dwelling in the vvorld I must take my leave of all these things for ever My place shall know me no more as he speakes to the same subject Chap. 7.10 From the first branch of the verse note The yeares of mans life are few You may quickly number them Secondly As the yeares of mans life come about quickly so when they are come vve must goe certainely vvee must goe with death I shall goe saith Job there is no hindring no stopping of that journey it will not serve any mans turne to say He hath no mind to goe he must goe it will not serve any mans turne to say He is not at leisure to goe he must go it will not serve any mans turne to say he is not fit to goe He is not prepared to goe he must goe as he is fit or unfit prepared or unprepared he must goe It will not serve any mans turne to say he will give all the treasure in his house all the money in his purse to be spared this journey he must goe It will not serve any mans turne to say he will get another to goe for him or he will send one in his rooome There is no dying by proxie every man when his few yeares are come must goe in person Thirdly Observe A Believer can speake of death familiarly It is a comfort to him in his sorrowes to thinke that he shall dye shortly When a few yares are come I shall goe the way c. he speakes pleasantly the mention of death was a life to him Jobs life was a kinde of death and therefore to him especially death would be a kind of life were our hearts rightly affected they that have the most lively life would thinke death better thâ—n this life I desire saith Paul to be dissolved and to be with Christ which is best of all Death was better to him then life and lest any should say no marvaile if Paul desired to dye who could scarse tell where to live and no marvaile if he would dye once for all who was in deaths often to prevent this cavil he adds Which is best of all Barely to dye is better to some then a troublesome life but to dye and be with Christ is better then the best life much more is it better then that life in this world which is a continuall death as Jobes was how shoul such a man sing out Job's verse When a few dayes are come I shall goe the way whence I shall not returne Fourthly Observe It is good to put death before us under the easiest notions Here Job cals it only a going a going out of the world that is all he elsewhere cals it a sleepe and the Spirit of God every where in reference to Saints
speakes of it in the most comfortable expressions Death it selfe is so embalmed yea and cloathed in the holy language that there is even a sweetnes and a beauty in it When a man hath worne a suit of Apparrell a great while and hath even worne it out or it becomes foule and nasty would he not be glad to put that off and get a new one upon his back therefore death is called an uncloathing a putting off the flesh there is no hurt in that when a man hath tyred himself all the day at his work would he not gladly go to bed therfore death is called rest or sleep Under these or the like considerations held forth in Scripture we may as it were burie al hard thoughts of death as was further shewed Chap. 14.12 especally while we remember that as now life is by many degrees bits or morsels swallowed up of mortality so then death shall at one bit or morsell be swallowed up of life 2 Cor. 5.4 For Christ hath not onely conquered but abolished death and hath brought not onely life but immortality to light through the Gospell 2 Tim. 1.10 Life is good yet when it may be sayd of a life it shall dye that puts an evill into life But if life be good how good is immortality which is a life that cannot dye Sixthly Note Job is very importunate to have a blot upon his good name wiped out his conscience was cleere his soule was well he could say Chap. 13. Hee is my Saviour and I know that I shall be justified yet because he was under aspersions and harsh censures he hastens to have these taken off because he was to dye shortly If we should on this ground be carefull to settle our outward estates and credits how much more should we be carefull upon this ground to see that our soules be well settled How should each one say I will hasten to get my sins pardoned my person justified I will hasten to have all cleer between God and my soule For when a few yeares are come I shall goe the way whence I shall not returne And if I doe not see these things done while I am here I shall never come back to see them done nor can they be done at all in the place whither I am going There is no repenting no reforming no beleeving in the grave if our spirituall change be not before our naturall change it will never be This â—rgument should provoke us to settle the affaires of our soules speedily It is not unlawfull nay it is a duty to vindicate our credit and to order the affaires that concerne this life because we have not long to live The hast of death should make us hast our worke even the worke of this life much more upon this ground should we see that our hearts be setled that our eternall peace be setled how should the haste of death make us haste the worke of the life which is to come But as it should make us hasten that worke so it must not make us huddle that worke or slubber it over or doe it to halves Such haste is waste indeed For if we leave our soules halfe setled and our peace halfe made and our repentance and turning to God in the midd way we shall never come againe to finish and perfect them no more then we shall to begin them Therefore set speedily about the worke and give your selves no rest till the worke be perfected for when a few dayes are come you shall goe the way where yee shall not returne Lastly Which was Jobs speciall case It is an affliction for any man to dye under a blott of disgrace Our credit and good name should be precious to us while we live especially wee should be carefull to dye with good credit and not to let a blott lye on us when wee are going out of the World Job would not dye under the name of an Hypocrite or an Oppressour with which black titles he had been charged by his Freinds It is a mercy to goe to the Grave with honour among men and to dye desired though it be enough that we goe to our Grave having honour with God and being desired of him A good name is a Box of oyntment powred forth and a good report especially among those that are good is as the embalming of our memories to posterity And yet the Saints are not so sollicitous for repaires in honour because of that esteeme which they have of their owne esteeme that 's the straine of ambition and they have learned to goe through good report and evill report through honour and dishonour they know how to goe forth without the Campe bearing the reproach of Christ But they are unwilling that Christ should beare their reproach or that his name should be dishonoured through them And therefore seeing they desire while they live to adorne the Doctrine of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in all things they cannot but be carefull before they dye to remove from their owne names whatsoever might reflect dishonour upon his How neer Job was in his owne opinion to the valley of the shadow of death is yet more evident in the first words of the next Chapter Here he onely tells us he must dye shortly there he tells us upon the matter that he was dead already here he saith When a few yeares are come I shall goe there he saith not onely that he had no more yeares to come but no more dayes My dayes are extinct c. JOB CHAP. 17. Vers 1 2 3 4 5. My breath is corrupt my dayes are extinct the Graves are ready for me Are there not mockers with me And doth not mine eyes continue in their provocation Lay downe now put me in a surety with thee who is he that will strike hands with me For thou hast hid their heart from understanding therefore shalt thou not exalt them He that speaketh flattery to his freinds even the eyes of his Children shall faile THE beginning of this Chapter pursues the Argument layd downe in the close of the former Or as a learned Expositor speaks Job in this doth enliven the premises Hoc capite intendit inanimare praemissa Aquin. and as it were put fresh spirits into what he had spoken before For whereas he had before desired the Lord to hasten his cause to a day of hearing because his day of death hastened Cha. 16. Vers 22. When a few yeares are come I shall goe the way whence I shall not returne Here to shew that hee was a dying man he describes himselfe as a dead man My breath is corrupt my dayes are extinct the graves are ready for me Secondly There Job made an appeale to God O that a man might plead with God as a man pleads with his Neighboâ—r Vers 21. And hee gives the reason why My Freinds scorne mee Vers 20. He doth the same here in other language Vers 2. Are there not mockers with me And doth
going to the grave and when we have stept over or scrambled out of one grave wee may quickly slip into another and be locked in fast enough Lastly Take this from the whole by way of Correllary It is our wisedome to stand alwayes ready for death and the grave for they stand ready for us Ours is a dying life a decaying strength ours are consuming dayes our dayes cannot be many possibly they will be but very few for ought wee know the grave is now ready for us and wee are sure it is a digging and preparing for us Therefore let us be digging in the Word of life that we may be ready to meet and welcome death and the grave which are so ready for us The graves are ready for me Job proceeds to re-inforce the cause of his appeale Vers 2. Are there not mockers with me And doth not mine eye continue in their provocation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a illusit derisit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Formula jurisjurandi huic linguae familiaris Merc. Dispeream nisi amici mei studeant mihi imponere Vatabl. Master Broughton translates by way of affirmation Surely mockers are bestowed on me We by way of Question Are there not mockers with me Yes there are mockers with me Some read it as the forme of an Oath It is familiar in the Hebrew to use such formes of swearing and imprecating so the words are rendred by a learned Interpreter Let me perish if my freinds are not mockers if they goe not about to delude me Job spake this a little before My freinds scorne me Chap. 16.20 Here he is at it againe Are there not mockers with me I finde three words applyed by Job to his Freinds while he reproves this their unfreindly usage 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The first Chap. 12.4 there he useth a word which signifieth to mock with derision 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word Chap. 16.19 notes them such as mocked with wit and jesting The word here used signifies to mock by deceiving or deluding as if his Freinds had carryed matters with him more like Sophisters then Comforters So the word is applyed Gen. 31.7 Jacob tels Leah and Rachell You know that with all my power I have served your Father Laban and your Father hath deceived me and changed my wages ten times that is He thought by changing my wages to deceive me and get all the stronger Cattell to himselfe When Moses went out upon the request of Pharaoh to sue unto the Lord for the removing of a present plague Moses sayd Behold I goe out from thee and I will intreat the Lord that the swarmes of flies may depart from Pharaoh from his Servants and from his people to morrow but let not Pharaoh deale deceitfully any more Exod. 8.29 as if he had sayd You have mocked me two or three times and said you would let the people goe doe not so any more lest your deceiving of my expectation prove the greatest deceit of your owne The deluding Doctors which some delighted in are exprest by this word Isa 30.9 This is a rebellious people lying children children that will not heare the Law of the Lord They did not love the Law of the Lord What then which say to the Seers see not and to the Prophets prophesie not unto us right things speake unto us smooth things prophesie deceits The wickednesse of that people lay in two things eyther they would have the Prophets silent and not speak at all or if they did speak they must Prophesie deceits They loved to be cozoned truth made them smart and they could not abide it A guilty conscience cannot endure plaine words but it loves smooth words as many as you will of these words say they or else not a word eyther prophesie deceit or cease prophecying Here Job complaines Are there not deceivers with me As if he had sayd You tell me you bring the minde of God but you bring false Doctrine you preach deceit Though we cannot say they preached smooth things to Job they spake hardly enough of him and harshly enough to him yet we may say they preached deceitfull things to him for though they did not speake with an intention to deceive him yet they were deceived in speaking and he had been deceived if he had yeelded to what they spake In which sense Job cals them which one would think he had little reason to doe considering how roughly they dealt with him he I say cals them Flatterers at the sixth Verse of this Chapter And what 's the businesse or chiefe designe of Flatterers but to catch others with words or to deceive them into a complyance with their owne ends And this is often and was in this case the end Finis operis finis operantis distinguuntur or tendency of the action when it is not the end or intention of the Agent From this notion of the word Observe First To be among Deceivers is a great misery Secondly To be a Deceiver is a great sin Thirdly To publish that which is false though there be no intendment to deceive is to be a Deceiver As most are ignorantly deceived so there are some ignorant Deceivers and as some thinke what they doe to be very just and that it is their duty to doe it when indeed it is very sinfull so there are some who thinke what they teach to be very true and that it is their duty to teach it when indeed it is very erroneous There are but few who know they are Deceivers when they are now as that Servant which knew his Lords will but did not according to his will shall be beaten with may stripes and yet he who knew it not and did commit things worthy of stripes shall not escape a beating he shall be beaten with few stripes Luke 12.47 48. So he that knowes the truth of God and yet deceives others with false Doctrine shall be beaten with many stripes and he who not knowing the truth deceives others shall not escape unbeaten or unblamed as Jobs Freinds did not Non peccavi Vulg. q. d. innocens heu morior Quandoquidem non sunt ludificationes apud me Jun. There is another reading of this first clause differing from ours Are there not mockers with me The Vulgar thus I have not sinned A second to the same sense thus For as much as there are no mockings or deceivings with me I am a man who deals plainely and simply The word which we translate Mockers as noting a Person is rendered by the act and that negatively There are no mockings with me that is I use no mockings or no false play as I am accused I have spoken my heart nakedly and clearly And yet mine eye continueth in their provocation therefore lay downe now put mee in a surety with thee c. Vers 3. This is a good reading but I will not stay upon it onely take two briefe Notes from it A good man is upright hearted
and downe-right in all his dealings and sayings There are no mockings with me I am what I appeare and I appeare what I am An Hypocrite is full of tricks and shifts he disguiseth both his person and his actions No man can tell where to have him or what to make of him When hee speakes his words doe not signifie what he meanes if they signifie any thing and when he acts his workes doe not signifie what he is they signifie any thing rather then that All are mockings of others though he will finde in the end that he hath mocked himselfe most of all Secondly As he joynes this with the next clause There are no mockings with me and yet mine eye continueth in their provocation Note that How plaine-hearted soever a man is yet it is very hard to perswade those who are once prejudiced against him that he is so Let Job say and professe what he would yet hee could not recover his credit nor set himselfe right in the opinion of men till God did it for him Chap. 42. But I passe that Are there not mockers with me What the mocking and scorning of Jobs Freinds was hath been opened Chap. 12.4 Cha. 16.19 and therefore I referr the Reader thither Doth not mine eye continue in their provocation Should he not rather have sayd Doth not mine eare continue c. Mocking is the object of the eare and not of the eye There are some mockings indeed by mimicall foolish gestures and they are the object of the eye Assiduè in id oculos mentis aciem intentam habeo quod me assidue irritant in eo defixae sunt omnes meae cogitationes Merc. Isti dies noctesque non cessant exacerbare animum meum Iun. Intenta cogitatio somnum impedit but here Job speakes of what he had from them in conference which is properly the busines of the eare and yet he faith Doth not mine eye continue in their provocation By the eye wee are to understand the eye of the minde Doth not mine eye that is Have I not a representation in my spirit or upon my fancy of your mockings and bitter provocations even as if they were visible before mine eyes Have I not night visions and apparitions upon my Bedd of what you speak or act against me every day Againe We may expound the Text properly of his bodily eye b cause the trouble which they gave him in the day time hindred his sleep in the night The letter of the Hebrew favours this sense Doth not mine eye lodge in their provocation So we put in the Margin of our Bibles Hence Master Broughton reads In these mens vexing lodgeth mine eye that is When I goe to Bed and hope to sleep then in stead of lodging in my Bed I lodge in the thoughts of my Freinds unkindnesse and indeed a man may sleep better upon the bare boards then upon hard words Such words keep the eyes waking and are as bad to sleep upon as a pillow of thornes especially when which was Jobs case the eye continueth in them Intentnesse of minde or vehement cogitation about any thing keep open the eyes and forbid the approach