to his enemies to the Islands he will repay recompence Secondly as vanity in the former clause is taken for the Creature Observe The Creature is most vaine to those who trust it The Creature is a vaine thing in his hand who beleeves and trusts in God but it is exceeding vaine in his hand who trusts on it and the more it is trusted the more vaine it is If we make it our staffe it will be our scourge if we leane upon it as our rock it will run into our hands like a broken Reed The best way to keep up our comforts in the Creature is to keep our distance from the Creature And they shall finde most content in the World who live furthest off it and expect least from it God is good and the more we trust him the better he is to us yea he is not good at all to us unlesse we trust him But the best of creatures trusted to become evill yea an Idoll to us Trust not in vanity such are all creatures in their best estate for vanity shall be your recompence Againe The word which we translate recompence signifies a change or the exchange which is made of one thing for another While Job exalts the value and excellency of wisedome above all created excellencies he saith Chap. 28.17 The Gold and the Chrystall cannot equall it and the exchange of it shall not be for jewells of fine Gold So some render it here Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity A radice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mutavit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 commutatio vanitas erit commutatio ejus i. e. in nihilum redigetur for vanity shall be his change Whensoever he changeth he shall change into vanity or when he hath driven a trade in sinfull vanity to the highest the best exchange which the Merchandize thereof yeelds him is miserable vanity Vanity can produce nothing to us but vanity The effect is not better then the cause nor the fruit then the Tree and that which we receive in exchange though it may be of another kinde yet it is of no better value then that we give in exchange Hence Observe That a wicked mans state never changeth for better but from good to bad or from bad to worse Till the man himselfe be changed from bad to good his state can never change from bad to good And suppose his outward state be good then the worst thing that can befall him is this that his state should not change His setlednesse in that which is civilly good doth but more settle him in that which is morally evill They have no changes therefore they feare not God Psal 55.19 What can be worse for man then this nâ—t to feare God who is the chiefest good Who would not feare to be without changes when he heares that being without them keeps out this feare Suppose further That the wicked mans outward estate be evill then it is worse to him when he changes to outward good if he change from sorrow to joy from povery to riches from sicknesse to health from a prison to liberty in all these or in any other of like nature with these he changes to his losse That man can never change for good who continues evill Such a mans outward estate often changes from bad to worse if it change from bad to good that is bad for him and if being good it change not at all that is worst of all It is a part of the misery of man that his state is changeable but that is incident to the best of men We shall not be unchangeable in our state till we come into the presence of God who is unchangeable in his nature We may say also considering the many troubles which we are subject to in this life that it is a part of our happinesse that our state is changeable Those changes which are from evill to good or from good to better are to be numbred among our blessings such are the changes of the Saints all their changes are for the better yea those changes of the Saints which are from joy to sorrow from riches to poverty from health to sicknesse from liberty to a prison from life to death in a word their changes from any kinde of outward temporary good to outward temporary evill are yet for their good He cannot change but for his good who is good and who abides alwayes under this promise that all shall work together for his good An evill and a good man differ in nothing more then in their changes nor should any selfe-consideration provoke an evill man more to desire that he may be changed to good then this that his changes may be for good Who would continue or trust in vanity were he perswaded that vanity shall be his change Secondly Observe That such as our way is such will our end be If we walk and trust in vanity we shall have vanity for our recompence or our change Every mans end is virtually in his way So the Apostle argues ellegantly Gal. 6.7 Be not deceived God is not mocked whatsoever a man sowes that shall he reape he that sowes to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption he that sowes to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting If the Husband-man sow tares he must look to reap tares A seed time of tares and a Harvest of Wheat were never heard of in the same ground As the seed is such is the crop Isa 3.11 Woe to the wicked it shall be ill with him for the reward of his hand shall be given him There is nothing worse for some then to have their reward brought in and all that is owing to them payd The very receiving of their debts and rewards is their undoing for ever All the misery of a wicked man is summed up in this He shall have the reward of his hands Wrath and death and Hell are his rewards and all the wages which the work both of his hands and heart can earne and these he shall have fully payd to him Vaine he hath been and vanity shall be his recompence Some read this Verse not as a dehortation Let not him that is deceived trust or beleeve in vanity but as a negative proposition for that particle in the Hebrew which sometimes carryeth a prohibition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Malo simpliciter negare quam prohibere Merc. Non credet qui vanitate errat quod vanitas erit permutatio ejus Merc. Non credet fore ut ejus faelicitas permutetur ad meâ—am vanitatem deveniet Vatâ—bl notes also a bare negation so here He that is deceived with vanity will not beleeve the same word signifies both to beleeve and trust that vanity shall be his recompence He will not beleeve a change much lesse such a change This is a cleare sense and it hints us this Observation That a wicked man is full of infidelity or unbeleife that his estate is evill or shall
