many long answers but Elihu the Moderator was forced to tell them ye have not answered sufficiently Lastly Elihu having heard all their answers and finding that they did not reach a proofe against Job nor answer his reasonings and replyes he speaks himselfe Hence note When we have weighed all duely and find that others have not done the deed we must not dissemble our judgements nor flatter them in their faulty answers Elihu would not doe so and the reason why he would not is layd downe in the next words Vers 13. Lest ye should say we have found out wisdome God thrusteth him downe not man In the former verse Elihu shewed his owne disappoyntment while he waited upon others I attended unto you saith he to Jobs three friends and behold there was none of you that convinced Job or that answered his words Then followes Lest ye should say we have found out wisdome c. In which words Elihu proceeds with his Preface that he might the more fairely fall into discourse with Job for having told Jobs friends that he had waited in vaine for satisfaction from their answers or replyes they having not convinced him either by solid reason or by Authentick Authority and testimony that he was so bad as they judged him to be He adds this I affirme Lost ye should say we have found out wisdome That is lest ye should say it boastingly and cry victory against his afflicted man The word is often used in Scripture to signifie saying with boasting or speaking in pride of spirit The Baptist Math. 3.9 tells the Pharisees Thinke not to say within your selves we have Abraham to our father his meaning is doe not speake of your pedegree boastingly nor proudly that ye are Abrahams children will doe you no good unlesse ye are good like your father Abraham and doe as he did So here Rem acu tetimuâ— ipsum cardinum in quo tota controversia vertitur de Jobo Drus Lest ye should proudly say we have found out wisdome we have found the mystery of the whole matter we have found out the key which unlocks this secret or as Mr Calvins translater wittily as well as truly expresseth We have found out the beane in the Cake we say Lest ye should say we have found out wisdome That is that which will surely prove us wise men and gaine us the reputation of wisdome among all wise and knowing men What their speciall resolve was which they counted widome followes in the close of the verse according to our reading God thrusteth him downe not man But before I deale with that conclusion I shall briefly note two things from those words Lest ye should say we have found out wisdome First Man is very apt to speake boastingly to have high thoughts and then to utter great words of himselfe Man is a proud piece of flesh and a small matter will make him shew his pride and spread his plumes like that naturally-painted bird if not explicitely in words yet his spirit will swell and be puft up with towring conceits of himselfe The Prophet Habakkuk describes this temper Chap. 2.4 He that is lifted up his spirit is not upright in him A proud spirit is alwayes a false spirit They who thinke highly of themselves thinke themselves higher then they are And 't is a great argument that man is naturally very proud because God hath given so many stops and checks to his pride or hath made so many provisions against it The very contrivance of the work of Redemption in that way by the hand of Jesus Christ had this great designe in it For as the chiefe designe in reference to man was his salvation that was the ultimate end as to man so there was another designe in it why God would save man that way which the Apostle layeth downe 1 Cor 1.29 That no flesh should glory in his sight While God intended to give man glory he took a course to cut off all glorying from man God would not set up man againe to worke is owne salvation lest he should be proud of his workes Though we are now called to work out our owne salvation Phil. 2.12 yet it is wholly wrought by another and we are there commanded to work out our owne salvation with feare and trembling not with presumption and boasting Againe How apt is man to boast of any good he doth seeing he is not ashamed to boast sometimes when he doth evill and of that which is evill even of the lusts and lustings of his evill heart Psal 10.3 The wicked boasteth of his hearts desire And what good is there in the desire of a wicked mans heart He as such can desire nothing but what is worse then nothing sin or vanity and yet he boasts of it Yea man is ready to boast not only of evill done but of his ability to doe evill They in the Prophet boasted that they were mighty to drinke wine and men of strength to mingle strong drinke Isa 5.22 How doe some please themselves that they are in power only because that gives them an advantage to oppresse whom they please or all those with whom they are displeased David saw that spirit ruling and raging in spirefull Doeg whom he therefore checks Psal 52.1 Why boastest thou thy selfe in mischiefe O mighty man The Apostle found those Phil. 3.19 who gloried in their shame That is in sinfull practices even making their belly their God whereof they ought to be ashamed The Prophet spake of their like long before Isa 3.9 They declare their sin as Sodome they hide it not As if it had been their ornament and their honour their beauty and bravery to be wicked But especially if bad men doe that which is good they boast of it A carnal man may for the matter doe good yea he may have a zeale for God Jehu said Come see my zeale for the Lord 2 Kings 10.16 But Jehu desired more to have his zeale for the Lord seene then to be zealous for the Lord. And so his was indeed zeale for himselfe not for the Lord. The Pharisees did many good things but they could not foâ—beare boasting in the good they did They doe all saith Christ who knew not only what they did but with what heart to be seene of men or to have prayse with men Yea not only are evill men ready to boast of the good they doe but the temptation lies hard also upon godly men to doe so their hearts are often unduely transported as with the thoughts of their gifts parts and graces so with what they doe through the gift of grace Our very graces much more our outward priviledges may be an occasion of boasting Pride and boasting are weeds which grow up from the best and richest soyle 'T is rare to see any man rich in gifts and graces and poore in spirit poverty of spirit is the purest and truest riches of grace Secondly As to the particular here spoken of Lest ye should say we
did beare such a construction And the Lord suffer'd Elihu to urge them upon him to the utmost Yet notwithstanding all that hath been sayd I doe conceive that Elihu had not the least imagination that the meaning of Job in those assertions concerning himselfe was that he had not sinned at all or that there was no sin in him But taking his words in the best and fairest construction they could beare he yet saw cause to check and reprove him for saying so much in that condition about his innocency whereas he should have been chiefly taken up in glorifying God and humbling himselfe under his mighty hand So much for the answer to the fourth query what reason Elihu had to charge Job thus It hath been shewed whaâ— may be sayd in favour of Job And also that Elihu might without breach of charity charge him with these sayings To shut up this verse take only two briefe notes from the whole First The best of men have their failings and are apt to over-report themselves Our most deliberate actions and speeches have some tincture of the flesh how much more those which passe us in a passion Though Job spake what was true yet he spake more then was meete And they that heard him might take just occasion of offence not knowing his spirit and the strain of his heart in speaking so The Apostle James saith James 3. 2. If any man offend not in word the same is a perfect man and able also to bridle the whole body He hath a mighty command over his spirit that can command his tongue especially when he is provoked It is a reall part of perfection not to offend in word This good man spake many things well yet all was not well spoken Againe In that Job spake thus under the pressure of affliction Observe In times of affliction it is better to be much in bewailing of sin then in making reports wherein we have not sinned There will no hurt come of that but while we are reporting our innocency and good deeds though what we speak be true yet 't is subject to construction and layeth us open to reproofe Lastly We may learne from the dealing of Elihu with Job That in all disputations and matters of controversie with others we should take heed that we fasten no uncharitable interpretation upon the words of our adversary nor adde any thing of our owne to them nor wrest them besides their grammaticall and genuine construction yet even those speeches which are true in some respect if they exceed the bounds of modesty may freely be reprehended For we ought not only to doe that which is good and speake that which is true for the matter but we ought to doe and speake in a good or becoming manner Thus farre of the first fault which Elihu found and reproved in Job his over-confidence in saying he was not faulty or in justifying himselfe In the two next verses he blames him with reflecting over-boldly and unduely upon the dealings of God The particulars whereof were expressed before in opening the whole Context and come now to be further opened Vers 10. Behold he findeth occasions against me Quaerit adversum me et invenit confractiones i.e. ut confringat et irrita faciat omnia mea studia instituta et conatuâ— ut nihil ossequar eorum quae quaero et instituo Merc Ecce confractiones adversum me invenit Bez 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 confractiones contritiones et quasi abolitiones Sunt qui reddunt occasiones quasi esset 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 literis transpositis alij querelas Radix 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inde Hiphit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fregit confregit irritum fecit Merc and counteth me for his enemy These words containe the first part of the second charge For the clearing of which I shall first explicate the words then by way of observation shew what matter of charge or evill there is in them Behold he findeth occasions against me I have heretofore shewed the emphasis of that word Behold And therefore I passe it here Behold He that is God findeth occasions against me or strictly from the Hebrew he findeth breaches The verbe is translated Breake Psal 141.5 It imports such a breaking as is also a bringing to nought Psal 33.10 'T is likewise applyed to the breaking of the heart by discouragements Numb 32.7 And it is significantly enough translated here He findeth breaches against me that is something or other to make a breach upon me something to complaine of against me The word is rendred in these three sences First An occasion Secondly A Breach Thirdly as the Septuagint a complaint or accusation We may joyne all three together for a complaint or accusation is commonly an occasion of breaches among men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Accusationem autem adversum me invenit Sept Qui querelas amâ—t quaerit occasiones unde illas excitat Bold Deus studiosè quaesivit ansam me persequendi he that loves breaches will