God is to forget what God requires this Forgetfulnesse of these three sorts is productive of any of every sin Lastly Observe They that forget God shall quickly wither how great and flourishing soever they are The reason is this because the forgetting of God is a departing from God and he that departs from God departs from the fountain of life If the rush go out of the water it quickly withers and if men will depart from God they shall quickly decay neither grace nor comforts can hold out separated from Christ Why is the godly man compared to a tree planted by the river side which brings forth fruit in his season whose leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doth shall prosper Why is the man that trusts in the Lord compared to a Tree planted by the waters that spreads out her roots by the river and shall not see when heat commeth Jer. 17.7 8. is it not because the Saints alwaies keep close to God by Jesus Christ who is as an everliving fountain of water to them refreshing and moistening them so with continuall supplies of the Spirit that they shall not see when heat commeth that is they shall not be afflicted with those evil effects of heat drought and barrennesse They who keep Covenant with God may possibly feel some decaies but die they shall not they shall revive and sprout up again They shall again put forth their leaves as a plant and their fruit as the garden of Eden They shall bring forth fruit in old age they shall be fat and flourishing And the hypocrites hope shall perish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Similavit dissimulavit ce ulte peccavit per Metaphoram pollutus contaminatus The word which we translate hypocrite comes from a root that signifies close and covered and by a Metaphor polluted defiled contaminated because an hypocrite though he be outwardly covered and beautifully painted over yet his paint is a spot upon him All painting is but a spot in comparison of naturall beauty An hypocrite is not so much painted as polluted Hence he is called a vile person Isa 32.6 The vile person will speak villany and his heart will work iniquity to practise hypocrisie and to utter errour against the Lord. We have the character of hypocrites Isa 58.3 They daily call upon my Name as a people that would know the Lord As a people an hypocrite doth but play a part in religion he doth but personate another like an actour upon a stage who puts forth the severall postures and gestures of a King when as himself is some mean fellow An hypocrite is described acting a double part the one is similation he labours to appear what he is not he would seem to have some good which he hath not Externasaâ—ie internam sanctitatem mentitur And the other is dissimulation he labours not to appear what he is he would hide and cover the evil that he hath An hypocrite is one who seems to be what he is not and would not seem what he is He is a Jew outwardly and his religion circumcision outward in the flesh Rom. 1.18 He seems to be religious Jam. 1.26 He is a whited sepulchre Mat. 23.27 stately on the out-side within nothing but rottennesse and dead bones The hypocrite hath a divided heart Hos 10.3 and a double minde Jam. 1.8 He is not half enough for God and too much for himself Hypocrites are of two sorts some in a large others in a strict sense Most wicked men are hypocrites in a large sense though some are above hypocrisie they are arrived at impudence The Prophet speaks of such Isa 3.9 The shew of their countenance doth witnesse against them and they declare their sin as Sodome they hide it not They declare it not as the mourners in Zion declare their sinne who are ashamed of it but they declare it as Sodome her sin that they may delight in it But though there are some such as these yet the greatest number of wicked men fall under the notion of hypocrisie in a large sense because they keep their sins close and hide them Hence the works of sinne are called works of darknesse Wicked men usually hide their wickednesse and shew that which hath but a shew their goodnesse But in a strict sense he is an hypocrite that seems to be very religious who hath nothing but God and Christ and heaven in his mouth but in his heart and secret practices nothing but earth and hell The hypocrite is like the Onyx-stone of which Naturalists write that it is clear and bright in the superficies but the center is dark and earthy This generation is pure not only in their own eyes Prov. 30.12 but in the eyes of many men possibly in the eyes of all men yet are they not cleansed from their wickednesse The hypocrites hope shall perish That is the time shall come when he shall give over the hope which he hath hoped or the thing shall fail him wherein he hoped First the object of his hope shall fail him that is those benefits blessings accommodations and comforts which he looked for in the profession of religion these shall fail him and prove false hopes Hypocrites Mat. 7. plead with Christ for heaven Lord we have prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name cast out devils c. but their hopes perished Depart from me saith Christ I know you not His hope perisheth when he cannot have the things he hoped for Secondly The act of his hope shall fail his hope shall be so long deferred that his hope shall die he never had any true ground of hope and at the last he shall not have a shew of hope His hope shall perish Observe from the name given hypocrites First That hypocrites are filthy and polluted persons None are so ugly in the eye of God as they who paint for spirituall beauty Pretended holines is more unlovely then professed unholines to them that can discern it As it is said of Nabal 1 Sam. 20. Nabal is his name and folly is with him So we may say of an hypocrite filthinesse is his name and filth is in him Nabal had his name from folly and hypocrites have theirs from filthines Observe secondly Hypocrites may be full of hope for a time They have somewhat though it be unsound upon which they build they think what they do and are will serve turn and go for currant with God This raises up their spirits Some hypocrites will be full of hope even while they are descending to the pit of despair Some hypocrites are not convinced of their hypocrisie to the very last such die in peace while they are going down to eternall warre They go away as we use to say like lambs when their souls are among lions and they are tumbling into the place of dragons Observe thirdly The hope of hypocrites will deceive and fail them God rejects their confidences they shall not prosper in them Jer. 2.37 Lastly
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
rage of the mysticall as of the literall waters yea we finde these two matcht together Psal 65.7 He stilleth the noise of the seas the noise of their waters and the tumult of the people Hence the Apostle Jude vers 13. cals wicked men raging waves of the sea foaming out their own shame The Lord sitteth upon these flouds yea the Lord sitteth King for ever Psal 29.10 There are other mysticall waves even waves within us which will not be trodden upon by any foot but Gods There is a sea of wickednesse in every mans heart by nature Every wicked man is nothing but a sea he is a sea of wickednesse The wicked Isa 57.20 are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest And as the windes blow from all quarters of the heavens and strive upon the seas So there are divers lusts which as windes strive upon the face of mans heart the lust of pride the lust of covetousnes the lusts of ambition of envy of malice these enrage and swell the waters The Lord treads upon the high waves of this sea also he restrains and keeps lust down by his power it would drown all else These raging waves swell too high in his own people it is the work of his Spirit to tread these down and when the windes of severall temptations raise those waves he it is that commands them down Who amongst us is there that one time or other findes not corruption raging as the high waves of the sea How mighty and powerfull is the Lord in that great work of his effectuall grace treading upon the waves of this sea remaining corruption in his servants and children Verse 9. Which maketh Arcturus Orion and Pleiades and the chambers of the South In the verse immediately before we heard of the power of God in stretching out the heavens and in this we have his excellent skill and infinite wisdome displaied in adorning decking and beautifying those heavens which he had stretched forth He hath not only drawn out a vast piece of work In astroruÌ„ pulchritudine situ ordine vi stupendiso in haec infortora operationibus admirabilis prorsus creatoris magnificentia magnitudo plurimuÌ„ clucet Bold like a large Canopy such are the heavens but he hath embroidered this Canopy and set it with rich sparkling stones he hath made severall engravings images figures and representations upon it Or we may make the connexion with the later clause of the former verse Job having said that the Lord treadeth upon the high waves of the sea that when the seas are most stormy and tempestuous they are at his command and that their confusions are under his Empire and order he adds this verse by way of answer to a possible objection For some might say the motion of the seas is from the power and influences of the stars Cum multa sint astra hominibus fluctibus infensa eorum praecipuè memâ—nit quorum vis ad ciendas tempestates hominibus magis est explorata San. from the rising and setting of the moon with other planets and constellations True saith Job yet the Lord is he that treadeth upon the waves of the sea it is the Lord that orders them and not the stars Though the stars and constellations have a dominion over the seas in their ebbings and flowings motions and revolutions yet there is a Lord who hath power not only over the seas but over that which over-powers the seas even over the stars of heaven He maketh Arcturus Orion and Pleiades and the chambers of the South which stars according to the doctrine of Astronomy have a speciall power upon the seas Either of these waies we may make the connexion First That Job would expresse the adorning of the heavens after he had spoken of their making and stretching forth Or secondly He would teach us that though the heavens work upon the seas yet God works upon the heavens He maketh Arcturus Orion and Pleiades and the chambers of the South I shall endeavour to speak of these distinctly The holy Ghost giving us such a Text it is not lightly to be passed by And though here are strange words and uncouth expressions yet we may I hope bring them down to an easie meaning and fit them to the understanding of the simplest I shall touch a little in the generall before I come to every one in particular Iob under these names couches many of the stars of heaven Stella est densior pars orbis ideo lucent astra non coeli quia hi diaphani sunt rari asâ—ra autem densa eoque lucem retinentia reflectentia Migir Phys A Star according to Philosophy is the thicker part of its orb â—r sphear it is thicker then other parts of the heavens for otherwise as it could not hold the light so it could not reflect and send forth the light It could not be a vessel for light or a conveiance for light Light was created the first day Gen. 1.3 but the lights were created the fourth day Gen. 1.14 that is certain vessels were created to hold the light And God said Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven that is let the light which is now scattered thorow all be gathered in certain receptacles fit to keep and yet fitted to transmit and disperse it into all parts of the world Let them be for lights in the firmament of heaven to give light vers 15. Of these lights or stars some are called moving and others fixed That 's the doctrine of Astronomers and it is the doctrine of the Scripture The Apostle Iude ver 13. calling some wandering stars seems to admit of that distinction of the stars into wandering and fixed The unfixt or wandering stars are seven known by their names and motions These in the Text are none of them these are placed above them The seat of these Asterismes is in the eighth sphear to take that doctrin for granted though many dispute it or story of the heavens so the Prophet Amos speaks Chap. 9.2 He buildeth his stories in the heavens we put in the margent sphears He buildâ—th his sphears in the heavens which being one above another are elegantly called the stories of heaven And in the eight sphear innumerable stars are fixed Some of which fall under speciall observation and numeration Astronomers give us a Catalogue of a thousand three and twenty stars which they exactly distinguish which is the ancient account And since that we have had many more discoveries by those noble Navigatours who have made thorow-lights to the world that the East might look into the West and the South into the North The travell study and experiments of these Masters in navigation have brought us in an additionall number of three hundred stars more And so we reckon a thousand three hundred and twenty three fixed stars known by name of which these in the text are a part Thâ— other stars are both innumerable and unnameable beyond number and
without name Hence when the Lord shewed Abraham how great his seed should be he carries him out and bids him look toward heaven and tell the stars if he were able to number them Gen. 15.5 The stars to come a little nearer the Text observed and numbred by Students in this great volume of the heavens are distinguished into fourty and one images or representations whereof some for learnings sake are fancied the images of men and women others the images of beasts and fishes Omnes hae stellarum imagines non tantum ordine situ verum etiam certis nominibus inter se distinctae sunt others the images of things without life Of these images twelve are in the Zodiaque commonly called the twelve signs In the Southern part of the sphear eleven of those signs are placed and in the Northern eighteen which added to twelve in the Zodiaque make up the number of fourty and one Now when it is said in the Text That God makes Arcturus Orion and Pleiades and the chambers of the South We are not to take them for so many distinct and particular stars but for constellations or configurations because they stand in such a form or figure and so for the better knowledge of them they are called by the names of such creatures as they seem to represent We have three of those speciall figures here in the Text and one more generall Arcturus Orion and Pleiades are three figures or starry representations in the eighth sphear I will open their Hebrew names As also the Latine and Greek names used commonly in translations by which we shall get a clearer understanding in the nature of the things themselves Which maketh Arcturus The word Gnesh in Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Congregare conglobare huic respondet Graecum verbum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod est commeare vel undiquaque convenire Arcturus stella est in cauda minoris ursae Septentrio dicitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab ursinae caudae similitudine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Constantiam robur vel inconstantiam significat quod ejus ortus tempestatibus orbem variè turbat Bold signifies a meeting or congregating of many things together because in that one many stars are joined Arcturus in Greek is as much as to say The tail of the Bear because the stars called Arcturus stand in a figure like the tail of a Bear The second Asterisme which we translate Orion is called in the Hebrew Chesil and that signifies either constancy or inconstancy the sense runs both waies setlednesse or variablenesse And it is applied to this starre or constellation in either sense First For constancy or setlednesse because there is much strength in the influences of that constellation Or secondly For inconstancy and unsetlednes Vnde November Haebraicè dicitur Chislu ab ortu Orionis quod eo mense magna fit Coeli inconstantia Arabicè vocatur Algeuse i. e bellator à Chaldaeis Algebar i. e. Gigas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Audax vehemens ardens Orion Plin. lib. 18. cap. 25. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Graecis est turbo concito Pagn in Thes Dum pelago desaevit hyems aquosus Orion because it is observed that upon the rising of this starre there is much variety changeablenesse and unsetlednesse in the weather Hence the Jews call that moneth which answers to our November or the ninth moneth Chislu Zec. 7.1 because that moneth was usually very stormy and the weather changeable Orion then arising in their Haemisphear The Arabick word Algeuse by which this Asterisme is named signifies a warriour and the Chaldee Algebar a Giant all aiming at the furious boisterous windes which usually attend the appearing of this constellation And so the Greek word from which Orion commeth QuidaÌ„ Pleiades dicta putant quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. plures quod nunquam singula apparent Pleiades 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—avigare signifies to trouble or to disturb And its usuall Epithetes are bold vehement impetuous Orion all betraying its unquiet and various temper The third starry association we call Pleiades the Hebrews Chimah This is a very cold constellation The Greeks expresse winter by this word because it brings in frost and cold with it The derivation of the Hebrew name is very obscure Cur vocatur Chimah libentèr fateor me nescire Bold Quidam deducunt à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chaldaicum quod denotat reÌ„ elevatam stabiliter in sublime firmiter erectam quia est instar cardinis quasi polus aut vertex mundi Alij a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod est defiderare in rem aliquam tendere quia Nautae affectant videre hoc signum Some professedly acknowledge their ignorance that they cannot tell how to derive it yet some dig the root of it in the Chaldee signifying firm Others in the Hebrew signifying to desire or earnestly to wish for a thing and the reason of it is say they because these stars the Pleiades the seven stars we often speak of are much desired by Sea-men for seeing them they have a perfect rule to guide and steer their course by And it is an observation among some of the Rabbins that Noah had a little window in the top of his Ark that from thence he might when the waters began to asswage and the stresse of the deluge was over look up to the heavens and know by those stars what course his Ark made Thus much we know that the stars are the Sea-mens night-guide and the rising of some of them fals under their more speciall observation The fourth title of the stars is * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Interiora austri Nam Deâ— ex ipsis promptuariis quasi de thesauris suis quosdam educit ventos per ipsos mirabiles fiderum illorum influxus intelligit aestiva si dera ut est Canicula c. Quae quia ad Polum Antarcticum spâ—ctant quâ— velut iâ—se rior subest Horâ—zonti noâ— ropenetratium Austri sid ravocantur quasi in penetralibus mundi a nobis ab condita The chambers of the South And why The chambers of the South The continent is put for the things contained The word which we translate Chambers signifies any thing that is very inward or retired and therefore translated a chamber Judg. 15.1 and Cant. 3.4 Mans spirit is thus expressed because it lies so farre inward Prov. 24.4 By knowledge shall the chambers be filled that is the most secret parts of the soul shall be filled by knowledge Prov. 18.8 The inward part of the belly Prov. 7.27 They goe down to the chambers of death that is to the inmost and most retired waies of death the grave Here The chambers of the South are the most remote hidden and secret parts of the South And the reason why after he had exprest the other constellations by speciall names he gives us these only in generall The chambers of the South is because
highest heavens A second thing which shews the mighty power and wisdome of God in the stars is the multitude of them they are innumerable Man cannot tell them only God can they are like the sand of the sea for number A multitude of little sands make a huge body then how great a body doe a multitude of great bodies make Thirdly The swiftnesse of their motion that these mighty vast bodies should be carried about every day so long a journey and never tire or wear shews infinite power and wisdom Fourthly This is more admirable the exact order of their motion That innumerable stars should move continually in the heavens and yet not one of them move out of course this regularity of their motion is setled by an ordinance of heaven Jer. 31.35 where the Lord to assure his people that he would be steady and stedfast in the waies of his love to them and that he would not cast them off tels them that he would be as firm to them in his Covenant as he is in the ordinances of heaven Thus saith the Lord which giveth the Sunne for a light by day and the ordinances of the Moon and of the stars for a light by night c. As if he had said I have made a statute and a decree which is irrepealable and irrevocable concerning the motion of the stars There is an ordinance of heaven for it so that as the celestiall bodies cannot but continue the course I have assigned them for the enlightning of these inferiour parts while the world lasts So the Covenant which I have made with you shall not fail to give you light Thus he infers in the next verse If these ordinances depart from before me saith the Lord then shall the seed of Israel also cease from being a Nation before me for ever but that cannot be I have established these starres by a firm and perpetuall decree therefore you are much more established And such is the exactnesse of their order and motion that the stars of heaven are frequently in Scripture called an host or an army Now an army as it consists of many persons which is one reason why the stars are called an host so an army rightly marshalled is cast into an exact form and so regular for motion that it is one of the good liest sights in the world Now the stars are the host of heaven they stand as it were in battalia they keep rank and file there is not so much as one of that great multitude out of place therefore Judg. 5.20 where they are said to fight against Sisera they are described fighting in courses The stars in their courses fought against Sisera as if the stars had been drawn up now one regiment then another regiment of them to charge upon Sisera and his host the heavens fought and the stars fought that is the Lord by an heavenly power and influence of the stars confounded Sisera and all the enemies of Israel Fifthly There is a most efficacious vertue in the stars It is a secret vertue and it is a strong irresistable vertue no power in the creature can stop it Therefore God challenges Job in the 38. of this book of Job v. 31. Canst thou binde the sweet influences of Pleiades or loose the bands of Orion There are influences in the stars and canst thou binde them Is it in the power of any creature to stop the issues and out-flowings of the stars Their influences are so efficacious that none can binde them but he that looseth them none can binde them but the hand and power which made them there is so much efficacy in them that if God let them go on in their naturall vigour their effects are wonderfull I saith the Lord Hos 2.21 22. will hear the heavens and they shall hear the earth and the earth shall hear the corn and the wine and the oil and they shall hear Jezreel As if he had said The heavens are next in power to me they are second to my self in working Therefore I will hear the heavens the heavens cannot do it unles I give them a commission but I will hear the heavens I will leave a power in the heavens And the heavens shall hear the earth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the earth shall hear the corn c. There is a gradation a descent from God to us and the heavens are the next receptacle the immediate vessel receiving and taking in power and vertue from God to defuse and send down upon the creatures here below I will hear the heavens and they shall hear the earth Sixtly Observe That the stars and constellations of heaven can do nothing of themselvs but as they receive order commission from the Lord. He maketh Arcturus and Orion c. They have great power but it is the Lord that maketh them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non tantum facere sed etiam aptare disponere dirigere praeparare significat That word He maketh doth not so much signifie the Creation as the providentiall disposition of the stars as was noted in the Exposition of it He maketh them that is he orders and disposeth them or he acts the stars he trims up those lamps of heaven the word is so used 2 Sam. 19.24 Mephibosheth while David was in trouble had not dressed his feet the Hebrew is He had not made his feet that is he had neglected his body now saith Job the Lord is he that makes dresses or trims up those lamps of heaven though they have a naturall vertue yet that vertue is quickned by providence Providence is a continued creation He maketh Arcturus Orion and Pleiades The stars are the servants of God they receive orders and directions from him for all they do And the reason why the Lord did so often call his people off from gazing upon the stars and reproved star-gazers was because they looked no further than the stars they thought the stars did all they did not eie God that made Arcturus Orion c. but they only eied Arcturus c. Therefore he threatens the star-gazers and monethly prognosticatours who took upon them to resolve future events by the conjunction of planets and planetary aspects placing an uncontrolable power in the hands of the heavens and stars whereas I saith the Lord make Arcturus I made him and I make him do what I command not what you fore-tell Therefore Isa 44.24 25. the Prophet speaking of Gods work in making the heavens and the stars presently adds how he befools men that will prophesie from the stars as if they could tell infallibly what shall come to passe I am the Lord that maketh all things that stretcheth forth the heavens alone that spreadeth abroad the earth by my self What follows That frustrateth the tokens of the liars and maketh diviners mad I stretch out the heavens some will needs prophesie out of the heavens I have set the stars in the heavens and they are for signs Gen. 1.14
