which he expected from Job Doubtlesse more of all these should have appeared in him and they should have appeared more in that time of affliction There are two things which God looketh for and aims at in the time of our affliction first the mortifying of corruptions that they woâ—k no more at least no more so strongly as they have done secondly The stirring up and acting of our Graces that they may be more woâ—king and work more strongly than ever they have done Where the Lord sees not these effects of affliction that our sins grow lesse and our graces more that we complain lesse and trust or believe more we are like to be afflicted more and he will discover his anger more Because it is not so he hath visited in his anger And thence Note Thirdly Distrust or impatience under the afflâ—cting hand of God or our not trusting God in our worst condition patiently is a very provoking sin We provoke the Lord to visit us in his anger when we do not trust in his mercy Our not trusting God must needs provoke him to anger for when we do not trust him we question him distrust or unbelief questions all that God is and all that God hath promised it questions his Truth and his Faithfulnesse his Power his Mercy and his Goodnesse all these which are the glory of God and in all which the sons of men ought to glorifie him these are all questioned and darkned when we put not forth acts of trust and reliance upon God in times of greatest affliction and extremity Is it not then a provoking sin I say not to with-draw trust from God and give it to an arm of flesh but not to put out fresh and full acts of trust upon God let our affliction or extremity be what it will The Children of Israel were in great extremity at the Red Sea a mighty Army pursuing them at the heels to destroy them and mighty waters being before them ready to swallow them up in these straits whilest they should have done their utmost to get and assure God to be their Friend the Psalmist tells us They provoked him Psal 106 7. But wherein lay their provocation that Scripture saith They remembred not the multitude of his mercies The former mercies of the Lord did not strengthen their trust in present troubles that was one provocation And as former mercies did not strengthen their trust so the present trouble drew out their distrust as another Scripture assures reporting their behaviour in it Exod. 14.11 And they said to Moses Because there were no Graves in Egypt hast thou taken us away to dye in the Wildernesse Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us to carry us forth out of Egypt What were these fearful fore-casts these amazing bodements of an unavoidable as they apprehended ruine but the overflowings of unbelief or distrust in God and this was another provocation Former mercies are forgotten yea eaten up by unbelief as the seaven lean Kine in Pharaohs dream eat up the fat ones and present difficulties are aggravated by unbelief as if all the power of God could not remove and overcome them And will not the Lord think you visit in anger for such a sin as this Again As Elihu doth not say barely he hath visited but he hath visited in his anger or his anger hath visited so consider who was it that was thus visited in anger It was Job a Godly man a man perfect and upright Hence note Fourthly God visits or afflicts even his own people his elect and choicest servants with fatherly anger when they displease and provoke him We find the Scripture speaking expresly of the anger of God towards the best of his servants even towards a Moses as himself made confession Deuter. 1.37 when they displease him Also the Lord was angry with me for your sakes saying thou also shalt not go in thither Moses was a most meek man the meekest man upon the face of the earth nor was he an inferior in any other grace yet the Lord was angry wi h him and angry with him upon that special occasion his unbeliefe Numb 20.12 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron because ye believe me not to sanctifie me in the eyes of the children of Israel therefore c. We read of the Lords anger breaking out against Aaron for another sin Numb 12.9 The anger of the Lord was kindled against them that is against Aaron and Miriam because they had spoken against Moses vers 1.8 Aaron was the High Priest and as he was high in office so eminent in grace and doubtless Miriam was a very gracious woman yet the Lord was not only angry with them but exceeding angry his anger waxed hot against them and kindled when they forgot their duty to Moses and remembred not their distance with reverence Solomon in his prayer at the Dedication of the Temple speaks of the people of God collectively If they sin against thee and thou be angry with them The Lord is not only angry with the world but angry with his Church not only angry with Babylon but with Jerusalem And as Solomon spake that of the whole Nation of the Jewes supposing they might fall under the Lords anger all together as a body so he did experience it sadly in his own person 1 Kings 9.11 And the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel which had appeared unto him twâ—ce Wise Solomon departed from God through an evil heart