seeke and seldome misseth occasions of complaint We say of a man that is of a troublesome spirit and given to contention which is also Mr Broughtons translation Behold he picketh a quarrell against me though I give him no just matter of offence yet he either findeth or maketh one Thus most of the Hebrew writers carry it he fâ—ndeâ—h occasions to alter his former course with me to cast me off to lay his hand upon me even to ruine and break me to pieces Hence observe To seeke occasions against another is hard and uncharitable dealing Josephs brethren were very suspitious of this Gen 43.18 The men were afraid because they were brought to Josephs house and they said because of the money that was found in our sacks mouth the first time are we brought in that he may seek occasion against us As if they had said we well perceive he would gladly have some matter to accuse us and so to detaine us upon that occasion Thus said the King of Israel 2 Kings 5.7 when Naman came to him with a message from his Prince to desire him that he would heale him of his Leprosie The King of Israel began presently to startle and thought it was nothing but a meere trick and a device to bring on some further designe what said he Am I God to kill and make alive that this man is come to me wherefore consider I pray you and see how he seeketh a quarrell against me They may be judged to watch for a discourtesie who desire courtesies of us beyond our power This made the King of Israel jealous that the King of Syria being confident of future successe by his former successes against Israel was by this device only seeking an occasion to renew the warre We have an eminent Scripture to this purpose Dan 6.4 5. Daniel being advanced high at Court it drew a great deale of envie upon him among the Princes and Presidents and therefore they resolved to try their
concerning the state of his Church to the end of the world revealed to him in severall visions I saith he Rev. 1.10 was in the spirit on the Lords day c. That 's is a famous promise which was first reported by the Prophet Joel Chap 2.28 and after repeated by the Apostle Peter Acts 2.17 I will poure out my Spirit upon all flesh c. and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams Thus it is every where clear in Scripture that dreames and visions were frequent both in the Old Testament times and in the beginning of the New But now in these last dayes as the Apostle saith Heb. 1.2 3. passing from those former wayes of Revelation described in the first verse God having spoken to us by his Son whom he hath appointed heir of all things by whom also he made the Worlds who is also the brightnesse of his glory and the expresse Image of his person God I say having spoken to us by his Son and we having now a clearer manifestation of the mind of God then the old fathers had the Son who once spake to us in person on earth still speaking to us in the Gospell every day therefore now for any to look after dreams and visions or visible apparitions for the revealing of the mind of God is to goe backward to the old state of the Jewish Church or to the infancy of the Gospell Church while the Canon or Rule of the Scripture as to all matters of faith and holy life was not fully finished and compleated And though we ought to be farre from limiting God yet he hath limited us from looking after any wisdome in the knowledge of his will above that which is written 1 Cor. 4.6 The Apostle also testifying by the Spirit of God that the Scripture is sufficient to make every man wise to salvation and the man of God perfect throughly furnished unto all good works that good work especially of helping others to salvation 1 Tim. 3.15.17 Ardentibus votu precatus sum ut daret mihi deus certuÌ„ sensum scripturae et pactum feci cum domino deo meo ne mihi visiones vel somnia mitteret Luth. loci com quartae clasâ—is Luther observing how many were deluded in his time by dreames and visions which they falsely attributed to God as the immediate Author of them earnestly prayed about two things First that God would give him a sound understanding of his mind revealed in the Scriptures Secondly that he would nor send him dreames or visions yea saith he I even contracted with God that he would not And doubtlesse he did this upon a double ground First to oppose the wild opinions and practices of those who had nothing to pretend for them but dreames and visions Secondly to advance the honour of the written word in its sufficiency not only without the help of any humane tradition but without any further divine revelation And therefore though God should please to speak to us now by dreames and visions yet that were only as the Apostle speaks about his adding of an oath to his promise Heb. 6.17 to shew that he is ex abundanti more abundantly willing to satisfie our weaknesse by such a condiscention then that there is a necessity of it with respect to any deficiency of the Scriptures fullnesse And hence it is that if men shall professe they have received any thing from God by dreams or visions concerning what is either to be beleeved or done the matter of those dreams must be examined and weighed at the ballance of the Scriptures and is no further to be credited then as 't is found agreeable thereunto It cannot be denyed but that men may make profitable use of their dreames at this day they may see much of themselves when their eyes are shut up by sleepe Evill men may see their lusts at worke in the night and find out what lust is most working and wakefull in them What is said in History of the ancient Persian Kings that they were seldome seen in the day but came to view in the night is true of a mans speciall sin or of that sin which reignes and Kings it in him What ugly apparitions of lust hath many a man in his nightly dreams especially of those filthy lusts which are most proper to the night Thus also good men have sometimes a clearer sight of their graces in the night by dreames then in the duties of the day What holy frames of heart what lively actings of grace what sweet and ravishing communion with God have many godly men found and felt in dreames That may at lest be somewhat of Davids meaning when he said Psal 16.17 My reines also instruct me in the night season Lastly Though we cannot make any certaine conclusions either what we are or what we are to doe from dreames yet from them they who are wise and watchfull may sometimes gather strong conjectures about both or either To make dreames the rule or warrant of what we doe is extreamly dangerous yet that we may have hints what to do in a dreame I nothing doubt nor can there be any danger in it while the matter hinted is consonant to the rule of the word both as that which is lawfull to be done and lawfull for us all circumstances considered to doe Otherwise whatsoever we may think our selves warned or warranted to doe by dreames is but a mock or trick put upon us by the Devill or a deceit of our own foolish selfish hearts Thus we have seene the first way of Gods speaking to men of old by dreames and visions of the night what work God is pleased to make with and in man by such speakings will appeare distinctly in the three following verses Vers 16. Then he openeth the ears of men and sealeth there instruction In this verse Elihu gives us the first of those gracious designes or purposes of God in sending dreams or visions of the night then he openeth the ears of men There is a twofold eare of man first externall that organ of hearing placed in the head Secondly internall that power of hearing seated in the heart God can uncover or open both There are but few who have their outward eare stopt we rarely meet with a deaf man But we every where meete with and speak to those who are internally deafe The Lord openeth this inward eare and he only is able to doe it God opened the heart or internall eare of Lydia to attend to the things which were spoken of Paul Acts 16.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sep. The Septuagint render this place of Job expressely so Then he openeth the mind of men Their translation comes close to the sence though not to the letter of the Originall Quidam hanc loquendi formulam natam esso putant ex hebraeorum consuetudine qui cum antiquis seculis prolixam alerent comam eaque aures operirent si quis
of their Countenance testifieth against them that is they look proudly though which should lay them in the dust they live very lewdly yea they are proud of their lewdness Thirdly How often doth pride bud in apparell in vaine fashions and new-fangled attires in the affected adornings and trimmings of a body of clay What are these but the buddings of pride yea the flaggs and banners of pride Some are as proud of their gay dresses as the Peacock of his feathers We commonly say Fine feathers make fine birds but how foolish are those birds that are proud of Feathers Secondly There is pride of heart or pride budding in the spirit of man which doth not shew it selfe only the mind swels within When men have high thoughts of themselves though they doe not as the Apostle Jude hath it speake great swelling words of vanity yet they have great swelling thoughts of vanity then pride buddeth in their spirits their minds swell and the mind will swell more then the tongue The tongue swells mightily but the heart much more The spirit of a man may lift up it selfe on high when the man looks very demurely Hab 2.4 Behold his soule which is lifted up is not upright in him If the soule be lifted up the man falls He that is high-minded cannot be upright in his minde It may be questioned Whence it cometh to passe that the soule of man is so much and so often lifted up with pride What causeth this swelling and heaving of his spirit I answer First Some are proud of their birth either that they are borne of great men or that they are borne of good men The Baptist admonished the Jewes of this piece of pride Math 3.19 Thinke not to say within your selves we have Abraham to our father As if he had sayd I well perceive what makes you as we speake proverbially stand so much upon your pantafloes and talk within your selves at such a rate of your selves is it not because you are of Abrahams stock But I say unto you let not your heart swell with these thoughts we are Children of Abraham for God is able even of these stones to raise up children to Abraham that is God will not want a people though he should lay you aside and entertaine you no longer for his people Secondly Others are proud of riches yea they boast of the multitude of their riches Psal 49.6 Even they who desire to hide their riches as much as they can yet cannot but tell the world they are proud of their riches so proud that they slight and contemne all men that have not as much riches as they O what rejoycings have most rich men over their riches Hezekiah a great King and a Good man a rare conjunction had much of that upon his spirit Isa 39.2 when Ambassadours came from Babylon He was glad of them and shewed them all his treasure He affected they should see what a rich King he was and what masses of Gold and silver as well as what multitudes of men were at his command Thirdly Many are proud of their honours and powers in the world They are high-minded because they are set in high places 'T is a dishonour to some great men that they have not truely great spirits And 't is the temptation of