we must not serve it and they who doe so deserve rather to be called Epicures then Christians That 's sinfull fatnesse which is got upon termes of slavery or service to the belly yea a man that is intentive upon that question What shall I eate and carefull how to feed his flesh though he doe not grow fat by it yet he shewes himselfe full of sin by it The designe of such is for the flesh though their flesh doe not thrive under that designe As a man may be very covetous though he continue poor and leane in purse so a man may be very luxurious and a great servant to Bacchus and Belly-cheare though he continue leane and poore in body The blessing of God fattens some and such fat ones blesse God David Prophesies that when The Kingdome shall be the Lords and he the Governour among the Nations which is very paralell with what those great voyces sayd after the seventh Angel had sounded Revel 11.15 The Kingdomes of this World are become the Kingdomes of the Lord and of his Christ and hee shall reigne for ever and ever and when this shall be saith David Psal 22.30 Then all they that be fat upon the Earth shall eate and worship that is the great ones shall submit to Christ his Kingdome shall be inlarged and not onely the poore who are described in the latter part of that Verse in the Psalme under the name and notion of such as goe downe to the dust but the rich shall receive the Gospell Kings and Queens persons of Authority and wealth shall come to the participation of the grace of Christ Isa 60.3.10 They who have their bellye 's full of the meat that perisheth shall have their soules full of that meat which endures to everlasting life Psal 45.12 The rich among the people What people The first words of the Verse tell us he meanes the Tyrians who were a wonderfull rich people Isa 23.8 Ezek. 27. and the Tyrians are here put by a Synechdoche for all other Heathens for though Tyre were a City in the Tribe of Aser Josh 19.29 yet it was at that time possessed by Heathens Now saith the Psalmist The rich among these people shall intreat thy favour That is the Churches favour God will work their hearts to an earnest desire of admission into the society of the Saints and to live under a professed subjection to the Gospel of Jesus Christ who have abounded in worldly possessions and hold the World in subjection to their power These rich and fat ones among the people shall intreat thy favour This Prophesie was in part fulfilled Mark 3.8 where we read of great multitudes from Tyre and Sidon flocking after Christ So that it is not riches and fatnesse precisely considered but the intending of our skin or our studiousnesse to fill our selves with earthly delicates which shewes we have weak appetites to or rather a loathing of the things of Heaven Secondly This covering the face with fat is here presented by Eliphaz as a cause or occasion at least of the wicked mans arming himselfe against God Bonorum abundantia vitiorum omnium materiam subministrat Hence Observe That an evill heart turnes the blessings of God into rebellion against him The Jewes were thus charged Deut. 32.15 Jesurun waxed fat and kicked The Lord complaines of this as of a sin which he scarse knew how to pardon Jer. 5.7 How shall I pardon thee for this Thy Children have forsaken me c. When I had fed them to the full they then committed Adultery and assembled themselves by troops in the Harlots houses Those are great sins indeed which put the Lord whose title is The God pardoning sin and ready to forgive into a querie about their pardon and forgivenesse Such kind of sinning made Jerusalem a Sister to Sodom that is as like Sodom yea and Samaria too as if they had been one Mothers Daughters or as if they had been of one and the selfe-same blood and stock Ezek. 16.49 Behold this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom pride fulnesse of bread and abundance of idlenesse was in her and in her Daughters Plenty of the Creature and plenty of sin went together and whereas Jerusalem should have served God shee served her lusts in the abundance of all things We have a saying when men are lifted up upon the enjoyment of outward good things in allusion to Beasts Provender pricks them They act more like Beasts then Men who kick against God who feeds them and turne his bread of blessings into the stones of disobedience What outward good thing will not an evill heart abuse and wax wanton with when it is so apt to abuse spirituall things and to turn the grace of God into laciviousnesse that is to grow wanton and lacivious because God is gracious Thirdly Observe They take little care for their soules who take over-much for their bodies They who desire to please appetite cannot endeavour to please God When the Apostle exhorts to put on the Lord Jesus he dehorts from providing for the flesh Rom. 13.14 Put yee on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof As if he had sayd Unlesse you forbeare providing for lusts you will have little leasure and lesse desire to put on Christ Ephes 5.18 Be not drunke with Wine wherein is excesse that is be not inordinate in the use of the creature but be filled with the spirit as if he had sayd You will never be filled with the spirit if over-filled with Wine if you give up your selves to satsifie carnall appetite you wil not have any appetite at all to spirituals There is an inward gluttony and drunkennesse when the thoughts run upon dainty Dishes and full Cups or when men chew their meat and Wine in their thoughts before they eate or drinke Now as well they or rather they more who are inwardly drunken with excessive desires of Wine as they who are visibly drunken with the excessive taking downe of Wine are farr enough either from the desire or attainement of a filling with the Spirit The spirit of the Buttery and the spirit of God have no more agreement then the flesh and the spirit yea that spirit is the grossest part of sinfull flesh and therefore can neither take care for nor beare with the things of the spirit So farr of the first cause of the wicked mans excessive sinning his excesse in the use of the Creature set forth by the ordinary effect of it Fatnesse He covereth his face with fatnesse The second follows Vers 28. He dwelleth in desolate Cities and in houses wherein no man inhabiteth which are ready to become heaps This Verse shews a second cause of the wicked mans fiercenesse against God His power over men which is described as the former by the effect of it He hath made Cities desolate It requires much power to overthrow whole Cities that which is strong cannot be destroyed without
