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
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
turned up-side down To wipe Ierusalem as a dish was to do that which was never done before Some expound that place of the frequency of affliction that God would smite them again and again as they that make clean a dish wipe it over and over that no filth may stay in it The Seventy and the Vulgar translate Delebo IerusaleÌ„ sicut deleri soleÌ„t tabulae Vulg. I will blot out Ierusalem as they use to blot out a table-book that is written all over He that hath a table-book full of writing and would write more takes a cloth or a spunge and blotteth out what was written that he may thorowly wipe his table-book he rubs it often with his spunge to get the letters clear out Thus God threatned to do with Ierusalem He would wipe or blot out her golden characters and honourable inscriptions till nothing of Ierusalem but her shame and her sinne should remain unblotted out Was not the judgement brought upon Ierusalem a wonder when the Prophet saith Lam. 4.12 The kings of the earth and all the inhabitants of the world would not have believed it The Apostle speaks thus of his own and of his fellow-Apostles afflictions 1 Cor. 4.9 We are made a spectacle as upon a theater unto the world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and to Angels and to men All begin to wonder at us what the matter is what strange creatures we are whom the Lord suffers to be thus used The people of God are often a gazingstock to the world in regard of what they do and not seldom in regard of what they suffer Secondly Observe That when God doth greatly afflict his own people he goes out of his ordinary way He shews himself marvellous or wonderfull a man is never marvelled at when he goes his old pace in his old path God loves to have his hand in the hony-pot therefore it is strange to see him give his people a bitter cup to drink or feeding them with wormwood and with gall Judgement is the strange work of God Isa 28.21 The Lord shall be wrath in the valley of Gibeon that he may do his work his strange work and bring to passe his act his strange act And if every work of judgement be his strange work a work he delighteth not to be conversant in what then are great and sore judgements Though the Lord be infinitely pleased in the executions of judgement yet because if a more may be conceived in infinity he is more pleased with mercy therefore judgement is called his strange work his strange act To see a Prince renowned for clemency and pity passing a severe sentence is a strange sight We say he hath shewed himself marvellous he hath gone against both his practice and his nature his custome and his inclination To see any man do what he useth not hath somewhat of wonder in it much more to see God do so When he taketh up his rod we begin to start how much more when he taketh up his sword when he hunts those like a lion whom he dearly loveth and uses those as wilde beasts who are his precious children when he smites them with rigour whom he carrieth in his own bosome These these are acts which represent him to admiration as many acts of his power and mercy cause the Saints to cry out admiringly yet joyfully Who is a God like unto thee So some acts of his visible severity cause others of them to cry out admiringly yet sorrowfully Why O God dost thou act in appearance so unlike thy self Verse 17. Thou renewest thy witnesses against me or thou bringest new witnesses against me and encreasest thine indignation upon me changes and war are against me This 17th verse is but a further amplification of what he had spoken before setting forth the greatnesse and frequent returns of his trouble Thou renewest The first day of the moneth is called Chodesh Chodesh novilunium primus dies mensis quo quasi luna innovatur in the Hebrew from the word here used because then there was a new moon or a change of the moon so Thou renewest thou makest a change I have many new moons but they are all and alwaies at full in sorrow Thou renewest Thy witnesses The Septuagint saith Thy examinations so it is an allusion to the triall of a malefactour who is examined by the Judge and if he deals not plainly in confession then his examination is renewed Thus saith Job Thou sendest as it were new examiners with more articles and additionall Interrogatories as if I had conceal'd somewhat and had not told thee my whole heart We translate and so the word most properly beareth witnesses the sense is the same As some malefactours are often examined so more evidence and new witnesses are brought against them though in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established yet where there are more witnesses then two or three there is more establishment Again As they who are of a wrangling and unquiet disposition will never sit down in a suit when by the examination of some witnesses they have brought the matter to a triall and are cast yet this doth not satisfie them they will have their writ of errour Non tam videtur de instauratione plurium testium queri quam de sententiae ferendae dilatione morâ Pined and bring the matter about again in another Court Thus saith Job as if the Lord were resolved this sute should never have an end He reneweth his witnesses against me When I think all is concluded and agreed between us I am as much to seek as ever he brings all about again So that after all my travell I am as farre from an end as I was at the beginning I am where I was and am like to continue there for I see the Lord renewing his witnesses against me still The doubt is What or whom he meaneth by these Witnesses Philippus in lo. One saith These witnesses were devils Satan accused him at first and he is not alone either in tempting or accusing he can soon have a legion to joyn with him in any design of wickednesse But I passe that opinion Secondly Others say The Witnesses were Iobs three friends they all testified against him Eliphaz began and Bildad was his second Zophar stood ready to follow all against Iob. Poena â—â—ius peccati quasi destatione decedeÌ„te aliam quasi succenturiatam suffecturus es Coc. Thirdly By Witnesses most and they most clearly understand his afflictions Thou renewest thy witnesses that is thou bringest new troubles to testifie against me When one affliction hath spoken at thy bar against me thou callest for the testimony of another and of another and when there will not be another I know not unlesse it be when I am not When Naomi was become Marah her former pleasures being turned into bitternesse she saith Ruth 1.21 The Lord hath testified against me Iob is very expresse in the
power are ascribed to sinne because God gives men over to those punishments which their sins challenge at his hands Some sinnes have a louder voice then others but every sinne unpardoned the mouth whereof is not stopt by the bloud of Christ cries to God for vengeance till God put the sinner into the hand of sin that he may at once receive pay for and from his own folly Observe from the former interpretation First That The Lord doth often in judgement give man up to the power of his sinfull lusts This is a generall truth though we cannot draw it down to the instance of Jobs children The Lord in wrath leaves man to himself Every man by nature sins freely and many are left by God to a judiciary freedome in sinning He cannot restrain himself and sometimes God will not restrain him but lets him take his fill of sinne and be as wicked as he will Revel 22.11 He that is unjust let him be unjust still he that is filthy let him be filthy still This permission is the highest and sorest affliction This liberty is worse then any bondage Thus also the Church leaves those to their ignorance who obstinately refuse instruction 1 Cor. 14.38 He tha◠is ignorant let him be ignorant still Those souls are in a desperate condition who are put out of the care either of God or of his Church Secondly Observe That Sin is a punishment Sinne is the punishment of sinne Thy children sinned against him and he gave them into the hand of their sinne Tu Domine dixisti ita est ut omna malus animus sibi ipsi fit poena August he never goes unpunished for sinne who sins and repents not Thou Lord saith one of the Ancients hast decreed it and so it is That every evil minde is it 's own scourge The Apostle tels us Heb. 10.31 that it is a fearfull thing to fall into the hand of the living God it is indeed and it is as fearfull a thing to fall into the hand of deadly sins or dead works How dreadfull a thing is it to be under the power and tyranny of our own hearts The committing of sinne is worse then the enduring of trouble The Lord doth not only punish men according to their sins but he makes their sinne their punishment yea their sins are their punishers He puts them into the hand of sin as into the hand of a tormentour A Heathen could threaten a wicked man Vlciscentur eū mones sui Cicero ad Attich thus His manners shall be his revenge Holinesse carries its reward with it and though no creature will recompense the good we doe yet doing good is a recompence In keeping the Commandments of God there is an exceeding great reward Psal 19.11 The act of keeping them is a reward as well as the issue A good work is pay enough to the worker So also is an evil work Prov. 1.32 The turning away of the simple shall slay him A simple childe that will not be ruled counsell'd or ordered such Solomon speaks of Ye simple ones how long will ye love simplicity That is your own foolish vain waies The turning away of such simple ones from the counsell of the wise shall slay them The way of sinne is death as well as the end or wages of it As faith the Proverb of the Ancients they are the words of David concerning Saul 1 Sam. 24.14 Wickednesse proceedeth from the wicked but mine hand shall not be upon him David knew that Saul was a man so wicked that he needed no other revenger but his own self his own sinne would bring misery enough upon him therefore saith he Wickednesse proceedeth from the wicked that is the punishment of wickednesse proceedeth from the wicked man himself Observe the occasion of those words it was when some about David advised him to slay Saul not I saith he my hand shall not be upon him I know he is a man so given up to sinne so enslaved to his own vile affections that ther 's enough upon him already and in a short time more will be upon him Wickednesse proceedeth from the wicked but mine hand shall not be upon him I will leave him to the hand of his sin which is his plague already and which in a little time will attach him and doe me right though he never would When God took up a resolution against his own people that he would not hear or be intreated and protested his minde could not be towards them he saith Jer. 15.2 Let them go forth such as are for the sword to the sword and such as are for the famine to the famine and such as are for the captivity to the captivity This was a dreadfull sentence but for God to say to a people Let them go forth in the waies of their sinne he that is for drunkennesse to be drunk he that is for uncleannesse to be unclean he that is for pride to be proud he that is for swearing to oaths and he that is for envy to be envious and he that is for idolatry to his idols O how unconceivably miserable are such a people To be left in the hand of these sins is a spirituall judgement and these sinnes will quickly bring in temporall judgements and not long hence eternall From the later interpretation Observe Sinne shall not alway goe away unpunished by outward sensible evils God will sinke and cast men away for their transgressions If sinne be in the house punishment lies at the doors and will turn the lock and open it or break it open upon the sinner And though he hide himself in vaults or secret corners yet his iniquity will finde him out He that will not cast away his transgression shall be cast away for his transgression whether he will or no. So much for these words wherein Bildad sets before Job the sinfulnesse of his children thereby to vindicate the justice of God in giving them up to the dominion of their sin or to destruction for their sinne In the next words he advises Job to take heed by their harms and assures him of happy successe in case he doe As if he had said Though they perished in their transgression yet doe not thou despair For Verse 5. If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes and make thy supplication to the Almighty c. God hath been just in punishing thy children and he will be mercifull in pardoning thee in accepting thy person in prospering thy estate if now at last thou apply thy self to seek him diligently Though thy children have fallen into the hand of their transgression yet there is hope that thou maiest escape Thus he deals with him in a way of counsell as Eliphaz had done before Chap. 5. v. 8. I would seek unto God and unto God would I commit my cause this is the counsell I give thee and the course I would take my self Bildad speaks the same in effect and almost in the letter If thou wouldest