of rest Doth not mine eye continue In their provocation Provocations He called them Mockers and their mockings were provocations Vel a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 amarum esse Sive a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod est irritare sive exacerbare The word as some derive it signifies that which is bitter Provocation is a bitter thing Others derive it from a root signifying to irritate and stirr up the spirit of a man which is provocation properly Provocation is a high act of wrong A man may doe another wrong on this side a provocation as the provocation of God is a high act of sinne in man ordinary acts of sin doe not amount to a provocation Ps 106.7 They provoked him at the Sea it is this word even at the red Sea that is There they sinned extreamly So Ps 95.8 which the Apostle quotes Heb. 3.8 The holy Ghost cals the whole time of that peoples froward walking or sinning against God in the Wildernesse The provocation Harden not your hearts as in the provocation that is In the time when yee sinned not onely to the offending but to the provoking of God against you not to the breaking of his Lawes but to the vexing of his spirit When sin is compleat and iniquity growne to a full stature that day is justly marked in the Calendar of Scripture with a red letter implying wrath and is therefore called The provocation So when any man deales very unkindly frowardly or unfaithfully against his Brother then 't is a provocation Doth not mine eye continue in their provocation Now for as much as the same word signifieth both bitternesse and provocation and that most provocations are given by uncharitable and unconsiderate speeches Observe First Vnkinde words are bitter to the hearer The Apostle gives the rule to Husbands Col. 3.19 Husbands love your Wives and be not bitter to them that is Doe not give them bitter words in stead of faithfull counsels Some Husbands speak their Gall to their Wives to whom they have given their hearts Among the Heathens the Gall of the Sacrifice which they superstitiously offered at Marriages Quo instituto legis Author non obscure innuebat a conjugio semper debere bilem iramque abesse Drus Prov. Clas 2. l. â— was puld out and throwne away before it was presented at the Altar signifying that Man and Wife should be as Naturalists say the Dove is without Gall one towards another Wholesome counsels and admonitions for the matter are often administred with such an undue mixture of heat and passion as renders them not onely distastefull but hurtfull to the receiver Secondly Note Harsh words carry much provocation in them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 animum despondeo The same Apostle in the same Chapter enlarging his Institutes for the direction of Beleevers in all Relation bespeakes Parents Vers 21. Fathers provoke not your Children to anger The word signifies any kinde of provocation but that especially which is caused by contumelious and upbrayding speeches A Father provokes his Childe when he speakes hastily and threatningly terrifying his Childe rather then instructing him The reason why Fathers should not thus provoke their Children is added Lest they be discouraged or as the word imports be as if they were without soules â—noop't as we say and heartlesse For as there is a provocation in a good sense which heightens the spirit in well doing and enlivens it for action The Apostle exhorts to that Heb. 10.24 Let us consider one another to provoke one another to love and to good works that is let us set such copies of holinesse that others may be stirred up beyond their ordinary pitch and elevation of spirit to a zealous doing of good Or speake such winning words give such pressing exhortations that the hearts of your
be able to get off in haste There are many who have struck yea wounded their owne hearts incurably by striking hands for their Freinds Goe to the Courts of Justice and there is nothing more frequently heard of then the sighes of Sureties He disassures his owne Estate who assures for others Secondly As Contracts and Suretiship for Money were confirmed by striking hands so it is very probable that those suretiships which were given about Tryals and for appearing to the Action of the Plaintiffe in Judgement were also confirmed by that outward ceremony in which sense we are to understand it here Further The word which we translate to Strike signifies also to Fasten which shewes another part of the ceremony for as striking so joyning and clasping of hands was used Once more the word signifies Clangere tuba Complosis manibus sonus editur and oft is applyed to the sounding of a Trumpet or the giving of any sound This also carries on the same allusion because when two men strike hands they make a sound the interpretation of which is that the bargaine is made or it speâ—kes the parties agreed and hence that knowne expression among us Of striking up a bargaine or a businesse Thus the whole Text is carryed on in termes alluding to the ordinary proceeding eyther in becomming bound with another for Money or in giving assurance to performe and stand to the arbitrement or award of those who shall judge and determine any matter in difference But how are wee to apply this to the present case Lay downe now put me in a surety with thee who is hee that will strike hands with me There are three or foure expositions given about it First That Job in these words desires God to give surety that he would stand to the judgement which should be given or he would have God assure him Da fidejussorem apud te qui in hac contentione quae mihi tecum intercidit spondeat te staturum iis quae judicata fuerint ut te non tanquam judicem geras sed tanquam litigato rem Merc. Familiarius quam par erat cum Deo agit Merc. that hee would not deale with him according to the severity of his Justice or the excellency of his Soveraignty as a Judge but descend to such a course as is usuall among men while they are engaged in any controversie between themselves Job hath spoken the same sense cleerely before in some other passages of this Book especially Chap. 9 33 34. But this sense is not cleere to the scope of the present place And therefore as they who maintaine it confesse that Job was somewhat too bold with God so wee may say that they are somewhat too bold with the Text. For the reason or ground upon which Job desires that God would give him a surety hath no correspondence with this interpretation Vers 4. For thou hast hid their heart from understanding Now what coherence is there betweene these two that Job should say Thou hast hid their heart that is the heart of these men from understanding therefore give mee a surety that thou wilt proceed with me after the manner of men Besides the words of the fifth Verse oppose it yet more He that speaks flattery to his Freind the eyes of his Children shall faile Now for Job to desire God to put him in a surety that hee would deale thus or thus with him because the man who speakes flattery to his Freind his Childrens eyes shall faile hath no argument at all in it yet the abetters of this Interpretation mollifie all by saying that Job spake from a disturbed spirit being much moved with the ill dealing of his Freinds and though there may be some inconsistence with the context yet the Text considered in its owne compasse beares it well enough but I passe from it Secondly That Job desires God to appoint a Surety betweene him and his Freinds who should undertake both Gods cause and his against them three As if hee had sayd Lord my Freinds have wronged me and they have wronged thee too O that thou wouldest provide a man furnished with wisedome and a spirit of discerning both to right thy honour and to cleare up my integrity Such a one was Elihu who appeared shortly after upon the Stage and there acted such a part as this Thirdly say others Job desires that God himselfe would be his Surety and take up the whole matter betweene him and his Freinds which hee also did in the latter end of this Book giving judgement for Job and blaming the miscarriage of his Freinds So the word is used Isa 38.14 when Hezekiah lay sick even unto death he prayed Lord I am oppressed undertake for me It is this word Be Surety for me A learned Translator renders it Weave me through or weave me to the end for the word signifies the Thred in weaving Pertexe me Jun. called the Woofe which being put upon the Shuttle is cast through the Warpe in making Cloath whether Linnen or Woollen thus it is used Lev. 13.52 and so these words of Hezekiah carry on the Allegory of the tenth Verse I sayd in the cutting off of my dayes c. and of the twelfth Verse I have cut off like a Weaver my life he will cut me off with pining sicknesse In both which Verses Hezekiah compares mans life to a peece of Cloath in the Loome which is made sometimes shorter and sometimes longer and wheresoever it ends the Woofe or running Thred is cut off Hence Hezekiah prayeth Lord these sicknesses like a sharpe Knife threaten to cut the thred of my life yet I beseech thee doe thou weave on weave me to the end of that Warpe which is given to man in the common course of nature and let not this sicknesse cut my thred in the mid-way This is a good sense of the Text. But when our Translators render the word Vndertake for me the meaning is I am sore oppressed with the violence of this sicknesse which like one of the Sergeants of cruell death hath arrested me nor is there any way for me to escape unlesse thou O Lord rescue me out of its hands or as it were give Bayle and become surety for me I am opprest O Lord undertake for me David having done a great peece of Justice which contracted him much envy and had drawne many Enemies upon him thus bespeakes God Psal 119.121 122. I have done judgement and justice leave me not to mine oppressors be surety for thy Servant that is mainetaine mee against those who vvould wrong me because I have done right put thy selfe or interpose betweene mee and mine Enemies as if thou wert my pledge Impartiall justice upon oppressors layes the Judges open to oppression but they who run greatest hazzards in zeale for God shall finde God ready to be their Surety when they pray Be surety for thy servants And thus we may conceive Job entreating the Lord to be his Surety and
up Zerubbabel and others of the Jewish line to reassume the Government of Judah But this Prophesie was chiefely intended and verified in a spirituall sense when God sent Jesus Christ A Governour proceeding from the midst of them of whom Zerubbabel was but a type for of him the Lord speakes chiefely in this admiring Question Who is this that engageth his heart to approach â—nto me Or who is this that with his heart that is with so much chearefulnesse and willingnesse hath put himselfe as a surety for this people with me to approach to me in their cause and to take upon him the dispatch of all their affaires and concernments with me in the Court of Heaven Who is this great this forward Engager but he who also sayd Loe I come to doe thy will O God What will came he to doe Even this To be a Surety and so a Sacrifice to God for sinners Heb. 10. Thus the whole businesse of our deliverance and the first motions to it lay quite without us God appointed and put in Christ our surety with him and Christ freely condiscended to be our surety knowing that the whole debt must lye upon his discharge Put me in a surety with thee But here it may be doubted how this notion of a Surety suites with this place seeing Jobs controversie was with man not with God and himselfe also had professed that all was cleare for him in Heaven I answer That although men accused Job yet their accusation reacht his peace with God for had he been such a one as they represented him he must needs have fallen under the divine displeasure more then he did under theirs And therefore while he pleaded Not-guilty to their charge he beggs further discoveries of the favour of God to him through the Mediatour by the remembrance of whose Suretiship his heart was confirmed in the pardon of all his sinfull faylings against God vvhereof he was guilty as well as his heart told him that hee was not guilty of those wilfull sins wherewith hee was accused by men When we lye under wrongfull accusations of which we indeed need no surety to acquit us it is good to view and renew our Interest in the Surety who will acquit us where there is need Job proceeeds to re-inforce the reason why he desired God to undertake or to provide a Surety for him Vers 4. Thou hast hid their heart from understanding therefore shalt thou not exalt them Or Thou hast hid understanding from their heart As if he had sayd Thou hast cast such a mist before the eyes of these men who mocke me and judge me wicked that they are unfit to be trusted with the determination of my cause for did they not want a due light of understanding they might quickly discerne my integrity and cleare me from their owne suspitions God sometimes as it were wraps or folds up the hearts of the Children of men in ignorance blindnesse and darknesse and so hides not onely understanding from their hearts but their hearts from understanding As God is sayd to circumcize the heart to open the eyes to take away the vaile when he gives the knowledge of his truth so he is sayd to blinde the eyes to cover the heart with fat and to cloud the understanding vvhen hee denyes or withholds the knowledge of the truth Thou hast hid their hearts from understanding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Est mens ratio intellectus dexteritas in agendâ— The vvord which we translate Vnderstanding signifies any of or all the intellectuall powers together with a readinesse or activity for dispatch in any service we are called unto Thou hast hid their heart from understanding therefore they doe but bungle at the businesse and cannot judge aright they cannot discerne the manner of thy dispensations towards me nor see the bottome of my condition Job did not censure his Freinds as fooles or ignorant as if they were witlesse or worthlesse men they were wise and learned yea honest and godly too But when Job saith Thou hast hid their heart from understanding we are to restraine it to the matter in hand or to his particular case As if he had sayd Thou hast hid the understanding of what thou hast done to me from their hearts thy providences are mysteries and riddles which they cannot unfold and as they know not the meaning of what thou dost so they know not my meaning when I sayd Chap. 9.17 He hath multiplyed my wounds without cause Nor vvhen I sayd Vers 22. He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked These sayings are secrets to my Freinds Now Lord for as much as these men have no true insight in this present controversie therefore I begg that thou wouldest undertake for me or put me in a surety with thee Further For the clearing of this Scripture it may be questioned First how God is sayd to hide the heart from understanding God doth this foure wayes First By speaking darkely or in such a manner as the understanding cannot easily finde a passage to the things that are spoken A Parable is a darke saying And when Christ Preached in Parables His Disciples came and sayd unto him Why speakest thou to them in Parables Matth. 13.10 Now among other reasons which Christ was pleased to give of that dispensation this was one Vers 14. In them is fulfilled the Prophesie of Isaiah which saith By hearing yee shall heare and shall not understand and seeing yee shall see and shall not perceive As if Christ had sayd These men have justly deserved to be punished with spirituall darknesse which is not Vnderstanding and therefore I have spoken to them in a darke way They did not heare to obey vvhat was plaine and easie to be understood and therefore now they shall heare what they cannot understand Secondly God hides the heart from understanding by denying or not giving light and that a twofold light First The outward light of his word Thus all those people are sayd to sit in darknesse that is To have no understanding in the things of God where the Gospell is not published Secondly By denying or not giving the inward light of his spirit though the light of the World abound For as a man may have the Sun shining in his face and yet be in the darke if he wants eyesight So as the Apostle speakes 2 Cor. 4.3 4. the Gospell is hid in the most glorious shining of it to those whose mindes the God of this World hath blinded Now every man is borne spiritually blinde or he is blinde by nature and he is blinded by the God of this Worlds till the God of all Worlds sends his spirit with the Word for the opening of his eyes Thirdly God hides the heart from understanding as by not giving so by vvithdrawing the light vvhich he hath given Many have forfeited their eye-sight and their light and God hath taken the forfeiture of them Which he doth first when men are proud of the