all great men to have proud spirits Fourthly Not a few are proud of their bodyly perfections and strength many a soule is defiled and deformed with pride by the bodyes beauty and fairenesse many look not after the beauty of holinesse while they doat upon the beauty of their owne comelinesse they see themselves in their beauty till they are proud of it and care not which should be our greatest care and shall be our greatest priviledge Isa 33.17 to see the King in his beauty As some trust in their spirituall beauty Ezek 16.15 so others over-weene their corporall both are the effects of pride and the first is by so much the worse of the two by how much it riseth from a better object Fifthly Many are proud of their naturall parts proud of their gifts proud of their wit proud of their memory proud of their eloquence and abilities of speaking As knowledge it selfe puffeth up 1 Cor 8.1 so doe all those endowments which serve either for the getting or expressing of our knowledge Gifts and abilities whether naturall or improved and acquired doe not more fit us for service then tempt us to and unlesse grace worke mightily taint us with pride Sixthly As many are proud of what they have so others are proud of what they have done they are proud of their actions their spirits swell with the thoughts of their owne workes Some are so wicked that they are proud of their evill workes The Apostle saith They glory in their shame Phil 3.19 David complain'd of many Psal 4. who turned his glory into shame but these turne their shame into glory that is they are proud of that for which they ought to be ashamed Now if some are proud of the evill of the mischief which they have done how easily may we grow proud of the good which we have done proud of our duties proud of our righteous deeds proud of our charitable deeds to men proud of our prayers to God proud of our zeale for God as Jehu was who sayd Come and see my zeale for the Lord. The heart of a good man may soone have too much to doe with what he hath done his thoughts may quickly worke too much towards and upon his owne workes But as for hypocrites and selfe-seekers who doe good to be seene of men they cannot forbeare seeing it themselves and surely that sight of the eye cannot but affect the heart with pride Seventhly Pride riseth often from the successe of what is attempted and done men are proud of victories The Assyrian is described Isa 10.13 14. triumphing and insulting because he had put downe the nations as a valiant man And Hab 1.16 we have the Chaldeans sacrificing to their net and burning incense to their drage because by them their portion is fat and their meat plenteous that is they boasted of and gloried in their great atchievements in warre so it seemes to be explained in the next words v. 17. Shall they therefore empty their net and not spare continually to slay the nations Eighthly Pride springeth out of the very mercies and salvation of God Thus 't is sayd of Hezekiah 2 Chron 32.25 after he had received two great mercies First deliverance from a great enemy and Secondly from a great sicknesse He rendred not againe according to the benefit done unto him for his heart was lifted up How lifted up not in thankfulnesse for he rendred not according to the kindnesse but in pride and high-mindednesse for presently it is said v. 26. Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himselfe for the pride of his heart Ninthly The heart is lifted up and waxeth proud with Church-Priviledges Some say they are in the Church or they are the
through the abundance of revelations he should he exalted above measure there was given him a thorne in the flesh the messenger of Satan to buffet him 2 Cor 12.7 that is God used extraordinary means to humble him As here God is said to humble by visions so there Paul being endanger'd to pride by receiving visions God found a strange way to humble him even by the bufferings of the messenger of Satan who is the Prince of pride and as God speaketh of the Leviathan at the 42d Chapter of this booke v. 34. a king over all the children of pride God doth so much resist pride that he cannot but resist the proud James 4 6. and scorne the scorners Pro 3.34 yea he hath told us of a day Isa 2.11 wherein the lofty lookes of man shall be humbled and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed downe and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day There are foure speciall pride subduing Considerations First They who are proud of what they have are like to have no more When the Apostle had sayd James 4.6 He resisteth the proud he presently adds but giveth more grace to the humble As if he had sayd Though the Lord hath given proud men much for 't is some gift of God and usually a great one of which men grow proud yet he will now stop his hand and give them no more The Lord gives to them who are humble and praise him not to those who are proud and praise themselves Secondly Not only doth the Lord stop his hand from giving more to those who are proud but often makes an act of revocation and takes away that which he hath already given As he who Idly puts his talent into a napkin so he who vainely and vain-gloriously shews it is in danger of having it taken away from him It is as sinfull to shew our talent proudly as to hide it negligently Nebuchadnezzar boasted proudly of his kingdome and presently it was sayd to him The kingdome is departed from thee Hezekiah boasted of his treasure Isa 39.6 and by and by the Lord told him his treasure should be taken away though not immediately from him yet from his posterity and carried to Babylon 'T is so in spiritualls when we proudly shew our treasure the treasures of our knowledge or other gifts and attainments the Lord many times in judgement sends them into captivity takes them from us and strips us naked of that cloathing and adorning whereof we are proud Thirdly If God doth not take all away yet what remaines is withered and blasted it dries up and comes to little if it be not quite removed yet it appeares no more in its former beauty and luster When God with rebukes correcteth man for this iniquity he maketh his beauty the beauty of his parts and gifts yea of his graces to consume away as David expresseth it Psal 39.11 like a moth O what a dryness and so a decayedness falls upon that soule from whom the soaking dewes and drops the sweete influences of heaven are restrained And surely if they are restrained from any they are from proud men No marvaile then if others see and they feele their witherings and even sencible declinings every day Fourthly Suppose the gifts and parts of a proud man continue florid and appeare stil acting in their former strength vigour and beauty yet God sends a secret curse upon them and though he doth not wither them yet he doth not delight in them not give them any acceptation The best things how long soever continued to proud men are no longer blessings to them yea it had been good for them that either they had never had them or that they had been soone taken away That as one sayd falsely of the life of man in generall Optimum est non nasci proximum cito mori but truely of wicked men It had been best for them not to have been borne and their next best would be to dye quickly So I may say in this case of proud men It had been best for them they never had received any eminent gifts from God and their next best would be to have them quickly taken away For as wicked men in General if they dye unconverted the longer they live the worser they live and every day by adding new heapes of sin heape up further wrath against the day of wrath So proud men in speciall the longer they have and hold their gifts their riches their honours their powers doe but abuse them the more to the increase of their sin here and without repentance shame hereafter And therefore to shut up this observation and the exposition of this verse I shall only give some few directions or counsels for the cure of this soule-sickness pride or for the pricking of a pride-swolne heart that so the winde that noxious winde of ostentation by which proud men are vainely puft up in their fleshly mindes may be let out and voyded First Let the proud man consider what he is Some have asked blasphemously What is the Almighty as we saw at the 21th Chapter of this Booke But it may well enough be asked What is man that the Almighty should be mindfull of him Psal 144.3 4. and may we not much more question againe What is man that he should be so mindfull of himselfe David a great king said to the Lord 2 Sam 7.18 Who am I O Lord God and what is my house that thou hast brought me hitherto Thus every man should say to himselfe or put the question to his owne soule Who am I or what am I that I should have a proud thought All men indeed differ in some things and some differ in very many things Men of high degree and men of low degree differ men of knowledge and ignorance differ learned and unlearned men differ And it is not only as I may say a peice of heraldry but a peice of divinity to keep up the differences of men Yet what is any man whether high or low knowing or ignorant learned or urlearned that he should be proud they all agree in this they are all dust and ashes they are all but as a shaddow or a vapour they are all as grasse or as a flower of the field and at their best estate in the very hight of their excellency they are altogether vanity How much soever men differ in other things yet in this they all agree or are all alike in this they are all vanity Then what is man that he should be proud shall dust and ashes shall a passing shaddow or a disappearing vapour shall withering grasse or fading flowers shall vanity it selfe be proud The best of men at their best are the worst of all these why then should any man be proud Yea I may put the question further How can any man be proud who knoweth what man is and acknowledgeth himselfe to be but a man I will adde yet further in this questioning way How can any man