come to God With the pure thou wilt shew thy self pure and with the upright man thou wâ—lt shew thy self upright and with the froward thou wilt shew thy self froward Psal 18.25 26. But doth the Lord take colour from every one he meets or change his temper as the company changes That 's the weaknesse of sinfull man he cannot doe so with whom there is no variablenesse nor shadow of changing God is pure and upright with the unclean and hypocriticall as well as with the pure and upright and his actions shew him to be so God shews himself froward with the froward when he deals with them as he hath said he will deal with the froward deny them and reject them God shews himself pure with the pure when he deals with them as he hath said he will hear them and accept them Though there be nothing in purity and sincerity which deserveth mercy yet we cannot expect mercy without them Our comforts are not grounded upon our graces but our comforts are the fruits or consequents of our graces Bildad having shewed Job his duty shews him a promise of mercy If thou wert pure and upright surely now he would awake for thee There is a three-fold gradation of mercie in this promise 1. That God would Awake for him 2. That God would Prosper or pacifie his habitation 3. That God would Abundantly encrease and multiply him in his later end The first step of mercy is That God would awake for him Surely now he would awake for thee And there are three things observable about this First The certainty of it in the word Surely without all doubt or peradventure if thou wouldest thus seek to him He would awake Secondly The speedinesse of it Surely now he would awake Now without delay or demurre thou shouldest no sooner seek to God but finde an answer of mercy from him Thirdly The benefit of it to Job He would awake for thee For Job might say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I may awaken a sleepie Lion to rise up against me God may be angry with my prayer and in stead of blessing pour out some further judgement upon me No saith Bildad I assure thee if thou thus seek to him He will awake for thee not against thee God sometimes awakes against us Jer. 31.28 It shall come to passe that as I have watched over them to pluck up and to break down and to destroy and to afflict so will I watch over them to build and to plant saith the Lord. As the Lord would watch to doe them a good turn so he had watcht to doe them as we speak a shrewd turn He threatens them with such a watchfulnesse Chap. 44.27 I will watch over them for evil and not for good When we are dull and sleepy in doing the will of God he will be watchfull and active to afflict us And when men cannot sleep till they doe evil God will not sleep till he brings evil So Daniel in the ninth of that Prophecy and the 14. verse having humbled himself before God in prayer and fasting and confessed the sins of the people concludes Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil and brought it upon us God not only awakes but watches to doe a people evil who have long abused his goodnesse As men in maliciousnesse of spirit watch for advantages and spie out opportunities to revenge themselves All my familiars watch for my halting saith Jeremy Chap. 20.12 So the Lord in abundant holinesse and exactnesse of justice though with a great deal of wrath and severity watches to revenge himself of a wicked people He takes all opportunities and advantages against them Thou hast watched evil and brought it upon us His love to a returning people is as vigilant as his anger against a blacksliding people Surely now he would awakâ— for thee Awake The word signifies both to awake and to arise There are two interpretations of this awaking Some take the words transitively thus He will awake good for thee Suscitabit super te bonum Transitivè accipitur excitabit super te sc bonum quod nuâ—c in te sopituÌ„ est Not of Job awakening God by prayer but of God awakening prosperity or stirring up blessings for Job As if Bildad had said Joh now blessings are as it were asleep but if thou pray God will awaken them He will stirre up mercies for thee he will cure thy broken condition he will restore that which is fallen repair that which is ruined and fetch thee up out of the grave of thy desolate estate As a mans spirits gifts yea graces are sometime asleep and need awakening so also are and doe our outward comforts It is frequent in Scripture to call the repairing of a mans estate or the bringing of good to him the raising of him up He raiseth the poor out of the dust he awakens them out of that low condition Job was in the dust and his children in the grave God made a resurrection of both for him That 's a good sense But rather understand it as our translation reads of God awakening He will awake for thee He will awake The Psalmist assures us Psal 121.4 He that keepeth Israel doth neither slumber nor sleep God never sleepeth How is it then said that God awakes For the opening of this metaphor First As The Church confesses and professes Cant. 5.2 I sleep but my heart waketh when the Church is asleep yet her heart is awake towards God So much more when in regard of outward providences God seems to be asleep his heart is awake toward his Church his heart scil his affection c. never slumbereth nor sleepeth Secondly God is said to sleep when he doth not answer our prayers and when he hears prayer then he is said to awake Hence the Septuagint render this text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deprecationem exaudiet tuam Sept. not as we He will awake but He will hear thy prayer for deliverance Thirdly God sleeps not in regard of the act but the consequents of sleep Naturall sleep is the binding or locking up of the senses The eye and ear of God is never bound But to mans apprehension the affairs of the world passe as if God did neither hear nor see When men are asleep things are done which they can take no notice of much lesse stop and prevent The Parable tels us Mat. 13. While men slept the envious man came and sowed tares While the housholder slept the thief brake the house and the Pharisees direct the watchmen to say of Christ in the sepulchre While we slept his Disciples came and stole him away So now when things are so carried in the world as if the God of heaven did not regard or take notice of them Dormire videtur cum te relinquit in his calamitatibus Drus when he doth not prevent or hinder evil when he doth not stop or restrain the rage and malice of men this retiring of himself in the
cals it a light matter in regard of common apprehension and observation The Sunnes motion is naturally forward and though it should mend it's pace many would not much regard it but all would stand and wonder at a retrograde motion or at the Sun going backward Hence Hezekiah cals it a light matter for the Sunne to goe forward comparatively to it 's going backward And from either the Lord would teach Hezekiah that the creatures will doe what he bids them even the Sunne will move miraculously at his Word How great a rebuke will it be to man if he move not at the command of God and as God commands Shall the Lord say to the Sunne Rise not and it riseth not and shall he say to man Swear not and he will swear pray and he will not pray shall the Lord have better obedience from creatures without life then from man who hath not only life but reason or from Saints who have not only reason but grace They who have grace give not such universal obedience as things without life for though there be a part in them active to obey yet there is a part in them backward to all obedience Let it shame us that there should be any thing in us who have life reason and grace resisting or not readily complying with all the commands of God when the Sunne which hath not so much as life obeies his voice He commandeth the Sun and it riseth not Thirdly Observe from the manner of this speech That The Lord hath a negative voice upon the motion of all creatures He commandeth the Sunne and it riseth not It is a royall Prerogative that the Lord commands the Sunne to rise but that the Lord hath a power to stay the Sun from rising lifts up his Prerogative to the highest In all disputes about power his is resolved to be greatest who hath the negative voice which checks and supersedeats all others This is the Prerogative of God he can stay the motion of the Sun and of man The Sun dares not do his office to the day nor the stars to the night if the Lord say No. The Sun is described Psal 19.5 like a bridegroom comming out of his Chamber drest and prepared and as a Giant rejoycing to runne his race but though the Sunne be thus prepared and drest and ready yet if the Lord send a writ and a prohibition to the Sunne to keep within his chamber he cannot come forth his journey is stopt Thus also he stops man in his neerest preparations for any action If the Lord will work who shall let it Isa 43.13 That is there is no power in heaven or earth which can hinder him But if the Lord will let who shall work neither Sunne nor stars nor men nor devils can work if he forbid them The point is full of comfort God tels Abimelech in the case of Sarah Abrahams wife whom he took into his house I know that thou didst it in the integrity of thy heart but I with held thee and I suffered thee not to touch her Gen. 20.6 And when Laban pursued Jacob with hard thoughts against him and strong resolutions to deal harshly with him The Lord gave a negative voice Gen. 31.24 Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad Laban had not the use of his own tongue He could not speak either good or bad Not good or bad Was there any hurt for Laban to speak good to Jacob And the story tels us that Laban spake many words and some bad enough to Jacob charging him with a double theft First for stealing himself away vers 27. Wherefore didst thou steal away from me Secondly for stealing his Idols vers 30. And now though thou wouldest needs be gone because thou longest sore after thy fathers house yet wherefore hast thou stoln away my gods Foul language all though God charged him not to speak a bad word to Jacob. For answer know We must restrain that restraint to the point of bringing Jacob back again Thou shalt not speak either good or bad to him to stop or turn him from his way thou shalt use no threatnings to bring him back to thee no nor any promises or allurements thou shalt make no offers of better entertainment to winne him to thy service which was the thing he so much desired Good and bad are the two terms of all that can be spoken and where the utmost extreams of speaking are forbidden all speaking to that purpose is forbidden When the ancient people of God were few in number yea very few and strangers in the land when they went from one Nation to another from one Kingdome to another people one would thinke that all the world would have been upon them but here was their protection God had a negative voice Psal 105.15 He suffered no man to doe them wrong Many had as we say an aking tooth at the people of God their fingers itcht to be dealing with them and the text shews four advantages the world had against them First They were few Secondly Very few Thirdly Strangers Fourthly Unsetled What hindered their enemies It was the Lords negative voice He reproved Kings for their sake saying Touch not mine anointed and doe my Prophets no harm We see an instance of this Gen. 35.5 when Jacob and his family journeyed the terrour of God was upon the Cities that were round about them and they did not pursue after the sonnes of Jacob They had a minde to pursue after them to revenge the slaughter of the Sichemites but God said Pursue not and then they could not pursue they must stay at home And when his people the Jews were safe in Canaan he encourages them to come up freely to worship at Jerusalem by this assurance No man shall desire thy Land when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the year Exod. 24.34 God can stop not only hands from spoiling but hearts from desiring Our appetite whether concupiscible or irascible is under his command as well as our actions The Prophet asserts this by way of question Lam. 3.37 Who is he that saith and it cometh to passe when the Lord commandeth it not That is if the Lord doth not concurre if the Lord vote against the saying or command of any man in the world what he saith shall never come to passe We should consider this to help our faith in these times God hath a negative voice upon those counsels and conclusions which are carried with one consent of men And the wrath of man shall either turn to his praise or all that is beyond that he will stop the remainder of wrath namely so much as remains over and above what turns to the praise of God shalt thou restrain Psal 76.6 The sword is in motion amongst us even as the Sunne and the sword seemeth to have received a charge to passe from one end of the Land to the other yet a counter-command from God