light and puft up with knowledg Secondly vvhen men are unthankfull for the light and vvill not acknowledge God the giver of it Thirdly vvhen men grow vvanton or vaine in the light vvhen they abuse it and having the light vvalke in darknesse All vvhich reasons of Gods vvithdrawing light as many Scriptures testifie so they are all testified in that one Scripture Rom. 1.21 22. Fourthly As God may be sayd to hide the heart from understanding by a totall withdrawing of light so by vvithholding it for a time or in part by clouding or eclipsing it God hides the heart of some men from understanding onely in such a point or at such a season giving them light in other things yea and in that thing too at another season This fourth way I conceive most proper to this Text of Job for his Freinds vvere not under that terrible judgement of a totall hiding their hearts from understanding onely the light was with-held from them in and about that transaction As vvhen Christ after his resurrection appeared to those Disciples Luke 24.26 the Text saith Their eyes were held that they should not know him And Vers 31. Their eyes were opened and they knew him Thus God at one time holds the intellectuall eye of some good men that they cannot discerne such or such a Truth yet afterwards he opens their eyes and they discerne it Hence Observe First The wisest men doe not see all truths nor are they able to judge of all matters These were vvise men very vvise men they spake excellent things and very understandingly about God they gave Job very good counsell but yet they failed here Elihu Ch. 32.9 saith Great men are not alwayes wise vve may say vvise men are not alwayes wise and as no man is wise at all times so there is no man wise in all things We cannot conclude that because a man hath given a right judgement in some one or in many points that therefore we may trust his decisions in all points As God hides all wisedome from some men so he very rarely if at all trusts any one man or sort of men at one time with all vvisedome Jobs Freinds were vvell acquainted with and they have acquainted us with many excellent notions about that great Doctrine of Providence but they were much mistaken about the Providence of God with Job nor did they shew themselves acquainted vvith that excellent Designe of God in his afflicting Providences thereby to try the strength and manifest the graces vvhich hee hath bestowed upon his people Secondly Observe The hiding of the heart from and the opening of the heart to understanding are the worke of God We see no further then God gives us light and so farr as he leads us we goe right if hee vvithdraw vve turne aside and quickly vvander from the way of truth and righteousnesse We have nothing of our owne but sin and ignorance wisedome is of God Every good and perfect gift comes from above As God hides all Gospell-truths and mysteries from vvorldly vvise men so no Gospell mysterie is knowne to any man till God discover and make it knowne Matth. 11.25 At that time Jesus answered and sayd I thanke thee O Father Lord of Heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent but hast revealed them unto babes By vvise and prudent he meanes wordly vvise men meere Philosophers and Politicians or hypocriticall Professors such as the Scribes and Pharisees were from these God in judgement hides the things of the Kingdome of Heaven and reveales them unto Babes even to such as are at the greatest distance in naturall considerations from the capacity of such rich and heavenly manifestations There is no greater argument that God opens the heart to understand then to see Babes understand If true knowledge in spirituall mysteries vvere from man they vvho have most of man in them vvould have most of that knowledge but vvee are taught by experience that such men as the World calls Fooles doe not erre in the way of holinesse Isa 35.8 And that the course of all Worldly vvise men is a continuall erring from that vvay and that some godly men who are higher by head and shoulders then some of their Brethren in naturall wisedome have run into and maintained errors whither can we ascribe all this but to the power of God Moses speakes of the many signes and miracles which God wrought in the midst of that people vvhich they did not understand Why what was the reason Moses tells us expressely vvhat Yet the Lord hath not given you a heart to conceive nor eyes to see nor eares to heare to this day Deut. 29.4 They had sensitive eyes and eares yea they had a rationall heart or minde but they vvanted a spirituall eye to see a spirituall care to heare a spirituall heart or minde to apprehend and improve those wonderfull vvorkes of God And these they had not because God had not given them such eyes eares and hearts Wonders without grace cannot open the eyes fully but grace without wonders can And as man hath not an eye to see the wonderfull workes of God spiritually untill it is given so much lesse hath he an eye to see the wonders of the Word of God till it be given him from above and therefore David prayes Psal 119.18 Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wonderous things out of thy Law And if the wondrous things of the Law are not much seene till God give an eye then much lesse are the vvondrous things of the Gospell The light of nature shewes us somwhat of the Law but nothing of the Gospell was ever seen by the light of nature Many who have seene and admired some excellencies in the Law could never see and therefore have derided that which is the excellency of the Gospell till God hath opened their heart to understanding Thirdly Observe It is a great judgement to have our hearts hidden from understanding in the things of God It is a sore judgement not to have the light but it is a sorer judgement not to see by the light when we have it To have a heart hid from understanding is farr worse then to have a heart unable to understand Our inability to understand ariseth two vvayes First From a naturall infirmity in the understanding Secondly From the naturall obscurity of the matter presented to the understanding Plaine truthes are not apprehended by a weake understanding and the strongest understanding cannot apprehend some obscure truthes as the Apostle Peter saith of Saint Pauls Epistles that in them there are some things hard to be understood 2 Pet. 3.16 Now as there is an affliction in it not to be able to understand any truth which God hath revealed for our use so there is much wrath and judgement in it when God hides understanding from the heart in any of those things which he hath revealed for our use but especially in those things which are necessary
eyther to our future or our present peace Thus the Prophet Isaiah was sent to Preach that people blinde and deafe and ignorant Chap. 6.9 10. Goe tell this people Heare yee indeed but understand not and see yee indeed but perceive not Make the heart of this people fat and make their eares heavy and shut their eyes lest they see with their eyes and heare with their eares and understand with their hearts and convert and be healed As if the Lord had sayd This people shall want neither meanes nor Ministers neither word nor light but they shall reape no benefit neither by meanes nor Ministers neither by word nor light yea all these meanes shall produce contrary effects they shall be hardned and not softned blinded and not enlightned their eares shall be deafned not bored by the Word They would not heare therefore they shall not they would not understand therefore they shall not be able to understand They who refuse the offers of mercy shall be destroyed with the offers of mercy And as God doth often take away the Gospell in wrath so he sometimes sends it in wrath It is a great misery to have the Gospell hid from a people for want of revelation but it is lowest misery to have it hid in the revelation Jerusalem signifies The vision or sight of peace and this was the glory of Jerusalem yet at last this glory was taken from Jerusalem though her name continued Jerusalem the sight of peace could not see her peace Luke 19.41 42 43. When Christ came neere to Jerusalem He beheld the City and wept over it saying If thou hadst known even thou at least in this thy day the things which belong unto thy peace What then Christ suppresses the happinesse which they should have enjoyed by such a sight with a silent admiration and onely tells them weeping But now they are hid from thine eyes How hid Was there no more Preaching in Jerusalem no publique Ministry after that day Yes the whole Colledge of Apostles Preached there and they Preached the things which belonged both to their temporall and to their eternall peace yet as the things which belonged to their eternall peace were hidden from most of their eyes so the things vvhich concerned their temporall peace were hidden from so many of their eyes that their ruine was unavoydable God hid their heart from understanding therefore hee did not exalt them yea therefore hee cast them downe Thus Job describes the sequell of that sad dispensation to his Freinds Thou hast hid their heart from understanding What followes Therefore shalt thou not exalt them Master Broughton renders it Therefore thou shalt not give them Honour And is this all That they shall not be exalted or honoured No the Negative hath this affirmative in it Thou wilt therefore cast them downe or humble them As Prov. 17.21 Solomon speakes of the Father of a Foole Hee that begets a Foole doth it to his sorrow and the Father of a Foole hath no joy Is that all that he hath no joy No the meaning is that the Father of a Foole hath much sorrow yea the denyall of all joy affirmes more then the feeling of much sorrow for it speakes all sorrow So to accept persons in judgement is not good that is It is extreame ill There is nothing worse then that which in this sense is not good Thus here thou hast hid their heart from understanding therefore shalt thou not exalt them that is Thou shalt humble and abase them and though Non-exaltation in this place doth not carry all kinde or the extremity of abasement yet it carries a very great abasement Why What was this abasement or non-exaltation We may interpret it two vvayes Thou shalt not exalt them that is First Thou shalt not give them this honour to determine my cause thou wilt take the matter out of their hands into thine owne or thou wilt put it into some other hand Secondly Thou shalt not exalt them to the honour of a conquest over me Hinc colligo te nolle ut de reportata super me victoria glorientur Bold or to carry the cause against me yea they shall be overthrowne and the cause shall goe against them Both these wayes answer the event Jobs three Freinds had neyther the honour to end this controversie nor did they at all prevaile in the end they went not away vvith victory nor could they glory that they had got the day of Job Thou shalt not exalt them Note hence First Exaltation is from God Promotion comes neither from the East nor from the West nor from the South that is It comes not by the power of any creature in any coast or quarter of the earth Whence comes it then The next Verse directs us For God is the Judge he putteth downe one and setteth up another Psal 75.6 7. we can no more make our selves great men then wee can make our selves men Our civill frame is as much from God as our naturall by what hand soever we are exalted it is God that exalts us Secondly Observe God hides understanding from them whom he is about to abase or cast downe The fall of most men is from their owne folly and usually God takes away their wisedome whose honor he takes away They shall not see the way to their own preservation who are intended for destruction All Ages have taught us this Doctrine in the downefall of the greatest Princes who have refused all counsels and overtures for their owne good Quos perdere vult Jupiter hos dementat till their evils have proved past cure and themselves irrecoverably lost That vvhich a Child might foresee they have had no eyes to see nor hearts to consider because God would eyther not exalt them or not establish them in their exaltations therefore he hid their hearts from understanding the things of their owne peace Fooles are not fit to be exalted to high places and whâ—n once we see those who are in high places acting the foolish man we shall soone see them tumbling down from their high places and acting the miserable man Some who were never very wise have been exalted to and continued in high places but there was scarse ever any man who in this sense lost his wits that hath eyther been exalted to a high place or continued in his exaltation Thirdly Considering those particulars wherein the Non-exaltation here prophesied of did consist Observe It is an honour to heare and judge the cause of another man God is the Judge of all the Earth he will heare nad determine the causes and cases of all mankinde He that hath the hearing but of any one case shares in this honour of God and they who are set apart by office to doe so are called Gods Psal 82. God puts so much of his owne worke into the hand of a judge that he therefore puts his owne name upon him Againe We may looke upon Jobs Freinds not as Judges of his case
verbis multum pollicetur re nihil praestat Bez. Blandiebantudum externa bona illi pollicebantur Merc. they made him large promises of a restauration that his estate should be like the morning that he should outshine the very Sun and be a great man againe Thus they spake Chap. 5.19 20. Chap. 8.5 Chap. 11.15 16 c. hee looked on all these fayre promises as flatteries because in his owne thoughts he was a dead man and his calamities past all hope of recovery in this World As if hee had sayd Why doe you feed me with such vaine hopes and prophesie to me of Wine and of strong drinke of earthly honour and riches of length of dayes and of a multitude of yeares yet behinde in the race of this present life I cannot but call this flattery and a departure from the laws of freindship For alas My dayes are extinct my breath is corrupt and yet you are telling me of long life and good dayes in this World And indeed this is at once the custome and the fault of many who visit their Freinds upon the borders of death they thinke they are not freindly unlesse they labour to give them hopes of life and deliver their opinion peremptorily We doubt not but you will doe well enough you will recover from this sicknesse and getting over this brunt and see many dayes This is flattery it is our duty to speake comfortably to our dying Freinds to set forth the love of God and his readinesse to pardon to prepare them for a better life and to make their passage out of this more easie But when wee see them at the Graves mouth when death is ready to seize on them then to tell them of long life is rather the office of a Flatterer then of a Freind We shew more love to our dying Freinds by offering our counsels and tendering up our prayers for their fitnesse to depart out of this life then by shewing our desire that they should live and our loathnesse to part with them Secondly Jobs Freinds may be sayd to speake flattery to God and then the words are an Argument from the greater to the lesse as if he had sayd If he who speakes flattery to his freind a man like himselfe shall be punished then much more shall he who speakes flattery to God But you will say How can God be flattered There are two wayes of flattering men First By promising them more then we intend Secondly By applauding them more then they deserve When we cry up those for wise men who are little guilty of wisedome or commend those as good who are very guilty of evill both these are straines of flattery It is impossible to flatter God in this latter sense for we cannot speake of God higher then he is his glory wisedome and goodnesse are above not onely our words but our thoughts But we may flatter God in the first sense by promising him more then we intend they on their sick beds doe but flatter God who tell him how good and holy they will be when their hearts are not right with him Yet neyther is this the flattery of God which Job may be supposed to suggest against his freinds The flattery here suggested is their justifying the proceedings of God in afflicting Job by condemning Job as if there had been no way left to cleare up the righteousnesse of God but by concluding that Job was unrighteous This manner of arguing Job calls Speaking wickedly for God and talking deceitfully for him This he also calls The accepting of his person Ch. 13.7 8. As if they had been the Patrons and Promoters of Gods cause and honour while they thus pleaded against Job and layd his honour and innocency in the dust That there is a sinfull flattery of God in such a procedure against man was shewed more largely in the place last mentioned to which I referr the Reader for his further satisfaction He that speakes flattery to his freind What of him The next words tell us what The eyes of his Children shall faile But shall he himselfe escape Shall not hee smart for it Saith not the Scripture Whatsoever a man sowes that shall hee reap the sower shall be the reaper This is not spoken to free the Flatterer from punishment but to shew that more then he shall be punished for his flattery as he himselfe shall not escape so he may bring others also into danger with him As sin spreads it selfe in the pollution of it so in the punishments of it When but one sins many may be defiled and when but one acts a sin many may be endangered a man knowes not upon how many he may bring evill when he doth ill himselfe The eyes of his Children shall faile What is meant by the failing of the eyes was shewed Ch. 11.20 where Zophar saith The eyes of the wicked shall faile and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost In generall 't is this They shall be disappointed of their hopes or they shall expect so long and nothing come that their eyes shall faile with expectation The eyes of his Children shall faile Some by Children understand not his naturall Children or the Children of his body but his Children in a figure Morum atque vitae imitatores Aquin. such as imitate and follow him who take his course and tread in his pathes for as they are called the Children of the Devill who are like him and doe his workes and as we are called the Children of God not onely in reference to our new birth and spirituall generation but also in reference to our new obedience and holy actions Mat. 5.44 45. So they may be called a mans Children who resemble him in his manners as well as they who issued from his loynes Hence Note First The punishment of sin doth not alway rest or determine in him that committed the sin The bitter fruits of sin are often transmitted and handed over to those who had no present hand in them when they were committed The whole Familie and Posterity of sinners may smart many a day after and inherit the sins of their Progenitors as well as their Lands when the Father purchaseth or provides an Inheritance for his Childe by flattery or any other indirect way the eyes of his children may faile for it I have met with this point before Cha. 15.33 34. and elsewhere therefore I onely touch and passe from it Secondly Consider the particular sin against which this judgement is pronounced It is the speaking of flattery Hence Observe The sin of flattery is a very provoking sin That sin which shall be punished in posterity is no ordinary sin Those good actions which the Lord promiseth to reward in posterity or in after times have a speciall excellency in them It shewed that the deed of Jehu in destroying Ahabs House and rooting out his Idolatry though Jehu himselfe was a very bad man and did it with a bad heart yet I