The superiour may ask the inferiour and call him to an account Every inferâ—our Judge and Court is accountable to those above that is the highest Court and he the highest Judge to whom no man can say What doest thou The Parliament of England is therefore the highest Judicatory in this Kingdom because their actions are not questionable in any other Court one Parliament may say to another What hast thou done This Parliament hath said to Parliaments that have gone before What have ye done in making such and such Laws No power of man besides their own can question some men much lesse can any man question God and say to him What doest thou He is supreme there is no appeal to any other higher Judge or higher Court. Hence observe Whatsoever God resolveth and determineth concerning us we must bear it and quietly submit No man may say unto him What doest thou Quicquid de nobis Deus statuit libenter ferendum est Why doe ye sit still saith the Prophet Jer. 8.14 Assemble your selves and let us enter into the defenced Cities and let us be silent there for the Lord hath put us to silence and given us waters of gall to drinke because we have sinned against him The Lord hath put us to silence that is the Lord hath done these things and we are not to question him about them or to ask him what he hath done or why he hath done thus Therefore let us be silent say they Let us not murmure at and complain over our own sufferings much lesse tax and charge God for his doings It becomes us to obey Gods suspension to be silent when he puts us to silence The Lord never silences any unlesse in wrath to those who would not hear from speaking in his name and publishing his vvord But he hath silenced all from speaking against his works and it will be ill with us if our passions how much soever God seems to act against us shall take off this suspension The Lord is uncontrollable in all his works When Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 4.35 came to himself and began to think and speak like a man after he had been among the beasts see what an humble acknowledgement he makes concerning God All the inhabitants of the earth saith he are reputed as nothing and he doth according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay his hand or say unto him What doest thou Here we have both parts of Jobs speech none can stay his hand which is the former and none can say unto him What doest thou which is the later That great Monarch acknowledged he had no power to question God though he at that time had power to question all the men upon the earth Nebuchadnezzar speaks like Job A wicked man may make a true report of God Many speak right of the Lord whose hearts are not right with him Nebuchadnezzar was converted from beastlinesse but I finde not that he was converted to holinesse He came home to his own Court but I see no proof that he came home to the Church of God yet see how divinely he speaks and how humbly he walks not so much as offering to ask God who had chang'd him from a Commander of men to a companion of beasts What doest thou We may ask the Lord in one sense what he doth Yea the Lord doth nothing in the world but his Saints and servants are enquiring of him about it He invites them to petition for what they would have Ask of me things to come concerning my sons and concerning the work of my hands command ye me Isa 45.11 Though man cannot order or enjoyn the least thing upon God yet at the entreaty of his people he is as ready to doe as if he were at their command And as we are thus envited to ask things to come so we are not totally denied to ask about things already done We may ask him in an humble way for information not in a bold way of contradiction We may in zeal to his glory not in discontent with our own condition expostulate with him about what he hath done So Joshua Chap. 7.7 8. Alas O Lord God wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us Would to God we had been content and dwelt on the other side Jordan c. but how durst Joshua speak thus What if God vvould destroy them vvas it not his dury to bear it and let God alone Yes doubtlesse and such I doubt not vvas the frame of Joshuas spirit If Israel only had been to suffer Joshua had held his peace at least from such language but he saw a further matter in it the glory of God vvas like to suffer in their sufferings the close of his praier betraies this holy disposition of his heart vers 9. And what wilt thou doe unto thy great name As if he had said Lord the matter were not much though the name of Israel were blotted out from under heaven so thy Name were written in fairer characters But I fear a blow to Israel will be a blot to thy name and therefore I have taken upon me to pray this praier unto thee and I have praied rather for thee than to thee All praiers are made to God and yet some are made for him Not that he hath any want or is in any the remotest possibility of any danger but only for the promoting of his glory and that the world may not have occasion of a dishonourable thought of him whose honour never abates in it self or in the eyes of his own people Thus we may ask him what he hath done and why he hath brought such desolations upon his people But we may not ask him what he hath done either to question his right to doe it or to question his righteousnesse in doing of it No creature may put the question upon either of these terms What hast thou done much lesse conclude Thou hast done that which thou hast no right to do or thou hast been unrighteous in doing it Either of these is highest blasphemy for whatsoever the Lord doth he hath right to doe and whatsoever the Lord doth he is righteous in doing it Hence it followeth by way of corollary That The Lord is of absolute power He is the Soveraign Lord Lord over all there is no appeal from him no questioning of him Solomon speaketh of the power of a King in this language Eccles 8.4 Where the word of a King is there is power and who may say unto him What doest thou But is there nothing which a King doth about which it may be said unto him What dost thou And what is this word of a King The word of a King is the Law of his Kingdom all that a King doth or speaks besides the Law he speaks as a man not as a King and that 's the meaning of Solomons
the great Monarchs who were as the mountains and hils of the world bowed under the Lord. The word is used to the same sense Isa 49.23 where the Lord promiseth his people That Kings shall be their nursing Fathers and Queens their nursing Mothers they shall bow downe to thee with their face toward the earth and lick the dust of thy feet The Church shall have the honour to be honoured by the Kings and Princes of the world they being converted shall bow downe so low to the Scepter of Jesus Christ held forth by the Church as if they would lick up the very dust and shall employ their power and authority for the good and protection of the Church The speech of Israel Gen. 27.29 in his prophetick blessing upon Jacob Let thy mothers sons bow downe to thee and of Jacob in his upon Judah Gen. 49.8 Thy fathers children shall bow downe before thee note greatest honour and subjection to them both The meaning of all is plainly this That except the Lord himself suspend his own act and restrain his anger no power in heaven or earth how strong how proud how confident of successe soever is able to force him or to alter him Helpers shall not help themselves much lesse those to whose help they come against the minde and purpose of God Observe here first Those passions which are ascribed to God are fully under the command of God The passion of anger is ascribed to God yet the anger which we say is in God hath no power over God Mans anger usually masters him but God is alwaies master of his anger that is he can turn and with-draw his anger when he pleaseth There is no perturbation in God when he is offended he is not moved his motions are all without upon the creatures he hath none in his own bosom The passions of the Lord are his most serious counsels determinations and we therefore say he is angry because those counsels of his acted look like the effects of anger Secondly observe That It is not in the power of man to turn away the anger of God He doth not say except men by praier or other means stop the anger of God but Except the Lord with-draw his anger all help is vain Praier is said to appease the wrath of God and to stay his anger Moses stood in the gap and Aaron came out with incense to turn away his wrath yet it is an act of Gods will which turns away his anger not the force of our praier praier therefore prevails with God because he hath said it shall He is infinitely free when himself acknowledges that we laythe powerfullest restraint upon him when the Lord is turned by praier it is his will to be turned it was his counsell and is his command that praier should be made as a means to turn him and it is his promise that he will turn to us when we pray Then it appears to us that the Lord hath decreed to do a thing when he stirs up the hearts of his people to pray for the doing of it and that he is purposed to with-draw his anger when he draws out their hearts strongly to entreat his favour Thirdly observe That untill God be appeased towards a person or a people there is no remedy for them in the world The proud helpers shall stoop under him If the helpers themselves fall who can rise by these helpers if they are cast down how shall we be upheld by them What if the people of a provoking Nation associate themselves together or associate themselves with other Nations or call in help and aid from all that are round about them shall they therefore escape in their wickednesse they shall not escape Unlesse God help our helpers they are helplesse to us When many companies and great Commanders repaired to David at Ziklag David went out to meet them Chron. 12.17 and said If ye be come peaceably to help me mine heart shall be knit to you but if ye be come to betray me c. Amasai who was chief of the Captains answers v. 18. Thine are we David and on thy side thou son of Jesse peace peace be unto thee and peace be to thy helpers for thy God helpeth thee Our helpers cannot give us peace unlesse God give them peace our helpers must be helped by God before they can give us help The anger of God breaks all the staves we lean on and makes them as reeds which wound rather then support till God is quiet all is unquiet and when he is unpacified men shall be unpacified or their peace shall be to our losse As if he with-draw his anger enemies shall oppose in vain so except he with-draw his anger friends shall help in vain Lastly They who strive to deliver those whom God will destroy shall fall themselves before God If God be resolved upon the thing not only they that are helped but the helpers also shall stoop under him helpers cannot help themselves when he is angry they shall be like Idols which have eyes and see not hands and cannot act either to save themselves or those that trust upon them The greatest strength in the world without God it is no better then an Idol which is nothing in the world Strength cannot be strong for it self and help cannot help it self Our help stands in the Name of the Lord which made heaven and earth and not in the name of any creature under any part of heaven or upon the face of the whole earth JOB Chap. 9. Vers 14 15. How much lesse shall I answer him and chuse out my words to reason with him Whom though I were righteous yet would I not answer I would make supplication to my Judge JOB having in the former passages of this Chapter lifted up the glory and majesty of God in his power and justice and shewed the utter insufficiency of creatures to implead his justice or to rescue themselves out of the hand of his power he now draws his speech nearer home and calling his thoughts from those remoter journies up to the heavens and among the stars over the mountains and hils down to the depths of the sea and foundations of the earth about all which he had discoursed I say calling his thoughts from these remoter travels he comes now closer to the matter and from all those premisses deduces a conclusion iâ— the words of the Text to vindicate himself from that charge which his friends laid upon him as if he were a contender with the power or an accuser of the wisdome and justice of God From the folly and blasphemy of both which imputations he disasperseth himself in these two verses by an argument taken from the greater to the lesse and we may form it up thus He who is so strong wise and just that all the powers in heaven and earth are not able to oppose or stay him surely I I alone or single I a poor weak creature am not able to
per loquelae instrumenta in verba formate Bald. And how long shall the words of thy mouth be as a strong winde The Hebrew word for word runs thus And the words of thy mouth a strong winde We resume in this later clause How long and adde be like to supply the sense There is no tearm of comparison expressed in the originall yet the strength of one is implyed and therefore to fill up the meaning we render And how long shall the words of thy mouth be as a strong winde M. Broughton translates it without a note of similitude How long wilt thou talk in this sort that the words of thy mouth be a vehement winde Words are air or breath formed and articulated by the instruments of speech Hence breath and words are put for the same in divers Scriptures Psal 33.6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth Breath in the later clause is no more then word in the first for it was a powerfull word which caused all the creatures to stand out in their severall forms So Isa 11.4 He shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips or with the winde of his lips shall he stay the wicked It is not blowing upon wicked men that will slay them but it is speaking to them there is a power in the word of a Prophet when spoken in the Name of Christ which destroyes those who will not obey it Hos 6.5 I have hewed them by my Prophets I have slain them by the words of my mouth Secondly * Graeci latini Prophetas quosdam ex Hebraeo Cabiros cognominarunt ob insignem eorum ad extra gravitatem loquacitatem idem dicti Corybantes Bold Quos Authores latini Divos potes seu potentes vocant Graecis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicuntur ab hac voce quae potem sive potentem denotat Drus Ad magnanimitatem referri potest quod corpore attenuato exhaustisque viribus fortiter tamen persisteret in loquendo respondendo Cajet Iobi oratio non fuit frigida languidased vehemens concitata Pined Bildad is conceived to allude to a certain sort or sect of men For from Cabir here translated strong the name of certain Poets or old Prophets is derived whom the Greeks and Latines called Cabirs or Cabirims These men had an affected outward gravity yet were full of words and much given to Battologie repeating the same things over and over Bildad ranks Job say some with those Prophets How long shall the words of thy mouth be like those roming Cabirs who by a needlesse multiplying of words grated the eares and burdened the spirits of all the hearers Why doest thou speak as if thou couldst carry the matter with empty words and bare repetitions Thirdly The word strong winde may note the stoutnesse of Jobs spirit or the magnanimity he exprest in his words Jobs language was not cold and chill as if his breath were frozen but he spake with hight and heat The spirit and courage of a man breaths out at his lips How long shall the words of thy mouth be a strong winde When wilt thou yeeld to God and lie humbly at his feet What a heart hast thou Thou speakest as big as if thou hadst never been touched as if God never laid one stroke upon thee thou hast a weak body but a stiff spirit Thou speakest as if thou wouldst bear all down before thee and by thy boldnesse storm and bluster those out of countenance who are here to give thee counsell Fourthly Take in the similitude How long shall the words of thy mouth be as a strong winde That is how long wilt thou speak so much and speak so fiercely For the word Caber is more then Gadol which signifies barely great Gramarians note that it signifies both continued quantity and discreet quantity multitude and magnitude How many words wilt thou speak and how great words wilt thou speak Spiritus multiplex ermones oris tui Vulg 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Spiritus multiloquus Sept. Shall thy words be as a great various enfolded winde so the Vulgar Wilt thou blow all the points of the compasse at once and like a whirle-winde invade and circle us on every side Such words are like a strong winde First Because of their blustering noise There are stormy and tempestuous words The tempest of the tongue is one of the greatest tempests in the world Passionate language troubles both the air and ear makes all unquiet like an enraged angry winde Secondly In such words as in stormy windes there is great strength to bear all down before them or to sway all to that point they blow for As all the trees in a forrest look that way which the winde sits so all the spirits in any Assembly are apt to turn that way which words bearing a fair shew of reason direct How often are the judgements and opinions of men carried by words either to good or evil to truth or errour And unlesse a man have good abilities of judgement and reason to manage what he knows or holds and to make himself master of it It is a hard thing upon a large winde of anothers discourse not to have his opinion turned Hence the Apostle Tit. 1.11 speaking of vain-talkers saith Their words subvert whole houses as a strong winde so strong words blow houses down They subvert whole houses as that subverts the frame and materials of the house so this the people or inhabitants of the house when Christ breathed graciously towards Zacheus he said Luk. 19.9 This day is salvation come to this house when false teachers breathe erroniously subversion comes to many houses The Apostle Ephes 4.14 using this similitude about the doctrines of men adviseth us to look to our ground and that we be well rooted That we be no more children tossed too and fro and carried with every winde of doctrine as if he had said The winde that blows from the lips of seducers unlesse you be well established will carry you to and fro like children or wave your tops up and down as trees yea endanger the pulling you up by the roots Thirdly Strong words are as strong windes in a good sense for as many strong windes purge and cleanse the air making it more pure and healthy so those strong wholesome windes from the mouths of men purge the minde of errour and cleanse the soul of sinne This is the speciall means which Christ hath set up to cleanse his people from infectious and noisome opinions These he disperses and dispels by the breath of his Ministers in the faithfull and authoritative dispensation of the Gospel Fourthly There are ill qualities in strong windes some are infectious windes they corrupt the ayr conveying ill vapours to the places on which they breathe So there is a strong unwholsome winde of words which carries unto
seemed to depart farre from the Church of the Jews with how much fervency do they cry after him Isa 51.9 Awake awake put on strength O arm of the Lord awake as in the ancient daies c They double and treble it upon him and cry with an out-stretched voice Art not thou he that hath cut Rahab and wounded the dragon What a clamour what a holy stirre was here to awaken God God himself sometimes seems as it were willing to take his rest as when he said to Moses Let me alone he spake like a man that is in bed or very sleepy Doe not trouble me let me alone as he in the Gospel Luk. 11.7 when he was awakened in the night to come and give bread unto his neighbour Doe not trouble me saith he the doors are shut and I am in bed with my children I cannot rise and give thee let me alone Thus in some sense the Lord expresses himself to his people I am now in bed doe not trouble me Let me alone What must we do in this case We must knock harder at the door as he in the Gospel did For whom though his neighbour would not rise and give him because he was his friend yet because of his importunity he rises and gives him as many loaves as he needed We must be the more importunate to awake God by how much he seems more unwilling to hear us our modesty in this case pleases him not we must call and call again He will take it well at our hands if we doe so We must give our selves no rest and let him take none so the Prophet resolves Isa 62.1 For Jerusalems sake I will take no rest I will never give over praying and at the sixth verse I have set watchmen upon thy wals O Jerusalem which shall never hold their peace day nor night you that make mention of the Lord keep not silence and give him no rest till he establish and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth If the Lord should carry it in the present answers of his providence as if he were willing to rest and desired not to be troubled in this businesse be not you so put off but with a holy boldnesse and confidence come to him and awaken him take no answer till ye have an answer He is best pleased and most at ease when in prayer we give him no rest Lastly Observe If God doe but awake for us all is presently well with us If the eye of God be upon us for good that brings us in all good therefore Zech. 2. ult when the Church was in her return from Babylon the Prophet concludes with an exultation of spirit Be silent O all flesh before the Lord for he is raised up out of his holy habitation it is this word He is awaked out of his holy habitation now be silent O all flesh before the Lord All flesh ye that are the wicked of the world ye that are enemies be ye silent leave your boasting your reproaching and blaspheming for the Lord is awaked now he begins to stirre for his people he will stop your mouths shortly All flesh takes in the Church and people of God too O be ye silent in regard of your fears and doubtings murmurings and distracted complainings silence all these why The Lord is awaked he is raised up out of his holy habitation that is he that seemed before to confine himself to those higher regions and as the Atheist speaks in Job to walk in the circle of the heavens not intermedling with the earth This God is now awaked he is raised out of his holy habitation and now ye shall know that he orders all things here below therefore be silent O all flesh When Christ was asleep Matth. 8.25 A grievous tempest arose saith the text insomuch as the Ship was covered with waves When storms and tempests are upon the Church God is then asleep though even then he directs the storms and gives law to the proud waves But what did the Disciples in this storm They awoke Christ Master save us we perish and assoon as ever Christ was awakened He rebuked the storme and there was a great calm Thus when we are tost up and down with contrary windes and in danger to be split and sunke if God once awake all is calm How quietly may they sleep for whom God wakes I doe not say they should sleep carelesly but confidently they may God doth not wake for us to the intent we should sleep in security but we may sleepe quietly when He shewes himselfe awake for us who indeed never slumbereth nor sleepeth And if God awake not for us all our watchfulnesse is as uselesse to us as our sleepinesse The watchman waketh but in vain except the Lord keep the City Except he awake our watching can doe no good and if he awake good will come though we be asleep It is our duty to be carefull and it is our comfort that the care of God is enough for us The eye of divine providence helps us in many humane improvidences What their happinesse is for whom God awakes see in the next words He will make the habitation of thy righteousnesse prosperous This is the second degree or step of mercy promised when the Lord awakes he vvill awake to purpose We say of some men Early up and never the near They awake and doe little work but if God awakes see what he doth He will make the habitation of thy righteousnesse prosperous Some of the Rabbins understand these words as a description of the soul The habitation of thy righteousnesse that is Anima est justitiae omniū virtutum domicilium Aben. Ezr. thy soul shall prosper because the soul is the proper seat of righteousnesse and holinesse Righteousnesse belongeth to the inward man Righteousnesse being a spirituall thing is housed and lodged in the spirit that 's the habitation of it There are others of the Jews who take this habitation of righteousnes for the body because the body is the habitation of the soul in which righteousnesse is seated and so the habitation of righteousnesse by a second remove is the outward man The Lord shall blesse thy body which now lieth in a wofull plight distemper'd and disfigured with sores and sicknesses But rather take the word habitation in those two ordinary Scripture-senses either strictly for the place where Job dwelt or more largely for all that did belong unto him The habitation of a man is all his estate and all that appertains to his estate He will make thy habitation that is thy children thy servants thy fields thy cattell thy stock thy all to be prosperous 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Chaldee Paraphrase readeth Significat domū vel speciem pul chritudinem justitiae tuae Tar. He will make thy beautifull place to be prosperous The word signifies beauty as well as an habitation as was shewed upon Chap. 5. ver 3. thither I referre the Reader
