the great Monarchs who were as the mountains and hils of the world bowed under the Lord. The word is used to the same sense Isa 49.23 where the Lord promiseth his people That Kings shall be their nursing Fathers and Queens their nursing Mothers they shall bow downe to thee with their face toward the earth and lick the dust of thy feet The Church shall have the honour to be honoured by the Kings and Princes of the world they being converted shall bow downe so low to the Scepter of Jesus Christ held forth by the Church as if they would lick up the very dust and shall employ their power and authority for the good and protection of the Church The speech of Israel Gen. 27.29 in his prophetick blessing upon Jacob Let thy mothers sons bow downe to thee and of Jacob in his upon Judah Gen. 49.8 Thy fathers children shall bow downe before thee note greatest honour and subjection to them both The meaning of all is plainly this That except the Lord himself suspend his own act and restrain his anger no power in heaven or earth how strong how proud how confident of successe soever is able to force him or to alter him Helpers shall not help themselves much lesse those to whose help they come against the minde and purpose of God Observe here first Those passions which are ascribed to God are fully under the command of God The passion of anger is ascribed to God yet the anger which we say is in God hath no power over God Mans anger usually masters him but God is alwaies master of his anger that is he can turn and with-draw his anger when he pleaseth There is no perturbation in God when he is offended he is not moved his motions are all without upon the creatures he hath none in his own bosom The passions of the Lord are his most serious counsels determinations and we therefore say he is angry because those counsels of his acted look like the effects of anger Secondly observe That It is not in the power of man to turn away the anger of God He doth not say except men by praier or other means stop the anger of God but Except the Lord with-draw his anger all help is vain Praier is said to appease the wrath of God and to stay his anger Moses stood in the gap and Aaron came out with incense to turn away his wrath yet it is an act of Gods will which turns away his anger not the force of our praier praier therefore prevails with God because he hath said it shall He is infinitely free when himself acknowledges that we laythe powerfullest restraint upon him when the Lord is turned by praier it is his will to be turned it was his counsell and is his command that praier should be made as a means to turn him and it is his promise that he will turn to us when we pray Then it appears to us that the Lord hath decreed to do a thing when he stirs up the hearts of his people to pray for the doing of it and that he is purposed to with-draw his anger when he draws out their hearts strongly to entreat his favour Thirdly observe That untill God be appeased towards a person or a people there is no remedy for them in the world The proud helpers shall stoop under him If the helpers themselves fall who can rise by these helpers if they are cast down how shall we be upheld by them What if the people of a provoking Nation associate themselves together or associate themselves with other Nations or call in help and aid from all that are round about them shall they therefore escape in their wickednesse they shall not escape Unlesse God help our helpers they are helplesse to us When many companies and great Commanders repaired to David at Ziklag David went out to meet them Chron. 12.17 and said If ye be come peaceably to help me mine heart shall be knit to you but if ye be come to betray me c. Amasai who was chief of the Captains answers v. 18. Thine are we David and on thy side thou son of Jesse peace peace be unto thee and peace be to thy helpers for thy God helpeth thee Our helpers cannot give us peace unlesse God give them peace our helpers must be helped by God before they can give us help The anger of God breaks all the staves we lean on and makes them as reeds which wound rather then support till God is quiet all is unquiet and when he is unpacified men shall be unpacified or their peace shall be to our losse As if he with-draw his anger enemies shall oppose in vain so except he with-draw his anger friends shall help in vain Lastly They who strive to deliver those whom God will destroy shall fall themselves before God If God be resolved upon the thing not only they that are helped but the helpers also shall stoop under him helpers cannot help themselves when he is angry they shall be like Idols which have eyes and see not hands and cannot act either to save themselves or those that trust upon them The greatest strength in the world without God it is no better then an Idol which is nothing in the world Strength cannot be strong for it self and help cannot help it self Our help stands in the Name of the Lord which made heaven and earth and not in the name of any creature under any part of heaven or upon the face of the whole earth JOB Chap. 9. Vers 14 15. How much lesse shall I answer him and chuse out my words to reason with him Whom though I were righteous yet would I not answer I would make supplication to my Judge JOB having in the former passages of this Chapter lifted up the glory and majesty of God in his power and justice and shewed the utter insufficiency of creatures to implead his justice or to rescue themselves out of the hand of his power he now draws his speech nearer home and calling his thoughts from those remoter journies up to the heavens and among the stars over the mountains and hils down to the depths of the sea and foundations of the earth about all which he had discoursed I say calling his thoughts from these remoter travels he comes now closer to the matter and from all those premisses deduces a conclusion iâ— the words of the Text to vindicate himself from that charge which his friends laid upon him as if he were a contender with the power or an accuser of the wisdome and justice of God From the folly and blasphemy of both which imputations he disasperseth himself in these two verses by an argument taken from the greater to the lesse and we may form it up thus He who is so strong wise and just that all the powers in heaven and earth are not able to oppose or stay him surely I I alone or single I a poor weak creature am not able to
per loquelae instrumenta in verba formate Bald. And how long shall the words of thy mouth be as a strong winde The Hebrew word for word runs thus And the words of thy mouth a strong winde We resume in this later clause How long and adde be like to supply the sense There is no tearm of comparison expressed in the originall yet the strength of one is implyed and therefore to fill up the meaning we render And how long shall the words of thy mouth be as a strong winde M. Broughton translates it without a note of similitude How long wilt thou talk in this sort that the words of thy mouth be a vehement winde Words are air or breath formed and articulated by the instruments of speech Hence breath and words are put for the same in divers Scriptures Psal 33.6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth Breath in the later clause is no more then word in the first for it was a powerfull word which caused all the creatures to stand out in their severall forms So Isa 11.4 He shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips or with the winde of his lips shall he stay the wicked It is not blowing upon wicked men that will slay them but it is speaking to them there is a power in the word of a Prophet when spoken in the Name of Christ which destroyes those who will not obey it Hos 6.5 I have hewed them by my Prophets I have slain them by the words of my mouth Secondly * Graeci latini Prophetas quosdam ex Hebraeo Cabiros cognominarunt ob insignem eorum ad extra gravitatem loquacitatem idem dicti Corybantes Bold Quos Authores latini Divos potes seu potentes vocant Graecis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicuntur ab hac voce quae potem sive potentem denotat Drus Ad magnanimitatem referri potest quod corpore attenuato exhaustisque viribus fortiter tamen persisteret in loquendo respondendo Cajet Iobi oratio non fuit frigida languidased vehemens concitata Pined Bildad is conceived to allude to a certain sort or sect of men For from Cabir here translated strong the name of certain Poets or old Prophets is derived whom the Greeks and Latines called Cabirs or Cabirims These men had an affected outward gravity yet were full of words and much given to Battologie repeating the same things over and over Bildad ranks Job say some with those Prophets How long shall the words of thy mouth be like those roming Cabirs who by a needlesse multiplying of words grated the eares and burdened the spirits of all the hearers Why doest thou speak as if thou couldst carry the matter with empty words and bare repetitions Thirdly The word strong winde may note the stoutnesse of Jobs spirit or the magnanimity he exprest in his words Jobs language was not cold and chill as if his breath were frozen but he spake with hight and heat The spirit and courage of a man breaths out at his lips How long shall the words of thy mouth be a strong winde When wilt thou yeeld to God and lie humbly at his feet What a heart hast thou Thou speakest as big as if thou hadst never been touched as if God never laid one stroke upon thee thou hast a weak body but a stiff spirit Thou speakest as if thou wouldst bear all down before thee and by thy boldnesse storm and bluster those out of countenance who are here to give thee counsell Fourthly Take in the similitude How long shall the words of thy mouth be as a strong winde That is how long wilt thou speak so much and speak so fiercely For the word Caber is more then Gadol which signifies barely great Gramarians note that it signifies both continued quantity and discreet quantity multitude and magnitude How many words wilt thou speak and how great words wilt thou speak Spiritus multiplex ermones oris tui Vulg 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Spiritus multiloquus Sept. Shall thy words be as a great various enfolded winde so the Vulgar Wilt thou blow all the points of the compasse at once and like a whirle-winde invade and circle us on every side Such words are like a strong winde First Because of their blustering noise There are stormy and tempestuous words The tempest of the tongue is one of the greatest tempests in the world Passionate language troubles both the air and ear makes all unquiet like an enraged angry winde Secondly In such words as in stormy windes there is great strength to bear all down before them or to sway all to that point they blow for As all the trees in a forrest look that way which the winde sits so all the spirits in any Assembly are apt to turn that way which words bearing a fair shew of reason direct How often are the judgements and opinions of men carried by words either to good or evil to truth or errour And unlesse a man have good abilities of judgement and reason to manage what he knows or holds and to make himself master of it It is a hard thing upon a large winde of anothers discourse not to have his opinion turned Hence the Apostle Tit. 1.11 speaking of vain-talkers saith Their words subvert whole houses as a strong winde so strong words blow houses down They subvert whole houses as that subverts the frame and materials of the house so this the people or inhabitants of the house when Christ breathed graciously towards Zacheus he said Luk. 19.9 This day is salvation come to this house when false teachers breathe erroniously subversion comes to many houses The Apostle Ephes 4.14 using this similitude about the doctrines of men adviseth us to look to our ground and that we be well rooted That we be no more children tossed too and fro and carried with every winde of doctrine as if he had said The winde that blows from the lips of seducers unlesse you be well established will carry you to and fro like children or wave your tops up and down as trees yea endanger the pulling you up by the roots Thirdly Strong words are as strong windes in a good sense for as many strong windes purge and cleanse the air making it more pure and healthy so those strong wholesome windes from the mouths of men purge the minde of errour and cleanse the soul of sinne This is the speciall means which Christ hath set up to cleanse his people from infectious and noisome opinions These he disperses and dispels by the breath of his Ministers in the faithfull and authoritative dispensation of the Gospel Fourthly There are ill qualities in strong windes some are infectious windes they corrupt the ayr conveying ill vapours to the places on which they breathe So there is a strong unwholsome winde of words which carries unto
of worldly Kingdoms is not meat and drink but righteousnesse When Kingdoms are holy habitations they will soon be quiet habitations In Isa 26.2 Open ye the gates that the righteous Nation which keepeth the truth may enter in thou shalt keep him in perfect peace God will give and preserve the peace of the righteous Righteousnesse is the pillar of a State and the parent of peace The mountains Psal 72.3 shall bring peace to the people and the little hils by righteousnesse Plant righteousnesse upon barren hils and mountains and peace will flourish there I might hence inferre a corollary by the rule of contrarie That Vnrighteousnesse makes unprosperous and unpeacefull habitations An habitation of idolatry and false worship an habitation of cruelty and hard dealing shall be an habitation for owls and shreech-owls a dwelling place for every unclean bird and beast these shall take up their lodgings within such wals and make their nests in such chambers Whilst we are fil'd as the Apostle characterizeth the Gentiles Rom. 1. with all unrighteousnesse it is no marvell if we are fill'd with all trouble The Prophet Malachi brings in Edom thus reflecting upon himself Chap. 1.4 whereas Edom saith I am impoverished c. Edom began to be sensible all was not well with him Hereupon he advises upon a way to help himself and concludes thus We will return and build the desolate places This was their resolve but what saith God to it Even this Will ye build ye shall build I will give you leave to build but I will throw it down again I will spoyl your work Why would the Lord be thus severe The next words give a reason They shall call thee the border of wickednes the people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever Wickednesse is a large word and takes in all unrighteousnesse towards man as well as impiety towards God That building cannot stand long where unrighteousnes lies between the timber and the stones God will pull down by night what such men build by day If then we would have buildings stand and our habitations prosperous let us labour to build with justice and make ours the habitations of righteousnesse Look upon it in families that which withers the comfort of a family in children in servants is the unrighteousnesse found in a family if there be unrighteousnesse there no wonder if there be decaies and discontents there too If there be unrighteousnesse in Cities If Psal 55.11 deceit and guile go not out of our streets no marvell if complainings goe not out of our streets We call for peace and prosperity O that peace would come but if our hearts were set upon this if we laboured every one with himself and every one with his brother and every one with the publike to the uttermost of his line that we may in our persons in our families in our policies be an habitation of righteousnesse how soon should we all be a prosperous habitation an habitation of peace Two things make a Nation an habitation of righteousnesse First When right is done speedily Secondly When right is done impartially Tedious delaies make Courts prisons of righteousnesse not habitations of righteousnesse Partiall distributions shew a place to be a market of righteousnesse where he shall have it that bidâ— most for it not an habitation of righteousnesse where every one ought to have it that comes for it Ye shall do no unrighteousnesse in judgement saith the Law Levit. 19.15 how shall they avoid it The next words give direction Thou shalt not respect the person of the poor nor honour the person of the mighty Righteousnesse takes not notice of the persons of men but of their causes We must not do unrighteously in charity to the poor as well as not in hopes or for gifts from the rich Again The Hebrew signifies a beautifull habitation Righteousnesse loves to dwell in a fair house It is so when first swept from bribes these are filth in the house and the corrupters of righteousnesse Secondly A beautifull house hath store of lights in it Justice and truth love not corners and close cels Justice must act clearly men cannot bear it that what fals upon their senses should not be in the light of their understandings God hath secret judgements but man must not One potsheard must shew another why he forms or breaks him thus in judgement Lastly The beauty of the house of justice arises from good Laws and good men to execute them Righteousnesse cannot act without a rule and rules cannot act themselves Good Laws without good Magistrates never made any people a habitation of righteousnesse It is not good Laws but good men which make a Kingdome happy Now as unrighteousnes makes a strong people weak a rich people poor an honourable people base a great estate to decrease and come to nothing So righteousnesse makes a weak people strong a poor people rich a mean people honourable a little estate encrease and come to much Thus Bildad assures Job with his next breath Verse 7. Though thy beginning was small yet thy later end should greatly encrease This is the third gradation God will not only awake for thee and make thee prosperous but he will greatly encrease thee Thou shalt not only be set in as good a condition as thou wast but in a far better Though thy beginning were small Though the head of thy estate so the Hebrew though the first of thy estate were small 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A quo quid incipit The word small notes a smalnesse either in quantity or in quality and it is opposed to a double greatnes Gen. 25.23 Jacob and Esau are thus distinguished the one shall be great the other small which we translate the Elder shall serve the younger the greater shall serve the lesse Though thy beginning was small The City that Lot desired Gen. 19. is called Zoar from this word Is it not a little one Though thy estate were but a Zoar a little one yet it shall be built of a larger compasse The Septuagint raises the sense of the later clause 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. Though thy beginning was small yet thy later end shall be ineffable such as none shall be able to tell over or describe Thy estate shall be beyond account A Question arises how we are to make this comparisâ—n between Jobs beginning and later end Whether we are to referre it to the estate he had before his affliction compared with what he should have after his affliction or whether we are to understand it of the augmentation and encrease of his estate after his affliction which at the beginning should be but small but afterwards should receive a mighty augmentation The sense is good either way First If we understand it of his estate before and after his troubles compared together Though thy beginning or the first estate which God gave thee were small yet thy later end or the estate which God will give thee