say it shewed that the deed was very good because the Lord promised to reward his Children for it with the possession of the Throne of Israel to the fourth generation 2 Kings 10.30 Now as those acts have a great deale of excellency in them for which God rewards and blesseth to posterity so those sins have a speciall malignity in them which are threatened and pursued with revenges to Posterity Such sins have a touch of the first sin in them The punishment of Adams first sin is hereditary to the last man all have smarted for that sin and the eyes of his Children have failed because he looked upon and eate the forbidden fruit Now every sin which is thus spoken of in Scripture as Idolatry in the second Commandement and here flattery hath a speciall stampe of the first sin upon it not onely as being a sin and so a derivative from it but as having much of the sinfulnesse of that sin in it The evils of which did not dye with those who gave it life And as all flattery is very sinfull so spirituall flattery or flattery about spirituall things is most sinfull both because about them we ought to be most plaine-hearted and because a deceit about them doth most hurt Any kinde of flattery is bad enough but this is worst such was that of the falfe Prophets who daubed with untempered morter and cryed Peace peace when there was no peaee Who set themselves to please not to instruct the people and were therefore busie in sewing pillowes under every elbow A flatterer would make all men leane soft sit easie and be well perswaded of themselves though their case be starke naught He that thus speakes flattery to his Freind doth indeed speake misery yea and death to his Freind The flatterer is the greatest hater and no man speakes worse of another then hee who speakes better of him then he deserves or then his state will beare It is dangerous to speake all the good of a man that is true but to speake good of him which is not true may be his utter undoing And though it hath beene sayd and often experienced that flattery gaines Freinds and Truth-speaking hatred yet none have run into so much hatred as flatterers For as it is sayd of Treason That many love the Treason but all hate the Taytor so many love to heare themselves flattered but all hate flatterers And though true reproofes are bitter Pills and very distastfull to most in the taking downe yet wise Solomon hath assured us That he that rebuketh a man afterwards shall finde more favour even with that man then he that flattereth with his lips Prov. 28.23 There are many who as the Psalmist speakes Psal 36.2 Flatter themselves they are their owne Parasites But as they who flatter others doe most commonly fall under their displeasure so all they sooner or latter shall fall under their owne displeasure and that 's worse then the displeasure of any yea then of all men who have flattered themselves It is our wisedome and our peace to be plaine with our selves and with all men how much present disquiet so ever we get by it Paul speakes it out to the Thessalonians 1 Epist 2.3 4 5. Our exhortation was not of deceit neyther at any time used we flattering words But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the Gospel even so we speake not as pleasing men but God Further these words may be expounded not as a threat against his Freinds for their flattering of him but as a threat against himselfe in case he should have flattered them And so they carry also the weight of a reason why hee used so much freedome in reproving them and shewing them the danger that hung over their heads As if he had sayd You my Freinds may perhaps wonder at my boldnesse and plainenesse of speech while I tell you that God hath hid your hearts from understanding and that he will not exalt you But you must pardon me I had rather incurr your frownes by my downeright dealing with you then Gods by flattering you I had rather make your eares tingle by reproving you then make the eyes of my Children ake by my applauding you for this I have learned as a certaine truth that hee who speakes flattery to his Freind the eyes of his Children shall faile Hence Observe That even a godly man doth and ought to strengthen himselfe in doing his duty by the remembrance of those evills which are threatned against the neglect of it A Beleever makes use of the threatnings as well as of the promises to keep his heart close in obedience That is the best obedience which springs from the feare of the Lord and his goodnesse but that may be a good and a pure act of obedience which springs from the feare of the Lord and his wrath Christ exhorts and forewarnes his freinds to feare him who after hee hath killed hath power to cast into Hell Luke 12.5 'T is noblest and most spirituall to obey God for himselfe without respect eyther to Heaven or Hell yet wee may have respect both to Heaven and Hell to reward and punishment in our obedience Joseph resisted temptation by the highest argument when he sayd How can I doe this great evill and sinne against God Gen. 39.9 He resists temptation by a good argument who saith How can I sin against God which will doe so much evill to my selfe or draw many evils upon mine And thus Job argued according to this interpretation when he sayd He that speakes flattery to his freind the eyes of his Children shall faile Or as Master Broughton renders The eyes of the given that way that is to flattery shall be consumed Vox Ban in non filios sed intelligentes vel considerantes significat a Verbo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod est intelligere hinc sic conficitur textus Et ooculi considerantium eum deficient Bold There is another reading of the latter clause and so of the whole Verse The eyes of those that consider observe or attend him shall faile and so they derive the word Bamin not from Ben a Son or a Childe but from Bin which signifies to understand or consider The eyes of those that consider him shall faile Then the meaning is my freinds are so exact and accute in flattery in composing and uttering fauning speeches that they who heare them are wrapt into an extasie and their very eyes doe faile with their intentnesse in beholding them They are such powerfull Orators that they can draw the mindes and eyes of their Auditors whither they please and cause their eyes to ake with looking so wistly on them having as the Apostle speakes in a like case their persons in admiration Job having thus complained against and taxed his Freinds of flattery goes on to aggravate the sadnesse of his condition and upon the whole to move the Lord to hasten an end of his miseries or to hasten
from the King of Moab the misery which fell upon the Moabites by that Warr was put into Verse and passed into a Proverbe Numb 21.27 28 29 30. Wherefore they that speake in Proverbs say Come into Heshbon let the City of Sihon be built and prepared For there is a fire gone out of Heshbon a flame from the City of Sihon c. That is A feirce hot Warr is made which hath consumed Ar of Moab and the Lords of the high places of Arnon Holy David met with this measure from men in the day of his sorrowes Psal 69.10 11. When I wept and chastned my soule with fasting that was to my reproach I made sack-cloath my Garment I became a Proverbe or a By-word 't is Jobs language to them In the next Verse he tels us who did this by way of distribution They that sit in the Gate that is Great ones speake against me and I was the song of the Drunkard that is Of the common sort When those false Prophets Ahab and Zedekiah who to put the Jewes into a hope of a speedy returne from their Captivity in Babylon prophesied the speedy ruine of Babylon it selfe when I say those false Prophets should be cruelly put to death by the command of the King of Babylon according to the Prediction of the Prophet Jeremiah then the same Prophet foretels also that this judgement of God upon them for their lyes should be made a By-word and their names a curse Jer. 29.21 22. And of them shall be taken up a curse Plagae Zedikiae tangant te sit frater servus Zedekiae Vatabl. by all the Captivity of Judah which are in Babylon saying The Lord make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab whom the King of Babylon rosted in the fire That signall Victory of Gideon over the Midianites became a Proverbe in Israel Isa 9.4 As in the day of Midian And the Lord promises his people that the fall of the King of Babylon shall be so notorious that they shall take up this Proverbe and say How hath the oppressor ceased The golden City ceased Isa 14.4 The Prophet Habakkuk assured them that this should be while he sayd Chap. 2.6 Shall not all these certainely they shall take up a Parable against him and say Woe to him that encreaseth that which is not bis how long And to him that ladeth himselfe with thicke clay Secondly Observe It is a great burden to be made a disgracefull by-word â—hus God threatned his owne people and numbered it among the sorest punishments of their disobedience Deut. 28. 37. The Lord shall bring thee and thy King whom thou hast set over thee to a Nation whom thou nor thy Fathers have knowne and there thou shalt serve other Gods Wood and Stone and thou shalt become an astonishment and a Proverbe and a by-word among all the Nations whither the Lord shall lead thee This threat was renewed 1 Kings 9.7 And the Psalmist bewailes it that God had brought his people into such a condition Thou hast made us a by-word among the Heathen a shaking of the head among the people thou hast made us a reproach to our neighbours a scorne and derision to them that are round about us Psal 44.13 The Prophet Jeremiah speakes terrour from the Lord Jer. 24.9 I will deliver them to be removed to all the Kingdomes of the earth for their hurt to be a reproach and a proverbe and a taunt and a curse in all the places whither I shall drive them The Hypocrite who putteth the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face and commeth to a Prophet to enquire of the Lord hath his doome denounced in this tenour Ezek. 14.8 I will set my face against that man and make him a signe and a proverbe and cut him off from amidst my people Againe Ezek. 16.44 They that speake in proverbs shall say Such as the Mother is such is the Daughter The Hittites and the Israelites were both alike in sin and they should not be unlike in punishment Such short sentences are an advantage to memory and serve in stead of larger Histories of eminent providences whether mercies or judgements Thirdly Observe God often turnes that to the honour of his servants which men intended to their disgrace Job was a by-word in disgrace God made him a by-word too but for his honour Job is famous to a Proverbe at this day for as when wee would set forth the greatnesse of any mans suffering we say Hee is as poore as Job so when wee would set forth the greatnesse of any mans patience we say He is as patient as Job or he is another Job All the vertues In proverbium abiit Jobi patientia and graces which the Saints have manifested under sufferings are proverbially exprest under the sufferings and patience of Job Never did Caesar nor Alexander nor any of the great Hero's of the World obtaine such a Name and glory by victories over men as Job did by patient suffering under the hand of God And as hee is proverbially spoken of for his suffering so likewise for his holinesse God made his Piety a Proverbe too though his Freinds suspected him for an Hypocrite When the Lord would shew himselfe so unalterably resolved that nothing should take him off from bringing judgement upon a sinfull people he saith I will not doe it though Noah Daniel and Job stood before me Ezek 14.14 As if he had sayd I will not doe it though the most eminent men in holinesse or the greatest favorites that ever I had in the World should sue that they might be spared if any in the World could obtaine this of God Noah Daniel and Job could but they should not therefore none shall See with what honourable Names he is listed Noah and Daniel men remembred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Interpretatur antea prius i. e. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vel ante facies i. e. in conspectu hominum in oculis eorum Exemplum sum coram eis Vulg. Sumitur ver bum Tophet ut 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 portentum prodigium res mira i e. Exemplum quod dam prodigiosum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et nollet eam ignomi iae expâ—nere Bez. Graeci dicunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicitaâ—p oscriptus publicè in cippo yea crowned with honour by God and all good men are but company good enough for Job Thou hast made me a by-word And aforetime I was as a Tabret Aforetime The word may be taken two wayes First As signifying what was or hath been done in former times in which sense we translate Aforetime or formerly I was as a Tabret Secondly As signifying what is or hath been done in the presence of others Before them I was as a Tabret Wee put in the Margin Before their face or in their sight that is They being witnesses of it I was as a Tabret The Vulgar Latine translates the word which wee render
For your selves know that wee were also appointed thereto for verily when I was with you I told you before that we must suffer tribulations as it came to passe and yee know it Paul gave them notice before affliction came lest they should be moved when they were come Thus Christ warned his Disciples and he warned them for this end John 16.1 These things have I spoken to you that you be not offended What things were these They saith he shall put you out of the Synagogues yea the time commeth that whosoever killeth you will thinke that he doth God service Christ foresaw that when these things came they would finde worke enough to quiet their spirits in and to quit themselves from troublesome motions And as Christ to keep or make their hearts quiet tells them of their sufferings aforehand so hee therefore tells them that hee himselfe had suffered before hand John 15.18 If the World hate you you know it hated me before it hated you you know it and knowing it you ought not be troubled when you meet with hatred in the World The Servant must not expect better usage then his Master When we see so much layd in to fortifie our spirits against outward crosses in or for the profession of the Gospell it is an aboundant argument that our hearts are apt to startle and we to be astonied at them And the innocent shall stirr up himselfe against the Hypocrite The innocent Here is a different Character 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Evigitavit excitavit or cloathing of words but the person is the same The innocent shall stirr up himselfe The word signifies to stirre up from sleep and to stirr up from sloath it signifies also such a stirring as the Eagle useth to provoke her young ones to flye Deut. 32.11 Thus the innocent shall awake and stirr up himselfe Against the Hypocrite The Hypocrite is taken two wayes Eyther strictly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sunâ— qui reddunt improbum quo modo ea vox exprimitur â—pud Hebraeos Drus as opposed to the upright in the former part and under that notion I have heretofore spoken of the Hypocrite Chap. 8. c. Secondly The Hypocrite may be taken largely and so every wicked man is he except he who openly professeth wickednesse and yet even he may goe for an Hypocrite for hee is more wicked when he hath professed his utmost then he doth professe himselfe to be The Septuagint render him Vnjust Reddunt iniquum Sep. Deâ— latorem Targ and the Caldee Paraphrase The backbyter or defamer And another of the Greek Interpreters calls him the Enemy The innocent shall stirre up himselfe against his enemy Justus super inimicum consurget Olymp. or against his opposite And who is that but the wicked man under what notion soever we put him The single termes thus cleered fall yet under a different sense as joyned together Suam orationem pa ulo incitatiorem excusat q. d. quid mirum me ita loqui cum res ipsa tam indigna sit Pined First Some conceive that Job makes an apologie or an excuse for himselfe in these words why he exprest so much passion and used such sharpnesse of speech toward his Freinds As if he had sayd Blame me not for doing it things are carryed so as upright men may be astonied it would make a wiseman madd and a meek man furious a very post would be awakened and stirred at what my Freinds have againe and againe pressed upon me therefore pardon my passion and if you will needs call it so my impatience Non me latet ad rem tantam sapientes percelli atque adeo in ejusmodi casu interdum insontes adversus eos qui sic affliguntur tanquam adversus hypocritas commoveri Bez. Secondly Master Beza expounds Job ayming at a good man in great troubles mistaken for an Hypocrite by those who are good he represents him speaking thus I am not ignorant that not onely ordinary and common men but even the wise and the upright will be troubled and astonied at my sufferings and that sometimes in such a case as mine is innocent men will stirr up or set themselves against him that is thus afflicted as if hee were an Hypocrite When God puts a disguise of great troubles upon his faithfull Servants they who are faithfull will scarse owne them they are ready to number them among enemies at least to doubt very much as they did about Paul upon another account Acts 9.26 whether he be a Freind or a Disciple Afflictions have made the sincere appeare as Hypocrites in the opinion of those who are sincere Indignabitur contra hypocritam quod ille calamitates tribuit peccatis Cajet A third makes this the ground of the innocent mans quarrell against the Hypocrite why doth he stirr up himselfe and engage against him Why is he so angry with the Hypocrite Even because he sees the Hypocrite foolishly condemning the godly as wicked because they are afflicted or ascribing their calamities meerly to their sins Excitabit se contra impium florentem faelicem quod videat illum non recipere digna peccariâ— Fourthly Thus The innocent shall stirr up himselfe that is His spirit shall be troubled at the Hypocrite or wicked man whom he sees in a flourishing condition so we may expound it by that caution which David gives Psal 37.1 Fret not thy selfe because of evill doers neyther be thou envious against the workers of iniquity Good men have been much moved and fretted at the prosperity of the ungodly But surely Job is not here declaring the infirmities of the innocent but their graces And therefore Lastly The innocent shall stirr up himselfe against the Hypocrite carryes in it the commendation of the innocent persons perseverance and constancy in the faith and sincerity of his profession what changes soever are upon him As if he had sayd Though a godly man be afflicted and brought low though he be scorned and trampled upon when he is brought low yet hee will not forsake his principles or disclaime his profession Quamvis ab eo rideatur quod affligatur haud tamen proptereâ— desiderio ducetur ejus sequendi aut ei se adjungendi sed excitabit se c. Merc. nay he will be so farr from slacking in or turning away from his profession that he will manifest more holy zeale for God and his wayes together with more holy opposition against wicked men and all their wayes their ever he did before The upright shall be astonied at this but they shall not be disheartned their wisedome and courage shall still appeare in maintaining their quarrell against the generation of evill doers wheresoever they meet with them The innocent shall stirr up himselfe against the Hypocrite Hence Note First There is an everlasting opposition between the godly and the wicked The innocent stirrs up himselfe like a Lyon against the Hypocrite His heart riseth against him not
