they teach thee Certainly they shall thou shalt not come away empty undirected uncounsel'd Shall not they teach thee How could they teach They were dead and gone they were past many ages before Bildad may be conceived to answer Though the fathers are dead yet they will speak to thee and counsell thee as well as if they lived and stood before thee with our selves They shall teach thee and they shall instruct thee And more then that they will not onely teach thee in a complement and speak words to thee but they will speak their very hearts to thee thou shalt finde that they will give thee cordial counsell They will utter words to thee out of their heart Vtter words out of their heart The meaning of that is either First in generall they will give thee the reall conceptions of their mindes about these points they will speak sincerely they will not speak to thee from the teeth outward but from the heart inward Secondly they will speak wisely and judiciously to thee about these things they will utter not so much words as oracles to thee out of their heart The heart is the seat of knowledge and understanding and a wise man is homo cordatus a hearty man Eloquia ex corde proferre est sapienter loqui sapiens cordatus dicitur stultus excors a man with a heart and a fool in Scripture is said to be a heartles man a man without a heart he cannot utter words from his heart who wants a heart he utters them from his mouth or from his tongue A fools heart is in his mouth and a wise mans mouth is in his heart he speaks that which lies in the in-most recesses and closets of his spirit he speaks from meditation he brings what he speaks to his heart Cor loquitur quae animus praemeditatus est os loquitur sine meditatione and from his heart utters what he speaks Christ assures us That a good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil things Every heart is a treasury When a good man speaks evil he speaks not from his heart though he hath a stock of sinfulnesse in him but from his lips and when an evil man speaks good he speaks it not from his heart but from his lips for he hath no stock or treasury of good within An hypocrite speaks good with a heart and a heart with a double heart A fool speaks without a heart yet of the two it is better to have no heart then two Or we may take the meaning of the words as a secret reproof of Job If thou wilt look after these fathers and search them they will not speak as thou hast done rashly unadvisedly and indiscreetly but they will speak from their hearts they will utter things of weight and serious consideration From hence observe First That old men are presumed to have a great stock of knowledge Go to the fathers they will certainly teach thee Every man should labour to have a proportion of knowledge to his proportion of years we should not be children in understanding when we are men in time The Apostle reproves such as are so Heb. 5.2 When saith he for the time you ought to be teachers look upon the yeers that are gone over your heads and you ought to be teachers you should have much in your hearts for the instruction of others yet so it is you have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God and you are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat Secondly observe They who are dead and gone yet speak to us as if they were living Bildad sends Job to the ancient fathers Go they will teach thee and utter words out of their heart Whilest we consider what they have spoken and done it is as if they now spake Heb. 11.4 Abel by faith offered a better sacrifice then Cain and being dead he yet speaketh They who are dead speak by their works and they speak by the words which they spake while they were alive The records which they have left give us counsell to this day When the rich man it is the scope of the Parable I say when the rich man Luk. 16 2â— desired that Lazarus might go from the dead to speak to his brethren Abraham answers him They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them c. If they hear not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded though one rose from the dead They have Moses and the Prophets but Moses and the Prophets were dead and gone how have they Moses and the Prophets they have not the men before them but they had their writings and records they who read the Prophets writings hear their speakings Books are silent voices If Moses and the Prophets may be heard when dead and gone then much more may we hear Christ since he died and rose and his Apostles who are dead And whereas some have an opinion that they do not know the minde of Christ or that they cannot reform the Church or their Churches till Christ himself come from heaven to do it or till there be Apostles sent personally to do it they wanting an Apostle cannot order the vvorship and ordinances of God and therefore conclude against a present Church-state I say to such if that be your ground that you must have Christ and his Apostles to settle all for you you have your desires Look into the vvorks and vvord of Christ into the vvritings and practices of his Apostles both for your rule and patern If Abraham could say they have Moses and the Prophets they may hear them surely vve may say much more we have Christ and his Apostles vvhom vve may hear and consult about all the institutions and orders that concern the frame of his Church We need not stay till Christ come down in person from heaven or till new Apostles are sent and furnished vvith instruction for this vvork for we have Christ and his Apostles already vve hear what Christ spake vve read the rules vvhich he gave concerning the vvaies of his vvorship and government of his Church in all the essentiall and constitutive parts of either to the end of the world Thirdly observe They that teach others should teach their own hearts to speak It is best speaking to others with the heart The heart will teach better then the tongue yea better then the understanding â—he word which comes from the heart of the teacher goes soonest to the heart of the hearer Fourthly observe The heart is the true repository or treasury of holy truths You may see where the fathers the holy men in ancient time laid up truth they utter words out of their heart then truth was laied up there Truth is as it vvere the heart of God and therefore we must put it into our hearts
judgement under the roof and goodly fabrick of this house Out of these three sorts of materials spirituall gifts spirituall duties and supposed spirituall graces upon all these and out of these he buildeth and thinks he hath made an house that shall stand for ever The point I shall give you taking in those three sorts of materials is That gifts duties and supposed graces are the stay and the staff the house and the strength of hypocrites Upon these they lean and in these they secure themselves they rest upon this bottom for eternity Hence they even dare to plead with God himself about it Mat. 7.22 Many will say unto me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name cast out devils and done many great wonders They trusted upon Have we not prophesied Have we not praied Have we not done wonders They thought those sufficient materials to build them a tower which should reach heaven it self who can doubt but they who do such things as these shall do well The gift of prophecy the power to cast out devils and work miracles sound high and make a great noise Yet at last this tower of their confidence proves but a Castle in the air or a spiders web How confident were they who could plead thus with God He hath opened the secrets of heaven to us and do you thinke he will shut the gates of heaven upon us We have preached we have been instruments of saving others and shall not we be saved ourselves We have cast out devils and shall we be cast to the devil We have not walked in an ordinary tract of Profession but we have traded in wonders and done miracles we have amazed the world with reports of the great things we have done is all this nothing Thus they plead with Christ as if he were bound to save them by the law of these services yet Christ tels them Depart from me I know you not Surely thought they God will fetch his fewell for those everlasting burnings from among the rude Heathens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Chrysost or debauched drunkards adulterers c. not from among us Were it not a wonder greater then any we have wrought if we who have wrought great wonders should not be admitted One of the Ancients represents them in such an amazement What means this strange unexpected answer from Christ Depart c. Must we depart who have lived so near thee Must we be damned whom thou hast thus honoured The Apostle Paul Rom. 2.17 speaking of the hypocriticall Jews discovers such a confidence Thou restest in the Law as a man resteth in his house there he sleeps is quiet so these in the Law there they were quiet that is in the priviledges and outward profession of the Law or in a literall and outward obedience to the Law The Jews built their house upon or with legall righteousnesse Thou restest in the Law Tibi applâ—u lis quod legem scriptam acceperis quòd frequenses in lectione auditione legis he speaks both by way of narration and likewise by way of redargution He tels what they did and how ill they did in doing so Paul rejects this as refuse stuff as hay and straw as drosse and dung as confidence in the flesh Phil. 3.3 c. Those things which acted or enjoyed are spirit being trusted to are flesh So Prayer is flesh ordinances are flesh the righteousnesse of the Law is flesh yea Grace it self trusted to is flesh The duties which Christ hath appointed are the house of the hypocrite but Christ himself is the house of the upright He would be found in him Phil. 3.9 not in duties or inherent graces Saints desire that much grace may be found in them but they dare not be found in graces they would ever be acting graces but never thrusting to them Secondly Observe An hypocrites hope is high and strong that his estate is good now and that he shall receive good at the last He leaneth upon this house Some are without hope in the world of whom we may speak as the Apostle of an heretike Tit. 3.11 they are condemned of themselves Some men have the sentence of condemnation in their own hearts But there are others as you see here who have great and strong confidences in themselves who live and die with this confidence too This they do upon the former witnesse As the Apostle John speaks concerning the witnesse which the Saints have for heaven There are three which bear witnesse c. and these three are one So there are three which bear witnesse to the hypocrite and these three are one they agree in one to deceive as the other to give assurance First The world that giveth many a man a witnesse and letters testimoniall that his estate is good his neighbours say so they flatter him and cry peace peace to him Secondly Satan applauds him the devil gives him his good word and tels him that certainly his estate is very good Thirdly His own heart will seal to all he shall have the witnesse in himself as it is spoken of the true believer So that the hypocrite having such witnesses a witnesse within himself a certificate under the hand of Satan and letters commendatory from the world all this must needs give him strength of hope that his house shall stand for ever But see the issue He leaneth upon his house What then It shall not stand The word signifies to stand firmly and strongly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Stetit subsist it mansit or to continue standing He thought that the materials which he had brought together and the hopes which he had raised upon them would have been as Mount Zion that cannot be removed but he leaneth upon it and it shall not stand Whence observe All that an hypocrite trusteth unto shall deceive him at the last It shall not stand Their webs shall not become garments Neither shall they cover themselves with their works Isa 59.6 The language is proverbiall importing highest disappointment Who would weave a web if he knew he should never have a garment by it Or work hard when himself must go naked Jer. 7.1 2. the Lord sends to the people by his Prophet Say to this people Trust not to lying words that is words which will deceive and fail you you trust and lean to them but they will fall away from you What were those words Even that they had a goodly house to lean to they cried The temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord but I hope that 's a strong house as well as a beautifull a man may lean upon that upon the temple of the Lord and do well No The temple of the Lord leaned upon will be but a spiders web God gave the Jews a temple to worship him in and many of them worshipped the temple We adore every duty we depend upon and give the Ordinances of God the honour of God
they may Thirdly If any godly men such as make more then ordinary profession doe such things then who may not The failings of the Saints are a countenance to wicked men in their follies They are apt to follow the dark side of the cloud and to approve those in what they doe ill whom they scorn in what they doe well They imitate their fals and sins whose repentance they never thinke of imitating How many harden their hearts by their doing what is evil whose hearts have been broken because they did evil From the sinne which a holy man commits against his purpose and resolution many purpose and resolve to commit it Upon these and the like grounds the heart of man is hardened against God Take a brief of the degrees of this hardnesse see by what steps the heart rises so high in sinning Man doth not grow hard at once much lesse hardest But wâ—â—n once he begins to harden himself where he shall make an end he knows not The first step is the taking time and leave to meditate upon sinne and roll it up and down in the thoughts A hard heart lets vain thoughts dwell in it A holy heart would not let them lodge with it A second step is some tastes of pleasure and delight in sinne It proves a sweet morsell under his tongue As the heart grows more delighted in sinne so more hardened in sinne Nothing should be so bitter as sinne in the act for nothing will be so bitter as sinne in the issue but when the act is pleasant the issue is seldome suspected The third step is custome in sinning It argues great boldnesse to venture often One said of him that had escaped danger at sea Improbè Neptunum accusat qui iterum naufragium sacit If you go again you have no reason to complain though you be wrack'd Mariners are fearfull of storms at first but through custome they play with them When a man comes ofs once safe from sinne he will venture again and so often till at last he thinks there is scarce any venture at all in sinne He growes bold and hardy By the fourth step of hardnesse he comes to defend and maintain his sinne He hath spoken so long in his heart against the word which forbiddeth him to sin that now he can speak against it with his tongue He hath a plea or an argument to make the evil he doth good He appears a Patron an Advocate for sin who was before but a practiser of it Fifthly The hard heart grows angry and passionate with those who give advice against sin he is resolved and a man that is resolved in his way is angry if he be desired to remove out of his way He that is resolved to sleep loves not to be awakened A touch or a jog from him that sits by provokes him he praies to be let alone We should love the man while we hate and reprove his sin But he that loves his sin will hate his reprovers Sixthly Hard hearts grow too hard for the Word they are Sermon-proof they can sit under the Preacher and hear from day to day but nothing touches them A man in armour feels not the stroak of a sword much lesse the smart of a rod. This hardnesse of heart is a steel armour to the heart it makes the man past feeling till he be past healing Some being often reproved hurden their hearts Prov. 29.1 till their hearts are too hard for all reproofes And then seventhly The heart is so hard that the sword of affliction doth not pierce it the man is judgement-proof let God strike him in his person or estate let God set the world a fire about his ears yet on goes he He is like the man of whom Solomon speaks Prov. 23.34 who lies sleeping in a storm upon the top of a mast Eightly The hard heart sits down in the chair of the scorner he derides the Word and mocks at the judgements of God When Lot spake to his sons in law about fire and brimstone ready to fall upon Sodome and consume it the text saith He seemed as one that mocked unto his sonnes in Law what tell us of judgements of fire descending from Heaven When the skie falls we shall have Larkes Lastly The hard heart gets up to the tribunall of the persecutour and from scorner commences opposer of good men and of the good waies of God he will doe them the uttermost mischief he can who would doe him all the good they can Get thee from me saith Pharaoh to Moses Exod. 10.28 Take heed to thy self See my face no more for in the day that thou seest my face thou shalt die Pharaohs hard heart spake hard words and was preparing to give hard blows he had only so much of honour and ingenuity left as to warn the Prophet to avoid the blow Which yet is more then hardnesse of heart leaves to all Many an hard heart uses the hand before the tongue and in stead of saying to his reprover See my face no more lest thou die cals him before his face that he may die or seek his death behinde his back and lies in wait for revenge And here hardnesse of heart is at hardest It is now a fit cushion for Satan He sits softest upon this stone The devil is never so much pleased as when man is most hardened the seed of his temptations takes root and prospers best in this stony ground But shall man prosper too Shall any man thrive or make a gain by hardening himself against God Shall he come off with honour or with profit Job answereth Who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered Which may be resolved into this negative proposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et pacatus suit vel in pace abiit i. e. foeliciter bene cesserit Merc. No man ever hardened himself against God and prospered The Hebrew thus Hath any man hardened himself against God and had peace Mr Broughton renders near it Hath any man hardned himself against God and found quietnesse To have peace or quietnesse and to prosper are the same in the language of the Jews and in a hundred Texts of the old Testament Nemo pertinax gloriari potest quod post consecutam victoriaÌ„ pace potitus fuerit Pined Nemo cum Deo pugnans sic eum assidua pugna fatigavit ut pacem accipiat ultro à Deo oblatam Idem We may understand Job either of these three waies First No pertinacious hard hearted man could ever glory that he got the better or the day of God and so prospered into a peace by warre that 's a way of prosperity in which he shall never tread Gideon told the men of Penuel When I come again in peace that is when I have conquered and return prosperous then c. No man ever conquered God and so returned in peace Peace was never the trophie of a war with him Secondly Who ever hardened himself against God
24.63 The subject of his meditation was the starres or the heavens It is good to take field-room sometimes to view contemplate the works of God round about Only take heed of the former folly of Astrologicall curiosities confining the providence of God to secondary causes avoid that and the heart may have admirable elevations unto God from the meditation of the works of God Psal 19.1 The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handy work if the heavens declare the glory of God we should observe what that glory is which they declare The heavens preach to us every day Their line is gone out thorow all the earth and their words to the end of the world Psal 19.4 Sun Moon and Stars are Preachers they are universall preachers they are naturall Apostles the world is their charge their words saith the Psalm go to the ends of the earth We may have good doctrine from them especially this doctrine in the text of the wisdom and power of God And it is very observable that the Apostle alludes to this text in the Psalm for a proof of Gospel-preaching to the whole world Rom. 10.18 So then faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God But I say have they not heard Yes verily their sound went into all the earth and their words unto the end of the world The Gospel like the Sun casts his beams over and sheds his light into all the world David in the Psalm saith Their line is gone out c. By which word he shews that the heavens being so curious a fabrick made as it were by line and levell do clearly though silently preach the skill and perfections of God Or that we may read divine truths in them as in a line formed by a pen into words and sentences the originall signifies both a measuring line 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Significat lineam non modo extensam hoc est funiculum sed etiam scriptam hoc est scripturam Par. in Rom. 10 and a written line Letters and words in writing being nothing but lines drawn into severall forms or figures But the Septuagint whose translation the Apostle citeth for Kavam their line read Kolam their sound either mis-reading the word or studiously mollifying the sense into a nearer compliance with the later clause of the verse And their words into the ends of the world Pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus I have endeavoured to make those things plain which are here represented to vulgar ears under strange unusuall and hidden expressions Job is full of Philosophy and Astronomy he was a great student in the heavens doubtlesse and a holy student Job having given these severall instances gathers them all into a generall conclusion in the tenth verse Verse 10. Which doth great things past finding out yea and wonders without number These words are repeated from the discourse of Eliphaz in the 5th Chap. v. 9. I would seek unto God and unto God would I commit my cause which doth great things and unsearchable marvellous things without number I will not stay in a particular disoussion of them but refer the Reader to the place before cited where the text is opened at large and particular observations given from it Take only this observation in generall That A godly man labours to exalt God both in his thoughts and in his words with heart and tongue when God depresses and humbles him most Mark in what a condition Job was when he speaks thus honourably of the name and power of God One would think Job had little reason to extoll the power of God which he felt to his own smart Job was stript of all he had his outward comforts were taken from him and the arrows of the Almighty wounded his very spirit Now when he had wounded Job thorow and thorow thorow flesh and thorow spirit even at this time when God appeared making no use of his power but to undo Job Job is in his Encomium all in the praise and commendation of God He endites a Chapter on purpose to set forth the power and wisdom of God while he imploied both to make his afflictions both great and accurate This shews the admirable frame of his spirit in all his distempers his heart stood right and he would speak good of God what evil soever befell him from Gods hand Let God afflict with his power yet a gracious heart rejoices in it A gracious heart will lift up that power which weakens and throws it down Let the Lord imploy his wisdom to undo to impoverish such a man to bring him into such straits that he cannot get out yet he hath enlarged thoughts of that wisdom He sees God is as wise in troubling us as he is in delivering That language of Spira is the right language of hell I judge not his person but his speech who in a great temptation spake thus I would I had more power then God or O that I were above God He was angry that God had so much power because God used his power against him A carnall man would be above God especially if God at any time puts forth his power against him When he is hard bestead and hungry he frets himself and curses his King and his God looking upward Isa 8.21 to murmur at God not to pray unto him or speake good of him Tertullian Illud est impiorum ingenium ut Deum non ulterius celebrent quam cum benefacit Fer. It is observed by one of the Ancients concerning the Heathen That if God did not please them he should be no longer God Such are our hearts by nature if God do not use his power wisdom mercy for us we presently wish he had no power wisdom nor mercy for any in the world we would be above God unles God will serve us but an holy heart saith thus Let God improve his power and wisdom which way he pleaseth if to afflict and chasten me yea to destroy and cast me to hell his be the power for ever I extoll his power Nature can only praise God and speak good of him when he is doing of us good But grace prompts the heart to indite a good matter and bids the tongue be as the pen of a ready writer to advance God when sense feels nothing but smart and sees nothing but sorrow round about Then grace is in her heights when she can lift up God highest while he is casting us down and laying us lowest When we can honour God frowning as well as smiling upon us smiting and wounding as well as kissing and imbracing us then we have learned to honour God indeed JOB Chap. 9. Vers 11 12 13. Loe he goeth by me and I see him not he passeth on also but I perceive him not Behold he taketh away who can hinder him who shall say unto him What doest thou If God will not withdraw his anger the proud helpers doe stoop under him JOB having in