go on boldly till he meets with opposition he will work in a fair day till he meets with a storm and dangers threaten but there he gives over He that is not acquainted with the assurance office of heaven will seldome if at all runne hazards here on earth True trust brings God and the soul together but the hypocrite never comes near God and then no marvell if he be afraid to come near danger Note from it before we put the words together thus much That an hypocrite hath a trust of his own a trust like himself Whose trust An hypocrite doth most things which the upright and sincere hearted doe and he seems to have every thing which the upright and sincere hearted have Doe they pray so doth he Doe they hear se doth he Do they fast so doth he Have they faith He hath a faith too Have they the fear of God he also hath a kinde of fear Have they zeal so hath he yea the zeal of hypocrisie burns hotter for a blast then the zeal of sincerity He hath grace proper to his state false grace for his false heart he hath trust such as it is a trust which belongeth to all of his rank see the character of it in the next words It shall be a spiders web 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tam animal quam rete ejus quod solet contexere significat The Hebrew is It shall be the spiders house the web is the house of the spider We have the same word Isa 59.5 They weave the spiders webbe Isaiah speaks of such pretenders They trust in vanity and speaklie These were the spiders web which they weaved But why is the trust of the hypocrite compared unto the spiders web I shall clear that in four or five particulars which will be as so many notes upon this text 1. Because the profession and all the works of an hypocrite are very weak and unstable as the spiders web is There is a kinde of curiosity in them but there is no strength or stability in them The spider works very curiously but her house will not bear any stresse of weather much lesse force of battery The spiders web is no match for a broom or a whisk Thus it is with the profession the trust of hypocrites you may see a neat spinning a fine threed of profession accurate weavings and contrivances but when it comes to a push it is not able to stand if you doe but touch it 't is gone Some will stand out longer then others yet all fall as Christ assures us Mat. 7. ult it is the hypocrite who buildeth his house upon the sand to have a house built upon the sand is no better then to have a house built in the cicling when the storm comes that house fals and when the broom comes this must down 2. The trust of an hypocrite is called a spiders web because he fetches and frames it as it were out of his own bowels that whereunto he trusteth is wrought out of himself That 's the nature of the spider she hath no extrinsecall materials to build her house with she doth not hew her stones out of any quarry or fetch her timber from any forest as we may allude the materials which she hath she fetcheth out of her own bowels The Bee makes an house and fetcheth the materials from this and that flower so the Bee makes a comb for a house but the spider sucks no flowers Thus it is with hypocrites their trust and hope is as the spiders web made out of their own substance they eviscerate themselves they fetch all out of themselves The meaning is all their trust is in their own duties in their own strength in their own stock in their own gifts upon these they build these are their house We finde the Pharisees trust thus grounded such was his house Luk. 18. I fast twice a week I give alms I pay all men their due He was very exact in righteousnesse according to the Law upon this and out of this he makes his house this is to make an house like a spider Though it be our graces we trust upon our trust will be a spiders web The believer is well compared to a Bee the Bee hath an house and honey but the Bee fetcheth all from abroad from herbs and flowers Believers have their house to dwell in and their honey to feed upon but they such all from the promises of Christ yea they suck it from Christ himself they rest not in the letter of the promises but they go to Christ who is the matter promised and the accomplisher of all the promises Here they build their house and hew out the pillars of it 3. Their trust shall be a spiders web in the issue it shall perish like a spiders web How is that Assoon as the house comes to be cleansed down go the spiders webs when the house is swept the cob-webs are first swept away Thus it is with the trust of all hypocrites when God sweeps his house his Church he quickly sweeps out these spiders webs Isa 14.23 the Prophet speaks of the besome of God the judgements of God are the besome of God by which he sweepeth his house God hath a double besome or a double use of his besome he hath a besome of destruction and a besome of purgation It is a besome of destruction to hypocrites and it is a besome of purgation to his Saints When either the besome of destruction or the besome of purgation is in hand the trust of hypocrites is swept away When the Prophet describes the Lord in his great and terrible judgements Isa 33.14 the text saith The sinners in Zion are afraid fearfulnesse surprizeth the hypocrite who shall dwell with devouring fire God provoked is a devouring fire How shall stubble and spiders webs stand before him When trouble comes the trust of hypocrites goes to wrack they tremble then for their trust is but a spiders web it cannot stand one stroak or endure the flaming heat The hope of a godly man grows strongest in times of trouble he is purified in the fire and the hope of an hypocrite weakens till it be none at all in times of trouble it is cast out of doors amongst the rubbish or is consumed with the fire 4. Take this parallel between the spiders web and the profession of hypocrites The spider makes his web to catch and ensnare others to catch the poor flies She hath a double use of her house to lie in it and to entrap flies in it Her house is a snare The profession of an hypocrite is a spiders web in this notion he makes it to catch flies with to ensnare and deceive the simple that he may prey upon them He would count godlinesse a poor thing did he not make a gain of godlines That brings him in food and cloathing he lives upon it This his deceitfull web is so fine spun and fairly woven that you cannot easily discern any
of what he knows so he wishes there were no such thing to be known and that the revealed will of God were lesse by so much as it specially opposeth his will Thirdly The contest about providence grows as high in the hearts of men as that about predestination to life or the rule of life The Saints sometimes modestly enter this controversie Let me plead with thee saith Jeremy Chap. 12.1 He doth it we see with a great deal of trembling and submission he seems to ask leave before he doth it Hypocrites contend with God proudly about their own good works Isa 58.3 Wherefore have we fasted and thou seest not As if they had done so well that God himself could not mend it Carnall men plead with God profanely about his works as if he had done so ill that they could mend it Ye say the way of the Lord is not equall hear now O house of Israel is not my way equall Are not your waies unequall Ezek. 18.25 They charged God with ill dealing because he punished them who did evil Wherefore will ye plead with me ye all have transgressed against me saith the Lord Jer. 2.29 they began to plead with God about his dispensations as if he had been unrighteous or rigorous Wherefore will ye plead with me I will plead with you saith God vers 9. God may plead and contend with man but shall man plead and contend with God Ye have all sinned and transgressed against me that 's enough to stop your mouths I can answer you with one word Ye are a company of sinners then plead not with me Plead with your mother plead Hos 2.2 let man plead with man man with his neighbour The wit of one man may compare with the wit of another and their justice may hold plea with one another But neither the justice nor the wit of man will serve him to plead with God That is a second observation Man is not able to maintain his cause and hold plea either against the works of God or for his own If he dispute with God in the schools or fee an advocate to implead him at the barre he is not able to answer him one of a thousand Isa 45.9 Woe be to him that striveth with his maker it is this word Wee be to him that contendeth with his maker for he shall not be able to make out one argument or prove any thing against him such a man is in a very sad condition woe unto him David praies Ps 143.2 Enter not into judgement with thy servant for in thy sight shall no flesh living be just â—â—ed As if he had said Lord if the holiest and purest if the best of men should come and stand before thee in judgement or plead with thee they could not be justified therefore David was so farre from contending with God that he deprecates Gods contending with him enter not into judgement with thy servant such a charge is laid upon Job Chap. 33.13 Why dost thou strive with him for he giveth not an account of any of his matters And if he should condescend to give an account can any man gain by it The Lord argues so convincingly That every mouth must be stopped and all the world become guilty before God Rom. 3.19 Every mouth shall be stopped when God opens his When God speaks man hath nothing to say against him Every mouth is stopped with this one word Man is a sinner The Apostle points at some Tit. 1.11 Whose mouths must be stopped he means with reason to convince them that they are in an errour By this one argument That all men are sinners God stops their mouths forever Thirdly By way of corallary we may give you that generall ttuth That no man can be justified by his works If we contend with him we cannot answer him one of a thousand He that mixeth but one sin with a thousand good actions cannot be justified by his works how then shall he be justified by works who hath not one perfectly good action amongst a thousand sins Man is not able to answer for one thing he doth of a thousand no not for one thing he doth of all that he hath done He that would be justified by his works must not have one ill action amongst all his actions One flie in the box of ointment corrupts all one defect makes a sinner but many good actions cannot make one righteous If our heart condemn us God is greater then our heart 1 Joh. 3.20 Should man contend with his own heart that will condemn him his own heart would bring a thousand witnesses against him sooner then one for him Conscience is a thousand witnesses man cannot answer before that tribunall how much lesse can he answer God Who is greater then our hearts and knoweth all things That 's the argument Job goes on with to prove that man cannot be justified before God Verse 4. He is wise in heart and mighty in strength who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered Which words are a further illustration both of the justice of God and of mans duty to be humbled and abased before him He is wise in heart and mighty in strength Here is a double proof in these words A proof first of Gods justice why He is wise in heart Integerrimus judex cui nec sapientia ad judicandum nec potentia ad ex equendum deest therefore he knows how to do right He is mighty in strength or power therefore he needs not pervert judgement or doe wrong for fear of man Fear of a higher power usually biasseth those who are in power Here are two Attributes which keep the balances of divine judgement in a due poise He is wise in heart and mighty in power therefore there is no turning of him out of the path of justice Secondly It is a proof or a confirmation of the other point about which Bildad adviseth Iob namely that he ought to seek unto God and humble himself before him it would be dangerous to contend or contest with God Why He is wise in heart and mighty in power As if he had said Shall ignorant foolish man contend with the wise God Shall weak man contend with the mighty God Alas man is no match for God He is wise in heart and mighty in strength who can enter such a controversie and prosper in it There are two waies to carry on a controversie First By wit and policy Secondly By strength and power If man will take up the former weapon against God if he work by wit and dispute against God God will be too hard for him For he is wise in heart If man will set his shoulders or take up weapons against God poor creature what can he doe The Lord is mighty in strength from both we see there is no dealing with him These two attributes render God at once the most dreadfull adversary Dolus an virtus quis in hoste requiret and the most desirable
makes a bold adventure who dares passe but an unpleasing thought against the waies or works of God Fourthly Not to be satisfied with what God doth is a degree of hardening our selves against God discontents and unquietnesses upon our spirits are oppositions Fiftly Not to give God glory in what he doth hath somewhat in it of hardening of our selves against God And lastly He that will not give God glory in what he commands is in a degree hardened against God We may see what it is to harden our selves against God by the opposite of it Prov. 28.14 Blessed is the man that feareth alwaies but he that hardeneth himself shall fall into mischief Hardnesse is contrary to holy fear holy fear is a disposition of heart ready to yeeld to God in every thing A man thus fearing quickly takes impressions of the word will and works of God and therefore whosoever doth not comply with God in holy submission to his will hardens himself in part against God That which is here chiefly meant is the grosser act of hardnesse when men either speak or go on in their way acting against God let him say what he will his word stops them not or do what he will his works stop them not They are like the adamant the hammer of the Word makes no impression upon hard hearts but recoyls back again upon him that strikes with it More distinctly this is either a sensible hardnesse of heart of which the Church complains Isa 63.15 Wherefore hast thou hardened our hearts c. or an insensible hardnesse which in some arises from ignorance in others from malice and obstinacy Further We read of Gods hardening mans heart and sometimes of mans hardening his own heart There is a three-fold hardnesse of heart First Naturall which is the common stock of all men we receive the stone of a hard heart by descent every man comes into the world hardened against God Secondly There is an acquired hardnesse of heart Men harden themselves and adde to their former hardnesse He stretcheth out his hand against God and strengtheneth himself against the Almighty Job 15.25 There is a growth in sin as well as a growth in grace many acts make hardnesse more habituall 2 Chron. 36.13 He stiffened his neck and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord. I know thy rebellion and thy stiffe necke Deut. 31.27 Thirdly There is a judiciary hardnesse of heart an hard heart inflicted by God as a Judge When men will harden their hearts against God he agrees it their hearts shall be hard he will take away all the means which should soften and moisten them he will not give them any help to make them pliable to his will or he will not blesse it to them He will speak to his Prophets and they shall make their hearts fat that is senslesse and their ears heavy that is heedlesse under all they speak Isa 6.10 Thus also God hardned the heart of Pharaoh and of the Aegyptians by the ministery of Moses and Aaron So then we having hardnesse of heart by nature doe by custome acquire a further hardnesse and the Lord in wrath inflicteth hardnesse then the sinner is pertinacious in sinning All these put together make him irrecoverably sinfull His neck is an iron sinew and his brow brasse Isa 48.4 Observe first There is an active hardnesse of heart or man hardens his own heart Exod. 5. We read of Pharaoh hardening his heart before the Lord hardened it Who is the Lord saith he that I should let Israel goe Here was Pharaoh hardening his heart and steeling his spirit against the command of God God sent him a command to let Israel goe he replies Who is the Lord I know not the Lord who is this that takes upon him to command me Am not I King of Aegypt I know no Peer much lesse Superiour Lord. It was true indeed poor creature he did not know the Lord Pharaoh spake right in that I know not the Lord if he had he would never have said I will not let Israel go he would have let all goe at his command had he known who the Lord was that commanded Thus Sennacherib 2 Chron. 32.14 blasphemes by his messengers Who was there among all the gods of those Nations that my fathers utterly destroyed that could deliver his people out of mine hand that your God should be able to deliver you out of mine hand These are hard words against God and hardening words to man Every act of sinne hardens the heart of man but the heat of blasphemy at once shews and puts it into the extremity of hardnesse Man hardens himself against God four waies especially First Upon presumption of mercy many doe evil because they hear God is good they turn his grace into wantonnesse and are without all fear of the Lord because there is mercy so much with the Lord. Secondly The patience of God or his delaies of judgement harden others because God is slow to strike they are swift to sin If the sound of judgment be not at the heels of sin they conclude there is no such danger in sin Solomon observed this Eccles 8.11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to doe evil or it is full in them to doe evil They have not some velleities and propensions some motions and inclinations some queries and debates about it but the matter upon this ground is fully stated and determined they are so full of it that they have no room in their hearts for better thoughts or counsels the summe of all is they are hardened and resolved to doe evil Thirdly Grosse ignorance hardens many 1. Ignorance of themselves And 2. Ignorance of God he that knows not what he ought to doe cares not much what he doth None are so venturous as they who know not their danger Pharaoh said I know not the Lord he knew not the Lord nor himself therefore he ran on blinde-fold and desperately hardened himself against the Lord. Fourthly Hardnesse of heart in sinning is contracted from the multitude of those who sinne They thinke none shall suffer for that which so many doe The Law of Moses said Thou shalt not follow a multitude to doe evil Exod. 23.2 There is a speciall restraint upon it because man is so easily led by many The heart is ready to flatter it self into an opinion that God will not be very angry when a practice is grown common this is the course of the world this is the way of most men therefore surely no great danger in it And examples harden chiefly upon three considerations Ego bomuncto non facerem Tâ—r. First If great ones go that way the Heathen brings in a young man who hearing of the adulteries and wickednesses of the gods said what Doe they so and shall I stick at it Secondly If some wise and learned men go that way ignorant and unlearned men conclude