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
shalt become a plain The Prophet is assured that all the power and strength which opposed it self against the reformation and re-edification of Jerusalem should be laid levell with the ground Per montes intelligit regeâ— qui si ut moÌ„tes firmitate â—o hore perstant Râ—â— Dav in Ps 14â— 5 So we may interpret Psa 144.5 He toucheth the mountains and they smoke the meaning is when God doth but lay his hand upon great men upon the mightiest of the world he makes them smoke or fune which some understand of their anger they are presently in a passion if God do but touch them Or we may understand it of their consumption A smoking mountain will soon be a burnt mountain In our language to make a man smoke is a proverbiall for destroying or subduing And besides there are mountains in this figurative sense within us as well as without us The soul hath a mountain in it self and it is an act of the great power of God yea of an higher and greater power of God to remove inward than it is to remove outward mountains Isa 40.4 The Prophet fore-shewing the comming of Christ and the sending of the Baptist to prepare his way tels us Every mountain and hill shall he made low Christ did not throw down the outward power of men who withstood him he let Herod and Pilate prevail but mountains and hils of sinne and unbelief in the soul which made his passage into them impassible he overthrew These mountains of high proud thoughts the Apostle describes 2 Cor. 10.14 Casting down imaginations and every high thing and bringing into captivity every thought every mountainous thought to the obedience of Christ These are metaphoricall mountains the power of sinfull men without us and the power of sinne the pride of our own hearts within us It is a mighty worke of God to remove these mountains But these are not proper to the Text for the instances which follow being all given in naturall things shew that those here intended are naturall mountains Taking mountains for earthly materiall mountains it is doubted how the Lord removes them There are different opinions about the point Some understand it of a naturall motion * Montes naturae sua generabiles sunt corruptibiles additione partium generanâ—ur detractione partiuÌ„ corrumpuntur Aquin Caj Minimè mirandum est fi quaâ— terrae partes quae nunc habitantur olim mare occupabat quae nunc pelagus sunt oâ—im habitabantur sic campos montes par est invicem commutari Sâ—â—b l 17. Philosophers disputing about mountains and hils conclude that they are subject to generation and corruption by the addition of many parts they are generated that is kneaded or gathered together and become one huge heap of earth and by the detraction falling and crumbling off or taking away of these parts they are removed again Thus we may expound that Job 14.18 And surely the mountain falling cometh to nought Yet this cannot be the meaning of Job here For though we grant that doctrine of the Philosophers that there is a generation of mountains and so a corruption of them yet that corruption is so insensible that it cannot be put among those works of God which raise up the name of his glorious power * Divina poteâ—tia in â—aâ—â—longa segni montium remotione non se praebet valdâ— mirabileÌ„ cuâ— remo fere 〈◊〉 qui eam rem videat Pined That which fals not under observation cannot cause admiration Slow and imperceptible motions make small impressions either upon the fancie or understanding That here spoken of is quick and violent and by it's easie representation to the eye causeth wonder and astonishment in the beholders And so it imports a removing them by some violent motion Thus the Lord is able to remove and hath removed mountains sometimes by earthquakes sometimes by storms and tempests sometime those mighty bulwarks are battered with thunder-bals discharged from the clouds Psal 97.5 The hils melted like wax at the presence of the Lord. Hils melt down when he appears as a consuming fire Psal 104.32 He looks upon the earth and it trembleth and he toucheth the hils and they smoke Those rocky mountains are as ready to take fire as tinder or touch-wood if but a spark of Gods anger fall upon them God by a cast of his eye as we may speak can cast the earth into an ague-fit he makes it shake and more tremble with a look He by a touch of his mighty arm hurls mountains which way he pleaseth as man doth a Tennis-ball We read Isa 64.1 How earnestly the Prophet praies O that thou wouldst rent the heavens and come down that the mountains might flow down at thy presence Where he is conceived to allude to Gods comming down upon Mount Sinai at the giving of the Law Exod. 19. which is said To melt from before the Lord God of Israel Judg. 5.3 Some understand it of that day of Christ when he shall come to judge the world others of that day when Christ came in the flesh to save the world then the mountains were levell'd according to the preaching of the Baptist but rather the Prophet being affected with the calamitous condition which he fore-saw the Jews falling into entreats the Lord to put forth himself in some notable works of his providence which should as clearly manifest his presence as if they saw the heavens speaking as of solid bodies renting and God visibly comming down then those difficulties which lay in the way of their deliverance and looked like huge mountains of iron or of adamant would presently dissolve like waxe or ice before the Sunne or fire The Prophet Micah describes the effects of Gods power in the same stile Chap. 1.3 4. Behold the Lord cometh forth out of his place and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth and the mountains shall be molten under him Ex quo hoc loco non absurde colligitur fuisse proverbium ad significandum maximam olique Deo convenietem potentiam Bold and the valleys shall be cleft as wax before the fire and as the waters which are poured down a steep place So to remove mountains is used proverbially Job 18.4 Shall the earth be forsaken for thee or shall the rock be removed out of his place that is shall God work wonders for thee or God will alter the course of nature as soon as the course of his providence To say God can remove mountains is as much as to say he hath power to doe what he will and the reason is because mountains are exceeding great and weighty bodies mountains are firmly setled now to remove a thing which is mighty in bulk and strongly founded is an argument of greatest strength The stability of the Church is compared to the stability of mountains Psal 125.1 They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion which cannot be removed but
be humbled under the mighty hand of God If we know not what God hath done he can quickly doe enough to make himself known They who will not see the hand of God when it is lifted up that they may be humbled shall see it and be ashamed Isa 26.11 if the removing and shaking of our mountains doe not awaken us the overturning of them shall That 's the next act of divine power in this noble description And overturneth them in his anger 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vertit subvertit significat versionem vel in nibilum vel in formam aut qualitatem aliam vel in locū alium The word signifies to over-turn a thing so as to change the form and fashion of it yea to bring it to nothing not only to remove a thing out of its place but to take away the very being of it and to remove it out of the world He not only turns mountains into mole-hils but into plains yea into pits they shall not be mountains any longer nor any thing like a mountain It is much to remove a mountain and set it in another place but more to crumble it in a moment all to dust that you shall not finde a piece or a clod of it The Prophet threatens the obstinate Jews in such a language Isa 30.13 14. Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall swelling out in a high wall whose breaking commeth suddenly at an instant and he shall break it as the breaking of the Potters vessel c. So that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sheard to take fire from the hearth or to take water withall out of the pit He overturneth them in his anger Anger in man is a mixt affection made up chiefly of these two ingredients sorrow and revenge Some call anger the boiling of the bloud about the heart or the boiling of the heart in bloud The fumes whereof rise so fast into the brain Ira suror brevis that anger sometimes dislodges reason and is therefore called by others a short madnesse The word in the text signifies the Nostrils and the Scripture frequently applies that to anger 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ira inde transfertur a l nasum qui est instrumentum trae in quo ira precipuè apparet Fames morabilèm in nasum conciunt Plaut because anger is seen and made visible in the nostrils Quick breathing is a sign of anger God is without parts and passions he is not angry as man but is said to be angry when he doth like man in his anger The Lord is not moved or stirred by anger but he is angry when he makes motions and stirrings in the creature he lets out the effects of anger but himself hath not the affection much lesse the perturbation of anger Hence observe That the troubles and confusions which are in the creature are tokens and effects of the anger of God As the setling and establishment of the creature is an effect or sign of his goodnesse or as these tell us that God is pleased So when the Lord hurls the creature this way and that way when he tosses it up and down as if he cared not how this is an argument of his anger when Moses came down from the Mount and saw what the people of Israel had done how they had made a golden calf and polluted themselves with idols such a passion of anger came upon him that he threw the Tables of the Law out of his hand and brake them So when the Lord would signifie his displeasure he throws the creature out of his hand and breaks man against man Nation against Nation as a Potters vessell one against another The comfort and well-being of the creature consist in this that God holds it in his hand if he doe but let it goe out of his hand it perishes much more when he casts it with violence out of his hand The Prophet Hab. 3.8 describing the great confusions which God made in the world questions thus Was thine anger against the rivers Was thy wrath against the sea that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation God being angry with the enemies of his people made strange work amongst them Rather then his people shall not be delivered the world shall be confounded Was the Lord angry with the sea when he compelled the rivers to change their courses and discover the bottome of their chanels as in the passage of his Israel thorow the red sea No God was not angry with the sea but with Pharaoh and his host with the oppressours and troublers of his Israel and when he was thus angry he check'd the course of nature and turned things up-side-down When David was in a distresse and his enemies encompast him round about what then Then the earth strook and trembled Tanta extiti◠divinae irae vis pro Davide contra hostes defendendo ut videbatur orbē invertere omnia miscere c. Pined the foundations of the hils were moved and were shaken because he was wrath Psal 18.7 That God might rescue David out of the hand of trouble he troubled the foundations of the earth he made the world shake and Kingdoms tremble that his David might be setled upon his throne The Lord threatneth Hag. 2.6 that he will shake the heaven and the earth and the sea and the dry land he will move all creatures why so He shakes them for the setling of his Zion vers 7. I will shake all Nations and the desire of all Nations shall come and I will fill this house with glory saith the Lord of hostes When the Lord comes against the superstition and idolatry and profanenesse and wickednesses of the world in anger no wonder if Kingdoms shake yea he therefore shakes Kingdoms that he may establish Jerusalem a quiet habitation a tabernacle that shall not be taken down not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken Isa 33.20 We are waiting when God will shake Babylon and in his anger overturn the seven mountains thereof Babylon is built upon mountains upon seven mountains to note the strength and power of it yet the Lord will remove Babylon out of her place and overturn those mountains in the fiercenesse of his anger and in jealousie poured out Then every Island shall flee away and the mountains shall not be found Revel 16.20 That is the remotest and strongest places which owned and maintained Babylon shall either be converted or confounded they shall appear no more under that spirituall notion though in a naturall and civill they doe remain That which is not as it was is spoken of as if it were not A great change in our condition is called a change of our very being The anger of God overturns things as if it did annihilate them Job goes on Verse 6. Which shakes the earth out of her place
Further There are Church-pillars as well as State-pillars men of eminency in knowledge and learning in parts and piety These are pillars of the Church of God So the Apostle cals James and Peter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gal. 2.9 As the Church it self is the pillar of truth so some particular members are pillars of truth bearing it up and holding it forth as pillars doe the Laws or edicts of Princes and Common-wealths As these pillars are of Gods setting up so of Gods bearing up In great shakings of the earth Common-wealth-pillars tremble and Church-pillars tremble yea they would fall did not the Lord sustain them with his hand From all learn the instability of the creature If that which is the basis or foundation of all outward comforts be so easily shaken and tost up and down what are the comforts themselves If Kingdoms and Common-wealths totter who can stand fast When the Saints feel the world shake and tremble under them their comfort is They have received a Kingdom that cannot be shaken Neither man nor devils have any power to shake it and God will not shake it nay with reverence we may speak it the Lord cannot shake that Kingdom for it is his own he cannot doe any thing to his own wrong or dishonour Earth may but heaven shakes not neither shall any of the pillars thereof tremble for ever We have seen two acts of the mighty power of God first in removing those mountains those great massie parts of the earth Secondly In shaking the whole masse of the earth Now the thoughts of Job grow higher and he ascends from earth to heaven and brings an instance of the power of God there in the 7th verse Verse 7. Which commandeth the Sunne and it riseth not and sealeth up the stars And the instance which he makes in the heaven stands as heaven doth to earth in a direct line of opposition to that which he gave about the earth The earth in all the parts of it is a setled fixed body â—â—cut de natura terrae est immobolitas qâ—â—es ita de naturâ coeli ut semper moveatur Aquin. and therefore the power of God is clearly seen in causing it to move but the Sunne is a moveable body a creature in continuall motion and therefore the power of God is clearly seen in checking and stopping the motion of it It cals for as strong a hand to make the Sunne stand still as to shake and remove the earth The staying of that which naturally cannot but move and the moving of that which naturally cannot but stand still require a like power and that which stands as the earth doth or moves as the Sunne doth requires an Almighty power to move or stay it Which commandeth the Sun and it riseth not Which commandeth the Sunne He describes God in the posture and language of a King giving out commands He commandeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dixiâ— illud dicere est cum potestate imperandi God is the Soveraign of the Sunne Yet the word in the Hebrew is no more but he saith or he speaks to the Sunne so Mr Broughton translates He speaks to the Sunne that it riseth not We clearly to the sense He commandeth the Sun because the Word of God to the creature is a Law or a Command upon the creature He commandeth the Sunne and it riseth not The phrase implies an ordinary or a common event But when was there such a thing as this How rare are such events I may ask Did the Lord ever command the Sunne that it should not rise Or did ever any day appear when the Sun did not appear we may answer four or five waies First Non ad factum sed ad Dei potentiam refertur qui si velit possit vicissitudinem ortus occasus solis tollere Olymp. Some conceive Job speaks only of what God can doe as in the former instance not of what he ever did He never actually gave out his command to the Sunne that it should not rise but he hath power to doe it if he pleaseth Many things are spoken of the power of God as presently done which onely are things possible for him to doe That 's a good interpretation of the place Secondly We may carry it further for when he saith It riseth not we need not take it strictly as if the Sunne were staid from making day at all but it may note any stop or sudden disappearing of the Sunne The Sunnes rising is the Suns appearing Non oritur sol tantum est non apparet nam vâ—tas solis apparitio quedam est Bold and when the Sunne disappeareth or is hidden it is to us as if the Sun were not risen Thus God hath actually more then once given out a command to the Sun not to rise Lavater in his comment upon this place reports that in the year 1585. March 12th such a darknesse fell upon the earth that the fowls went to roost at noon as if it had been Sunne setting and all the common people thought the day of judgement was come That of the Prophet is true in the letter as well as in the figure Amos 4.13 He maketh the morning darknesse And Chap. 5.8 He turneth the shadow of death into the morning and maketh the day dark with night The holy story records one famous act of God commanding the Sunne to stand still Josh 10.12 When Joshua was in pursute of his enemies he praied that the day might not hasten down Sunne stand thou still upon Gibeon and thou moon in the valley of Ajalon And the Sunne stood still c. Joshua speaks as if himself could command the Sunne Sunne stand thou still he talks to the Sunne as to his servant or childe stand still It was indeed at the voice of Joshua but by the word and power of God that the Sunne stood still So the Text resolves There was no day like that before it or after it no day so long as that that the Lord hearkned to the voice of a man So then the Lord hearkned to the voice of a man and then the Sâ—â—â—â— hearkened to the voice of a man First the Lord hearkned and then the Sunne hearkned that is by a command from God at the request of a man the Sunne stood still Thirdly It may be understood of ordinary eclipses which are disappearings of the Sunne and though they come in a course of nature and are by naturall light fore-seen many years before they come yet there is somewhat in them which should fill us with high thoughts of the power of God And though an eclipse of the Sun be no miracle yet God once made and can again make a miraculous eclipse When Christ the Sun of righteousnes was shamefully crucified the Sun in the heavens as ashamed to look upon that act as from man of prodigious cruelty and injustice hid his face and from the sixth hour that is Dionysius Areopagita from
cals it a light matter in regard of common apprehension and observation The Sunnes motion is naturally forward and though it should mend it's pace many would not much regard it but all would stand and wonder at a retrograde motion or at the Sun going backward Hence Hezekiah cals it a light matter for the Sunne to goe forward comparatively to it 's going backward And from either the Lord would teach Hezekiah that the creatures will doe what he bids them even the Sunne will move miraculously at his Word How great a rebuke will it be to man if he move not at the command of God and as God commands Shall the Lord say to the Sunne Rise not and it riseth not and shall he say to man Swear not and he will swear pray and he will not pray shall the Lord have better obedience from creatures without life then from man who hath not only life but reason or from Saints who have not only reason but grace They who have grace give not such universal obedience as things without life for though there be a part in them active to obey yet there is a part in them backward to all obedience Let it shame us that there should be any thing in us who have life reason and grace resisting or not readily complying with all the commands of God when the Sunne which hath not so much as life obeies his voice He commandeth the Sun and it riseth not Thirdly Observe from the manner of this speech That The Lord hath a negative voice upon the motion of all creatures He commandeth the Sunne and it riseth not It is a royall Prerogative that the Lord commands the Sunne to rise but that the Lord hath a power to stay the Sun from rising lifts up his Prerogative to the highest In all disputes about power his is resolved to be greatest who hath the negative voice which checks and supersedeats all others This is the Prerogative of God he can stay the motion of the Sun and of man The Sun dares not do his office to the day nor the stars to the night if the Lord say No. The Sun is described Psal 19.5 like a bridegroom comming out of his Chamber drest and prepared and as a Giant rejoycing to runne his race but though the Sunne be thus prepared and drest and ready yet if the Lord send a writ and a prohibition to the Sunne to keep within his chamber he cannot come forth his journey is stopt Thus also he stops man in his neerest preparations for any action If the Lord will work who shall let it Isa 43.13 That is there is no power in heaven or earth which can hinder him But if the Lord will let who shall work neither Sunne nor stars nor men nor devils can work if he forbid them The point is full of comfort God tels Abimelech in the case of Sarah Abrahams wife whom he took into his house I know that thou didst it in the integrity of thy heart but I with held thee and I suffered thee not to touch her Gen. 20.6 And when Laban pursued Jacob with hard thoughts against him and strong resolutions to deal harshly with him The Lord gave a negative voice Gen. 31.24 Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad Laban had not the use of his own tongue He could not speak either good or bad Not good or bad Was there any hurt for Laban to speak good to Jacob And the story tels us that Laban spake many words and some bad enough to Jacob charging him with a double theft First for stealing himself away vers 27. Wherefore didst thou steal away from me Secondly for stealing his Idols vers 30. And now though thou wouldest needs be gone because thou longest sore after thy fathers house yet wherefore hast thou stoln away my gods Foul language all though God charged him not to speak a bad word to Jacob. For answer know We must restrain that restraint to the point of bringing Jacob back again Thou shalt not speak either good or bad to him to stop or turn him from his way thou shalt use no threatnings to bring him back to thee no nor any promises or allurements thou shalt make no offers of better entertainment to winne him to thy service which was the thing he so much desired Good and bad are the two terms of all that can be spoken and where the utmost extreams of speaking are forbidden all speaking to that purpose is forbidden When the ancient people of God were few in number yea very few and strangers in the land when they went from one Nation to another from one Kingdome to another people one would thinke that all the world would have been upon them but here was their protection God had a negative voice Psal 105.15 He suffered no man to doe them wrong Many had as we say an aking tooth at the people of God their fingers itcht to be dealing with them and the text shews four advantages the world had against them First They were few Secondly Very few Thirdly Strangers Fourthly Unsetled What hindered their enemies It was the Lords negative voice He reproved Kings for their sake saying Touch not mine anointed and doe my Prophets no harm We see an instance of this Gen. 35.5 when Jacob and his family journeyed the terrour of God was upon the Cities that were round about them and they did not pursue after the sonnes of Jacob They had a minde to pursue after them to revenge the slaughter of the Sichemites but God said Pursue not and then they could not pursue they must stay at home And when his people the Jews were safe in Canaan he encourages them to come up freely to worship at Jerusalem by this assurance No man shall desire thy Land when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the year Exod. 24.34 God can stop not only hands from spoiling but hearts from desiring Our appetite whether concupiscible or irascible is under his command as well as our actions The Prophet asserts this by way of question Lam. 3.37 Who is he that saith and it cometh to passe when the Lord commandeth it not That is if the Lord doth not concurre if the Lord vote against the saying or command of any man in the world what he saith shall never come to passe We should consider this to help our faith in these times God hath a negative voice upon those counsels and conclusions which are carried with one consent of men And the wrath of man shall either turn to his praise or all that is beyond that he will stop the remainder of wrath namely so much as remains over and above what turns to the praise of God shalt thou restrain Psal 76.6 The sword is in motion amongst us even as the Sunne and the sword seemeth to have received a charge to passe from one end of the Land to the other yet a counter-command from God
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
