Whale and so to that successelesse fishing which provokes to cursing But take it in the generall The Whale we know is a very formidable monster to Sea-men and Marriners the whole Ship with the lading of it and all their lives being endangered if a Whale strike it So we may understand that of Iob speaking of Leviathan Chap. 41.25 When he raiseth up himselfe the mighty are afraid Now the Whale being so formidable and dangerous to Sea-men they perceiving the Whale neere them or themselves at unawares ready to stir up or raise the Whale are exceedingly afraid And as great feare in some sets them a praying and causeth strong prayers so feare in others sets them a cursing and causeth strong curses Prophane marriners seeing themselves in such imminent danger by the approach of the Whale presently curse the day that ever they loosed Anchor or set saile from the Harbour the day that ever they fell within the reach of this sea-monster now ready to sinke their vessell and overwhelme them all Such a curse Job wishes upon that night the night of his conception as men of this ranke conceive and bring forth in the day of their most pressing feares when anguish and sorrow take hold of them as travaile upon a woman with child and they cannot escape Thus I have given you the summe of those apprehensions which are offered for the making up of this Exposition namely That the word is here to be taken for that mighty fish Leviathan And that either in respect of those who make it their businesse and goe out purposely to catch Leviathan or of those who unawares are ready to be catcht by Leviathan The former disappointed of their hopes and the latter surprized with feares making a curse their refuge and easing themselves by execrations There is a fourth opinion which giveth the sense of these words quite another way though it retaines the same translation For passing by the allusion to fishing or customes of fishermen they make these words as a character or description of the extreamest and vilest of wicked men as if Job saying Let them curse thee that curse the day who are ready to stirre up Leviathan had said let the worst or most wicked among the children of men curse this night And we know that the worst of men are most for cursing they curse deepest as the best of men are most for prayer and they pray highest and holiest So then Jobs mind being to lay the sorest curse upon this night thinks or finds his own spirit too straight his owne heart not large enough to doe it therefore he doth as it were call in aide from those Masters of cursing Let the most expert the most skill'd in cursing such as are verst in oathes and blasphemies the very dregs and scum of men let them powre out the dreggs the worst the bitterest of their curses upon that night But how shall we make out this notion that the vilest of men are here described That we must consider and open further to shew the substance and dependance of this opinion The worst and wickeddest of men are conceived to be here meant in two expressions First By them who are said to curse the day Let them curse it who curse the day Secondly In those words Who are ready to raise up Leviathan Both these are supposed as descriptive circumlocutions of the most wicked and vilest men How so First They that curse the day That which a man hates he is forward enough to curse Wicked men love darknesse and they hate the light therefore they curse the light Light is of two sorts either naturall that of the Sunne or metaphoricall that of knowledge Take light either way take light properly for the naturall light or take light improperly for the light or the day of knowledge wicked men and especially the worst of wicked men will be found cursers of the day First They are so exprest in this booke of Job respecting the naturall day chap. 24. where having described many acts of violence committed by cruell oppressors who know not God ver 1. he concludes ver 13. They are of those that rebell against the light they know not the wayes thereof nor abide in the pathes thereof And ver 16. In the darke they dig thorough houses which they had marked for themselves in the day time they know not the light for the morning is to them even as the shadow of death If one know them they are in the terrours of the shadow of death Men to whom the morning is a terrour and light as the shadow of death cannot but curse the day whose approach hinders them in their night-workes in their black designes and purposes Secondly Other Scriptures discover more deadly hatred in wicked men against the light of knowledge they rebell more against the day of grace then against the day of nature or the naturall day The former hinders only the outward practise of sinne but this opposes the inward principles of sinne We see what cold entertainement yea what war this light found in the world and why Joh. 3.19 20. Light is come into the world that is Christ and the knowledge of his wayes and men not men in generall but ungodly men loved darknesse rather then light Why Because their deeds were evill evill deeds and evill doers seeke covert in this darknesse for every one that doth evill hateth the light neither cometh to the light least his deeds should be reproved They are ignorant willingly that they may