to the manner of his praier or invocation as not comming up to the height and measure of the duty as not fulfilling that Law of praier which the Lord requireth and so because his praiers were imperfect and weak therefore he would not believe that ever God had taken notice of him or hearkned to his voice As if he had said You bid me make my supplication if I doe yet I will not believe that God takes notice of my praiers Why because mine are but cold and unbelieving praiers weak and distracted praiers the praiers of a distemper'd heart the praiers of a confused spirit such I confesse mine are therefore I cannot believe God will hearken to my voice But rather in the last place take the sense thus Videtur hoc esse animi mirabiliter demissâ— atque sibi suâ—eq orationi diffidentis fidentis vero de sola divina bonitate Pined that Job in these words breaths out the humility of his spirit as if he had said I am so far from standing upon my terms with God as was shewed before as if I had hopes to carry it with him by contending that though I come in the humblest manner to invocate and call upon his Name and I finde him so gracious and mercifull to me as that he doth answer me in my requests and grant the thing I desire yet I will not believe that he hath hearkned to My voice that is that he hath done this for any worthinesse in me in my services or praiers I will not believe that the answer I receive from heaven is obtained by any value which my person hath with God Such is the coldnes and deadnes the languishment and unbelief of my heart in praier such are my praiers that the truth is Non ex diffidentia hoc dicit sed ex timore Dei reveritus judicium Drus I cannot believe I am heard when I am heard I cannot think my petition granted when I see it is granted Thus it sets forth the exceeding humility and lowlinesse of his spirit he would give all the glory unto God in granting his petitions and take nothing at all to himself in making those petitions I would not believe that he hath hearkned to my voice What voice was it then that he believ'd God hearken'd unto He hearken'd to the voice of the Mediatour to the voice of Christ He hearken'd to the voice of his own free grace He hearken'd to the sounding of his own bowels He hearken'd to the motions and intercessions of his Spirit in me to the motions and intercessions of his Sonne for me It is not my voice that hath got the answer he alone that hath granted it of his good pleasure in Christ I would not believe that he had hearkned to my voice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Credere stabile esse The word signifies both believing and establishing or to believe and establish and the reason of it is because faith settles the heart Faith is the establishment of the soul An unbeliever hath no bottom he is built without a foundation his spirit is unfixed And that act of believing I would not believe is the generall act of faith namely a firm assent to the truth of what another speaketh An assent to the truth of it two waies To the truth of it First Historically that such a thing was spoken or done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Graecè 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and then Logically that the thing is true which is spoken When he saith I would not believe that God hath done this his meaning is I would not assent to it as done for my sake or for my voice not that he would not believe the thing was done at all He assented to the word and answer of God when he did receive it but in that restriction he would not believe it namely in reference to himself that he hath hearkned to his voice To hearken is more then to hear * Auscultare inclinationem animi denot at ad alterius dicta Cujus oppositum est auret claudere obturare ad alicujâ—s sermonem Hinc proverbâ—um Surdo natras fabulam Haec verba exactam demissi animi significationem contineÌ„t Tunc cum arriserit gratia time cum abierit time Bernard Providentia Deisaepe nobis beâ—evoâ—a est cum nulla benevolentiae externa praebet argumenta imo aliquardo quem exaudit turbine conterit malorum it notes the inclination of the minde rather then the attention of the ear As to stop the ear notes the shutting of the heart against obedience rather than of the ear against audience To tell a tale to a deaf man is to speak to one that hears but will not grant From all it appears First That Job speaks very highly of the goodnesse of God namely that God answers praier though he hath not respect to the voice of him that praieth Though he had answered me yet would I not believe that he had hearkned to my voice Secondly That he speaks exceeding humbly and submissively of himself my voice what am I a poor creature that I should think I had carried the matter with God Thirdly That he speaks very wisely and understandingly concerning the nature and efficacy of praier and the means procuring answers of praier When man praies God answers but he doth not answer because man praies Fourthly That he speaks very highly and gloriously of the providence of God though providence act darkly towards man We pray God answers and doth us good yet things may goe quite contrary in appearance If I had called and he had answered me yet would I not believe that he had hearkned unto my voice why He breaketh me with a tempest God was breaking him and hearing him at the same time God may be doing us good when the signs he gives speak evil he hears and answers us praying to him when we think we hear him thundering terribly against us Hence First We learn That Praier is calling upon God Then the heart should be very attentive upon God in praier How can we expect God should hear us when we doe not hear our selves In praier we call upon God therefore we should call upon our selves to consider how and what we pray Secondly Note Praier granted is praier answered If I had called and he had answâ—red me The Lord from heaven speaks to us in every act of his providence his speaking to us is in doing for us The works of God are answers to man God doth not answer audibly or sensibly there is a voice in his dispensations As men Prov. 6.13 So the Lord speaks to us with his feet and answers our praiers with his fingers that is his works and waies are demonstrations of his will in answer to our praiers Thirdly In that Job tels us He would not believe c. we are taught That faith is a necessary ingredient in praier This negation of his faith in praier implies the need of faith in praier
When I pray I should believe but as my case stands I cannot believe clouds and darknesse are upon me Faith is the strength of praier Whatsoever ye ask in praier believing ye shall receive Mat. 21.22 Praier without faith it is like a Gun discharged without a bullet which makes a noise but doth no execution we may put out a voice in speaking but except we put out faith in speaking we doe but speak we doe not pray As the Word of God comming upon us doth us no good prevails not upon our hearts unlesse it be mixed with faith Heb. 4.2 The word preached did not profit them not being mixed with faith in them that heard it So the word that goes out from us the word of praier prevaileth not at all with God obtaineth nothing from him unlesse it be mixed with faith All the promises are made to believers All things are possible to them that believe Mar. 9.23 Ask in faith nothing wavering for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the winde and tossed Jam. 1.6 To ask in faith is to ask resting upon the power of God whereby he is able upon his truth whereby he is faithfull and upon his goodnes in Christ whereby he is ready to make good his promises He that asks thus doth not waver Few are without doubting but all sound believers are without wavering The Greek word signifies to question or dispute a thing a degree beyond doubting as when a man is at no certainty with himself being sometime of one minde sometime of another The judgement being so carried that the man is at variance with his own brest or is between two vvaies not knowing vvhich to take We translate the word in the 4th of the Romans vers 20. by staggering Abraham staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief The similitude vvhich the Apostle James uses illustrates this sense He that wavereth is like a wave of the sea vvhich by tempestuous vvindes is sometimes carried up to heaven and anon down to the deep A man vvho is tossed with such vvaves of unbelief staggers like a drunken man in his practice and profession he is now on this side to morrow on that he doth not only stagger or halt in his vvay but he staggers and halts between two vvaies and is therefore called vers 8th A double minded man The praiers of such a man are faithlesse praiers and therefore fruitlesse praiers Let not that man think he shall receive any thing unlesse a rebuke and a deniall of the Lord vers 7. There are no promises made to such and therefore no mercies convaied to such Believing praier is gaining praier yet they vvho believe least presume most Hence the Apostles check Let not that man thinke as if he had said I know such vvill flatter themselves into a perswasion of great matters They will have high thoughts but they shall receive nothing Observe Fourthly That how strongly soever a godly man acts faith for the answer of his praiers yet he hath no faith that his praier deserves an answer I would not believe that he had hearkned to my voice Christ calleth the Spouse to praier Can. 2.14 Let me see thy countenance let me hear thy voice for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance comely Christ loves praier The praiers of the Saints upon earth are musick in heaven That invitation to the Spouse Let me hear thy voice seems to be an allusion to those vvho loving musick call upon a friend vvho hath a good voice or exquisite skill to play upon an instrument Come sing us a song play us a lesson let us have a fit of mirth Thus I say Christ speaks to the Church Come let me hear thy voice 't is sweet I know thou hast a sweet one But the Saints judge their own voices harsh and unharmonicall they are apt to thinke their praiers jarrings and discords at the best but a rude noise not a composed air in the ear of God Faith makes our praiers melodious because it carries us out of our selves A believer lives not in the sound of his own praiers but of Christs intercession What are vve that vve should expect any acceptance upon our own account or say this We have gained this We have obtained thus God hath heard us or thus vve have vvrestled it out vvith God As when we have performed all our duties we must say We are unprofitable servants so when we have obtained all our sutes we must say We are unprofitable petitioners I will not believe that God had hearkned unto My voice What 's mans voice that God should hear it Observe Fifthly That a godly man sometimes cannot believe his praier is heard when it is heard Though he cals and God answers yet like Job he believes not that God hath hearkned to his voice He cannot think his praier is heard though one should come and tell him it is heard When the Jews returned from Babylon the mercy was so great Forsan hoc dicit quia saepe prae nimia laetitia non credimus verum esse quod maxime verum esse optamus Drus that they could not believe they had it when they had it When thou didst turn our captivity we were as them that dream Psal 126.2 The deliverance was incredible they could not thinke they vvere delivered Their return to Jerusalem was suspected for a dream of it in Babylon The Church praied vvithout ceasing for Peter vvhen he was in prison Act. 12.5 yet when the Lord brought him out of prison and he vvas knocking at the door of the house where they were assembled while they vvere knocking at the door of heaven for his deliverance yet they would not believe the report of the damosell who said he stood before the gate They tell her she is mad vvhen she affirmed it with sobriety as well as vehemency then they have another help for their unbelief It was not Peter but his Angel Thus it is to this day with the Saints in their great personall sutes and petitions both about spiritual things and temporal they are so overcome astonished and amazed at the goodnesse of God that though they see the thing done yet they can scarce believe it is done As if a Prince should send a message to a poor man by some great Lord and tell him he hath bestowed honour and favour upon him the poor man is ready to say I cannot believe it the blessing is too big for him to digest and let down into his narrow heart no saith he sure it is not so Though the people of God ever preserve a high respect and esteem of the works of God towards them yet their faith is often below his workings and they cannot receive or take in mercy so fast as it commeth faith widens the vessels of the soul to receive much but God can pour in faster then faith can widen the soul to receive Sixthly Observe Faith hath it's decaies Faith doth not keep
and all such a mans afflictions are either to shew how good God hath made him or to make him better Eighthly Job was under as bad thoughts of man as almost any man ever was when he spake thus to God Thou knowest that I am not wicked Hence observe That all the hard censures and misconstructions of men cannot beat an upright heart out of this hold that God loveth him and hath a good opinion of him Let men think what they will of him and judge him as severely as they please this moves him not at all to think that God judges him so too He can see the love of God thorow all the anger of creatures He likes not his condition the better because some men tell him it is good nor the worse because any man tels him it is ill while he findes himself bottomed upon the free grace of God and cheared with the clearnesse of his own integrity The gates of hell shall not much lesse shall the uncharitablenesse of men prevail against such a man Happy is he who can say unto God Thou knowest that I am not wicked while men are saying thou art wicked And how miserable is he whose heart tels him he is wicked though men say surely thou art good If our heart condemn us God is greater then our heart and knoweth all things 1 Joh. 3.20 Doth conscience tell you that you are wicked God can tell you so much more It is a wofull thing for any man to be under the just condemnation of his own heart though it is more wofull to be under the flatteries of his own heart It is bad enough to be daubed by others with untempered morter it is far worse to be a self-dauber No man hath cause to rejoyce in what himself or be troubled at what others say of him unlesse God say so too Two things are further observable from these words First There is no medium between a godly and a wicked man Every man is one of these two Some are called civil honest men many conceit that these are good men indeed and not a few that these are in a middle state between good and evil But the truth is there is nothing between good and evil light and darknesse there is no medium of participation between these extrems Solomon Eccles 9.2 sets all men in two orders All things come alike unto ell there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked to the good to the clean and to the unclean to him that sweareth and to him that feareth an oath Note by the way he doth not put the distinction between him that sweareth and him that sweareth not but between him that sweareth and him that feareth an oath There are many who are not swearers swearing is deboysery and so inconsistent with civility who yet do not fear an oath It is better to fear to do evil then not to do evil This division runs thorow the whole world Good and evil in a remisse degree mingle in the same person but no mans person is in a middle state between good and evil Secondly God hath a negative knowledge concerning the state of every man This is a transcendent beyond any knowledge which man hath of man God doth not only know what is in us but what is not in us not only what we are but what we are not Thou knowest that I am not wicked The reason why a negative oath is not admitted among men is because no man can swear so in knowledg None can speak negatively of another knowingly but God alone We may say of a man there is that in him for which it is meet for us to judge him godly But it is impossible from any outward evidence to conclude peremptorily he is not wicked It is more to say of a man he is not wicked then to say he is godly It is easier to know what is then what is not As it is in voting so in knowing Negative votes are strongest To say such a thing shall not passe or be done imports the greatest power so negative knowledge is the highest to say such a thing is not or such a man did it not imports a certain knowledge a knowledge so certain as is appliable to none but God himself Thou knowest that I am not wicked And there is none that can deliver out of thine hand 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In piel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Spoliavit diripuit vel significat furto se eripuit What none Then were our condition sad indeed None excludes meer creatures only Christ can deliver us out of the hand of God And Job believed Christ had delivered him when he said There is none that can deliver The hand of God is the power of God and to deliver out of his hand is to fetch out or free from his power The word which we translate to deliver notes delivering either by power or by policy by strength or by wit A prisoner is delivered sometimes by rescue or open violence sometimes by stealth or secret conveyance he picks a lock or breaks a door to deliver himself out of the hand of man But neither of these waies can any man deliver himself or get deliverance out of the hand of God There is no difficulty in the interpretation of these words but there is some difference about the intent of them Ne mea quidem integritas cujus tu mihi testis es facit ut hac plaga liberer ut qui nihil facto meo coram te promereri possim Jun. First Some for none translate nothing and so joyn these words with the former as an argument of the insufficiency of mans righteousnesse Thou knowest that I am not wicked yet there is nothing in my righteousnesse that can deliver me out of thine hand As Paul said 1 Cor. 4.4 I know nothing by my self yet am I not hereby justified So Job saith Lord Thou knowest nothing by me yet hereby I cannot be delivered Secondly These words may be expounded as tending to move compassion and to stir up bowels of pity in God toward Job As if he had said Lord why dost thou deal thus severely with me when there is none that can deliver me out of thine hand who can rescue me while thou laiest thine arrest upon me Thou maist keep me under restraint as long as thou wilt I cannot be fetcht off or out and wilt thou deal thus hardly with me Wilt thou punish me thus Whom we cannot hold long in our hands we are apt to deal more roughly with while they are in our hands and to take our peny worths out of them while we have them And 't is usuall with great Princes speedily to seal the Writ of execution against an eminent offender when they hear or suspect many potent suters will move for his pardon and solicite his deliverance out of the hand of justice Job seems to speak in allusion to such If there were any who could deliver
condition Vnderstand ye brutish he speaks to men who acted more like beasts then men He that planted the ear Shall he not hear He that formed the eye shall he not see As if he had said He that made the ear is all hearing and he who formed the eye is all eye all sight The argument holds strong from Gods power in forming man to his power of knowing man and to his power of disposing man I am teneo hujâ—â— rei causam cum enim manus illius me fecerint jure suo potest Deus me destruere Cajet That 's the first way of dependance Secondly Job may be conceived as rendering an account of those things about which he had taken the boldnesse to interrogate the Lord at the third verse Here he answers his own question as if he had said now I see well enough why thou maist despise and destroy thy work It is thy work I will go no further for a reason to vindicate thee in breaking me to pieces then this That thine hands have set me together Thou hast made me and thou maiest unmake me thou hast rais'd me up and thou maiest pull me down So the copulative vau in the originall which we translate by the adversative yet is taken for a conjunction causall and so it is frequently used in Scripture Gen. 30.20 Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return The sense is Dust thou art therefore to dust thou shalt return Exod. 15.23 24. The waters were bitter and the people murmured that is The waters were bitter therefore the people murmured thus here Thine hands have made me and fashioned me therefore thou dost destroy me He that builds the house at his own charge and by his own power may ruin it at his own pleasure Ex sua formatione artificis misericordiam movet ex commemorato pristino beneficio alia denuò efflagitandi ansam arripit Pined Thirdly The words may carry the sense of a strong motive to prevail with God to handle Job more gently or to deal more tenderly with him why The Lord had bestowed much care and cost to make and fashion him therefore he will surely pity and spare him There is a naturall motion of the heart in every agent towards the preservation of that which proceedeth from it Creation is followed with providence If a speechlesse and livelesse creature could speak and understand it would argue with it's maker in Jobs case as Job doth Dost thou yet destroy me David strengthens his heart to ask good at the hands of God because he had spoken good concerning him 2 Sam. 7.27 Thou O Lord of Hosts God of Israel hast revealed to thy servant saying I will build thee an house therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this praier unto thee Now if David were not only emboldned to ask but even assured to receive mercy because God promised to build him a house that is to prosper his estate and family how much more might Job be encouraged to pray for and expect mercy from the hand of God because God had already framed and built that naturall house his body The Prophet Isaiah being about to plead with God for new mercies presents him with a catalogue of his old mercies Chap. 63.7 8 9. I will mention the loving kindenesses of the Lord and the praises of the Lord according to all that the Lord hath done unto us and the great goodnesse towards the house of Israel which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies and according to the multitude of his loving kindenesses c. Having thus at large told the Lord what he had done the Prophet in a holy zeal contends with him about what he was doing vers 15. Look down from heaven and behold fromâ— the habitation of thy holinesse and of thy glory where is thy zeal and thy strength the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies towards me Are they restrained Doubtlesse thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us c. As if he had said That great sea of thy goodnesse hath sent out abundant streams of good things heretofore and are all those streams now dried up and the springs exhausted What 's become of thy zeal and strength and compassions Are they all spent and gone Thus Job seems to plead here thine hands have made me Et sic repentè praecipitas me Vulg. Antithesi beneficiorum amplissimorum in se à Domino collatoruÌ„ exaggerat iram qua nunc in se desaevit ac afflictiones quibus exagitatur Jun. thou hast done thus and thus for me and wilt thou now destroy me According to this interpretation the later clause of the verse is rendered by an interrogation Thine hands have made me and fashioned me and dost thou yet destroy me What thou my maker destroy me Remember I beseech thee so in the next verse that thou hast made me as the clay and wilt thou bring me into the dust again Thus by a specification of the great outward benefits which he had received from the hand of God he seems to aggravate his present sorrows and to solicite future mercies Thine hands Hands are often ascribed to God as was shewed vers 3. Many things are made with the hand The maker of all things is without hands and yet he is all hand Hence all things that were made are said to be made by the hands of God not only the forming of man but the forming of the heavens and of the earth is the work of his hand Psal 102.25 Psal 95.5 both are put together Isa 48.13 Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth and my right hand hath spanned the heavens Wheresoever the great works of God are exprest a hand usually is exprest as the instrument working them yet his hand wrought the least as well as the greatest a worm of the earth as well as man upon the earth or the Angels in heaven The heads of men have run into great variety of opinion about these hands forming man First Many of the Ancients understand by the hands of God Ambros in Hexam Hom. 11. Basil c. The Sonne of God the second Person in the Trinity and the holy spirit of God who is the third Thine hands have made me that is the Sonne and the holy Spirit who were assistant to and of counsell with the Father at the Creation of man And God said Let us make man in our image after our likenes Gen. 1.26 Others expound hands literally and formally not as if God had hands that 's below their conceit but thus It hath been said of old that when God at first formed man the Sonne took upon him an outward shape or the shape of a man and so say they Christ not made man but in the form of man formed man Thirdly The hands of God are all second causes which God useth toward the production of any effect Causis secundis veluti quibusdaÌ„