of the mighty power of God See how Jobs discourse moves from earth to heaven and from the heavens down to the sea He searches for the wonders of Gods power and wisdome in heaven and earth and in the waters Before he shews God stopping the course of the Sunne and sealing up the stars now spreading out of the heavens and treading upon the sea He spreadeth out the heavens The heavens in reference to the earth are the upper part of the world The heavens are as it were the roof of the great house which God made or as a spangled Canopy over our heads He spreadeth out the heavens The word is of the Duall number in the Hebrew and hath divers derivations which are considerable to enlighten us in the point 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à He spreadeth out the heavens Some derive it from Shem which signifies a name a name of honour and dignity Men of Name are men of renown Gen. 6.4 Nomen gloria decus quia coelum est nominatissima pars mundi Mâ—rtin in Lex â—bilos Anshi Hashem the heavens are the most glorious beautifull and renowned part of the Creation Their name is above every name of inanimate creatures Others because there are waters above in these heavens derive the word from Sham which is an adverb of place and Majim which signifies waters as much as to say there are waters or there is the place where God hath fountains and stores of water All his waters are not upon the earth he hath waters and springs in heaven A third takes it for a simple not a compound word Paulus Fagius in Gen. 1. being neer the Ishmaelitish word Shama noting only superiority in place high or above A fourth opinion derives it from Schamem which signifies to be amazed or to make one at a stand with wonder And the reason is given because the heavens are such a vast stupendious body 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Obstupuit propter insignem vastitatem istius corporis quae ipsa nos aspicientes in stuporem rapit Pisc in Gen. 1. that if a man look upon them exactly they will amaze him Who can observe the Sunne Moon and Stars and not wonder and be transported at their vastnesse and beauty at the swiftnesse and regularity of their motions it is above the reach and apprehension of naturall reason how the Lord should fashion and spread out such heavens But what are these heavens which he spreadeth forth Heaven is sometimes expressed with an addition the highest heavens the third heavens in 2 Cor. 12.12 The heaven of heavens 1 King 8.27 Paul was rapt up to the third heavens that is in visions and revelations he was brought as neer to God himself as a creature possibly can Of this heaven we are to understand that Gen. 1.1 where Moses saith In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth and the earth was without form and void He doth not say the heaven which God created at first was without form and void but the earth was without form and void for that heaven was a perfect creature We read further of the creating of those heavens which we see of the visible heavens which are the continent of the Sunne Moon and Starres But In the beginning God created the heaven that heaven which by way of eminency is called The habitation of his holinesse and of his glory Isa 63.15 This was created in the beginning and then it is conceived the Angels were likewise created but the earth which was then made was an imperfect creature and all other corporeall creatures with their severall forms and fulnesse were extracted out of that earth which was without form and void The very heavens which we see were made out of that first earth the Sunne Moon and the Stars yea the very light it self was made out of that earth that generall heap of matter which the Lord created at first and is said to have been without form and void But the heaven which we call the heaven of heavens the third heaven or the highest heaven was a perfect creature the first day made without any pre-existent matter whatsoever by the power of God This heaven is the largest of all the heavens which God spread out Secondly Take heavens for the visible heavens I intend not to stay upon philosophicall considerations only what the Scripture holds forth we finde heavens put first for the starry heavens or the firmament where the stars have their motion that 's the heaven meant Gen. 1.17 Psal 8.7 Psal 19.1 This aâ—cording to the doctrine of Astronomers is distinguished into severall orbs and sphears in seven of which seven speciall starres are said to move and all the rest to be fixed in the eighth The Apostle Jude seems to give a hint of those planeticall orbs Jude v. 13. where he justly reproacheth unsetled spirits by the name of wandering stars or planets to whom is reserved the blacknesse of darknesse for ever Thirdly Heaven is taken in Scripture for a nearer heaven for all that which is below the Moon for the air and the clouds Hence the birds are said to flie in the heavens and Gen. 8.2 the rain from heaven was restrained that is the rain from the clouds for there is no rain in that heaven above the clouds Triplex est coelum aerium sidereum ac aliud his superius invisible divinum Dam. l. â— de orthodoxa fide Heaven is a building of three stories The first story is the air and the clouds up to the moon The second story reaches all the planets and stars The third story is also called the third heaven or the heaven of heavens the place of his most glorious residence who filleth heaven and earth All these heavens the Lord spreadeth out There is a threefold spreading forth of a thing First By contusion or beating with hammers as a masse of gold or silver c. is spread into thin plates and leaves Secondly By way of rarefaction or attenuation water is rarefied by fire and so are metals when they are melted or caused to runne with extreme heat In allusion to which Elihu speaks in his challenge to Job Chap. 37.18 Hast thou with him spread out the skie which is strong and as a molten looking-glasse The skie is of a weak sleight matter not hard massie or elementall yet it is strong the nature of it being incorruptible the figure of it round and indissoluble And it is compared to a looking-glasse for the clearnesse of it those instruments were made some of glasse some of steel or brasse molten and polisht for that purpose Thirdly A thing is spread forth by unfolding the parts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Extendit disteâ—dit sicut tentoriâ—m as a tent or a curtain is spread and thus the spreading of the heavens is described Psal 104.1 2. O Lord thou art cloathed with honour and majesty thou stretchest out the heavens
like a curtain God took the vast matter folded together and spread it as a curtain tabernacle or tent And the * Hîc Dolapum manuâ— hîc saevus tendebat Achillis Virg 2. Aeneiad Iuxta hortos tendâ—bat Suct in Galb c 12. de Germanâ—rum Cohorte Et milites tendere omnes extra vallum jussit Tac l 13. Latine word which carries the interpretation of this in the Hebrew is frequently applied by ancient Authours to the pitching of tents in warre In this third sense we are specially to understand the Text Alone spreadeth out the Heavens And so this spreading is either an exposition of the nature of the heavens Gen. 1.8 The Lord said Let there be a firmament the Hebrew is * CoeluÌ„ sive firmamentum vocaâ—ur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 eo quid est expansum extensum super terram Solus sine cujusquam auxilio Let there be an expansion or a stretching forth These heavens are so much spread forth that they are called a thing spread forth and so the text is a description of the heavens in their first Creation Or it may referre to the words going before and so these are a reason to shew that God can command the Sunne and seal up the stars why He spreadeth forth the heavens that is the heavens are all of his making and at his disposing he set the Sunne there and put the starres there he fashioned the orbs in which they are placed and therefore he can stay the Sun and seal the starres And as he thus spreadeth out the heavens so which is more observable He spreadeth them out alone When a piece of hangings or the like of a large extent is to be spread forth one man cannot doe it many hands are put to that work Instrumentum creationis creatura esse non potest It is an axiome in Divinity That no creature can be an instrument in Creation this stretching forth of the heavens is an act of Creation therefore he alone doth it there is none to help him Yet we finde that God had some other with him when he stretched out the heavens though it be here attributed to him alone and though Elihu expostulates with Job in this point Chap. 37.18 Hast thou with him spread out the skie which is strong and as a molten looking-glasse Elihu would bring down the thoughts of Job which he conceived were too much lifted up by shewing that God did this alone Solus quia nemo extra ipsum cuÌ„ ipso sed una cuÌ„ iâ—so illi qui in ipso per identitatem substantiae sunt verbo enim Domini firmati sunt coeli spiritu oris ejus omnis virtus eorum Solum enim divinitas sacit quae ut una ita sola Job saith he didst thou hold one part of this great Curtain or Canopy of heaven in thy hand and God another and was it so spread out between you No neither man nor angel was his helper who then was with God in this work Solomon tels us Prov. 8.27 When he prepared the heavens I was there when he set a compasse upon the face of the depth Who was that I wisdome was there Jesus Christ was there Christ was he by whom God prepared and stretched forth the heavens No creature was there only the uncreated creating Sonne of God God created alone that is without the help of any creature but he created all things by the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God All things were made by him and without him was not any thing made that was made Observe from hence First The heavens are as the royall tent and pavilion of the Lord. He spreadeth them out The Lord is often exprest comming out of the heavens with warlike preparations There his tent is pitcht and he sitteth there as a great Commander in his pavilion to give out Orders to his Armies He hath an host in heaven and therefore he hath a tent in heaven or rather heaven is his tent The Lord hath his way in the whirlwinde and in the storm and the clouds are the dust of his feet Nah. 1.3 God pitches his battell in heaven The stars in their courses fought against Sisera He fought from heaven from thence he discharged his great Artillery his Cannons thundered and lightened against the enemies of his people He hath also his store-houses for ammunition his Magazines there Job 38.22 Est allâ—so ad armamentaria publica ubi armorum ma hinarum tormentorum ingens apparatus reconditur B l. Quicquid habeÌ„t telorum armamentaria coeli Juven Sat. 13. Hast thou saith God to Job entred into the treasures of the snow Or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail which I have reserved against the time of trouble the day of battell and warre He speaks of heaven as of a great store-house where he hath his arms his powder and ball all his warlike provision laid up against the day of battell Heathens have spoken such language calling storms and tempest hail and thunder The weapons and engines of the Armory of heaven Secondly In that he saith He stretcheth out the heavens alone observe That the Lord needs not the help of any treature to doe his greatest works He hath power and he hath power in himself to doe what he hath a will should be done let all the creatures in the world stand still yet God can carry his work forward What work is like this the stretching forth the heavens There cannot be a work of so much difficulty under heaven as the spreading forth of the heavens He who did that alone what can he not doe alone Though men will not though men cannot help the Lord can and will alone Isa 59.16 He saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessour no man to do no man to speak in that businesse not a man appeared what then Doth the Lord say well seeing there is no man to do I also will let it lie No Therefore his arm brought salvation unto him and his power sustained him he did it alone Paul speaks of himself that at his first appearing before Nero all men forsook him not a man would own him but saith he The Lord stood by me 2 Tim. 4.15 This is a great encouragement to us in great affairs and businesses in the greatest straits and difficulties of the times if men forsake and desert the Lord alone can doe all for us if men have not power to doe what they have will to doe nor will to doe what they have power then remember He that stretcheth out the heavens alone can order our works alone compose our differences alone conquer our enemies alone God alone is infinite greater stronger wiser then all creatures together God can be now as he will be hereafter all in all unto us God is enough for us without any creature yea God and all that he hath made cannot do more than God
the stars which are under the Southern pole are hidden from us and are enclosed lodged as in a chamber God locks them up in his treasury and they are secrets to this part of the world the southern Pole being under or below our Horizon In the artificiall sphears of heaven we finde few Asterismes or descriptions of the starres about those parts there are many but we perceive them not And the vertue and operation of these chambered hidden stars is as strong as of those which appear in greatest lustre and beauty Again When he saith Which maketh Arcturus c. his meaning is Which makes them appear or do their office These stars were made when the heavens were made and Jobs discourse is not about creation but providence So that to make Arcturus c. in the sense of this Text is only this to order the times of their rising and setting to distinguish the seasons of the year and to produce their severall effects in every season which providentiall acts are here especially aimed at Thus he maketh Arcturus to rise about the middle of September which is the time of the Equinox when the civill day and night are even and share the hours of the naturall day equally between them Or as others account this star rises about eleven daies before the Equinox So by Arcturus we may understand that season of the year And he maketh Arcturus is he orders and disposeth of the season commonly called Autumn Orion shines forth in our Hemisphear about the moneth of December and by that winter is designed The Pleiades begin at the spring therefore called Vergiliae because they arise vere in the spring and disappear or go down toward winter The chambers of the South are fiery stars which have their chief influence upon us in heat of Summer And so we may put the Text into these plain expressions He maketh Arcturus Orion and Pleiades and the chambers of the South That is First He makes and orders Summer and winter spring and harvest because these stars divide the four seasons of the year Or secondly thus He makes hot and cold wet and dry storm and calm Or thirdly as these foâ—â— constellations are assigned to the four chief points of heaven Arcturus is known by all who know any thing in the heavens to be seated about the Northern Pole whose opposites are those stars in the chambers of the South Orion dwels in the East and the Pleiades in the West So the plain English of the words is this That the Lord by his mighty power and wisdome ordereth and appointeth the motions of heaven from East to West from North to South Lastly To clear up the sense of this Text we must understand these four constellations Synecdochically these being put for all the rest For as God orders these so every star in the firmament the least are under his eie and at his dispose as well as the greatest But because these are the most eminent usefull and efficacious in their appearances motions and influences therefore these are named He maketh Arcturus Orion and Pleiades and the chambers of the South We may observe from the words thus opened divers profitable instructions First All the stars are placed in the heavens by the speciall designment of God for the use and good of man Moses Deut. 4.19 gives a caution to Israel from the Lord that they should take heed of imitating the Heathens in their abominations and this is one particular Lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven and when thou seest the Sunne and the Moon and the stars even all the host of heaven shouldest be driven to worship them which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all Nations under the whole heaven Observe that The Lord thy God hath divided them unto all Nations under heaven Therefore take heed that thou do not worship them They are the work of God they are creatures and worship which is proper to the Creatour must not be given to them It is a remarkable Text Lest saith he thou shouldest be driven to worship them How driven Not by externall force and power but driven by the strong inclination of thine heart ravished with such beautifull objects The excellency that is in the works of God hath power to draw yea to drive the heart of man to commit idolatry Job shews this while he acquits himself so industriously from it Chap. 31.26 27. If I beheld the Sunne when it shined or the Moon walking in brightnesse and my heart hath been secretly enticed or my mouth had kissed my hand this also were an iniquity to be punished by the Iudge c. Some translate that Deut. 4. in this language of Iob Lest thou be deceived tâ— worship the Sunne Moon and stars and host of heaven this is very considerable but the thing I chiefly note in that Scripture to the point in hand is this That the Lord hath made and appointed the stars to the severall parts of the heavens he hath divided them to all Nations under the whole heaven Some stars are the portion of one people others of another As the earth is an inheritance divided among the children of men so also are the stars and heavens Per hanc divisionem intelligit ordinem morum planetaruÌ„ qui in suis orbibus ita disponuntur ut unaquaeque regio suo tempore eorum gaudeat influxibus Pined We seldom consider what riches we receive from that part of our inheritance most think they live by the earth only No saith Moses The Lord hath divided the heavens the Sunne Moon and Stars unto all Nations under heaven He hath setled it what starre such a Land shall have and in what seasons as also what proportions of the Sunne and Moon for light heat and influence He hath made them for the children of men Man is fed and cloathed warmed and cherished from heaven more then from the earth and the lot and divisions which we have of the earth are naturally and usually good or bad rich or barren pleasant or unpleasant healthy or unwholsome according as the aspects of the heaven and stars are more or lesse benigne or favourable unto them Moses Deut. 29.26 reproves the ingratitude of the Jews by this argument Because they went and served other gods and worshipped them gods whom they knew not and whom he had not given to them So we translate But the letter of the Hebrew gives it thus who had not given to them or divided among them any portion As if Moses had said The Lord divided and gave the heavens and the stars among you and these base dunghill-gods never gave you so much as a clod of earth and will ye depart from Jehovah to serve them Secondly Observe God knoweth the number the names and the nature of all the stars He gives them speciall names These in the translation are names of mans imposition Yet the holy Ghost uses Heathenish names in the new Testament Act. 28.11
but I have not set them for Prophets If any presume to declare or resolve what shall be done I resolve to punish their presumption I take delight to frustrate men who delight in this and to befool them who would be thus wise This is my name The God that stretcheth out the heavens alone and that maketh diviners mad Great disappointments enrage and some men lose their reason when they lose the credit of doing things above reason Because they cannot be as Gods to fore-tell good or evil they will not be so much as men He makes the diviners mad The Law was peremptory and severe against them Deut. 18.9 There shall not be found amongst you any one that useth divination or is an observer of times why not an observer of times may we not observe times and seasons May we not look up to the heavens and consider their motions Yes we may observe times holily but not superstitiously as if some times were good others bad some lucky others unlucky as if the power of God were shut up in or over-ruled by his own instruments and inferiour causes this is dishonourable unto God and thus the Jews were forbidden to use any divination or to observe times The heavens and stars are for signs but they are not infallible signs They are ordinary signs of the change of weather Mat. 16.2 3. They are ordinary signs of the seasons of the year Spring and Summer and harvest and winter they are ordinary signs of a fit time to till and manure the ground to plow sowe and reap The earth is fitted and prepared for culture by the motion of the heavens The heavens are at once the Alphabet of the power and wisdom of God and of our works we may read there when to do many businesses Gen. 8.22 While the earth remaineth seed-time and harvest and cold and heat and summer and winter and day and night shall not cease Those seasons shall continually return according to the time of the year measured by the Sun Moon and Stars Thus they are signs of ordinary events And God sometimes puts the sign of an extraordinary event in them Mat. 24.29 Immediately after the tribulation of those daies shall the Sunne be darkned and the Moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken which some understand allegorically others literally of strange apparitions and impressions in heaven either before the destruction of Jerusalem or the day of judgement So Act. 2.19 20 c. Thus God puts a sign in them of extraordinary events But shall man from them prognosticate and fore-tell extraordinary events as when there shall be famine and pestilence war and trouble in Nations This the Lord abhorreth The counsels of God about these things are written in his own heart what is man that he should transcribe them from the heavens But if men will say they are written there God will blot out what they say and prove theirs to be but humane divinations yea that they were received from hell not written in heaven Isa 47.13 I will destroy the signs of them that divine let now the Astrologers the star-gazers the monethly Prognosticatours stand up and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee Behold they shall be as stubble they shall not be able to deliver themselves It is good to be a starre-beholder but a wicked thing to be a starre-gazer that is to look upon the stars so as if we could spell out the secret providences of God and read future events in the book of those creatures It is our duty to look upon the heavens as they declare the glory of God but it is a sin to look upon the heavens as if they could declare the destinies fates and fortunes of men All which vanities are largely and learnedly confuted by M Perkins in his book called The resolution of the Countrey-man about Prognostications Now that the successe of every creature is in God not in the stars we may see first in the order of the creation God created the earth and commanded it to bring forth fruit upon the third day but the lights in the firmament were made the fourth day The earth can bring forth without the midwifery or help of the heavens God himself made the earth fruitfull without yea before the stars were made Philo Judaers de opificio munâ—i Upon which one of the Ancients gives this observation Surely saith he the Lord in his providence made the earth fruitfull in all its glory before he put the stars in the heavens to the intent to make men see that the fruitfulnesse of the earth doth not depend upon the heavens or stars God needs neither the rain of the clouds nor the warmth of the Sun to produce these effects He that made all second causes to work in their ranks can work without the intervention of any second cause And because the Lord fore-saw men would dote much upon second causes and venture to prognosticate by the heavens the fates of men and the fruitfulnesse of the earth therefore he made the earth fruitfull before he made Arcturus or placed those constellations in the heavens Secondly The providence of God works under the decree of God His providence is the execution of his decree Therefore we must not bring the decrees down to providence but we must raise providence up to the decrees Thirdly The heavens and those heavenly bodies Arcturus c. are but generall causes there are speciall causes besides of the earths barrennesse or fruitfulnesse of tempests at sea and troubles at land and the Lord is able to invert all causes to work beyond causes without causes and against causes So that nothing can be infallibly fore-told from the positions conjunctions or revolutions of those heavenly bodies Lastly Observe That it is our duty to study the heavens and be acquainted with the stars In them the wonderfull works of God are seen and a sober knowledge in nature may be an advantage unto grace Holy David was such a student Psal 8.3 When I consider thy heavens the work of thy fingers the Moon and the Stars which thou hast ordained Consideration is not a transient or accidental but a resolved and a deliberate act Shall we think that God hath made those mighty bodies the stars to be past by without consideration Shall men only pore upon a lump of earth and not have their hearts lifted up to consider those lamps of light Shall man make no more use of the stars then the beasts of the earth do namely to see by them When I consider thy heavens saith David Heaven is the most considerable of all inanimate creatures and more considerable then most of the animate and Davids when when I consider the heavens notes not only a certainty that he did it but frequency in doing it Some of the Rabbins tell us that when Isaac went out into the field to meditate Gen.