a strict inquisition for my sin My iniquity is not charged upon me to the utmost I have sinned grievously but God hath dealt graciously with me and hath not measured out to the full of mine iniquity 'T is an argument of true repentance to justifie God in afflicting us This is a pious and a profitable rendring of the text Whence observe First The punishment of sin in this life is not equall to sin As all the sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared with the glory of the next life Rom 1.18 so neither are they comparable with the sins of this life When a man is under very sore affliction chastened with paine upon his bed and the multitude of his bones with strong paine So that his life abhorreth bread and his soul dainty meat yet he must confesse his sufferings are less then his sin The Church of the Jewes acknowledged this as to that great affliction their captivity in Babylon Ezra 9.13 After all that is come upon us for our evill deeds and for our great trespasse seeing that our God hath punished us lesse then our iniquities deserve c. It was no little punishment which that people endured yet they confessed it was lesse then their iniquity The least sin is so great that no punishment which man is capable of in this life can equall it nor can that in the life to come equall it as to present degree but only by the everlastingness of its duration Secondly Note A soule truly humbled is ready to confess to the glory of God that his punishment and suffering is less then his sin As a godly man doth not thinke any sin little so he doth not thinke any affliction great compared with his sin Cain sayd My punishment is greater then I can beare but he did not say it was greater then his sin How hot soever the furnace of divine wrath is heated yet sinners must acknowledge there is sparing mercy in it and that God might have made it seven times hotter and therefore hath afflicted them less then their sin As a godly man is ready to acknowledge his mercy more then he hath deserved Gen 32.10 I sayd Jacob am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant as if he had sayd I am less in my good actings then any of thy actings towards me for good have been so he is ready to say his greatest afflictions or evills which he suffereth are less then his sins or then the evills which he hath done Secondly The word signifieth to profit so we translate Verbum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 expono profuit non fuit mihi conducibilo quod peccaram Merc And it profiteth me not Other Scriptures comply with this sence Hester 3.8 Haman in his malicious and envious suggestions against the Jews tells the King It is not for the Kings profit to suffer them to continue He useth the same word againe Hest 5.13 where after he had reported all the great things that he enjoyed he concludes What doth all this profit me or all this availeth me nothing so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the Kings gate Thus here saith the sick man I have sinned And it profited me not or I have got nothing by it And when he saith it profited me not we are to expound it by a usuall figure in Scripture whereby more is intended then is expressed so that it profiteth me not is it had been very detrimentall dangerous and deadly to me I feel and smart under the sad issues of my sin my perverting that which was right hath done me though I have had but my right much wrong I have sinned and it profited me not Hence note First Sin pretends profit and advantage to a sinner There is no temptation comes without a bait Though some sin purely for sins sake yet it is rare that sin cometh without the offer of a bribe and profit is one of the greatest both baits and bribes that the Devill puts upon the hook of temptation when he fisheth for soules You shall get by it saith that deceiver But the repenting soule can truly say it profited me not I had thought to have gotten by my sin it promised me very faire but I have got nothing but blows The temptation with which the Devill assaulted our first parents was of this kinde He told the woman of profit she and her husband should gaine knowledge by it that 's a noble gaine They should be as Gods knowing good and evill there 's all profit imaginable in such a knowledge Christ himselfe who was God and perfectly knew good and evill was also tempted with profit Math 4.8 9. The devill shewed him all the kingdomes of the world and those not with bare walls but ready hung and furnished and the glory of them and sayd unto him all these things will I give thee if thou wilt fall downe and worship me If our head and the heire of all things was tempted with profit how much more poor we No marvaile if Satan provide him Agents to say to us as they are represented Pro 1.13 Come cast in your lot among us we will all have one purse or a joynt stock in this wicked trade What they hoped to get by it is told us in the next words We shall find all precious substance and fill our houses with spoyle We shall get enough and you shall share with us if you will but come and goe with us We see what sin promiseth But what doth the sinner find himselfe answers It profited me not Hence learne There is nothing gotten by sin no good is gotten by it The Apostle puts the question to sinners Rom 6.21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed Cast up your account and tell us what you find at the foot of it Possibly some may say we have gotten hundreds and thousands we have gotten houses and lands our barnes are full of corne our fields of cattel and our bags are full of treasure But is it profit to have house and land gold and silver come in by sin Let that Scripture answer Math 16.26 What is a man profited if he shall gaine the whole world and loose his own soule But some may say they that are in Christ cannot loose their soules by sin I answer First though they that are in Christ cannot be such sinfull soules as to sin away their soules though they cannot sin at such a rate nor in such a height as to loose their soules who have indeed found Christ or rather who are found of him and planted in him yet the dammage which every sin unrepented of and unpardoned puts man to is the losse of his soule Secondly suppose a sinner repenteth what hath he got by sin but the sorrows of repentance And though no man shall have cause to repent of true repentance for sin yet no man shall
in vengeance Psal 7.11 12 13. God is angry with the wicked every day if he turne not he will whet his sword he hath bent his bow and made it ready he hath also prepared for him the instruments of death he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutours Secondly Note The wounds which God makes cannot be healed by any medicines but his owne Jobs wound was incurable there was no balme for him in the Gilead of this world no Physician there And therefore the Lord bids Egypt in scorne seeke healing there Jer 46.11 Goe up into Gilead and take balme O virgin the daughter of Egypt in vaine shalt thou use many medicines for thou shalt not be cured Who can heale where God will wound Psal 38.2 3. Thine arrows stick fast in me there is no soundness in my flesh even David complained that the wounds which the arrows of God had made in him were incurable Why is my paine perpetuall said the Prophet Jer 15.18 and my wound incurable which refuseth to be healed When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah saw his wound then went Ephraim to the Assyrian and sent to king Jareb to help him yet could he not heale you nor cure you of your wounds Hos 5.13 God gives states or bodyes politick such wounds as all the medicines and meanes in the world cannot helpe They may goe to the Assyrian and send to king Jareb to this and that power They may call a whole colledge of State-Physicians or deepest politicians for counsel and advise yet neither one nor other can be a healer to them Therefore in the next Chapter v. 1. the Church concluded upon another course and a better addresse then either to the Assyrian or to king Jareb Come let us returne unto the Lord for he hath torne and he will heale us only the Lord who gives the wound can heale the wound the same hand which smites us must cure us else our wound is incurable Thirdly Note To complaine of our wounds as incurable or past cure is an argument of our unbeliefe 'T is good for us even to despaire of help from creatures and to say the least wound if but the scratch of a pin is incurable by all the art meanes and medicines which this world can administer but to say our wound though never so deep dangerous and deadly is absolutely incurable is our sin While we ruine our selves that is while we provoke God to ruine us yet there is hope in God O Israel thou hast destroyed thy selfe but in me is thine helpe Hos 13.9 despaire as much as you will of creatures helpe but still hope in God Thirdly In that he saith My wound is incurable without transgression Note The Lord may and doth take liberty to afflict those grievously who have not sinned greatly There is no man liveth and sinneth not yet every man is not in strict sense a sinner that is a great sinner a rebell a worker of iniquity yet the Lord when 't is needfull giveth them great wounds who have not comparatively sinned greatly Though no sin should be little in our eye yet there are degrees of sin and some are lesse then others in the eye both of God and man Elihu chargeth Job not as saying he had no sin but because he complained his wounds were great though his sins were not or that there was not a due proportion between his offence and his punishment his sins and his sufferings Hence note Fourthly Though the Lord taketh liberty to afflict those greatly that have not sinned greatly yet they must not take liberty to complaine of the greatness of their afflictions how little soever their sins have been A gracious heart lookes upon the least of his mercies as greater then the greatest of his good deservings and upon the greatest of his sufferings as lesse then the least of his ill deservings or demerits And surely besides that liberty which God hath as he is supreame and soveraigne to afflict whom he will and in what degree he will we must know that the least sin deserves the greatest wound An evill thought deserves all the evill that can be heaped upon us Whatsoever we suffer on this side hell is less then the least of our sins And therefore if we have reason to confesse our little sins great and our greatest wounds little compared with our little sins how much more should we confesse our great sufferings little compared with our great sins as the Church did Ezra 9.13 After all that is come upon us our long and hard bondage in Babylon for our evill deeds and for our great trespasse thou O Lord hast punished us lesse then our iniquities deserve Further from the whole verse in that Elihu chargeth Job with these severall sayings Observe First A good mans sayings are often worse then his meanings Elihu rebuketh his speeches not his spirits his words though in some respect true yet were dangerous and because not well explained by himselfe scandalous to others But his heart was not trecherous not the bent of his mind wrong set in uttering them Evill men may speake good words but 't is with a bad heart Good men sometimes speake bad and offensive words yet with honest hearts and when their mindes are serene and they cleared from those clouds of perturbation which have darkned them they as Job are ready to recant them and repent of them Secondly Note It is an high offence to intimate any thing which doth in the least intrench upon the Justice and righteousness of God To say God hath taken away our judgement may call downe judgements To say we are wounded without transgression is a great transgression and the reason why it is so is plaine because such sayings tell the world that we suffer if not quite without desert yet more then we deserve and what is this but to justifie our selves and lay blame upon God then which as was shewed at the 2d verse of the 32d Chapter nothing is more derogatory to God or more blame-worthy in man Thirdly Note If we speak amisse or indiscreetly about the dealings of God with us we may thank our selves if we are hardly censured and soundly chidden for it Though Jobs heart was honest yet his tongue was intemperate and he too bold with God and you see how God stir'd up the spirit of Elihu to lay it home to him and bring him upon his knees for it They who vent unwarrantable speeches must not thinke much if they meet with sharpe reproofes and cutting censures Tongue-faults seldome escape without tongue-lashes And 't is a mercy to meete with them from a faithfull friend Their lashing and cutting tongues prove healing tongues Psal 141.5 Fourthly Note Every speaker is at the mercy of his hearers No man knows what glosse his words may have put upon them when once uttered Here are foure sayings brought against Job yet Job never spoke any of them expressely or in so many words but such collections were made indeed they