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
The superiour may ask the inferiour and call him to an account Every inferâ—our Judge and Court is accountable to those above that is the highest Court and he the highest Judge to whom no man can say What doest thou The Parliament of England is therefore the highest Judicatory in this Kingdom because their actions are not questionable in any other Court one Parliament may say to another What hast thou done This Parliament hath said to Parliaments that have gone before What have ye done in making such and such Laws No power of man besides their own can question some men much lesse can any man question God and say to him What doest thou He is supreme there is no appeal to any other higher Judge or higher Court. Hence observe Whatsoever God resolveth and determineth concerning us we must bear it and quietly submit No man may say unto him What doest thou Quicquid de nobis Deus statuit libenter ferendum est Why doe ye sit still saith the Prophet Jer. 8.14 Assemble your selves and let us enter into the defenced Cities and let us be silent there for the Lord hath put us to silence and given us waters of gall to drinke because we have sinned against him The Lord hath put us to silence that is the Lord hath done these things and we are not to question him about them or to ask him what he hath done or why he hath done thus Therefore let us be silent say they Let us not murmure at and complain over our own sufferings much lesse tax and charge God for his doings It becomes us to obey Gods suspension to be silent when he puts us to silence The Lord never silences any unlesse in wrath to those who would not hear from speaking in his name and publishing his vvord But he hath silenced all from speaking against his works and it will be ill with us if our passions how much soever God seems to act against us shall take off this suspension The Lord is uncontrollable in all his works When Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 4.35 came to himself and began to think and speak like a man after he had been among the beasts see what an humble acknowledgement he makes concerning God All the inhabitants of the earth saith he are reputed as nothing and he doth according to his will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay his hand or say unto him What doest thou Here we have both parts of Jobs speech none can stay his hand which is the former and none can say unto him What doest thou which is the later That great Monarch acknowledged he had no power to question God though he at that time had power to question all the men upon the earth Nebuchadnezzar speaks like Job A wicked man may make a true report of God Many speak right of the Lord whose hearts are not right with him Nebuchadnezzar was converted from beastlinesse but I finde not that he was converted to holinesse He came home to his own Court but I see no proof that he came home to the Church of God yet see how divinely he speaks and how humbly he walks not so much as offering to ask God who had chang'd him from a Commander of men to a companion of beasts What doest thou We may ask the Lord in one sense what he doth Yea the Lord doth nothing in the world but his Saints and servants are enquiring of him about it He invites them to petition for what they would have Ask of me things to come concerning my sons and concerning the work of my hands command ye me Isa 45.11 Though man cannot order or enjoyn the least thing upon God yet at the entreaty of his people he is as ready to doe as if he were at their command And as we are thus envited to ask things to come so we are not totally denied to ask about things already done We may ask him in an humble way for information not in a bold way of contradiction We may in zeal to his glory not in discontent with our own condition expostulate with him about what he hath done So Joshua Chap. 7.7 8. Alas O Lord God wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us Would to God we had been content and dwelt on the other side Jordan c. but how durst Joshua speak thus What if God vvould destroy them vvas it not his dury to bear it and let God alone Yes doubtlesse and such I doubt not vvas the frame of Joshuas spirit If Israel only had been to suffer Joshua had held his peace at least from such language but he saw a further matter in it the glory of God vvas like to suffer in their sufferings the close of his praier betraies this holy disposition of his heart vers 9. And what wilt thou doe unto thy great name As if he had said Lord the matter were not much though the name of Israel were blotted out from under heaven so thy Name were written in fairer characters But I fear a blow to Israel will be a blot to thy name and therefore I have taken upon me to pray this praier unto thee and I have praied rather for thee than to thee All praiers are made to God and yet some are made for him Not that he hath any want or is in any the remotest possibility of any danger but only for the promoting of his glory and that the world may not have occasion of a dishonourable thought of him whose honour never abates in it self or in the eyes of his own people Thus we may ask him what he hath done and why he hath brought such desolations upon his people But we may not ask him what he hath done either to question his right to doe it or to question his righteousnesse in doing of it No creature may put the question upon either of these terms What hast thou done much lesse conclude Thou hast done that which thou hast no right to do or thou hast been unrighteous in doing it Either of these is highest blasphemy for whatsoever the Lord doth he hath right to doe and whatsoever the Lord doth he is righteous in doing it Hence it followeth by way of corollary That The Lord is of absolute power He is the Soveraign Lord Lord over all there is no appeal from him no questioning of him Solomon speaketh of the power of a King in this language Eccles 8.4 Where the word of a King is there is power and who may say unto him What doest thou But is there nothing which a King doth about which it may be said unto him What dost thou And what is this word of a King The word of a King is the Law of his Kingdom all that a King doth or speaks besides the Law he speaks as a man not as a King and that 's the meaning of Solomons
7. And because ten righteous persons vvere not found in Sodome fire from heaven consumed it Gen. 18. God seeks for Saints many times to stand in the gap and save a Kingdome Ezek. 22.30 Jer. 5.1 and yet sometimes Kingdoms are not saved though many such stand in the gap Except the Lord turn away his anger these Porters of the world shall not support it these spirituall Atlasses shall faint and fall under him The Heathens had a fiction of a mighty Gigantine man vvhom they called Atlas him they fancied bearing up the frame of nature it is most true in a spirituall sense the Saints bear up the vvorld yet if the Lord turn not away his anger the vvorld must totter and fall too notwithstanding these helpers For the Saints doe not bear up the vvorld or save Kingdoms from vvrath by giving the least satisfaction to the justice of God that 's the sole Prerogative of Jesus Christ but onely by imploring the mercy of God Or they are therefore said to turn away the vvrath of God from a people because God vvill not pour out his vvrath upon that people vvhile his Saints are mingled vvith them The tares are let grow lest in pulling them up the vvheat should be pulled up also It is good for the vvorst to have the neighbourhood of those vvho are good Rab Sol. Ei succumbent conspiratores potentissiâ—â—i Illi scilicet qui cum arrogantia superbia alijs autcilium pollicentur Vâ—tabl Further More generally these proud helpers are supposed to be Kings and Common-wealths joyned in strongest confederacies and then the sense is If God come against a Nation though it joyn with other Nations though hand joyn in hand the hand of one King in the hand of another yet it shall not escape or go unpunished The proud helpers shall stoop under him There is yet another interpretation which restrains and limits the word Rahab particularly to Aegypt Superbi eoruâ— patroni Appellatur Aegyptâ—â— hoc nomine propter summam suam superbiam Vnlesse the Lord turn away his anger helpers out of Aegypt shall stoop under him or Aegypt helping shall stoop under him We finde frequently in the Scriptures of the old Testament that Aegypt is called Rahab And that name did well sute with Aegypt which was both a strong and a proud Kingdom Psal 87.4 We will remember Rahab and Babylon that is Aegypt and Babylon Aegypt and Babylon are matcht together for pride and for oppression persecuting the people of God And Isa 51.9 Art not thou it that hath cut Rahab and wounded the dragon That is Art not thou O Lord he that didst cut Aegypt in pieces when they opposed thy people and woundedst Pharaoh in the midst of the red sea In the 26th of this book of Job verse 12. some translate Rahab Aegypt Ex circumstantijs horum locorum non valde incongruum est hanc vocem sumi pro Aegypto prophaarone in mare demâ—rso Bold Rab. Sol. we render the Text thus He divideth the sea with his power and by his understanding he smiteth thorow the proud so we By his understanding he strikes thorow Rahab that is thorow Aegypt say others And so they make that Text and this an argument that the book of Job was penned after the deliverance of the people of Israel out of Aegypt and that in these passages Job had reference to the mighty work of God in destroying the Aegyptians at the red sea Taking the word thus the Text is Vnlesse the Lord turn away his anger Aegypt shall stoop under him as if he had said Doe you not remember a late instance of Gods power Aegypt thought to contend with God to hold his people in bondage whether he would or no when he had a minde to bring them forth but you know Aegypt stooped God brought down the pride and abated the strength of it And that other place Chap. 26.12 may be glossed thus He divided the sea by his power that is the red sea and by his understanding he struck thorow Rahab that is Loquitur propheticè Bold Adjuâ—ores Aegypti i. e. angeli ejuâ— gentis Vt in prophetiaâ— Danielis princeps Persidu Drus when the Aegyptians pursued his people he destroied them Which interpretation carries a very clear proof that Job alludes to the deliverance of Israel out of Aegypt and therefore lived after the time of that deliverance though others who grant the exposition deny the inference maintain that Job spake this prophetically not historically This we know that Aegypt was a place much sought to for help and therefore it is elegantly said If the Lord turn not away his anger Aegypt shall stoop that Nation which hath bin so often called out to help and relive other Nations that Nation which hath so often helped and relieved other Nations shall not be able to help Isa 31.1 They goe down to Aegypt for help as if Aegypt had been as a City of refuge or the place of common resort for help And Isa 30.7 The Aegyptians shall help in vain the Text is very appliable to this point we read it thus The Aegyptians shall helpe in vain and to no purpose therefore have I cried concerning this their strength is to sit still Their strength shall not deliver you they shall help in vain therefore I have warned you saith the Prophet to sit still to be quiet with your own strength and it is better to doe so than to go down thither for help But the word which we translate strength Superbia tantuÌ„ est quâ—esce fortasse vult dicere nihil aliud esse in ea quam superbiam is that in the Text Rahab and we may render the whole thus The Egyptians shall help in vain and to no purpose therefore I cried to them in this thing They are proud or only pride Therefore sit still As if he had said Will ye goe to Aegypt for help Ye go but to a proud people for help and ye had better have no helpers then proud helpers ye had better be quiet and sit still at home for they shall help you in vain So it is an elegant allusion to their nature and disposition The truth is proud helpers are very unsafe helpers for the Lord resisteth the proud and I wonder how they can help us to resist our enemies who are resisted by the Lord himself They will prove but ill friends to us who have the Lord for their enemy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They shall stoop under him Est valde dejici penitus humiliari hoc loco servilem potissimum conditionem designat The word is often used for worshipping it imports likewise any casting down or abasement because we in the worship of God ought to be exceedingly abased and humbled before him Psal 38.6 I am troubled I am bowed down greatly So Habak 3.6 The perpetuall hils did bow that is the power for it is conceived to be a continued Allegory of