the former context exalted the power and wisdom of God in many instances and closed all with an admiring sentence He doth great things and unsearchable marvellous things without number He in these words seems to give a proof of those attributes of Gods works that they are innumerable and unsearchable c. Verse 11. For loe he goeth by me and I see him not he passeth on also but I perceive him not As if he had said I am not able to reckon how often he worketh for I cannot alwaies perceive when he worketh I am not able to search out all his great and wonderfull actings for I cannot see him in many of his actings He goeth by me and I see him not The Lord is said to goe by us not in regard of any locall motion for he that filleth all places moves to none Doe not I fill heaven and earth is the Lords query of himself to those who thought to play least in sight with him And he convinces them that they could not be hid from him in secret places because he fils all places There is no place to be found beyond the line of heaven and earth both which God fils Jer. 23.24 Then his motion is not locall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mutavit variavit rem vel locum denotat mutationem conditionis vel loci Mol. in Ps 90. 6. but providentiall God doth not move to act but his acting is his moving He goeth by us doing marvellous things for us and we see not when he is doing or what he is doing The other word here used He passeth on is of the same sense yet more peculiar and proper to the motion of spirits we had it in the fourth Chapter vers 15. A spirit passed before me saith Eliphaz when he speaks of the vision that appeared It signifies to change and vary either place or condition The transitory changablenesse of the creature is expressed by it Psal 102.27 Thou doest change them and they shall be changed the creatures passe on as from place to place so from condition to condition The fashion of them passeth away 1 Cor. 7.31 They have not only a perfective change but a corruptive change but of the Lord he saith Thou art the same and thy years shall have no end The word is used for changing by oppressive destruction Prov. 31.8 Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction or death Such as are appointed to that great change are called a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Filij excidij i. e. qui traâ—untur excidio Jun. in loc The Sons of change or destruction Thus the Originall So that the word signifieth any change or motion whether perfective or corruptive The Lord saith Job passeth on he maketh changes he worketh sometimes to perfect sometimes to destroy but I perceive him not I am not able to make out what he doth Here are two words one referring to sense the other to understanding He goeth by me and I see him not that is my senses cannot finde him He passeth on also and I perceive him not that is he destroieth he buildeth he planteth he rooteth up but I am not able to apprehend him or unriddle the meaning of his wonderfull works He doth great things and things unsearchable b NoÌ„ est una interpretatio hujus divini ac cessuâ— recessus Pined There is much variety of opinion about the meaning of these words though I think the meaning is clear in that generall I have now given Yet I will touch a little First Some interpret Jobs discourse conversing still in and about the c Multa sunt naturalia quorum suprenum auctorem Deum vel opus inchoantem vel ab opere cessantem noÌ„ observamus atque ita praecedenti sententiae haec innectitur tanquam illius subjecta ratio Id. Quemadmodum sit in omnibus extra omnia supra omnia sciri non potest Olymp. naturall works of God the earth the heavens the waters and the air of which he had spoken before as also about the body of man Act. 17.28 In him we live and move and have our being God is about us he is ever with us and yet we observe not either when he begins to work or resteth from working How he is in all things without all things and above all things is not known Secondly Others take his going and passing for the acts of his d Deum venire miserentis est discedere punientis Phil. Presb. Aquinas ad beneficia praestita vel denegata refert Transit eum quem impunituÌ„ relinquit Drus favour or dis-favour He goeth by me in bestowing favours and He passeth on in taking them away his accesses or recesses in mercy or judgement his love and his wrath are often indiscernable He goeth by me he passeth on he varieth his workings and I perceive him not To passe by is taken sometimes for sparing pardoning or shewing mercy The Lord by his Prophet Amos 7.8 reports severall judgements from a full execution of which he was taken off yet at last he resolves I will not passe by them any more it is the word here that is I will not have mercy on them any more I will not spare them any more the next time I come with my drawn sword in my hand I will be sure to smite and wound before I put it up I will not passe by them any more So He passeth by me may note here the sparing mercy of God The Lord spareth man many times and pardons him not suffering his whole displeasure to arise when man takes no notice but is insensible of it The word is used in this sense Prov. 19.11 It is the glory of man to passe by an offence that is to spare a man that hath offended not to punish him or take revenge and it is ordinary in our phrase of speech to say I will passe you by for this time that is I will not take any severe notice or strict account of what you have done And we finde in the same prophecy of Amos that to passe thorow notes judgement and wrath in the opposite sense In the fifth Chapter vers 17. In all vineyards shall be wailing Why For I will passe thorow thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In interiori tuo or I will passe into thy bowels or inwards So the letter of the originall that is I will come to judge thee I will passe thorow thee as a revenger and wound thee deeply insomuch that in all vineyards there shall be wailing why in all vineyards When he saith There shall be wailing in all vineyards it implies there should be wailing every where for if there were joy in any place it would be in the vineyards vineyards are places of mirth and refreshing grapes make the wine which makes glad the heart of man Therefore when he threatens That in all vineyards there shall be wailing it is as much as
or abide in him or no. And Bellarmine in his 5th book and 5th Chapter concerning justification citeth it to prove That a believer cannot know that he is justified but must believe blinde-fold or take the work of justification by grace in the dark For saith he God goeth by us and we see him not he passeth on and we perceive him not Allenâ—ssi â—e huÌ„c locum citat Bellarâ—inus ut probet nuâ—uÌ„ fidâ—lem scire an justificatus sit Coc. That is as his glosse speaks God commeth in favour to justifie or he leaveth under wrath and yet man remains ignorant both of the one and of the other state Surely he was at a great pinch to finde a proof for his point when he was forced to repair to this Scripture to seek one Providence toward man-kinde not the justification of a sinner is the proper subject of this text And as there is nothing for a blinde-fold justification here so many other Scriptures are expresly against it To say that a man cannot know when God loveth him or shineth upon him is to contradict what our Saviour asserts Joh. 14.17 I will send the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but ye know him for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you Ye know him saith Christ to his people the Saints see God in a spirituall sense or in his workings upon their spirits And though God works much upon our spirits which we know not yet we have a promise of the Spirit by whom we know God in his workings Few know when God is nigh or when he is a farre off what his goings away mean or what his commings But when he cometh to the Saints they know he commeth and when he hideth or departeth from them they know his hidings and departures Hence their joies and over-flowings of comfort when he manifests his presence and hence their bitter complainings and cryings after him where he seems to absent himself and hide his face yet this Text hath a truth in it in reference to the inward and spirituall as well as the outward and providentiall dealings of God that sometimes He goeth by us and we see him not he passeth on also and we perceive him not Hence learn First That God is invisible in his essence and incomprehensible in many of his actions Mans eie cannot see him Mans understanding cannot comprehend what he doth But why speaks Job this as a matter of wonder if it be the common condition of man-kinde Behold he passeth by and I see him not who can see him who can perceive or comprehend him When Moses Exod. 33.20 desired to see his face the Lord answers No man can see my face and live God spake to Moses face to face that is familiarly as a man speaketh to his friend yet Moses did not could not see the face of God No man can see God in his essence or nature A sight of God would astonish yea swallow up the creature It is death to see the living God and man must die before he can see God so fully as he may and know as he is known But though the face of God be invisible yet his back-parts may be seen Behold saith the Lord to Moses there is a place by me stand thou there upon a rock and thou shalt see my back-parts thou shalt see much of my glory shining forth as much as thou canst bear as much as will satisfie thy desire were it a thousand times larger then it is though not so much as thou hast not knowing what thou askest desired of me My Name shall be proclaimed Gracious and mercifull c. the back-parts of God may be seen the invisible God discovereth much of himself to man and shews us a shadow of that substance which cannot be seen Some may object that of the Prophet Isaias crying out Woe unto me for mine eies have seen the King the Lord of hosts Chap. 6.5 Seen him could Isaias see him whom Job and Moses could not Isaias did not see him in his essence and nature but in the manifestations and breakings forth of his glory His train filled the Temple saith the Text vers 1. or his skirts It is an allusion to great Kings who when they walk in State have their trains or the skirt of their royall robe held up T' was this train which Isaias saw He saw not God who was present but he saw the manifest signs of his presence That speech of Isaiah seemed to savour of and border upon highest blasphemy and was therefore charged as an article of accusation against him he was indited of blasphemy for speaking those words I have seen the Lord his enemies taking or wresting it as if he had made the Lord corporeall and visible with the eie of the body And it is conceived he was put to death upon that and one other passage in his prophecy Cha. 1.10 calling the Princes of Judah Princes of Sodom and the people thereof the people of Gomorrah But though God be thus invisible in his essence yet there is a way by which the essence of God may be seen And of that Moses to whom the Lord said Thou canst not see my face the Authour to the Hebrews saith Heb. 11.24 That he saw him who was invisible the letter of the text carries a contradiction in the adjunct it is as much as if one should say He saw that which could not be seen The meaning is He saw him by the eye of faith who could not be seen by the eye of sense faith sees not only the back-parts but the face of Jehovah the essence of God is as clear to that eye as any of his attributes yea his essence is as plain to faith as any of his works are to sense Thus he is seen Whom no man hath seen nor can see 1 Tim. 6.16 not the Saints in heaven they are not able to see the Lord in his essence He passeth by them there and they see him not in heaven we are promised a sight of him yet not that fight Blessed are the poor in spirit for they shall see God and without holinesse no man shall see the Lord then holy men shall see him the state of the Saints in glory is vision as here it is faith 2 Cor. 13.12 We shall see him face to face and as he is 1 Joh. 3.2 These Scriptures which speak of the estate of the Saints beholding God in glory are not to be understood as if the nature and essence of God could be seen for no man hath seen that nor ever shall but they are meant of a more full and glorious manifestation of God We shall see then face to face that is more plainly for it is opposed to seeing him in a glasse we see him now in a glasse that is darkly in ordinances in duties in his word and in his works but there shall be no need of these glasses in heaven We
What dost thou 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Behold he taketh away Rapuit more latronum Significat velocitatem rapinae Rab Mord Raptim auferre Tigur The word signifies to take away by violence and force to take away as a robber takes to steal away As if he had said suppose the Lord come by open violence to take a thing from thee or secretly and as it were by stealth to bereave thee of thy estate or of thy life if he take all from thee and strip thee naked What canst thou doe So the word is used Prov. 23.28 speaking of a wicked woman an harlot She lieth in wait as for a prey the Hebrew is She lieth in wait as a robber to take away the estate yea and the life of those whom she shall entangle Si rapuerit hominem è muâ—do Targ. Si morti tradiderit August Quoâ—ies ipsi visum fuerit ut mihi nunc eve nit â—uempiam vel bonis ipsis spoliare quis illumut raptorem ad restitutionem cogeâ— imo quis illum jure in disquisitionem vocarit voluntas enim ipsius est juâ—tlâ—iae norma Bez 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 è ralice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Some understand this more specially of taking away life If he will stop thy breath and deliver thee up to death so Augustine upon the place or as the Chaldee If he take one out of the world who can hinder him As if Job had said The Lord may not only take away so much as he hath taken from me but more without wrong to me He hath taken away my goods and my estate my children and friends he hath fetched away my health and strength my beauty and outward comforts if he come and take away my life also at next bout I cannot hinder him I can neither compell him to restore nor call him to an account I can neither urge him to restitution nor charge him with oppression He plainly intimates the rapine of his goods by the Chaldeans c. Of which he spake positively Chap. 1.21 The Lord hath taken and here by way of generall supposition If he take away Who shall hinder him Mr Broughton translates Who shall make him restore So he carries it in allusion unto men who violently take away the goods and estate of another If a man come with force and take away my goods Vertere aut reducere quis reâ—â— uere eum faciet quis recuperabit aut reduâ—et praedam I may make him restore them again by a greater force but if the Lord take away and ask me no leave I cannot make him restore The word signifies to stop or turn a thing and because in recovering of a prey or in making a man restore we stop and stay his course therefore the word is indifferently applied to both Others understand it in this sense If he taketh away who shall hinder him That is who can turn him from his purpose Who can stop him in the thing he hath a minde to doe Quidam non de praeca sed dâ— ipso Deo intelligunt Quu revocabit eum à proposito Si repentè interroget quis respondebit ei Vulg. Vel quòd respondens convertit se ad ìnterrogaÌ„tem vel quòd responsum regeraâ—ur restituaturque tanquam debitum interroganti The Vulgar translation varies much If he suddenly ask a man a question who shall be able to answer him The Hebrew word which signifies to return signifies to answer answering is the return of a word Prov. 8.13 He that answereth or returneth a word before he heareth a matter But I shall lay that by though the abettours of the Vulgar make great store of it interpreting their meaning thus if the Lord cite a man to judgement and bring him to triall man is not able to answer him or to plead his own cause Man cannot stand before the Lord. Observe hence First That All our comforts are in the power of God If he taketh away supposeth he can take away and he can take all away and doe us no wrong It is no robbery if God rob us his robbery is no wrong why because he comes not as a thief but as a Lord and Master of our estates he may come and take them away as he pleaseth and when he pleaseth Secondly Note this from it He taketh away That which God doth by the hand of the creature is to be reâ—koned as his own act He taketh away when creatures take away It is seldom that God dealeth immediately with us in these outward providences he sends men stirs instruments to do what is done But that which man doth the Lord doth Isa 42.24 Who gave Jacob to the spoilers and Israel to the robbers Did not I the Lord Men spoil'd and robbed them yet it was the Lords act to send those spoilers Did not I the Lord As that which man doth in spirituals is the Lords act when man converteth and saveth it is the Lord that saveth and converteth when man comforteth and refresheth by applying the promises it is the Lord that comforteth and refresheth when man gives resolution in doubts it is the Lord that resolveth doubts mans act is the Lords So here when man robbeth and spoileth us the act is from the Lord though the wickednesse of the act is from the man The Lord suffers men to spoil and undoe us yea the Lord orders them to spoil us it is done not only by his permission but by his commission not only with his leave but by his appointment I will send him against an hypocriticall Nation and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge to take the spoil and to take the prey and to tread them down like the mire of the streets Isa 10. Observe thirdly What the Lord will doe either by himself or by instruments no man can stop or prevent If he taketh away who shall hinder him The Lord hath absolute power if he will overthrow men or families or whole Kingdoms none can stay him There have been four great Monarchies in the world and the Lord comming in judgement against them hath taken all away The united strength of all creatures cannot stand before him when he is angry and resolved The Babylonian could not say and perform it I will keep my throne The Persian could not say and do it I will keep my State The Grecian could not say and maintain it I will keep my glory The Roman could not say and make it good I will keep my empire When the Lord had a minde to it he came and fetch away the power and glory the crown and dignity of those Monarchs he threw down their thrones brake their states darkned their glory dissipated their empires no man could hinder him How are ye fallen from heaven O Lucifers sons of the morning how are ye cut down to the ground which did weaken the Nations Though ye said in your hearts We will ascend into heaven we will
for our obedience he usually adds perswasion to his precept and reasons with us as well as directs us His commands are not alwaies barely authoritative and the resolves of his prerogative So when we call upon God for audience we should adde perswasions to our petitions and reason with him as well as entreat him Only we should be carefull to reason from right Topicks and heads of argument such as these First From the freenesse of the grace of God Secondly From the firmnesse of his promise Thirdly From the greatnesse of our need or of the Churches misery Fourthly From all the concernments of his own glory c. Thus we may reason with God for the doing of any thing we ask according to his will and in these reasonings the spirit life and strength of praier consists So then the only thing which Job declineth as sinfull and unbecomming is to reason with God as a contender he might humbly reason with him as a Petitioner or as a remembrancer Put me in remembrance saith the Lord Isa 43.26 Let us plead together declare thou that thou maiest be justified We may declare our cause and we need not fear to declare our sinnes that God may justifie us but we must not presume to declare our righteousnesse that we may justifie our selves this Job disclaims How much lesse shall I answer him and choose out words to reason with him Towards the further clearing of these words we may take notice that Job puts himself under a double relation In the former part of the verse he puts himself in the Respondents place How much lesse shall I answer him And in the later part of the verse he puts himself in the Opponents place and chuse out words to reason with him His meaning is If the Lord will object against me I am not the man who dares or is able to answer him And if I should take upon me to object against the Lord the Lord may and can easily answer me From which notion of the words two points may be observed First No man can answer what God hath to object against him The Lord hath a thousand arguments which we are not able to give him satisfaction in as was touched in the beginning of this Chapter vers 3. We cannot answer him one of a thousand If God should cast a man to hell what hath he to say for himself as from himself when God objects Thou hast sinned If God afflict a man and lay him low giving him this argument for what he doth I am thy Creatour I formed and made thee if I break thee to peeces what canst thou say against me If the Lord should say I am thy Soveraign I have supreme power over thee may I not doe with thee what I will What hath man to answer Man must be silent and lay his hand upon his mouth he hath not a word of reason or holinesse to reason against God in any of his dispensations Let man on the other side gather as many arguments as he can to object against God he is able to wipe them all off presently to blow them away with a breath All the shifts and apologies the excuses and arguings which any make for their sinnes or which they make for themselves against the justice and wisdome of God are answered with a word So that put man in the opponents or in the respondents place he can make no worke of it Secondly Observe from this phrase Shall I choose out words to reason with him God is not taken with words Fine phrases and eloquent speeches will not carry it with him If we would prevail with God we must speak our hearts to him rather then our words yet we ought to chuse out words as was touched before when we speak to God As we must take heed how we hear while he speaks so we have need to take heed what we speak in his hearing That 's Solomons advice Eccles 5.2 Be not rash with thy mouth and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God That is speak not vainly and unadvisedly thy tongue running before thy wit Let wisdome guide thy tongue and let thy heart shew thee wisdome Let not thy heart be hasty to utter when it 's office is to conceive not to utter But how can the heart be hasty to utter Utterance is the businesse of the tongue The heart is then hasty to utter when it suffers the tongue to utter what it self hath not thorowly concocted by meditation and made it's own As in the body so in the minde the third concoction is that which nourishes and assimilates So then Solomons meaning is Let not raw unboiled undigested thoughts passe out into discourses or be stampt into words before the Lord. As there is a sinne of curiosity so there may be a sinne of neglect Extreams are equally dangerous The distance that is between God and us proclaims this duty of our most reverent addresses to him He is in heaven and thou upon earth therefore let thy words be few and yet the fewnesse of words pleases God no more then the multitude of them doth We say In many words there can hardly be a scarcity of errours and in a few words there may be not a few errours possibly more errours then words Fewnesse simply taken is not the grace of words But because they who speak but little doe usually thinke the more and so their words are steept long in their hearts therefore few words are usually choice words It is sinne if we are well conceited of our words And it is sinne if our words be not our best conceptions How shall I choose out words to reason with him Verse 15. Whom though I were righteous yet would I not answer but I would make supplication to my Judge 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This brings the matter to the height Who I reason and plead with God I answer him No Though I were righteous yet would I not answer him The strength of the argument lies thus as if Job had said I am so farre from entring a contest with God that I professe I would not doe it though I had the greatest advantage and fitnesse to doe it of any man in the world though I were righteous I would not do it I doe not say that the reason why I would not plead with God is because I am wicked sinfull and abominable more guilty and unrighteous then my neighbours or then you my friends but how righteous soever I were I would not do it Job speaks as a man who would shew how much he dreads the power and strength of another What I fight with such a man I contend with such a man No I professe I would not fight with him though I were as well weapon'd arm'd and prepared as any man in the world I would not come near him If there be any armour or weapon any furniture or preparations which may enable man to contend with God it