and that God means us no good when we doe not enjoy good But the strong faith speaketh on this wise Lord I know there is mercy in thine heart towards me though I see nothing in thy face but frowns and feel nothing from thy hand but blows Let God do what he pleaseth with me I will not have a jealous thought of him or suspect his intentions towards me whatsoever his actions be Secondly observe We may gather arguments of support in our greatest sufferings from the apprehension of concealed mercies The skill and holy subtilty of faith can winde it self in Gods bosome and from what it findes lying secretly there for us encourages us to bear what is openly laid upon us Lastly Observe A believer looks upon all his receits as coming out of the heart of God As he can look into his own heart and see all the Commandments and revealed counsels of God hidden there so he can look into the heart of God and see all the comforts he wanteth hidden there Men of the world take their comforts only from the hand of God Saints take theirs from the heart of God It putteth the price upon every blessing when we can look upon speciall love as the spring of it Look how much of the heart of our friend we can see in a courtesie so much true value there is in it Hence it is usuall with man when he would expresse his freenesse to those who desire a favour at his hands to say Yes Take it with heart and good will you have it with all my heart We reade of one who complained he had received but a golden cup when he saw another receive a kisse from a noble Prince A kisse is a better gift then a cup of gold Love is the richest present How happy then are they who have the golden cup and a kisse too much from the hand and all from the heart from the love of God Job having thus revised and read over the particular of his former mercies received from the bounty and free love of God revives his complaint about and renews his desire of deliverance from present sorrows in his next addresse to God JOB Chap. 10. Vers 14 15 16 17. If I sinne then thou markest me and thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity If I be wicked woe unto me if I be righteous yet will I not lift up my head I am full of confusion therefore see thou mine affliction For it encreaseth Thou huntest me as a fierce lion and again thou shewest thy self marvellous upon me Thou renewest thy witnesses against me and encreasest thine indignation upon me changes and war are against me THe connection of these words lieth somewhat in the dark and this inevidence hath caused divers conjectures about it 1. Some make the connection with the 13. verse I know said Job that this is with thee and here he declareth what was with him namely that If I sinne then thou markest me and thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity 2. The connection is made by others with the 12. verse Thou hast granted me life and favour and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit yet if I sin thou markest me c. As if Job had said Though thou hast been pleased to make so many grants of favour and hast done all those things for me which were hidden in thine heart yet I know thou wilt not bear with or connive at me If I sinne against thee Thou hast not given me these mercies that I should be imboldened to transgresse the rule of thy justice no though thou hast done much for me Yet if I sin thou markest me and thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity 3. A third goeth higher and makes these words depend upon the third verse where Job puts three Queries to God the last of which is Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest shine upon the counsel of the wicked I know it is not for 't is like I might escape as well as another yet If I sinne thou markest me and thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity If I be wicked woe unto me Mine own experience proves thee farre enough from shining upon the counsell of the wicked Behold clouds and darknesse are upon me There is a fair sense in any of these connections which to determine is not easie I shall leave all three before the Reader Verse 14. If I sin then thou markest me If I sinne Sin standeth here in opposition to wickednesse Thou wilt not shine upon the counsel of the wicked And vers 15. If I be wicked then woe unto me for if I sinne then thou markest me Sin is any transgression against or deviation though but an hairs bredth from the rule if I fail be it never so little Then thou markest me The Originall hath four significations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which occasion as many different interpretations of the text First To preserve and that two wales first by protecting from those evils which others would bring upon us Psal 141.9 Keep me from the snare which they have laid That is Protect me from the danger which their snares threaten me with So at the 12th verse of this Chapter Thy visitation doth preserve my spirit Secondly It is rendered to preserve by sparing or not bringing those evils upon us which our own sins have deserved So the Vulgar here who to make out his sense Si peccavi ad horam pepercisti mihi c. Vulg. puts the later part into the form of an interrogation If I have sinned and thou hast spared me for a time Wherefore then dost thou not acquit me from mine iniquity As if the meaning of Job were this When in former times I sinned against thee thou wast pleased to remit of thy severity and deal gently with me Thou didst spare me as a father spareth a sonne that serveth him Why is the tenour of thy dispensations so much changed from what it was seeing thou art a God that changest not and I am but what I was a weak and changeable man Why am I now charged with sinne and not set free as sometimes I have been from sorrow the fruit of it Wilt thou deal with me who sinne out of infirmity or against my will as with those who are wicked and have a will to sin Secondly To prevent others from doing what they desire or our selves from what we fear Psal 18.23 I was upright before him and I kept my self from mine iniquity As if he had said I have maintained such a strict watch over my own heart that I have prevented my self from falling into that sin which I was most subject to and in danger of both in regard of my constitution and temptation Taking this meaning of the word the whole verse is rendered thus If or when I am ready to sinne thou stoppest or preventest me Why then dost thou not acquit me from mine iniquity As if he had said Lord wilt
to bear thee any longer I cannot endure such language it grates harshly upon mine ear and is a burden to my spirit for shame give over hold thy peace enjoyn thy self silence lock up thy lips How long wilt thou speak these things Thirdly The charge of an accusation may lie under these words How long wilt thou speak these things That is How long wilt thou speak vain and foolish words indiscreet and false words dangerous and blasphemous words imputing injustice unto God Interrogatio ex adjuncto tempore acu eos ad dit reprehensioni Sanct. Art thou obstinate and pertinacious Wilt thou not yet hearken to the admonitions and wholsome counsell of thy friends How long Thus he taxes and censures him How long wilt thou speak We have the like sense in that Question Psal 4.2 where David contests with his hardened enemies O ye sons of men how long will ye turn my glorie into shame How long will ye love vanitie and seek after leesing How long and how long it is matter of admiration to thinke that reasonable creatures should be so unreasonable to love vanity and to love it long His spirit rises and boyls so high with holy indignation to see men so foolish that his mouth must run over in censure and accusation How long The text of wisdomes expostulation Prov. 1.22 How long ye simple ones will ye love simplicitie bears the same glosse one interpretation fits both How long wilt thou speak these things These things The demonstrative particle may have reference to the words immediately fore-going and only to them How long wilt thou speak these things That is the things which thou hast spoken in the sixth and seventh Chapters The language is undervaluing and contemptuous How long wilt thou speak these things Such poor stuff How long wilt thou trouble thy Auditours with such matter such fruitlesse frothy crude and undigested matter matter so injurious so dishonourable to God so unsavoury and unedifying to man Taking Job under Bildads apprehension as having failed and erred in his discourse Observe first Perseverance in evil is worse then the doing of evil How long wilt thou spâ—ak these things If thou having spoken once amisse had'st recall'd thy self and stopped there it had been more excusable To outlash sometimes in a word may be a wise mans case but to make such a continued studied oration as this and be out in all and all to be an invective against heaven who is able to bear it To speak or do ill though but once is too often by once To act evil often is to double every act The shortest time is too long to serve any lust in When the Apostle Peter 1 Pet. 4.3 saith The time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles his meaning is the time past is too much our lusts have got too much of our lives as the world hath got too much of our loves One minute is more then we owe to the service of sinne The sufficiency here spoken of is an excesse the time past of our lives is too much to work the will of the Gentiles We may not make an equall division of our lives between our lusts and Christ so much to Christ so much to lust Nothing is more unequall then this equality We can never serve Christ too long nor sinne too short a time We cannot bestow too much of our breath in holy speeches and conferences nor can we bestow too little in those which are vain and sinfull We may justly take off those who are most concise and laconicall in uselesse discourses with How long will you speak these things Frothie words are the waste of time as well as of breath Secondly Note Bildad rebukes Job for his lavish language It is our dutie to be watchfull over our words How long wilt thou speak thus We must observe our own words and know what we speak We should stop our own mouths and put our selves to silence when the tongue grows unruly It were very happy that some had power as well as authority over their own mouths and knew how to put that bridle spoken of in the Psalm upon their own lips It is better for a man to stop his own mouth by prudence then that another should stop it by reproof Thirdly Taking Bildads supposition still that Job was in the wrong Note It is our dutie to give check to fruitlesse and frothie speeches much more to blaspâ—emous and wicked speeches Bildad thought it high time to silence Job seeing Job would not silence himself The Apostle represents to Titus the tongue-folly of the Cretians There are many uâ—ruly and vain talkers among you especially they of the circumcision and what must be done with these who cared so little what they said He is counsell'd how to deal with them in the next words Whose mouths must be stopped who subvert whole houses c. It is a sinne in the hearer to let another speak sinfully without a signification of his distaste The word which the Apostle useth to Titus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a metaphor taken from the muzling of barking bauling dogs when they open unseasonably and are unquiet Rationall conviction is a Gospel-muzle and an effectuall stop-mouth for unruly talkers And it is observable that the Apostle useth this similitude of muzling a dogge when he speaks of those of the circumcision concerning whom he had given caution in a very sutable character Phil. 3.2 Beware of doggs beware of evil workers beware of the concision that is of those who stood for circumcision Writing to the Philippians he cals them doggs and his advice to Titus is they must be muzâ—'d The noxious issues of the tongue must either be cured or stopped Evil words corrupt which is worse then the corrupting of good air good manners An infection taken in at the ear hath often poyson'd the heart Fourthly Taking Bildad as mistaken and so he was in this reproof and censure upon Job Observe Reproofs and often grounded upon mistakes It is easie to reprove what we doe not apprehend Bildad perceived not the reach and drift of Job and yet he fals heavily upon him with reproofs A due understanding of his scope would have given a fair comment upon his words But Bildad clothes the speech of Job in a sense which he abhorred and having put it in that ugly dresse he reproves and censures it accordingly Many disfigure the opinions and doctrines of others with conceits of their own and presuming they hold or mean thus and thus they dispute not against the reall opinion of the opposite party but their own disguise As the persons of the Primitive Christians were often put into Lions or Bears-skins by their barbarous and heathenish persecutours and then baited with doggs so are the opinions of many later Christians debated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Spiritus sumitur prohalitu per Metonymiam pro verbis i e. pro dëâ—e articulate
sin or errour How often are the spirits and manners of men infected and poison'd by such a breath Fifthly They may be compared unto strong windes in regard of the lightnesse of them the winde hath little solidity in it and that 's it which Bildad especially reproveth in Job here are a great many words much of the tongue but here 's little matter Words without weight are but winde when you gather them up weigh and consider them fully you can make nothing of them ther 's no tack in them Winde will not feed no more will such words but wholesome and faithfull words are meat and drinke strength and nourishment to the soul Sound discourse yeelds a well tempered understanding many refreshing morsels Lastly They are like strong windes for the swiftnesse of them words passe speedily and fill all quickly Their line is gone out thorow all the earth and their words to the end of the world Psal 19.4 Another Psalm speaks as much of wicked men Their tongue walketh thorow the earth Psal 73.9 as the winde runs from one part of the world to another So doe words when they are sent upon an errand either to doe good or to doe hurt Therefore God chose the Ministery of the Word as an instrument to save his people And it is the fittest instrument running swiftly into the ears and so conducting truth into the hearts of thousands at once Upon the day of Pentecost Act. 2.2 3. when the Disciples met together the text saith Suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty winde and it filled all the house where they were sitting first comes a rushing winde what followeth There appeared unto them cloven tongues with fire These represented the manner how the Gospel should be conveyed thorow the world The holy Ghost is sent in tongues to shew that by tongues tipt and inspired acted and moved by the holy Ghost the world should be subdued to the knowledge of Jesus Christ The tongue is the chief Organ of speech And observe with the tongues there comes a wind a rushing wind implying that words spoken by those tongues should be as a mighty rushing winde and like that winde which filled all the house where they sate should fill the world even all Nations with the sound of the Gospel that like a strong winde they should bear down the errours sins and lusts of men before them and like a wholsome winde purge and winnow out all the filthines and uncleannesse the chaff and dust of mens spirits By cloven tongues and a rushing winde wonders have been wrought in the world As those unruly talkers Tit. 1.11 subverted so those who talk by rule have converted whole houses The winde of words blows both good and evil to the world and we may as much encourage holy tongues Let your words he long and long a strong winde as check a vain talker in the language of Bildad How long shall thy words be a strong winde From this generall reproof Bildad descends to a speciall charge against Job 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Injustè aget judicans Sept. Thesis est dicendorum Verse 3. Doth God pervert judgement or doth the Almighty pervert justice As if he had said Job thou hast spoken words which like a strong winde pervert all things and turn them up-side-down But Doth God pervert Doth he turn things up-side-down This blasphemy is the interpretation of many of thy complaints Thou seemest to lay this aspersion upon God But with indignation I speak it doth God pervert judgement The Question is resolvable into a vehement negation God doth not pervert judgement neither doth the Almighty pervert justice He gives it with a question for greater emphasis Doth God pervert judgement Dost thou thinke he will Farre be it from thee to thinke so Injustice lies farre from the heart of God justice lies at his heart He loveth judgement Psal 37.28 To clear the Text I shall briefly touch upon the single terms 1. God 2. Almighty 3. Judgement 4. Justice And then shew what it is to pervert judgement and justice from all it will appear how extremely opposite it is to the very nature of God to pervert either 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fortis potens Doth God The word is El signifying the strong God the mighty God the powerfull God In the second clause Doth the Almighty pervert justice We have the word Shaddai which name of God was largely opened at the seventeenth verse of the fifth Chapter I shall not stay upon it here but only as it respects the point in hand Shaddai netat robustum sufficientem ad omnia perpetraÌ„da executioni mandaâ—da quae facienda jud caverit aliqui vertunt invictum Alij vertunt ubetrimum abundantem coplosuÌ„ cujus virtus munificentia per omnia permeat cujus uberibus bonitare omnia alantar nutriantur qui nullius indiget qui bonorum nostrorum nulla cupiditate tangitur Pined 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. Quod sic explicant qui cunctarum rerum naturas summo ordine equitate constituit is in te affligerdo quod justum est non subvertet and so there are three interpretations of that title observable 1. It notes God all-sufficient to doe what he pleaseth or to effect what he designeth if he gives direction for any judgement to be executed he is Shaddai It shall be done As he is El a powerfull Judge to give sentence so he is Shaddai an Almighty God to execute the sentence There is no resisting his power no getting out of his hands his name is Shaddai Secondly The word signifies one who hath all abundance plenty and fulnesse in himself As also whose power goodnesse and bounty flow out to the supply of others himself having no need to receive from any other He is a fountain of all for all Hence Shaddai cannot but doe justice He that hath abundance in himself needs not take bribes to pervert justice Needy Judges are often covetous Judges they who have not a fulnesse of their own are under a great temptation to wrong others to supply their wants But he that gives to all needs not receive from any This consideration sets God infinitely above one of the strongest temptations to injustice Thirdly The word Shaddai is rendered The maker of all things Will the Almighty the maker of all things who hath set the world in such an exquisite forme and order who hath given so much beauty to the creature will he put things out of order or doe such a deformed act as this pervert justice He that is the maker of all things and hath made them in number weight and measure will he turn the world up-side-down or make confusion in the world it is not possible he should So then the name Shaddai in these three senses is aptly applied to God in opposition to the perverting of justice As Abraham debates the matter with him Gen. 18.25 Shall not the
David hid the Commandments of God in his heart Mary laid up the words of Christ there To have the word only swimming in our brains is to as little purpose as to have it only in our Note-books To have truth only in our brains or in our books will do us as little good as water in our shoes It is a sad thing to consider how many thousand Sermons are written almost word for word in books and scarce a letter of them written in the heart The promise of the new Covenant is that God will write his law in our hearts Let not any rest satisfied in having the word written in their books Observe further Holy men of old did highly esteem the word and truths of God You may know the esteem they had of these by the place where they laid these the heart is the best place the fairest room in man To put a thing into the heart notes highest esteem and approbation When we say a thing is in our hearts we cannot say more to expresse our esteem of it When the Apostle Phil. 1.7 professes to the Philippians I have you in my heart his meaning is you are most dear and precious to me When vve see a man preparing a speciall place a safe place a convenient place to lay a thing in we conclude that the thing he vvould lay up is of value and account vvith him vvhen vve are preparing and fitting our hearts to put the vvord and truths of God in hereby we give a real testimony that we honour the word of God For the most part the truths of God as we say of things we neglect are cast at mens heels rather then laid up in their hearts We may know the esteem a Queen of England had of the City of Calice when she said It was in her heart and there they should finde it if they opened her So much concerning these three verses containing an argument from antiquity and the testimony of the first ages by which Bildad confirms his former position That God is just JOB Chap. 8. Vers 11 12 13 14 15. Can the rush grow up without mire Can the flag grow up without water Whilest it is yet in his greennesse and not cut down it withereth before any other herb So are the paths of all that forget God and the hypocrites hope shall perish Whose hope shall be cut off and whose trust shall be a spiders web He shall lean upon his house but it shall not stand he shall hold it fast but it shall not endure THis context from the 11th to the 20th verse contains an illustration for so are similitudes of the former argument and it is taken from a three-fold similitude First of a rush which is explained vers 11 12. and applied in the 13th verse The second is of a Spiders web explained and applied vers 14 15. The third of a luxuriant flourishing tree explained verse 16 17 18. applied verse nineteenth Behold this is the joy of his way c. The summe of all may be given in this brief That it is as equall and ordinary in the course of divine justice to destroy wicked men as it is in the course of nature for a rush to wither when it wants water 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iuncus à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bibit ingurgi tavit quia juncus est aquae immersus eam semper imhibens Consâ—ritur hibula Memphytis cymba papyro Luc. l. 4. Perque papyriferi septemflua flumina Nili or for a spiders web to break when it is leaned upon or for a tree to be hewen down when it either undergrows or overgrows its owners house when casting it's roots under the foundation it loosens the stones and weakens the ground-work or when it spreads its boughs and grows so high that it drops upon the roof or darkens the windows of it Ver. 11. Can the rush grow without mire It cannot The originall word for a rush speaks its nature the root signifying to suck and drink in or alwaies to be guzling down The rush lives in liquour and is alwaies drinking These abounded neer the banks of Nilus in Aegypt There Moses was put into an Ark or skiff made of bulrushes Exod. 2.3 The Prophet Isa 18.1 2. tels us of a land sending Ambassadours by the sea even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Elatus eminuit est mediae significationis sumitur pro vitiosa elatione quae est superbia etiam pro magnificentia decore Rivet in Hos 5.5 Limosuâ— juncus palustres juncâ— Amphibia Can the rush grow In strength lustre and beauty The word implies growing with a kinde of pride so plants doe in a rich or proper soyl they lift up their heads and carry it highly Can the rush grow without mire Which is as much as to say can a man live without food Mire is the rushes meat and drink It loves and delights in a moorish soyl and by the rivers side A rush upon the dry land is like a fish upon the dry land At most the rush among vegetables and plants is like those fowls and beasts among sensitives which live part upon the water and part upon the land Can the flag grow without water 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Locus graminis ubi pascuntur pecora forsan ab 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 frater quod ex una stirpe velute multifratres gignantur quasi herbarum quaedam fraternitas The word signifies any fertile place for grasse a medow Gen. 41.2 Pharaoh saw in his dream seven welfavoured kine and fat-fleshed and they fed in a medow Some render it so here Can the medow grow without water Both flags and medows are such drinkers that they quickly wither if they want water which Bildad gives us plainly in the next verse Verse 12. Whilest it is yet in his greennesse and not cut down it withereth before any other herb Whilest it is yet in his greennesse Or shooting up in his stemme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Abib est spica maturescens veâ—spica cum calamo inde Ibbo virgultuÌ„ aut lignum virens in eo sc tempore quo est parens novarum frugum froâ—dium Vel ob 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pater q. d. in paternitate sua Some derive the Hebrew word from Ab Father and so it may be rendered from the letter of the Hebrew though the expression be somewhat uncouth While it is yet in it's paternity or fatherhood that is while it is flourishing and procreative Others derive it from Abib which signifies an ear of corn or the ear with the stalk Hence the moneth Abib among the Jews had its name because in those climates corn was then eared and began to be ripe it was the first moneth to the Israelites because of their coming out of Aegypt and answered to part of our March and part of April Exod. 13.4 Chap. 23.15 This day came ye out in the moneth