and prospered That is did ever any man so weary out God by lengthening this warre that God was as it were forced at last to offer him terms of peace So it happens sometimes with men Ab aequipollente pacem aliquis pugnando obtinere potest licet enim eum superaâ—e non possit tamen assiâ—uitate pugnae eum fatigat ut ad pacem reducatur Aquin. Quis permansit aut perstetâ—t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sep. with Nations and Kingdoms They not getting peace by victory but being spent and tired out with warre begin to thinke of treating Did ever any one put the Lord to offer a treaty with articles of peace to save himself from further trouble They who have not strength enough to overcome may yet have power enough to vex and weary their adversary But God can neither be vanquish'd by force nor vext with our policies into a peace with man Thirdly Others give this sense Who ever held out or was able to persist in a war against the Lord The wicked shall not stand before God in the day of judgement much lesse in the day of battell Who would set the bryars and thorns against me in battell I would go thorow them I would burn them together Isa 27.4 The most steely and and flinty spirits in the world can no more stand before God then briars and thorns can before a flaming fire The Lord soon breaks and destroies all opposing power And so there is a figure in the words for man doth not only not prosper but he is undone and crusht for ever by contending with God Shall man prosper in a warre with God No it shall end in his own ruine and utter destruction Whence observe That nothing can be got but blows by contending with God The greatest Monarchs in the world have at one time or other found their matches but the great God never found his match Hoc est signum evidens quod fortitu lo Dei omnem humanaÌ„ fortitudinem exoedit quia nullus cum eo paceâ— habere potest resist endo sed solum humiliter obediendo Aquin. Vicisti Galilae Pharaoh contended with him but did he prosper in it You see what became of him at last he was drown'd in the red sea Julian contended with Christ he scoffed at him he came up to the highest degrees he sate in the chair of the scorner and in the tribunall of the persecutour but what got he at last When he was wounded and threw up his bloud toward heaven said he not O Galilean thou hast overcome I acknowledge thy power whose name and truth I have opposed Christ whom he had derided and against whom he hardened himself into scorns and scoffs was too hard for him All that harden themselves against God shall be worsted Gather your selves together O ye people and ye shall be broken in peeces Isa 8.9 Gather your selves together against whom Gather your selves together against the people of God and ye shall be broken in pieces Why Emanuel the Lord is with us If no man can prosper by hardening himself against the people of God because the Lord is with them how shall any man prosper by hardening himself immediately against God If Emanuel will not let any prosper against his people certainly he will not let any prosper against himself Therefore Prov. 28.24 Solomon laies it down directly He that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief and Prov. 29.1 He shall be destroyed and that without remedy there is no help for it all the world cannot save him A hard heart is it self the forest of all judgements and it brings all judgements upon us A hard heart treasureth up wrath against the day of wrath Rom. 2.5 As a hard heart is Satans treasury for sinne so it is Gods treasury for wrath The wals of that fiery Tophet are built up with these stones with their hard hearts who turn themselves into stones against the Lord. Then take heed of hardening your selves against God You know the counsell which Gamaliel gave Act. 5.39 Refrain from these men and let them alone c. See how tremblingly he speaks lest you be found even to fight against God as if he had said take heed what you doe it is the most dreadfull thing in the world to contend with God he speaks as of a thing he would not have them come near or be in the remotest tendency to Man will not meddle with a mortall man if he be too hard for him how should we tremble to meddle or contend with the immortall God! Christ Luk. 14. warning his Disciples to consider afore-hand what it is to be his disciples gives them an instance of a King What King saith he going to make warre against another King sitteth not down first and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that commeth against him with twenty thousand Now I say to you if any such be here that have hearts steel'd or harden'd against God who challenge God the field and send defiance to heaven O sit down sit down consider whether you with your ten thousand are able to meet God with his twenty thousand that 's great odds half in half but consider whether one single simple man can stand against his twenty thousand whether a man of no strength can stand against infinite strength whether you who have no wisdom are able to stand against him that is of infinite wisdome Can ignorance contend with knowledge folly with wisdome weaknesse with strength an earthen vessel with an iron rod O the boldnesse and madnesse of men who will hazard themselves upon such disadvantages He is wise in heart and mighty in power who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered And as God is so powerfull that no wicked man in the world can mend himself by contending with him so neither can any of his own people If they harden themselves against God they shall not prosper To harden the heart against God is not only the sin of a Pharaoh of a Senacherib and of a Julian but possibly it may be the sin of a believer the sin of a Saint And therfore the Apostle Heb. 3. gives them caution Take heed lest any of your hearts be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sin and whose heart soever is hardned against God that man good or bad shall not prosper or have peace in it It is mercy that God will not give his own peace or let them thrive in sin Grace prospers not when the heart is hardened joy prospers not nor comfort nor strength when the heart is hardned the whole state and stock of a beleever is impaired when his heart is hardened And if the Saints harden their heart against God God in a sense will harden his heart against them that is he will not appear tender hearted and compassionate towards them in reference to present comforts he will harden himself to afflict and chasten when they harden themselves to
standeth fast for ever The righteousnesse of God is compared to a great mountain Psal 36.6 because his righteousnesse is firm and unmoveable Thy righteousnesse is like the great mountains or the mountains of God And Psal 46.2 the doing of the greatest things Isa 54.10 the mountains and the making of the greatest changes that possibly can happen in any Nation or in the whole world are exprest by the removing of mountains Though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the Sea yet will we not fear c. That is things which carry the greatest impossibility to be done or which are seldomest done shall be done before we will doe this As men when they would shew how farre they are from submitting to such a thing say We will die first c. So here Who we fear No mountains shall be removed first He breaths out the highest confidence of the Church in the lowest not only of her present but possible dangers As faith can represent to us better things then any we enjoy to raise our joy so it can represent to us worse things and put us harder cases then any we feel and yet carry us above fear A faith removing mountains is put for the strongest faith Though I had all faith so that I could remove mountains 1 Cor. 13.2 that is though I had the strongest faith the faith of miracles When Christ Mat. 21.21 would shew to the utmost what faith can doe he faith If ye have faith and doubt not ye shall not only doe this which is done to the fig-tree but also if ye shall say to this mountain be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea and it shall be done As if he had said if you have faith ye may doe the greatest things imaginable or desirable ye shall remove mountains A mountain is immovable by the meer power of a creature Faith takes that in hand because faith acts in the power of the Creatour And as the faith of man removing mountains notes a faith of miracles so the power of God removing mountains notes a miraculous power So then taking this speech either for the removing of naturall mountains or taking it proverbially as it noteth the doing of the greatest things and putting forth of the greatest power it proveth the point which Job hath here in hand viz. That God is mighty in strength Why He is able to remove mountains Observe from hence First That the Lord if he pleaseth can alter and remove the parts of the earth and change the frame and fabrique of nature He that made the mountains unmoveable to us can himself remove them The Histories and Records of former times tell us how God hath miraculously tossed mountains out of their places Josephus in his ninth book of Antiquities Mons in Burgundia a proximo monte dehiâ—cens vallesque proximas coâ—rctaâ—s multa agricolarum millia oppressit c. Vvernerus in fasciculo Josephus Ant. l 9. c 12. Vide Senâ—cam l. 5. c 15 l. l. â— 15. Natur. Quest Plinium Nat. Hist l. 8. c 38. Cum in agro Mutinensi montes duo inter se concurrehaÌ„t crepâ—tu maximo ossultantes c. Eo concursau villae omnes â—lisae sunt c. cap. 11. mentions the removing of a mountain and Pliny in the eighth book of his naturall History Cap. 30. A later writer reports that in Burgundy in the year 1230. there were mountains seen moving which overthrew many houses to the great terrour of all the inhabitants of those countries Josephus also reports the like done by an earthquake And another tels us of Mount Ossa joyned to Olympus by an earth-quake So that take it in the letter the Lord is able to remove mountains It should make us fear before the Lord and give him glory while we remember that even the outward frame of the world is subject to sudden changes there is no mountain no rock but the little finger of God can move or pull it down As David spake of his metaphoricall mountain his great outward estate Lord thou hadst made it stand strong yet thou didst hide away thy face and I was troubled Psal 30.6 his mountain began to shake and became a very mole-hill uselesse to him when God was displeased If the Lord with-draw himself from our civill mountains we are troubled and if he touch the naturall mountains they are troubled Our mountains will skip like Rams and the little hils like Lambs Psal 114.4 when he is displeased Secondly observe That the power of God is made visible to us in the changes which he works in the creature as well as in the constitution of the creature The power of God made the mountains and created the hils the same power removes mountains and turns them upside down It argues as great a power to destroy the world as to settle the world As the Apostle shews what divinity the Gentiles might have learned in that great book of the worlds creation Rom. 1.20 The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things which are made even his eternall power and Godhead So we may say on the other side The invisible things of him from the confusions which are in the world are clearly seen or they may be understood by the things which are removed and changed in these you may read his eternall power and God-head When God breaks the laws and course of nature he shews his power as well as when he setled the laws and course of nature He shews his power when he lets the sea out of it's place to overflow the earth as well as when he bounded the sea that it shall not overflow the earth Some things are with farre lesse power destroied then made removed then setled but no power can destroy the world but that which made it or suddenly remove a mountain but that which setled it The power of God must be acknowledged in altering as well as in ordering the naturall course or constitution of the creature And if we look to the change of Metaphoricall mountains it is a truth an illustrious truth that the Lord displaies his mighty power in removing and over-turning the great estates and establishments of men or kingdoms When God removes the mountain of our peace of our riches the mountain of outward prosperity and of civill power it becomes us to say He is mighty in power who doth all these things God hath given us great tokens and testimonies of his power in this How many mountains great mountains men who were mountains and things which stood like mountains in our way how many I say of these hath the Lord removed Our eies have seen mountains removing and mighty hils melting the power of God and the faith of his people have wrought such miracles in our daies He removeth the mountains And they know it not They who who or what is the antecedent to
Further There are Church-pillars as well as State-pillars men of eminency in knowledge and learning in parts and piety These are pillars of the Church of God So the Apostle cals James and Peter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gal. 2.9 As the Church it self is the pillar of truth so some particular members are pillars of truth bearing it up and holding it forth as pillars doe the Laws or edicts of Princes and Common-wealths As these pillars are of Gods setting up so of Gods bearing up In great shakings of the earth Common-wealth-pillars tremble and Church-pillars tremble yea they would fall did not the Lord sustain them with his hand From all learn the instability of the creature If that which is the basis or foundation of all outward comforts be so easily shaken and tost up and down what are the comforts themselves If Kingdoms and Common-wealths totter who can stand fast When the Saints feel the world shake and tremble under them their comfort is They have received a Kingdom that cannot be shaken Neither man nor devils have any power to shake it and God will not shake it nay with reverence we may speak it the Lord cannot shake that Kingdom for it is his own he cannot doe any thing to his own wrong or dishonour Earth may but heaven shakes not neither shall any of the pillars thereof tremble for ever We have seen two acts of the mighty power of God first in removing those mountains those great massie parts of the earth Secondly In shaking the whole masse of the earth Now the thoughts of Job grow higher and he ascends from earth to heaven and brings an instance of the power of God there in the 7th verse Verse 7. Which commandeth the Sunne and it riseth not and sealeth up the stars And the instance which he makes in the heaven stands as heaven doth to earth in a direct line of opposition to that which he gave about the earth The earth in all the parts of it is a setled fixed body â—â—cut de natura terrae est immobolitas qâ—â—es ita de naturâ coeli ut semper moveatur Aquin. and therefore the power of God is clearly seen in causing it to move but the Sunne is a moveable body a creature in continuall motion and therefore the power of God is clearly seen in checking and stopping the motion of it It cals for as strong a hand to make the Sunne stand still as to shake and remove the earth The staying of that which naturally cannot but move and the moving of that which naturally cannot but stand still require a like power and that which stands as the earth doth or moves as the Sunne doth requires an Almighty power to move or stay it Which commandeth the Sun and it riseth not Which commandeth the Sunne He describes God in the posture and language of a King giving out commands He commandeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dixiâ— illud dicere est cum potestate imperandi God is the Soveraign of the Sunne Yet the word in the Hebrew is no more but he saith or he speaks to the Sunne so Mr Broughton translates He speaks to the Sunne that it riseth not We clearly to the sense He commandeth the Sun because the Word of God to the creature is a Law or a Command upon the creature He commandeth the Sunne and it riseth not The phrase implies an ordinary or a common event But when was there such a thing as this How rare are such events I may ask Did the Lord ever command the Sunne that it should not rise Or did ever any day appear when the Sun did not appear we may answer four or five waies First Non ad factum sed ad Dei potentiam refertur qui si velit possit vicissitudinem ortus occasus solis tollere Olymp. Some conceive Job speaks only of what God can doe as in the former instance not of what he ever did He never actually gave out his command to the Sunne that it should not rise but he hath power to doe it if he pleaseth Many things are spoken of the power of God as presently done which onely are things possible for him to doe That 's a good interpretation of the place Secondly We may carry it further for when he saith It riseth not we need not take it strictly as if the Sunne were staid from making day at all but it may note any stop or sudden disappearing of the Sunne The Sunnes rising is the Suns appearing Non oritur sol tantum est non apparet nam vâ—tas solis apparitio quedam est Bold and when the Sunne disappeareth or is hidden it is to us as if the Sun were not risen Thus God hath actually more then once given out a command to the Sun not to rise Lavater in his comment upon this place reports that in the year 1585. March 12th such a darknesse fell upon the earth that the fowls went to roost at noon as if it had been Sunne setting and all the common people thought the day of judgement was come That of the Prophet is true in the letter as well as in the figure Amos 4.13 He maketh the morning darknesse And Chap. 5.8 He turneth the shadow of death into the morning and maketh the day dark with night The holy story records one famous act of God commanding the Sunne to stand still Josh 10.12 When Joshua was in pursute of his enemies he praied that the day might not hasten down Sunne stand thou still upon Gibeon and thou moon in the valley of Ajalon And the Sunne stood still c. Joshua speaks as if himself could command the Sunne Sunne stand thou still he talks to the Sunne as to his servant or childe stand still It was indeed at the voice of Joshua but by the word and power of God that the Sunne stood still So the Text resolves There was no day like that before it or after it no day so long as that that the Lord hearkned to the voice of a man So then the Lord hearkned to the voice of a man and then the Sâ—â—â—â— hearkened to the voice of a man First the Lord hearkned and then the Sunne hearkned that is by a command from God at the request of a man the Sunne stood still Thirdly It may be understood of ordinary eclipses which are disappearings of the Sunne and though they come in a course of nature and are by naturall light fore-seen many years before they come yet there is somewhat in them which should fill us with high thoughts of the power of God And though an eclipse of the Sun be no miracle yet God once made and can again make a miraculous eclipse When Christ the Sun of righteousnes was shamefully crucified the Sun in the heavens as ashamed to look upon that act as from man of prodigious cruelty and injustice hid his face and from the sixth hour that is Dionysius Areopagita from
like a curtain God took the vast matter folded together and spread it as a curtain tabernacle or tent And the * Hîc Dolapum manuâ— hîc saevus tendebat Achillis Virg 2. Aeneiad Iuxta hortos tendâ—bat Suct in Galb c 12. de Germanâ—rum Cohorte Et milites tendere omnes extra vallum jussit Tac l 13. Latine word which carries the interpretation of this in the Hebrew is frequently applied by ancient Authours to the pitching of tents in warre In this third sense we are specially to understand the Text Alone spreadeth out the Heavens And so this spreading is either an exposition of the nature of the heavens Gen. 1.8 The Lord said Let there be a firmament the Hebrew is * CoeluÌ„ sive firmamentum vocaâ—ur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 eo quid est expansum extensum super terram Solus sine cujusquam auxilio Let there be an expansion or a stretching forth These heavens are so much spread forth that they are called a thing spread forth and so the text is a description of the heavens in their first Creation Or it may referre to the words going before and so these are a reason to shew that God can command the Sunne and seal up the stars why He spreadeth forth the heavens that is the heavens are all of his making and at his disposing he set the Sunne there and put the starres there he fashioned the orbs in which they are placed and therefore he can stay the Sun and seal the starres And as he thus spreadeth out the heavens so which is more observable He spreadeth them out alone When a piece of hangings or the like of a large extent is to be spread forth one man cannot doe it many hands are put to that work Instrumentum creationis creatura esse non potest It is an axiome in Divinity That no creature can be an instrument in Creation this stretching forth of the heavens is an act of Creation therefore he alone doth it there is none to help him Yet we finde that God had some other with him when he stretched out the heavens though it be here attributed to him alone and though Elihu expostulates with Job in this point Chap. 37.18 Hast thou with him spread out the skie which is strong and as a molten looking-glasse Elihu would bring down the thoughts of Job which he conceived were too much lifted up by shewing that God did this alone Solus quia nemo extra ipsum cuÌ„ ipso sed una cuÌ„ iâ—so illi qui in ipso per identitatem substantiae sunt verbo enim Domini firmati sunt coeli spiritu oris ejus omnis virtus eorum Solum enim divinitas sacit quae ut una ita sola Job saith he didst thou hold one part of this great Curtain or Canopy of heaven in thy hand and God another and was it so spread out between you No neither man nor angel was his helper who then was with God in this work Solomon tels us Prov. 8.27 When he prepared the heavens I was there when he set a compasse upon the face of the depth Who was that I wisdome was there Jesus Christ was there Christ was he by whom God prepared and stretched forth the heavens No creature was there only the uncreated creating Sonne of God God created alone that is without the help of any creature but he created all things by the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God All things were made by him and without him was not any thing made that was made Observe from hence First The heavens are as the royall tent and pavilion of the Lord. He spreadeth them out The Lord is often exprest comming out of the heavens with warlike preparations There his tent is pitcht and he sitteth there as a great Commander in his pavilion to give out Orders to his Armies He hath an host in heaven and therefore he hath a tent in heaven or rather heaven is his tent The Lord hath his way in the whirlwinde and in the storm and the clouds are the dust of his feet Nah. 1.3 God pitches his battell in heaven The stars in their courses fought against Sisera He fought from heaven from thence he discharged his great Artillery his Cannons thundered and lightened against the enemies of his people He hath also his store-houses for ammunition his Magazines there Job 38.22 Est allâ—so ad armamentaria publica ubi armorum ma hinarum tormentorum ingens apparatus reconditur B l. Quicquid habeÌ„t telorum armamentaria coeli Juven Sat. 13. Hast thou saith God to Job entred into the treasures of the snow Or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail which I have reserved against the time of trouble the day of battell and warre He speaks of heaven as of a great store-house where he hath his arms his powder and ball all his warlike provision laid up against the day of battell Heathens have spoken such language calling storms and tempest hail and thunder The weapons and engines of the Armory of heaven Secondly In that he saith He stretcheth out the heavens alone observe That the Lord needs not the help of any treature to doe his greatest works He hath power and he hath power in himself to doe what he hath a will should be done let all the creatures in the world stand still yet God can carry his work forward What work is like this the stretching forth the heavens There cannot be a work of so much difficulty under heaven as the spreading forth of the heavens He who did that alone what can he not doe alone Though men will not though men cannot help the Lord can and will alone Isa 59.16 He saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessour no man to do no man to speak in that businesse not a man appeared what then Doth the Lord say well seeing there is no man to do I also will let it lie No Therefore his arm brought salvation unto him and his power sustained him he did it alone Paul speaks of himself that at his first appearing before Nero all men forsook him not a man would own him but saith he The Lord stood by me 2 Tim. 4.15 This is a great encouragement to us in great affairs and businesses in the greatest straits and difficulties of the times if men forsake and desert the Lord alone can doe all for us if men have not power to doe what they have will to doe nor will to doe what they have power then remember He that stretcheth out the heavens alone can order our works alone compose our differences alone conquer our enemies alone God alone is infinite greater stronger wiser then all creatures together God can be now as he will be hereafter all in all unto us God is enough for us without any creature yea God and all that he hath made cannot do more than God