he drank up that cup of his fathers wrath to the very bottom though he drank up all the gall and wormwood of sinne for the salvation of men yet when he had tasted thereof He would not drink Mat. 27.34 If it be grievous to taste but a little of a bitter cup then judge how grievous Iobs sufferings were who was filled with bitternes he had his belly full of trouble his belly full of Gall and Wormwood his stomack could hold no more bitternesse was both his meat and drink Note First Afflictions may come uncessantly Not so much as a breathing time between then while thou art assaulted prepare for fresh assaults Observe Secondly The Lord sometimes mixes a very bitter cup for his own people Yea they have not only a bitter cup but bitternesse is their cup and they have not only a taste of it but are filled with it The Psalmist shews us a bitter cup which is the proper portion of wicked men There is a cup in the hand of the Lord and it is full of mixture the wine is red and the dregs thereof all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out and drink them Psal 75.8 The Lord hath a cup of red wine that is a cup filled with wrath fury and indignation Wicked men how much soever their stomacks loath it and turn against it shall drink it up to the bottom or he will pour it down their throats whether they will or no. They shall be filled with bitternesse after all their sweet morsels and pleasant draughts The Saints are filled with bitternesse from God but not with the wrath of God many sorrows may be mingled in their cup but everlasting love is ever mingled in it Saints never drink pure wrath as wicked men never taste pure love To conclude we may observe here a Climax or gradation of four steps First Vers 14. Iob acknowledged that he was unable to answer the Lord. And secondly He professed that if he could he would not no he would humble himself vers 15. Thirdly If in mercy God should answer his petition yet he would not be confident at all in regard of himself that God had heard him or hearkned unto his voice Lastly He acknowledged that God might go on to afflict him still for some read this text in the future tense He will multiply my wounds and afflict me without cause He will fill me with bitternesse A godly man reckons up his afflictions as well as his comforts to the praise and honour of God And the more God afflicts him the more he abases himself though he doth not thinke the worse of himselfe because God doth afflict him JOB Chap. 9. Vers 19 20 21. If I speak of strength loe he is strong and if of judgement Who shall set me a time to plead If I justifie my self mine own mouth shall condemn me If I say I am perfect it shall also prove me perverse Though I were perfect yet would I not know my own soul I would despise my life JOB goeth on to lay himself yet lower before God and having in the three former verses proved that weak man is not able to contend with the Almighty he giveth an additionall proof in this 19th verse from the consideration of a two-fold adjunct in God First his strength And secondly his justice From both he concludeth according to the former argument given upon the whole matter in the 10th verse seeing God is so strong and just Surely if I justifie my self my own mouth shall condemn me and if I say I am perfect it shall also prove me perverse If I speak of strength loe he is strong There are two waies whereby a man makes his part good against another man First By the strength of his arm and dint of his sword Secondly By the equity of his cause and the goodnesse of his conscience Iob declareth his inability to deal with God in either If I speak of strength loe he is strong c. M. Broughton translates thus As for force he is valiant if I think to carry it by force with God He is a God of valour or as Moses in his Song Exod. 15.3 describeth him The Lord is a man of warre I cannot deal with him upon that point In originali indifferens est naÌ„ tantum habetur si ad potentiam ut suppleri possit venero aut respexero vel aliquid simile The originall speaks only thus much If of strength he strong we supply the word speak If men talk of strength or boast of strength or shew forth their strength we may supply it with any of those words Loe he is strong As it is usuall with us when we would set a man up in the perfections of any quality we say What doe ye speak of knowledge why There 's a learned man What doe ye speak of riches why there 's a rich man c. Such an emphasis is carried in this expression If I speak of strength why here 's one that is strong indeed There are five words in the Hebrew which signifie strength 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The first notes strength in generall The second Prevalens vincens invicto quodam obfirmato animo praeditus dici solet de eo qui viribus superior est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vis generaliâ—er 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 connotat proportionem ad efficentiam vel conteÌ„t onem virium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Est durabilitas in agenti actione 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strength to endure labour The third efficacy The fourth vigour the fifth which is that of the text superiority of strength or prevailing strength It is one thing to be strong and another thing to prevail The Lord is not only strong but strongest he hath a strength above all strength he is strong overcommingly strong prevailingly Christ in the Gospel speaks of a strong man he means the devil that kept the house but he was not strong prevailingly for there came a stronger then he that spoil'd him and took away all his armour from him wherein he trusted Luk. 11.22 but when the holy Ghost saith That the Lord is strong the meaning is that he is stronger then all and so generally the positive is expounded by the superlative If we speak of strength loe he is strong that is he is most strong Thus we finde the word used 2 Sam. 22.18 He delivered me from my strong enemy and from them that hated me for they were too strong for me Efficaciam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vigorem significat Coc. they were prevailingly strong for me and therefore unlesse I had found a supply of help unlesse some auxiliaries had come from heaven to take my part they had hâ—â—â— too hard for me I had been overmatâ—ht they were prevailingly strong or too strong for me We have the word in the same sense Gen. 25.23 in that resolution which the unerring oracle of heaven gave Rebekah enquiring about the children
made a Covenant with death and an agreement with hell were very full of faith such as it was Isa 28.15 When the over-flowing scourge shall passe thorow it shall not come unto us An over-flowing scourge 'T is an elegant metaphor taken from waters is a common spreading sweeping judgement which like an over-flowing river encompasses circles about and fetches in all Slay suddenly Every scourge doth not slay 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Subito statim ita ut non sentiatur donec res fiat and many which slay doe not slay suddenly We usually hear the clashing of the scourge before we feel the smart of it The Lord shews the scourge and threatens it before he smites with it he lets judgement hang like a black cloud over the heads of some long before it fals upon them But others He slaies suddenly Some take this suddennesse of the scourge in slaying for a mittigation of the judgement and others for the heightning of it In the former sense suddennesse doth not imply the sudden comming of it but the sudden killing of it a scourge which doth it's work quickly so that a man doth not hang long as it were upon the rack of an affliction The Church of the Jews Lam. 4.6 complains of their afflictions as if the judgement of Sodome and Gomorrah had been more easie and eligible then that which the Lord brought upon Jerusalem not that they thought God had dealt worse with them then with Sodome and Gomorrah but as to this particular because Sodom was overthrown in a moment but Jerusalem was pined away by degrees with famine A sudden scourge is a kinde of mercy Better die once then die alwaies Or as the Apostle speaks concerning the afflictions of the Saints Rom. 8.36 To be killed all the day long When one under torture petitioned Tiberius the Roman Emperour a bloudy cruell tyrant that he might be quickly dispatcht he desired not life or pardon but a speedy death the Emperour sent him word Nondum tecum in gratiaÌ„ redij That as yet he was not reconciled to him or become his friend His cruelty would neither suffer the man to live longer nor to die speedily And some observe that as the Prophet expresses his trouble at the prosperity of the wicked in their lives so at this kinde of prosperity in their deaths There are no bands in their death Non sunt nodi in morte eorum but they are lusty and strong Psal 73.4 that is when they die they die in their strength they are not pined away with long and tedious sicknesses They live in pleasure and die with ease They are not bound to their beds and tied down with the cords of chronicall lingring diseases It is some favour if the scourge must slay to be slain in this sense suddenly But here the scourge slaying suddenly is a judgement comming unexpectedly They who sleep in security seldom dream of scourges Observe hence God can send death and affliction in a moment When they shall say Peace and safety then sudden destruction commeth upon them as travel upon a woman with childe and they shall not escape 1 Thess 5.3 Wicked men are never so neer destruction as when they are most secure And that by the way is the reason why we have least cause to fear those men who fear God least Security springs from infidelity and both from sleighting if not contemning the Word of God no marvell then if the Lord hasten his wrath to justifie his truth and slay them on a sudden who would not believe no not at leisure But to the point The Prophet describes it elegantly Isa 30.13 This iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall that is this iniquity shall produce a judgement which shall be to you as a breach ready to fall Swelling out in an high wall whose breaking commeth suddenly at an instant If once a high built wall doe but swell down it comes Such a swelling wall fell upon and slew twenty and seven thousand of Benhadads scattered Army 1 King 20.30 And such a tower in Siloe fell upon eighteen and slew them Luk. 13.4 The Prophet Jeremy at once imprecates and fore-tels a speedy scourge upon the gain-saying Jews Let a cry be heard from their houses when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon them Jer. 18.22 This hath been the case of many among us who thinking of no danger have been surprized by a troop themselves made prisoners and their houses spoil'd in one hour Such was the condition of our Brethren in Ireland it is almost incredible how suddenly that scourge slew them there was scarce a Protestant that had so much as a suspition of the danger nay some would not believe it when a great part of the countrey was on a flame and the enemy had butchered thousands That scourge if ever any slew suddenly the perfect and the wicked As mercies may come so suddenly to our senses that they overcome our faith so may judgements Some have been surprized with mercy Psal 126.4 When the Lord turned our captivity as the streams in the South that is gave us sudden deliverance rivers in the South rise not from a constant spring but from accidentall raines which make violent land-floods on a sudden At the approach of this sudden mercy the Jews were like to them that dream So when the Lord sends sudden judgements rivers of calamity rivers of bloud as rivers in the South when he brings in captivity as rivers in the South then are we in a dream too and are not only destroied but distracted and amazed But how fast soever judgements come tâ—â—y come not suddenly upon them who are awake much lesse on them who are watching for them when they come If the scourge slay suddenly what then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vel à radice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dissolvit Vel à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tentavit He will laugh at the triall of the innocent M. Broughton reads it thus He scorneth at the melting away of the innocent The reason of the different reading is because the Hebrew word may spring either from a root signifying to tempt and try or from another To melt and dissolve He scorneth at the melting away of the innocent Afflictions are meltings They dissolve our comforts yea our very hearts in the same sense that godly sorrow breaks our hearts Pity should be shewen to him that is melted Cha. 6. but ye forsake the fear of the Almighty so M. Broughton translates there The Lord tempted Abraham Gen. 22.1 that is the Lord tried his faith to finde out of what strength it was and how much he could trust him in that great businesse of sacrificing his son He will laugh at the triall of the innocent At their melting or trying by afflictions The difficulty is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ridere est irredere subsannare ut fit ab hostibus cum eos quos captivos detinent diuturnis