the Verb and so the words are thus Whose hope shall loath him that is Quem fastidit spes sua Jun. Eum quasi fastidius fugit idipsum quod sperat Jun. The thing which he hoped for shall loath him how loath him It shall loath him not formally but equivalently because it shall doe that which man doth when he loaths any thing when we loath a thing we flee or turn away from it so His hope shall hath him that is the thing which he hoped for shall flee farre away and quite depart it will not come near him Good shall remove from the hypocrite when he expects and makes after it An hypocrite at once loaths true grace and hopes for true comforts but comfort here and glory hereafter shall loath him heaven shall shut against him Or take it for the act of hope as others he shall loath his hope Spes ei molesta erit quòd eâ excidat nec id consequatur quod expectarat Merc. that is the very hope which he hath had shall be grievous and vexatious to him nothing shall grieve him more then this that he hath hoped so much His hope shall grieve and afflict him as bad as all his afflictions Raised expectations disappointed prove our greatest sorrows That man sinks lowest in grief whose heart was highest in hope How extremely shall the hypocrite be grieved who fals as low as hell when his hopes were raised up as high as heaven The hypocrite both in his way and in his end is like the King of Babylon He saith in his heart I will ascend into heaven I will exalt my throne above the stars of God I will ascend above the heights of the clouds I will be like the most high yet he shall be brought down to hell to the sides of the pit Isa 14.13 14. Take the words as we translate so they yeeld a clear sense and very agreeable to the originall Whose hope shall be cut off * Sumitur Melaphoricè quòd ij quos taedet sese torquent vestes se membraque sua dâ—scindant ac lacerant vâ—lut dissecent Merc. The word is rendred Cut off by a Metaphor because when a man is exceedingly displeased and vexed as the word properly signifies he many times tears his garments and even cuts his own flesh like the idolatrous Priests of Baal who were so angry because they could not get an answer that they cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancers till the blood gushed out upon them 1 King 18.28 Grief cuts the heart alwaies and sometime causes cutting of the flesh The Lord complains Psal 95.10 Fourty years long was I grieved with this generation it is this word fourty years long was I vexed and cut with this generation with their murmurings backslidings and unbelief They did as it were cut the Lord to the heart as in another place They broke him with their whorish hearts Eze. 6.9 God speaks there as a man whose patience is almost spent or as an husband grieved with the disloialties of an adulterous wife And thus we may joyn it with hope either as hope imports the act of hope or the object of hope Whose hope shall be cut off the expectation which the hypocrite hath had shall come to an end Or a time is at hand when an hypocrite shall be past hoping Observe hence Despairing is the cutting off of hope and such is the condition of an hypocrite To have hope cut off is the greatest cut in the world Will the hypocrite pray alwaies No at last his prayer shall be cut off Will the hypocrite hope alwaies No at last his hope shall be cut off The Saints in heaven have in a sense their hope cut off because they are above hope and at last all wicked mens hope shall be cut off because they are below hope It is better to have all our possessions cut off then our hopes Better have the threed of our lives cut off then the Anchor-cord of our hope cut off and so we left to the rage and tempest of despair Again joyn it with the object of hope thus All that an hypocrite hopeth for or expects shall be utterly taken away and cut off from him His worldly comfort will be gone and heavenly comforts will never come He shall finde that he hath been in a golden dream that he hath been as one that is hungry who dreameth that he is eating but when he awakes his soul is empty or as a thirsty man that dreams he is drinking but he awakes and behold he is faint Isa 29.8 When dreams satisfie hunger and thirst the hypocrites hope shall be satisfied Hypocrites shall have as good as they bring They bring God nothing but words and empty professions and they shall have nothing from God but air and empty expectations their reall hopes or the thing they hoped for shall be cut off When hypocrites awake out of their sleep their hopes vanish as a dream Not only doth the world but the Christ on whom they hoped prove a shadow a fancy an image an idoll of their own making Their hearts were filled with leaves instead of gold as the devil cosens his greedy votaries Their hope shall be cut off And whose trust shall be a spiders web As hope before so here trust may be put either for the act or object of trust and both by a Synecdoche for the whole profession of an hypocrite Hope and trust are often taken promiscuously There is a graduall difference between them not an essentiall Trust being the strength of hope or the acting of a strong faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The originall word signifies a very quiet secure setled trust when a man trusts upon or about a thing wâ—thout casting so much as a jealous thought after it Thus the hypocrite trusts he never suspects himself his heart saith all is well Levit. 25.18 Ye shall dwell in the land in safety the word is Ye shall dwell in the land in trust because an opinion of safety is the companion of trust when we trust our condition is good then we think our selves safe There are two things noted by this word First Boldnesse and confidence Secondly Security and peaceablenesse The hypocrite feels no trouble and he fears none The language of his heart is like that of Babylon the mother of whoredoms and hypocrisie who saith in her heart I sit a Queen and am no widow and shall see no sorrow Revel 18.6 This trust where it is true hath a double effect The want of which discovers the falsenesse of it in the hypocrite First It confirms and strengthens the heart against all oppositions And Secondly It encourages the heart against all dangers He that trusts in God will walk thorow the valley of the shadow of death and fear no evil He dares take a bear by the tooth or a lion by the beard In both these the trust of the hypocrite faileth He will work and
secondly It noteth such a shout as is in an army where a King in person is leader or victour Thirdly The shout of a King is amongst them because the voice of a King should be as the sound of a trumpet or some loud instrument to enform and direct his people as also to enourage them From all we see this rejoycing is no ordinary joy It is a high a triumphant joy I will fill thy lips with rejoycing till thou shall sing VICTORIA over all thine enemies and calamities Further This also is in it a rejoycing with praise not a bare rejoycing in the blessings and deliverances but a rejoycing in the praises of God who hath given those blessings and wrought those deliverances The Septuagint translate it by rendring of thanks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. confessioâ—e laudis gratiarum actionis pro accepta resti tutaque soelicitate or a confession of praise I will not cast thee away till I have filled thy lips with rejoycing that is with my praises Thus David praies Psal 71.8 Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thine honour all the day long Praise filling the heart fils the mouth joy as well as sorrow pent up stifles the Spirit Hence we may observe First That as joy is the portion of the people of God so in good time they shall receive their portion He will not cast off a perfect man till he fill his mouth with joy and his lips with rejoycing Joy is their due and joy they shall have Hereafter they shall have their Masters joy Enter into your Masters joy will Christ say at last Now they shall have such a joy as befits them whilest they are in their Masters service And as rejoycing is the portion so the proper portion the peculiar of godly men Though laughing as it is a naturall act is common to all men yet in the sense we speak of laughter is appropriated unto godly and perfect men They only can laugh indeed who have mourned indeed Tibi ridet mihi non sibi A wicked man doth but feign a laugh He laughs to thee and to me but he doth not laugh to himself He hath no true laughter while he laughs His laughter is madnesse and proceeds from his ignorance not from his reason Besides other marks of difference which shall be put between the servants of God and their enemies this is one My servants shall rejoyce and ye shall be ashamed Isa 65.13 This joy arises two waies First From the greatnesse of the blessing which they receive for themselves We must rejoyce in the least mercy how greatly then in the greatest Our joyes take their measure by our mercies When Sarah had a Son she said God hath made me to laugh so that all that hear me shall laugh with me Gen. 21.6 Her mercy in receiving a sonne was so great that it would serve a whole world to make merry with The man that had found his lost sheep laid it on his shoulders rejoycing it was a pleasant burden to him and when he came home he called together his friends and neighbours saying Rejoyce with me Luk. 15.6 As some afflictions are so big that all our own sorrows are not large enough to weep and mourn over them so some blessings are so big that they call out more then our own affections to rejoyce over them Secondly This overflowing joy arises from the greatnesse of those judgements which are poured out upon the enemies of the Saints The overthrow of Pharaoh at the red sea of Jabin and Sisera at the brook Kishon filled all hearts and mouths with laughter and so shall the overthrow of Babylon Rev. 15. Thus when God doth great things for his people and great things against his enemies then it is time to rejoyce greatly Psal 126.1 The Lord hath done great things for us whereof we rejoyce say the captive Jews in the morning or first dawnings of their deliverance from Babylon and more then so Then was our mouth fill'd with laughter and our tongue with singing And there is cause of great rejoycing in those great things because then God fulfils his promises and makes his Name glorious in his providences Then God is greatly honoured when his people are greatly delivered then the blasphemies of wicked men are unanswerably confuted and their mouths for ever stopped From all these considerations the hearts of the Saints are filled with laughter and their mouths with rejoycing in a day when God works great things At such times joy and this degree of it is not only our priviledge but our duty When we carry a message of thanks to God we must not come with uncheerfull countenances or sowr faces It is a comely thing when our affections keep time and proportion with the dispensations of God When we cannot sing the songs of Sion or use our harps by the waters of Babylon and when we cannot but sing either in the restoring of Sion or in the ruines of Babylon Some may object those texts Woe to them that laugh c. Luk. 6.25 It seems laughter is the portion of wicked men for woe we are sure is their portion It 's true worldly laughter a laughter in corn and wine and oil a laughter in riches and honours and carnall pleasures as such is a laughter with a woe annexed But to laugh in the sense of the goodnesse of God giving us outward good things to expresse our selves joyfully when God expresses himself graciously is not only comely but holy When Gods heart comes out at his hand and is seen in his actions our hearts should come out at our mouths and be heard in our exultations Thus we have seen the effect of the goodnesse of God upon his own people See the effect of his justice upon wicked men Verse 22. They that hate thee shall be cloathed with shame and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought God resists or will not put forth his hand to evil doers then follows They shall be brought to shame Shame is opposite to laughing he that rejoyceth usually holds up his head and cares not who sees him but he that is ashamed holds down his head and endures not to be seen Some men laugh in their sleeves as we say but all men would be ashamed in their sleeves They that hate thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Odâ—o habuit contempsit Dicitur etiam aliquando peâ— comparationem alterius quod nagis amâ—â—ur non quod propriè odio habeatur Rab. Dav. in l. Rad. The word hath a double signification First It imports the putting forth of bitter hatred when a man sets himself maliciously against his brother Secondly It is taken comparatively for a lesser or more remisse putting forth of love He may be said to hate who wants a due heat and height of love In that sense Jacob was taxed for hating Leah Gen. 29.31 When the Lord saw that Leah was hated c. Take
of what he knows so he wishes there were no such thing to be known and that the revealed will of God were lesse by so much as it specially opposeth his will Thirdly The contest about providence grows as high in the hearts of men as that about predestination to life or the rule of life The Saints sometimes modestly enter this controversie Let me plead with thee saith Jeremy Chap. 12.1 He doth it we see with a great deal of trembling and submission he seems to ask leave before he doth it Hypocrites contend with God proudly about their own good works Isa 58.3 Wherefore have we fasted and thou seest not As if they had done so well that God himself could not mend it Carnall men plead with God profanely about his works as if he had done so ill that they could mend it Ye say the way of the Lord is not equall hear now O house of Israel is not my way equall Are not your waies unequall Ezek. 18.25 They charged God with ill dealing because he punished them who did evil Wherefore will ye plead with me ye all have transgressed against me saith the Lord Jer. 2.29 they began to plead with God about his dispensations as if he had been unrighteous or rigorous Wherefore will ye plead with me I will plead with you saith God vers 9. God may plead and contend with man but shall man plead and contend with God Ye have all sinned and transgressed against me that 's enough to stop your mouths I can answer you with one word Ye are a company of sinners then plead not with me Plead with your mother plead Hos 2.2 let man plead with man man with his neighbour The wit of one man may compare with the wit of another and their justice may hold plea with one another But neither the justice nor the wit of man will serve him to plead with God That is a second observation Man is not able to maintain his cause and hold plea either against the works of God or for his own If he dispute with God in the schools or fee an advocate to implead him at the barre he is not able to answer him one of a thousand Isa 45.9 Woe be to him that striveth with his maker it is this word Wee be to him that contendeth with his maker for he shall not be able to make out one argument or prove any thing against him such a man is in a very sad condition woe unto him David praies Ps 143.2 Enter not into judgement with thy servant for in thy sight shall no flesh living be just â—â—ed As if he had said Lord if the holiest and purest if the best of men should come and stand before thee in judgement or plead with thee they could not be justified therefore David was so farre from contending with God that he deprecates Gods contending with him enter not into judgement with thy servant such a charge is laid upon Job Chap. 33.13 Why dost thou strive with him for he giveth not an account of any of his matters And if he should condescend to give an account can any man gain by it The Lord argues so convincingly That every mouth must be stopped and all the world become guilty before God Rom. 3.19 Every mouth shall be stopped when God opens his When God speaks man hath nothing to say against him Every mouth is stopped with this one word Man is a sinner The Apostle points at some Tit. 1.11 Whose mouths must be stopped he means with reason to convince them that they are in an errour By this one argument That all men are sinners God stops their mouths forever Thirdly By way of corallary we may give you that generall ttuth That no man can be justified by his works If we contend with him we cannot answer him one of a thousand He that mixeth but one sin with a thousand good actions cannot be justified by his works how then shall he be justified by works who hath not one perfectly good action amongst a thousand sins Man is not able to answer for one thing he doth of a thousand no not for one thing he doth of all that he hath done He that would be justified by his works must not have one ill action amongst all his actions One flie in the box of ointment corrupts all one defect makes a sinner but many good actions cannot make one righteous If our heart condemn us God is greater then our heart 1 Joh. 3.20 Should man contend with his own heart that will condemn him his own heart would bring a thousand witnesses against him sooner then one for him Conscience is a thousand witnesses man cannot answer before that tribunall how much lesse can he answer God Who is greater then our hearts and knoweth all things That 's the argument Job goes on with to prove that man cannot be justified before God Verse 4. He is wise in heart and mighty in strength who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered Which words are a further illustration both of the justice of God and of mans duty to be humbled and abased before him He is wise in heart and mighty in strength Here is a double proof in these words A proof first of Gods justice why He is wise in heart Integerrimus judex cui nec sapientia ad judicandum nec potentia ad ex equendum deest therefore he knows how to do right He is mighty in strength or power therefore he needs not pervert judgement or doe wrong for fear of man Fear of a higher power usually biasseth those who are in power Here are two Attributes which keep the balances of divine judgement in a due poise He is wise in heart and mighty in power therefore there is no turning of him out of the path of justice Secondly It is a proof or a confirmation of the other point about which Bildad adviseth Iob namely that he ought to seek unto God and humble himself before him it would be dangerous to contend or contest with God Why He is wise in heart and mighty in power As if he had said Shall ignorant foolish man contend with the wise God Shall weak man contend with the mighty God Alas man is no match for God He is wise in heart and mighty in strength who can enter such a controversie and prosper in it There are two waies to carry on a controversie First By wit and policy Secondly By strength and power If man will take up the former weapon against God if he work by wit and dispute against God God will be too hard for him For he is wise in heart If man will set his shoulders or take up weapons against God poor creature what can he doe The Lord is mighty in strength from both we see there is no dealing with him These two attributes render God at once the most dreadfull adversary Dolus an virtus quis in hoste requiret and the most desirable
all these the Lord is mighty in strength Vis confilij expers mole ruit sua Never fear either a defect of power in God or a defect in mannaging that power Sometimes power overthrows it self by it's own bulk and greatnesse but mighty strength ordered with equall wisdome is dreadfull to enemies and comfortable to friends A rude rout an undigested Chaos of men though very great never did any great thing But suppose a very numerous army of men and every man in that army having as much wisdome as would fit a Generall to lead and command them all what could stand before them Thus it is with God and how admirable is the union and marriage of these two together he hath all power and all wisdome Every degree of power in God is acted with a sutable degree of wisdome therefore there can be no miscarriage Note further how this Attribute runs thorow all the Attributes of God He is mighty in strength he is mighty also in truth mighty in love mighty in mercy mighty in faithfulnesse a mighty strength is in whatsoever God is Again Take this generall concerning all the Attributes of God when it is said He is wise in heart and mighty in strength c. These are not qualities in God they are in men Wisdome is to them an accident and so is strength whether civill strength or naturall it may be severed from them and they still keep their being But the wisdome of God is the wise God and the power of God is the powerfull God and the knowledge of God is the knowing God These Attributes are not accidents but his essence not qualities but his nature From both these Attributes laid together Job draws down his great conclusion which he puts by way of question Who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered Shew me the man having described the Lord in his wisdome and power he challengeth all the world and sends defiance to all creatures in heaven and in earth to meet with this God As if he had said Friends Doe ye thinke I have any thought to contend with God No I know not one who hath accepted this challenge or hardened himself against God and prospered If my own conscience would not yet their harms who have attempted it might warn me from such presumption Hardened himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Indurare aut obdurescere Metaphoricè à tactu ad alios sensus transfertur denotat crudele saevum difficile quod dura sunt difficilia Durum est quod in se per superficiem non cedit Arist l. 4. Met. c. 4. Durities est qualitas densas bene compactas habens partes difficulter cedens tactui Arist l. 2. de Gener. Hardening under a naturall consideration comes by withdrawing the moisture out of any substance whence the parts of it are condensed grew stiff and unyeelding to the touch So Philosophers define it That is hard which doth not easily submit to impressions from without In a morall sense to harden is to settle the spirit or immoveably to resolve upon the doing or not doing of a thing when a man doth purposely resolve and resolvedly purpose to carry on a design he hardeneth himself to doe it The word is used both in a good sense and in an ill sense In a good sense when a man is resolute to do the will of God that is when he grows so resolved that he will not be removed by hopes or fears by promises or by threats When a man hath not a soft sequacious spirit to be swaied this way and that way but stands fixed and firm like a rock such a resolute spirit in goodnesse is a spirit hardened to doe good When the Lord had told Ezekiel that he should finde the ears of Israel lock'd against his messages and their hearts hardened he gives him assurance of a sutable ability to deal even with such Ezek. 3.8 9. Behold I have made thy face strong against their faces and thy fore-head strong against their fore-heads as an adamant harder then flint have I made thy fore-head The words seem to carry an allusion to Buls or Rams who use to run head against head when they are enraged against one another And so the sense is as if the Lord had said I know this people will be mad at thee and runne upon thee like furious beasts but trouble not thy self I will through my grace make thee as strong in declaring my will as they through pride and unbelief are strong in opposing it Thou needest not fear to encounter these Buls and Rams holinesse shall make thy fore-head that is thy purpose to performe my command harder then wickednesse shall make their fore-heads that is their purposes to disobey what I command As to be hardened in sinne is worse then sinning so to be hardened in doing good is better then doing good Sinne and grace act most like themselves when they act against all opposition As an adamant have I made thy face The adamant is insuperable as the notation of the * Adamas ejus creditur esse naturae ut domet omnia neque ipse ab ulla vifive arte domari possit Vnde nomen traxit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sonat indomitum Sanct. in Ezek. 3. word imports A heart thus hardened in holinesse overcomes all the fears and terrours which the world can raise against it Heroicall Luther was thus hardened when he said he would goe to Worms though the tiles upon every house in that City were matcht with a like number of Devils ready to resist him and the truth of Christ But usually hardening is taken in an ill sense and so to harden the spirit noteth First A resolving to sin whatsoever God saith or doth Obdurare cor est Deum loquentē nolle audire contemnere pervicaciter resistere nec se ejus verbo subjicere velle Par. in Heb. c. 3. v. 8. To sin against the word and works of God that 's hardening of the heart against God when a man will go on in his way though a threat be sounding in his ears a judgment appear terribly before his eyes such a man is hardned indeed he is grown valiant and couragious in wickednes Secondly A man hardens himself against God when he speaks stoutly against God the hardnesse of the heart appears in the tongue Mal. 3.13 Your words have been stout against me Stout words are a sign of stout spirits Our language is usually the image of our mindes So the word of the text is used 2 Sam. 19.43 The words of the men of Judah were fiercer then the words of the men of Israel Their words were harder then the words of the men of Israel they spake more resolutely and manly When a man sets himself to speak boldly against God the waies or the works of God he hardens himself against God fearfully Thirdly We harden our selves against God when we are displeased with what God doth That man