hands are cleane and his heart is cleane he is cleane all over and holy all over while we call him all this we doe not call him beyond what God hath made him JOB CHAP. 17. Vers 10 11 12. But as for you all doe you returne and come now for I cannot finde one wise man among you My dayes are past my purposes are broken off even the thoughts of my heart They change the night into day the light is short because of darknesse THough Jobs Freinds had severely reproved and threatned him reproved him for his supposed sin and threatned him with further sufferings in case hee continued in sin yet did they as often counsell and encourage him counsell him to repent and returne to God encourage him with promises that God would repent and returne to him yea turne his captivity and afflictions as the Rivers in the South and that though he then was in a night of sorrow yet a morning of joy or joy in the morning should surely breake out and shine upon him Now as Job had before often and also in the former part of this Chapter supported himselfe under the weight of all their reproofes and threatnings by the power of God and the conscience of his owne integrity so he had as often before and he doth it here againe in the latter part of this Chapter cast off their promises and incouragements together with all hopes of any restauration in this life to such a flourishing outward condition as he once enjoyed And because his Freinds discerning this in him by some of his precedent answers had judged it as a symptome of secret guilt and selfe condemnation which would not let him so much as expect any good So Eliphaz had perstringed and smitten him Chap. 15.22 He beleeves not that hee shall returne out of darknesse Therefore Job wonders to see them persist in that opinion and concludes them under a great dâ—fect of understanding who did not perceive that a man so miserably pined and worne with sicknesse and paine as hee was had nothing to look after or prepare for but onely a Grave And this he doth with much rhetoricall elegancy and passionatenesse of speech to the end of this Chapter His sense may be drawne together into this breife way of reasoning He who is as a dead man already should not feed himselfe or be fed by others with hopes of life or of worldly prosperity in this life But I for my part am as a dead man or but the shadow of a man Therefore I will neyther feed my selfe neyther ought you to feed me with hopes of life or of prosperity in this life Yet before he layes downe and illustrates this Argument he invites over his Freinds to his opinion and professeth that they had not yet spoken any reason nor argued like wise men in all that they had argued to the contrary Vers 10. But as for you all doe you returne and come now for I cannot finde one wise man among you Though some wise men goe out of the way yet it is for want of wisedome that any man goes out of the way while Job calls upon his Freinds to returne hee implyes that they going out of the way were not wise and that it would be their wisedome to returne into it But as for you all Job puts all his Freinds into one predicament and indeed they were much alike to him having all troden in the same path and met in the same judgement of and resolutions against him But what would he have them doe As he supposed them all in one way and that out of the way So he sets them all to the same worke that they might come right againe Doe you returne and come now Yet there are three opinions about his meaning while hee saith Returne and come First Some conceive that Jobs Freinds being netled as we say and provoked with what he had spoken before began to renew the dispute and to rally themselves with conjoyned Forces Quasi facta testudine una omnes concurrite Nicet Ad disputationem provocat Sanct. Veruntamen omnes incumbite venite quaeso Sept. for a fresh encounter which Job perceiving he according to this Interpretation dares them in these words and sends them a Challenge As if he had sayd I see you are providing your selves and consulting for a rejoynder with me I doe doe if you thinke good returne and come put pour selves into what posture you please joyne your forces together I am ready to receive your charge and make my defence I am not afrayd of you all you are three and I have not so much as a Second yet I will not turne my back from you all therefore as for you all doe yee returne and come now come when or as soone as you will Thus He challengeth them to a further dispute Returne and come Convertendi verbum cum quocunque alio verbo junctum idem significat quod rursus aut altera vice aliquid facere is as the propriety of the phrase in the Originall imporrts come againe if you will come a second time come a third The word that we translate Returne when it is joyned with another Verbe say Grammarians signifies as much as Againe or to doe a thing the second time Take two places of Scripture for it Jos 5.2 At that time the Lord sayd unto Joshua Make thee sharpe Knives and circumcise againe the Children of Israel the second time So wee translate The Hebrew is Returne which is the word of the Text and circumcise them a second time Not that they who had been once circumcised must have a second circumcision But for as much as circumcision which was first commanded to Abraham had beene long disused while the people of Israel were moving and unsetled in the Wildernesse therefore the Lord gives circumcision a kinde of second Institution by requiring Joshua to restore it solemnely a second time as it was set up at first Returne and circumcise them that is renew that ancient Ordinance of Circumcision The like way of speaking read Psal 85.6 where David in behalfe of the Church pleads with God thus Wilt thou not revive us againe The Hebrew is Wilt thou not returne and revive us We translate the Verbe Returne by the Adverbe Againe Will thou not revive us againe Thou hast given us many revives when we were as dead men and like carkasses rotting in the Grave thou didst revive us wilt thou not revive us once more and act over those powerfully mercifull workes and strong salvations once more or againe So here Returne and come that is Come againe The words thus expounded are an argument of Jobs magnanimity and holy courage in maintaining his right and standing up in the defence of his owne integrity against all commers As it is our duty to contend earnestly for the Faith once delivered to the Saints so for our owne faithfulnesse Secondly Others expound the words as an advise not
as a challenge not as a profession of his fixed purpose to oppose what his Freinds should say in maintenance of their opinion but onely as a desire of their attention to what hee had yet to say for his Come returne now as if hee had thus expressed himselfe Yee are not right let mee set you right and instruct you better learne of me you have need enough to be taught for I have not found a wise man among you Thus David calls his Schollers about him Psal 34.11 Come yee Children hearken unto me and I will teach you the feare of the Lord. The former glosse shewed the strength and courage of Jobs spirit this the piety and holinesse of his spirit 'T is our duty in meeknesse to instruct those who oppose themselves if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth 2. Tim. 2.25 Thirdly Invitat amicos ad mutandam sententiam Pined Rescipiscete Jun. The words are more generally taken for an invitation to repentance Come now returne Some translate the word Returne in this Text by Repent which is the sense of it in a hundred Texts of the Old Testament Repentance is a turning and returning all returning supposeth eyther our being out of the way or that we have gone as farr as our businesse lyes in that way The returning of repentance supposeth only the former for every step in sin is quite out of our way what have wee to doe in the way of sin but onely to come out of it our businesse lyes not there all that we doe there must be undone againe or else wee are undone for ever In this returning of repentance we may consider first the terme from which and secondly the terme to which wee are called to returne The terme from which is twofold First Sinfull practices Secondly False and erroneous opinions Job doth not deale with his Freinds about the former hee did about the latter they were under a grand mistake concerning the Doctrine of providence and from that he invites them to a speedy returne The terme to which we are to returne in the actings of repentance is threefold First To our selves Secondly To God Thirdly To him whom wee have wronged or from whom we sinfully dissent Job may be interpreted as calling his Freinds to a returne in this threefold reference Ad se redire etiam Eatinis dicitur qui ad bonam mentem redit Grot. First As repentance is a returning to our selves a man that is carried away either to false opinions or into wicked courses is gone from his neerest home 'T is a duty to deny our selves but 't is a sin to depart from our selves And as it is a sin to depart from our selves so every sin is a departure from our selves therefore repentance which is a turning from sin must needs be a returning to our selves The Gospel represents the repentance of the Prodigall Son under this notion Luke 15.17 And when he came to himselfe he sayd c. He had not been with himselfe a long time before yet at last he came to himselfe this was his first step to repentance An impenitent person is not onely out of his way but out of his wits he is gone not onely from Divine truth and holinesse but from his owne naturall reason and prudence if so whensoever he repents he returnes to himselfe Secondly Repentance is a returning to God If thou wilt returne O Israel saith the Lord returne unto me Jer. 4.1 The grace of repentance is most frequently and most suitably expressed by this act of returning to God and they who doe not repent are every where sayd not to returne to God Amos 4. c. Yet have yee not returned unto me Thirdly Repentance is a returning to man We must not be ashamed to acknowledge our faylings one to another or to returne to them in duty from whom we have departed eyther by not giving them their due or by accusing them unduely We must not be ashamed of returning to them by submitting to the truth from whom wee have departed by following or holding any errour Thus Job may be conceived counselling and calling his Freinds to a returne in these three senses given First to themselves Secondly to God Thirdly to him whom they had so long opposed But though all three may be included yet the scope and designe of Job seemes to intend the third Returne and come now that is Returne to me let not truth fare the worse for my sake doe not you cast it off because I hold it It is not enough to turne from any evill whether of opinion or practice and returne to the obedience of God but we must also returne to the love of good men and unite with them in the truth But why must they returne Job gives the reason expresly in the latter part of the Verse For I cannot finde one wise man among you All the wayes of sin and errour are wayes of folly they stampe a man for a Foole and unwise whosoever walkes in them I cannot finde one wise man among you When he saith I cannot finde It shewes that he had endeavoured to finde he had been seeking for a wise man among them but he found none The Lord saith David Ps 14.2 looked down from heaven upon the Children of men to see if there were any that did understand and seek after God but he found none They are all gone aside Vers 3. Job seemes to have been upon such an inquiry He had looked over his Freinds and weighed them one by one but he found not one wise man among them The Preacher Eccles 7.27.28 counting one by one to finde out the account found but one man that is one wise or good man among a thousand No marvaile then if Job found not one among three yet considering what three these were men numbred among the Worthies possibly the first three of that age and place it may justly be mervailed why Job should speak at so low a rate or so sleightly of them Was he not too censorious and rigid too bold and adventerous to speake thus concerning men of such gravity authority and reputation for wisedome and learning yea and for holinesse too as these three were Shall we say that this censure proceeded from Jobs wisedome or from his passion Was he wise in saying so or so much as charitable I answer Job did not speake this from any ill will to his Freinds or from contempt of them it had been not onely unfreindly but very sinfull to have done it That word of Christ had its truth in those times Hee that is angry with his brother unadvisedly shall be in danger of judgement and he that saith to his Brother Racha which signifies an empty fellow or a man that hath nothing in him shall be in danger of a Councell but he that saith thou Foâ—le shall be in danger of Hell stre Matth. 5.23 Job did not call his Freinds Fooles when he sayd
governe himselfe by presidents no man can tell certainely which way he vvill goe by looking into the way vvhich he hath gone for though he useth no liberty in the issue of his dealings but rewardeth every man according to his works yet hee useth much liberty in the meanes which lead unto it Secondly This ariseth from the narrownesse of mans heart who measuring God by his owne line and comparing what God hath done by what he would do cannot as the Apostle speakes in another case attaine unto the righteousnesse of God in vvhat he doth 'T is excellent wisedome to know how to interpret and improve the dealings of God vvith our selves or others The grossest mis-interpretation of his dealings is to conclude the guilt or innocency of man the love or hatred of God from them Jobs Freinds upon such mistakes incurred this censure I have not found one wise man among you Job having by way of introduction spoken to the men or to the persons of his Freinds proceeds to speake his owne case Vers 11. My dayes are past my purposes are broken off even the thoughts of my heart What doe you tell me of comfortable dayes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Transierum My dayes are past they are gone by as wee say The Shew is gone by or the Company is gone by so saith Job My dayes are gone by There 's no looking after them any more they are out of sight why would you bring them into my minde againe Dayes may be taken here in a twofold sense First For the terme of his life Secondly For the state of his life As taken for the terme of his life My dayes are past is Morti vicinus sum I am a neere neighbour to death death and I am ready to meet and imbrace the life of man is measured by daye◠when our dayes are past there 's nothing left to measure nothing to measure by My dayes are past But how could Job affirme The terme or dayes of my life are past when as he was alive that day to say this so he lived many a faire day after he had sayd it Can we call that past which is still present with us or which is yet to come He affirmes this First because he conceived that the greatest part of his dayes were actually past and that it was not worth while to reckon upon the few dayes behinde he did not thinke that remnant so considerable as to measure it but threw it by as a peice of uselesse nothing Our dayes are so passing that with a little Rhetorick we may say they are past as soone as they begin how much more may wee say so when we are sure they must shortly end and are really almost yea onely not past Secondly Job might say My dayes are past because doubtlesse it had seized on his spirit that his Glasse was run that hee should dye presently hee never looked to outlive that storme So that his dayes were past in his account though not in Gods account Job could say of himselfe as we use to say of those Women who have gone out their full time of Child-bearing that He had not a day more to reckon As Job had a full assurance that he should live eternally so he had a kinde of assurance that hee should dye very shortly And therefore as to his owne apprehensions and the calculation which he had made of his dayes their date was out and hee might say My dayes are past Againe As taken for the state of his life so My dayes are past is My good dayes my prosperous dayes are past you tell me of a day of deliverance what a morning I shall have but I looke on all my dayes here as dayes of darknesse wee say of a man who is not only in an evill but in a desperate or irrecoverably evill condition