or abide in him or no. And Bellarmine in his 5th book and 5th Chapter concerning justification citeth it to prove That a believer cannot know that he is justified but must believe blinde-fold or take the work of justification by grace in the dark For saith he God goeth by us and we see him not he passeth on and we perceive him not Allenâ—ssi â—e huÌ„c locum citat Bellarâ—inus ut probet nuâ—uÌ„ fidâ—lem scire an justificatus sit Coc. That is as his glosse speaks God commeth in favour to justifie or he leaveth under wrath and yet man remains ignorant both of the one and of the other state Surely he was at a great pinch to finde a proof for his point when he was forced to repair to this Scripture to seek one Providence toward man-kinde not the justification of a sinner is the proper subject of this text And as there is nothing for a blinde-fold justification here so many other Scriptures are expresly against it To say that a man cannot know when God loveth him or shineth upon him is to contradict what our Saviour asserts Joh. 14.17 I will send the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but ye know him for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you Ye know him saith Christ to his people the Saints see God in a spirituall sense or in his workings upon their spirits And though God works much upon our spirits which we know not yet we have a promise of the Spirit by whom we know God in his workings Few know when God is nigh or when he is a farre off what his goings away mean or what his commings But when he cometh to the Saints they know he commeth and when he hideth or departeth from them they know his hidings and departures Hence their joies and over-flowings of comfort when he manifests his presence and hence their bitter complainings and cryings after him where he seems to absent himself and hide his face yet this Text hath a truth in it in reference to the inward and spirituall as well as the outward and providentiall dealings of God that sometimes He goeth by us and we see him not he passeth on also and we perceive him not Hence learn First That God is invisible in his essence and incomprehensible in many of his actions Mans eie cannot see him Mans understanding cannot comprehend what he doth But why speaks Job this as a matter of wonder if it be the common condition of man-kinde Behold he passeth by and I see him not who can see him who can perceive or comprehend him When Moses Exod. 33.20 desired to see his face the Lord answers No man can see my face and live God spake to Moses face to face that is familiarly as a man speaketh to his friend yet Moses did not could not see the face of God No man can see God in his essence or nature A sight of God would astonish yea swallow up the creature It is death to see the living God and man must die before he can see God so fully as he may and know as he is known But though the face of God be invisible yet his back-parts may be seen Behold saith the Lord to Moses there is a place by me stand thou there upon a rock and thou shalt see my back-parts thou shalt see much of my glory shining forth as much as thou canst bear as much as will satisfie thy desire were it a thousand times larger then it is though not so much as thou hast not knowing what thou askest desired of me My Name shall be proclaimed Gracious and mercifull c. the back-parts of God may be seen the invisible God discovereth much of himself to man and shews us a shadow of that substance which cannot be seen Some may object that of the Prophet Isaias crying out Woe unto me for mine eies have seen the King the Lord of hosts Chap. 6.5 Seen him could Isaias see him whom Job and Moses could not Isaias did not see him in his essence and nature but in the manifestations and breakings forth of his glory His train filled the Temple saith the Text vers 1. or his skirts It is an allusion to great Kings who when they walk in State have their trains or the skirt of their royall robe held up T' was this train which Isaias saw He saw not God who was present but he saw the manifest signs of his presence That speech of Isaiah seemed to savour of and border upon highest blasphemy and was therefore charged as an article of accusation against him he was indited of blasphemy for speaking those words I have seen the Lord his enemies taking or wresting it as if he had made the Lord corporeall and visible with the eie of the body And it is conceived he was put to death upon that and one other passage in his prophecy Cha. 1.10 calling the Princes of Judah Princes of Sodom and the people thereof the people of Gomorrah But though God be thus invisible in his essence yet there is a way by which the essence of God may be seen And of that Moses to whom the Lord said Thou canst not see my face the Authour to the Hebrews saith Heb. 11.24 That he saw him who was invisible the letter of the text carries a contradiction in the adjunct it is as much as if one should say He saw that which could not be seen The meaning is He saw him by the eye of faith who could not be seen by the eye of sense faith sees not only the back-parts but the face of Jehovah the essence of God is as clear to that eye as any of his attributes yea his essence is as plain to faith as any of his works are to sense Thus he is seen Whom no man hath seen nor can see 1 Tim. 6.16 not the Saints in heaven they are not able to see the Lord in his essence He passeth by them there and they see him not in heaven we are promised a sight of him yet not that fight Blessed are the poor in spirit for they shall see God and without holinesse no man shall see the Lord then holy men shall see him the state of the Saints in glory is vision as here it is faith 2 Cor. 13.12 We shall see him face to face and as he is 1 Joh. 3.2 These Scriptures which speak of the estate of the Saints beholding God in glory are not to be understood as if the nature and essence of God could be seen for no man hath seen that nor ever shall but they are meant of a more full and glorious manifestation of God We shall see then face to face that is more plainly for it is opposed to seeing him in a glasse we see him now in a glasse that is darkly in ordinances in duties in his word and in his works but there shall be no need of these glasses in heaven We
What dost thou 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Behold he taketh away Rapuit more latronum Significat velocitatem rapinae Rab Mord Raptim auferre Tigur The word signifies to take away by violence and force to take away as a robber takes to steal away As if he had said suppose the Lord come by open violence to take a thing from thee or secretly and as it were by stealth to bereave thee of thy estate or of thy life if he take all from thee and strip thee naked What canst thou doe So the word is used Prov. 23.28 speaking of a wicked woman an harlot She lieth in wait as for a prey the Hebrew is She lieth in wait as a robber to take away the estate yea and the life of those whom she shall entangle Si rapuerit hominem è muâ—do Targ. Si morti tradiderit August Quoâ—ies ipsi visum fuerit ut mihi nunc eve nit â—uempiam vel bonis ipsis spoliare quis illumut raptorem ad restitutionem cogeâ— imo quis illum jure in disquisitionem vocarit voluntas enim ipsius est juâ—tlâ—iae norma Bez 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 è ralice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Some understand this more specially of taking away life If he will stop thy breath and deliver thee up to death so Augustine upon the place or as the Chaldee If he take one out of the world who can hinder him As if Job had said The Lord may not only take away so much as he hath taken from me but more without wrong to me He hath taken away my goods and my estate my children and friends he hath fetched away my health and strength my beauty and outward comforts if he come and take away my life also at next bout I cannot hinder him I can neither compell him to restore nor call him to an account I can neither urge him to restitution nor charge him with oppression He plainly intimates the rapine of his goods by the Chaldeans c. Of which he spake positively Chap. 1.21 The Lord hath taken and here by way of generall supposition If he take away Who shall hinder him Mr Broughton translates Who shall make him restore So he carries it in allusion unto men who violently take away the goods and estate of another If a man come with force and take away my goods Vertere aut reducere quis reâ—â— uere eum faciet quis recuperabit aut reduâ—et praedam I may make him restore them again by a greater force but if the Lord take away and ask me no leave I cannot make him restore The word signifies to stop or turn a thing and because in recovering of a prey or in making a man restore we stop and stay his course therefore the word is indifferently applied to both Others understand it in this sense If he taketh away who shall hinder him That is who can turn him from his purpose Who can stop him in the thing he hath a minde to doe Quidam non de praeca sed dâ— ipso Deo intelligunt Quu revocabit eum à proposito Si repentè interroget quis respondebit ei Vulg. Vel quòd respondens convertit se ad ìnterrogaÌ„tem vel quòd responsum regeraâ—ur restituaturque tanquam debitum interroganti The Vulgar translation varies much If he suddenly ask a man a question who shall be able to answer him The Hebrew word which signifies to return signifies to answer answering is the return of a word Prov. 8.13 He that answereth or returneth a word before he heareth a matter But I shall lay that by though the abettours of the Vulgar make great store of it interpreting their meaning thus if the Lord cite a man to judgement and bring him to triall man is not able to answer him or to plead his own cause Man cannot stand before the Lord. Observe hence First That All our comforts are in the power of God If he taketh away supposeth he can take away and he can take all away and doe us no wrong It is no robbery if God rob us his robbery is no wrong why because he comes not as a thief but as a Lord and Master of our estates he may come and take them away as he pleaseth and when he pleaseth Secondly Note this from it He taketh away That which God doth by the hand of the creature is to be reâ—koned as his own act He taketh away when creatures take away It is seldom that God dealeth immediately with us in these outward providences he sends men stirs instruments to do what is done But that which man doth the Lord doth Isa 42.24 Who gave Jacob to the spoilers and Israel to the robbers Did not I the Lord Men spoil'd and robbed them yet it was the Lords act to send those spoilers Did not I the Lord As that which man doth in spirituals is the Lords act when man converteth and saveth it is the Lord that saveth and converteth when man comforteth and refresheth by applying the promises it is the Lord that comforteth and refresheth when man gives resolution in doubts it is the Lord that resolveth doubts mans act is the Lords So here when man robbeth and spoileth us the act is from the Lord though the wickednesse of the act is from the man The Lord suffers men to spoil and undoe us yea the Lord orders them to spoil us it is done not only by his permission but by his commission not only with his leave but by his appointment I will send him against an hypocriticall Nation and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge to take the spoil and to take the prey and to tread them down like the mire of the streets Isa 10. Observe thirdly What the Lord will doe either by himself or by instruments no man can stop or prevent If he taketh away who shall hinder him The Lord hath absolute power if he will overthrow men or families or whole Kingdoms none can stay him There have been four great Monarchies in the world and the Lord comming in judgement against them hath taken all away The united strength of all creatures cannot stand before him when he is angry and resolved The Babylonian could not say and perform it I will keep my throne The Persian could not say and do it I will keep my State The Grecian could not say and maintain it I will keep my glory The Roman could not say and make it good I will keep my empire When the Lord had a minde to it he came and fetch away the power and glory the crown and dignity of those Monarchs he threw down their thrones brake their states darkned their glory dissipated their empires no man could hinder him How are ye fallen from heaven O Lucifers sons of the morning how are ye cut down to the ground which did weaken the Nations Though ye said in your hearts We will ascend into heaven we will
exalt our thrones above the stars of God We will ascend above the heights of the clouds we will be like the most high yet how are ye brought down to hell to the sides of the pit All that look upon you say Are these the men that made the earth to tremble that did shake Kingdoms Thus the Lord hath taken away the thrones of Princes and none could hinder he hath also removed the Candlesticks of Churches and none could hinder Christ threatned the seven Churches in Asia that he would come and take away their Candlesticks which of these hindered him Both Crowns and Candlesticks must down if he speak the word It is said when David kept his fathers Sheep there came a Lion and a Bear and took a Lamb and a Sheep out of the flock but he arose and went out after them and rescued both Lamb and Sheep taking the prey out of their teeth When the Lord Christ the Lion of the Tribe of Judah will come and tear and take away no David can rescue out of his hand The five Kings that came against Sodome took away Lot Abraham went with his army and made them restore made them bring back again it is ordinary with man when one hath robbed another for a stronger to make him restore and vomit up the sweet morsels which he hath swallowed It is not thus with God First Power cannot doe it though the instruments which he useth to take away from us be weak yet the strong shall not be able to make the weak restore A weak Nation may destroy a strong Nation and the stronger shall not be able to make the weaker restore if the Lord send them When the Babylonians encamped about Jerusalem he warns them by his Prophet doe not thinke you shall deliver your selves by your great strength I have sent them to take your City and your State And though they were all wounded meâ— yet they shall rise up and take your City Isa 43.13 I will work saith the Lord and who shall let it Who shall let it Why they might say We will have some that shall let it No saith the Lord none shall let it Behold I have sent to Babylon and destroyed all their Princes those that fought to hinder me in my work by their power and counsell are broken though they seemed as strong as iron bars so the word is These bars of iron cannot keep me from entring I will break all opposition raised against my work Secondly As power cannot hinder him so policy cannot no counsell shall stop him They Isa 7.6 took counsell and resolved strongly We will go up against Judah and destroy it and set a King in the middest of it even the sonne of Tabeal The Lord answereth in the next words It shall not stand neither shall it come to passe You resolve to doe it you make it out in your counsels how to hinder mine but it shall not be it shall not come to passe As no counsell against us shall stand if the Lord be with us Isa 8.10 So no counsell for us shall stand if the Lord be against us Thirdly When the Lord is resolved to take away the peace and glory of a Nation or of a Church he will doe it and no spirituall means shall hinder him praier it self shall not hinder him If any thing in the world can move the Lord to restore when he taketh away the peace of a people it is praier and the cry of his people Praier hath often met the Lord as Abigail did David 1 Sam. 25. and prevailed with him to put up his sword which was ready to destroy At the voice of praier the Lord hath restored that which he took away and hath staied from doing that which he seemed fully resolved to doe Psal 106.23 The Lord would have destroyed them had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach Did Moses out-power the Lord did he out-wit or out-policy the Lord No but Moses praied and praied so strongly that the Lord was hindered that is he as if he had been hindered did not effect the thing he restored their comforts again when he had arested but some of them and seemed to come armed with resolution to take all away Yet sometimes we finde the Lord will come and take away and praier it self praier and fasting cries and tears shall not hinder God will trample upon all these God was resolved to take away the glory of Israel and to assure them that he would he takes away that wherein their chief assurance lay that he would not Jer. 15.1 Thus saith the Lord Though Moses and Samuel stood before me yet my minde could not be toward this people c. As if he had said Ye think to hinder me now ye will stop me ye will send out praier your old friend which hath helped you heretofore at many a dead lift And if you cannot pray enough your selves you will procure praiers and pray in the aid of praier from all the favourites that I have in the world ye will get Moseses and Samuels such as they to pray for you ye may doe so if ye will but it shall not profit you they and ye shall lose your labour even these labours will not quit cost or be worth the while to the end ye aim at for Though Moses and Samuel stood before me and intreated for this people yet my minde could not be toward them cast them out of my sight and let them goe forth such as are for the sword to the sword and such as are for death to death and such as are for captivity to captivity Thus I say sometimes the Lord is so resolved to take away life riches glory peace the all both of persons and Nations that nothing shall help us or hinder him no not the praiers and cries not the supplications and tears of his own people which are the strongest stops of all in the way of provoked justice If praier cannot stay destruction and obtain a reprieve from death if the praiers of a Moses and a Samuel cannot nothing can it is as if God had said The best means shall fail you therefore all means shall fail you if when praier cannot hinder God we resort to other meanes it is as if we should thinke to fasten an Anchor with a twined threed which hath broken a cable or to conquer an enemy with a pot-gun and a bull-rush whom we could not with sword and Cannon And as God will not sometimes be entreated so he ought not at any time time to be questioned which is the next point Who shall say unto him What doest thou That 's further considerable man is not only not able to stop the Lord from what he would do Supremus ju lex est a quo non potest esse provocatio but he hath no right to put in a plea against what he hath done no nor to ask him what he hath been doing or why he did it