great men to do evil then for others to tell them so And as the faults of Princes seldome finde reprovers so it requires a great deal of wisdome not to commit a fault in reproving them Is it fit to say to a King thou art wicked Is this a comly thing Or will Kings endure it And if so doth it become thee O Job to speak hardly of God Or will he endure it Elihu did not charge Job with speaking evil of God directly but would intimate to him that while he was so unquiet under the afflicting hand of God and pressed him so often for a further hearing of his cause he did very dangerously reflect upon his Justice and that seeing we stand in awe of Kings and Soveraigne Princes and dare not misbehave our selves before them nor let fall an unreverend word concerning them how durst he presume to speak any thing unseemly of God Is it fit to say to a King Thou art wicked Kings are supream they are cloathed with Soveraigne power over all persons within their Dominion Is it therefore fit to use such course language such down-right unhewen speeches in any address to them Is it fit to say to a King Thou art wicked The original word imports the worst sort the most infamous among wicked men So Mr Broughton renders Is it meet that one say to a King Belial Some give it in the Vocative case Is it meet for a subject to say to his Soveraigne O thou Belial O thou wicked one Dare any speak thus to a King This word Belial is often used in Scripture to note not only a wicked man in general but an eminently wicked man even a man in whom all wickedness is as it were centred and setled the very lees and dregs of all men who may be called wicked When Jezabel procured and suborned two false witnesses against Naboth it is said There came in two men children of Belial 1 Kings 21.13 and sate before him and the men of Belial witnessed against him even against Naboth in the presence of the people saying c. These witnesses were perjured persons to tell a lye is the worst of sins what then is it to swear a lye no word could reach the height of this wickedness more fully then to call them children of Belial When the Lord comforted the Church with the glad tydings of the Gospel Nah. 1.15 Behold the feet of those upon the mountains that preach peace O Jerusalem keep thy solemn Feasts perform thy Vowes He subjoyns this promise as a reason The wicked shall no more pass thorow thee he is utterly cut off We put in the margin Belial shall no more pass thorow thee that is thou shalt then be freed from those Belialists who formerly interrupted thy peace by vexing and persecuting thee or prophaned thy holy Assemblies by mixing themselves with thee But I give thee assurance the time is coming when Belial shall no more trouble thee Yea Belial is a Title so full of wickedness that it fits the Devil himself whom the Scripture brands with that black mark The wicked one or the evil one The Apostle puts that question with much holy disdain 2 Cor. 6.14 15. What communion hath light with darkness and what concord hath Christ with Belial that is Christ with the Devil They differ from the Devil only in flesh and blood in nature they are as bad as he who bear his name This may yet further appear if we look into the Grammatical derivation of it Belial is commonly expounded a man without a yoke or a man that will not be yoked that is a man who will not come under command a lawless person so we translate the Apostle's word 1 Tim. 1.9 Aliqui a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 jugo deducunt qui nullis legum vinculis teneatur aut jugo The Law is not made for a righteous man but for the lawless and disobedient for the ungodly and for sinners c. that is for the sons of Belial or for such as will not endure the yoke the Law is a yoke Christ calls the Law of the Gospel his yoke Matth. 11.29 and they that will not bear the yoke of Christ shall never have benefit by the Cross of Christ we must take up the yoke of Christ if we would taste the fruit of the Cross of Christ Now a Beliallist will not hear of nor have to do with the yoke he is like the wilde Ass described in the 39th of Job who will not be taught to plow nor be bound in the furrow you cannot make the wilde Ass work like the Oxe Wicked men have hard and stony hearts yet such soft tender and delicate necks that they cannot abide the yoke 't is their bondage to be tyed to obedience Again The notation of the word Belial Alii a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 proficere deducunt quasi significet hominem qui ad nihil sit utilis Merc. imports a person of no use or altogether unprofitable a man that is good for nothing a meer unthrift or spendthrift a man that neither doth good to himself nor to any others as if he were born only to spoil and devour all that is before him as if he came into the world to eat other mens labours and not to labour that he might have to eat Christ calleth the idle or slothful servant an unprofitable servant Matth. 25.30 and to be an unprofitable servant is to be a son of Belial one that hath no good in his heart nor doth any good in his place neither in his private nor publick capacity neither in his own family nor in the neighbourhood and Nation where he lives No man is born for himself nor ought any man to live to himself It were better not to live then not to be doing good while we live He that liveth only to profit himself liveth to little purpose to what purpose then doth he live whose life is altogether unprofitable to himself And indeed he that is not in some respect or other a common good or good to others cannot be good nor do any true good to himself yet such is the wicked man represented under the notion of this Text. Seeing then there are such bad and base significancies in the bowels of this word is it sufferable by a King Is it fit to say to a King thou art Belial or wicked What can be said more unfitly What greater reproach can be cast upon a King who ought to be a living Law a breathing Law as also the Keeper of the Law by way of conservation and protection then to call him Belial or one that will not keep the Law at all by way of observation There are two wayes of keeping the Law First By Conservation so Kings preserve the Laws that they may have their free course to others and be obeyed by others in which sence Kings are commonly called Keepers of both Tables Secondly By observation
out to use ill words to Magistrates though as Paul's case was we are ill used by them Shimei taking the advantage of David's affliction rose up to this height of impudence against him mentioned with indignation by Elihu in the Text he openly and to his face called him Belial 2 Sam. 16.5.7 Come out thou bloody man and thou man of Belial But we know what the issue was he paid dear for it at last though David forgave him at present and did not suffer Abishai to take a sudden revenge yet upon his death-bed he delivered him over to his son Solomon to deal with him as he should see good And so great is the offensiveness and unfitness of speaking thus unto a King that the Jewes joyned it with blasphemy against God himself We read 1 Kings 21.13 how two false Witnesses came against Naboth saying Naboth blaspemed God and the King as much as to say we heard Naboth say of the King Belial And as soon as these two had brought in their evidence against him that he had blasphemed God and the King they drew him out and stoned him Blasphemy against God was death by the express letter of the Law Lev. 24.15 16. It was also death by the same Law for any man to curse his Father or his Mother Exod. 21.17 And because the King is Pater Patriae the father of his Country it seems the cursing or blaspheming of him was also punishable by death The Apostle Jude useth an equivalent word in the Greek Ep. of Jude v. 8. reproving a wicked Sect in those times They fear not to blaspheme or speak evil of Dignities There is blasphemy against Princes who are titular Gods as well as against the only true God Kings are to be feared to be submitted to they are to be prayed for therefore not to be reviled Is it fit to say unto a King Belial Yet this doth not stop the mouths of all men from telling Kings and Princes their faults nor doth it justifie a silent dissembling of them much less doth it open the mouthes of any to dawb Kings and Princes with the untempered morter of flatteries Kings are no more to be flattered then they are to be reproached Dignities must not be spoken evil of yet they may be prudently and humbly told of their evils and informed of their failings plainly When Eliah met Ahab who said Art thou he that troubleth Israel Eliah answered 1 Kings 18.18 I have not troubled Israel but thou and thy fathers house in that ye have forsaken the Commandments of the Lord and thou hast followed Baal And we read how boldly Elisha carried it to the King of Israel 2 Kings 3.13 14. What have I to do with thee Get thee to the Prophets of thy father and to the Prophets of thy mother And Elisha said as the Lord of Hosts liveth before whom I stand Surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the King of Judah I would not look toward thee nor see thee Thus the Prophets dealt with much gracious severity towards mighty Princes The Prophet Isaiah feared not to say Isa 1.10 Hear the word of the Lord ye Rulers of Sodome Give ear unto the Law of our God ye people of Gomorrah implying that the Rulers of Jerusalem were then but such as the Rulers of Sodome once were and that the people were no better then the people of Gomorrah and it is conceived that for this plainness and liberty of speech which the Prophet Isaiah used toward the Princes and Rulers of Judah he was put to death being cut or mangled asunder with a wooden Sawe One might think that Ezekiel did much forget himself when he gave those opprobrious terms to Zedekiah King of Judah Ezek. 21.25 And thou prophane wicked Prince of Israel whose day is come when iniquity shall have an end yet he sinned not in this harsh reproof of his sin because commanded of God to do it and specially directed by the holy Spirit The Prophets might not diminish a word but must give out what God gave in John the Baptist reproved Herod for Herodias his brother Philips wife and for all the evils which he had done Luke 3.19 And Jesus Christ himself called Herod Fox Luke 13.32 The Prophets were often Instructed and Commissioned to prophesie against the mountains that is against the Princes and Powers of the world and therefore take the state of the point and of our duty about it in these few conclusions that we may not run upon the rocks either way neither upon the rock of blasphemy against Kings and Princes on the one side nor upon the rock of flattery on the other First The Power or State of Princes must never be reviled nor evill spoken of kingly Power and Authority is alwayes to be reverenced and honoured though the Prince be wicked yet his Power is to be reverenced and that 's the purest reverence Regia per se dignitas nunquam non est colenda etiam cum princeps iniquus est For to reverence the power of Princes only because or when they are good and do us good and rule every way according to our mind this