He hath seene all his best dayes or all his good dayes are gone Job was full of trust for a good eternity but he had no hope of good days The terme of a mans dayes may continue long when the comfort of his dayes is or when his comfortable dayes are quite past Though Jobs dayes continued as to the terme of his life yet his dayes as hee judged were past as to any comfortable state of life in which sense he might also say My dayes are past Nor did Job speake this complainingly or with a low spirit My dayes are past he did not whine it out as they doe who are loath to dye and would faine live still in the delights of life but he spake boldly and cheerfully he spake of his Dying day as of his Marriage day My dayes are past As a young man saith My marriage day is at hand I shall be marryed shortly with such a holy allacrity Job spake I shall dye shortly my dayes are past He looked upon his comfortable dayes in the World as past and yet he was comforted Job was full of paine yet usually in the close of his speeches he gathered up himselfe and spake in a height and heat of spirit As the Cock towards morning flutters his Wings before he Crowes and gives warning of the approaching day or as the Lyon strikes his sides with his Tayle to rouze up his spirits before he attempts his prey so Job stirr'd up himselfe towards the close of his answers and resumed new spirits acting That dying man to the life who having nothing in this World eyther to feare or hope dyes without feare yet with abundance yea in assurance of hope My dayes are past Hence Observe First As the words are taken in the former sense A gracious heart hath peace in the approaches of death His contentments are not done when the terme of his life is done He can say My dayes are past as cheerfully as Agag sayd Surely the bitternesse of death is past Some godly men have dyed farr more pleasantly then ever any wicked man lived Secondly From the latter sense Observe A gracious heart can take present comfort and rejoyce in this World while he knowes that all his worldly comforts and joyes are past Faith overlookes or lookes thorow and beyond all the evills of this life to a good which shall never dye yea Faith sees and enjoyes a present good while sense sees nothing and indeed hath nothing else to see but evill A carnall man parts with his good dayes or with the good of his dayes as Phaltiel went to deliver up Michal Sauls Daughter and Davids Wife by right weeping all along as he went 2 Sam. 3.16 There 's a sad parting betweene a worldly heart and worldly things but he that is spiritually minded though he doth not despise the meanest of worldly good things as made by God for the use and comfort of man so when God cals him from them or them from him he can part with he use of them and yet not be dispossessed of comfort he knowes that hee hath a present good and that he hath greater good
then a Conqueror over them all 'T is not onely granted that Job did hope for a day of joy after his night of sorrow but affirmed that he had a day of joy in his night of sorrow for he could say in a true sense what the Apostle Paul after did as sorrowfull yet alwayes rejoycing yet his night by reason of his outward troubles and many assaults of inward terrour was changed into a laborious toyling day and his outward light of comfort was short and quickly ended when he had it By reason of the faces as the Originall hath it or sudden appearances of darknesse JOB CHAP. 17. Vers 13 14 15 16. If I waite the Grave is mine house I have made my in bed the darknesse I have sayd to corruption Thou art my Father to the worme Thou art my Mother and my Sister And where is now my hope As for my hope who shall see it They shall goe downe to the barrs of the pit when our rest together is in the dust JOB prosecutes the former Argument and shewes yet more fully the vanity of those hopes which his Freinds would nourish in him about a temporall restauration Hee shewes also that though himselfe should nourish them and even strive to hope yet hee could no more keepe such hopes from languishing then himselfe from dying If I waite the Grave is mine house If I waite Verbum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 affinitatem habet cum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perpemdiculum linea Waiting is an act of the minde in expectation of some future good The Originall word signifies an earnest waiting or waiting joyned with much intention of spirit and strong desires as if the minde did let out a Cord or Line to take hold of the thing for which we waite Waiting is nothing else but patience lengthened out upon a promise There are three acts of the soule upon the promises First Beleeving Secondly Hoping Dicitis amici si me humiliem manere meam expectationem atqui cemitis vires meas vitam meam venisse ad ultimam lineam quippe mala mea curâ—m respuunt Coâ— Thirdly Waiting We beleeve the truth of the promise we hope for the good layd up in the promise we waite till that good be given out unto us If I waite saith Job God waites upon us and we waite upon God God waits in mercy we waite in duty God waites to be gracious Isa 30.18 and man waits to be refreshed with the grace of God Job in this place seemes to make light or little of this duty of waiting If I waite or although I waite or what if I waite what shall I get by it Where 's the profit Or what are my commings in He tells us what If I waite all that I shall get by it will be a Grave or a bed in darknesse And all my preferment will be to call corruption my Father and to say of the Worme Thou art my Mother and my Sister Here 's all I am like to have for all my waiting But was this all he looked for by waiting Yes it was all he looked for and all he thought himselfe in a capacity to receive in this World though in that hee was deceived hee had no expectation but to dye and goe downe to the dust he had no hope to rejoyce in any kindred or alliance but wormes and corruption these were his Mother and his Sisters and Brethren If I wait here 's all I shall have Thus as I intimated before the words carry a strong confutation of those hopes which his Freinds endeavoured to raise up in him that God would raise him up Docet praecisam esse sibi his malis omnem vitae spem vel si eam maximè animo fovere velit Si expectem i. e. si expectare studeam Merl. and make him as a Prince among the people if he repented and turned to God No saith hee what doe you tell mee of a great House and of a great Name of a rising Sun and of the morning light why am I so often told of these things I tell you once for all the Grave is my house darknesse is my bed and the wormes are my kindred and companions let me heare no more of these groundlesse prophecyings and unsavory flatteries for my wound is incurable and I am at the last cast If I waite the Grave is my house Againe The word which we translate to waite comming as was toucht before Si aedificavero infernus domus mea Rab. Dan. from a Root which signifies a Carpenters Line by which he measures his buildings Some render the Text thus If I build the Grave is my house As if hee had sayd I have no other house to build but a Grave or when I have builded my best I shall have no other house but a Grave The Grave The same word signifieth Hell as was shewed Chap. 11.8 and therefore I will not stay here upon it If I waite the Grave Is my house He cals the Grave a house because there wee rest as in a house Man goeth forth of his house to labour and comes home to his house for rest Aegyptij defunctorum sepulchra domos aeternas Appellitant Diodor. lib. 1. Some tell us that Job calls the Grave his house in allusion to those formes of making Graves or Sepulchers used in ancient which are also continued in these times with arches and contrivances like a house And have made my bed in the darknesse Intelligi potest de lecto bene ornato super quem reponi solebant principum cadavera Mausoleis quod juxta Hebraeum in plurail dicitur stravi strata mea magnificum quid sâ—nat Pompaticum Bold He speaks still in prosecution of the allusion In a house there are Dining Roomes and there are sleeping Roomes there is the Bed-Chamber and the Bed in the Chamber The Grave is my house saith Job and there I have a Bed I have made it In the darknesse The Grave is a darke place and the Grave is called Darknesse in a double respect First Because there is no light of the body there Secondly Because there is no light of the Sun there The light of the body is the eye and the light of the ayre is the Sun but in the Grave the Sun shines not or if it did yet there the eye sees not therefore the Grave is darknesse I have made my bed in the darknesse And darknesse is most fit for a bed sleepe loves darknesse A working Roome must be light but 't is no matter how darke a sleeping Roome be when we goe to sleep if it be not darke we make it darke that so we may sleep the better The Apostle gives that as an argument why the Saints should not sleep as doe others because they were once darknesse but now light in the Lord. He that is in aeriall light can hardly get his body to sleep and will you who are in spirituall light compose your
This evill is of the Lord wherefore should I waite on the Lord any longer As if he had sayd I will never waite for any kindnesse at his hand who hath already used me thus unkindly Hee that takes an affliction in ill part at the hand of God will never expect good from him or if he doe it must come very speedily or else his waiting is over 'T is not unlikely that this King by the advice of the Prophet Elisha had waited a little but he was soone weary Why should I waite any longer There was reason enough why he should but his unbeleife would not let him see what he saw nor understand what himselfe had spoken For the reason which he gave why hee would waite no longer is the strongest reason that can be given why he should have waited longer This evill is of the Lord. 'T is true that among men they from or of whom evils are are usually the unfittest to remove them Men who wound are seldome skil'd at curing but the Lord brings no evill but what he can remove nor doth he make any wound but what he can heale yea no power nor art in the World can heale the wounds that he makes or remove the evills which hee brings but his owne Hence the patient Beleever cryes out with the Church Hos 6.1 Let us returne to the Lord yea let us waite upon the Lord for hee hath torne and hee will heale But the impatient unbeleever saith Let us turne away from the Lord let us waite upon the Lord no longer for 't is he that hath torne us therefore surely hee will not heale us Grace and corruption may take up the same principles but they draw conclusions from them as contrary as themselves are Thirdly It is exceeding sinfull to give over waiting as thinking that God cannot helpe Some shorten their patience by shortning the hand of God That such were the apprehensions of the Jewes is more then probable by the Prophets Negative assertion Isa 59.1 Behold the Lords hand is not shortned that it cannot save Fourthly It is exceeding sinfull to give over waiting upon God by turning aside to sinfull wayes Some finde out as they suppose neerer wayes to helpe themselves then by attending upon God they like not as such have prophanely called them those pious delayes and so over Hedge and Ditch they will to the overtaking of their owne ends The Prophet Jeremiah describes such Chap. 18.12 And they sayd there is no hope or our case is desperate all 's lost What then but we will walke after our owne devises and every one doe after the imagination of his evill heart The Lord had told them Vers 11. Behold I frame evill against you and devise a device against you But did the Lord devise a device meerely to ensnare them or did he frame evill against them onely to undoe them No his ayme was their repentance not their ruine and therefore he adds in the same Verse Returne yee now every one from his evill wayes and make your wayes and your doings good As if the Lord had sayd Though I am about to frame evill against you yet doe yee returne to me and all shall be well How doe they resent this threatning and this Counsell They grow desperate upon it And seeing God had brought them into such straits they would get out as well as they could And as he was devising devices against them so they had devices of their owne and them they would follow Thus they would not waite upon God for a remedy in the way of repentance for their old sins but they would provide themselves a remedy by running into new sins They had a device in their heads which should match the device of God Now what the Prophet subjoynes Vers 13 14 15. as a strong redargution of that people who refused to waite upon God in that way the same may we say to all those who refuse to waite upon God in any way The Virgin of Israel he cals her so to minde her what shee should be not to commend her for what shee was hath done a very horrible thing will a man leave the Snow of Lebanon which commeth from the rock of the feild Or will a man as our Margin hath it leave my feilds for a rock or for the Snow of Lebanon that is Will any traveller be so foolish as to leave the plaine feilds where hee may passe with ease and pleasure without let or hinderance to climbe over craggy Rocks and precipitious Hils will hee leave a beaten path to goe through vast Woods and desolate Forrests covered with Snow where no track or footsteps are to be seene or as it followes in that Verse shall the cold flowing waters which come from another place be forsaken or shall the coole running waters be forsaken for strange waters that is Will any man who hath fresh Fountaine-water of his owne at home goe to seeke water in a stincking Ditch in standing pooles and miery puddles when he is a thirst Such is the choice or exchange which they make who cease waiting upon God in his wayes and turne aside for helpe to their owne crooked wayes Stumbling as the Prophet speakes at the fifteenth Verse of the same Chapter in their wayes from the ancient paths to walke in paths in a way not cast up or where no Causey is Though the hand or providence of God doth sometimes bring his people as the Prophet speakes Isa 42.16 By a way which they knew not and leads them in paths that they have not knowne that is Into a way which they knew not by any former teachings of men or experiences of their owne yet his hand never leads them into any way which is not cast up or which may not be made out by some rule or example in the word To leave waiting upon God in his ordinary wayes and to goe in any extraordinary way which hath no ground in the word is purely to follow our owne wayes and to goe after the imaginations of our evill hearts Job in this place apprehended it unseasonable for him to waite for those worldly attainments and enjoyments which his Freinds promised him but he was not unwilling to tarry the Lords leisure nor was he displeased with God for afflicting him nor did he say God could not helpe him much lesse did he turne from God to any wicked way to helpe himselfe when he sayd If I wait the Grave is mine house Secondly Observe from it A good man may give up all his worldly expectations A Beleever may in this sense be an unbeleever and lay down all his hopes in this life of long life and of good dayes of riches and temporall greatnesse When Freinds bid such on their sick beds Be of good cheere we hope to see you abroad shortly we hope God will raise you up againe they will even forbid those comforts and say Doe not intice us back into the World with these hopes the Graves