sinne more freely For though they are resolved to sin in and against the light of knowledge yet they had rather sin in and with the darknesse of ignorance no man can sin with so much ease and delight in this light as he can in darknesse A man that hath light in his understanding can hardly sinne without smart upon his conscience Hence they who love sin hate knowledge On this ground it is as cleare as the day that wicked men are Lucifugae such as avoide shun and hate the day no marvell then if they curse the day And to be angry with or curse the day is an evidence as cleere as the day of a wicked man He that desires not to know the truth hath no desire to practise it And he who hates the knowledge of the truth hates the practise of it yea he therefore hates knowledge because he hates practice This is wickednesse at the height To commit a sin against light is not so great an argument of an evill heart as to be troubled at the light which rebukes or would prevent the committing of that sin Thus we see in what sense by those who curse the day we may understand the worst of wicked men But for the second part Who are ready to raise up Leviathan How is this a description of wicked men To make out this we must expound Leviathan not properly for the Whale but improperly and mystically for the Devill that great Leviathan
Under which name he with all spirituall wickednesses the opposers of Christ and of his Church are comprehended by the Prophet Isa 27.1 In that day the Lord with his sore great and strong sword shall punish Leviathan the piercing serpent even Leviathan the crooked serpent and he shall slay the Dragon in the sea Now they that raise up this misticall Leviathan the Devill are surely the vilest men But who doe thus or how can this be done They are said to raise up Leviathan who seeke occasions of sinning such as doe not stay till Satan tempts them but they as it were tempt Satan They are so hasty so forward to doe evill that they think the Devill comes not fast enough and therefore they doe even goe out to meete provoke and raise up the Devill they invite temptation There is a truth in this All sins are not from the temptations of Satan our own hearts are not only the soyle and have in them the seed of all sin but they are sunne and raine to warme and water those seedes that they may grow And as a godly man from the new principle at first planted in him by the holy Ghost doth often stirre up the holy Ghost to come and helpe him he doth not alwayes stay till the holy Ghost sensibly comes but finding his own weakenesse and wants and deadnesse to and in duty he goeth and stirreth up the Spirit of God and prayeth that the holy Ghost would breath upon him quicken and enliven him in prayer and other holy duties So many ungodly wretches doe not stay for Satan or waite till he comes to tempt them but they such is their desperate wickednesse and delight in sin wish that he would tempt them oftner They doe not only keepe open house and open heart for him ready to entertaine and welcome him when he comes but they goe forth to solicit his company and his coming This is to stirre up Leviathan So that the whole sense according to this exposition may be given to you thus as if Iob had said Let this night be cursed with a grievous curse even with as black and foule a curse as can be moulded and fashioned in the hearts or spit out of the mouthes of the vilest miscreants even of such as are so set upon sin that they hate the light and curse the day which either the Sun makes in the aire or which knowledge makes in their hearts lest that should stop and hinder them in the acting of sin yea let such a curse be upon it is they use to vomit out who are so set upon mischiefe and engaged to their lusts that they pray in aide from the Devill to assist and quicken them in their wickednesse that so their naturall corruptions being oyled and smoothed with his temptations their motions to sin and indeed to Hell may be swifter and more violent These are they that give diligence to make their damnation sure These are they from whom the kingdome of Hell suffers violence and these violent ones rather then not have it will take it by force Surely their damnation sleepes not who least they should not sin enough awaken the Devill to shew them sinning opportunities To such as these according to the interpretation now suggested Iob commits his night to cursing Let them curse it who curse the day c. Now though there be a truth in the things which are asserted in this opinion taken abstractedly though it be a truth that wicked men are such as curse the day of ayre-light and the day of knowledge-light though they are often so madde to be sinning that they provoke and tempt the Devill yet I will not give this for the sense and meaning of the words rather you may take it and make use of it as an Allegory upon then an Exposition of the Text. The last opinion with which I shall conclude the opening of the words is this That Iob in this verse doth allude to the custome of his own Countrey and of other Easterne Countries who had certaine persons amongst them both men and women whom upon solemne occasions either of joy or sorrow they were wont to hire or call in for reward to come and helpe them out either in