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
2.1 and he gives them what they have as they are his creatures as he hath given them a subsistence and a breathing in the world so he allots them maintenance in the world So then to receive by donation from God may note any way of possession What wicked men inherit by succession and descent from their ancestours is a gift of God Yea what they get and hold by violence and oppression is a gift of God The earth which wicked men tear out of the hands of the godly the earth which they stain with the bloud of lawfull owners that they may enjoy it even this is said to be given unto them by God in that common way of providence Nebuchadnezzar was a cruell oppressour yet he had the earth given him by God Jer. 27.6 Now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon my servant and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him God gave him the land yet Nebuchadnezzar invaded it and got it by violence God sent him Isa 10.6 but he went of his own errand vers 7. He had no thought of serving the will and commands of God but of serving his own ambition and covetousnesse yet of this cruell oppressour the Lord saith I have given him all these lands c. Thus The earth is given Into the hand of the wicked There is a question whom we are to understand by these Donees or the receivers of this gift Some expound the text with a speciality of the devil The earth is given into the hand of that wicked one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who is us the Prince of the air so the Prince of this world and hath great power upon the earth But take it of wicked men who are the servants and heirs of Satan as the Saints are the heirs of Christ and receive all things from him so wicked men are the heirs of Satan his children and what they receive as a common gift from God they receive by a speciall gift from Satan The devil boasted to Christ Mat. 4. All these things will I give thee if thou will fall down and worship me Though the devil be a very beggar and hath not a shoe-latchet of his own to give yet for such services and homages he gives out large possessions of the world common providence so ordering it to wicked men his vassals Hence these words are interpreted as a reason of that confusion before spoken of Si flagellatur innocens quid mirum cum mundi judices corruptissimi sint Terrae potestas permissa est impiissimo daemoni qui dicitur mundi rector I de efficit ut reges principes judices quasi obvelatos haberent oculos caecè sine discrimine de rebus judicantes Eugub No wonder if innocent men are under the scourge for the earth is given into the hand of the wicked When they have most power who have least honesty things must needs be turned up-side-down and all put into disorder What can be expected from such a tyrannous Prince as Satan from such wicked instruments as rule under him but continuall disturbance amongst the children of men especially that good men should goe by the worst Godly men are like to have but little peace while these have the preeminence The devil clouds the understandings and vails the eies of those Princes and Judges whom he in this sense advances And justice is equally wounded and distorted when Judges cannot see Things as when they see Persons in judgement The bounty of God to the wicked is an occasion of their injury to the righteous But rather take the words which was hinted before as an argument whereby Job further proves that there can be no ground of judgement upon any mans spirituall estate by the appearances of his temporall for as righteous and innocent persons are under the scourge and laid low in the world so wicked men have the earth given them and are exalted I finde some reading the text as an expostulation Wherefore is the earth given into the hand of the wicked Wherefore doth he cover the faces of the Judges As if Joh did chide with God about this unequall carriage of things in the world and called him to give a reason of it But we have found Job in other places acquitting himself from the suspitions of such a charge and therefore I cannot joyn with these in laying it upon him here Job doth not complain but affirm That the earth is given into the hand of the wicked Whence observe First Wicked men may abound in earthly things They may have the earth and the fulnesse of it The earth and all that is earthly their bellies are filled by God himself with hidden treasure Psal 17.14 Precious things are usually hidden and all that 's named treasure though it be but earthly hath a preciousnesse in it Hidden treasures of the earth fill their bellies who sleight the treasures of heaven and whose souls shall never have so much as a taste of heavenly treasures riches and honour are the lot of their inheritance who have no inheritance among those whose lot is glory They have the earth in their hands who have nothing of heaven in their hearts they bear sway in the world who are slaves to the world they govern and order others at their will who are led captive by Satan at his will Be not offended and troubled to see the rains of government in their hands who know not how to govern themselves or to see them rule the world who are unworthy to live in the world Remember the earth is given into the hand of the wicked We must submit to the judgement of God though it leave us under the injustice 〈◊〉 men And we have little reason to envy them a great portion 〈◊〉 his life who have all their portion in this life The most wise God who hath all things to dispose disposes them with infinite wisdom He gives good things to those that are evil but he gives better things to those who are good He hath a Benjamins messe a rich portion for his own children after all these disbursments to the children of disobedience Their portion lies not in earth and dust or in the rubbish of the world Heaven is given into the hand of the Saints Spirituall blessings in heavenly things are given into the hand of the Saints The pardon of sin the love and favour of God the bloud of Jesus Christ peace of conscience joy in the holy Ghost are gifts worth the having These are given into the hand of the Saints As for the earth He giveth that into the hand of the wicked and yet all that is not given into their hands Wicked men have not all the earth and some wicked men have none of the earth The Lord often makes the portion of his own people fat and plenteous and the portion of his enemies lean and poor Heaven hath not all the
will lay aside my heavinesse I will comfort my self It is a hard thing to comfort others Luther said It is as easie a work to raise the dead as to comfort the conscience but it is harder for a man to comfort himself Eliphaz gave testimony to Job in the fourth Chapter vers 3 4. that he had upholden him that was falling and had strengthned the feeble knees But now it is come upon thee and thou faintest it toucheth thee and thou art troubled Thou who hast holpen others canst not help thy self Yet here Job was upon a resolve to comfort himself I answer Though it be a truth that no man is able to comfort himself no more then he can convert himself and that a man is no more able to change his heart from sorrow to joy then he is able to change his heart from sin to grace yet a man may attempt or assay he may use means to comfort himself When Job saith I will comfort my self the meaning is I will doe the utmost I can I will not be behinde in my endeavours I will take the best course and improve all opportunities to get out of these dumps whosoever will prescribe me a way or direct me to a remedy of these sorrows I will submit to it I will comfort my self From whence note That What a man really endeavoureth to doe that he may be said to doe I will comfort my self Why Because though he were not able to attain such an end Joy and comfort lieth beyond the line of the creature yet he reached at it he attempted and assaied all means to comfort himself Thus the salvation of a man is ascribed to himself A man is said to save himself though salvation belongeth to the Lord even temporall salvation but especially eternall salvation yet a man may be said to save himself As the Apostle 1 Epist 4.16 exhorts Timothy to walk by a holy rule to settle himself in his studies to read the Scriptures and to meditate in them to be faithfull in dispensing of the Gospel assuring him If thou dost these things thou shalt both save thy self and them that hear thee Save thy self No man can be his own Saviour he may be as well his own Creatour Timothy was thus encouraged because in so doing he did all that a man ought who expects salvation That was the way to though not the cause of salvation Salvation is all Christs yet he who doth his best to save himself may be said to save himself Thus also a man comforts himself converts himself instructs himself when he putteth himself out to the utmost of gifts graces and opportunities to doe or attain duties and blessings No man saith the Prophet doth stir himself up to take hold of the Lord. The word in the Prophet signifies to awake or to watch no man wakes or watches his opportunity to take hold of the Lord. It notes also that action of old birds who flutter with their wings and beat up their young ones to urge and provoke them to use their wings and flie abroad Thus he complained because the lazy dull-hearted Jews did not raise up and waken their hearts to doe what they could though to doe it was more then they could Secondly Observe That a man in affliction may help on his comforts or his sorrows I will comfort my self I will leave off my heavinesse Some adde to their afflictions and are active to aggravate and encrease them they make their night darker and obscure the light of counsell that is brought unto them they joyn with Satan their enemy and by the black melancholy vapours of their own hearts stifle the consolations that are administred them by faithfull friends Like Rachel Jer. 31. they refuse to be comforted when reviving Cordials are offered they spill them upon the ground and will not take in a drop they are so farre from comforting themselves that they will not receive comfort from others The Prophet seems to be resolved upon the point he would go on in sorrows Look away from me I will weep bitterly labour not to comfort me Isa 22.4 As sometimes a man under great affliction bespeaks comfort from others O I am in a sad case come comfort me shew me how I may get ease from these sorrows Many beg praiers and send bils of their afflictions desiring to have them spread before the Lord in the Congregation that some comfort may be dropt from heaven into their diseased bodies or wounded spirits Others sleight praiers and care not to be comforted as if it were an ease to them to mourn and a refreshing to be in heavinesse There is a two-fold ground upon which comforts are thus put off 1. Some put off their comforts upon fullennesse of spirit black and dark spirits love to bathe themselves in sorrow Sorrow is the bath of drooping spirits and it is Satans bath too Melancholly is commonly called The devils bath he takes delight to wash in the streams of our unnecessary tears Sorrow for sinne puts the devil to the greatest sorrow Godly grief is a grief to Satan but he delighteth in our worldly sorrows as the devil may be delighted if he have delight in any thing this is one thing he delights in our forbidden sorrows Some sorrows are as much forbidden as any pleasures The devil is as much pleased with our unlawfull sorrows as he is with our unlawfull pleasures And he labours as much to make us pleased with them 2. Others help on their own sorrows and lessen their comforts through forgetfulnesse or ignorance they as the Apostle chides the Hebrews Chap. 12.5 have forgotten the exhortation which speaks unto them as unto children Now as wicked men rejoyce because they forget or know not their ill condition So godly men are sad when they forget or know not how good their condition is Yet Job supposes the review of his good estate would neither check his sorrows nor establish his peace If I say I will forget my complaint I will comfort my self I am afraid of all my sorrows Thirdly Observe Man is not able to comfort himself we can make our selves crosses but we cannot make our selves comforts A man may say as Job did Chap. 7.13 to his bed comfort me or to his riches comfort me or to his wine and good chear comfort me or to his friends comfort me He may say to all outward acts of pleasure to merry company and musick eomfort me Yea a Saint may say to his graces and holinesse comfort me and yet none of these can comfort him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or they comfort him in vain Timuit expavit prae metu se abstrahere timorem denâ—tat imminentis calamitatis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Significat dolore affiâ—ere interdum figurare Qui materiam aliquam ut lucum vel ceram figurat manibus digitis is illam premendo quasi dolore afficit Bold Est elegans metaphora verba alicujus figurare nam
vvhen great dangers encompasse us we cannot believe deliverance Doe vve not make God like to our selves Doe we not shorten his hand to our own measure and thinke it cannot be done because men cannot doe it And for mercy about the pardon of sin man being awakened sees how he hath provoked God sin stares upon his face and he findes out many aggravations upon his sin then he begins to collect thus certainly if a man had so provoked his neighbour he could never pardon or forgive him Can then such sins as these be forgiven by God Mans mercy cannot reach so high as this therefore surely the mercies of God will not We have a very gracious promise backt with a caution to prevent these jealousies Isa 55.6 7. Let the wicked for sake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon Now as when God cals upon man to obey his will and doe his Commandments he is apt to say at least in his heart the duties are too many and the burdens too great to be born So when the Lord calleth upon wicked men the worst of wicked men to repent or turn unto him and he vvill abundantly pardon or he will multiply to pardon as it is in the originall they are ready to object What Pardon such as vve are We are too filthy and vile for washing Surely he vvill not pardon us These mercies are too many for us and these favours too great for us to receive Well saith God I preconceive your conceits of me ye are measuring me by your selves ye think it cannot be done because ye cannot doe it your hearts are too narrow to passe by so many so great provocations therefore ye say mine is too narrow also Doe ye thus measure me the Lord O foolish people and unwise I would have you know My thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your waies my waies for as the heavens are higher then the earth so are my waies higher then your waies and my thoughts then your thoughts vers 8 9. As if he had said Your thoughts are as much below my mercy as your waies were below my holinesse Cease then from doubting vvhat I have promised as I vvould have you cease from doing vvhat I have forbidden Your unbelief that I vvill not pardon your sin dishonours me as much as your disobedience did in committing sinne Till vve believe God is holy above us vve fear not to sinne and till vve believe God is mercifull above us we cannot believe he will pardon our sin Thus we see how the lifting up of our selves in our thoughts to an equality or to some similitude vvith God or the drawing down of God to an equality or some similitude vvith our selves is the ground and cause of all our unequall carriage towards God of our boldnesse in sinning of our boldnesse in pleading with and complaining against him of our extreme unbelief in the point of deliverance from troubles or of the pardon of our sins Secondly Observe There is no comparison between God and man He is not a man as I am Man is like to man face answers face and heart answers heart strength answers strength and vvit answers vvit Solomon concludes this Eccles 6.10 That which hath been is named already and it is known that it is man A man it but a man be he never so great in vvorldly vvealth or honour as he bears the name so he hath the nature of man still Nor can he contend with him that is mightier then he i. e. vvith God If he venture beyond his line or move out of the sphear of his activity if he vvould act more then a man he shall quickly finde that he is but man He cannot contend with him that is mightier then he Man vvas indeed made in the likenesse of God Gen. 1.27 In the image of God created he him yet vve must not say God is like man he is not in our image God put some impressions of himself upon man but he took no impressions of man upon himself He is not a man as I am He hath given us some of his own excellencies but he hath not taken upon him any of our vveaknesses God hath honoured man to give him somewhat of himself but God should dishonour himself to take anything of man Thus man is in the likenesse of God but God is not in the likenesse of man Take heed of such thoughts It is as dangerous to frame a likenesse or a similitude of God to our hearts as to frame a likenesse or a similitude of God upon a wall Exod. 15.10 Who is like unto thee O Lord amongst the gods That is there is none like unto thee None amongst the gods neither among those who are falsly called gods the Idols of the Heathen nor among those who are truly called gods for God cals them so the Angels in heaven and Magistrates here upon the earth among these truly called gods there is none like the true God much lesse is there any among the meer pure mortals like unto the immortall God Who is like unto thee glorious in holinesse fearfull in praises doing wonders So Mic. 7.18 Who is a god like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage Who is a god like unto thee Not only is there no man that can pardon as God but there is no God that can pardon like God he puts it upon that Who is a god like unto thee Not as if he granted that there were any other gods besides the Lord but to meet with the thoughts of men with those sinfull principles and conceits which lodge in man and make other gods To say of God only this He is God is to say all we cannot say more good of God then to call him God as we cannot say more evil of sin then to call it sin when we have called it sin vve have called it all The Apostle Rom. 7.13 puts that upon it as the worst he could say of it Sinne that it might appear sinne We cannot represent it in a worse likenesse then its own All men say they sin but sin appears sin to very few And when the Apostle would put a disgracefull title or epethite upon sin he invests it with its own name sinfull sin Thus to the point in hand we cannot call God more then when we call him God Nothing can be predicated of him better then himself When God appears to be God all excellency appears All men almost acknowledge God but God appears to very few 'T is but little of God that can be known and there are not many who know that little very many know but little of that little and most know nothing of it at all Thus also to say that man is man is proof and aggravation enough of his depraved condition Hos 6.7 They
heart-burnings among friends and brethren We have a proverbiall speech among us A lean arbitration is better then a fat judgement It is better to the parties they shall get more by it the charge of obtaining right by law many times eating out all and sometimes more then all alwaies a considerable part of that which the law gives us as our right We use to say to dissenters Be friends the Law is costly 'T is very costly to most mens purses and to some mens consciences 'T is rare if a man wrongs not his soul by seeking the rights of his credit or estate Secondly Observe That no creature can umpire the businesse betwixt God and man There is a two-fold reason of it Oportet ut in judice sit altior sapienâ—ia quae sit quaâ— regula ad quam examinantur dicta utriusque partis First He that is our umpire is supposed wiser then our selves They who cannot agree need more wisdom then their own to work their agreement But there is no creature wise as God yea there is no creature wise but God who is therefore called The God only wise God is best able to judge of his own actions No man hath been his Counsellour Rom. 11.34 much lesse shall any man be his Judge Men sometimes abound too much in their own sense but God must abound in his His will is the rule of all much more his wisdom or rather his wisdom is the rule of all because his will is his will and wisdom being the same and of the same extent both infinite Oportet ut in judice sit major potest as quae possit utramque partem comprimere Secondly He that is a Daies-man or Vmpire must according to the rules before spoken of have power to compell the parties to submit or stand to what he shall determine But as we cannot lay any restraint upon God from doing what he will so we cannot lay any constraint upon him to do what we will Who shall force the Lord To whom hath he given an assumpsit or ingaged himself under a penalty to perform what he shall award The Lord doth whatsoever he pleaseth both in heaven and earth and he will do no more then he pleaseth Perswasion cannot move him much lesse can power compell him He that is above all in power cannot be dealt with any way but by perswasion And he who is above all in wisdom cannot be perswaded by any against his own will There is indeed a Daies-man betwixt God and man but God himself hath appointed him God hath referred the differences betwixt himself and man unto Jesus Christ and his own good will and free grace moving him thereunto he stands engaged in the bonds of his everlasting truth and faithfulnes to perform what Jesus Christ as Mediatour should ask for us unto him we may safely commit our cause and our souls with that assurance of the Apostle 2 Tim. 1.12 I know whom I have believed and am perswaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day Christ God-man is umpire between God and man what we trust him with shall not miscarry he will make our cause good and our persons acceptable before God at that great day It is infinite mercy when we were neither able to mannage our own cause nor to finde out any in heaven or earth who could that then God himself should finde out one in wisdom and power like himself one who thought it no robbery to be equall with God to be our Daies-man Many of the Ancients interpret this Text either as Jobs desire and praier that Christ would come in the flesh O that there were a days-man betwixt us or as a prophecy of Jesus Christ to come as our Daies-man in the flesh There is no Daies-man yet but a Daies-man shall come The sense is pious but the context will not bear it In the 16th Chapter v. 21. and Chap. 17. v. 3. We shall finde Job speaking clearly of the Mediatour Jesus Christ and of his great work of atonement between God and man But here he seems to keep to the present controversie about the businesse of affliction not of salvation Take two or three consectaries flowing from the whole matter First Job at the lowest speaks highly of God and humbly of himself The greater his afflictions were the purer was his language He was not able to grapple with God and there was none to be found who could umpire the matter betwixt them The will of God is the supreme law What he will do with us we must be content he should The secrets of his providence are beyond our search and his judgements above our reach Secondly The greatnesse and transcendency of God should keep us low in our own thoughts Our knowledge of God is the present cure of our own pride The knowledge of God causeth us to know our selves and that which makes us know our selves cannot but make us low in our selves Though a proud man is commonly said To know himself too much yet the truth is he doth not know himself enough no nor at all as he should know himself Many are proud of and with their knowledge yet pride is the daughter of ignorance Some pride lodges in every mans heart because more then some ignorance doth Job had some of both in his why doth he lay the thought of the infinite glory and soveraignty of God so often to his heart but to keep down or to cure the swellings of his heart Thirdly It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of God He is not a man as we are we are not able to match him and there is among men no Daies-man betwixt us David made it his election 2 Sam. 24. To fall into the hands of God and not into the hands of man And it is best for us to fall into the hands of God as David put himself into his hands with respect to his great mercies But woe unto uâ— if we fall into his hands as contenders with his great power Shall we thus provoke the Lord Are we stronger then he It is our duty when we do and our priviledge that we may cast our selves into the hands of God when the hand of man oppresses us Satis idoneus est patientiae sequester Deus si injuriam deposueris juxta eum ultor est si damnum restitutor si dolorem medicus si mortem rescuscitator est Tertul. l. de Patient for as one of the Ancients speaks sweetly and feelingly If thou doest deposit thy injuries with him he is able to revenge thee if thy losses he is able to repair thee if thy sicknesse he is able to heal thee and if thy death he can raise thee up and estate thee in life again Thus I say it is best to fall into the hands of God in expectation of mercy through the Mediatour but it is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the