and prospered That is did ever any man so weary out God by lengthening this warre that God was as it were forced at last to offer him terms of peace So it happens sometimes with men Ab aequipollente pacem aliquis pugnando obtinere potest licet enim eum superaâ—e non possit tamen assiâ—uitate pugnae eum fatigat ut ad pacem reducatur Aquin. Quis permansit aut perstetâ—t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sep. with Nations and Kingdoms They not getting peace by victory but being spent and tired out with warre begin to thinke of treating Did ever any one put the Lord to offer a treaty with articles of peace to save himself from further trouble They who have not strength enough to overcome may yet have power enough to vex and weary their adversary But God can neither be vanquish'd by force nor vext with our policies into a peace with man Thirdly Others give this sense Who ever held out or was able to persist in a war against the Lord The wicked shall not stand before God in the day of judgement much lesse in the day of battell Who would set the bryars and thorns against me in battell I would go thorow them I would burn them together Isa 27.4 The most steely and and flinty spirits in the world can no more stand before God then briars and thorns can before a flaming fire The Lord soon breaks and destroies all opposing power And so there is a figure in the words for man doth not only not prosper but he is undone and crusht for ever by contending with God Shall man prosper in a warre with God No it shall end in his own ruine and utter destruction Whence observe That nothing can be got but blows by contending with God The greatest Monarchs in the world have at one time or other found their matches but the great God never found his match Hoc est signum evidens quod fortitu lo Dei omnem humanaÌ„ fortitudinem exoedit quia nullus cum eo paceâ— habere potest resist endo sed solum humiliter obediendo Aquin. Vicisti Galilae Pharaoh contended with him but did he prosper in it You see what became of him at last he was drown'd in the red sea Julian contended with Christ he scoffed at him he came up to the highest degrees he sate in the chair of the scorner and in the tribunall of the persecutour but what got he at last When he was wounded and threw up his bloud toward heaven said he not O Galilean thou hast overcome I acknowledge thy power whose name and truth I have opposed Christ whom he had derided and against whom he hardened himself into scorns and scoffs was too hard for him All that harden themselves against God shall be worsted Gather your selves together O ye people and ye shall be broken in peeces Isa 8.9 Gather your selves together against whom Gather your selves together against the people of God and ye shall be broken in pieces Why Emanuel the Lord is with us If no man can prosper by hardening himself against the people of God because the Lord is with them how shall any man prosper by hardening himself immediately against God If Emanuel will not let any prosper against his people certainly he will not let any prosper against himself Therefore Prov. 28.24 Solomon laies it down directly He that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief and Prov. 29.1 He shall be destroyed and that without remedy there is no help for it all the world cannot save him A hard heart is it self the forest of all judgements and it brings all judgements upon us A hard heart treasureth up wrath against the day of wrath Rom. 2.5 As a hard heart is Satans treasury for sinne so it is Gods treasury for wrath The wals of that fiery Tophet are built up with these stones with their hard hearts who turn themselves into stones against the Lord. Then take heed of hardening your selves against God You know the counsell which Gamaliel gave Act. 5.39 Refrain from these men and let them alone c. See how tremblingly he speaks lest you be found even to fight against God as if he had said take heed what you doe it is the most dreadfull thing in the world to contend with God he speaks as of a thing he would not have them come near or be in the remotest tendency to Man will not meddle with a mortall man if he be too hard for him how should we tremble to meddle or contend with the immortall God! Christ Luk. 14. warning his Disciples to consider afore-hand what it is to be his disciples gives them an instance of a King What King saith he going to make warre against another King sitteth not down first and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that commeth against him with twenty thousand Now I say to you if any such be here that have hearts steel'd or harden'd against God who challenge God the field and send defiance to heaven O sit down sit down consider whether you with your ten thousand are able to meet God with his twenty thousand that 's great odds half in half but consider whether one single simple man can stand against his twenty thousand whether a man of no strength can stand against infinite strength whether you who have no wisdom are able to stand against him that is of infinite wisdome Can ignorance contend with knowledge folly with wisdome weaknesse with strength an earthen vessel with an iron rod O the boldnesse and madnesse of men who will hazard themselves upon such disadvantages He is wise in heart and mighty in power who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered And as God is so powerfull that no wicked man in the world can mend himself by contending with him so neither can any of his own people If they harden themselves against God they shall not prosper To harden the heart against God is not only the sin of a Pharaoh of a Senacherib and of a Julian but possibly it may be the sin of a believer the sin of a Saint And therfore the Apostle Heb. 3. gives them caution Take heed lest any of your hearts be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sin and whose heart soever is hardned against God that man good or bad shall not prosper or have peace in it It is mercy that God will not give his own peace or let them thrive in sin Grace prospers not when the heart is hardened joy prospers not nor comfort nor strength when the heart is hardned the whole state and stock of a beleever is impaired when his heart is hardened And if the Saints harden their heart against God God in a sense will harden his heart against them that is he will not appear tender hearted and compassionate towards them in reference to present comforts he will harden himself to afflict and chasten when they harden themselves to
will stop this sword from going on If he speak to the sword the sword shall wound no more We may entreat the sword to wound no more as they Jer. 47.6 cried out O thou sword of the Lord how long will it be ere thou be quiet put thy self into thy scabbard rest and be still The answer was How can it be quiet seeing the Lord hath given it a charge against Askelon c. Our answer might be changing place the same How can it be quiet seeing the Lord hath given it a charge against England A word from God draws and a word from God sheaths the sword He that commands the Sunne and it riseth not can command the sword and it smiteth not the fire and it burns not the water and it drowns not the Lions and they devour not How happy are they who serve the Lord over all Observe fourthly seeing He commandeth the Sunne and it riseth not That The daily rising of the Sunne is an act of grace and favour to the world The Sunne doth not rise alone of it self it is the Lord as we may say that helps it up every morning Therefore it is said Mat. 5.45 He makes his Sunne to rise His Sunne mark how Christ speaks of the Sunne as Gods own that Sunne which he can either cause to rise or not to rise cause to rise upon one people and not upon another He makes his Sunne to rise there is an act of common grace in making it to rise upon any especially in making it to rise upon all upon the evil and upon the good Mat. 5.41 That God makes the Sunne rise to give them light who use their eyes onely to rebell against the light how admirable is it Lastly As to the speciall aim of Job we see what a proof we have of the omnipotency of God He is great in power and mighty in strength Why because he can stop the Sunne He that can stay the Sunne what can he not doe We say to men that attempt impossibilities Climb up to the Moon it is more to stay the Sun than to climb the moon And if the Lord be able to overcome this difficulty what difficulty can he not overcome Here 's a clear proof of the infinite power and wisdome of God Qui efficit noctem diem nam donec oritur sol est nox adveniente die quasi obsignatae occultantur stellae Juâ— He speaks to the Sunne and it riseth not And He sealeth up the stars The Sunne is the light of the day the stars the light of the night He sealeth up the stars Some take it to be a Periphrasis or a description of night and day because till the Sunne riseth it is night and when day appears the stars are sealed up or disappear The Sun riseth and the stars are obscured we see them not So the former clause He commandeth the Sun and it riseth not is a description of the night and this later he sealeth up the stars is a description of the day The plain sense of both being this He maketh both night and day Secondly say others This seal is set upon the Sunne in behalf of the stars He sealeth up the Sunne for the stars that is Pro stellis signavit â—â—solem signaculo quasi in favorem stellarum Deus continet solis splendorem in altero Haemispherto Cajet in favour of the starres that the starres might sometime appear in their lustre and glory to the world he keepeth the Sunne from appearing But as we translate we may better keep the seal upon the stars He sealeth up the stars And so sealing may import either of those two things First The safe custody of the stars He sealeth up the stars that is he preserveth the stars in their orbs in the places where he hath set them they shall never drop out Sealing is often used for assurance and safe-keeping Darius Dan. 6. Anrulos non tam oâ—natus quam custodiae gratia olim inventos diâ—it Macrobius l. 7. Saturn c. 3. sealed the stone upon the den of Lions that so Daniel might not be rescued or fetcht out from the danger The Jews that they might keep Christ fast enough seal'd the stone of the sepulchre wherein his body was laid Mat. 27. And in a spirituall sense the sealing of the Spirit is to make the soul safe in the love and favour of God A soul that is sealed by the Spirit of God is secured of the love of God and shall never drop out of his heart So He sealeth up the stars is He makes the stars firm and fast in their Sphears But rather Secondly Sealing is for secrecie or for the hiding of a thing from the sight of others So in the sealing of letters that they be not seen and of treasures that they be not stoln or taken away Deut. 32.34 Job 14.17 Thus the Lord seals up the stars Clausae videntur cum non videntur Stellae omnia coeli lumina vetur characteres quidam efficiunt librum Pined when he clouds or obscures the stars and will not let them be seen Some make it an allusion to a book The heavens are a great volume wherein many truths of God are written his name is there and the stars are as so many characters or letters of his Name He often seals up this great volume and so blots these letters that no man can read or distinguish them Thirdly The meaning of He sealeth up the stars may be taken thus He keeps in and closes up the vertue and influences of the stars he stops those treasures which usually come down from the stars upon the earth Naturall Philosophy teaches us that all the fatnesse and fruitfulnesse of the earth is convaied from the heavens Heaven nurses and suckles the earth and if the Lord please he can dry up those brests seal up those influences stop those secret workings which the heavenly bodies have upon the earth Observe hence That the influences of the heavens are in the hand of God to let them out or stay them as he pleaseth As he can seal up the spirituall treasures of heaven that the soul shall receive no light comfort or refreshing from them in ordinances so he seals up the naturall influences of the heavens that the earth and the fruits of it here below shall receive no quickning no refreshing from them And the earth languishes when the Lord suspendeth and sealeth up the naturall influences of heaven as the soul languisheth when the Lord stops up the spirituall influences of heaven when he seals up that star of Jacob that day-star from on high Jesus Christ What we hear of God in naturall things should keep us in continuall dependance upon him for spirituals he seals with the comforts of his own Spirit and he seales up all comforts from our spirits Verse 8. Which alone spreadeth out the heavens and treadeth upon the waves of the sea This verse gives us a further argument
minde the good they had done that they remembred not they ever did it The Lord keeps a faithfull record of vvhat his people doe but themselves doe not It is our duty to remember to doe good but let God alone to remember the good we have done The Lord is not unrighteous to forget our labour of love Heb. 6.10 but we lose our righteousnesse unlesse vve forget it If we much remember what we doe God will remember it but little The servants of God know well enough when they doe good to do good ignorantly is a degree of doing evil They know vvhen they doe good and they know vvhat good they doe but vvhen 't is done 't is to them as unknown Hezekiah Isa 38.3 put God in minde of his good deeds Lord saith he remember how I walked before thee with an upright heart c. Hezekiah desired the Lord to remember his uprightnes So Nehemiah in divers passages of that book Chap. 13.14.22.29.31 puts the Lord in remembrance of his righteousnesse But it is one thing to put the Lord in remembrance of vvhat vve have done historically and another thing to plead vvhat vve have done legally It s one thing to shew to the Lord the vvork of his own grace in us and another thing minde the Lord of our vvorks to obtain his grace Hezekiah vvould have God to take notice of vvhat he vvas to pity him in his sicknesse Lord I am thus remember the work of thy hands as I am thy creature remember the vvork of thy Spirit as I am a new creature as I am thy servant And Nehemiah puts all upon the score of mercy He did not say Lord remember me for vvhat I have done answer me according to vvhat I have done but Remember me O my God concerning this and spare me according to the greatnesse of thy mercy Chap. 13.22 If Saints at any time remember God of their works it is not to ground an argument of merit upon their vvorks but to shew God the vvorkings of his grace and spirit Though I were righteous I would not answer him What then What vvill Job doe What course vvill he take for himself if he vvill not answer the Lord What This course he takes and it is the best I would make supplication to my Judge 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. The Septuagint render it thus I would deprecate his judgement that is I vvould sue for mercy As if he had said I am not vvithout hope because I have none in my self I am not lost because I am lost to my self I have a sure way yet left I will make supplication to my Judge or as M. Broughton reads it I would crave pity of my Judge as if he had said Though justice cast me yet mercy will relieve me Mercy will help me as well and honour God more 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ad facientem judicareme Mont. The word notes humblest submission as when a man begs for his life Jacob Hos 12.4 wept and made supplication The brethren of Joseph Gen. 42.21 were exceedingly afflicted at the remembrance of their hard usage toward him their brother when they sold him to the Aegyptians Fum qui me judecare facit Pagn We would not hearken when he besought us it is this vvord Think with how much submission Joseph being ready to be sold unto strangers supplicated his brethren for pity Or how a man vvill lie begging at an enemies feet vvho is ready to kill him With such submissive language Job resolved to crave pardon and pity at the hands of God Thus he obeys the counsell of Bildad in the 8th Chapter If thou seek unto God and make thy supplication unto him betimes Job seems to answer Your counsell is good friend Bildad Though I were righteous I would not answer him but according to your advice I would make supplication to my Judge The praiers of the Church in greatest straits and distresses are usually expressed by this word supplications All petitionary Prayer is supplication but because we are much abased and laid very low at such times therefore praier then put up is specially called supplication Hence Solomon at the dedication of the Temple putting cases and suppositions of many afflictions incident to that people still concludes At what time they shall confesse their sinnes and pray and make supplication then c. 1 King 8. And Esth 4.8 Mordecai sends to Esther charging her to goe in to the King What to doe To make supplication unto him The lives of the Jews being given away to satisfie the malice of Haman it was time for her to supplicate in the lowliest posture Thus Job had it in the thoughts of his heart to make supplications to his Judge as if he had said If I were to stand at the tribunall of an earthly Judge I would not supplicate but plead I would not petition his favour but stand upon my right I would not crave his pity but expect his justice I would bring forth my reasons and arguments my proofs and witnesses this course would I run with an earthly Judge but my cause being with God I will only put a petition into the Court and submit unto him let him doe with me what he pleaseth Hence we may observe First That there is no weapon can prevail with God but only praier and supplication Jobs thoughts had travel'd thorow all the creatures and found not one of them could stand before God Etsi opus virtutis exercuero ad vitam non ex meritis sed ad veniam convalesco Preci itaque innitendū est cum recta agimus ut omne quod justè vivimus humilitare condiamus Greg. therefore he resolves to fall down before him I will make supplication Praier overcometh when nothing else can Christ conquered by dying and we conquer by submitting And yet it is not supplication as an act of ours but supplication as it is an ordinance of Gods that prevails with him he looks upon praier as having the stamp of his own institution otherwise our greatest humblings could prevail no more then our proudest contendings The Word preached prevails upon the heart not as it is the act of a man who dispenceth it there is no strength in that but as it is an ordinance of God who hath appointed it So humble supplication obtains much with God because he hath said it shall Secondly To make supplication is to crave pity As praier prevails so no plea in praier can prevail unlesse vve plead pity pity mercy mercy a suppliant looks for all good at the hand of free grace We at any time have sinne enough to procure us evil Jer. 4.18 Thy sinnes have procured these things unto thee But we never have goodnesse enough to procure us any mercy Mercy comes for mercies sake Thirdly In that he saith I would make supplication to my Judge Observe God is the Judge of all our actions and intentions Job was in a great contest with men but
the displeasednesse or irksomnesse of our mindes All burdens upon the body are light compared with those which reach the soul Three things weary and load the soul First The filth and guilt of our own sins I will sprinkle you saith the Lord Ezek. 36.31 with clean water c. What 's the effect of this It follows Then shall you remember your own evil waies and loath or be weary of your selves it is this word because of all your abominations As if the Lord had said before I change your hearts ye sinne and are not wearâ—â— of your sins nay ye make a sport of and dally with them But when I shall work that great change upon your hearts your opinion and apprehensions of sin will change too nothing will be so bitter or burdensome so unpleasant or wearisome to your souls as sinne Fools make a mock of sin they who are truly wise mourn and groan under the sense and weight of it Secondly The unsutablenesse and perversenesse of other mens manners or dispositions weary the soul The righteous soul of Lot was vexed from day to day in seeing and hearing the unrighteous deeds of the debauched Sodomites 2 Pet. 2.8 The soul of God is said to be wearied by such courses of the sons of men Psal 95.10 Fourty years long was I grieved or wearied with that generation The Lord as we may speak with reverence was even weary of his life he had such a troublesome people to deal with they grieved him at the heart as the old world did Gen. 6.6 and were a heavy burden to his Spirit That 's the Apostles language in his description of that peoples frowardnesse and of Gods patience towards them Act. 13.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He suffered their manners fourty years in the wildernesse which some render He bare them as a burthen the continuall murmurings and unbelief of that people were to the Lord who is yet above all passion as a heavy weight is to a man or as the peevishnesse and unquietnesse of a sucking childe is to the nurse as our translatours conceive the Greek word should rather be Thus also he reproves the same people by the Prophet Isa 43.24 Thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities And Christ though by another word speaks the same thing of his own Disciples Mark 9.19 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tolero 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 autem dâ—â—untur translatitiè qui volentes onus subeunt sub eo perdurant when the man possest with an unclean spirit being brought to them they could not cast him out How long shall I be with you How long shall I suffer you I am wearied with your unbelief O ye of little faith The Disciples were still so slow of heart and came so short of a Gospel-spirit that Christ professeth He was burthened even with them How long shall I suffer you The il manners of all are a wearinesse to the good but theirs most who are neerest to them Which is also the reason why a godly man is wearied most of all with the corruption of his own heart for that is nearest to him of all Now as our own sins and the il manners of others weary the soul so Thirdly The pains and troubles which are upon the body often cause such grief of minde as is an extream wearinesse to the soul That 's the meaning of this text My soul is weary of my life That is my life is filled with such outward troubles as fill my inward man with trouble and weary my very soul Verbum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exsententia R. David R. Mardoc significat excidere aut succidere Excisa est anima meaâ—n me Pag. Vatao c. Aâ—um est de vita mea en mar or vel perinde ac si mortuâ—s pâ—are sum Secondly The word is translated by divers of the learned Rabbies To cut yea to cut off as with a sword or any other edged instrument These render Jobs minde thus My soul is cut off in me or My soul is cut off from my life As if he had said My daies are at an end I am ready to die the threed of my life is cut I am but a dead man While life continues soul and body are as it were one peece but death divides them or the recourse of night and day runs the threed of time thorow our lives till our web longer or shorter be finished and then the threed is cut To which similitude Hezekiah alludes in his mourning death-bed song as he supposed Isa 38.10 12. I said in the cutting off of my daies c. Mine age is removed from me as a shepherds tent I have cut off like a Weaver my life he will cut me off with pining sicknesse or from the thrum which being woond about the beam the Weaver having finished his work cuts the web off from it The same word in the Hebrew signifies pining sicknesse and a thrum because of the thinnesse and weaknesse of it My life saith Hezekiah is spent I am at the very last cast the yern of time is all wrought off therefore my life is ready to be cut off I am a borderer upon death and to be numbred among the dead rather then among the living Such a sense this reading gives the text of Job My soul is cut off from my life Denotat displicentiam qua homo interius tabescit prae doloru sensu Propriè significat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. remputidaÌ„ quae nauseaÌ„ parit aversari Thirdly The word signifies a reluctance or displicency of spirit arising from the sight and sense of that which is very loathsome filthy and of an evil savour It answers the Greek work rendered Abomination Matth. 24.15 The abomination of desolation he means the Romans who being Idolaters their worship was abominable and who being Lords of the world their power was formidable and laid all countries waste and desolate which opposed them or which they had a minde to oppose And so when Job saith My soul is weary of my life his meaning is represented thus My soul refuses to inhabit or to act so filthy a body as mine My soul loaths to dwell or stay any longer in this nasty lodging As David Psal 120.5 speaks of his wearinesse in dwelling amongst wicked men because of their morall filthinesse or the pollution of their mindes and waies Woe is me that I sojourn in Meshec that I dwell in the tâ—nts of Kedar So Job seems to speak in reference to the naturall pollution and filthinesse of his own body Woe is me that I sojourn in such a diseased body and dwell which yet will not die in such a dying carease The noble tenant my soul is wearie of staying in such a stinking and filthy habitation and I perceive for I have moved him hitherto in vain the great land-lord will neither repair it nor as yet let it fall As then a man who lives in an ill or incommodious