rejoycing or in mourning We find mention of such in Scripture divers times who were thus called and invited or hired to mourne and lament in times of sad and sorrowfull accidents whether personall or publick These had Lachrimas venales teares to sell or sale-teares making both a profession and a profit of mourning Such the Prophet speakes of Ier. 9.17 18. Thus saith the Lord Consider ye and call for the mourning women he speakes of them as of a society or sister-hood well knowne and as well custom'd and cunning women that they may come that is women cunning in mourning And let them make hast and take up a wailing for us that our eyes may runne downe with teares and our eye-lidds gush out with waters for a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion How are we spoiled And ver 20. Teach your daughters wailing and every one her neighbour lamentation you see it was an art taught amongst them for death is come up into our windowes c. In 2 Chron. 35.25 We have a record to the same effect concerning the lamentation for Josiah And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah and all the singing-men and singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day So that there were both men and women prepared and usually called forth to lament such occasions of sorrow Againe Amos 5.16 Therefore the Lord the God of Hosts the Lord saith thus wailing shall be in all streets and they shall say in all the high-wayes Alas Alas And they shall call the husbandman to mourning and such as are skillfull of lamentation to wailing Observe here different mourners they shall call the husbandman to mourning and such as are skillfull of lamentation to wailing You see he speakes of two sorts of persons they shall call the husbandman to mourning Husbandmen are such as mourne when they mourne when they mourne they mourne indeed they mourne down-right but besides these who mourned Ex animo really there was another sort who did but personate sorrow and act a part in griefe So saith the Prophet Call in some who are skilfull of lamentation men or women who have studied the point and know how to move a passion and to heighten an affection beyond that which the plaine husbandman can doe Let the husbandman mourne but besides that let there be art and solemnity in the mourning call in those that are skilfull of lamentation There was a kind of profession trade or art of mourning Which is further evidenced 2 Sam. 14.2 Joab sent to Tekoah to fetch thence a wise woman which is interpreted in the words following to be a woman skilfull in lamentation and said unto her I pray thee faine thy selfe to be a mourner Thou art a cunning
and mysteriousnesse of the matter While a man speakes in a strange language wee heare a sound but know not the words and while a man speakes in our owne language though we know the words yet we may not understand the meaning and then hee that speakes is to us in that reference so the Apostle calls him a Barbarian While the leaves of the booke are opened and read to such or by such the sense is shut up and sealed When the Apostle Philip heard the Ethiopian Eunuch reade the Prophet Isaiah as he traveld in his Chariot hee said to him understandest thou what thou readest The Eunuch answered How should I unlesse some man would guide mee He understood the language but the meaning was under a vaile The very same may we say to many who reade the Scriptures understand you what you reade And they may answer as the Eunuch did How can we except we had some man to guide us Yea and alas for all the guiding of man they may answer How can we except we have the Spirit of God to guide us He hath his Pulpit in heaven who teacheth hearts the heart of Scripture Paul we know was a learned Pharisee and much verst in the Law and yet he saith of himselfe before his conversion that hee was without the Law but when Christ came to him then the Commandment came to him I was once alive without the Law but when the Commandment came that is when Christ came and his Spirit came in or after my conversion and expounded the Commandment to my heart then the Commandment came sc to my heart in the power of it and I understood to purpose what the Law was So that the teachings of the Spirit the teachings of God himselfe are chiefly to be looked after and prayed for that we may know the mind of the Spirit the will of God in Scripture But he hath set up this ordinance the ordinance of interpretation to doe it by both that the Scripture might be translated out of the Originall into the common language of every Nation which the Apostle calls interpreting in that place before cited and also that the originall sense of the Scripture might be translated into the minde and understanding of every man which is the worke we aime at and now have in hand Before I begin that give me leave to beseech you in the Name of Christ to take care for the carrying on of this worke a degree further I mean to translate the sense of Scripture into your lives and to expound the word of God by your workes Interpret it by your feet and teach it by your fingers as Solomon speakes to another sense that is let your working and your walkings be Scripture explications It is indeed a very great honour unto this Citie that you take care for a