fear with reference to the two former verses especially to the verse immediately fore-going There Job desires a Daies-man or complains that there is none here he tels us what he might have expected if he had one As if he had said Had I a Daies-man then I know he would take away the rod from me that is he would give judgement that I should be eased of this affliction and his fear should not terrifie me that is he would never give a sentence which should be a terrour to me That 's a fair sense in reference to what he spake before but I rather keep his meaning within the compasse of what he is speaking here And then by fear we may understand Paveris nomine intelligendum putareÌ„ fulgoreÌ„ splendorem vel majestatem niniam qua priscis illis temporibus nonnunquam Deus vel Angelus pro Deo serviâ— suis apparabat Bol. First Those raies and beams of Majesty which the Lord letting out a little upon Job he was not able to bear them We finde when in those ancient times God appeared the beholders were terrified Manoahs wife tels her husband A man of God came unto me and his countenance was like the countenance of an Angel of God very terrible Judg. 13.6 And when God appeared to Abraham An horrour of great darknesse fell upon him Gen. 15.12 in what a wofull plight was Daniel receiving the visions of God Dan. 10.8 God who is the joy of his people is also a terrour to them Things which are not what they seem to be are not so terrible near hand as at a distance God who is infinitely more then he can seem to be is more terrible near hand then at a distance Hence it is that when God who is alwaies near us shews himself to be so our spirits fail within us In that presence of God which we shall have in glory there will be fulnesse of joy And in that presence of God which we have in the waies of grace there is abundance of joy But if while we are here in a state of grace some little of that presence of God which is proper to the state of glory fals upon us we are more distressed then comforted with it How much more then when God clothes himself with terrour and as he did to Job so reveals himself unto us Secondly We may interpret this fear by the former part of the verse the rod his afflictions were terrible the hand of God lifted up to smite him made him afraid But whether it were this or that the majesty of God overawing him or the rod of God chastening him the sense is plain Job was opprest with fear from the Lord yea with terrour from the Almighty causing this vehement deprecation Let not his fear terrifie me Hence observe First That God sometimes appears terribly to those he loves entirely Job was one of Gods darlings and God was imbracing him while he was scourging him Job had kisses from heaven when he felt nothing but lashes here upon the earth The heart of God was full of love while his hand was filled with a rod his bowels yearn'd upon Job and his face terrified him at the same time That precious man Heman was followed with terrours and visions of amazement all his daies I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up while I suffer thy terrours I am distracted Psal 88.15 The terrours of God even terrours to distraction may be the present portion of those whose portion is everlasting mercy Observe Secondly Man is not able to bear the anger of G d. Though he be but correcting us yet we cannot bear his anger toward us This caused the Prophet to cry out Jer. 10.24 Correct me O Lord but not in thine anger The words are not a praier for correction I know no warrant for that but a submission to it As if he had said Lord I am willing to bear thy correction but I cannot and who can bear thine anger The Church complains Psal 90.7 We are consumed by thine anger and by thy wrath we are troubled The fatherly anger of God is as a consuming fire and we are but as stubble before it What then is the fiercenesse of that anger which he will pour out upon wicked men for ever Who knoweth the power of thine anger Psal 90.11 Man cannot understand how powerfull the anger of God is much lesse stand before the power of his anger As man cannot comprehend the love of God Ephes 3.18 19. The Apostle exhorts To know the love of God which passeth knowledge that is to know so much of it as is knowable the love of God is past the knowledge not only of nature but of grace because it is infinite So we should labour To know the anger of God which passeth knowledge that is to know it so farre as it is knowable The anger of God cannot be fully known because it hath an infinitenesse in it as well as his love And as the one shall never be fully known but by enjoying it so neither can the other but by feeling it Upon this consideration the Lord makes that gracious promise to his people Isa 57.16 I will not contend for ever neither will I be alwaies wroth for the spirit should fail before me and the souls which I have made But is not the spirit or soul of man of an everlasting make And shall not the damned endure the contendings of Gods wrath for ever and not fail The substance of the soul cannot fail and the spirit is incorruptible The spirit is full of morall corruption but it is not subject to naturall corruption or the corruption of its nature How glad would the damned be if their spirits might fail and their souls return to nothing The failing of the spirit under the wrath of God is the failing of its hope and courage Thus the spirit sinks and the immortall soul dies away under the sense and weight of Gods displeasure But what if the Lord should take away his rod and change his â—errours into smiles What will Iob do then when this is granted see what he will do Verse 35. Then would I speak and not fear him but it is not so with me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. But is this the use which Iob would make of the mercy he begs Doth he entreat the Lord to take his terrifying fear away from him and then resolve not to fear him at all Whose voice is this Is this the voice of Job I will speak and not fear him Jobs character in the first Chapter was A man fearing God and dares he now say I will speak and not fear him As the fear of God ought to be the seasoning of all our works and actions so it ought to be the seasoning of all our words and speeches why then doth he say I will speak and not fear him To clear this I answer Fear may be taken two waies Either for the grace of fear or
for the perturbation of fear When Job saith I would speak and not fear him his meaning is not to lay down that fear of God which is a bridle to the soul keeping it from sin or that reverentiall affection which fits us for and should act us in every holy duty we perform to God When Job praied to be free from the fear of God he resolved thus to fear God T is only the perturbation of fear distracting fear not sanctifying humbling fear which Job would lay aside when God should please to with-draw his terrifying fear And so his minde is plainly this If the Lord will be entreated to remit the extremity of my affliction and remove those terrours wherewith I am affrighted then I would speak boldly and chearfully to him I would set out the truth of my case and declare the innocency of my person Qui injudicio consiernatur non potest recté agere causam suam seque ita utoportet desendere ac tueri terror enim impedimento est ei Pâ—ned Vehement passions hinder my reason 't is uneasie to speak till I am eased of my pains I cannot tell how it is with me so long as it is thus with me Hence note That extremity of fear is an interruption to speech While sense is much troubled reason cannot act much When Ephraim spake trembling he exalted himself in Israel Hos 13.1 There to speak trembling is to speak humbly Our words to God should be accompanied with low thoughts of our selves Ephraims trembling is opposed to pride and hardnesse of heart They who thus tremble at the Word of God are fittest to speak to God yet excessive trembling hinders us in speaking And untill the Lord quiets and composes our hearts by a word from heaven till he speak to our distempered mindes as once to the raging sea Be quiet and still we cannot utter our hearts or declare our mindes unto him When God sends a gracious message to poor sinners and invites them to a conference as he did his ancient people Isa 1.18 Come let us reason together then they come boldly to the throne of grace notwithstanding their crimson and scarlet sins Then they are not afraid to speak they may speak and not fear him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quia non sic ego mecum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non enim sic conscius sum But saith Job it is not so with me There is much diversity of opinion about these words M. Broughton translates I am not so with my self and gives this note upon it I am not such with my self as Gods scourge seemeth to make me or such as your words would make me The Septuagint renders it I am not so conscious to my self or I am not so self-guilty The Hebrew word for word runs thus For not so I with my self Some difference arises from the first particle we read But Most For The originall is rather causall then exceptive I would speak and not fear him for it is not so with me Particula Chen propter variam quam habet significationem varijs quoque interpretationibus ansam praebit est enim vox aequivoca plura significans Bol. But the word which causes the greatest difference is that which we translate So It is not so with me The Hebrew is Chen and that hath two principall significations It signifies sometimes right or just and is applied both to persons and to things First Unto things Jer. 8.6 The Lord hearkned and heard and there was no man that spake Chen aright or things which were right Jer. 23.10 The word is opposed to evil Their course is evil and their force is not right that is the force might or power which they have is not set upon or imploied about that which is right but wholly bent to do wrong or they commit evil with all their might Qui bonam habet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rectus apud seipsum testatur igitur se bonam habere conscientiam inde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 apud Deum si non projure suo agere vel gratia uti velit Coc. Secondly The word Chen is applied unto persons noting a man that is upright hearted faithfull and honest both in conscience and conversation When Iosephs brethren Gen. 42.11 19 31. pleaded for themselves they say unto him We are Chenim right men we are no spies We are not come to finde out the weaknesse of the Land but to get a supply of our own wants Ioseph said Ye are spies ye come to circumvent us to put tricks upon us to work your own ends by discovering what we are No say they pray Sr do not misunderstand us we are Chenim honest right-hearted plain-meaning men Secondly The word is used adverbially It is not so with me that is It is not so as you imagine In which sense we finde it Gen. 1.7 The Lord said Let there be light and it was Chen so as the Lord commanded so it was Eccles 8.10 I saw the wicked buried who had come and gone from the place of the holy and they were strangers in the City where they had done so Upon both these significations of the word different interpreâ—ations of the whole are grounded First Taking the word to note an upright hearted man Iob is conceived to speak interrogatively as if he put this Question For am I not right in my self As if he had said If you thinke it too much boldnesse that I have said I would speak unto God and not fear him Am not I right in my self Am not I found and true at heart Thus he seems to allude unto that testimony which God gave of him at the first verse of this book A man perfect and upright As if he had said I am no turn-coat or apostate I am as I was and I doubt not but I shall be what I am still perfect before God and upright with men And if so why may not I have boldnesse to come unto God and speak freely with him They who are sincere with God may have great boldnesse in comming unto God Uprightnesse hath boldnesse with men and uprightnesse hath boldnesse towards God Though no uprightnesse or righteousnesse in man can give him boldnesse in himself yet it may give him boldnesse in another He may be assured that though he cannot be accepted for his uprightnesse yet being upright he shall be accepted Secondly Others read it negatively I would speak and not fear him for I am not right in or with my self And so the sense may be made out thus I have not gone about to justifie my self all this while I have not stood upon my own righteousnesse pleading with God if my righteousnesse were in my self then I might fear to speak with God though his fear should not terrifie me and though he should take away his rod from me but I have a better bottom then my own I am not right in my self I am
way might be cleared to him Secondly observe A godly man may be long in the dark about the reason of Gods dealing with him He labours alwaies to give an account of his own heart and waies to God but he is seldom able to give an account of the waies of God toward him The way of God both in mercy and in judgement is in the sea and his foot-steps are not seen As there is much of the Word of God which a sincere heart after many praiers and much study is not able to give a reason of so also are there many of his works The text of both is dark to us till God make the Comment and he sees it best sometimes to make us call and call wait and wait before he makes it There was famine in the Land of Israel three years year after year and yet David knew not the cause doubtles he did often examine his own heart look into the Kingdom to see what might be a provocation there but saw nothing till after three years he enquired of the Lord who answered It is for Saul and for his bloudy house because he slew the Gibeonites 2 Sam. 21.1 It is more then probable that David had enquired of the Lord before that time A holy heart especially one so holy as Davids was can hardly let personall affliction be a day or an hour old without enquiring of the Lord about it And shall we think that David let this Nationall affliction grow three years old before he enquired of the Lord about it surely then this enquiry after the end of three years was that grand and most solemn enquiry by Vrim and Thummim appointed as the last resort to God in cases of greatest difficulty and concernment till David used this means he found no resolution of that case why the Lord contended with his Kingdom by famine year after year Neither had Iob got resolution when he thus complained why the Lord contended with him by sore diseases and mighty terrours day after day But because it might yet be wondered at by some how he durst adventure to put up such a request to God he argues further in the next verse that the state wherein he was seemed to necessitate him to it and to prompt or put that request into his mouth Ne cui mirum videatur istud a me postulari res ipsa huc me adegit absit enim a me ut tibi placere posse existimem vioâ—eÌ„tam cujuspiam oppressionem Bez. As if he had said My condition cries aloud to me that I should cry aloud to God Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me For farre be it from me to think that the Lord delighteth in oppression in breaking the work of his own hands or in maintaining the works of wicked men wicked Iudges use to doe so whom God will never encourage as with a light shining from heaven by his example Farre be it from me to thinke so dishonourably of God and therefore I am thus importunate to know the reason of his dealings with me and what his thoughts are concerning me Verse 3. Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppresse that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands and shine upon the counsel of the wicked Is it good c I am sure it is not it is not pleasing unto thee to oppresse to despise the work of thy hands thou delightest not to shine upon the counsel of the wicked Nequaquam probat alioâ—um iniquam vim multò minus ipse alios opprimit Sanct. Thou canst not endure any of these evils acted by man much lesse wilt thou act them thy self Thou who art just even justice it self canst not love oppression thou who art mercifull even mercy it self wilt not despise the work of thine hands thou who art holy even holinesse it self how shouldest thou delight in wicked men Thou art of purer eies then to behold iniquity and approve of it What blasphemy then is it to imagine that thou dost practise it Thy justice thy mercy thy holinesse are such as cannot admit the taint of these aspersions Omnes vias injustitiae quibus terreni julices corrumpi jus pervertere solent a Domino conator amoliri Merc. Interrogatio sensum reddit omninâ— contrarium me â—uaquaÌ„ probas c. Sanct. So then in this third and fourth verse Iob reckons up those waies by which earthly men corrupt ot pervert justice and he removes them all from the Lord. Some men do but God doth not oppresse Some men do but God doth not destroy the work of his hands Some men do but God never doth shine upon the counsel of the wicked Is it good to thee that thou doest oppresse c These interrogations we see are vehement negations they flatly and peremptorily deny what they seem doubtingly to enquire The sense is It is not good unto thee yea it is evil in thy sight to oppresse c. Thou hatest oppression Ab absurdis argumentatur quae in Deo minimè sunt tameÌ„ cogitari possunt ab infirmitate humana Jun. wrong dealing shall not dwell with thee Iob puts these questions not as if he questioned whether it were good to the Lord to oppresse or good to destroy the work of his hands and to shine upon the counsel of the wicked These were no points of controversie with him nor did he seek resolution about them Yea he therefore begs a reason of the Lord wherefore he was so oppressed becaase he knew it was not good unto Him that he should oppresse Is it good unto thee The Hebrew signifies three things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bonum triplex denotat 1. Vtile 2. Iucundum 3. Honestum First That which is profitable Secondly That which is pleasant Thirdly That which is just right or honourable any thing tendâ—ng to reputation And there may be this three-fold sense of it in this place 1. Is it good unto thee that is Numquid tibi proderit Vatab. comes there any advantage unto the Lord by oppressing Surely none What profit is there in our bloud 2. Is it good unto thee that is Is it pleasing or delightfull Is the Lord taken with the afflicting of his people I know he doth not willingly afflict the children of men 3. Is it good unto thee that is Doest thou reckon it thine honour to lay thy hand severely upon thy poor creatures No it is thy glory to passe by a transgression Now seeing it it not good unto thee any of these waies seeing thou hast no gain or profit by it no joy or delight in it no glory or honour from it Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me That 's still the burden of this mournfull Song Is it good unto thee That thou shouldest oppresse The word which we translate to oppresse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Significat opprimere aliqueÌ„ verbu aut factis Numquid loâ—uÌ„ tibi videtur si calumnieris me Vulg. signifies a