upon ourselves First When we let them lie wholly upon our selves and will not go to God for strength or patience to bear them Who can sufficiently mourn over them who leave their complaints in this sense upon themselves It is sinfull and foolish to leave our complaints thus upon our selves 'T is a duty to leave them upon God and to pour them into the bosom of Christ who can and who only can either ease us of them or make them easie to us who can and who only can take off our burdens or enable us to carry them The burden of our ordinary cares will break our backs if left upon our selves how then shall we in our own strength stand under the burden of extreamest sorrows Secondly We leave our complaint upon our selves When we make no excuses or evasions but plainly charge the fault upon our selves Thus we ought to leave all our complaints upon our selves It is sinfull and foolish to charge any of them wholly upon the devil or at all upon God An honest heart takes them home and saith God is righteous but I am a transgressour what he hath done he may do and he hath done justly in all that he hath done This is the sense of Iobs resolution I will leave my complaint upon my self Hence observe Whatsoever a godly man suffereth he will not charge God with it but himself He is more carefull of the honour of God then of his own peace and had rather die then the glory of God should suffer O Lord saith Daniel chap. 9.7 righteousnesse belongeth unto thee but unto us confusion of face And vers 14. the Lord is righteous in all his works which he doth for we obeyed not his voice When the Angel was smiting Israel with the plague of pestilence David bespeaks the Lord in reference to the people Loe I have sinned and I have done wickedly but these sheep What have they done Let thine hand I pray thee be against me c. 2 Sam. 24.17 I take the blame to my self Lord upon me let thy stroak be even upon me not upon Israel So saith the soul in reference unto God upon me be the blame of all the troubles and afflictions which I feel not upon God What hath God done All that he hath done is right and just and good It is an argument of a holy frame of heart to be often judging our selves and alwaies acquitting of God To be often complaining of our selves and to be ever exalting God To be alwaies thanking him for our comforts and alwaies saying we may thank our selves for our sorrows Whatsoever the Lord saith or doth concerning us we should not only say with Hezekiah when a sad message was brought him 2 King 20.19 Good is the Word of the Lord but also Good are the works of the Lord. Many men are ready to lay their sins much more their sorrows upon God So the Apostle represents them Rom. 9.19 Thou wilt say unto me Why doth he then finde fault Why doth God complain of us we have more reason to complain of and charge our faults on God If he hardeneth whom he will Why are we blamed for being hardened For who hath resisted his will Thus they question God Who hath resisted thy will whose lives are nothing else but a continued warre against and resistance of his will They who strive most to comply with the will of God complain often of themselves for resisting it And though they know God hardeneth vvhom he vvill yet they will not leave the hardening of any upon God as his fault but as his prerogative They confesse it to be as great an act of holinesse in God to harden some men in sin as it is to soften others by his grace Mercy appears chiefly in the one justice appears chiefly in the other but holinesse equally in both I will speak in the bitternesse of my soul A bitter soul bringeth forth bitter words Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh If there be abundance of joy in the heart the mouth will speak joyfully and if there be abundance of sorrow in the heart the mouth speaks sorrowfully Loquar quicquid mihi afflictio suggesserit As when there is abundance of filth in the heart the mouth speaks filthinesse We may see the lines and image of mans minde drawn upon his words One man speaks in the anger of his soul and he speaks angerly Another speaks in the pride of his soul and he speaks proudly A third speaks in the profanenesse of his soul and he speaks profanely Again one speaks in the courage of his soul and he speaks couragiously Another speaks in the patience of his soul and he speaks patiently A third speaks in the faith of his soul and he speaks beleevingly There is a neernesse to this sense in that of the sixtieth Psalm vers 6. God hath spoken in his holinesse and we are assured he cannot but speak holily who is all holy I saith Job will speak in the bitternesse of my soul and he spake bitterly his soul was bitter and so was his speech too What he means by the bitternesse of his soul hath been opened heretofore in the third Chapter and in the seventh Chapter vers 11. thither I refer the Reader In brief I will speak in the bitternesse of my soul is either this I will let out the sorrows of my heart at my tongue and it shall appear by what I say what I feel Or Further I will speak in the bitternesse of my soul may be taken as an Apology for what he spake As if he had said Doe not charge my complaint upon my own account Nō rā mea futura sunt verba quam meae amaritudinis haec enim imperat extorquet orationem If I speak bitterly it is not I that speak but the bitternesse that is in me As Paul when he did what he would not pleads in the seventh of the Romans It is no more I that doe it but sinne that dwelleth in me It is not I Paul an Apostle not I regenerate Paul but the remains of unregenerate Paul of Paul a Pharisee which rebell against the Law of God In the same manner saith Iob here and so say the Saints Are we at any time impatient and complain more then becommeth us know it is not we that speak but the bitternesse of our hearts The thing which we would not that speak we and therefore it is not we that speak but the sorrow that dwelleth in us So then speaking in the bitternesse of the soul notes either the excesse or greatnesse of a complaint or the cause and spring of a complaint The complaints of Job came not from the ordinary temper of his spirit but from the troubles of his estate distempering his spirit he desired rather to be praising and glorifying God for his receits then complaining over his own wants But his wants were such as he could not refrain from complaining I will
saw him languishing under such unparallel'd evils of punishment This moved him to pray Lord do not condemn me by making me an object of the worlds condemnation Again The words Doe not condemn me may have this meaning Lord * Permitto reruÌ„ aliarum â—jâ—cturam sed non possum non doâ—ene vehementer laesam meae sanctitatis innocentiae existimationem Pined Do what thou wilt with me only doe not condemn me His earnest deprecation of this may carry in it a willing submission to any thing besides this And 't is very usuall with men to do so we think we could bear any affliction but that or better then that which is upon us Yet Job had great reason to chuse any affliction rather then this He might well say I can through thy grace enabling me bear these or any other pains of my body and losses in my estate but I know not how to bear the losse of mine innocency or the reproach of being thrown out of thy favour The world and these my friends will be confirmed in their misapprehensions of me if thou doest not speedily deliver me and confute their rash jugement by some eminent mercy Condemnation hath three things in it which make it grievous First The penalty of the sentence Secondly The disfavour of the Judge Thirdly The stain of his integrity who is condemned To have but so much as a suspition or jealousie of the displeasure of God afflicts the spirit of a godly man more then all his other afflictions Though Job had a sure interest in the favour of God and was freed from the penalty of condemnation by his union with Christ yet sometimes clouds and darknesse came over him and the terrours of the Lord did fight against him which caused those sad lamentations in the sixth Chapter but here he is chiefly troubled at the stain of his integrity in the eye of the world who beholding his afflictions blotted him as a wicked man and esteemed him forsaken of God even utterly discarded and cast out of his sight Observe hence First That Great afflictions carry a charge of wickednesse upon the afflicted Paul having escaped death in a wreck at sea could not escape a hard censure at land when a viper was seen upon his hand This man say those Barbarians of Melita among themselves is no doubt a murderer whom though he hath escaped the sea yet vengeance suffereth not to live Act. 28.4 We finde also that those exemplary judgements which befell the Galileans whose bloud Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices it seems he caused them to be slain while they offered sacrifice and those upon whom the Tower of Siloe fell left them all under a charge of highest wickednesse else Christ had not taken it off saying Suppose ye that those Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans because they suffered such things or those eighteen upon whom the Tower of Siloe fell thinke ye that they were sinners above all that dwelt in Jerusalem As if he had said I who know your thoughts know ye are ready to think so It is a very ill but it is a very common thing to judge both of persons and of causes by successe Doth a man gain and thrive in the world here 's a man sure whom God loves saith the world Though a Jeremy can say Why doth the way of the wicked prosper He can see them to be wicked thorow all their prosperity yet how often are they accounted righteous who prosper and good who enjoy good But doth a man wither and go down the winde in the world He 's a man sure whom God hates saith the world Man is apt to think them the worst who suffer worst and that they have sinned most who have most sorrow The Prophet Isa 53.4 5. fore-tels that Christ himself While he bore our griefs and carried our sorrows should be esteemed stricken smitten of God and afflicted Christ was esteemed a great sinner when God gave him up to be smitten for sinners therefore he adds but he was wounded for our transgressions c. Secondly observe The displeasure of God is more grievous to the Saints then all other pressures and sorrows whatsoever Job saith not Lord do not afflict me do not chasten me lay not thine hand upon me any more but Lord do not condemn me It is infinitely worse to be condemned then to be chastened yea then to be killed Condemnation carries in it an argument of disfavour and that makes it so burdensome As the love of God is better to us then all the good things of this life Psal 4.6 Many will say Who will shew us any good This is the great query of the world but what saith David Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us thou hast put gladnesse in my heart more than in the time that their corn and their wine encreased And as the favour of God is better to us then the good things of this life so then life which is better then all earthly goods Ps 63.3 Thy loving kindenesse is better then life Now I say as the love of God is better to us then the best things in the world so the displeasure of God is worser to us then the worst things that are in the world all the torments and racks all the sicknesses and distempers all the reproaches and contempts of men have not so much evil in them to us as one frown from God Hence as when two sore diseases suppose the gout and the stone both very painfull yet one much exceeding at once afflict the body the patient forgets the lesse so it is when inward and outward sorrows at once ceaze upon one man when the arrows of God are fastned in his spirit he forgets the arrow in his flesh The wounds of the spirit heal all the wounds of the flesh they make them as if they were no wounds or not worth the complaining of Thirdly observe To be accounted wicked is a sore affliction It is an affliction to have an ill name though we deserve it not and to be accounted wicked though we are not it is I grant far better to be censured then to be flattered It is very ill when others count us and worst of all when we account our selves better then we are yet it is no small evil to be accounted worse then we are especially to be accounted evil when we are good A wound in our honour is not a wound to be sleighted It was no small part of the sufferings of Christ that he was numbred with the transgressours in his death and called Beelzebub a friend of Publicans and sinners while he lived Fourthly observe from this Do not condemn me That condemnation is the adjudging of one to be wicked Condemnation supposeth a man guilty and leaveth him under a penalty As Justification is the adjudging and declaring of a person to be righteous or the accepting of him for righteous in another who is not righteous
his Son having satisfied his justice for the persons offending he turns away his eye from seeing their sins God proclaims himself at once The God pardoning iniquity transgression and sin and that will by no means acquit the guilty Exod. 34.7 There is nothing but the Name of his Son and of his Son suffering which turns his eye from sin He will espy and punish or espy to punish all our faults through all other titles and interests whatsoever Again Mans judgment is clouded by wrath and malice He cannot see the innocency of those he hates or do them justice to whom he bears no affection The want of love hinders an eye of flesh as much as the inordinacy or excesse of it But though the Lord be angry and displeased with man yet he wrongs no man The wrath of man cannot work the righteousnesse of God but the wrath of God works righteousnesse to man He never gives more then right to those he loves most nor lesse then right to those he hates most That which we call passion in God is acted with highest reason his anger never errs 2. Man is much swaied in judgment by the power pomp and splendour of men We are apt to think they have most worth in them who are worth most And that they are good with whom all 's well Even the Saints are toucht with this infirmity The Apostle James chap. 2.2 3. bespeaks them thus If there come into your Assembly a man with a gold ring in goodly apparel and there come in a poor man in vile raiment and ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing and say unto him Come and sit here by me in a good place and say to the poor Stand thou there or sit here under my foot-stool Are ye not partiall in your selves and Judges of evil thoughts that is Are ye not condemned in your selves and convinced in your own consciences that you do evil and so that your thoughts have been evil which moved you to do so Can you chuse but judge this an evil thought to think him the best man that weareth the best clothes and him a vile person that is in vile apparel Thus men yea good men may mis-judge of men But the Lord seeth not as man seeth It is not good clothes but a good heart it is not a gold ring but a golden conversation which he accepts wickednesse is abominable in his eye though it sit upon a throne and holinesse shines in his eye though it lie upon a dung-hill Holinesse is not lesse lovely to him because cloathed with rags nor unholinesse lesse loathsome to him because it goes in a gay coat 'T is well conceived Forte Iob respâ—cit ad carneos judicum oculos qui ex specie carnis splendore judicant sordidos vero squalâ—dos contemnuâ—t At Deus sordida humilia non despicit Sanct. that Job had reference to his own condition when he spake thus he lay in a wofull plight all over sores and boils and filthinesse yet saith he Lord I know thou seest not as man seeth Thou dost not therefore think me the worse because I am thus ill I am even a loathing not only to others but to my self yet I know thou dost not loath me Thou hast not a bad opinion of me because my condition is thus bad 3. Man judgeth the cause by the effect the tree by the fruit the man by his actions that 's the way of mans judgement and so man ought to judge We ought to think well of them who do well and when the hand is clean charity bids us say the heart is clean too But the Lord seeth not as man seeth he in judging men transcends the rule he gives men to judge by He judgeth the fruit by the tree the effect by the cause and the action by the man he had respect to Abel and then to his offering If the worker please him not neither doth his work as he makes so he sees the tree good and then then the fruit good Till the man mends his manners never mend in Gods esteem When a good tree brings forth evil fruit or an evil tree good fruit 't is accidentall to them both not naturall God judgeth us by what we alwaies are not by what we sometimes act either in good or evil In this also Job comforts himself that whatsoever fruit he might seem to bring forth yet the Lord judg'd him not as his friends did by some unsavoury speeches that came from him but by the savourinesse of that spirit which was in him He knew God judged him by the setled temper of his inward man and the soundnesse of his minde not by the casuall distemper of his outward man or the sound of his tongue Job was a good tree and the root of the matter was in him And Job was assured God would not condemn him for his fruit if some of it were bitter and unpleasant while he saw his root was good 4. Man must take time to hear and discusse every case to finde and beat out the truth of every controversie but God judgeth all at an instant the matter is no sooner before him but he knoweth it fully indeed the matter was ever before him and ever fully known he knew it from eternity Things are known to him before they are by whom all things are The Lord needeth not to put questions or to be informed by confessions God is able to prevent our questions with resolutions and to give us answers before we give him our doubts Joh. 16.30 Now are we sure that thou knowest all things and needest not that any man should ask thee that is acquainted with our doubts before we propose them can answer them as soon as we propose them Seeing it is thus saith Job why am I held so long upon the rack to draw out the matter from me I know thou dost not judge as man judgeth by enquiring into or comparing circumstances and actions answers and questions Thou art able to make out a judgement of me and of my condition from thy own knowledge without the contribution of my answers to thy questions or of other mens testimonies concerning my actions Thou seest not as man seeth Lastly To have eyes of flesh and to see as man is to see with scorn 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Est aliquando despicere cernere cum contemptu or with disdain The originall word which we translate to see put alone signifies sometimes to despise The Prince of Tyrus is threatned thus Ezek. 28.17 I will lay thee before kings that they may behold that is despise and deride thee And the Spouse in the Canticles Chap. 1.6 deprecates look not upon me because I am black because the Sunne hath looked upon me that is God hath looked upon me with a scorching eye of displeasure and made me black with troubles do not ye look upon me with a scornfull eye of disdain because of my blacknes
longest in duration and the shortest in fruition not that the enjoyment of any thing there is short but because in the shortest enjoyment there is all Every moment of eternity being filled with all the blessednesse of eternity Thirdly This shews the reason why the Lord taketh such leisure to do his work he doth not precipitate or thrust on his designs because he may take what time he will God hath all time at his command Men bear sway and rule over persons and places God only ruleth times Man hath not one day in his power not only not the day to come but not the day present Go to now saith the Apostle James chap. 4.13 14. ye that say to day or to morrow we will go into such a City and continue there a year and buy and sell and get gain whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow Nor indeed doth any man know whether he shall be on the morrow or on all the day wherein he is God can boast of to morrow that is of eternity or of all time to come Man cannot boast of tomorrow that is of the next day no nor of the next time to come of the same day Hence it is that man must hasten lest he misse his season When David had Saul at an advantage 1 Sam. 24.5 they about him advise him to make use of it and not to let it slip Behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee c. Sr having such a day take hold of it if you let this go you may never see such another Time is no part of the dominion of Kings So likewise Abishai counsels David upon the same advantage 1 Sam. 26.8 God hath delivered thy enemy into thine hand this day let him go this day and probably thou shalt never have the like day again Now therefore let me smite him I pray thee with the spear even to the earth at once and I will not smite him the second time I can dispatch him at one time and possibly thou shalt not have a second time In a good work it is good yea t is best to do our work at once and not to expect what we may or may never have a second time when we have a time To day if ye will hear his voice harden not your hearts He hath much hardnes but no wisdom in his heart who hopes to do that good to morrow which he resolvs to neglect untill to morrow A wise man may hope to do that to morrow which he cannot do to day but it is highest folly to resolve upon a neglect of any duty this day upon a hope of doing it next day It is said Revel 12.6 Woe to the inhabitants of the earth because the devil is come down having great wrath why so angry because he knoweth that his time is but short When the devil knows he hath but a little time he will do as much work as he can and do it presently he sees all will scape out of his hands else Only the Lord hastens not neither needeth he to hasten his work at any time upon this ground because he hath but a short time He can take what time he will and make his day as long and his daies as many as himself pleaseth for the acting of his counsels whether to punish or to shew mercy And hence it is that he delaieth till wicked profane spirits wonder yea scoff at his delay and think surely the Lord will never do any such thing as he hath threatned or promised because he staieth so long before he doth it wheras indeed to him that inhabiteth eternity deferment is no delay though to us it seem so whose times are measured out by inches and hours by moments and by minutes Those profane wretches Isa 5.19 call the Lord and provoke him to action Let him make speed and hasten his work that we may see it The Lord appears slow and slack to many men but the Lord is not slack as some men count slacknesse 2 Pet. 3.9 Men think he is slack when he is only patient and themselves ignorant That a thousand years to the Lord are but as one day God doth not measure time by our pole nor cast it up by our Arithmetike Eternity doth not only like the unjust steward bid us write fifty for an hundred but one for a thousand and which bears the disproportion of divers hundreds in every one of that thousand one day for a thousand years Time is not only a small thing but nothing unto God Mine age saith David is nothing unto thee Psal 39.5 And if all Nations before him are as nothing if they are counted to him lesse then nothing Isa 40.17 Then not only the age of one man but the ages of all men added together are before him as nothing and are counted to him lesse then nothing Surely he cannot want time to do all things before whom all times are nothing He cannot want time to pour out his judgements and to empty the vials of his wrath upon wicked men nor can he want time to fulfill his promises and to make good every word of blessing which he hath spoken to or concerning his own people Wicked men Doe not ye hope Godly men Do not ye fear God will not doe what he hath said because he hath not already done it He hath not lost his time or season because he hath not accepted that which ye thought to be the time or season Christ warns his Disciples Joh. 9.4 to make haste about their work for the night namely of death cometh wherein no man can work while you have the day do your work for I know what day yours is your day will be gone and the night will come then you can work no more But Gods day fears no night what ever comes he can do his work The Preacher gives the same counsel upon the same ground Eccles 9. Whatsoever thine hand findeth to do do it with all thy might lay hold upon the fore-lock of time why There is no wisdom or counsel in the grave whither thou goest When thou diest there is an end of all thy working time doe thy work well for thou canst not recall a day of thy life to mend thy work in neither canst thou work at all in that night of death The Lords day knows nothing of a grave nor is his Sunne acquainted with going down if he seem slack to his work or slack at his work this day and the next c. yet he hath another day at his call and after that another and another all which are to him but one day Therefore he takes or leaves defers or hastens comes or goes at pleasure Are thy daies O Lord as mans daies Are thy years as the daies of men I know they are not But why doth Job make so many of these negative queries The next words will answer Verse 6. That thou enquirest after mine iniquity and searchest after my sinne Here