Commentarie on the Scripture in writing but if you will be carefull and diligent to make a Commentarie upon the Scripture by living or to make your lives the Commentarie of Scripture this will make your Citie glorious indeed It is the Apostles testimonie of his Corinthians Yee saith he are our Epistle for as much as yee are manifestly declared to be the Epistle of Christ ministred by us written not with inke but with the Spirit of the living God not in tables of stone but in fleshie tables of the heart Give us we beseech you the same occasion of glorying on your behalfe that we may say You are our Expositions for as much as you are manifestly declared in your practise to be the exposition of the mind of Christ ministred unto you by us A walking a breathing Commentarie goeth infinitely beyond the written or spoken Commentarie And as the Apostle makes his conclusion before noted I had rather speake five words with my understanding than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue So I say I had rather know five words of Scripture by my own practise and experience than ten thousand words of Scripture yea than the whole Scripture by the bare Exposition of another And therefore let the word of Christ by these verball Explications dwell richly in your understandings in all wisedome And by a practicall application let it be held forth plentifully in your lives in all holinesse Adde Commentarie to Commentarie and Exposition to Exposition adde the Comment of works to this Comment of words and an Exposition by your lives to this Exposition by our labours Surely if you do not these Exercises will be costly indeed and will come to a deep account against you before the Lord. If you are lifted up to heaven by the opening of the Scripture which is either a carrying of you up to heaven or a bringing of heaven downe to you and then walke groveling upon the earth how sore will the judgement be But it is to me an argument and an evidence from heaven that God hath put it into your hearts to be more glorious in the practise of holinesse because he hath put it into your hearts to desire more the knowledge of holinesse To draw in my speech nearer to the businesse Having a booke full of very various matter before me give mee leave to premise some things in the generall and some thing more particulars by way of Preface concerning the booke before wee come to the handling of the text First for the generall That which God speakes concerning the whole worke of Creation We may speake concerning the whole booke of Scripture It is very good Solomon observes that wheresoever the wisdom of God spake it spake of excellent things And David to quicken our endeavours and excite our diligence to the study of the word preferreth it in worth above thousands of gold and silver and in sweetnesse above the honey and the honey combe And when he ceaseth to compare hee beginneth to admire Wonderfull are thy Testimonies And well may that bee called Wonderfull which proceedeth from the God of Wonders All Scripture is given by divine inspiration or by inspiration from God and I need not stay to shew you the excellencie of any part when I have but pointed at such an originall of the whole As therefore the whole Scripture whether wee respect the majestie of the Author the height or puritie of the matter the depth or perspicuitie of the stile the dignitie or variety of occurrences whether we consider the Art of compiling or the strength of arguing disdaines the very mention of comparison with any other humane Author whatsoever so are comparisons in it selfe as Booke with Booke Chapter with Chapter dangerous There is not in this great volume of holy counsell any one Book or Chapter Verse or Section of greater power or authoritie than other Moses and Samuel the writings of Amos the Shepherd and of Isaiah a Descendant of the blood Royall the writings of the Prophets and Evangelists the Epistles of Paul and this historie of Iob must be received to use the words
by the example and incouragement but against the example of others he was a leading man himselfe though he lived among those that were scoffers and wicked yet Iob was holy As they say concerning the affection of love it is most unnaturall â—or a man to hate those that love him It is civill for men to love â—â—ose that love them but this is truly Christian for a man to love â—â—ose that hate him and doe him wrong So in regard of living and â—â—nversing as of loving and affecting we may say it is a most â—icked thing to be naught among those that are good that aggraâ—ateth a mans sinnefulnesse to be unholy while he converseth with those that are holy It is a good thing to be good with the good to take example by them but it is a most excellent thing a glorious thing to be good among those that are starke naught to worship God aright among Idolaters to feare God among those that have no feare of God before their eyes to be perfect among hypocrites to be upright among those that are unjust to eschew evill among those that are altogether wrapt about with evill This was the honour and commendation of Iob. For a man to be as Lot in Sodome never touched with Sodomes wickednesse to keepe himselfe pure and sincere and without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation to shine as a light in the midst of darknesse this brings honour both to God and man Thirdly From the place where Iob lived we may observe That Grace will preserve it selfe in the midst of the greatest opposition It s such a fire as no water can wholy quench or put out True Grace will keepe it selfe sound and cleane among those who are leaprous and uncleane it is such a thing as overcomes and masters all the evill that is about it God hath put such a mighty power into grace that if it once possesse the heart in truth though there be but a little of it though there be but as much as a graine of mustard-seed not all the wickednesse in the world no nor all the devils in Hell can dispossesse it As all the water in the salt Sea cannot make the fish salt but still the fish retaines its freshnesse so all the wickednesse and filthinesse that is in the world cannot destroy cannot defile true grace that will beare up its head and hold up it selfe for ever And this man was perfect and upright one that feared God and eschewed evill Perfect Not that he had a legall perfection such a perfection as the Papists now contend for and assert possibly attaineable yea actually attained by many in this life For what is man that he should be cleane And Iob himselfe professeth Chap. 9.20 If I say I am perfect it shall also prove me perverse hâ— acknowledgeth Chap. 7.20 I have sinned The perfection thereâ—fore here spoken of is not an absolute a legall perfection For the clearing of the word we may consider there is a twofold perfection ascrib'd to the Saints in this life A perfection oâ— Justification A perfection of Sanctification The first of these in a strict sense is a compleate perfection The Saints are compleate in Christ they are perfectly justified there is not any sinne left uncovered not any guilt left unwashed in the blood of Christ not the least spot but is taken away His gargarment is large enough to cover all our nakednesse and deformities In this respect they may be called perfect they are perfectly justified By one offering Christ hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified Heb. 10.14 Then there is a perfection of holinesse or of sanctification and that is called so either in regard of the beginnings of or in regard of desires after and aimes at perfection The Saints even in this life have a perfect beginning of holinesse because they are begun to be sanctified in every part they are sanctified throughout in soule and body and spirit as the Apostle distinguisheth 1 Thes 5.23 though every part be not throughout sanctified yet they are sanctified in every part throughout and this is a perfection When the worke of sanctification is begun in all parts it is a perfect worke beginning They are likewise perfect in regard of their desires and intendments Perfect holinesse is the aime of the Saints on earth it is the reward of the Saints in Heaven The thing which they drive at here is perfection therefore they themselves are called perfect As God accepts of the will for the deed so he expresseth the deed by the will he interpreteth him to be a perfect man who would be perfect and calls that person perfect who desires to have all his imperfections cured That is a second understanding how Iob was perfect A third way is this He was perfect comparatively comparing him with those who were either openly wicked or but openly holy he was a perfect man he was a man without spot compared with those that were either all over spotted with filthinesse or only painted with godlinesse Or thus We may say the perfection here spoken of is the perfection of sincerity Iob was sincere he was sound at the heart He did not act a part or personate Religion but was a religious person He was not guilded but gold So the word is interpreted Some render it Iob was a simple man not as simple is put for weake and foolish but as simple is put for plaine hearted one that is not as the Apostle Iames phraseth it a double minded man Iob was a simple minded man or a single minded man one that had not a heart and a heart he was not a compound speaking one thing and meaning another he meant what he spake and he would speake his mind It is the same word that is used in Iacobs character Gen. 25.27 Esau was a cunning hunter a man of the field and Jacob was Ish Tam a plaine man So that to be a perfect man is to be a plaine man one whose heart you may know by his tongue and reade the mans spirit in his actions Some are such juglers that you can see little of their spirits in their lives you can learne but little of their minds by their words Iacob was a plaine man and so was Iob some translate it a sound man It is the same expression that is given of Noah He was Tamim in his generation or he was sound upright hearted or perfect with God Gen. 6.9 And it is that which God speakes to Abraham Gen. 17.2 Walke before me and be thou Tamim be thou perfect or sound or upright or plaine in thy walking before me In the 28. of Exodus v. 30. We reade of the Vrim and the Thummim on the Breast-plate of the High-priest Thummim comes from this roote and signified the integrity of heart and life required in the High-priest as Vrim did the light and clearenesse of his knowledge And upright The former word which was