with me Why am I brought to such a triall I am sure it is not with thee as with mortall Judges who having eyes of flesh can see no further then the out-side of things and know no more then is told them and therefore must fetch out what lies in the heart of man by examination and if examination will not do it they must do it by torture Lord there is no need thou shouldest take this course Thou canst enform thy self fully how it is with me though I should not speak a word though I am silent yet thine ear hears the voice and understands the language of my spirit Though I hide or cover my self yet the eye of thy omniscience looks quite thorow me seeing then thou hast not eyes like the eyes of men wherefore is it that thou enquirest by these afflictions after mine iniquity and searchest as men use to do after my sin Hast thou eyes of flesh or seest thou as man seeth God hath no eyes much lesse eyes of flesh God is a Spirit and therefore he cannot have eyes of flesh He is all eye and therefore properly he hath no eyes The eye is that speciall organ or member of the body into which the power of seeing is contracted but God is all over a power of seeing The body of man hath severall parts and severall honours and offices are bestowed upon every part The eye hath the great office and honour of seeing committed to it The eye is the light of the whole body and knowledge is the eye of the soul The eye of God is the knowledge of God Ipsum nomen Dei Graecum hanc videndi efficacit atem prae sesert 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nimirum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spectare contemplari dicitur Nihil est in intellectu quod noÌ„ priâ— suit in sensu The Greeks expresse God by a word which signifies to see and he is therefore said to have eyes and to see because the eye is a principall instrument and seeing a principall means by which man receives knowledge Naturalists tell us there is nothing in the understanding but that which is first in the sence The sences are doors to the minde the furniture and riches of that are conveyed in by the eyes or ears These bring informations to the understanding Naturall knowledge cannot have an immediate accesse to man and 't is but seldom that spirituall hath Both are commonly let in by sence The superiour powers must traffick with the inferiour otherwise they make no gain Though God hath no need of any help to bring in or improve his knowledge yet that is ascribed to him by which knowledge is improved He hath eyes but not of flesh he seeth but not as man Hast thou eyes of flesh Flesh by a Synechdoche is put for the whole nature of man The Word was made flesh Joh. 1.14 not body or soul but Flesh that is man consisting of soul and body Thus here eyes of flâ—sh that is mans eyes And so the later clause of the verse is an exposition of the former Oculi carnei sunt secundum carnem judicantes When he saith Hast thou eyes of flesh It is no more then this Dost thou see as man seeth To have an eie of flesh is to judge according to the flesh and to see as man seeth is to see no more then man When Samuel was sent to anoint a King over Israel in the place of Saul 1 Sam. 16.7 the Lord said concerning the first-born of Jesse Look not on his countenance or on the height of his stature because I have refused him The reason added is this For the Lord seeth not as man seeth for man looks on the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart There we have Jobs doctrine of Gods seeing delivered by God himself Samuel thought he who made the fairest shew to the eie of man must needs be the man who was fairest in the eye of God but the Lord seeth what is not seen and often findes most reality in the least appearance he who hath not eyes of flesh sees beyond the flesh There are seven differences between the eye of flesh or mans eye and the eye of God 1. Mans eye is but a means or an instrument of knowledge Gods eye is his knowledge The act and the faculty are not distinct in God All in God is act Neither is God another thing from his act whatsoever is ascribed to him is himself The eye of God is God seeing The knowledge of God is God knowing The love of God is God loving 2 Man must have a two-fold light to see by an inward light the light of the eye and an outward light the light in the air without both he cannot see man doth not see as Naturalists speak by sending forth a beam or a ray from his eye to the object but by receaving or taking in a beam or a ray from the object into his eie The object issues it's species to the eye which being joyned with the visive power of the eye man seeth But God seeth in himself of himself and from himself he needs no outward light Christ is described having a fiery eye His eyes were as a flame of fire Revel 1.14 Revel 2.18 Even nature teacheth us that those creatures which have fiery eyes see in the dark and see best when it is darkest because they see by sending forth a beam or a flame from their eyes which at once apprehends the object and enlightens the passage to it God who commanded light to come out of darknesse for the use of man commands light in darknesse for his own The darknesse hideth not from thee saith David but the night shineth as the day The darknesse and the light are both alike to thee There is no darknesse nor shadow of death where any of the workers of iniquity can hide themselves Job 34.22 Thus God hath not eyes of flesh he seeth not as man seeth 3. Man seeth one thing after another his eye is not able to take in all objects at once he views now one and then another to make his judgement of them But God seeth all things together he beholdeth all at one view his eye takes and gathers in all objects and all that is in every object by one act The Lord looketh from heaven and beholdeth all the sonnes of men from the place of his habitation he looks upon all the inhabitants of the earth Psal 33.13 14. 4. An eye of flesh seeth at a distance and at such a distance Naturalists tell us there must be a due distance between the eye and the object If you put the object too neer the eye Sensibile positum super sensuÌ„ tollet sensationem the eye cannot see it That which is sensible put upon the sense takes away sensation Again if the object be very remote the eye cannot make any discovery of it The eye cannot see farre and it cannot discern so farre as it
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
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„
past that vvhich vvas from the beginning and shall be to the end yea to that vvhich hath no end eternity is alwaies before him God is said to remember or to forget vvhen he acts like a man vvho remembers or forgets but there is no act either of forgetfulnesse or of remembrance in God Remembring implieth two things in God First A serious attention to the person and consideration of the thing vvhich he formerly seemed to slight or lightly to passe by We also remember by minding and thinking upon vvhat is present as well as by recalling what is past Secondly To remember notes a speedy supply of our wants or actuall deliverance out of dangers God remembers us when he favours us he remembers us when he pities us he remembers us when he relieves us Who remembred us in our low estate Psal 136.23 that is who brought us out of our low estate The needy shall not alway be forgotten Psal 9.18 not alway no nor at any time the Lord doth not at all forget any much lesse such needy ones as that Scripture intends The meaning is they shall not alway be undelivered their estate shall not lie for ever unconsidered and their cry unattended to God will not deal with them nor suffer others to deal with them as if he had forgotten them Hannah was long under that affliction of barrennesse and when the Lord gave her conception it is said He remembred Hannah 1 Sam. 1.19 his thoughts were ever upon her and upon her petition but when he granted her petition then he remembred her indeed As we then remember God when we obey his commands so God remembers us then when he fulfils our requests Remember I beseech thee As it is our duty to remember the Lord so it is our priviledge that we may put him in remembrance It is a priviledge and a very great one to be a remembrancer to the king of heaven The Prophet describes such an office Isa 62.6 Ye that make mention of the Lord or nearer the Hebrew Ye that are the Lords remembrancers keep not silence and give him no rest Great Princes have an officer called their Remembrancer and they need remembrancers It is at once their honour and their weaknesse to have them They cannot retain all businesses and preserve a record within themselves of all affairs within their Kingdoms It is an honour to God that he hath remembrancers but it is his greater honour that he hath no need of them Himself is the living record of all that hath been done or is to be done Knowledge is above memory and he that knows all things is above remembrancers God is willing we should speak to him after the manner of men but we must not conceive of him after the manner of men We must not think he hath forgotten us though we may beseech him to remember us There are four things which the Saints usually move the Lord to remember First His own mercies Remember O Lord thy tender mercies was Davids praier Psal 25.6 Hath God forgotten to be gracious was Davids question and infirmity Psal 77.9 yet God acts sometimes as if he had forgot his nature or had need to be minded to do what he is God can no more forget himself then deny himself no more forget to be gracious then cease to be yet he gives his people leave yea a charge to move him to do what he cannot but do what he is resolved yea what he is ready to do Mercy pleaseth God so much that he often appears displeased on purpose that we may remember him of his mercy He delights we should desire what he delights to grant Secondly The Saints usually minde God of his Covenant God is ever mindefull of his Covenant Psal 111.5 yet he loves to be minded of it His royall title is The God that keepeth Covenant for ever yet he loves to be desired not to break it Thus Jeremy begs for the Jews the Covenant-people of God Do not abhor us for thy name sake Do not disgrace the throne of thy glory remember break not thy Covenant with us Jer. 14.21 The Psalmist praies upon the same ground Have respect to the Covenant for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty As if he had said Lord Thou hast made a Covenant to preserve and protect thy people but now they are oppressed The dark places that is places full of ignorance and wickednesse which are spirituall darknesse are full of cruelty Holy knowledge hath no such enemy as ignorance Or the dark places are full c. may be thus understood there is no such obscure corner or by-place in the land but their malice searcheth it out for the vexation of thy people We are so far from having liberty to serve thee publikely in the light that we feel the cruelty of bloudy minded men though we do it secretly or in the dark Now Lord it is time for thee to remember thy Covenant Thirdly The Saints use to put God in remembrance of the rage and blasphemies of his and their enemies Thus the Church of the Jews cries unto the Lord Psal 137.7 Remember O Lord the children of Edom in the day of Ierusalem who said rase it rase it even to the foundation thereof When a man is wrong'd who intends revenge he will say to the party wronging him well Remember this or I shall remember you for this Revengefull men have strong memories so hath the God to whom vengeance belongeth He will certainly remember the sinfull revengefull cry of Edom against Jerusalem though the sins of Jerusalem did cry to him for vengeance The Psalmist is as earnest in another place urging the Lord to remember for his own interest as here for the interest of his Sion Psal 74.18 Remember this that the enemy hath reproached O Lord and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy Name As if he had said Pray Lord take a note of this make a memorandum of this That the enemy hath reproached thy Name God will remember it if any of his servants are reproached much more when himself is Fourthly The Saints remember God of their own frailty and that two-fold First Naturall Secondly Spirituall Remember how short my time is wherefore hast thou made all men in vain Psal 89.47 Man is a frail short-liv'd creature and it is some comfort to him that God knows he is so That which Job puts the Lord in remembrance of is his naturall frailty some understand it also of his spirituall Remember I beseech thee That thou hast made me as the clay The LXX reads it Thou hast made me clay 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word signifies cement or morter which are mixt of earth water Thou hast made me as tempered clay When the originall of man is described Propriè significat cementum vel terram aqua mixtam it is said The Lord formed man dust out of the ground or
dropping upon them when they suppose the Sunne shineth upon them Secondly Consider who speaks this If I saith Iob be wicked then woe unto me Hence observe That A godly man may put the worst cases to himself The Scripture puts such cases to godly men therefore they may put such to themselves Rom. 8.13 If ye live after the flesh ye shall die saith the Apostle writing to the Saints Though such a supposition cannot be resolved into this position A godly man shall die yet the supposition is true If he liveth after the flesh he shall die So the Apostle of himself and his fellow-Apostles yea of the Angels If we or an Angel from heaven preach any other Gospel unto you then that which we have preached let him be accursed Gal. 1.9 And as Paul prophecied a curse upon any either Apostle or angel who should preach a false Gospel so a woe upon himself if he should neglect to preach the true Gospel 1 Cor. 9.16 They who are above all curses may be threatned with a curse And they who shall certainly be preserved from doing that which inevitably brings the curse may be told of a curse in case they should do it They put dangerous suppositions opposite to these who say Let a godly man be never so wicked yet it shall be well with him let him sinne as much as he will yet it shall be well with him The Spirit of God never puts such suppositions As the Scripture speaks often to perswade so sometimes to terrifie the godly from sinne but never a tittle which may be an encouragement to sin It speaks much to keep up their hearts in an assurance of pardon in case they fall into sin and much more to keep down their corruptions and to preserve them from falling into sin Though there be a truth in it that how much so ever a godly man sinneth he shall be pardoned yet the Scripture useth no such language and the form of wholsom words teacheth every man rather to speak thus If I be wicked then woe unto me If I be righteous yet will I not lift up my head These words stand in an elegant opposition against the former Here are persons and states opposite persons The wicked and the righteous If I be wicked if I be righteous states Woe and lifting up the head If I be wicked then woe unto me If I be righteous then will I not lift up mine head He doth not say If I be righteous I shall be happy though that be a truth but which was more sutable to his purpose If I be righteous yet will I not lift up my head Some put this into a dilemma or double argument by which Iob would aggravate the greatnesse of his affliction As if he had said Let me look which way I will my case is very said if I be wicked then woe be to me If I be righteous yet I am so full of sorrows that I am not able to hold up my head But I rather interpret this later part of the verse as a description of Jobs humility in the best of his spirituall estate then as any aggravation of the ilnes of his temporall estate If I be righteous He speaks not as if he doubted whether he were righteous or no. Iob had shewed the setlednesse of his spirit in that assurance more then once before but he puts the best of his case to shew how low he was in his own thoughts when he was at best There is a two-fold righteousnesse First of Justification Secondly of Sanctification of sincerity or uprightnesse and so his meaning is Suppose I am such as I have asserted my self to be and as God himself hath testified me to be perfect and upright yet I will not lift up my head Some read I cannot others I dare not lift up my head I will not lift up my head Not lift up thy head man if thou wert righteous Why who in the world shall lift up their heads if the righteous shall not Are there any that have such cause to lift up their heads as they He might say indeed If I were rich or if I were honourable yet I will not lift up my head these are things which cannot and therefore should not lift up any mans spirit an inch from the ground but to say If I were righteous I would not lift up my head seems a degradation or an abasement of righteousnesse To clear this I shall open the phrase a little To lift up the head of another man is to advance him Thus Pharaoh lifted up the head of his chief Butler Gen. 40.13 And the King of Babylon lifted up the head of Iehojakin King of Iudah and brought him forth out of prison Jer. 52.21 In this sense David cals God The lifter up of his head Ps 3.3 To lift up our own heads is to prevail and to get above pressing evils victoriously Judg. 8.28 Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel so that they lifted up their heads no more That is Gideon routed and made so compleat a conquest over the Midianites that they were totally broken and could no more insult over Israel The victory of Christ over all our spirituall enemies is thus described Psal 110.7 He shall drink of the brook in the way that is of the waters of affliction and sorrow which either the wrath of God or the rage of men gave him to drink while he was in the way of perfecting the work of our redemption and because he shall do this Therefore shall be lift up his head that is he shall prevail by his passion and overcome by dying yea he shall overcome death by a triumphant resurrection Attolere caput notat gaudium fiduciā Coc. Again There is a two-fold lifting up of the head First a lifting up of the head with joy and consolation Luk. 21.28 Secondly A lifting up of the head with pride and ostentation Psal 83.2 Loe thine enemies make a tumult and they that hate thee have lift up the head that is they have proudly boasted and vaunted themselves The later is Jobs sense If I be righteous I will not lift up my head in pride he might and he did lift up his head in joy because he knew himself righteous Once more There is a lifting up of our heads in our selves and a lifting up of our heads in Christ Job disclaims the former here but he all along assumes the later We cannot lift up our heads too high in the thoughts of free grace nor hang them down too low in the thought of our own works Non levabo caput h e. demisso capite ac mente coram te ambulabo Further While Job saith I will not lift up my head he meaneth lesse then he speaketh In Scripture there is sometimes lesse expressed then is intended and sometimes more That of the Apostle 1 Cor. 15.58 Your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord rises in sense higher then the
Sight which is the chief sense is put for any sense And so the meaning is Though I am righteous yet I cannot hold up my head or take any comfort because I am so full of confusion and see so much affliction As if he had said Can a man at the same time mourn and rejoyce Can a man lift up his head while he hath such a load upon his heart Hence observe They who see much affliction can hardly take in any consolation Come to a godly man under great outward or inward troubles tell him of the love of God of the pardon of sinne of an inheritance among the Saints in light as his portion you can hardly fasten any of these things upon him sorrow within keeps comfort out As till sin be cast out we cannot act holily so till worldly sorrow or the excesse of godly sorrow be cast out we cannot act joyfully The Saints in a right posture of spirit are joyous in all their tribulations and Christ is able to make consolations abound as tribulation doth abound yet where there is abundance of tribulation consolation is usually very scarce Drops will hardly be received where rivers are offered and poured forth Another reading of the words representeth Iob bespeaking God in praier mixed with complaining If I were righteous Satis habeas ignominiae vide impotentiaÌ„ meam Coc. yet cannot I lift up my head be thou satisfied with confusion and behold my affliction So M. Broughton As if Iob had said Let it be enough Lord let it now suffice give me some ease that I may lift up my head a little before I lay it down for altogether Thus David praied Ps 39.11 12. When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth surely every man is vanity O spare me that I may recover stâ—ength before I go hence be no more When Nehemiâ—h was humbling himself and confessing his sin and the sinne of that people he concludes according to this interpretation Chap. 9.32 Let not all the trouble seem little before thee that hath come upon us on our Kings on our Princes and on our Priests and on all thy people as if he had said Lord consider that now we have been greatly punished though we have been punished lesse then our sins deserve Thou maist justly inflict more but we are not able to endure more Rectius in imperativo q. d. vide Domine quo sim statu tum cognosces ita esse ut dico Mâ—rc Thirdly We read imperatively Therefore see thou mine affliction So his meaning is Lord take notice of my sad condition I am full of trouble Hence observe That when sorrows are come to a great height it is time for us to pray that God would cast a compassionate eye upon them When we are past the cure and help of man we are fittest objects for God When the pressures of the people of Israel were greatly encreased in Aegypt then the Lord himself saith I have seen I have seen Exod. 3.7 and when affliction is boyl'd up to the height then let us say See Lord see Lord. When the rage and blasphemy of Rabshakeh both by speaking and writing reached even unto heaven Then Hezekiah went and spread the letter before the Lord 2 King 19.14 As if he had said Lord do thou read this letter Lord bow down thine ear and hear Lord behold and see we are full of confusion See thou our affliction And when the enemies of the Jews in Nehemiah's time fell to scoffing and jearing the work they had in hand and them in the work then that zealous Governour puts it unto God Hear O our God for we are despised Secondly Note That when our afflictions are at the highest and greatest thou the Lord is able to master and subdue them I am full of confusion see thou mine affliction As if he had said It is in vain for me to shew my diseases and my wounds to creatures but I know I am not past thy cure though I come thus late or thus I have shewed my wounds and my diseases to the creature I have made my moan to men but they cannot help Now I bring them unto thee O see my affiction All our ruines may be under the hand of God he hath bread and cloathing for us he can be our healer when none can either in heaven or earth Lastly Observe When our afflictions are at the highest then usually God comes to deliver When the waters of affliction swell over the banks and threaten a deluge then God turns the stream when our sores fester and are ready to gangrene then God applies his balsome He seldome appears in a businesse which others can do or undertakes that which is mans work As in the sore travel of women in childe-bearing other helpers undertake it not till as they speak it be past womens work so God seldome meddles eminently he acts alwaies concommitantly till our deliverance is past mans work that so the whole praise of the work may be his When danger is upon the growing hand then desire God to take deliverance in hand then pray and pray earnestly that God would see your afflictions when you perceive them to be encreasing afflictions So it follows in the next verse See thou mine affliction Verse 16. For it encreaseth Thou huntest me as a fierce lion and again thou shewest thy self marvellous upon me This verse with the next are an elegant and patheticall description of Iobs yet growing and prevailing sorrows for having closed the 15th verse with an Assertion and a petition I am full of confusion therefore see thou mine affliction he presseth and pursueth both in these words For it encreaseth Thou huntest me as a fierce lion For it encreaseth M. Broughton renders How it fleeth up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In bonum elevâ—tâ—â— eminuit in malum intumuit superbiit de inanimatis â—revit auctus â—uit The Hebrew word is taken sometimes in a good and sometimes in an ill sense In a good sense it signifies to be lifted up or to be eminent in excellency In an ill sense it signifies to be lifted up or exalted with pride The word is applied also to things without life and then it signifies to augment by addition or encrease The Vulgar takes it in that ill sense as noting pride and high-mindednesse translating by the Noun thus For pride thou dost catch me as a lion or thou dost hunt me as a lion because I am proud A lion is a stout creature and may be an embleme of pride Another gives a sense near that When it lifteth up it self then thou huntest me as a fierce lion When what lifteth up it self when my head lifteth up it self he had said in the former verse If I be righteous yet will I not lift up my head for if I doe lift up my head in pride then thou wilt hunt me as a fierce lion I shall