enjoy more fully the presence of God Yet God himselfe sayd at the first when man was created It is not good for man to be alone There was no morall evill in that alonenesse for when God spake this word there was no such evill in the visible World but God called it evill because it was so inconvenient for the civill well-being and inconsistent with the naturall propagation of man And therefore as in reference to both these evils God sayd with his own mouth It is not good for man to be alone so in reference to the former of the two God sayd by Solomon Two is better then one and woe to him that is alone Eccles 4.9 10. Job puts his alonenesse among his woes Thou hast made desolate all my company But it may be said Had Job no company Were not his Freinds about him Did not these three come to mourn with him and to comfort him And had they not been in discourse with him all this while Yes he had company but it was not suitable company he had evill ones about him as he complaines Chap. 19. and Chap. 30. and though his three Freinds were good men yet to him they were no good company because so unpleasant in their converse with him Hence Note Some company is a burthen We say of many men Wee had rather have their roome then their company Man loves company but 't is the company of those he loves The comfort of our lives depends much upon society but more upon the suitablenesse of society It is better to dwell in the corner of a house top then with a brawling Woman in a wide house Prov. 21.9 And it is better to be in a Desert among wilde Beasts then in a populous City among beastly men This made the Prophet desire a lodging in the Wildernesse Jer. 9.2 The Countrey about Sodome was pleasant like the Garden of God yet how was the righteous soule of Lot vexed with the filthy and unrighteous conversation of the Sodomites How uneasie are our lives made to us by dwelling among either false Freinds or open Enemies In the Creation when God said It is not good for man to be alone he subjoynes Let us make him a helpe meet for him Adam had all the beasts of the earth about him but they were no company for him man knowes not how to converse with beasts or employ his reason with those that have none As it is not good for man to be alone so to be in company that is not meet for him is as bad or worse then to be alone Therefore saith God Let us make him a helpe meet for him the making of a Woman brought in meet company for mankinde yet some men are as unmeet company for men as beasts are and are therefore in Scripture called Beasts Paul fought with such beasts at Ephesus there are few places free of them and many places are full of them David cryes out Woe is me that I am constrained to dwell in Mesech c. There was company enough but it was wofull company The Primitive Saints associated themselves they continued in fellowship one with another as well as in the Apostles Doctrine or in breaking of bread and prayer Acts 2.42 They were all of one minde and were therefore fâ—t to make one body The communion and fellowship of the Saints is the lower heaven of Saints And the making of such a company desolate is the saddest desolation that can be made on earth Communion of Saints in Heaven is one great accession to the joy of Heaven And 't is a great comfort to the Saints in the midst of all the ill neighbourhood which they meet with here to remember that they shall meet with no ill neighboures there none but Freinds there none but loving Freinds There shall not be a crosse thought much lesse a crosse word or action among those many millions of glorified Saints for ever nor shall there be any among them there but Saints no tares in that feild nor chaffe in that floore no Goates in that Fold no nor any Wolves in Sheep-skins no prophane ones there no nor any Hypocrites there Uunsutable company would render our lives miserable in Heaven it self If God should say to the godly and the wicked as David once did to Mephibosheth and Ziba Thou and Ziba divide the Land divide Heaven among you might they not answer with reverence as Mephibosheth did to David Nay let them take it all to themselves O our soules come not into their secret and unto their assembly let not our honour be joyned if Swearers Adulterers Lyers should be our company in Heaven Heaven it selfe were unheaven'd and everlasting life would bee an everlasting death And that which further argues the burdensomness of unsutable company is that even wicked men themselves cannot but confess that they are burdned with the company of those who are good if such come in presence where they associate in any sinfull converse how weary are they of their company How do they even sweat at the sight of them And how glad are they when such turne their backs and are gone the onely reason why they like them not is because they are not like them and they are not good company because they are good All company is made desolate to us which is not made suitable to us Job had many about him yet he complaines Thou hast made desolate all my company Job goes on yet to describe his troubles he wanted desireable company about him but he had store of witnesses against him he was emptyed of his comforts but filled with sorrowes as might be seen in the symptomes and effects of sorrow Vers 8. Thou hast filled me with wrinckles which is a witnesse against me and my leannesse rising up in me beareth witnesse to my face As if he had sayd Though I hold my peace and say nothing Si vellem caelare aut verbis extenuare dolorem meum rugae meae testimonium daub c. though I doe not aggravate my griefe yea though I should extenuate and hide it yet there are witnesses enow of it my wrinkles speake my griefe and my leannesse shewes that I am feasted with the sowre hearbes of sorrow That 's the generall sense of this Verse Thou hast filled me with wrinkles It is but one word in the Hebrew we might render it Thou hast wrinkled me or as Master Broughton Thou hast made me all wrinkled The word is not found in this sense any where else in Scripture 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rugas contraxit active corrugavit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 corrugastime Non alibi quam in hoc libro in scriptura reperitur Quod succidisti me testimonio est Merc. but very frequently among the Rabbins There are also two other significations of it which Interpreters have taken in here First It signifies To cut off or to cut downe Chap. 22.15 16. Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have troden