a Judge Chap. 29.16 The cause which I know not I searched out but God searches out those causes which he knows God doth not search us that he may know us or to inform himself but to make us know him and our selves There are not many who know themselves at all there are none who know themselves enough The Lord searches us that we may search our selves There are not many who know God at all there are none who know God enough God searches us that we may seek after him By every affliction the Lord would make us know our selves and Himself better It is said of Manasseh when he was in the briars That then Manasseh knew the Lord and then doubtlesse he began to know himself The same light that brings us to the knowledge of what God is brings us also to the knowledge of what our selves are Secondly Observe Afflictions are searchers Thou searchest for mine iniquity saith Job Job supposed that the Lord came to try him and to finde out the bottom of his heart when God smites our bodies or our estates he searcheth our hearts and maketh enquiry in our lives The Prophet threatens the Jews Zeph. 1.12 That God would come and search Ierusalem with candles That is as some interpret he would cause the Chaldeans to search for their most hidden treasures and finde them out Others understand it of God himself searching Ierusalem But God is not like the woman in the Parable who had lost her groat he needeth no candle-light to finde out the lost groat or to finde out the filthinesse that is in the most secret corners of the heart The meaning then is that God would search Ierusalem that is the people of Ierusalem as exactly as if they were searched with a candle Quùm minutatèm cognoscam de peccatis potuli cum eo inibo rationes meas accuratissimè ut solent qui adhibitis lucernis perlustrant omnia Jun. he would bring forth their secret sins and all their hidden abominations This search was made by those terrible and sore judgements brought upon Ierusalem God kindled a fire of affliction and searched them by the light of that fire Troubles are as so many candles lighted up to search our selves by and they will be as so many fires kindled to consume us with if we search not our selves At this time God is searching England with candles The Prophet describing the great sorrows of the Jews in their captivity directs us what to do Lam. 3.40 Let us search and try our waies When God is searching us it is high time for us to search our selves It is sad when God is searching for our sins if we are not searching for them too and it is more sad if when God commeth to search for our sins we be found hiding our sins These are searching times God is searching let us search too else we may be sure as Moses Numb 32.23 tels the people of Israel our sins will finde us out They who endeavour not to finde their sins shall be found by their sins Our iniquity will enquire after us if we enquire not after it But what if iniquity enquire after us What If iniquity enquire after us it will finde us and if iniquity finde us trouble will finde us yea if iniquity finde us alone without Christ hell and death will finde us If iniquity finde any man he hath reason enough to say unto it what Ahab said to Eliah without reason Hast thou found me O my enemy The best of men have reason to look out what is evil in them when God brings evil upon them or wraps them up in common evils They who have no wickednes in them to cast them under condemnation have yet sin enough in them to make them smart under correction Though Iob could say from the testimony of a pure conscience Thou knowest I am not wicked yet he durst not say thou knowest I have not sinned Iob acknowledged he was sinfull and God knew he was not wicked In searching after iniquity he found not hypocrisie yea he knew he was not an hypocrite before he searched him so it follows Verse 7. Thou knowest that I am not wicked and there is none that can deliver out of thine hand Continet versus septimus id quod praecipuè in hac causa disputatione spectandum est sc Iobum non esse improbum Pined This 7. verse containeth one of the chiefest questions of that grand controversie handled in this book whether Job were a wicked man or no Satan represented him for such to God and therefore called that he might be tried the Lord tried him upon that challenge and he was brought to a grievous triall Job appeals to the Lords own knowledge and is contented to stand or fall according to his determination being yet assured that he stood right in the thoughts of God Thou knowest I am not wicked 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Apud scire tuuÌ„ est Multo plus dicit per hanc phrasin apud scire tuum est quam si diceret tu scis In scientia tua est penes notitiam tuam est non aliundè sed ex te optimè nosti me non esse improbum Dru. Haeret in regenitis peccatum improbi taâ—en dici nec possunt nec debent Mer. Thou knowest The Hebrew is rendered word for word thus It is upon thy knowledge or It is upon thy know that I am not wicked As if he had said Thou hast not this knowledge from without thou dost not ground thy judgement concerning the state of any man upon what others say of him upon reports or hear-saies no thy knowledge is from thy self Thou knowest upon thine own knowledge thine is an internall an immediate and so a perfect an infallible knowledge and that tels thee of me I am not wicked That I am not wicked He doth not say Thou knowest that I am not a sinner or Thou knowest that I have not sinned Job had no such opinion of himself and he knew God had no such knowledge of him There is a great difference between being a sinner and a wicked man The best of Saints while they are here upon the earth are sinners but the worst of Saints even here upon the earth are not wicked they have a new nature they are new creatures regenerate and born again by the Word and Spirit therefore they are not wicked though much sin be in them yet no wickednesse is in them and they are denominated from their better part not wicked from their remaining corruption but holy from their received renovation Thou knowest that I am not wicked Again The word in the originall being in the verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quod non impiè egerim Mont. we may translate as many do Thou knowest that I have not done wickedly But the sense is the same for every man is in doing as he is in being He that is not wicked in his state cannot act
which hath got him this knowledge his knowledge is in him and with him and from himself he fetches not his knowledge from sence nor doth he take it up by information He learns it not by demonstration raised from the things themselves nor by the collation of one thing with another He doth not know this to be so because that is so but all things are so because he knows them He knows all 1. Fully not to halves 2. Certainly not probably 3. Actually not possibly 4. At once not successively as not one thing by another so not one thing after another Such are the eminencies and transcendencies of the knowledge of God The Scripture speaks sometimes as if God derived his knowledge from report or as if he did not know whether a people were vvicked or no till he had enquired When the new world vvas building their Babel the Lord said Let us go down to see the City Gen. 11.5 And when Sodom was burning in lust the Lord resolved I will go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it which is come unto me and if not I will know Gen. 18.21 In both those places of Scripture God comes down to our capacity but he comes not down to any place in the vvorld He needs not come any vvhether who is every vvhere God speaks after the manner of men but he acts not after the manner of men God gives us an example what we should do he doth not work after our example Lest we should judge before we see God saith I vvill go down and see before I judge lest we should censure one another upon fames and common cries without further enquiry whether it be so or no therefore the Lord saith I will go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry that is come unto me God knew Sodom vvas vvicked before he came down but he came down to make it known that he knew it As those Scriptures seem to import that God knew not how vvicked the builders of Babel were or the dwellers in Sodome till he took pains to enquire so another Scripture imports that he did not know Abraham vvas a godly man till he made an experiment of it by putting him upon that hard piece of obedience the offering up of his son Now I know thou fearest me Gen. 22.12 as if the Lord had collected his knowledge of vvhat Abraham vvas from vvhat Abraham did But that testimony of God Now I know is but now I have made it known or now I know that in the fruit vvhich I knew before in the root now I see my fear in thy works as before I saw it in thy faith That place Deut. 8.2 bears a like sense where Moses bespeaks Israel thus Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these fourty years in the wildernesse to humble thee and to prove thee to know what was in thine heart whether thou wouldest keep his Commandments or no. The Lord needed not fourty years no nor one minutes experience to make up his thoughts concerning that people he knew vvhat they vvere at first sight and vvhat they vvould prove even a stubborn an unbelieving and a back-sliding people before they vvere God proved them not to know vvhat vvas in their hearts but that we might know it that vvhat he knew by his internall immediate inspection others also might know by externall observation It vvould not have been believed that they vvere so bad if God had not drawn it out by that fourty years variety of his dispensations towards them Or Moses describes God after the manner of men vvho prove things that they may know them vvhereas indeed God knows and then proves them Thirdly Considering how Job comes in vvith this assurance Thou knowest that I am not wicked to relieve himself in his distresse vve may observe That it is matter of highest consolation to the Saints to know and remember that God knows them That God knows their hearts and lives is the joy of their hearts and lives How rejoycingly doth David speak Psal 139.1 2. O Lord thou hast searched me and known me thou knowest my down-sitting and mine up-rising c. He seems to be as glad that God knew him as that God vvould save him My witnesse is in heaven and my record is on high vvas Iobs resort again vvhen his friends scorned him chap. 16.19 There are no mistakes in God he vvill give right evidence as a vvitnes and a righteous sentence as a Judge Again That God knows us assures us First That vvhat vve have done shall not be forgotten God is not unrighteous to forget our work and labour of love c. Heb. 6.10 It assures us Secondly That vve shall not be mis-interpreted for vvhat vve have done The reason vvhy many men have so ill an opinion of others is because they have so little knowledge of them Ignorance makes as corrupt glosses as unsound decisions upon persons and actions as it doth upon texts or questions Some pervert knowingly and against light but most pervert ignorantly and for vvant of light God knows us perfectly and he never acts against his knowledge It assures us Thirdly That vve shall be well accepted and rewarded Though men make ill requitals and pay in bad yea in base coyn yet every man shall receive of God according to vvhat he is and vvhat his vvorks are Gen. 4.7 If thou dost well Shalt thou not be accepted Lastly It is a comfort to us vvhile vve are uncertain about our own estates to know that God knoweth us God hath a better opinion of some men then they have of themselves Some do not only think but judge and conclude themselves vvicked vvhen God knoweth that they are not vvicked The foundation of God standeth sure having this seal The Lord knoweth who are his Fourthly Thou knowest that I am not wicked Then observe To do wickedly or to be wicked is inconsistent with grace If Job had been a vvicked man he had been a lost man Sin is not inconsistent vvith grace but vvickednes is But you vvill say What is vvickednesse And vvhen is a man so sinfull that he is to be numbred among the vvicked To clear that because Job ventures all upon it I answer first In every vvicked man sin reigneth that is sin hath not only a being in him but dominion over him he yeeldeth ready and free obedience to it as to his naturall Lord not a forced and involuntary obedience only as to a tyrant Our committing of sin gives not the rule to sinne but our submitting to it As a man may do many good things and yet grace not raign and rule in his heart so it is possible for a man to do many evil things and yet not have sin rule in his heart A man may lay by the actings of a sin and yet that be a raigning sinne and a man may fall into the act of sin
our visiting God as providence is Gods visiting of us we should visit God by praier not only as they Isa 26. in trouble but in our peace we should desire him to visit our estates our families but especially our souls and spirits in their most flourishing condition The Apostle useth it as an argument to keep us from distracting thoughts Phil. 4.2 Let your moderation be known unto all men The Lord is at hand be carefull in nothing but in every thing by praier and supplication let your requests be made known unto God The Lord is at hand let not your hearts be troubled Visit God in duty who is at hand to visit you in mercy Though there be an infinite distance between God and man yet God is not farre from any man and he is ever near some men Let not us be strangers to God when we hear he maketh continuall visits to us Thy visitation doth preserve my spirit Verse 13. And these things hast thou hid in thine heart I know that this is with thee Some read the first clause which adds sharpnesse to it with an interrogation And hast thou hid these things in thine heart Is it so with thee or hast thou dealt so with me indeed The heart of God is the will purpose or decree of God These are a vast repository wherein all things are laid up And these things hast thou hid c. What things what is the antecedent to these things 1. Some say His afflictions These things that is these afflictions which thou hast now laid upon me were hid in thine heart thou hast shewed me many favours while in secret thou didst prepare rods for me 2. The antecedent to these things is mercy life favour and visitation spoken of before say others As if Job had spoken thus This bill of blâ—ssings now read these priviledges now reekoned up were hidden in thiâ—e heart thou hast had gratious intentions towards me while thou hast been smiting me I know all this is with thee Scio quia universorum me mâ—eris Vulg. That is Thou remembrest all this and keepest a record of it by thee The Vulgar makes this the text I know thou remembrest all things or all men Some supposing the antecedent to be his afflictions make out this harsh and unbecoming sense Quasi haec mala velut in animo recondita in tempus opportunum asservasset ut nec opinanteÌ„ opprimeret Atrox querimonia Merl As if Job had thus uttered his minde to God I now perceive thou hast had coles of anger raked up in the ashes while those warm beams of love did shine upon me Thou hast held out mercy in thine hand but somewhat else lay in thine heart This interpretation in the common understanding of it is most unworthy of God It is the wickednesse of men to speak fair and to doe some courtesies while cruelty and revenges are hid in their hearts When Esau Gen. 27.41 saw himself defeated of the blessing by his brother He said in his heart The daies of mourning for my father are at hand then will I slay my brother Iacob Here 's the character of malice he gave neither brother nor mother ill language but he said in his heart The holy God never speaks good to them to whom he intends evil The Creatour needs not daub or pervaricate with his creatures I grant indeed that the Lord giveth wicked men many outward favours and speaks them fair in his works but he never speaks them fair in his Word Say Woe to the wicked it shall be ill with him for the reward of his hands shall be given him Isa 3.11 Men are apt to flatter but flattery is much an abomination to the Lord as it is below him I grant also That the Lord giveth his own people many favours and speaketh reall kindenesses to them while he hides affliction in his heart What evil soever he brings upon them he hath thoughts to do them good and hath nothing but good for them in his thoughts We understand by those hidden things the mercies which Iob with his last breath had enumerated then the words import two things First An argument to move the Lord not to destroy him or or to assure his own heart that he would not As if he had said Lord I know thou remembrest well what thou hast done for me what cost thou hast been at in making me at first and in preserving me hitherto surely then thou wilt not pull all down in a moment Secondly The words may import that the Lord in afflicting Job had used only a kinde of sacred dissimulation A dissembler carrieth himself as if he had no intent to do what he is resolved to do It is usuall with men thus to dissemble hatred and so have some their love He that purposeth much good to another hideth it sometimes under sowre language and unkindest usage Ioseph had most endeared affection toward his brethren yet he put a disguise of anger upon it acting the part of a severe man who lieth at catch to finde out advantages and pick quarrels Ioseph used many stratagems of love to entangle his brethren and wrapt up his good will in hard speeches and rough carriages Nothing appearing lesse then what indeed he most was A loving brother forgetfull of nothing but injuries Job seems to have had such a conception of God while he saith These things hast thou hid in thine heart And then his sense riseth thus Lord I know thou bearest favour and good will towards me still The fire of thy love is not extinct but covered Thou dost but personate an enemy thou art my friend thou drawest a cloud betwixt me and the light of thy countenance but thy countenance is still as full of light towards me as ever and though I see nothing but sorrows on every side yet I know mercies are hid in thine heart Thus the words are an assertion of Jobs faith and assurance that God loved him while his chastnings lay most heavy upon him Hence observe First That the Saints while they are strong in faith are able to discern the favour of God through the clouds and coverings of his most angry dispensations This they can do and when they can they are arrived at a great height in grace To maintain our interest in Christ through disadvantages is strong faith The woman of Canaan Mat. 15.26 knew her pardon and acceptance were hid in the heart of Christ while he called her dog and would scarce vouchsafe to cast an eye upon her Faith did this and faith can do the like at this day But every true faith will not do it There is a kinde of miracle wrought in such believing So Christ concludes with that woman ver 28. O woman great is thy faith Truth of grace is not enough for every work of grace some works will not be done without strength as well as truth Weak faith is ready to say Mercy is lost when it is but hidden
the Lord because I have sinned against him Secondly Observe That the more we see of the indignation of God in any affliction the sorer is the affliction As the love and smiles of God comfort the Saints more then all the outward comforts he heaps upon them a little with much sensible love is to us huge mercy So the disfavour and frowns of God trouble the Saints more then all the troubles which he heaps upon them A little with much sensible disfavour is to us a heavy crosse Let trouble increase yet if displeasure abate the spirit of a man will bear and stand under it though his flesh and outward man fall under it Though the furnace should be heated seven times hotter yet if the Lord do but let down one beam or ray of his love into the soul all that burning fire will be but like a warm Sun But when the scorchings of indignation mingle with affliction this is dreadfull The anger of a fool saith Solomon is very heavy yet that is not so much as a feather to a milstone or a mountain compared with the anger of God And though believers are freed from that anger and indignation which he darts upon his enemies yet they to sense yea to their present opinion may be dealt with as enemies And though the indignation which God pours upon his own people and that upon the wicked be as different as their states are yet the one may be under as much temporary pain and sorrow as the other is For as an hypocrite may for a time taste as much of the goodnesse of God and feel as much joy in his service and sometimes more then a man who is godly and sincere so also may one who is godly and sincere taste more of the displeasure of God for a time and feel as much sorrow in his sufferings and sometimes more then a wicked man Job concludes with the same thing in a different habit of words Changes and war are against me I have variety of afflictions a multitude of afflictions and afflictions in their strength these three things are implied in those two words Poenae militant in me Vulg. Changes and warre He had variety of afflictions for changes were upon him He had many and strong afflictions For warre was upon him One strong man cannot make a war nor many weak ones And it is as strange that this should be called a warre which was but against one weak man The Roman stories cry up the honour of a man who alone upon a narrow passe made a stand against a whole army till supplies came what shall we say then of Job who single and alone maintained his standing against many armies and held out a long war 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Excidere quod exciditur immutatur à statu suo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Est tempus quoquis in statione aut militari officio est Citra hos tantos dolores mihi certum tempus est praescriptum intra quod sum moriturus Mer. Changes and warre are upon me The first word which signifies changes signifies also destruction or cutting off Some render it so here excision or cutting off by which he meaneth death is upon me The other word which we translate warre noteth also a set or an appointed time as was shewed at the first verse of the 7th Chapter Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth So some translate it here putting all together thus Excision or death the cause being put for the effect is upon me and a determined time of my life M. Broughton translates Changes and staied army have I. Taking in both interpretations of the word so his sense may be expressed in this tenour Lord have not I a setled and determined time to die Why then are such extream afflictions prepared against and charged upon me as if by those thou wouldest hasten my death and bring me to my grave sooner then thou thy self hast appointed I shall die at the time thou hast determined though thou shouldest not distresse my life and even force out my breath with such pressing extremities Further Taking the later word for a prescribed time some conceive Iob carrying an allusion to those who are surprized with feavers and agues they have changes some well daies Hunc sensum aâ—â—pâ—ctuâ—tur Abâ—â—-Ezra Rab. Sal. and some sick daies yet the fever returns upon a set time or in a constant recourse till the distemper is checked As if he had said My afflictions are like fever fits though I have some intermission yet I finde a regression the fit comes upon me again Changes at set times are upon me But rather according to the letter of our translation Changes and warre are against me that is I am exercised with variety of wars The word imports any kinde of change change of times or change of things it signifies also change of garments Exerceor contrariu interse compugnantibus malis vel potius varijs sibi invicem succedentibus malorum agminibu Merc. Judg. 14.12 That notion of the word hath an elegancy in it in reference to Jobs condition He was a man cloathed with affliction sorrow encompassed him as a long mourning cloak and Iob had changes of this raiment he went not alwaies in one sute though his sutes were still of one colour for he went alwaies in blacks Again We may interpret this change of his change from one estate to another from joy to sorrows from peace to trouble from plenty to want from costly robes to filthy rags Time was when Job went in scarlet and fine linen and if he pleased might have fared deliciously every day but when he spake this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he was in another state and habit cloathed with sackcloth and lying in the dust It is said of wicked men Psal 55.9 Because they have no changes therefore they fear not God Every creature is subject to change and hath some changes every day God only is unchangeable Yet some men seem to have no changes though they cannot be free from naturall changes one moment yet they may be free from many years civil changes they maybe so far from such changes as Job felt from good to evil that all the changes they are acquainted with may be only from good to better from strong to stronger from rich to richer that 's the intent of the Psalm They have no changes from joy to sorrow from health to sicknes from riches to poverty from honour to disgrace therefore they fear not God their hearts were hardned because their estates prospered So then these changes import either divers sorts of afflictions or divers returns and charges of the same afflictions The second word carrieth that allusion Agmen quiddaÌ„ malorum ut etiam dicitur lerna vel Ilias malorum Mer. Vexationes turmatim me invadunt Drus Sagittandi militandi verba saepe eleganter in scripturis declarant Dei contra impios