earthly-poor nor hell all the earthly-rich God doth not give wicked men all the earth but all the earth which they have is of his giving Most of the earth is given to be their possession and all the possession which is given them is of earth therefore it is said He giveth the earth into the hand of the wicked And seeing God giveth the earth into the hand of the wicked we may observe also That wicked men have a just title to the earthly things which they enjoy They are not meer usurpers neither shall they be dealt with as meer usurpers They have no spirituall title no title by Christ they claim not by promise which the Saints doe They have forfeited their title by sinne all is lapsed and escheated into the hand of the great land-Lord Their goods are forfeited and so are their lives into the hand of God and he gives both back for a while into their hands He gives them their lives back and reprieveth them for which time of their reprieve he giveth them the earth to live upon or to maintain their lives and so farre as they use earthly things for the continuance of life they shall not be accounted or reckoned with as usurpers They shall not be charged for using the creaturâ— but for abusing it for making the earth serve their lusts not 〈◊〉 making it a support of their lives And seeing as the Lord hath given them back their forfeited lives so also their forfeited lands by a deed of gift sealed with generall providence this is enough to secure them in those worldly possessions which they have neither got nor hold by injustice from the brand of usurpation Dominium non fundatur in gratia and from the violence of dispossession As what God hath joyned no man may put asunder So what God hath given no man must take away Neither riches nor rule are founded in grace He hath given the earth into the hand of the wicked He covereth the faces of the Judges thereof He covereth There is some Question whom we are to understand as the antecedent to this relative He who is he that co-covereth Tegit ne videant quod aequuÌ„ justum est â—rus Some make the antecedent a wicked man Others say 't is God The earth is given into the hand of the wicked and he that is the wicked one covereth the faces of the Judges thereof Or He that is God covereth the faces of the Judges thereof I shall a little open this expression it needeth some uncovering for it is dark in both relations First Look upon that interpretation which refers it to wicked men He covereth namely That wicked man who is preferred and exalted covereth the faces of the Judges that is he stops the course of justice And there are four waies by which wicked men cover the faces of the Judges Munera caecos reddunt judices First By gifts and rewards Bribes vail yea put out the eyes of a Judge that he cannot see to give every one his due Hence that charge Exod. 23.8 thou shalt take no gift for the gift blindeth the wise and perverteth the words of the righteous Secondly The faces of the Judges are covered by threatnings Fear of losse blindes as well as hope of gain Some send terrible messages to the judge Will not you doe as we would have you Will not you give your sentence and opinion thus at your peril be it Now the Judges face is covered his eyes are put out by a threat the mist and cloud of a Princes displeasure of a great mans indignation is before his eyes His face is covered Thirdly The Judges faces are covered by actuall putting them to shame by casting them out of favour and clouding them with disgrace by taking away their commissions or sending them a Quietus est laying them by as unfit for service any of these is a covering of the Judges face There is a fourth way of covering the Judges face to which the second and third are often made a preparatory And that is by putting the judge to death So much that expression implies in the 40th of this book of Job vers 13. where the Lord with infinite wisdome and holinesse insulting over Job to humble him bids him arise and doe some great thing somewhat which might speak him a man of might Deck thy self now with majesty and excellency and aray thy self with glory and beauty cast abroad the rage of thy wrath and behold every one that is proud and abase him look on every one that is proud and bring him low and tread down the wicked in their place Hide them in the dust together and binde their faces in secret that is cover their faces as men prepared for death as men ready to goe out to execution We may expound it by that Esth 7.8 where as soon as ever the word went out of the Kings mouth They covered Hamans face And by that Mark 14.65 where when Christ was judged worthy of death the text saith They spit on him and covered his face The covering of the face was a mark of a condemned man held as unworthy to behold and enjoy the light of the Sunne or the light of the Princes countenance Thus to cover the faces of the Judges is to condemn the Judges and to take them out of the world by sufferings rather then suffer them to doe right I finde that of Elihu Job 34.29 interpreted to this sense When he giveth quietnesse who can make trouble That is when the Lord doth absolve and acquit a man giving him a discharge then he is free no man can sue him or trouble him much lesse condemn him but if he hide his face who then can behold him So we translate it meaning thus If the Lord hide his own face But this exposition saith If the Lord hide the face of that man that is If the Lord condemn that man or passe sentence of death upon him of which covering or hiding the face was a symboll then Quâ— rei faciem poterit amplius videre quasi absolutus sit Bold I lictor colliga manus caput obnubito in foe lici arbori suspendito Cic. in orat pro Rabir. who can behold him That is who then can see his face or have society with him whom God hath separated to death It was a custom also among the Romans when sentence was pronounced upon a malefactour thus to command the executioner Take him away binde his hands cover his face hang him up And usually with us malefactours who are ready to suffer the pains of death put a covering upon their faces This also may be a good sense of the words He covereth the faces of the Judges that is a wicked Prince oppresseth and putteth the Judges to death And whereas good Princes say Let justice be donâ— though the world perish he saith Let the Judges perish rather then justice should be done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iudices
am very confident that how pure and righteous so ever I am or by further washing and cleansing believing and repenting shall appear to be yet the Lord hath an intent to try me further even to the uttermost and will cast me into the ditch mire and dirt of further afflictions so that they who make up their judgements by your rule though they were as neer to me as the clothes upon my back must yet abhor and loath me as ye my friends now doe as a wicked person He seems to speak as the Apostle doth 1 Cor. 4.9 I thinke that God hath set forth us the Apostles last as it were men appointed unto death for we are made a spectacle to the world and to Angels and to men This is the summe and generall sense of these five verses The words are full of difficulty and there is much variety of judgements about them but I hope in the close to make out a sense upon every particular which shall be matching and sutable with this which hath been given in generall If I say I will forget my complaint If I say In this Iob answereth directly to the charge of Bildad at the 8th Chapter ver 2. How long wilt thou speak these things and shall thy words be like an East-winde To which Iob answers Bildad If I should cease speaking as thou seemest to chide me into silence If I should say I will not complain any more I will give over these mournfull discourses and bite in my strongest pains What then will the event prove what thou hast promised surely no I am afraid of all my sorrows and almost assured that they will return upon me If I say I will forget my complaint I will forget The word which we render forget may signifie a three-fold forgetfulnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Est oblivisoi ut 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 First Forgetfulnesse coming from the neglect of our naturall abilities when we are carelesse and take no heed to remember Recordari cum cura diligentia Secondly Forgetfulnesse arising from the weaknesse of our naturall abilities when though we are carefull yet we cannot remember But Iob means neither of these he intends a third kinde of forgetfulnesse even a studied and an affected forgetfulnesse when how able soever we are yet we will not or would not remember If I say I will forget my complaint that is If I purposely set my self or labour to forget my sorrows yet I cannot get off their remembrance As the Hebrew Zachar signifies not only the naturall act of memory but diligence in remembring So doth the Hebrew Sachah to forget It is sometimes as hard a work to forget as it is at any time to remember How do the damned in hell strive to forget their pains and complaints they would count it a happinesse if they could put their misery out of minde and memory one hour but they cannot And they can no more forget what they have felt then not be sensible of what they feel If I say I will forget 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 My complaint Sapit hoc verbum meditabuÌ„dum quendam sermonem anxium intellectiâ— vocisque discursum The word notes meditation and here a mournfull meditation a breathing forth in mournfull expressions The same word is used Chap. 7. vers 13. When I say My bed shall comfort me and my couch shall case my complaint or my mournfull meditation then thou scarest me with dreams Miseriae memoriam omnem depoâ—am Drus So then Jobs meaning is If I should set my self with greatest intention to forget that is to lay aside the thought of my troubles and sorrows and say I will leave off my heavinesse and complain no more I will not pore upon my afflictions but resolve to be above them yet it will not be I finde no case forgetfulnesse is a medicine for some diseases and pains but I finde no cure no remedy that way for mine Whence observe There are some things which man can very hardly forget or get out of his minde We may study their forgetfulnesse and yet not be able to forget them And they are of two sorts First Worldly pleasures Secondly Worldly sorrows These will not fail to minde us We need the art or rather the grace of forgetfulnesse to lay these aside And there are two things which we are slow to remember First Our own duties And secondly The mercies of God About these we need the art or rather the grace of memory And usually they who have most neglected to remember duty are most afflicted with the constrained remembrance of their own sorrow And they shall not be able at all to forget the wrath of God who would not remember the mercies of God If I say I will forget my complaint I will leave off my heavinesse and comfort my self 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Leave off my heavinesse The Hebrew word for word is I will lay aside my face for that which strictly and in the letter of that language Notat faciem iram etiam â—â—istitiâ—m signifies the face or countenance of a man doth also signifie First Anger and wrath Secondly Sorrow and heavinesse 'T is put for anger Psal 34.16 The face or anger of the Lord is against such as doe evil So Lam. 4.16 Levit. 17.10 I will set my face that is I will shew my anger and manifest my displeasure against them And the reason why that word which signifies the countenance or face signifies also anger and wrath sorrow and heavinesse is because both anger and sorrow break forth in the face If a man be very angry you shall see his anger scribled in the uneven character of his countenance If a man be very heavy and sorrowfull you shall see the lines of sorrow drawn in his face Therefore it is said of Hannah 1 Sam. 1.18 when she received a refreshing and reviving answer from the Lord in praier the poor soul sate drooping and mourning as much as praying but as soon as she had a hint of audience and acceptance it is said She went away and did eat and her countenance was no more sad the sadnesse of her heart appeared no more in her countenance there was fair weather in her face and Sunne-shine in her fore-head the rain and showres of her tears were blown over and dried up As in some sinners The shew of their countenance doth testifie against them Isa 3.9 that is they are so grossely wicked that you may see sinne in their faces whereas others can keep sinne close enough in their hearts they can keep the disease in and shut themselves up when they are sick of the plague of their hearts 1 King 8. nothing but holinesse is discernable in the face of their conversation when nothing but rottennesse and corruption lies at the bottome of their spirits But as the corruption of many a mans heart breaks forth in botches upon the face of his actions and the