When I pray I should believe but as my case stands I cannot believe clouds and darknesse are upon me Faith is the strength of praier Whatsoever ye ask in praier believing ye shall receive Mat. 21.22 Praier without faith it is like a Gun discharged without a bullet which makes a noise but doth no execution we may put out a voice in speaking but except we put out faith in speaking we doe but speak we doe not pray As the Word of God comming upon us doth us no good prevails not upon our hearts unlesse it be mixed with faith Heb. 4.2 The word preached did not profit them not being mixed with faith in them that heard it So the word that goes out from us the word of praier prevaileth not at all with God obtaineth nothing from him unlesse it be mixed with faith All the promises are made to believers All things are possible to them that believe Mar. 9.23 Ask in faith nothing wavering for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the winde and tossed Jam. 1.6 To ask in faith is to ask resting upon the power of God whereby he is able upon his truth whereby he is faithfull and upon his goodnes in Christ whereby he is ready to make good his promises He that asks thus doth not waver Few are without doubting but all sound believers are without wavering The Greek word signifies to question or dispute a thing a degree beyond doubting as when a man is at no certainty with himself being sometime of one minde sometime of another The judgement being so carried that the man is at variance with his own brest or is between two vvaies not knowing vvhich to take We translate the word in the 4th of the Romans vers 20. by staggering Abraham staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief The similitude vvhich the Apostle James uses illustrates this sense He that wavereth is like a wave of the sea vvhich by tempestuous vvindes is sometimes carried up to heaven and anon down to the deep A man vvho is tossed with such vvaves of unbelief staggers like a drunken man in his practice and profession he is now on this side to morrow on that he doth not only stagger or halt in his vvay but he staggers and halts between two vvaies and is therefore called vers 8th A double minded man The praiers of such a man are faithlesse praiers and therefore fruitlesse praiers Let not that man think he shall receive any thing unlesse a rebuke and a deniall of the Lord vers 7. There are no promises made to such and therefore no mercies convaied to such Believing praier is gaining praier yet they vvho believe least presume most Hence the Apostles check Let not that man thinke as if he had said I know such vvill flatter themselves into a perswasion of great matters They will have high thoughts but they shall receive nothing Observe Fourthly That how strongly soever a godly man acts faith for the answer of his praiers yet he hath no faith that his praier deserves an answer I would not believe that he had hearkned to my voice Christ calleth the Spouse to praier Can. 2.14 Let me see thy countenance let me hear thy voice for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance comely Christ loves praier The praiers of the Saints upon earth are musick in heaven That invitation to the Spouse Let me hear thy voice seems to be an allusion to those vvho loving musick call upon a friend vvho hath a good voice or exquisite skill to play upon an instrument Come sing us a song play us a lesson let us have a fit of mirth Thus I say Christ speaks to the Church Come let me hear thy voice 't is sweet I know thou hast a sweet one But the Saints judge their own voices harsh and unharmonicall they are apt to thinke their praiers jarrings and discords at the best but a rude noise not a composed air in the ear of God Faith makes our praiers melodious because it carries us out of our selves A believer lives not in the sound of his own praiers but of Christs intercession What are vve that vve should expect any acceptance upon our own account or say this We have gained this We have obtained thus God hath heard us or thus vve have vvrestled it out vvith God As when we have performed all our duties we must say We are unprofitable servants so when we have obtained all our sutes we must say We are unprofitable petitioners I will not believe that God had hearkned unto My voice What 's mans voice that God should hear it Observe Fifthly That a godly man sometimes cannot believe his praier is heard when it is heard Though he cals and God answers yet like Job he believes not that God hath hearkned to his voice He cannot think his praier is heard though one should come and tell him it is heard When the Jews returned from Babylon the mercy was so great Forsan hoc dicit quia saepe prae nimia laetitia non credimus verum esse quod maxime verum esse optamus Drus that they could not believe they had it when they had it When thou didst turn our captivity we were as them that dream Psal 126.2 The deliverance was incredible they could not thinke they vvere delivered Their return to Jerusalem was suspected for a dream of it in Babylon The Church praied vvithout ceasing for Peter vvhen he was in prison Act. 12.5 yet when the Lord brought him out of prison and he vvas knocking at the door of the house where they were assembled while they vvere knocking at the door of heaven for his deliverance yet they would not believe the report of the damosell who said he stood before the gate They tell her she is mad vvhen she affirmed it with sobriety as well as vehemency then they have another help for their unbelief It was not Peter but his Angel Thus it is to this day with the Saints in their great personall sutes and petitions both about spiritual things and temporal they are so overcome astonished and amazed at the goodnesse of God that though they see the thing done yet they can scarce believe it is done As if a Prince should send a message to a poor man by some great Lord and tell him he hath bestowed honour and favour upon him the poor man is ready to say I cannot believe it the blessing is too big for him to digest and let down into his narrow heart no saith he sure it is not so Though the people of God ever preserve a high respect and esteem of the works of God towards them yet their faith is often below his workings and they cannot receive or take in mercy so fast as it commeth faith widens the vessels of the soul to receive much but God can pour in faster then faith can widen the soul to receive Sixthly Observe Faith hath it's decaies Faith doth not keep
ye think God would yeeld to me if I should contend with him He multiplieth or He hath multiplied my wounds without cause that is His verbis evidenter exponit quae supra occultè dixerat si venerit adme non video Hoc enim ubique fere in dictis Jobi observanaum quod obscurè dicta per aliqua consequentia exponuntur Aquin. without giving me any account hitherto and do you think that now I shall have liberty to call him to an account or that he will give me one He wounds without cause is * Sine causa manifesta et ab homine afflâ—cto perceptibili Aquin. without cause manifested God hath not told me the reason of his chastenings And I doe not perceive the reason I know not why he contendeth with me And so he expounds what he spake at the 12th verse Loe he passeth by me and I see him not There are mysteries in providence Mans eye is not clear enough to see all that God doth before his eyes Job is his own Expositour This later expression gives us a comment upon the former And it is observable that both in this book and in the whole body of the Scripture easier texts may be found to interpret the harder and clear ones to enlighten those which are darker and more obscure The Word of God is not only a light and a rule to us but to it self Or He multiplieth my wounds without cause is Haec à Job dicta sunt quod intell gat se non tam flagellari quam probari as if Job had said I know the Lord deals not with me as with a guilty person nor doth he judge me as a malefactour mine is a probation not a punishment God doth only try me to see what is in my heart and how I can stand in an evil day He multiplieth my wounds without cause that is without the cause which you have so often objected against me namely that I am an hypocrite and wicked I know God looks upon me as a childe Animus in DeuÌ„ praeclare affectus sed tamen affectus doloribus Sanct. or a friend not as an enemy Therefore I have no cause to multiply words with God though God go on to multiply my wounds without cause To multiply wounds notes numerous and manifold afflictions many in number and many in kinde Iobs were deep deadly wounds and he had many of them he was all over wound body and soul were wounds he was smitten within and without as to multiply to pardon is to pardon abundantly Isa 55.7 So to multiply wounds or to multiply to wound is to wound abundantly Here a Question would be resolved How the justice of God may be acquitted in laying on and multiplying afflictions without cause I shall referre the Reader for further light about this point to the third verse of the second Chapter where those words are opened Thou movedst me against him to destroy him without cause yet take here three considerations more by way of answer to the doubt First Whatsoever the Lord wounds and takes from any man he wounds and takes his own He is Lord over all Our health and strength are his our riches are his The world is his and the fulnesse of it Psal 50. If he be hungry he needs not tell us he can goe to his own store It is no wrong to dispose what is our own wheresoever we finde it That rule is as true in revocations as distributions Friend I doe thee no wrong Mat. 20.15 Is it not lawfull for me to doe what I will with mine own Though there were no sinne in man yet there were no injustice in God because he takes nothing from us but what he gave us and hath full power to recall and take away Secondly Suppose man could say that what he had were his own that his riches were his own that health and strength of body were his own yet God may take them away and doe no wrong It is so among men Kings and States call out their Subjects to warre and in that warre their wounds are multiplied without any cause given by them They gave no occasion vvhy they should be appointed to such hazards of life and limb to such hardships of hunger and cold yet there is no injustice in this When God casts man into trouble he cals him out to his service he hath a vvarre some noble enterprize and design to send him upon To you it is given to suffer for his sake saith the Apostle Phil. 1.29 he puts it among the speciall priviledges vvhich some Saints are graced vvith not only above the vvorld but above many of the Saints To whom it is given and that 's a royall gift only to believe Now if in prosecuting this suffering task whether for Christ or from Christ a believer laies out his estate credit liberty or life he is so farre from being wronged that he is honoured Thousands are slain in publike imploiments who have given no cause to be so slain If according to the line of men this be no injustice much lesse is it injustice in God who is without line himself being the only line and rule to himself and to all besides himself Thirdly I may answer it thus Though the Lord multiply wounds without cause yet he doth it without wrong to the wounded because he wounds with an intent to heal and takes away with a purpose to give more as in the present case God made Iob an amends for all the wounds whether of his body or goods good name or spirit Now though it be a truth in respect of man that we may not break anothers head and say vve vvill give him a plaister or take away from a man his possession and say vve vvill give it him again yet God may Man must not be so bold vvith man because he hath no right to take away and vvound nor is he sure that he can restore and heal but it is no boldnesse but a due right in God to doe thus for he as Lord hath power to take away and ability to restore And he restores sometimes in temporals as to Iob but alwaies to his people in spirituals and eternals Hence the Apostle argueth 2 Cor. 4.17 Our light afflictions which are but for a moment work for us an eternall weight of glory Afflictions vvork glory for us not in a vvay of meriting glory but in a tendency to the receiving of glory and in preparations for it There is no wrong in those losses by which we are made gainers Those losses being sent that we may gain and the sender of the losse being able effectually to make us gainers He multiplieth my wounds without cause Hence observe First Afflictions are no argument that God doth not love us As the Lord hath a multitude of mercies in his heart so a multitude of afflictions in his hand and a multitude of afflictions may consist vvith a multitude of mercies At the same time
own cause why saith Job if I should doe so if I should be my own advocate or atturney and appear my self in my own cause it would be all one If I justifie my self my own mouth shall condemn me I shall be as bad if not worse then before I can get none to plead for me and if I plead for my self I am sure to be cast I cannot mend my self by speaking in my own cause That 's the meaning of this 20th verse which is but a continuation with a further illustration of what he had spoken before therefore I shall but touch upon it Verse 20. If I justifie my self That is If witnesse fail and counsell fail if all help and succours fail me and then I resolve to go to work with my own strength and wit if I goe about to make or declare my self just before God for so the word is to be understood as in the doctrine of justification What shall I gain The profit will not countervail the charge or pay for the expence of one breath For Mine own mouth shall condemn me My tongue would cut my own throat The sentence or words which I should bring forth to plead my cause before God Os meum i e. â—eum testimonium mea oratio Exibo ex hujusmodi judiâ—io condemnatus oratio mea fiet in peccatum would be found against me the Lord would turn all my arguments back upon me and wound me with mine own weapons I should goe out condemned and my plea would be turned into sinne I shall certainly spoil my cause if I handle it As if I should put it into the hands of angels or men they could make nothing of it so neither can I make any thing of it if I manage it my self There are three things which evince that if man undertake the matter with God he shall be condemned by his own mouth First Man is unsufficient How can he who is ignorant weak and unrighteous plead his cause with God who is infinite in wisdome righteousnesse and holinesse And therefore mans own mouth will condemn him his words will speak him guilty while he pleads Not guilty Secondly He that justifies himself must appear in his own commendation he must bring forth all his good works and shew the Lord how he hath fasted praied and mourned how humble how liberall he hath been what alms he hath given he must as it were paint and adorn himself in all his excellencies and stand before the Lord in this aray Now mans own mouth must condemn him if he doe thus Vt laus sic testimonium proprio sorde scit in ore The Heathen could say by the light of nature That a mans praises are sullied by passing thorow his own lips To sound our own praise sounds our own shame If a man have never so much worth in him he dishonours himself by being the trumpet of it Thirdly A mans own testimony is not legall in his own cause The same person must not be a witnesse and a party He that justifies himself condemns himself for his very justification is an accusation If a mans own witnesse may be taken who shall be condemned Who will not acquit himself The witnesse of our own hearts is much 1 Joh. 3.21 but not enough If our own hearts condemn us not then have we confidence toward God But the reason of this confidence is not in the bare single witnesse of our own hearts but in the co-witnesse of God Hominis innocentia duobus testibus constare debet 〈◊〉 Deo 2 Conscientia Ergo si tibi videris habere bonum conscientiae testimonium bede quidem sed divinum adhuc de tua innocentia expectandum est with our hearts Conscience is therefore a thousand witnesses because God who is more then a thousand consciences joyns with conscience both in accusing and in acquitting The Pharisees said unto Christ Thou bearest record of thy self thy record is not true Joh. 8.13 16. They spake upon a legall ground or maxime Christ answereth Though I bear record of my self yet my record is true Christ doth not deny the rule but shews that he was above it and therefore adds It is said in your Law that the testimony of two men is true I am not alone for the Father is with me As if he had said I alone bear not witnesse of my self I have another even the Father thâ—t sent me he beareth witnesse of me therefore mine is not a single testimony in that case indeed I were to be reproved and my witnesse were insufficient My own mouth would condemn me If there were no mouth to testifie for me but only mine If I were but as an ordinary maâ— I might be kept to the ordinary rule God only is a sufficient witnesse to himself Mine own mouth shall condemn me But of what Surely of folly 2 Cor. 12.11 I am become a fool in glorying saith Paul to his Corinthians but I am not a fool of my own making ye have compelled me for I ought to have been commended of you That is ye ought to have given a testimony of me if ye had been just to me I had been condemn'd in justifying my self Then it is a duty to witnesse for our selves when others neglect that duty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The originall word which we translate condemn is directly opposite to that which we translate justifiâ— Proprié sonat impijficare ut 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 justificare Merc. In forma Hiphil non effectionem â—enotat sed declarationem and some render it by a new-coyn'd word in Latine vvhich vve cannot put literally into English but by coyning a word for it thus If I justifie my self my own mouth would ungodlifie me or declare me to be ungodly Here two Questions arise the one is Why may not Job justifie himself The Lord had justified him the Lord said that he vvas a perfect man that 's the next expression If I say I am perfect it shall prove me perverse The Lord had said of Job Chap. 1. That he was perfect and upright one that feared God and eschewed evil Why may not Job say as much of himself as the Lord had done Solomon resolves this Query Prov. 27.2 Let another man praise thee and not thine own mouth a stranger and not thine own lips Man must not speak the evil he knows by others unlesse called nor the good he knows by himself To speak good of our selves vvith our own mouths is much like doing good by other mens hands We must not act things praise-vvorthy by proxie but it is best to be praised by proxy for our good acts Now as man may not praise himself though other men may praise him So he must not praise himself though God praiseth him Not he that commendeth himself is approved but he whom the Lord commendeth 2 Cor. 10.18 Secondly Why doth Job say here I vvill not justifie my self I vvill not say I am