Is there any beauty in darknes in thick darknes where there is no order in darknes where the very light is darknes One of the greatest plagues upon Egypt Nostri theologizantes ad infernum referuÌ„t sed Iob ad sepulchrum respexit Merc. was three daies darknes what then is there in death naturally considered but a plague seeing it is perpetuall darknes If death be such in it self and such to those who die in sin how should our hearts be raised up in thankfulnes to Christ who hath put other terms upon death and the grave by dying for our sins Christ hath made the grave look like a heaven to his Christ hath abolished death not death it self for even believers die but all the trouble and terrour of death the darknes and the disorder of it are taken away Christ hath mortified death kill'd death so that now death is not so much an opening of the door of the grave as it is an opening of the door of heaven Christ who is the Sun of righteousnes lay in the grave and hath left perpetuall beams of light there for his purchased people The way to the grave is very dark but Christ hath set up lights for us or caused light to shine into the way Christ hath put death into a method yea Christ hath put death into a kinde of life or he hath put life into the death of believers All the gastlinesse horrour yea the darknes and death of death is removed The Saints may look upon the grave as a land of light like light it self yea as a land of life like life it self where there is nothing but order and where the darknes is as light Jobs reply to Bildad and complaints to God have carried his discourse as far as death and the grave he gives over in a dark disordered place God still leaving him under much darknes and many disorders of spirit As his great afflictions are yet continued so his weaknesses continue too His graces break forth many times and sometimes his corruption Both are coming to a further discovery while his third friend Zophar takes up the bucklers and renews the battel upon what terms he engages with Job how Job acquits himself and comes off from that engagement is the summe of the four succeeding Chapters FINIS Errata PAg. 18. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 63. l. 5. for 29. r. 19. p. 69 l. 39. for 7. r. 29. p. 152. l. 21. for need r needs p. 201. in marg fòr Apollo r. Achilles in some copies p. 311 l 17. dele the. p. 331. l. 2. dele in p 430. l 22. for affliction r. afflictions p 361. l. 37. for Apologues r. Apologies ib. l. 38. put in to after arguments p. 366. in mâ—rg for polluerunt r. polluerent p. 401. l. 27. for an idol u r. idols are p 413. l. 22. for wearied r. weary p. 418. l. 27. dele not A TABLE Directing to some speciall Points noted in the precedent EXPOSITIONS A ABib the Jewish moneth why so called p. 73 Adamant why so called 160. Affliction A good heart give â— testimony to the righteousnesse of God in the midst of greatest afflictions p. 14 God laies very sore afflictions upon them that are very dear to him p. 279. Afflictions continued cause â—s to suspect that our praier is not answered p. 280. A godly man may be much opprest with the fears of affliction p. â—54 There was not such a spirit of rejoycing in affliction among the Saints of the old Testament as is under the New p. 358. After purgings God goes on sometimes with afflictions p. 372. It is lawfull to pray against affliction p. 399. Affliction removed three waies p. 400. Great afflictions carry a charge of wickednesse upon the afflicted p. 432. An afflicted person is very solicitous about the reason of his afflictions p. 436. Afflictions are searchers p. 469. Afflictions affect with shame p. 573. Vnder great afflictions our requests are modest p. 579. Age what meant by it taken three waies p. 55. Ancient of daies why God is so called p. 460. Angels falling why their sinne greater then mans and God so irreconcilable to them p. 506. Anger in man what it is p. 180 How God is angry p. 181. The troubles that fall upon the creature are the effects of Gods anger p. 181. It is not in the power of man to turn away the anger of God p. 247. How praier is said to do it 10. The anger of God is more grievous to the Saints then all their other afflictions p. 433. Answering of two kindes p. 250. Antiquity True antiquity gives testimony to the truth p. 58. What true antiquity is p. 59. Appearance we must not judge by it p. 360. Arcturus described p. 209. Assurance that we are in a state of grace possible and how wrought p. 479. Awake In what sense God awakes p. 37 38. His awaking and sleeping note only the changes of providence p. 39. Two things awaken God the praier of his people and the rage of his enemies p. 40. B BItternesse put for sorest affliction p. 285. The Lord sometime mixes a very bitter cup for his own people p. 286. Body of man the excellent frame of it p. 516. Five things shew this p. 517. Body of man an excellent frame p. 494. How called a viâ— body ib. Bones and sinews their use in the body of man p. 516. C CAbits a sect of babling Poets p. 7. Cause Second causes can doe nothing without the first p. 493. Chambers of the South what and why so called p. 210. Chistu the tenth moneth among the Jews why so called p. 209. Christ is the medium by which we see God p. 231 Clay that man was made of clay intimates three things p. 504. Commands God can make every word he speaks a command p. 192. Every creature must submit to his command ib. God hath a negative voice of command to stay the motion of any creature p. 193. Comfort comes only from God p. 348. Yet a man in affliction may help on his own comforts or sorrows p. 351. Comforts put off upon two ground ib. Commendation To commend our selvâ—s very unseemly p. 296 297. Conâ—emnation hath three thing in it which make it very gâ—evous p. 432. It is the adjudging a man to be wicked p. 434. Conscience A good conscience to be kept rather then our lives p. 303. God and conscience keep a record of our lives p. 540. Consent to sinne how proper to the wicked p. 478. Contention Man naturally loves it p. 150. Man is apt to contend with God p. 152. Especially about three things p. 153. Man is unable to contend with God in any thing p. 154. Counsels of wicked men not shined on by God p. 447. Custom in sin what p. 476. D DAies-man who p. 385. why so called p. 386. Five things belonging to a daies-man p. 387. A three-fold posture of the daies-man in laying on his
hand p. 389. No creature can be a daies-man between God and man only Christ is p. 392. Daies of God not like the days of man p. 459. Death Sudden death or to be slain suddenly in what sense a mercy p. 313. Death Man dies by statute p. 508. Whether death was naturall to man or no p. 509. Death without order two waies p. 584. No naturall return from it p. 580. Delight in sinne worse then the committing of sin p. 478. Despair is the cutting off of hope p. 88. Duties dangerous to lean upon them p. 97. How hypocrites duties fail p. 98. How we must hold duties fast and how not p. 99. E EAgles flight time compared to it p. 339. Earth taken five waies in Scripture p. 321. How the earth is given to wicked men p. 322. Earth-quake the force of it p. 183. The cause of it ib. Eclipse of the Sun when Christ suffered was miraculous in two respects p. 190. Egypt called Rahab in Scripture and why p. 245. Eternity is Gods day p. 462. Difference between eternity eviternity and time ib. God hath time enough to do his work in p. 463. Evil-doers who p. 127. God will not help such ib. How God concurs with evil-doers and how not p. 128 129. God resists them a two-fold resistance p. 131. Example The examples of others falling into sin or under punishment should be our warnings p. 31. Eyes of God what p. 451. Seven differences between the eyes of God and man p. 452. F FAces of Judges covered what it imports p. 326. Face put for anger c. why p. 346. Faith must have somewhat to lean upon p. 93. Faith necessary in prayer p. 273. Faith in prayer doth not deserve an answer though it get one p. 274. Faith hath its decaies pag. 276. Fear taken two waies p. 404. Sutream fear binders speech p. 405. Forgetfulnesse of God consists in four things p. 78. Hypocrites are forgetters of God p. 79. To forget God is a very great sinne p. 80. Forgetfulnesse of God is a mother sinne p. 81. Forgetfulnesse of three sorts p. 345. Some things can hardly be forgotten others as hardly remembred p. 346. G GIfts not to be trusted to p. 95 God gives to men two waies p. 322. God The best way for man to get his heart humbled is to look up to the holinesse of God p. 148. God is invisible and incomprehensible p. 229. As God is so he works above man p. 375. The consideration that God is above man should humble man p. 376. The unevennesse of mans acting towards God arises from thoughts of his evennesse with God p. 377. 378. Man was made in the image of God but God is not in the image of man p. 380. Man should take heed of measuring God especially in three things p. 381. Man cannot contend with God shewed in seven things 384. Why it is so fearfull to fall into the hands of God p 394. Presence of God both joyfull and terrible p. 402 403. Man cannot bear the anger of God p. 403. God knows the state of every man p. 471. God knoweth all things in and of himself p 473. Godly man shall never be cast away p. 122. How God may be said to east his people away p. 123 God highly honours them p. 124. A godly man exalts God while God is casting him down p. 222. Godly men are a safety and a support to the places where they live p. 244. Yet sometimes God will not be entreated by the godly ib. A godly man may put the worst cases to himself p. 543. Good and bad alike dealt with by God in outward things p. 310. Grace acts alwaies like it self but a gracious man doth not p. 364. Guilt Till guilt be removed fear will not p. 357. Guilt of sin wearieth the soul p. 413. H HAnd Putting forth the hand notes three things in Scripture p. 125 126. Hand put for outward conversation or action p. 367. Washing hands an emblem of freedom from guilt p. 368. Laying on of the hand what it signifies p. 387. Hands How ascribed to God his hand implies two things p. 442. Hands of God what p. 489. Hardning the heart what 160 A hardning the heart to do either good or evil ib. The heart hardned appears in six things p. 161. A three-fold hardnesse of heart p. 162. Man hardens himself against God upon four grounds p. 163. Nine degrees or steps of hardnesse of heart p. 164 165. None ever prospered by hardning themselves against God p. 166. A hard heart is Satans cushion p. 166. Hatred taken two waies 137. Wicked men haters of the righteous p. 141. Hearkning is more then hearing p. 272. Head Lifting up of the head what it imports in Scripture 545. Heart the best repository for truth p. 70. Heaven The various acceptations of it in the Scriptures 199. Heaven is a building of three stories p. 200. Help given by God two-fold p. 128. Holy persons fit for holy duties p. 34. It is not contrary to free grace to say we must be holy if we would be heard p. 35. Hopelesse To be so is the worst condition p. 84 88. Where hope faileth indeavour faileth also 364 Humility a godly mans thoughts are lowest of himself p 251. The more holinesse any man hath the more humility he hath p. 547. Hypocrite compared to a rush in six particulars p. 75 76 77. What an hypocrite is p. 82. Two sorts of hypocrites p. 83. They are filthy they may be full of hopes their hopes will deceive them p. 84 He shall loath himself p. 85 86. his whole course is nothing but foolishnes p. 87. He shall be hopelesse 88. His hope like a spiders-web shewed in five things p. 90 91. He hath two houses p. 94. His hopes may be very strong p. 96. He hath three witnesses ib. All he trusts to shall fail p 97. He may abound in outward blessings p. 104. They do all to be seen p. 105. They may endure persecution a while p 105. They care not whom they wrong so they may thrive 108. They are often destroied in the height of their prosperity 110. They shall be forgotten or remembred with disgrace p. 113 114 He may have much joy p. 115. His joy is most from outward things 116. His joy is short ib. I IDol The same word in Hebrew signifies sorrow and an idol two reasons of it 353. Idols why called Emims p. 401. Immortality three-fold 510. Instruments and second causes What God doth by them is to be reckoned as his own act p. 235. Joy is the portion of the Saints and they shall receive it in good time p 135. They rejoyce in the works of Gods mercies to themselves judgements on enemies 136 Justice and judgement how they differ p. 12. Judgement opposed to three things ib. Judgement subverted two waies p. 14. To pervert judgement what p. 13 15. Judgements of God finde most men secure p. 178. Judgement taken three waies p. 291. Judgement of God
ad percutiendum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ye go out with a message of peace in your â—â—uths let there not be so much as an instrument of contention in your hands But in Mark he useth the word Misnan which signifies a staff to lean upon Take a staff to rest or ease your selves upon or to help your selves on in your travell Virga vel baculus ad sust entandum A walking staff but not a striking staff Thus they reconcile the difference But though this interpretation be good yet this ground of it appears not either in the Syriack which in both texts hath the word Shebet or in the Greek which expresses both by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So then we must rather say that the same word signifies a staff for both uses and that when Christ forbids his Disciples a staff he means a staff to strike with Preachers must be no strikers according to the Apostles rule in Timothy and that when he bids them take a staff he means a walking staff Iunerant Preachers might be wearied with travelling as well as with speaking But to the Text. The rod which Job desires might be removed Nihil aliud postulat Iob quam ut Deus vel mittigaret vel penitus auferret ab eo flagella sc morbos dolores Non aâ—at pro jure sed gratiae moderationi faciat locum Coc. is That sore affliction which the soveraign power of God laid upon him and exercised him with As if he had said Lord thou dealest with me upon the height of thy prerogative and I acknowledge thou maiest do so But my humble sute and prayer is that thou wouldest afflict me lesse then thou hast though thou hast not afflicted me more then thou maiest Thou hast not injured me at all but ô that thou wouldest relieve me He speaks to this sense with a little variety of words Chap. 13.20 21. Onely doe not two things unto me then will I not hide my self from thee with-draw thine hand from me and let not thy dread make me afraid And in a language not unlike this he describes the peace and prosperity of wicked men Chap. 21.9 Their houses are safe from fear neither is the rod of God upon them We finde also that Elihu who undertook Job and debated the matter with him when these three had no more to say or would say no more He I say perceiving what it was which Job had complained of as an impediment of speaking unto God promises that himfelf would give him no such impediment or cause of complaint Chap. 33.7 Behold my terrour shall not make thee afraid neither shall my hand be heavy upon thee As if he had said The Lords hand hath been heavy upon thee and his terrour hath made thee afraid but take my word I will deal gently and mildly with thee My terrour shall not make thee afraid neither shall my hand be heavy upon thee So that Jobs desire is only this That he might have ease or release from â—is present sorrows And 't is not improbably conceived that he alludes to the custom of the Judges in those Eastern Countries who laid a rod upon some offenders in token of condemation and took it off from others in token of absolution of grace and favour Take thy rod away from me Affliction is called a rod in a three-fold consideration 1. Because of the smart of it Afflictions are grievous and painfull to flesh and bloud They grieve and pain the outward man while the inward man takes pleasure in them I saith Paul take pleasure in infirmities in reproaches in persecutions in necessities in distresses for Christs sake 2 Cor. 12.10 that is my spirit doth for no affliction not that for Christs sake is joyous for the present but grievous to the flesh For as the Spirit would not doe those evils of sin which the flesh would and doth The evil which I would not that I doe was Pauls cry Rom. 7.19 So the flesh would not endure those evils of sorrow which the Spirit would and doth And as a believer delights in the Law of God after the inward man when corruption is vext and troubled at it so a believer delights in the rod of God after the inward man when corruption is most impatient and unquiet under it Hence the Apostles counsell to the dispersed Jews Rejoyce when ye fall into divers temptations Jam. 1. that is into divers afflictions the flesh hath it's sense and feels smart but the Spirit is armed with faith which overcomes the smart Affliction were not so much as a rod if it did not make us smart and we are not so much as Christians if we cannot bear the smart with patience or overcome it with faith 2. Affliction is called a Rod in regard of the hand that useth it A sword is in the hand of a Judge and a Rod in the hand of a father God deals with his people as a father with his children in afflicting them When we most provoke his fatherly displeasure against us he doth not wish as Balaam when his Asse offended him that there were a sword in his hand to slay us he only takes up a rod to scourge us Hence 3. Affliction is called a rod in regard of the end for which it is sent A rod is not prepared to kill nor is it an instrument of cruelty A rod is not for destruction but for correction There are indeed destroying rods which God will destroy and save his people who are destroied by them I will destroy the rod of the oppressour Isa 9.4 Nebuchadnezzar the rod of Gods anger was a destroying rod yet they among the Jews who feared God were only corrected while they were destroied The Lord means no hurt to those who are good when he makes them smart and die under the rod of those who are evil If ever any man might think he had a sword in his bowels rather then a rod upon his back Job might yet even he cals it a rod while he cals to God for the removing of it Remove thy rod away from me And seeing he cals to have it removed we may observe That it is lawfull for to pray against affliction We may pray to be eased of that which we must be patient under To be discontented with affliction is sinfull buâ— it is no sinne it is a duty to desire the taking of it away For 1. We may pray for the preventing of afflictions therefore we may pray for the removing of afflictions we may pray Lord keep thy rod off from us therefore we may pray Lord take thy rod off from us 2. Afflictions themselves are evil There is no good in them nor can they doe us any good of themselves The good commeth from a superiour work from those admirable influences and concurrences of God upon and with corrections The rod is an evil in it self and will make us worse unlesse the Lord make it a blessing to us Some are
stubborn under the rod and their hearts are hardened while themselves are melted in the fire of affliction As man lives not by bread alone So man mends not by the rod alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God T is little lesse then a miracle that this dry rod as that of Aaron did naturall should blossom and bring forth spirituall fruit the fruits of righteousnesse 3. We may pray for the removing of afflictions because the Lord often sends afflictions upon this message to bespeak praier Many a soul is sluggish in prayer till awakened by the voice of the rod. When the rod makes the flesh smart then the Spirit in whom any thing of the Spirit is cries mightily unto God and among the many things about which the soul exercises prayer under afflictions this is one that the affliction may be removed As they alwaies sin who murmur at and quarrell with God because he corrects them so also doe they who say they care not how long he corrects them or let him correct them as long as he will It is as ill a sign when a childe will not pray his parent to spare him when he is about to chasten him or to stay his hand when he is chastening of him as it is to resist his chastisement There may be greater contempt of God in lying under affliction then in resisting it Now as it is our duty to pray for deliverance out of trouble so it is one end why the Lord casts us into trouble that we may be engaged to pray for deliverance But take it with a caution we must not pray absolutely for deliverance or the removall of afflictions but at least with an implicit limitation While we are striving earnestly for the taking away of the rod we should be ready to submit if the Lord will not take it away A believer may say to the Lord as wrestling Jacob I will not let thee goe except thou blesse me but he must not say I will not let thee goe except thou now deliver me Time and means and manner must all be laid at Gods feet and submitted to his wisdome And we must honour God though he will not remove the rod even while we are praying that he would remove it For the close of this point consider the rod may be removed not only by a totall release from affliction But First By an abatement of the affliction as we are said to leave off those graces from the degrees and lively actings of which we fall and decline He that lacketh these things that is who aboundeth not as he hath heretofore in the exercise of them is blinde c. 2 Pet. 1.9 Thou hast left thy first love saith Christ to the Angel of Ephesus when the heat of his former love was cooled So the Lord may be said to remove our troubles when he remits the extremity and cools the heat of them Secondly The rod is removed when it is sanctified to us when the Lord who is excellent in working causeth it to doe us good The Saints die yet death is abolished as to the Saints by the death of Christ 2 Tim. 1.10 because Christ hath pluckt out the sting of their death and made it a gain to them Thus while Christ makes temporall losses or sufferings an advantage to the spirituall estate of his people he takes them away And as outward blessings are taken away from wicked men while they possesse them riches are not riches to them nor is their honour an honour to them because they are ensnared by them So the outward crosse is taken away from the godly while they suffer because they are bettered by the crosse Thirdly Affliction is removed from us when Christ gives us strength to bear affliction Nothing grieves us either in active or passive obedience but what is either against our wils or above our power It is all one to have a burthen taken off our shoulders or to have so much strength given as makes it easie to us While the Saints have trouble upon their backs and loins they have no trouble in their hearts and spirits when their spirits are carried above those troubles To conquer an enemy is more noble then to have none Much more which is promised the Saints in the throng of sorest enemies to be more then conquerours In all or any of these waies Jobs praier may be fulfilled Take away thy rod from me And let not thy fear terrifie me There was somewhat more upon Job then a rod 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â radice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Formidabilis terribilis Emathah or it was an extraordinary rod a rod like a Scorpion Let not thy fear terrifie me The word which we translate fear comes from a root signifying that which is very formidable and terrible Fear and dread shall fall upon them Exod. 15.16 that is they shall be extremely afraid even dead with fear as the next words import They shall be still as a stone c. There is a letter added as the Hebricians observe to the word used by Moses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ne me transversum agat Sept. alius ne me consternet implying the excesse of fear Giants are called by this name Emims Deut. 2.11 because they are of a dreadfull aspect The whole host of Israel trembled at the sight of Goliah 1 Sam. 17.24 〈◊〉 Idols 〈◊〉 exprest by this name Emim And there is a double reason of it Either because Idols are a terrour to their worshippers we hear how at this day poor Pagans who worship Idols are extremely opprest with slavish fear of displeasing them The true God is terrible to his despisers but false Gods are terrible to their worshippers Or secondly They were called Emims in a way of contempt Yours are terrible Gods sure They have hands and handle not feet and walk not eyes and see not Here are terrible gods So then Idols are Emims either because they are really to be feared so little or because they are superstitiously feared so much Jobs fear was no needlesse fear he was not terrified with a fancy Ex vi verbi originalis ejusno di terror est qui hominem exaâ—itat quasi extra evalde distrabat though his fancy was ready enough to over-act upon his affliction and so encreased his fear Let not thy fear that is say some fearfull thoughts or sights terrifie me So Chap. 7.14 When I say My bed shall comfort me my couch shall ease my complaint then thou scarest me with dreams and terrifiest me with visions There is an humbling and a cleansing fear The fear of the Lord is clean not only in the nature of it but in the effects of it Psal 19.9 There is also an amazing and a terrifying fear such the letter of the originall imports this to be even a fear bordering upon madnesse as if he were rather frighted then afraid and scared rather then troubled Others expound this