are ready for us and we have made our bed in the darknesse it is not for us to looke for life here indeed to live to us is Christ but to dye is gaine A Beleever can willingly part with all his earthly possessions for heavenly hopes much more can he joyfully part with all his earthly hopes for the possession of Heaven Thirdly from these expressions The Grave is my house I have made my bed in the darknesse Note A Beleever looks upon death as a state of rest As the whole house is a place of rest compared with the World abroad so the Bed is the speciall place of rest Revel 14.14 Blessed are the dead which dye in the Lord from henceforth they rest from their labours and their workes follow them They shall follow their worke no more who are followed by their works The Grave is the house and bed of the body to all who dye Heaven is the house and rest of the soule to all those why dye in the Lord. Saints have here a rest in their labours they shall hereafter have a rest from their laboures Lastly Whereas the bed of death is made in darknesse Observe There is nothing desireable in death as considered in it selfe A darke condition is the worst condition Darknesse which in Scripture signifies all evill is a word good enough to expresse the state of death by What desireablenesse there is in death what pleasures in the Grave will appeare further in those arguments which death useth to invite us home to its house the Grave in the next Verse vvhich tels us our most lovely companions yea our sweetest and most endeared relations there are Corruption and Wormes Vers 14. I have sayd to corruption Thou art my Father and to the worme Thou art my Mother and my Sister Hyperbolae sunt quibus significat se omnem jam vitae cogitationem abdicasse Jun. This Verse is of the same sense with the former onely here Job breaks into an elegant variation of new metaphors and hyperbolicall expressions I have sayd That is I have as it were called to and saluted the retinue and attendants of death as my freinds and kindred As I have made my bed in the Grave and as that is my house so now I am finding out my houshold relations I say to this Thou art my Father and to that Thou art my Mother and Sister 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Est clamare vocare appellare per electionem nominare elegans prosopopeia per quam Job tumulum alloquitur Bold The word which we render I have sayd c. signifies not barely to say but to cry or call out I have called out to corruption so Master Broughton To the pit I cry O Father O Sister O Mother to the Worme not barely I have sayd but I cry and not barely I cry Father to the pit but he adds also a note of exclamation O Father Secondly The word imports not generally a calling or crying out to any one that comes next but to some speciall person by way of election and choice or to such as vve know vvell and are acquainted with as the termes of Father Mother and Sister imply Verbum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 significat etiem occurrere alicui nam occurrentem solemus salutatione vel interrogatione aliqua proprio nomine appellare Further the word signifies not onely to call aloud and to call with election but to goe forth on purpose to call a Freind or to invite him in As when we see an acquaintance comming towards us or our dwellings we step out to meet and welcome him so the word may beare in this place As if Job seeing death drawing towards him had gone out and said O corruption my Father O wormes my Mother my Sister vvelcome vvelcome such an elegancy the word yeelds us I shall not here stay upon any anxious disquisition about the propriety of these relations how Job cals corruption his Father and the vvorme his Mother and Sister or in drawing out comparisons about them vve are to looke onely to a generall proportion not to an exact propriety in these words there 's no need to make out parallels between corruption and a Father or betweene wormes and a Mother or a Sister Onely thus much may be asserted particularly First He speakes thus to shew that he looked on death not onely not as an enemy but not as a stranger Death and he were well acquainted Secondly He speakes thus to shew that death vvas not only not a stranger to him but as one of his kindred He vvas upon as fayre termes vvith death as vvith Father and Mother Thirdly Job speakes thus to shew Vt ostendat mortem sibi in votis esse cunctis illum amicitiae necessitudinis nomininis compellat Pinet that he did not onely looke upon death as in a neere relation to him but as having a kinde of delight and contentment in death vvhat is more sweet to a man vvho hath been in a long journey and is returning home then to thinke that he is comming to his Father and Mother to his Brethren and Sisters As nature gives us kindred by blood so it is a custome to adopt and stampe to our selves kindred by kindnesse one vve call Father and another vve call Mother one is our Brother a second is our Sister a third our Cozen by the mutuall tyes or by the receits and returnes of curtesie Thus we are to take these compellations as intimating vvith vvhat spirit Job entertained the thoughts of death even with no other then if he had beene to fall into the embraces of Father and Mother and Sister He sayd to corruption as we should say to wisedome Prov. 7.4 Say unto wisedome thou art my Sister and call understanding thy Kinswoman that is Acquaint thy selfe with and be familiar vvith vvisedome so shalt thou keepe thy selfe vvhich is both thy vvisedome and thy happinesse a stranger From the strange Woman Vers 5. Further it may yet be enquired what it is which Job cals Corruption and the worme I have sayd to corruption c. What is this corruption There are two opinions about it First Some interpret him speaking to the corruption and wormes which had already seized upon his body for his diseases and ulcerous sores had bred corruption and wormes As if he had sayd I may well call corruption my Father for I am already full of corruption I may well call the worme my Mother my sister for the wormes creep in and out at my sores continually my body is as if it had layne already in the Grave full of corruption and wormes Secondly Others expound him speaking to and of the corruption and wormes which waited his comming into the Grave The vvord in the Text which wee translate Corruption signifies also the Grave because bodies doe not onely corrupt in the Grave 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fovea corruptio quod in fovea corpus corrumpitur but
our rest together is in the dust They shall goe downe Spes meae omnia mea recte in plurali dicit significans non spem tantum sibi ab illis propositam sed omnes alias spes hujus vitae Merc. Who or vvhat shall goe downe There is no expresse Relative in the Hebrew They that is say some these hopes he speakes in the plurall Number as if hee had sayd All my hopes about this life are going downe to the pit The best of worldly hopes and worldly things are dying and perishing mine are to me as dead and perished Secondly Others understand it of Job himselfe for the word vvhich wee translate Barrs signifies also the members of the body 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vectes significat ea omnia quae velut vectes aliquid sustentant Aliqui Rabbini ad ipsum Jobum referant quod ipsius fulchra i. e. membra brachia vires robur descendent Vectibus sepulchralibus descendent Jun. Mâ—ae videbitis istas expectationes quas praedicatis una cum corpore ferretro efferri in sepulchrum Jun. As if he had sayd I my selfe shall goe downe to the Pit or Grave A third thus They shall descend upon the barrs of the Grave The meaning is Yee shall quickly see mee and all my worldly hopes which yee so much speake of put together in a Coffin and carryed out upon a Beire to the Grave for buriall This going downe to the barrs of the Pit according to our reading imports that he and his hopes should descend to the lower parts of the earth the Grave and be buryed there the pit would shut him in and make him fast enough The Grave is a Prison and there are Barrs or bolts belonging to that Prison vvhich shut the Prisoners in there 's no breaking of that Prison The Decree of God is the Barre of the Grave and his purpose locks it up till the day which himselfe hath appointed for the resurrection from the dead and the judgement vvhich is to follow As the evill Angels are reserved in chaines of darknesse to the Judgement of the great day so are the bodies of men chained and barred downe in the darknesse of the Grave till God sends out the Arch-angel with the sound of a Trumpet to summon them to his Barr. Yet further these words are interpreted as spoken in derision of those overtures which his Freinds made to him about worldly happinesse Per irrisiâ—nem haec dicta sunt Cajet As if he had sayd You perswade me that I shall have much good in the World very well let it be so but doe you thinke that I can carry my Goods my Houses and Lands my Silver and Gold my Corne and my Wine to make merry with in the Grave Shall I and the greatnesse you promise me live together in the Grave and make our abode in darknesse The Septuagint seeme to favour that sense rendering it An bona mea mecum ad infernos descendent aut pariter super pulverem descendemus Shall my Goods goe with me to the Grave or shall wee descend into the dust hand in hand vvhen I surrender this battered Fort into the hands of death shall I march out with Bagg and Baggage to these Subterranean dwellings The Apostle affirmes That we brought nothing with us into this World and he doth more then affirme It is certaine saith he we can carry nothing out 1 Tim. 6.7 And therefore vvhat doth it availe a dying man to tell him of riches seeing vvhen he dyes he must leave all his riches Master Broughton translates plainely thus To the midst of the Grave all shall descend when wee shall goe downe together in the dust From which our reading of the latter clause varies but a little When we shall rest together in the dust The vvord vvhich we expresse by rest is derived by some from a root signifying to descend or goe downe hence the difference of translation The Hebrew particle im which we render When signifies also For or Forasmuch Further it is sometimes taken conditionally for If as also interrogatively for utrum whether according to all which acceptions this clause hath undergone a variety of reading But I passe them by and keep to our owne When our rest together is in the dust or for as much as we shall rest together in the dust Of this rest I have spoken before Chap. 3.17 There the weary be at rest thither I referr the Reader Wee may also take Jobs sense in this place by that which hee speakes so cleerely out to this point Chap. 30. Vers 23. For I know that thou wilt bring me to death and to the house appointed for all living I shall not stay here to draw out Observations matter of this purport about the certainty of and about our rest in death having occurred heretofore All that I shall add for the close of this Verse and Chapter shall onely be an offer towards the resolution of a doubt vvhich may arise upon the vvhole matter of Jobs continued resolves for death and his refusals of any entertainment of the hopes of life Hence it may be questioned Did not Job sin in giving up his hope and in refu ing to be comforted when his Freinds wise and godly men laboured to assure him of deliverance I answer First Job was vvilling to be comforted but hee did not like their way of comforting which vvas indeed a wounding for the promises vvhich they made him did all along carry an implication of his guilt they never promising him any deliverance but upon the supposition of his repentance from those wickednesses vvith vvhich they charged him vvhereas hee utterly denyed their charge in the sense which they layd against him Secondly I answer Wee cannot altogether acquit Job from blame in judging his state so deplorable and remedilesse For though with an eye to the creature and all second causes there was no probability or possibility for his recovery yet Job should have raised his hopes upon the power and Al-sufficiency of God he might have remembred that as his affliction was extraordinary and the hand of God very visible in it So his deliverance also might have been as extraordinary and that God could have put forth as strong and as visible a hand to restore him as he did to cast him downe 'T is sayd of Abraham Rom. 4.18 19. that he against hope beleeved in hope nothing appeared for the support of his hopes yet Abraham did not say Where is my hope or why should I waite for Children He considered not his own body now dead when he was about an hundred yeares old neyther yet the deadnesse of Sarah's wombe These naturall impediments came not to his minde while he had a word from the Lord of nature Hee staggered not at the promise of God through unbeleife but was strong in Faith giving glory to God But we may say of Job from the continuall tenour of his owne answers that he
considered his owne body as dead too much and so attained not to Abrahams strength of Faith Yet we have three things to say for him First there was a great difference between his case and Abrahams Job had no such ground of Faith as Abraham had Abraham received a speciall yea an absolute promise from God that he should have a Son but Job received only a conditionall promise from man grounded upon the generall promises of God that he should be restored This consideration abates much from the objection of his unbeleife though it cannot be denyed but his Faith might and should have risen higher upon the power of God who as he was Al-sufficiently able so he did afterwards actually raise him up Secondly The designe of God being in Jobs example to set forth a patterne of patience as his designe was in Abrahams example to set forth a patterne of Faith he was pleased to let Jobs Faith run it selfe out about spirituals and eternals not minding temporals that so his patience might have a perfect worke in bearing the full weight of his affliction to the end while his Faith did not so much as put under a little finger to ease him with the least beleife that it should as to this life be taken off or have an end Lastly As 't was hinted Job had much Faith to some purposes though none to this hee had a full trust in God though he should kil him but he had no trust that God would not kill him he beleeved God loved him while he did afflict him though hee did not beleeve that God would deliver him from his afflictions As no mans Faith workes alike at all times so 't is rare that any mans Faith workes alike to all things Some who beleeve and hope mightily for the things of Heaven have but little eyther Faith or Hope for earthly things Not because a Faith which serves for Heaven is not enough 't is rather more then enough to serve for Earth But because most of those whose Faith is strong and much enlarged for Heaven take so much satisfaction there and are there so much at home that they account themselves Pilgrims and strangers here and are not much mindfull as the Apostle speakes Heb. 11.15 or desirous of their earthly Countrey and concernments What wee doe not much desire to have wee doe not much beleeve though we beleeve that we shall have it A full soule saith Solomon loatheth the Honey combe Those soules which are full of Heaven though they doe not loath yet they are not hungry after though they can thankfully receive and enjoy any Honey-combe of this World No man having drunk old Wine straightway desireth new for hee saith the old is better Luke 5.39 Doubtlesse Job had drunk the old Wine of Gods favour and love in the Redeemer and so his thirst was much slacked if not totally quenched towards the new Wine of a temporall restauration And hence we may not onely charitably but more then probably conclude That it was not for want of Faith that Job did not beleeve or hope for what his Freinds promised him but because he had employed his Faith upon better and more pleasing pâ—â—â—ises Thus Job hath finisht his answer to the second charge of Eliphaz And through the helpe of Christ somewhat is here tendered for the illustration and exposition of it His other two Freinds Bildad and Zophar stand ready to enter the Lists with him and to renew their charge what they sayd and what answer they received shall if God continue life and strength with these peaceable opportunities in convenient time be presented to publick view A TABLE Directing to some speciall points noted in the precedent EXPOSITIONS A ABominable what that is which is called abominable or an abomination p. 65 66. Sinfull man how abominable to God 66 67. Abundance cannot satisfie 113. Advocate between God and man 389. How the holy Ghost is an Advocatâ— 389 390. In what manner Christ performes the offiâ—e of an Advocate 390. Christ is an effectuall mediatour or Advocate 393. Five things to shew the effectualnesse of Christs pleading for us as an Advocate 394. Affections of men and their opinions of others are very variable 452. Affliction great afflictions hinder the sense of tendred mercies 39. Some afflictions bring a wearinesse boâ—h upon soule and body 247. Some afflictions distract 248. A godly man may grow extreame weary of affliction 249. Great afflictions like great sins leave a mark 261. Great afflictions how made witnesses of sin against a man 262. The witnesse which affliction gives censured two wayes 262 263. God afflicts his owne severely 290. God seemes to take pleasure in afflicting his 294. Affliction comes not by chance but by speciall direction 295. God hath many wayes to afflict 297. He sends breach upon breach 309. Great afflictions have three things in them in reference to others 451. Age old age three degrees of it among the Jewes 31. Amalekites their enmity against the Jewes 126. Angels how imperfect 62. Angels by some called Heavens and why 63. Answering two things alwayes may two things usually doe embolden men to answer 222. Antiochus Epiphanes his painefull life 89 Appetite of the end infinite 207. Appeales to God lawfull 363. It is a daring worke to appeale to Gâ—d 368. Apis the Aegyptian Idol why his Preists did not give him the water of Nilus to drinke 147. Apostacy from profession worse then continued prophanenesse 286. Archers seven Archers shot at Job 297. Arminians why they deny the Intercession of Christ for all 393. Assurance of approaching miseries how great a trouble to the minde 118. A wicked man may have this assurance 118. Arrhabo an earnest whence it comes 420. Astonishment at the dealings of God 468. Augustus Caesar his peircing eye 266. Aygoland a King of the Moores why he refused baptisme 471. B. Barathrum why it signifies Hell 455. Begging or wandring for bread a great affliction 111. Beleeving a wicked man hath neyther a ground nor a heart to beleeve 104. A wicked mans beleeving is presuming 104. Belial whence derived 10. Who is Belial 85. Blood what it signifies in Scripture 347. Bloody sins shal not passe undiscovered 357. Why God is sayd to make inquisition for blood in speciall 358. Body to minde the seeding of it sinfull 148. They take little care for their soules who take overmuch care for their bodies 150. Branch what it signifies in Scripture 189. Bread what it signifies in Scripture 111. Breath of God what it signifies in Scripture 164. Breath of man 167 168. Breath of man taken three wayes 402. The breath of man is corruptible 403. Breath is not the soule ibid. Bribe-takers and Bribe-givers both alike wicked 195. Bribery is an odious sin 197. That which is got by bribery will not hold long 197. By-word to be made a by-word notes two things 447. Great sufferers are usually made a by-word 447 448. It is very burdensome to the spirit of a man