is but a piece of selfishness but when Princes are evill and bring evills upon us yet to bear respect to the Power and Authority which they Exercise this is to honour God and to give true submission to his ordinance Whatsoever the person is the power must be reverentially submitted to Secondly It is high wickednesse to speak evill of the persons of just and righteous Princes that every man will acknowledge Thirdly Kings and Princes must not be reproved for personall or private faults publickly To doe so is against the rule in any mans case much more in the case of Kings and Princes Fourthly Kings are not to be reproved for any of their faults but by those who have a Call to it that was the reason of the liberty which the old Prophets used towards Kings they were specially commanded and Commissioned by God for it and the peril was upon their own heads if they did it not it is not for every one to reprove Princes but for those that are called to it Lastly Even those that are called to it must doe it with much submission though they must not doe it to halves and deceitfully yet they are to doe it respectfully It is not fit to say to a King Belial such rough and unhewne language is not for Princes their faults must only be insinuated if that may serve as Nathan dealt with David who though he knew what his sin was yet he did not say to him Thou murtherer thou Adulterer but intimated the matter by a parable and made him covertly or in a third person charge himselfe before he charged him or applyed the parable personally to him with Thou art the man When Miriam the Sister and Aaron the Brother of Moses spake against him because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married
hands Histories have given many examples and dreadful instances of such calamities falling upon Princes by the rising of the people and then they are said to be taken away Without hand That is Without any foreseen appearance of such a mischief a hand which was not thought of being lifted up against them It is said of wicked Zimri who slew his master that when he saw the people conspire against him and the City taken he went into the Palace of the King's house and in the heat of his rage set it on fire and burnt the Kings house over him and died 1 Kin. 16.18 Justine reports the like conclusion upon a like occasion of Sardanapalus that effeminate and voluptuous Monarch of the Assyrian Empire They who prosecute this Translation conceive Elihu reflecting upon Job in all this who was very uncivilly treated by his own people from whom he had deserved highest respects as he complained at the 30th chapter they raised up against him the wayes of their destruction they used him very rudely even despightfully and he was in a pining consuming condition as a man taken away without hand But I shall not insist upon this reading but take the words according to the scope before given as a description of a mixt judgement from God a judgement partly upon the people and partly upon Princes a judgement upon the many and a judgement upon the mighty In a moment shall they die 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Punctum momontum tempus exiguum Illipsis praeposition◠ב In a moment The Text is a moment they die Not that they shall die but a moment or be only for a moment dead but they shall die before a moment is over there is an Elipsis of the preposition Beth in the Hebrew which we supply in our Translation In a moment they shall die A moment is the least particle or parcel of time we cannot imagine any thing shorter then a moment 't is the very point of time Psal 30.5 His anger endureth for a moment saith David when he would shew how very short comparatively the anger of God towards his people is but in his favour is life Thus Solomon Prov. 2.19 He that speaketh truth his tongue shall be established but a lying tongue is for a moment A lye cannot last long he that speaks truth what he speaks to day is good to morrow and to morrow and will be good for ever but a lying tongue is for a moment that is his lies will be discovered and usually they are quickly discovered though he live long to tell lies or doth nothing but tell lies as long as he liveth yet his lyes are not long lived Job describing the joy of the hypocrite chap. 20.5 saith It is but for a moment like a fire of thorns a blaze and gone when the Apostle would strengthen and encourage the hearts of believers against all the troubles and sorrows of this present life he calls them 2 Cor. 4.17 First light Secondly short Our light afflictions that are but for a moment work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory And that we might know how quick the devil was at his work with Christ the Scripture saith Luke 4.5 He shewed him all the Kingdoms of the world in a moment of time As to shew the instantaneousness of our change from death to life in the resurrection it is said 1 Cor. 15.52 In a moment in the twinckling of an eye at the last Trump we shall be changed So to shew the extream suddenness of these mens change from life to death it is said here In a moment They shall die They Who Both great and small one and another of them shall die or be swept away by death in a moment There is a twofold death First Natural When either sickness or old age dissolves the earthly house of this tabernacle The natural death of some is very lingring and slow others are suddenly snatcht away they die in a moment Secondly There is a violent death thus many are taken away by the sword Martial or Civil others casually The Text is true both of natural and violent death either of them may overtake us in a moment yet I conceive the latter is here chiefly intended In a moment shall they die that is some sudden destruction shall come upon them they shall be surprized by an unlooked for disaster and removed out of the world while they had not a thought of their removal Hence Note First Death of any sort may befal all sorts of men None can plead exemption or priviledge from the grave It is appointed to men once to die most die a natural death and any man may die a violent death who knows how he shall go out of this world Christ told Peter John 21.18 When thou shalt be old thou shalt stretch forth thy hands and another shall gird thee and carry thee whither thou wouldst not This spake he signifying by what death he should glorifie God And what kinde of death was that The Church History assureth us 't was a violent death He as his master Jesus Christ was nailed to a Cross and dyed We come but one way into the world but there are a thousand wayes of going out Note Secondly Death comes suddenly upon many men and may upon all men The whole life of the longest liver in this world is but a moment compared to eternity and there is not any moment of our life but with respect to second causes we are subject to death in it We alwayes in some sense though at some times more carry our lives in our hand and how soon or by what hand they may be snatcht out of ours we know not Now if our whole life be but a moment and we subject to death every moment how should we stand prepared for death every moment And how sad is it to think that they who may die the next moment should for dayes and weeks and moneths and years never prepare for death Most are loth to think of the end of their lives till they are nearer the end of them yet no man knoweth how near he is to the end of his life Many put off the thoughts of death till it cometh yet none can put off the coming of death they would remove the meditation of death to the fall of their leaf to the winter and worst of their old age yet they are not able to remove death one moment from the Spring and best of their youth Note Thirdly Violent death by the sore and severe judgement of God often sweeps multitudes away in a moment God can thrust whole throngs of men yea whole Nations into their graves together it is said Numb 16.21 of Corah and his companions The earth did cover or swallow them up in a moment And the Lord commanded Moses to say unto the children of Israel Exod. 33.5 ye are a stiff-necked people I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment and consume
mighty God Isa 9.6 called himselfe a worme and no man in his humiliations for the redemption of lost man Psal 22.6 What are the mightiest men but wormes to God who is so mighty that if he say the word wormes become their Masters The mighty Giants are before God but pigmy's punyes or children The Prophet gives a good warning Jer 9.23 Let not the mighty man glory in his might Let him not glory in the might of his arme Let him not glory in the might of his armes or Armies though man have an Army of mighty men about him yet let him not glory in them no nor in the might of his power or authority If any man useth his might against God what is his might unto God Psal 58.1 Why boastest thou O mighty man that thou canst doe mischiefe If a man be mighty and have a mind to doe mischiefe with his might especially if he boasteth in his might because he can doe mischiefe with it he is not only sinfull but weake and foolish There is no greater morall weakness then to boast either of naturall martiall or civill strength Could any of the mighty men of this world stand before the might of God they had somewhat to boast of Read the word of the Lord against the mighty Isa 2.10 Behold the Kings and Captaines of the earth trembling before the presence of the Lambe Rev 6.15 and then judge how weake the strongest are before the Lord All ages are full of teaching examples that there is no might to his who is Almighty Secondly Note What ever God will doe he can easily doe it He can effect it with a looke with a cast of his eye he can doe it with a breath of his mouth he can doe it with a word It is said Exod 14.24 God looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and through the cloud and troubled the host of the Egyptians and tooke off their Chariot wheeles that they drave them heavily To looke upon them was an easie thing God did not give them a stroake with his hand but only a looke with his eye and that overthrew them Thirdly Note God can do the greatest things alone He can subdue the mighty though none come forth to his help against the mighty they are cursed who do not help the Lord against the mighty when they set their might against the Lord Judg. 5.23 Curse ye Mero◠saith the angel of the Lord curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof because they came not forth to the help of the Lord to the help of the Lord against the mighty But though it be the sin of man not to help the Lord against the mighty yet the withdrawing of their help doth not hinder the Lord in his purpose against the mighty For He taketh away the mighty without hands Though men stir not though angels should not stir to his help yet his own arm can bring either salvation or destruction It is said of the Lord Isa 44.24 He stretched out the heavens alone there was none to help him to unfold that vast canopy of heaven he stretcht out the heavens alone As in the Creation he made all alone so in Providence he can act and effect all alone It is a great glory to God that he hath many instruments to help him many tongues to speak for him many hands to work for him but it is a greater glory to God that he needs none to help him none to speak or work for him In this the glory of the Lord infinitely outshines