seek unto God Surely your opinion of me and your counsel to me can never agree for if I am wicked as you hold me to be I labour in vain while I obey your counsell There is a sense wherein it is in vain for a wicked man to seek unto God and a sense wherein it is not in vain for a wicked man to seek unto God we must distinguish of this interpretation If a man be wicked it is in vain for him to seek unto God while he loveth wickednesse and delighteth in it Psal 66.2 If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear my praier He that is so wicked as to love wickednesse praies in vain fasts and humbles his soul in vain The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord that is the Lord abominates his sacrifice but The prayer of the upright is his delight Solomon describes an hypocrite in the former words he is one that will pray and offer sacrifice and yet puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face Ezek. 14.4 So they Jer. 7.4 cried The temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord are these The Prophet discovers who these zealous Templers were vers 9. Will ye steal murder and commit adultery and swear falsly and then come and stand in this house which is called by my Name and say We are delivered to doe all these abominations Some mingle prayer and fasting with stealing and murdering such praying and fasting are as unacceptable to God as stealing and murdering are Such labouring to please the Lord is displeasing to the Lord. What hast thou to doe saith God to the wicked to take my Covenant into thy mouth Psal 50.16 Doth God say to the wicked What hast thou to doe with my Covenant For whom is the Covenant made but for the wicked If men were not wicked or sinfull what needed there a Covenant of grace The Covenant is for the wicked And the Covenant brings grace enough to pardon those who are most wicked why then doth the Lord say to the wicked What hast thou to doe to take my Covenant into thy mouth Observe what follows and his meaning is expounded Seeing thou hatest to be reformed As if God had said Thou wicked man who protectest thy sinne and holdest it close refusing to return and hating to reform what hast thou to doe to meddle with my Covenant Lay off thy defiled hands He that is resolved to hold his sinne takes hold of the Covenant in vain or rather he lets it goe while he seems to hold it Woe unto those who sue for mercy while they neglect duty Thus a wicked man labours in vain But there is a sense in which a wicked man doth not labour in vain how wicked soever he is What else means the Prophets invitation Isa 55.5 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon Let him forsake his waies and then no matter what his waies have been let him return to the Lord and then his former departures shall not hinder acceptance Christ died for the ungodly Ro. 5.6 God justifieth the ungodly Ro. 4.5 It is not in vain for an ungodly man to come to God indeed and when he doth he ceases to be ungodly They draw nigh only with their lips whose hearts are not changed and they draw nigh in vain As God hath not said to the seed of Iacob reall Saints Seek ye me in vain So he hath not said in vain to wicked men Seek ye my face For with the word which bids them seek he gives them power to seek and the mercy they seek for The grace of God prevents us that we may seek him and blesses us when we doe seek him If all who are wicked labour in vain then all had laboured in vain forasmuch as all vvere wicked Thirdly You may take the meaning of it thus If I am wicked that is Si adhuc mecuÌ„ agit Deus tanquam cum impto quoâ—sum frustra laboreÌ„ Philip. Haec sunt verba hominis à Deo derelicti Vatabl. if I am reputed by men and still afflicted by God as a wicked man then why should I labour in vain or trouble my self any further to so little purpose If this sense may be admitted 't is a passionate speech proceeding from impatience and distemper of spirit Much like that of David and very near it in words Psal 73.13 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain and washed my hands in innocency for all the day long have I been plagued and chastened every morning Davids afflictions wrought as hard conclusions in him as Iobs did Grace acts and speaks ever like it self but a gracious man doth not David shewed there was vanity and remainders of defilement in his heart by saying I have cleansed my heart in vain Mr Broughton renders to this sense I shall be holden as wicked now why doe I labour in vain Hence observe That where hope faileth endeavour faileth too I have no hope saith Job to get out of these afflictions which fall upon wicked men or to get one step beyond a wicked man in your reputation my labour is in vain why then doe I labour When the heart sinks the hands hang down Where the one gives over believing and hoping the other give over acting and working Hence the afflicted are called upon by the Apostle to lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees Heb. 12.12 Hands and knees are the instruments of action and motion and the hanging down of these imports both retarded or stopt Those afflicted Hebrews saw little or no hope of deliverance therefore they gave over endeavouring and moving after deliverance Lastly Taking the words as in the originall absolutely without any supposition I am wicked Why then labour I in vain As if he had said I am wicked not only in the opinion of men but I acknowledge my self to be wicked indeed In vanum laborarem si coram Deo justificare me tentarem ut falso me hec velle praesupponis considered with the most holy God and then his sense is Lord if thou art pleased to goe this way to vvork vvith me to set the rigour of thy justice a work to finde out my sinne and to judge me according to vvhat thou findest then in vain doe I seek to comfort my self for in thy sight no flesh can be justified I as vvell as others am wicked In vvhich acknowledgement he seems to meet vvith and confute that supposition of Bildad Chap. 8.6 If thou wert pure Pure saith Job alas I can never be pure before God When the Lord examines my purity he vvill finde it impurity You tell me if I vvere pure the Lord vvould awaken for me I shall never be pure in your sense I am as pure as ever I shall be that is I
stubborn under the rod and their hearts are hardened while themselves are melted in the fire of affliction As man lives not by bread alone So man mends not by the rod alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God T is little lesse then a miracle that this dry rod as that of Aaron did naturall should blossom and bring forth spirituall fruit the fruits of righteousnesse 3. We may pray for the removing of afflictions because the Lord often sends afflictions upon this message to bespeak praier Many a soul is sluggish in prayer till awakened by the voice of the rod. When the rod makes the flesh smart then the Spirit in whom any thing of the Spirit is cries mightily unto God and among the many things about which the soul exercises prayer under afflictions this is one that the affliction may be removed As they alwaies sin who murmur at and quarrell with God because he corrects them so also doe they who say they care not how long he corrects them or let him correct them as long as he will It is as ill a sign when a childe will not pray his parent to spare him when he is about to chasten him or to stay his hand when he is chastening of him as it is to resist his chastisement There may be greater contempt of God in lying under affliction then in resisting it Now as it is our duty to pray for deliverance out of trouble so it is one end why the Lord casts us into trouble that we may be engaged to pray for deliverance But take it with a caution we must not pray absolutely for deliverance or the removall of afflictions but at least with an implicit limitation While we are striving earnestly for the taking away of the rod we should be ready to submit if the Lord will not take it away A believer may say to the Lord as wrestling Jacob I will not let thee goe except thou blesse me but he must not say I will not let thee goe except thou now deliver me Time and means and manner must all be laid at Gods feet and submitted to his wisdome And we must honour God though he will not remove the rod even while we are praying that he would remove it For the close of this point consider the rod may be removed not only by a totall release from affliction But First By an abatement of the affliction as we are said to leave off those graces from the degrees and lively actings of which we fall and decline He that lacketh these things that is who aboundeth not as he hath heretofore in the exercise of them is blinde c. 2 Pet. 1.9 Thou hast left thy first love saith Christ to the Angel of Ephesus when the heat of his former love was cooled So the Lord may be said to remove our troubles when he remits the extremity and cools the heat of them Secondly The rod is removed when it is sanctified to us when the Lord who is excellent in working causeth it to doe us good The Saints die yet death is abolished as to the Saints by the death of Christ 2 Tim. 1.10 because Christ hath pluckt out the sting of their death and made it a gain to them Thus while Christ makes temporall losses or sufferings an advantage to the spirituall estate of his people he takes them away And as outward blessings are taken away from wicked men while they possesse them riches are not riches to them nor is their honour an honour to them because they are ensnared by them So the outward crosse is taken away from the godly while they suffer because they are bettered by the crosse Thirdly Affliction is removed from us when Christ gives us strength to bear affliction Nothing grieves us either in active or passive obedience but what is either against our wils or above our power It is all one to have a burthen taken off our shoulders or to have so much strength given as makes it easie to us While the Saints have trouble upon their backs and loins they have no trouble in their hearts and spirits when their spirits are carried above those troubles To conquer an enemy is more noble then to have none Much more which is promised the Saints in the throng of sorest enemies to be more then conquerours In all or any of these waies Jobs praier may be fulfilled Take away thy rod from me And let not thy fear terrifie me There was somewhat more upon Job then a rod 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â radice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Formidabilis terribilis Emathah or it was an extraordinary rod a rod like a Scorpion Let not thy fear terrifie me The word which we translate fear comes from a root signifying that which is very formidable and terrible Fear and dread shall fall upon them Exod. 15.16 that is they shall be extremely afraid even dead with fear as the next words import They shall be still as a stone c. There is a letter added as the Hebricians observe to the word used by Moses 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ne me transversum agat Sept. alius ne me consternet implying the excesse of fear Giants are called by this name Emims Deut. 2.11 because they are of a dreadfull aspect The whole host of Israel trembled at the sight of Goliah 1 Sam. 17.24 〈◊〉 Idols 〈◊〉 exprest by this name Emim And there is a double reason of it Either because Idols are a terrour to their worshippers we hear how at this day poor Pagans who worship Idols are extremely opprest with slavish fear of displeasing them The true God is terrible to his despisers but false Gods are terrible to their worshippers Or secondly They were called Emims in a way of contempt Yours are terrible Gods sure They have hands and handle not feet and walk not eyes and see not Here are terrible gods So then Idols are Emims either because they are really to be feared so little or because they are superstitiously feared so much Jobs fear was no needlesse fear he was not terrified with a fancy Ex vi verbi originalis ejusno di terror est qui hominem exaâ—itat quasi extra evalde distrabat though his fancy was ready enough to over-act upon his affliction and so encreased his fear Let not thy fear that is say some fearfull thoughts or sights terrifie me So Chap. 7.14 When I say My bed shall comfort me my couch shall ease my complaint then thou scarest me with dreams and terrifiest me with visions There is an humbling and a cleansing fear The fear of the Lord is clean not only in the nature of it but in the effects of it Psal 19.9 There is also an amazing and a terrifying fear such the letter of the originall imports this to be even a fear bordering upon madnesse as if he were rather frighted then afraid and scared rather then troubled Others expound this
right only in the free grace of God and in the righteousnes of my redeemer According to this exposition he returneth to his first proposition laid down in the second verse of this Chapter How should man be just or righteous with God I am not right in my self as I said in the beginning of my answer Man is not righteous so I now conclude in my own particular case I am not righteous in my self and being righteous in another if God would but give me a little respit from these sorrows I would speak and not be afraid This teaches us First That the confidence and holy boldnesse which the Saints have in comming unto God is grounded upon the righteousnesse of Christ not upon any worthinesse in themselves Secondly Observe He that is most upright in heart is most forward to acknowledge and most constant in acknowledging his own unrighteousnesse They who are most proud are most empty And they who have least usually speak with the most Sincerity rates it self low I am not right that is righteous saith upright Iob. Thirdly Say others I am not right in my self that is I am at present uncomposed and unsetled in my own spirit As if Iob had said I desire that the Lord would remove his fear and mitigate my afflictions that I might speak with him and not fear for as yet I am not right in my self my spirit is so overwhelmed and my thoughts are so troubled within me Quia non sic sum apud me ut nunc sum sc in hac affl ctione uti me nunc rractat exagitae Deus sum velut extra me animi impos Merc. Neque enim metuens possum respondere Vul. that I have not the free use of my own understanding nor can my reason doe its office much lesse my grace I am scarce in my right minde but rather as a man distracted so was Heman with the terrours of the Lord I know not how to manage faith under such fears the majesty and dreadfulnesse of God oppresse my spirit as I am I am not myself The Vulgar gives this interpretation instead of a translation For I cannot answer while I am afraid Hence note A godly man in sore temptaions may for a while appear lesse then a man Fears hinder him from shewing the best of his naturall self much more any thing of his spirituall self Further note two things experienced by many of the Saints in the day of their distresse First A godly man under greatest afflictions keeps to the opinion of his own integrity yet builds his comfort upon the free grace of God He can according to the first interpretation of these words challenge all with this Question Am I not right in my self Is there not integrity in my spirit And according to the second he is ready to make this negative confession I am not right in my self I stand not upon my own integrity Secondly The Saints in great afflictions are often so overwhelmed with the majesty of God that they are not able to expresse their interest in God much lesse make out the comforts of that interest The former of these arises from that seed of holinesse and stock of grace abiding in them The other ariseth from the naturall weaknesse of flesh and bloud in which they abide and from the morall corruption of nature abiding in them Thus we see how the sense of the text rises as the word Chen is understood nominally for right or just We translate it adverbially But it is not so with me or For it is not so with me This reading bears a three-fold interpretation First In construction with the former words thus Let him take away his rod c. then will I speak and not fear him for it is not so with me that is I am not so fearfull or of so low a spirit I am not such a stranger or of so little acquaintance with God that I should not know how to speak unto him or that I should be afraid to speak unto him If the Lord would but hide that brightnesse of his own glory which dazles me and ease me of my own pains which distract me I should sure enough speak unto him 〈…〉 But secondly We may rather refer it to the false and unkinde opinion of his friends who judged him a wicked man or an hypocrite which here he denies It is not so with me as if he had said If the Lord would be pleased to grant what I have petitioned I would speak unto him without fear or doubt of being heard for it is not so with me namely as you have suspected and imagined all this while or as you think it is I am not the man you take or rather mistake me to be if I were then though the Lord should take all his afflictions from me and all with-draw his terrours yet I should be afraid to speak unto him yea I should be afraid to pray unto him every prayer were I wicked would be a praying down judgement upon my self But seeing I can boldly affirm my conscience also bearing me witnesse that though I sinne yet I love not to sinne that though I am weak yet I am not wicked as ye have charged me Non sic impius ego apud me Pagn Non sum talis qualem me putatis Vatabl. Merc. my heart being thus clear before God I cannot fear to open my mouth and report my cause before God Hence observe which hath been offered from other passages in this book and therefore I shall only observe it That A godly man standeth to and knoweth his own integrity in the midst of all the clamours and slanders the misapprehensions or aspersions of friends or enemies Whosoever loads and charges him with studied or approved hypocrisie he will and he ought to unload and discharge himself at least with Jobs plain deniall you suspect me thus but I am sure it is not so with me Thirdly The words may bear this meaning I have sought and earnestly entreated the Lord to abate my afflictions and to remove his terrours But it is not so with me Alas I doe not finde that the Lord hath done any of these things for me His rod is still upon my back and his terrours stand as thick about my soul as ever was ever poor man in such a plight as I T is not alasse with me as I have praied or as I would have it The rod smarts and terrours amaze me still Hence note That a godly man may pray in affliction and not presently be relieved in or from his affliction Many a soul can say It is so with me as I have praied I have the wishes and desires of my soul yet many and I believe many more then can cannot say so The Lord lets precious praiers lie unanswered to our sense We may pray long before we finde it so with us as we have praied and yet those praiers are not lost but laid up not buried but sown And it
a Judge Chap. 29.16 The cause which I know not I searched out but God searches out those causes which he knows God doth not search us that he may know us or to inform himself but to make us know him and our selves There are not many who know themselves at all there are none who know themselves enough The Lord searches us that we may search our selves There are not many who know God at all there are none who know God enough God searches us that we may seek after him By every affliction the Lord would make us know our selves and Himself better It is said of Manasseh when he was in the briars That then Manasseh knew the Lord and then doubtlesse he began to know himself The same light that brings us to the knowledge of what God is brings us also to the knowledge of what our selves are Secondly Observe Afflictions are searchers Thou searchest for mine iniquity saith Job Job supposed that the Lord came to try him and to finde out the bottom of his heart when God smites our bodies or our estates he searcheth our hearts and maketh enquiry in our lives The Prophet threatens the Jews Zeph. 1.12 That God would come and search Ierusalem with candles That is as some interpret he would cause the Chaldeans to search for their most hidden treasures and finde them out Others understand it of God himself searching Ierusalem But God is not like the woman in the Parable who had lost her groat he needeth no candle-light to finde out the lost groat or to finde out the filthinesse that is in the most secret corners of the heart The meaning then is that God would search Ierusalem that is the people of Ierusalem as exactly as if they were searched with a candle Quùm minutatèm cognoscam de peccatis potuli cum eo inibo rationes meas accuratissimè ut solent qui adhibitis lucernis perlustrant omnia Jun. he would bring forth their secret sins and all their hidden abominations This search was made by those terrible and sore judgements brought upon Ierusalem God kindled a fire of affliction and searched them by the light of that fire Troubles are as so many candles lighted up to search our selves by and they will be as so many fires kindled to consume us with if we search not our selves At this time God is searching England with candles The Prophet describing the great sorrows of the Jews in their captivity directs us what to do Lam. 3.40 Let us search and try our waies When God is searching us it is high time for us to search our selves It is sad when God is searching for our sins if we are not searching for them too and it is more sad if when God commeth to search for our sins we be found hiding our sins These are searching times God is searching let us search too else we may be sure as Moses Numb 32.23 tels the people of Israel our sins will finde us out They who endeavour not to finde their sins shall be found by their sins Our iniquity will enquire after us if we enquire not after it But what if iniquity enquire after us What If iniquity enquire after us it will finde us and if iniquity finde us trouble will finde us yea if iniquity finde us alone without Christ hell and death will finde us If iniquity finde any man he hath reason enough to say unto it what Ahab said to Eliah without reason Hast thou found me O my enemy The best of men have reason to look out what is evil in them when God brings evil upon them or wraps them up in common evils They who have no wickednes in them to cast them under condemnation have yet sin enough in them to make them smart under correction Though Iob could say from the testimony of a pure conscience Thou knowest I am not wicked yet he durst not say thou knowest I have not sinned Iob acknowledged he was sinfull and God knew he was not wicked In searching after iniquity he found not hypocrisie yea he knew he was not an hypocrite before he searched him so it follows Verse 7. Thou knowest that I am not wicked and there is none that can deliver out of thine hand Continet versus septimus id quod praecipuè in hac causa disputatione spectandum est sc Iobum non esse improbum Pined This 7. verse containeth one of the chiefest questions of that grand controversie handled in this book whether Job were a wicked man or no Satan represented him for such to God and therefore called that he might be tried the Lord tried him upon that challenge and he was brought to a grievous triall Job appeals to the Lords own knowledge and is contented to stand or fall according to his determination being yet assured that he stood right in the thoughts of God Thou knowest I am not wicked 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Apud scire tuuÌ„ est Multo plus dicit per hanc phrasin apud scire tuum est quam si diceret tu scis In scientia tua est penes notitiam tuam est non aliundè sed ex te optimè nosti me non esse improbum Dru. Haeret in regenitis peccatum improbi taâ—en dici nec possunt nec debent Mer. Thou knowest The Hebrew is rendered word for word thus It is upon thy knowledge or It is upon thy know that I am not wicked As if he had said Thou hast not this knowledge from without thou dost not ground thy judgement concerning the state of any man upon what others say of him upon reports or hear-saies no thy knowledge is from thy self Thou knowest upon thine own knowledge thine is an internall an immediate and so a perfect an infallible knowledge and that tels thee of me I am not wicked That I am not wicked He doth not say Thou knowest that I am not a sinner or Thou knowest that I have not sinned Job had no such opinion of himself and he knew God had no such knowledge of him There is a great difference between being a sinner and a wicked man The best of Saints while they are here upon the earth are sinners but the worst of Saints even here upon the earth are not wicked they have a new nature they are new creatures regenerate and born again by the Word and Spirit therefore they are not wicked though much sin be in them yet no wickednesse is in them and they are denominated from their better part not wicked from their remaining corruption but holy from their received renovation Thou knowest that I am not wicked Again The word in the originall being in the verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quod non impiè egerim Mont. we may translate as many do Thou knowest that I have not done wickedly But the sense is the same for every man is in doing as he is in being He that is not wicked in his state cannot act