of the Battell is given by sound of Trumpet beat of Drum or discharge of Cannon they run on upon one another and when the Battell comes to the heat and hight they charge home even upon the necks of one another and upon the Bosses of their Bucklers Here 's the description of a fierce charge This wicked one is a Champion for Hell he challenges the God of Heaven and runs upon him c. with utmost violence Quia impius manum in Deum extendit ideo currit in eum Deus ad collum in densitate dorsorum clypeorum ejus q.d. in ea quibus ille maxime roboratur Rab. Lev. Vatabl. Beza Multo aptior est ut describatur adhuc ille impiorum conatus adversus Deum Pined Inauditam impii temeritatem describere prosequitur Bold That 's the sum of the words I shall now open them a little further He runs upon him even upon his neck There is a difference among Interpreters about that Antecedent some understand God As it the meaning were God runneth upon a wicked man like a strong Warrier with incredible swiftnesse and irresistible force to cast him downe The wicked man having stretched out his hand and strengthned himselfe against the Almighty now the Almighty runs upon his necke even upon the thick bosses of his Buckler Come saith God I will have about with thee if thou darest I will try it out with thee I am not afrayd of thy stiffe necke though it hath Iron sinews nor of the thick bosses of thy Buckler though they be of Steele Thus some both later Writers and ancient Rabbins give the sense but I rather conceive with others that Eliphaz still prosecutes the strange progresse and hightned wickednesse of man who having strengthned himselfe by hardning his heart against God runs upon him even upon his necke c. Taking this sense there is a different reading thus He runs upon him with his necke we say the wicked man runs upon the neck of God they say A wicked man runs upon God with his neck their meaning is He runs upon him audaciously and proudly The neck lifted up is a token of pride and presumptuous boldnesse And to run with the neck is to run with the neck lifted up or stretched out Currere collo est collo duro erecto sunilia sunt cum lana ponitur pro lana alba c. Drus which is indeed the periphrasis of pride Psalm 75.5 Speake not with a stiffe necke that is with a spirit unwilling to submit to my dispensations The Prophet Isaiah complaines and threatens Isa 3.16 Because the Daughters of Sion are haughty and walke with stretched out necks That is because they testifie the pride of their hearts by the gate and postures of the body as much as by the vaine attire and apparrell of the body Therefore the Lord will smite c. The Lord tells Moses Exod. 32.9 I have seen this people and behold it is a stiffe-necked people He complaines by the Prophet Isa 48.4 I knew that thou art obstinate and thy neck is an Iron sinew Stephen the Proto-Martyr gives a breviate of all their rebellions Acts 7. and concludes Vers 51. Yee stiffe necked c. The stiffe neck and the proud hard heart are the same all the Bible over Thus the wicked man runneth upon God with his stiffe In erectione colli fastus agnoscitur Merc. that is his proud daring spirit As before Hee stretched out his hand so now which is more his necke against God The metaphor is taken either from Souldiers in battell Metaphora a milite Fortissimo in hostem impetum faciente Metaphora a lascivienti procaci vitulo Pined who to shew their valour hold up their heads and stretch out their necks running head to head and shoulder to shoulder when they come to close fight Or It is a metaphor taken from a Bullock unaccustomed to the yoake who therefore will not submit his neck to bear it Wicked men are called Children of Belial because they endure not the yoak of obedience when God would put his yoak upon their necks they lift up their necks or run upon him with their stiffe necks Hence Note It is pride of spirit which causeth man to oppose God The Apostle James saith God resisteth the proud Jam. 4. which intimates yea and speakes out that the proud assault God As the wicked in his pride persecutes the poore Psal 10.2 So in his pride he opposeth God And as he that loveth God follows yea runs after God to obey him so he that hates God runs upon him by disobedience An act of ignorant disobedience is a going froâ— God Per superbiam homo maximè deo resistit superbus propter praesumptionem spiritus contra Deum currere dicitur Aquin. an act of knowne disobedience is a running upon God Running upon God is not onely sinning but impudent sinning The Angels in Heaven cover their faces before God dâ—â—ing not to behold him Humble sinners on earth such as the poor Publican Luke 18. venture not to lift up their eyes to Heaven but proud sinners lift up their necks against God They who care not what God saith to them care as little what they doe to God And they who have no faith in God seldome have any feare of him these run upon him with their necks But I returne to our Translation He runs upon him even on his necke That is on the neck of God that is he sins fiercely and fearelessely he doth not dare God at a distance or like a Coward speak great words and vaunt of what he will doe when his Adversary is out of sight and hearing but he charges on boldly in his very face It is sayd of the Ramm by whom the Prophet meanes Alexander the Great King of Greece That when he saw the Hee-Goat that is Darius King of Persia he ran upon him That is he assaulted him speedily and boldly overthrowing his whole estate and so making himselfe sole Lord of Asia The whole course of his Victories are described by this word He ran upon him Dan. 8.6 And when Job would shew how fiercely the Lord handled him he gives it in this language I was at ease but he hath broken me asunder he hath also taken me by the necke and shaken me to peeces Job 16.12 Cum eo concurrens collum invadet Tigur As God in a way of highest punishment or chastisement is sayd to take a man by the neck so man in a way of highest sinning and rebelling is sayd to take God by the neck or to run upon his neck He that ventures upon the necke cares not where he ventures and he that runs upon the neck of God cares not on whom he ventures And as in height of love a freind runs and falls upon the neck of his freind thus Joseph did on his Brethrens necks Gen. 45.14 and the Father of the Prodigall Luke 15.20 Ran and fell upon
his Sons necke and kissed him So in heat of wrath an Enemy runs upon the neck of his Enemy and wicked men who are enmity against God run upon the neck of God Some conceive that this running upon the neck of God imports two things First That the wicked man imagines himselfe as having an equality of strength with God Erat paenae genus ut Magistratus si quem suo imperio parum obedientem viderit in collum invaderent intorquerent Liv. l. 4. And secondly That he hath authority above God or that he is Gods better and superiour This latter they ground upon an old custome among Magistrates who finding an offender contumacious were wont to command the Officer to take him by the neck and dragg him out of the Court to receive his punishment But I shall not insist upon that Criticisme especially considering the incongruity of it with the next words Even upon the thick bosses of his buckler Malefactors are never permitted to come armed before the Judge to their Arraignments The word which we translate Thicke signifies also Fat because fat is thick Hence the Vulgar Latine translates 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In densitate altitudinum scutorum ejus in crassitiem corporum scutorum ejus Me c. Alludit ad pervetustum praeliandi modum cum clipeo in cujus medio erat prominentia quae dicitur umbo in quo erat cuspis quo cominus concertabatar Boâ—d He is armed with his fat neck But I passe that According to our reading which keeps closer to the Original Eliphaz describes the ancient and present forme of Bucklers which as they are defensive weapons so also offensive and therfore have not only Bosses for ornament but one especially in the center or middle with a sharpe pike in it for use For as the whole Buckler secured the body against the Arrow or Sword of the Adversary so if he pressed neer this high Bosse or Pike of the Buckler served to pierce and wound the Adversary So that while the wicked man is sayd to run upon God even upon the thick bosses of his Buckler it shewes the highest valiancy of a wicked man in opposing God he fights not onely afarr off but neer at hand and presses upon him though within the reach and danger of his Weapon Hence Observe There is no danger can keep a wicked man off from sin Like the Horse in this Book Chap. 39.22 He mocketh at feare and is not afrighted neither turneth away from the Sword hee swalloweth the ground with fiercenesse and rage he saith among the Trumpets Aha aha though God have a Buckler man will come upon him yea though God have a Bosse upon his Buckler to strike and wound him yet on he comes The Buckler of God is the Law or Word of God and the Bosses of this Buckler are the threatnings and curses of the Law Now when man sins notwithstanding the Law which is the Buckler by which God saves and protects his honour and his holinesse his name and glory from the wounds which sinfull man is ready to give him then man may be sayd to run upon his Buckler And when notwithstanding the sharpe threats and terrible curses of the Law which are the thick Bosses with which he wounds those who transgresse his Law when I say notwithstanding these man adventures to sin and transgresse the Law he may rightly be sayd To run upon the thicâ— bosses of his Bucklers God gave Adam a Law Of the Tree of knowledge of good and evill thou mayst not eate Here was the Buckler and when he added this threat In the daye thou eatest therâ—of thou shall surely dye Here was the Bosse God sent a word to Pharaoh Let my people goe this was a Buckler If thou refuse to let them goe I will slay thy first borne this was the Bosse Adam run upon the Bosse of the Buckler so did Pharoah and so doe all wilfull sinners A wicked heart will goe on sinning whatsoever God is speaking or doing Isa 57.17 I was wrath and smote him yet he went on frowardly in the way of his heart Neither the wrath of God nor their owne smart stopt their progresse though smitten yet they went on Saints sometimes goe on sinning though God be smiting they have run upon the Bosses of the Buckler to the wounding both of their soules and of their outward comforts wicked men will run upon them to the damning of their soules and bodies Though they see yea feele the bosses judgement not onely threatned but executed yet on they will and like wicked Ahaz in the time of their affliction sin more against the Lord. This is the height of sinfulnesse As it shewes the truth and height of holinesse in the Saints when they will not onely run to God in faire times when men approve but in the worst times when men oppose when they venture to doe their duty upon the Bucklers of men yea upon the Bosses of the Buckler extreamest danger So it shewes a like strength and height of wickednes when men venture upon the Bosses of the Buckler upon the point of the naked Sword of Gods displeasure they will venture let it cost what it will though the Lord set a flaming Sword in the way of lust as he did in the way of the Tree of life Gen. 3. though the Lord set an Angell with a drawn Sword in the way of lust as he did in Balams way when he was going to curse Israel yet on they will Till the heart be changed neither Swords nor Bucklers nor Bosses neither wrath threatned nor executed can cause a sinner to change his course This the Prophet complaines of Isa 9.13 The people turneth not to him that smiteth them neither doe they seek the Lord of Hoasts Their incorrigiblenesse under severest corrections is elegantly described by another Prophet enumerating five speciall stroakes or smitings to every one of which he subjoynes Yet have ye not returned unto me saith the Lord Amos 4.6 7 8. c. When the bellows were burnt and the lead consumed of the fire that is when all instruments and meanes of refining them were spent and worne out yet their drosse remained in them The Founder melted in vaine for the wicked that is their wickednesses or evill things were not plucked away Jer. 6.29 30. They went into the Furnace full of drosse and they came out as full of drosse as they went in The Founder blowed his fire till he burnt his bellows but their lusts had no sent of fire upon them his lead by which he seperates the drosse from the metall was all consumed and evaporated but the drosse of their corruptions wasted no more then the purest gold doth in the fire Hence the Lord resolved to wast no more of his judgements upon them Why should you be smitten any more ye will revolt more and more Isa 1.5 To revolt from God and to run upon him are sins of the same straine and they who
not been God he could not have satisfied for us These points of Gospel Catechisme are so necessary and fundamentall that in every Age Beleevers have in some measure been instructed about them And whereas the Apostle saith 1 Tim. 2.5 There is one Mediatour betweene God and men or of God and men the man Christ Jesus He doth not add man to exclude the Divine nature from the Mediatorship but emphatically to demonstrate that nature in which he gave himselfe a ransome for us of which he speakes in the next Verse For though the ransome was paid by him who is God or had a divine nature yet it was paid in the Manhood or humane Nature onely The humane ture was the matter of our ransome but from the Divine nature gave worth and value to it Further Job speakes with much confidence and assurance both of Christs willingnesse to undertake his cause and of the successe or good issue of his cause if once Christ did but undertake it He will plead for a man with God Hence Observe Fourthly Christ is very ready to speake for and plead the cause of poore sinners before God his Father He will doe it saith Job Christ is easie to be entreated hee is found of those that seek him not then surely hee will be found of those that seek him His promise is John 6.37 Him that commeth unto me I will in no wise cast out As if hee had sayd Whatsoever I doe I will not doe this And when he saith he will not doe this his meaning is that he will doe much more for them then the not doing of this comes to hee will readily receive their persons and undertake their suites though they have no Fee to give him nothing to move him but the need they have of him Fifthly Observe Christ is a powerfull and an effectuall Mediatour with the Father He carries the day he is a prevailing Mediatour Christ is such a Physitian that no man ever dyed under his hand and he is such an Advocate that no mans cause ever miscarryed under his hand The Arminians maintaine a propitiation made or a Sacrifice offered by Christ for all yet they dare not say it is effectuall for all but the intercession of Christ in their opinion is effectuall for all Christ dyed say they for those that hee doth not save but Christ prayeth for none but those that shall be saved They are not for universall Intercession though they are for an universall Sacrifice or propitiation and their reason is because they cannot deny but many shall perish for ever which yet they could not did Christ but pray for them We beleeve that his Sacrifice is as effectuall as his Intercession and that therefore he dyed for none but those for whom he prayes his Intercession being for the drawing out and bringing home the benefit of his Sacrifice to those and to all those for whom he offered himselfe to God But to the point in hand The Arminian who leaves the death of Christ in the hand of mans free will assisted onely by generall Grace to make it effectuall to himselfe or not he I say asserts the Intercession of Christ not onely sufficient but effectuall for all in whose behalfe he intercedes So that we are sure all shall goe well with us in the Court of Heaven while we have Christ our Advocate with the Father And that we may have fulnesse of confidence to come to God by Christ let us consider these five things First Christ is most wise to mannage our cause so wise that he is the wisedome of the Father If we had an Advocate at the Barr furnisht with as much wisedome as the Judge it were a great step to obtaine in a right suite Secondly Christ is an eloquent Advocate a powerfull Orator As the Lord hath given him the tongue of the learned that he should know how to speake a word in season to him that is weary Isa 54.4 So he hath a learned tongue to speake a word for him that is weary Christ is the Essentiall word and the flower of all declarative words is with him when he spake on earth he spake with authority Matth. 7.29 All wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth Luke 4.24 Yea his hearers somewhere testifie never spake man as this man speaketh And as no man ever spake like him to man so no man ever spake like him to God Thirdly Christ is a faithfull Advocate his intercession is a part of his Priestly office wee have a faithfull high Priest saith the Apostle therefore a faithfull Advocate He will never eyther desert our cause or betray it he is as sure to us as our owne soules yea hee and the soules of his are one Fourthly Christ is a mercifull Advocate hee layes our cause to heart our cause is his cause Hee hath espoused the Interests of his people and doth all for us upon his owne account When Saints are persecuted we may tell him that he is persecuted and that hee is afflicted when they are The Church may plead with Christ to plead for the removing of her sufferings under the title of his sufferings he being the head of the Church and the Church being his body Christ is as a faithfull so a mercifull high Preist Heb. 2.17 and the Apostle saith That in all things it behoved him to be like his brethren that he might be so Christ had an ability of sufficiency to be mercifull to us as God though hee had never been made like unto us by becomming man but hee had not that ability as some speake of Idoneity or fitnesse to be mercifull His being made like unto us hath given him a double Idoneity for the tendernesse of his heart towards us First In that he himselfe hath suffered being tempted Heb. 2.18 His passions in the flesh were great Secondly In that himselfe suffers still in all our temptations his compassions with our flesh are great Now an Advocate who eyther hath had an experience of trouble in his owne person or is full of the sense of his Clients trouble and feeles his smart will certainely doe his utmost to releeve him because in his releife himselfe is releeved also Fifthly Christ is the Favorite of the Judge it is a great advantage to have one pleading for us at the Barr who is in favour with the Bench Christ is highly in favour with the Bench God hath testified from Heaven This is my wel-beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Matth. 3.17 The Judge is our Advocates Freind and Father Lastly That we may be further assured that he will doe his utmost for us Our Advocate calls us his Freinds As the Judge is his Freind before whom he pleads so every Saint is his Freind for whom hee pleads Some will doe more for freindship then for a Fee We know it is so with Jesus Christ he pleads for his people because they are his Freinds This Job makes use of here Hee