living God upon contempt of mercy obtained by the Mediatour So the Apostle argues Heb. 10.26 If men sinne wilfully after they have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinne but a certain fearfull looking for of judgement and fiery indignation c. Thence concluding vers 31. It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God They who sleight the bloud of Christ and neglect the great salvation tendered to sinners bâ—â—im can have no more sacrifice for sinne Wicked men crucifie to â—hemselves the Sonne of God afresh and put him to open shame Heb. 6.6 But God will not crucifie his Sonne or put him to open shame again for them God will not make another Gospel for them as he must if they be saved who contemn this No there remains no more sacrifice for sinne these men who once with all man-kinde fell into the hands of God by transgressing his Law are now under another notion fallen into his hands even by the contempt of his Gospel and now God saith I will deal with them alone for they have refused the Daies-man whom I sent and who was ready to lay his hand upon us both It had been unconceivably sad with us all if as in the case of Jobs temporall lost estate there was no Daies-man between God and him on earth so in the case of our spirituall lost estate there had been no Daies-man between God and man in heaven But it will be unconceivably more sad with those who having bad the tender of such a Daies-man shall be found contemners of him Greatest love neglected breaks forth and ends in greatest wrath JOB Chap. 9. Vers 34 35. Let him take his rod away from me and let not his fear terrifie me Then would I speak and not fear him but it is not so with me WE have shewed in the two former verses Job renouncing and protesting against all thought of contending at all with God He is not a man as I am that I should answer him Exploratum est me non posse Deum coram superiore aliquo judice sistere quo â—irca superest ut ipse s t supremus juâ—ex apud quem ego pro me dicere paratus um si coÌ„trabat flagellum calam tatis quo me cedit extenuet formidinem majestatis qua concutior â—â—ned c. In these two he desireth God not to contend with him as if he had said Lord I will not plead or dispute with thee and I know such is thy soveraignty thou maiest doe whâ—t thou pleasest with me Yet oh that thou wouldest be pleased to abate of the severity of thy proceeding and to remit the fiercenesse of that wrath wherein thou appearest against me that I might have liberty to spread my câ—ndition in thy presence I have no friend to take up the matter for me but I would open my case in a few words my self if I might obtain a cessation but for the time of treaty if thou wouldst forbear fighting while I am speaâ—ing Let him take h s rod away from mâ— and let not his fear terrifie me Then would I speak c. Let him take his rod away from me The rod hath divers acceptions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Virga baculus quâ— nascitur ex arhore ant radice arboris The word Sh bet in the Hebrew is taken sometimes strictly for a branch bough or sprig growing forth from the stock of a tree and because a rod or a staff is made of the branch of a tree therefore the same word signifies both Secondly It signifies a Scepter the Scepter of a King which emblems the power of a King Ahasucrus held forth his golden Scepter to Queen Esther in token of acceptance Esth 5.2 And because in ancient times as the learned observe they were wont to make Scepters of such rods Sceptrum quod priscireges majestatis se veritatis gratia manu tenebant baculus erat and all Scepters have the form or shape of a rod therefore the originall expresses the rod and the Scepter by the same word Gen. 49.10 The Scepter Shebet the rod shall not depart from Judah nor a Law-giver from between his feet Thy Scepter O God is a Scepter of righteousnesse Psal 45.6 that is thou usest thy Scepter righteously The Scepter notes two things 1. Authority to judge or command 2. Power to correct or punish both are included in that prophecy of the Kingdom of Christ Psal 110.2 The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Sion that is he shall invest thee with power to govern as the next words expound it Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies Commanders in warre direct with a rod or leading staffe and Magistrates punish with a rod in times of peace Sceptrum significat regium Dominium cujus signum erat sceptrum Tribus quâ—e ex uno paâ—re tanquam baculâ—s ex una arbore nata est Percussio punitio plaga quae fit baculo Hence thirdly By a Metonymy the Scepter imports dominion rule and government it self Amos 1.8 I will cut off him that holdeth the Scepter that is who hath the government in his hand Fourthly The word is often used in Scripture to signifie a Tribe or a family of persons because a tribe is as a branch sprung from one stock so the twelve Tribes of Israel like twelve branches sprung from that great and ancient stock the Patriarch Iacob Lastly The word signifies punishment or correction correction is often given with a rod therefore to be under the rod is to be under punishment Thus the Lord threatens to visit the transgression of the house of David with a rod and their iniquity with stripes Psal 89.32 The rod and reproof give wisdom Prov. 29.15 The rod hath a voice Hear the rod saith the Prophet Mic. 6.9 but t is best when a voice is joyned with the rod and instruction mixed with correction Quinque apud Hebraeos sunt nomina pro baculo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bold Bold in loc There are in the Hebrew to note that by the way five words which signifie a rod or a staff Some resolve that seeming contradiction which is in the two Evangelists Matthew and Mark by the different signification of these words When Christ Matth. 10.10 as also Luk. 9.3 sent forth his Apostles to preach the Gospel among other instructions and directions given them for their journey this is one Take no staves But Mar. 6.8 Christ commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey save a staff only One Evangelist saith they must not take staves and in the other they are bidden to take staves Now say these in Matthew and Luke where he forbids his Disciples to take staves he expresseth himself by the word in the text Shebet which signifies a correcting or smiting staff 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Take no staves to smite and strike with Baculus vel virga
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
fear with reference to the two former verses especially to the verse immediately fore-going There Job desires a Daies-man or complains that there is none here he tels us what he might have expected if he had one As if he had said Had I a Daies-man then I know he would take away the rod from me that is he would give judgement that I should be eased of this affliction and his fear should not terrifie me that is he would never give a sentence which should be a terrour to me That 's a fair sense in reference to what he spake before but I rather keep his meaning within the compasse of what he is speaking here And then by fear we may understand Paveris nomine intelligendum putareÌ„ fulgoreÌ„ splendorem vel majestatem niniam qua priscis illis temporibus nonnunquam Deus vel Angelus pro Deo serviâ— suis apparabat Bol. First Those raies and beams of Majesty which the Lord letting out a little upon Job he was not able to bear them We finde when in those ancient times God appeared the beholders were terrified Manoahs wife tels her husband A man of God came unto me and his countenance was like the countenance of an Angel of God very terrible Judg. 13.6 And when God appeared to Abraham An horrour of great darknesse fell upon him Gen. 15.12 in what a wofull plight was Daniel receiving the visions of God Dan. 10.8 God who is the joy of his people is also a terrour to them Things which are not what they seem to be are not so terrible near hand as at a distance God who is infinitely more then he can seem to be is more terrible near hand then at a distance Hence it is that when God who is alwaies near us shews himself to be so our spirits fail within us In that presence of God which we shall have in glory there will be fulnesse of joy And in that presence of God which we have in the waies of grace there is abundance of joy But if while we are here in a state of grace some little of that presence of God which is proper to the state of glory fals upon us we are more distressed then comforted with it How much more then when God clothes himself with terrour and as he did to Job so reveals himself unto us Secondly We may interpret this fear by the former part of the verse the rod his afflictions were terrible the hand of God lifted up to smite him made him afraid But whether it were this or that the majesty of God overawing him or the rod of God chastening him the sense is plain Job was opprest with fear from the Lord yea with terrour from the Almighty causing this vehement deprecation Let not his fear terrifie me Hence observe First That God sometimes appears terribly to those he loves entirely Job was one of Gods darlings and God was imbracing him while he was scourging him Job had kisses from heaven when he felt nothing but lashes here upon the earth The heart of God was full of love while his hand was filled with a rod his bowels yearn'd upon Job and his face terrified him at the same time That precious man Heman was followed with terrours and visions of amazement all his daies I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up while I suffer thy terrours I am distracted Psal 88.15 The terrours of God even terrours to distraction may be the present portion of those whose portion is everlasting mercy Observe Secondly Man is not able to bear the anger of G d. Though he be but correcting us yet we cannot bear his anger toward us This caused the Prophet to cry out Jer. 10.24 Correct me O Lord but not in thine anger The words are not a praier for correction I know no warrant for that but a submission to it As if he had said Lord I am willing to bear thy correction but I cannot and who can bear thine anger The Church complains Psal 90.7 We are consumed by thine anger and by thy wrath we are troubled The fatherly anger of God is as a consuming fire and we are but as stubble before it What then is the fiercenesse of that anger which he will pour out upon wicked men for ever Who knoweth the power of thine anger Psal 90.11 Man cannot understand how powerfull the anger of God is much lesse stand before the power of his anger As man cannot comprehend the love of God Ephes 3.18 19. The Apostle exhorts To know the love of God which passeth knowledge that is to know so much of it as is knowable the love of God is past the knowledge not only of nature but of grace because it is infinite So we should labour To know the anger of God which passeth knowledge that is to know it so farre as it is knowable The anger of God cannot be fully known because it hath an infinitenesse in it as well as his love And as the one shall never be fully known but by enjoying it so neither can the other but by feeling it Upon this consideration the Lord makes that gracious promise to his people Isa 57.16 I will not contend for ever neither will I be alwaies wroth for the spirit should fail before me and the souls which I have made But is not the spirit or soul of man of an everlasting make And shall not the damned endure the contendings of Gods wrath for ever and not fail The substance of the soul cannot fail and the spirit is incorruptible The spirit is full of morall corruption but it is not subject to naturall corruption or the corruption of its nature How glad would the damned be if their spirits might fail and their souls return to nothing The failing of the spirit under the wrath of God is the failing of its hope and courage Thus the spirit sinks and the immortall soul dies away under the sense and weight of Gods displeasure But what if the Lord should take away his rod and change his â—errours into smiles What will Iob do then when this is granted see what he will do Verse 35. Then would I speak and not fear him but it is not so with me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. But is this the use which Iob would make of the mercy he begs Doth he entreat the Lord to take his terrifying fear away from him and then resolve not to fear him at all Whose voice is this Is this the voice of Job I will speak and not fear him Jobs character in the first Chapter was A man fearing God and dares he now say I will speak and not fear him As the fear of God ought to be the seasoning of all our works and actions so it ought to be the seasoning of all our words and speeches why then doth he say I will speak and not fear him To clear this I answer Fear may be taken two waies Either for the grace of fear or