wickedly So we must understand that of the Apostle John 1 Epist 3.8 He that committeth sin is of the devil Thirdly To be wicked is ordinarily opposed to our being just and so Thou knowest that I am not wicked is Thou knowest that I am not condemned or cast at thy bar for a wicked man I am not condemned but justified in thy sight In which sense the word is used in that prophetique curse against Judas who betraied Christ Psal 109.7 When he shall be judged let him be condemned so we render it the Hebrew is elegantly translated thus Exeat improbus When he shall be judged let him go out wicked that is let him go out from before the bar and tribunall of his Judges a condemned man or Improbus justus verba sunt forensia Drus Let him proceed wicked Let that be his title and his honour wicked and just are judiciary or Court-terms equivalent with justified and condemned Some joyn these words with the verse going before Dost thou search into mine iniquity that thou maist know whether I am wicked As if he had said Lord thou needest not make enquiry about this thing for as I am not wicked so thou art not ignorant thou hast not afflicted me because I am wicked nor hast thou searched me because thou art ignorant Thou knowest that I am not wicked Hence observe First That the Lord knows the state of every man and of every thing exactly The foundation of God stands sure having this seal The Lord knoweth them that are his 2 Tim. 2.19 and he knoweth them that are not his not his by the grace of election and regeneration for all are his by the right of creation and dominion Thus he knows all the fowls of the mountains and the beasts of the field are his Psal 50.11 David gives this glory to God in his own case Psal 139.1 O Lord Thou hast searched me and known me God did not search him to know him but he searched him and knew him The knowledge of God was not a consequent but a concomitant of that search or it is spoken in opposition to man a man may search his neighbour and yet not know him There are depths and turnings in the heart of man which no man can reach or finde out but God hath a threed which will lead him into all and thorow all the labirynths a line which will found all the depths of man Hence David makes a particular of the knowledge of God God knew him in all that he was and in all that he did Thou knowest my down-lying and my up-rising and thou art acquainted with all my waies God is the Judge of all men therefore he knows all men Heb. 4.13 There is no creature which is not manifest in his sight 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all things are naked and open before him with whom we have to doe The Apostle by two metaphors in these words teaches us that as the out-members and lineaments of the body together with their beauty or deformity are clearly seen when the body is naked and uncloathed that as the bowels and intrals of the body together with their soundnesse or diseases are perfectly discovered when the body is dissected or cut up by the hand of a skilfull anatomist even so are we in all we do and in all we are perfectly known or as the same Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 5.11 manifest unto God even manifest with as much clearnesse to the knowledge of God as the light is to the eye of man He knows 1. Our persons 2. Our actions 3. He knoweth the manner of our actions 4. He knoweth with what hearts we act 5. He knoweth not only the means we use but the ends we propose in every action 6. He knoweth what we have been as well as what we are And 7. He knoweth what we will be as well as what we are or have been He knoweth what we have done as well as what we do and he knoweth what we will do as well as what we do or have already done He seeth all creatures in the glasse of his own counsels thorow and thorow His eye hath thorow lights in all parts of the world and in the hearts of all men in the world And seeing man cannot be hid from God it is the vainest attempt for any man to think of hiding himself from God yet that 's not only the attempt but the hope of many who while they do what they would not have seen please themselves with this conceit that they are not seen in doing it or that they can secure what they have done from being seen We learn'd this of our first parents in whom the first thing that appeared next their shame after they had sinned was the hiding of their sinne Man loveth to draw a curtain between God and himself to raise up artificiall darknesse and to walk in thick clouds as he vainly hopes undiscovered Again Doth God know us then let us labour to know our selves God knows who are wicked many are wicked and know it not It is a wofull mistake when we think our selves to be in a good estate and God knows us to be in a bad estate It is a wrong to God and our selves when God knows us to be in a good estate and we think our selves to be in a bad estate but it is farre worse when we think our estate good and God knows it to be bad We should be acquainted with our condition lest we like Laodicea flatter our selves into an opinion that we are rich and clothed and have need of nothing when God knows we are poor and naked and wanting all things Secondly Observe from the elegancy of the Hebrew expression It is upon thy knowledge that I am not wicked God knoweth all things in and of himself This gives glory to God and lifteth him up above the creature in the fulnesse of his knowledge Men who have the greatest knowledge and vastest comprehensions of things yet have not that knowledge in and from themselves they fetch it in by borrowed helps and glad they can have it so too It costs man a great deal of travell and study to make himself master of a little knowledge Job 12.12 With the ancient is wisdom and in length of daies is understanding Some indeed get wisdom and understanding and are owners of a vast stock and treasure of knowledge but when but how When they are old when they have had long experience and have studied hard for it With the ancient is wisdom and in length of daies is understanding Thus men get knowledge But mark what is said of God in the next words vers 13. But with him meaning God is wisdom and strength He hath counsel and understanding With him it is and he hath it The Lord doth not grow more knowing by years nor doth his understanding mend by the multitude of daies though he be the Ancient of daies yet it is not his antiquity
thou deal with me as with a wicked man Thou knowest that I am not wicked for by thy preventing grace thou hast kept me from all wickednes and stopt me from many sins Whence note That the remembrance of the power of God in keeping us pure from greater sins is an argument that he will spare us though we have through infirmity fallen into sin He that holds us from iniquity will not destroy us for iniquity Some are stopt from sinne and storm when they are stopt these have no reason to think God will spare them because he hath stopt them Thousands are stopt from sin who neither know what it is to sinne nor that they have been stopt from sinne These cannot plead this point As it is no vertue to endure what is not grievous to us so no grace not to do what is not joyous to us when we do it But to know we are stopt from a pleasing sin and rejoyce at it to see how our corruptions have been prevented and to blesse God for it this is a great degree of grace As there is a preventing grace which beginneth with us while we are strangers from God and are walking on in the waies of sin so there is a preventing grace watching over us after we are turned to God lest we fall into sin Experience of this may be a sweet support unto the soul under the saddest afflictions and in the darkest night of spirituall desertions Thirdly The word signifieth to keep in prison or in safe custody The Noun is a prison in Hebrew And thus the sense is given three waies as an Assertion as an Interrogation as an Imprecation First as an Assertion If I have sinned thou wilt or thou maiest imprison me and not acquit me from mine iniquity Whence note That the best and dearest of Gods servants may look for straits if they walk loosly The Lord will shut them up if they presume and take undue liberty or grow licentious They shall be either humbled or destroyed who turn the grace of God that is the manifestation of his grace either by his word or by his works into wantonnesse God will not cocker his own children and dandle them so as to forget to correct them if they forget him and their own duty If Israel sin Israel shall smart for it and if Iob sinne Iob must look to be laid in prison for it Thus he speaks acquitting God from shining upon the counsels of wicked men seeing he will not spare no not his own children if they sinne against him Secondly The sense is given by an Interrogation If I sinne Valde durum videtur ut si quid peccaverim perpetuò me in carcere custodiaque arctissima dotineas neque unquam peccati paenas remâ—ttere velis â—ined An simulac pecco observas me c. Jun. Verba jurantis contestantis suam innocentiam si peccavi imprecor mihi durissimam custodiam Bold Wilt thou therefore shut me up in prison Wilt thou not acquit me from mine iniquity And so he pleadeth with God as using too much severity and harshnesse against him What shall I be laid by the heels for every fault Shall I be arrested and clapt up in irons for every sinne Wilt thou imprison me and not acquit me from mine iniquity They who are most wicked deserve no worse then this and shall I if I do but sin receive such measure Where are thy compassions and the sounding of thy bowels are they restrained It should seem so else thou wouldest not thus restrain and imprison me Thirdly As an Imprecation If I have sinned according as I am charged imprison me as long as thou wilt and do not acquit me from mine iniquity If I am such a man as my friends judge me to be I expect no favour let me be poor and sick still torture me rack me do what thou wilt with me Like that of David Psal 7.4 5. If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me c. Let the enemy persecute my soul and take it yea let him tread down my life upon the earth and lay mine honour in the dust I ask no favour if I am such a man as mine enemies have represented me or if I have done that for which they challenge me Fourthly To observe and mark and it importeth a criticall a curious observation to mark exactly Psal 130.3 If thou Lord shouldst mark iniquity who shall stand But doth not the Lord mark iniquity Doth not he take notice of every sin acted by any of the children of men especially by his own children Why then doth the Psalmist put it upon an If If thou Lord shouldest mark iniquity 'T is true the Lord marks all iniquity to know it but he doth not mark any iniquity in his children to condemn them for it So the meaning of the Psalm is That if the Lord should mark sinne with a strict and severe eye as a Judge to charge it upon the person sinning no man could bear it Master Broughton translates When I sinne thou dost watch me watching is more then marking Refertur ad exquisitam Dei observationem universarum humanae vitae actionum Rab. Abrah Tygur Reg 70. Observas me ne unquam lateant peccata August Quoties peccavi id diligentissimè notasti Merc. as if the Lord had taken up a stand upon a high place and did there compose himself to see what 's done or to make annotations upon the whole text of mens lives all the world over Whence observe That God takes notice of the sinnes and failings of his owne people If I sin then thou markest me and in the 14th Chapter verse 16. Thou numbrest my steps dost thou not watch over my sin Thou numbrest my steps What steps He meaneth not the steps of his outward but of his inward man or the steps of his outward man in order to the inward There is a morall walking Walk before me and be upright walking is conversing or acting so Thou numbrest my steps thou tellest my morall motions the actings of my soul and body what I do and what I think Dost thou not watch over my sinne And again Chap. 31.4 Doth not he see my waies and count all my steps That is how my conversation is ordered both toward himself and toward my neighbour Thus the Lord counteth all our steps we cannot step aside or tread awry but he observes us There are two that keep a record of our lives First God he followeth us up and down as with pen ink and paper to write our actings Secondly Our own consciences which are as God within us keep a record too they write our lives and count our steps Many cannot read the book of conscience and so know little that is in it But a time will come if conscience be not purged by the bloud of Christ when they shall perfectly read all their sins in the book of conscience And if conscience which is Gods deputy
q d. in me jam seme◠mortuo pene confecto Merc. my pains know not only no period but no pause I have storm upon storm grief upon grief here much and there much I am all waies and everywhere again afflicted though already half-dead with affliction Whence observe God doth often renew the same or send new afflictions upon his choisest servants One would think that light should follow darknesse and day succeed the night that though sorrow continue all the night yet joy should come in the morning that after wounding we should have healing and after sicknesse health So they promised themselves Hos 6.1 Come and let us return unto the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal us he hath smitten and he will binde us up yet many have felt wounding after wounds and smiting after blows darknesse hath stept after darknesse and their sorrow hath had a succession of greater sorrows It was a speciall favour to Paul when Epaphroditus was restored Phil. 2.27 He was sick nigh unto death but saith he God had mercy on him and not on him only but on me also and why Lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow God would not do what some of his enemies thought to do adde affliction to his bonds therefore he healed Pauls helper and kept him alive in whom he so much delighted Sorrow upon sorrow is a mournfull bearing yet many a precious Saint hath born that coat The promise to the Church is That her peace shall be as a river and her prosperity as the waves of the sea Isa 66.12 When the Church shall come to her full beauty and attain a perfect restauration then her peace shall be a continued peace she shall have peace upon peace everlasting successions of peace a river being supplied and fed with a constant stream the waters that flow to day will flow again to morrow peace like a river is peace peace or perpetuall peace Sions peace shall not be as a land-floud soon up and as soon down again but as a river and which yet heightens it her prosperity shall be as the waves of the sea If the winde do but stir upon the face of the sea you shall have wave upon wave waves rolling and riding one upon the back of another Such shall be the prosperity of Zion on earth for a time and such it will be for ever in heaven there peace shall be as a river to eternity and prosperity as the waves of the sea joy upon joy and comfort upon comfort riding and rolling one upon the back of another As it shall be thus with the peace of the Church at last so it may be with the afflictions of the Church or of any member of the Church at present Their afflictions may be as a river and their sorrows as the waves of the sea coming on again and again renewed as often as abated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mirabilis sis in me Again Thou shewest thy self wonderfull or marvellous against or upon me Both renderings are consistent with the originall Marvellous upon me That is thou dost not punish or afflict me in an ordinary way Marvels are not every daies work Thou takest a new a strange course to try me such afflictions as mine have no parallel such have scarce been heard of or recorded in the history of any age Who hath heard of such a thing as this thou seemest to design me for a president to posterity Mirificum fit spectaculum homo qui tam dira patitur tam constanti invictoque animo or to shew in my example what thou canst do upon a creature Thou shewest thy self marvellous upon me As Moses speaks concerning Korah Dathan and Abiram when they murmured and mutined against him and against Aaron If these men die the common death of all men or if they be visited after the visitation of all men then the Lord hath not sent me but if the Lord make a new thing and the earth open her mouth and swallow them up then c. The Lord to manifest his extream displeasure against those mutineers did as it were devise a new kinde of death for them If these men die the common or the ordinary death of all men then the Lord hath not sent me These men have given a new example of sinne and surely God will make them a new example of punishment Iob speaks the same sense Thou shewest thy self marvellous upon me thou wilt not be satisfied in afflicting me after the rate or measure of other men All the Saints should do some singular thing and many of them suffer some singular thing The Apostle assures his Corinthians 1 Cor. 10.13 There hath no temptation taken you but that which is common to man Iob seems to speak the contrary A temptation hath taken me which is not common to man Further These words Thou art marvellous upon me have reference to God who sent those afflictions as well as unto the afflictions which he sent As if he had said Lord thou actest now besides thy nature and thy custom thou art mercifull and thou delightest in mercy Thou art good and thou doest good how or whence is it then that thou art so fierce against me and pourest out so many evils upon me I could not knowing thee as I do have beleeved though it had been told me that thou wouldest have been so rigorous and incompassionate if a professed enemy had done this he had done like himself and had been no wonder unto me But now as thou hast afflicted me till I am become a wonder unto many so thou O Lord art become a wonder unto me and to all who hear how thou hast afflicted me Meek Moses made himself a wonder when he broke out in anger Every man is wondered at when he doth that which he is not enclined to doe or not used to do Is it not a wonder to see the patient God angry the mercifull God severe the compassionate God inexorable Thus saith Iob Thou shewest thy self marvellous upon me Hence observe First That some afflictions of the Saints are wonderfull afflictions As God doth not often send his people strange deliverances and works wonders to preserve them so he sends them many strange afflictions and works wonders to trouble them And as many punishments of sin upon wicked men so some trials of grace upon godly men are very wonderfull The Lord threatneth the Jews Deut. 28.59 that he would make their plagues wonderfull he would make strange work among them And he saith of Ierusalem I will wipe it as a man wipeth a dish wiping it and turning it up-side down or wiping it and turning it upon the face thereof 2 King 21.13 To see a great City handled like a little dish or a strong Nation turned topsie turvy as we say or the bottom upwards is a strange thing It is an ordinary thing to see cups platters turned up-side down but it is not ordinary to see Kingdoms and Nations