the glory of all the mighty Kings and Princes of the earth They have done and can do mighty things but not without hands and therefore they have the hands of thousands at command for them 't is not their place to put their hand to the work 't is enough that they give commands and orders 't is the duty of others to execute all their righteous commands and fulfil their orders But the Lord hath not only a commanding power but an executing power too in himself though no hand move yet his affairs stand not still God and all creatures put together are no more then God alone without any creature Many are useful but none are necessary unto God Take two inferences from it First This is matter of terror to wicked men though they see no hand in the world against them much less any able to match them least of all to check them yea though they see all hands for them yet this is no security to them this is no assurance of one hours safety seeing the Lord taketh away the mighty without hand and he usually doth it when they see not which way any hand can reach them It is the conclusion of one of the Ancients upon this place in reference to a mighty oppressour He is invisibly pull'd down Invisibilitèr rapitur qui visibiliter rapiebat Gregor who did visibly pull down He ruined others with hands but himself shall be ruin'd without hand he saw him whom he took away but he shall not see him who takes him away Let them who live without fear of any hand remember the Apostles admonition Heb. 10.31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hand of the living God who takes away the mighty without hand Secondly This is matter of wonderful comfort to all that fear God and trust upon him whether Princes or people whether mighty men or mean men What though ye see no hand for you yet 't is enough if he be for you who saves you without hand The protecting and saving power of God is as great and as effectual as his destroying power is yea he oftner saves without hand then he destroyes without hand As the Kings of the earth so the great King of heaven and earth loves to deal his favours and bestow his rewards immediately with his own hand but usually afflicts and punisheth by the hands of others That 's a most pregnant Scripture to this purpose Hos 1.7 where the Lord promiseth to save Judah But Judah might say I am in a very low condition and no help appears Therefore he addeth I will save them by the Lord their God and will not save them by Bowe nor by Sword nor by Battel nor by Horses nor Horsemen Judah shall be saved though there be no hand to save them I will save them saith the Lord by the Lord their God I will do it immediately And the Lord doth not only say in the affirmative he will save them without hand but he saith also in the Negative that he will not save them with hands But I will not save them by Bowe nor Sword nor Battel nor Horses nor Horsemen there shall be no appearance of these helps I have heretofore destroyed you by Sword and Bowe by Horses and Horsemen but I will have all the honour and thanks of your salvation to my self Though the Lords people have neither horses nor horsemen though they are as
man Thus if we take the wayes in that distinction of internal and external the eyes of God are upon them Secondly Take the wayes of man as differenced in their kinds as they are either good or evil the eyes of the Lord are upon both They are saith Solomon Prov. 15.3 in every place beholding the evil and the good that is the evil wayes and the good wayes of men But saith not the Prophet Habbak 1.14 Thou art of purer eyes then to behold evil Which may seem at first reading to imply that God doth not behold the evil wayes or actings of men I answer if we distinguish the word behold we shall soon reconcile these Scriptures To behold is either to discerne what is before us or to behold is to approve what is before us There is a seeing of knowledge and there is a seeing of contentment now when the Prophet saith the Lord is of purer eyes then to behold evil his meaning is he doth not he cannot behold evil with contentment or approbation otherwise the Lord beholds evil even all the evil in the world both good and evil are before him who is himself only and altogether good His eyes are upon the ways of Man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not only upon the wayes of this or that man but of every man let man be what he will for a man let him be a great man or a mean man let him be a rich man or a poor man let him be a wise man or a fool let him be an ignorant or a knowing man let him be a holy or a prophane man let him be a subtle or a simple man his eyes are upon him Those things which difference men among themselves make no difference at all among them as to the eye of God His eyes are upon the wayes of whomsoever you can câ—ll man And he seeth all his goings This latter clause of the verse is of the same sence with the former therefore I shall not stay upon the opening of it The Scripture often useth Synonoma's and repeats the same thing in other terms to shew the truth and certainty of it and surely the Spirit gives a double stroke here to strike this truth home into our hearts and fasten it in our mindes He beholdeth the wayes and he seeth alâ— the goings of man The word translated seeing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth a very curious or critical sight as was opened before Again these latter words say he seeth All his goings Where we have the universal particle exprest which was only understood in the forme And though these two words wayes and goings may be expounded for the same thing yet in this conjunction we may distinguish them by understanding the word wayes for the constant course of a man's life and the word goings for his particular and renewed motions in those wayes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 incedore cum pompa propriè deambulare The Original word rendred goings signifies somtimes going with much caution yea with a kinde of state or pomp yet frequently any ordinary going Now when Elihu asserts The Lord seeth all his goings we may sum up the matter under these five considerations He seeth First Where he goeth what his path is Secondly He seeth whether he is going what he makes the end of his journey or travel Thirdly when he goeth or sets out what time he takes for every undertaking Fourthly how far he goeth the Lord takes notice of everystep what progress he makes in any business good or bad Fifthly he seeth in what manner he goeth with what heart with what mind or frame of soule he goeth Thus distinct and exact is the Lord in beholding the wayes and in seeing all the goings of man Hence note First Surely the Lord is a God of knowledge If we could conceive a man to have his eyes in all places and upon all persons an eye upon all hearts and an eye in all hearts as wel as an eye upon all hands you would say this man must needs be a knowing man especially if he have such an eye as the eye of God is a discerning eye a distinguishing eye a trying eye an eye which seeth to the bottome of whatsoever it seeth Hannah sayd this in her song 1 Sam. 2.3 Speak not so proudly let not arrogancy come out of your lips for the Lord is a God of knowledge and by him actions are weighed 'T is not a slight superficial knowledge which God hath of things or persons by him actions are weighed and so are the Actors God puts all into an even ballance and he will weigh both persons and actions to a graine yea every word and thought shall goe into the ballance It was said to that great Monarch Belteshazer by a hand-writing upon the wall Thou art weighed in the ballances The Lord weighed that great King he weighed all his power and the exercise of it and he that weigheth Kings will not leave the meanest subject unweighed by him actions are weighed We many times passe over our actions without consideration and never take the weight of them at least we never weigh them in the Sanctuary ballance If they will beare weight in the ballance of the world we presume they will in Gods ballance also But as the Lord is a God of knowledge otherwise then man is so by him actions are weighed otherwise then by man It is said of Idolls Psal 115.15 They have eyes and see not but we may say of the Lord Jehovah the true God the living God he hath properly no eyes yet he seeth and his faculty of seeing is infinitely above that which himselfe hath planted in man The Atheist while he is about the worst work in the world the breaking in pieces of the people of God and afflicting his heritage while he is slaying the widow and the stranger and murdering the fatherlesse while he is I say at such kind of worke as this he saith Psal 94.7 The Lord shall not see neither shall the God of Jacob regard it But what saith the Psalmist to him and such as he v. 8 9. Vnderstand ye brutish among the people he that formed the eye shall not he see Those words of the Prophet to King Asa 2 Chron 16.9 The eyes of the Lord run too and fro through the whole earth are an allusion to a man who having a desire to know much or to see all in the world runs up and down travels from place to place from Country to Country for information The Lord would have us know that he knoweth every thing as exactly as they who run from place to place to see what 's done in every place It is prophecyed of the latter times Dan 12.4 Many shall run too and fro and knowledge shall be increased that is many shall be so graciously greedy of knowledge that they will refuse no labour nor travel to attaine it They will run too and fro to inquire and search for it they
the Mighty and he is so impartiall that if there be cause he will not spare to doe it Or in the words we have to consider these three things First The character of the person upon whom the Justice of God is executed The hypocrite Secondly The Judgement it selfe 't is a stop to his greatnesse that he reigne not Thirdly We have the grounds of this Judgement which are two-fold First His wicked purpose against the people He if suffered would lay snares for the people Secondly Gods gracious protection of the people He will not have the people ensnared That the hypocrite reigne not lest the people be ensnared 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 significat sceleratum profanū plerumque autem vertitur hypocrita What a hypocrite is and what the importance of the original word is here translated hypocrite hath been opened from some other passages in this booke I shall only say thus much further that the word imports First a filthy thing disguised or covered For a hypocrite is a filthy prophane person under the cover or disguise of holiness Our English word knave is neere in sound to this Hebrew word chanaph and some conceive 't is derived or taken from it And to be sure every hypocrite is a prophane person though all prophane persons are not hypocrites Some wicked and prophane ones care not who knoweth they are so yet very many who are indeed prophane and wicked cover it what they can and shew that only whereof they have only a shew somewhat of godlinesse or of goodnesse Againe There are hypocrites of two makes or straines First Religious or Church hypocrites Secondly State or Civil hypocrites and somtimes these two are combined in one 'T is possible for a man who pretends not to Religion yet to be a hypocrite A Magistrate whether supream or