the Lord my God will enlighten my darknesse for by thee I have run thorow a troop and by my God have I leaped over a wall Psal 18.28 29. that is I have done great things and I have overcome the greatest difficulties through thine assistance Will God shine thus upon the counsel of the wicked Or will he help the evil-doer Iob denieth it and therefore praieth Shew me why thou contendest with me I know thou bearest no good will to those who are wilfull in doing evil nor takest thou pleasure in those who take pleasure in iniquity But doth not the Lord give good successe to those who are evil Doth the way of the wicked never prosper Prospereth it not so far sometimes that godly men stumble in their way and are offended I answer God maketh his Sunne to shine upon the evil and the good but himselfe never shineth upon the evil Wicked men receive benefits from God but they receive no blessings from God There is a two-fold light First The light of Gods providence Secondly The light of Gods countenance The light of Gods countenance never shines upon the counsel of the wicked they have only the light of his providence He never shines upon them to favour them though he often shines upon them to prosper them A man may have much good shewed him and yet no good will shewed him The clouds and darknesse which at any time cover the counsels of the righteous are clearer then all the light which shines upon the counsels of the wicked God varies his dispensations often but he never varies his affections whatsoever he doth against the righteous he never hates or dislikes them and whatsoever he doth for the wicked he never loves or likes them But who are the wicked intended in this text upon whose counsels God will not shine There are four apprehensions about it who are wicked all agree but who these wicked are is not agreed Some refer the word to his friends I know thou wilt not favour their sinfull censures and rash judgements concerning me Surely they shall receive little thanks and lesse reward for these discourtesies thou wilt not go forth with them or give witnesse to what they have done thou wilt not confirm or attest what they have spoken Job I grant found little comfort from his friends but I doe not finde that they gave him evil counsel much lesse that they took wicked counsel against him The Lord reproved them for the errour of their speech but he did not reprove them for the wickednesse of their persons Indeed Iob charges them deeply Chap. 13.7 Will you speak wickedly for God Yet I do not believe that he judged them wicked A thing in it self wicked may be spoken and yet the speaker not be wicked Therefore I would not think Job aims at his friends or fastens so deep a charge on them though they had charged him so deep Secondly Others conceave Job means the devil and his angels Wilt thou shine upon Satans counsel As when Ahasuerus being enformed of that conspiracy against the Jews enquired who is he and where is he that durst presume in his heart to doe so Queen Esther said the adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman Chap. 7.5 6. So might Job have answered the Lord. My adversary and enemy is this wicked Satan He laid the plot and hath stirred up all these evils against me I know Lord thou wilt not take Satans part thou wilt not help him who would be the destroyer and murderer who is the great malignant and projectour against thy servant Thirdly Others take the wicked here for the Sabeans and Caldeans who were the instruments of Satan in spoiling and robbing Job of his goods and substance That they were wicked we need not question yet Fourthly Take it rather in generall for all or any wicked men upon whose waies God seems to shine when he gives successe to their works of darknesse Hence observe First Wicked men are sometimes prospered in their counsels and walk in pleasant though evil waies God gives delight to those in whom he hath no delight And they have many good things from him who never had one good thought from him Thousands are prospered and hated at the same time When Dionysius in the story had rob'd an Idol-Temple and at his return by sea had a fair gale and pleasant weather to waft him home with the spoils See said he how the heavens smile upon us and how the gods are pleased with what we have done The like conclusions many draw from the premises of outward prosperity surely the true God is pleased with us but there is a cloud upon this Sunshine and darknesse in all this light Observe Secondly The Lord hates the counsel of wicked men He is so farre from shining upon that he indeed darkens their counsels He casts darknesse upon them even the darknesse of his heaviest displeasure when themselves think and the world saith all is light about them Zech. 1.15 Thus saith the Lord I am very sore displeased with the Heathen that are at ease They had their pleasure but God took no pleasure in them I am very sore displeased with these Heathens that are at ease that is I approve not their courses yea my wrath is kindled against their persons The light which shines upon wicked men turns all at last into heat and they have alwaies the heat of Gods anger mixed with their light a heat not to warm but to consume and burn them up As when the Lord sends the clouds and darknesse of outward affliction upon his own people he sends likewise the beams of his everlasting love into their hearts So he clouds and darkens wicked men while his candle shineth upon their heads JOB Chap. 10. Vers 4 5 6 7. Hast thou eyes of flesh or seest thou as man seeth Are thy daies as the daies of men Are thy years as mans daies That thou enquirest after mine iniquity and searchest after my sinne Thou knowest that I am not wicked and there is none that can deliver out of thy hand JOB proceedeth upon the same argument and as in the third verse he had removed three things inconsistent with and dishonourable to the justice of God So in the two verses following he removeth two more And as he thus acquits the Lord from injustice or unrighteous dealing with him so he appeals to the Lord who was able he knew to do it upon certain knowledge to acquit him from all the unjust charges with which his friends had burdened him Thou knowest that I am not wicked c. Hast thou eyes of flesh or seest thou as man seeth The Question is to be resolved into this negation Lord Thou hast not eyes of flesh Lord Thou seest not as man seeth as if Job had thus spoken Lord I have been long afflicted with grievous pains I am as a man hanging upon a rack to draw out and force a confession from him Lord why is it thus
his Son having satisfied his justice for the persons offending he turns away his eye from seeing their sins God proclaims himself at once The God pardoning iniquity transgression and sin and that will by no means acquit the guilty Exod. 34.7 There is nothing but the Name of his Son and of his Son suffering which turns his eye from sin He will espy and punish or espy to punish all our faults through all other titles and interests whatsoever Again Mans judgment is clouded by wrath and malice He cannot see the innocency of those he hates or do them justice to whom he bears no affection The want of love hinders an eye of flesh as much as the inordinacy or excesse of it But though the Lord be angry and displeased with man yet he wrongs no man The wrath of man cannot work the righteousnesse of God but the wrath of God works righteousnesse to man He never gives more then right to those he loves most nor lesse then right to those he hates most That which we call passion in God is acted with highest reason his anger never errs 2. Man is much swaied in judgment by the power pomp and splendour of men We are apt to think they have most worth in them who are worth most And that they are good with whom all 's well Even the Saints are toucht with this infirmity The Apostle James chap. 2.2 3. bespeaks them thus If there come into your Assembly a man with a gold ring in goodly apparel and there come in a poor man in vile raiment and ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing and say unto him Come and sit here by me in a good place and say to the poor Stand thou there or sit here under my foot-stool Are ye not partiall in your selves and Judges of evil thoughts that is Are ye not condemned in your selves and convinced in your own consciences that you do evil and so that your thoughts have been evil which moved you to do so Can you chuse but judge this an evil thought to think him the best man that weareth the best clothes and him a vile person that is in vile apparel Thus men yea good men may mis-judge of men But the Lord seeth not as man seeth It is not good clothes but a good heart it is not a gold ring but a golden conversation which he accepts wickednesse is abominable in his eye though it sit upon a throne and holinesse shines in his eye though it lie upon a dung-hill Holinesse is not lesse lovely to him because cloathed with rags nor unholinesse lesse loathsome to him because it goes in a gay coat 'T is well conceived Forte Iob respâ—cit ad carneos judicum oculos qui ex specie carnis splendore judicant sordidos vero squalâ—dos contemnuâ—t At Deus sordida humilia non despicit Sanct. that Job had reference to his own condition when he spake thus he lay in a wofull plight all over sores and boils and filthinesse yet saith he Lord I know thou seest not as man seeth Thou dost not therefore think me the worse because I am thus ill I am even a loathing not only to others but to my self yet I know thou dost not loath me Thou hast not a bad opinion of me because my condition is thus bad 3. Man judgeth the cause by the effect the tree by the fruit the man by his actions that 's the way of mans judgement and so man ought to judge We ought to think well of them who do well and when the hand is clean charity bids us say the heart is clean too But the Lord seeth not as man seeth he in judging men transcends the rule he gives men to judge by He judgeth the fruit by the tree the effect by the cause and the action by the man he had respect to Abel and then to his offering If the worker please him not neither doth his work as he makes so he sees the tree good and then then the fruit good Till the man mends his manners never mend in Gods esteem When a good tree brings forth evil fruit or an evil tree good fruit 't is accidentall to them both not naturall God judgeth us by what we alwaies are not by what we sometimes act either in good or evil In this also Job comforts himself that whatsoever fruit he might seem to bring forth yet the Lord judg'd him not as his friends did by some unsavoury speeches that came from him but by the savourinesse of that spirit which was in him He knew God judged him by the setled temper of his inward man and the soundnesse of his minde not by the casuall distemper of his outward man or the sound of his tongue Job was a good tree and the root of the matter was in him And Job was assured God would not condemn him for his fruit if some of it were bitter and unpleasant while he saw his root was good 4. Man must take time to hear and discusse every case to finde and beat out the truth of every controversie but God judgeth all at an instant the matter is no sooner before him but he knoweth it fully indeed the matter was ever before him and ever fully known he knew it from eternity Things are known to him before they are by whom all things are The Lord needeth not to put questions or to be informed by confessions God is able to prevent our questions with resolutions and to give us answers before we give him our doubts Joh. 16.30 Now are we sure that thou knowest all things and needest not that any man should ask thee that is acquainted with our doubts before we propose them can answer them as soon as we propose them Seeing it is thus saith Job why am I held so long upon the rack to draw out the matter from me I know thou dost not judge as man judgeth by enquiring into or comparing circumstances and actions answers and questions Thou art able to make out a judgement of me and of my condition from thy own knowledge without the contribution of my answers to thy questions or of other mens testimonies concerning my actions Thou seest not as man seeth Lastly To have eyes of flesh and to see as man is to see with scorn 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Est aliquando despicere cernere cum contemptu or with disdain The originall word which we translate to see put alone signifies sometimes to despise The Prince of Tyrus is threatned thus Ezek. 28.17 I will lay thee before kings that they may behold that is despise and deride thee And the Spouse in the Canticles Chap. 1.6 deprecates look not upon me because I am black because the Sunne hath looked upon me that is God hath looked upon me with a scorching eye of displeasure and made me black with troubles do not ye look upon me with a scornfull eye of disdain because of my blacknes