judgement under the roof and goodly fabrick of this house Out of these three sorts of materials spirituall gifts spirituall duties and supposed spirituall graces upon all these and out of these he buildeth and thinks he hath made an house that shall stand for ever The point I shall give you taking in those three sorts of materials is That gifts duties and supposed graces are the stay and the staff the house and the strength of hypocrites Upon these they lean and in these they secure themselves they rest upon this bottom for eternity Hence they even dare to plead with God himself about it Mat. 7.22 Many will say unto me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name cast out devils and done many great wonders They trusted upon Have we not prophesied Have we not praied Have we not done wonders They thought those sufficient materials to build them a tower which should reach heaven it self who can doubt but they who do such things as these shall do well The gift of prophecy the power to cast out devils and work miracles sound high and make a great noise Yet at last this tower of their confidence proves but a Castle in the air or a spiders web How confident were they who could plead thus with God He hath opened the secrets of heaven to us and do you thinke he will shut the gates of heaven upon us We have preached we have been instruments of saving others and shall not we be saved ourselves We have cast out devils and shall we be cast to the devil We have not walked in an ordinary tract of Profession but we have traded in wonders and done miracles we have amazed the world with reports of the great things we have done is all this nothing Thus they plead with Christ as if he were bound to save them by the law of these services yet Christ tels them Depart from me I know you not Surely thought they God will fetch his fewell for those everlasting burnings from among the rude Heathens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Chrysost or debauched drunkards adulterers c. not from among us Were it not a wonder greater then any we have wrought if we who have wrought great wonders should not be admitted One of the Ancients represents them in such an amazement What means this strange unexpected answer from Christ Depart c. Must we depart who have lived so near thee Must we be damned whom thou hast thus honoured The Apostle Paul Rom. 2.17 speaking of the hypocriticall Jews discovers such a confidence Thou restest in the Law as a man resteth in his house there he sleeps is quiet so these in the Law there they were quiet that is in the priviledges and outward profession of the Law or in a literall and outward obedience to the Law The Jews built their house upon or with legall righteousnesse Thou restest in the Law Tibi applâ—u lis quod legem scriptam acceperis quòd frequenses in lectione auditione legis he speaks both by way of narration and likewise by way of redargution He tels what they did and how ill they did in doing so Paul rejects this as refuse stuff as hay and straw as drosse and dung as confidence in the flesh Phil. 3.3 c. Those things which acted or enjoyed are spirit being trusted to are flesh So Prayer is flesh ordinances are flesh the righteousnesse of the Law is flesh yea Grace it self trusted to is flesh The duties which Christ hath appointed are the house of the hypocrite but Christ himself is the house of the upright He would be found in him Phil. 3.9 not in duties or inherent graces Saints desire that much grace may be found in them but they dare not be found in graces they would ever be acting graces but never thrusting to them Secondly Observe An hypocrites hope is high and strong that his estate is good now and that he shall receive good at the last He leaneth upon this house Some are without hope in the world of whom we may speak as the Apostle of an heretike Tit. 3.11 they are condemned of themselves Some men have the sentence of condemnation in their own hearts But there are others as you see here who have great and strong confidences in themselves who live and die with this confidence too This they do upon the former witnesse As the Apostle John speaks concerning the witnesse which the Saints have for heaven There are three which bear witnesse c. and these three are one So there are three which bear witnesse to the hypocrite and these three are one they agree in one to deceive as the other to give assurance First The world that giveth many a man a witnesse and letters testimoniall that his estate is good his neighbours say so they flatter him and cry peace peace to him Secondly Satan applauds him the devil gives him his good word and tels him that certainly his estate is very good Thirdly His own heart will seal to all he shall have the witnesse in himself as it is spoken of the true believer So that the hypocrite having such witnesses a witnesse within himself a certificate under the hand of Satan and letters commendatory from the world all this must needs give him strength of hope that his house shall stand for ever But see the issue He leaneth upon his house What then It shall not stand The word signifies to stand firmly and strongly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Stetit subsist it mansit or to continue standing He thought that the materials which he had brought together and the hopes which he had raised upon them would have been as Mount Zion that cannot be removed but he leaneth upon it and it shall not stand Whence observe All that an hypocrite trusteth unto shall deceive him at the last It shall not stand Their webs shall not become garments Neither shall they cover themselves with their works Isa 59.6 The language is proverbiall importing highest disappointment Who would weave a web if he knew he should never have a garment by it Or work hard when himself must go naked Jer. 7.1 2. the Lord sends to the people by his Prophet Say to this people Trust not to lying words that is words which will deceive and fail you you trust and lean to them but they will fall away from you What were those words Even that they had a goodly house to lean to they cried The temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord but I hope that 's a strong house as well as a beautifull a man may lean upon that upon the temple of the Lord and do well No The temple of the Lord leaned upon will be but a spiders web God gave the Jews a temple to worship him in and many of them worshipped the temple We adore every duty we depend upon and give the Ordinances of God the honour of God
We can stand no more by such trust to Ordinances then we shall by the neglect of them These and all the materials before mentioned will be found too weak they shall not stand Gifts cannot commend to God If a man had the tongue of men and angels if all the knowledge that ever was scattered in the world were brought together into one head this cannot commend him unto God The devil is as full of knowledge as he can hold and yet he is as full of wickednesse as he can hold Duties cannot commend to God And there are two speciall reasons why the hypocrites duties cannot First He is not at all changed in duties He praies and sins hears and sins professes and continues wicked closely if not openly Secondly He leans upon his duties Could we suppose true grace leaned on that could not stand Nothing is a sufficient strength for us to stay upon but the free grace of God and Jesus Christ Lean to these houses for they will stand for ever Of all other houses you shall say as Adam did of his wife 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deducitur à Gnamad mulier quam dedisti mihi ut adstaret juvaret essetque vicarium auxilium ipsa author hujus mali exstitit Fagius in loc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quafi apud me stans Gen. 3.12 and it is the word here used in the Text The woman which thou gavest to be with me to stay by me to be a helper and a support to me this woman hath given me and I did eat she hath been the cause of my ruine The same will be said of all the gifts and duties and graces which we stand upon God hath given them us and he hath given them us as meet helpers but they will deceive and ruine us if we lean on them We shall fall by them if we hope to stand by them Psal 23.4 Thou art with me in trouble saith David therefore I shall not fall it is this word Thou standest with me Christ will stand by us at all times Thou standest with me or by me When the world faileth and when gifts fail and when duties fail yea when graces fail in degree and activity then Jesus Christ and free grace will stand by us Isa 26.7 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose minde is staied on thee Christ is the only lean-to There is one clause further He shall hold it fast but it shall not endure This clause is of the same importance with the former only the sense is somewhat heightned It notes that the hypocrite shall not only lean upon his house but he shall take strong hold upon his house He shall fasten on it so Mr Broughton A man may lean to a thing and have no hold of it he that takes hold of a thing would make it firm to himself and himself firm to it Thus the hypocrite leans upon his house and takes fast hold of it if it would fall from him if any attempt to pull him away from it or he sticks to it he will not let it go 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eam mordicus tenens se in ea stabilem firmum semper fore putans Merc. The word signifies to hold fast strongly and prevailingly Jobs wife Chap. 2. speaks thus Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity And God himself speaks in the same language concerning Job Doest thou not see though thou hast moved me to afflict him without cause how he holdeth fast his integrity The hypocrite after his manner Mordicus tenet holds his duties performancies gifts tufly or as it were with his very teeth he will hold them to the very death and not let them go the hypocrite will not give over will not be beaten off from trusting to these false and weak props here he sets up his rest he will die by his gifts his duties his outward profession and go no further It is our glory to hold integrity fast to hold grace fast yea and duties in point of practice and obedience but it is our sin and danger to hold them fast in reliance and confidence It is a sad use which some make of this truth when they hear that hypocrites hold fast upon duties c. they let go their duties they let praier go repentance and sorrow for sin go they say it is no matter for duties they need not trouble themselves Christ doth all This is to turn the grace of God into wantonnes We must let go both our graces and our duties in point of justification but hold them we must as our lives in conversation and the tenour of our lives Praier hearing fasting repenting must not die while we live Do them we must but glory in them we must not He holdeth them fast but yet it shall not endure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 á radice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Surrexit ad standum erectus stabilis solidus mansit perseveravit That 's the last thing We see as often as the hypocrite rises to take hold of his hopes so often his hopes fail him before It shall not stand now it shall not endure The word signifies it shall not be established to him he would establish this house to himself but it shall not be established his worldly estate shall not be established his duties his graces his gifts shall not be established The word notes that establishment which is made by a politike act or edict It is the Jews operative word in which they enact laws Esth 9. The word is used three times v. 29 31 32. for a politicall establishment of that decree about the deliverance of the Jews from the conspiracy of Haman they established or made a Law for it Laws are for continuance therefore they are established and setled An hypocrite would do so too he would enact and establish what he doth but it shall not endure it will be null'd and repeal'd quickly The word also signifies that which is substantiall it shall not endure that is it shall not be as a substance it shall appear at last to be but a shadow Gen. 7.23 Every living substance was destroyed it is this word that is every thing that stood up and subsisted So Deut. 11.6 the word signifies the substance and outward estate which Korah Dathan and Abiram had They and their substance went down into the pit The hypocrite thinks his estate is a substantiall estate yet both his worldly house and his spirituall house builded as was before described shall moulder away and rot they shall not endure 1 King 7.21 Solomon set up two pillars in the Temple and an hypocrite in his building sets up two pillars and he calleth them after the name that Solomon called his the text saith The one he called Jachin and the other Boaz Jachin he will establish and Boaz strength Which may note that the people of God who worship him in his temple have two pillars two everlasting pillars they have Christ and the
shalt become a plain The Prophet is assured that all the power and strength which opposed it self against the reformation and re-edification of Jerusalem should be laid levell with the ground Per montes intelligit regeâ— qui si ut moÌ„tes firmitate â—o hore perstant Râ—â— Dav in Ps 14â— 5 So we may interpret Psa 144.5 He toucheth the mountains and they smoke the meaning is when God doth but lay his hand upon great men upon the mightiest of the world he makes them smoke or fune which some understand of their anger they are presently in a passion if God do but touch them Or we may understand it of their consumption A smoking mountain will soon be a burnt mountain In our language to make a man smoke is a proverbiall for destroying or subduing And besides there are mountains in this figurative sense within us as well as without us The soul hath a mountain in it self and it is an act of the great power of God yea of an higher and greater power of God to remove inward than it is to remove outward mountains Isa 40.4 The Prophet fore-shewing the comming of Christ and the sending of the Baptist to prepare his way tels us Every mountain and hill shall he made low Christ did not throw down the outward power of men who withstood him he let Herod and Pilate prevail but mountains and hils of sinne and unbelief in the soul which made his passage into them impassible he overthrew These mountains of high proud thoughts the Apostle describes 2 Cor. 10.14 Casting down imaginations and every high thing and bringing into captivity every thought every mountainous thought to the obedience of Christ These are metaphoricall mountains the power of sinfull men without us and the power of sinne the pride of our own hearts within us It is a mighty worke of God to remove these mountains But these are not proper to the Text for the instances which follow being all given in naturall things shew that those here intended are naturall mountains Taking mountains for earthly materiall mountains it is doubted how the Lord removes them There are different opinions about the point Some understand it of a naturall motion * Montes naturae sua generabiles sunt corruptibiles additione partium generanâ—ur detractione partiuÌ„ corrumpuntur Aquin Caj Minimè mirandum est fi quaâ— terrae partes quae nunc habitantur olim mare occupabat quae nunc pelagus sunt oâ—im habitabantur sic campos montes par est invicem commutari Sâ—â—b l 17. Philosophers disputing about mountains and hils conclude that they are subject to generation and corruption by the addition of many parts they are generated that is kneaded or gathered together and become one huge heap of earth and by the detraction falling and crumbling off or taking away of these parts they are removed again Thus we may expound that Job 14.18 And surely the mountain falling cometh to nought Yet this cannot be the meaning of Job here For though we grant that doctrine of the Philosophers that there is a generation of mountains and so a corruption of them yet that corruption is so insensible that it cannot be put among those works of God which raise up the name of his glorious power * Divina poteâ—tia in â—aâ—â—longa segni montium remotione non se praebet valdâ— mirabileÌ„ cuâ— remo fere 〈◊〉 qui eam rem videat Pined That which fals not under observation cannot cause admiration Slow and imperceptible motions make small impressions either upon the fancie or understanding That here spoken of is quick and violent and by it's easie representation to the eye causeth wonder and astonishment in the beholders And so it imports a removing them by some violent motion Thus the Lord is able to remove and hath removed mountains sometimes by earthquakes sometimes by storms and tempests sometime those mighty bulwarks are battered with thunder-bals discharged from the clouds Psal 97.5 The hils melted like wax at the presence of the Lord. Hils melt down when he appears as a consuming fire Psal 104.32 He looks upon the earth and it trembleth and he toucheth the hils and they smoke Those rocky mountains are as ready to take fire as tinder or touch-wood if but a spark of Gods anger fall upon them God by a cast of his eye as we may speak can cast the earth into an ague-fit he makes it shake and more tremble with a look He by a touch of his mighty arm hurls mountains which way he pleaseth as man doth a Tennis-ball We read Isa 64.1 How earnestly the Prophet praies O that thou wouldst rent the heavens and come down that the mountains might flow down at thy presence Where he is conceived to allude to Gods comming down upon Mount Sinai at the giving of the Law Exod. 19. which is said To melt from before the Lord God of Israel Judg. 5.3 Some understand it of that day of Christ when he shall come to judge the world others of that day when Christ came in the flesh to save the world then the mountains were levell'd according to the preaching of the Baptist but rather the Prophet being affected with the calamitous condition which he fore-saw the Jews falling into entreats the Lord to put forth himself in some notable works of his providence which should as clearly manifest his presence as if they saw the heavens speaking as of solid bodies renting and God visibly comming down then those difficulties which lay in the way of their deliverance and looked like huge mountains of iron or of adamant would presently dissolve like waxe or ice before the Sunne or fire The Prophet Micah describes the effects of Gods power in the same stile Chap. 1.3 4. Behold the Lord cometh forth out of his place and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth and the mountains shall be molten under him Ex quo hoc loco non absurde colligitur fuisse proverbium ad significandum maximam olique Deo convenietem potentiam Bold and the valleys shall be cleft as wax before the fire and as the waters which are poured down a steep place So to remove mountains is used proverbially Job 18.4 Shall the earth be forsaken for thee or shall the rock be removed out of his place that is shall God work wonders for thee or God will alter the course of nature as soon as the course of his providence To say God can remove mountains is as much as to say he hath power to doe what he will and the reason is because mountains are exceeding great and weighty bodies mountains are firmly setled now to remove a thing which is mighty in bulk and strongly founded is an argument of greatest strength The stability of the Church is compared to the stability of mountains Psal 125.1 They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion which cannot be removed but