subordinate may offer very fair for the profit and liberty of the people whom he governeth when he mindes no such thing yea he may not only offer fair for the good of a people as to their outward profits and liberties but as to the good of Religion and the benefit of their souls and yet minde no such thing we may take the hypocrite in this Text as twisted up or compounded of both these The State hypocrite and the Religious are somtimes bound up together That the Hypocrite Reigne not To reigne is the priviledge of Supream Powers By me Kings reigne saith Wisdome that is Christ Prov. 8.15 and when Paul saw how high the Corinthians carryed it in spirituals he by way of allusion tells them 1 Cor. 4.8 ye have reigned like Kings without us ye are got as ye suppose to the top and into the very throne of Religion and you think your selves able to manage all difficulties and can do well enough there without our help But to the Text. This not reigning of the hypocrite may be taken two wayes First As a stop given him by the providence of God In 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ne regnat Mem Negationem includit juxta linguae morem in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab offendiculis similiter ut dei magis extolletur justitia simul potentia qui reges de throno suo dejicit ut populum ejus laqueis irretitum liberet ab illius tyrannide Merc. from getting up into the throne or from getting the power of a Nation into his hands thus somtimes God saith to the hypocrite Thou shalt not reigne that is thou shalt not exalt thy self though thou attempt it Secondly This not reigning may be taken for a stop to the progress of his power when he hath both attempted and attained it and that two wayes either first by taking him away from his power or secondly by taking away his power from him as Daniel told Belshazzar while he minded him of the greatness of his father Nebuchadnezzar who had all the world upon the matter at his command as also of his fall from that greatness Dan. 5.19 20. Whom he would he set up and whom he would he put down but when his heart was lifted up and his minde hardned in pride he was deposed from his Kingly Throne and they took his glory from him He was deposed or as the Chaldee hath it so we put in the margin He was made to come down from his Princely throne either of these wayes doth God who is the King of kings and Lord of lords when he pleaseth put a stop to or check the progress of false hearted Princes that have either got their power by flatteries and pretensions to that good which they intended not or who exercise their power so That the hypocrite reigne not Lest the people be ensnared The root of the word here rendred to ensnare signifieth the spreading of a Net or the setting of a Grin such as Fowlers and Hunters make use of to take Beasts or Birds with and thus God himself spake concerning his dealing with Babylon Jer. 50.24 I have laid a snare for thee and thou art also taken O Babylon and thou wast not aware litteral Babylon was a snare to the people of God of old and so is mystical Babylon at this day The great Hypocrite or Snare-setter reigns in or over Babylon therefore saith God thou who hast set snares for my people shall be ensnared thou shalt be taken unawares I have set a snare to catch and hold thee fast When Elihu saith lest the people be ensnared it seems to intimate that God will prevent the ensnaring of a people by the hypocrite He shall not reigne lest the people be ensnared or lest they should come into snares There is another reading which gives the reason from the snares which the people have already been entangled with because of the snare or because the people have been ensnared therefore saith the Lord let not the hypocrite reigne thus God revengeth the peoples wrong and doth justice upon those that had set snares for them So much for the general sence of these words and the opening of them There is a second reading of the whole verse which carryeth the sence somwhat another way and yet may be of use and yeild us some profitable considerations but I shall not meddle with that till I have prosecuted those observations which arise clearly from our own reading The words in general hold forth the heart of God towards false hearted men he cannot abide them nor will he suffer them long to abide especially not to abide in power and greatnesse That the hypocrite reigne not lest the people be ensnared Hence Note First A hypocrite is a person hated of God and hurtful to men He is therefore hated of God because hurtful to men And therefore God is not pleased he should reign either as to reign is taken strictly for the exercising of Soveraign power or as to reign may be taken largely for the exercising of any power and living in the height of prosperity For the clearing of this truth that a hypocrite
in a pretence made long prayers As it is a very great point of ungodliness prophaneness indeed to say What profit is there in serving the Lord So it is gross hypocrisie to take up Religion meerly for profit there is profit even worldly profit in Religion Godliness is profitable for all things 1 Tim. 4.8 and hath the promise of this life as well as of that to come but wo to those that take it up designing profit and the filling either of their purses or their bellies Our Saviours Divine Spirit quickly discovered this carnal spirit in his followers John 6.26 Ye seek me not because ye saw the miracles but because ye did eat of the loaves and were filled Judas followed Christ but the motive of it was in the bag John 12.6 The zeal of Demetrius to his Idol Diana was kindled by as pure a fire as the zeal of these hypocrites to Jesus Christ Acts 19.24 By this we get our living They know nothing of the life of Religion who are religious only that they may live If profit be the Loadstone of our profession our profession will never profit us for what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world by a profession of the name of Christ if he lose his own soul Sathan charged Job with this gross hypocrisie chap. 1.9 Doth Job fear God for nought as if he had said Job findes 't is no lean business to be religious and therefore no wonder if he be found so religious Who would not do and be as much as he in Religion to have his fields full of Cattel and his folds full of Sheep and his house full of Riches He knows well enough which side his bread is buttered on what makes for his profit all the account he makes of Religion is that he perceives by his books and the inventory of his goods that it turns every year to a good account Jobs slander is the just charge of many they use Religion but as a stalking horse to catch worldly riches Fourthly The grosse hypocrite often designes that which is higher in the esteeme and more taking upon the spirits of many then worldly riches even worldly power or to get very high if not uppermost in the world 'T is no new thing for men to make religion a stayre to ascend the highest roomes among men or a stirrup to get into the saddle of honour and when they have got high enough then downe with the stayres or 't is no matter for the stirrup by which they ascended Jehu was very zealous in the cause of God and for reformation but his designe was for a kingdome or his owne exaltation 2 Kings 10.16 he made a noyse of much piety Come see my zeale for the Lord yet all was but a piece of State-hypocrisie His care in destroying Ahabs house and Baals Priests according to the command of God was but to pave the way to the throne The same way Absolom was taking to his fathers Crowne he told the people he was troubled that they were no better governed that they had no quicker dispatch in their suites and businesses he told his father he had made a vow and desired the liberty of his absence from Court that he might goe and performe it all he pretended was righteousnesse and religion yet he intended only to get an advanâ—â—ge to make his party strong that so he might thrust his fa her out of the throne and get up himselfe He seemed a Saint whilâ— he meant to be a Traytor The History of the Church reports of Juliaâ— the Apostate Socrates Hist Ecclesiast lib 3. c. 1. that when his predecessor being a Christian held the Empire he highly pretended the profession of Christ and read a Gospel-Lecture in the Church of Nichomedia yet while he was in shew a Christian and in hope an Emperour he was in heart a pagan He saw the times served him not to act the pagan openly and therefore he subtlely betooke himselfe to his disguise and personated the Christian even in the mortified way of a monasticke life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tandem simulationem professionis christianae penitus deposuit Socrat ubi supra that he might smooth his way to the Empire To which having once attained he presently put off his disguise and to his utmost disgraced and opposed the name and faith of Christ which he had formerly owned and professed Thus I have touch't upon the foure grand designes of the Grosse hypocrite First praise among all men Secondly revenge upon some men Thirdly the gaine of worldly riches Fourthly the attainment of power dominion and Greatness in the world These are as the foure wheeles of Satans chariot wherein he hurrieth thousands to the land of darkness while they would be esteemed children of the light Or some one of these is as the primum mobile first mover of which Philosophers speake in their doctrine of the heavens carrying many with a rapt and violent motion in the spheare of religion while they have in the Interim a secret undiscerned natural motion of their owne directly opposite to this by which they hope at last to steale on faire and softly to their wished periods Having thus farre shewed the close purposes of the designing hypocrite who is so hatefull to God and hurtfull to man I shall a little discover and unmaske his hypocrisie by shewing how we may know him how we may looke through these vayles and see his ugly face Designing hypocrites are usually discovered these foure wayes First By their affectation to be seene and taken notice of they that will have praise and glory with men must needs affect to be seene of men for no glory comes to man from men but by what falls under the eye and observation of man Job saith of murderers Chap 24.13 They are of those that rebell against the light they know not the wayes thereof nor abide in the paths thereof The murderer cannot endure the light either natural or moral because that tells who he is or what he hath been about The contrary in one sense is true of the hypocrite he loveth the light and will doe nothing willingly but as he may be taken notice of and seene of men as for those acts or exercises of religion which are private retirements between God and his owne soule he is a great stranger to them he cannot delight in them but any thing that may fall under publick observation he can be forward enough in Christ Math. 6.5 gives us this plaine discovery of the hypocricall Pharisees They love to pray standing in the Synagogues and in the corners of the streets that they may be seene of men This was so much in Jehu's heart that he could not but blab it out with his tongue 2 Kings 10. Come see my zeale A false fire kindled his zeale else he had not made such a blaze It was insincere rotten-hearted Saul that sayd 1 Sam 15.13 Come thou blessed of the Lord I