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
to creeple justice to make it lame and halt This word is translated to overthrow Job 19.6 Know now that God hath overthrown me and hath compast me in with his net Iob speaks in a great passion as if God had come upon him violently in judgement and cast him We say a man is overthrown or cast in his sute God overthrows men and Nations but he never overthrows justice A man who overthrowes his adversary may settle justice Iob looked upon himself as one against whom God had entred his action and overthrown him in the sute Lamenting Ieremy cries out Lam. 3.59 O Lord thou hast seen my wrong it is this word Thou hast seen how I am vexed and wrested by the hard dealings of men judge thou my cause Thou wilt judge me aright and set me straight again Judgement is perverted two waies 1. By subtilty 2. By power First Some pervert judgement by subtilty They are wise to do evil The Lord hath infinite wisdome and so is able to go beyond and over-reach all creatures he is wise enough to be-fool all the world but he is not wise to doe evil His wisedome is not a trap or a snare to others but an unerring guide and light to himself 2. Some pervert judgement by violence and force if they cannot untie the knot by craft they will cut it asunder by power and if they have not law for it they have will for it and an arm for it and it shall be done The Lord can doe what he will but he hath no will to doe what is evil He can put forth as much strength as he desires but he hath no desire to pervert justice or to act his power to over-aw and master it Further To pervert judgement and justice hath these two things in it 1. To darken and obscure the rule of judgement 2. To torture or mis-interpret the rule of judgement 1. Judgement is perverted by darkning and obscuring the law or rule of justice God doth not doe so He never casts a mist before his Word or a vail over it that he may act against it 2. Neither doth he mis-interpret his law A good law ill expounded is made the warrant of an evil judgement A glosse corrupting the text of the Law corrupts justice Where tongue and conscience are set to sale the wit must finde out somewhat to help the market The words opened invite these Observations First That God is most exact in judgement God is a just God It is a high truth and we should adore it that whatsoever God doth he is just in doing it When reason cannot reach or make it out yet faith must and we must honour God in what we cannot understand The Lord is righteous in all his waies though his waies are past finding out For 1. He hears every cause before he judges He doth not judge one side before he knows the other or judge any man before he hath heard him fully out We see both Gen. 11. and Gen. 18. in those two great acts of justice when God confounded the builders of Babel and when he destroyed Sodome I will goe down and see whether it be altogether according to the report that is come up unto me God needs no intelligence to be brought him unto heaven neither doth he that fils all places goe to any place to enform himself but he speaks thus to note how exact he is in point of justice To shew that he deals with the children of men as a man who hearing a report of such a thing done saith I will not judge of it by what I hear but I will goe see whether it be so or no. Without evidence of the fact the sentence cannot be just though it may be right 2. He examineth and takes confession which is another point of justice So he proceeded with our first parents Gen. 3. proposing interrogatories unto them and then the judgement is pronounced according unto what was confest he judgeth them out of their own mouths ver 17. Because thou hast done this and hearkened unto the voice of thy wife therefore c. 3. God proceeds by the evidence of the Law as well as by the evidence of the fact and this also sets forth the exactnesse of his judgement These two things make judgement perfect you must not only have the evidence of the fact that such a thing is done but you must have the evidence of the Law condemning such a deed Though God himself be an everlasting Law and he may judge all from his own breast yet he hath given out a Law which gives the knowledge of sinne It is said Rom. 2. They that have sinned without the Law shall perish without the Law as if some should be judged without Law but he means without a Law formally published not materially enacted For he speaks of the Gentiles who were not within the hearing of Mount Sinai and had not seen that formality of a Law written in tables of stone yet they had a Law written in their hearts They that have not heard the Law published or seen it written in a book shall be judged by the Law written in their hearts their conscience bearing them witnesse and their thoughts accusing or else excusing one another 4. God is impartiall in giving judgement He doth not strike one and spare another who is under the same condemnation nothing can sway or bias him nothing can preponderate the balance of justice in his hand you cannot put in any consideration to sway his beam beside the right There are three things which usually cause men to pervert justice The Lord is free from them all 1. Fear of greatnesse Some would doe justice but they dare not the businesse concerns a great man and to doe justice upon such is To take a Bear by the tooth as we say or to play with the paw of a Lion Now the Lord is not turned away for fear nor deferrs he justice for any mans big looks The day of the Lord saith the Prophet Isa 2. shall be against the high Oaks He is El-Shaddai the All-mighty the all-powerfull God and therefore cares not for the might or power of man 2. Hope of reward that 's another thing which causeth many to pervert judgement With some their hope is stronger then their fear They care not for the greatnesse of men but they hope for gain A bribe taken or promised clogs and obstructs the course of justice Hos 4.14 Her Rulers with shame doe love Give ye the Hebrew is Her shields Magistrates should be as shields to the people to protect them but what did they They love Give ye that word pleased them They were more pleased with receiving rewards then with doing right The Lord is above all gifts he is Shaddai he hath all in himself and needs not that any should give unto him and he tels them expressely Ezek. 7.19 That their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of
his wrath offer thousands of silver and gold he will not stay judgement a minute for it Prov. 11.4 Riches profit not in the day of wrath In the day of mans wrath they sometimes will but never in the day of Gods Thirdly Affection and neernesse of relation pervert judgement Many have clean hands free from bribes and stout hearts free from fears yet they are overcome with affection and relations these put out the eye of justice The Lord is above all relations As he commands us in our cleaving unto Christ not to know father or mother Yea to hate Father and mother wife Etiamsi fuisset Ieconia mihi charissimus quē semper in oculis serrem Jun. c. and those are neerest to us that we may keep close unto Christ So himself doth not know the neerest relation to pervert judgement or doe wrong in favour of it Hence he saith of Coniah Jer. 22.24 Though Coniah be as the signet upon my right hand yet will I pluck him thence Let him plead neernesse as men doe such a man is of your bloud or alliance pray spare him God will not spare the signet on his right hand that is he will not stop justice upon any pretence of neernesse or usefulnesse 5. God is exact take them dictinctly both in judgement and in justice He is as curious in searching out the cause as in sentencing the person As ready to acquit the innocent as to condemn the guilty as carefull to relieve the oppressed as to chasten the oppressour as * Pervertii jus qui non punit improbos pervertit justitiam qui non remunerat justorum bona opera Drus zealous in rewarding those who deserve well as in punishing those who doe evil Not to reward is as great injustice as not to punish What God hath promised shall be performed and what he threatens shall be inflicted He will neither discourage goodnesse by neglecting it nor encourage sinne by winking at it He hath bread in one hand and a sword in the other Thus we see The Lord is most exact in justice Psal 48.10 The right hand of the Lord is full of righteousnesse His power and might are his right hand and that right hand hath nothing but righteousnesse in it Few men come to that of Laban It is in the power of mine hand to doe thee hurt but I will not most doe as much hurt as is in their power God hath all power in his hand but he wrongs no man As none have now any cause to say that they have received wrong from the hand of God so at last all shall confesse they have not Further Bildad speaking upon supposition that God was wronged injustice teacheth us That It is a duty to vindicate the justice of God whensoever we hear i◠wronged When we hear any wounding God is his faithfulnesse truth or justice we should presently stand up to plead for him What will God be unfaithfull Will God pervert judgement Will God be untrue c. Thus we should plead for God When Jeremy could not make out the justice of God he is an advocate for his justice Lord thou art righteous yet let me plead with thee He would not have the matter once questioned though the manner was enquired Lastly Observe That The judgements of God may be secrets to us but they are never injuries to us Justice is in all the dealings of God but his justice is not alwaies visible His judgements are founded upon reason when upon his will for his will is the highest reason God cannot be unjust and he ever punishes those who are He is so farre from subverting judgement that he subverteth Kings and Magistrates yea Nations and Kingdoms for subverting judgement To subvert a man in his cause the Lord approveth not Lam. 3.36 The Hebrew is The Lord seeth not That is he doth not see it to approve it but he doth see it to punish it He is an avenger of those who will not avenge the oppressed And as he looks for judgement in all places so especially among his own people upon whom he bestows most mercy Isa 5.2 When the Lord done so much for his vineyard He looked for judgements and behold oppression for righteousnesse but behold a cry God makes privy search thorow a Nation to finde this jewell Judgement between man and man in commerce which is commutative justice judgement from Magistrates to the people which is distributive justice for these God is searching at this day one of the greatest sins among us is the perverting of judgement And untill judgement return to man how can we expect mercy should return from God Jer. 5.1 Runne to and fro thorow the streets of Jerusalem and seek in the broad places thereof if you can finde a man if there be any that executeth judgement that loves the truth and I will pardon it A Land is seldom fill'd with the judgements of God till it is emptied of judgement among men What a sad thing is it that there should be so many cries against injustice on earth in a time when there is so much crying out for mercy from heaven That in such a time when the judgements of God are upon our selves we should not learn righteousnesse to act it among our selves I am perswaded the Sword of warre had been rusting in it's sheath to this day if the Sword of justice had been used as it ought both to punish offenders and protect the innocent And when the sword of justice shall be both waies imployed I doubt not but the sword of warre shall be sheathed again and imployed no more but be beaten into plow-shares and our spears into pruning hoks Keep ye judgement saith the Lord by his Prophet Isa 56.1 for my salvation is neer to come and my righteousnesse to be revealed God hath done terrible things in righteousnesse among us and we hope he will doe comfortable things in righteousnesse among us seeing the righteous destructions of God have been upon us and his righteous salvations we hope are neer us let not our righteousnesse be farre off JOB Cap. 8. Vers 4 5 6 7. If thy children have sinned against him and he have cast them away for their transgression If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes and make thy supplication to the Almighty If thou were pure and upright surely now he would awake for thee and make the habitation of thy righteousnesse prosperous Though thy beginning was small yet thy later end should greatly encrease THese four verses contain the first confirmation of the former generall position That God is just which is resolved out of those Questions Doth God pervert judgement or doth the Almighty pervert justice He doth not Then God is just there 's the Position And as that Position consisteth of two parts so also doth this proof or confirmation of it 1. That God doth not pervert judgement taking judgement under that strict notion for punishing of offenders he proveth by the example of