of unbelief and vanity after the Lord had come and appeared to him more than once in grace and savour and the bitter effects or fruits of that departure appeared to him shortly after the Lord saith that Scripture was angry with Solomon and the sequel of his History tells us there went out very hot displeasure against him As these Scriptures are a proof of the Lords anger kindling against his people when they sin so we find the Church represented praising the Lord for quenching the fire of his angeâ— Isa 12.1 And in that day thou shalt say O Lord I will praise thee though thou wast angry with me thine anger is turned away and thou comfortest me When we turn from God his anger is turned against us and when we turn to God his anger is turned away from us When the Lord is angry what can comfort us but the turning away of his anger And by the very act of turning away his anger he comforts us though all the world be angry with us But some may say How doth the Lord who is said to love his people with an everlasting love visit them in anger To clear that we may distinguish of anger First There is correcting anger Secondly there is consuming or destroying anger Destroying anger is inconsistent with eveâ—lasting love but not correcting anger correcting anger may be very grievous therefore the Prophet deprecates it Jer. 10.24 Correct me O Lord in Judgement not in thy anger The
every pressing danger let us go to God in faith and hope and he will either give us enlargements or do us good by and in our worst and greatest straits Thirdly Note As it is good when at any time we are in trouble to look to God so we should then look to God specially under this relation as he is our Maker It is good then to say God is my maker and I am the work of his hands therefore he will take care of me and deliver me out of the hand of my oppressors There are five duties which arise from this Consideration that God is our Maker First We should highly esteem and be thankfull for this benefit our making Secondly We should be confident that he who hath made us will preserve us Thirdly We should patiently submit to him when he afflicteth us himself or suffers others to afflict us Fourthly We should give him glory by believing that he will take care of us in or deliver us out of all our sufferings and afflictions Fifthly We should not think nor speak hardly of God because he hath made us subject to tryals and the exercise of patience neither should we take it ill that he hath made others so high or great that they have power to oppress us In all these respects we should look to God our maker and neither murmure at nor be afraid in a day of â—ffliction The Lord himself poynts us to that Isa 51.12 13. Who art thou that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall dye and of the son of man which shall be made as grasse and forgettest the Lord thy maker It is good in time of affliction to remember God in all our relations and in this as our maker in a three-fold making of us First As our maker in a natural capacity that is as he hath made these bodies of ours we may plead with and urge the Lord to take care of and preserve our bodyes because he ha h made them preservation is an act of providence and pâ—ovidence followeth creation Secondly As our maker in a civil capacity that is as he hath made us rich or poor high or low in the world or in any worldly enjoyments Pharaoh that great Dragon lying in the midst of the rivers said Ezek. 29.3 My river is mine own and I have made it for my self But grace teacheth us to say otherwise if we are rich or strong God hath made us so if our river be broad and deep full and over-flowing God hath made it so and if we are poor and weak if our river be naâ—row and shallow empty and dry God hath made it so and who shall say to him Why hast thou made it so That God is the maker of our crosse should make us quiet under it Thirdly A godly man should look to God in affliction as his maker in a spiritual capacity I do not mean as he hath made our spirits but as he hath made us spiritual or as we are his workmanship that 's the Apostles word created in Christ Jesus unto good works Eph. 2.10 That we are thus wrought works much upon the heart of God in the day of our affliction That God hath made us men that we are his creatures is a good argument a faire plea and moves much but that he hath made us new men or new creatures his Sons by grace and Temples of his Spirit that he hath made us holy believing righteous is a far stronger argument a suller plea and moves much more A soul that can go to God thus and tell him he is his maker a soul that can say as 't is said of the Church Isa 54.5 My maker is my husband He that made me hath married me to himself a soul that can say this may indeed triumph in and over all his tribulations How sweet is it to have an interest in Christ and by him a relation to God as our maker in this respect When the Lord rejects a people to the utmost he saith he will not be stayd no not by this relation as their maker from doing it Isa 27.11 This is a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour As if the Prophet had said If any argument could move the Lord to shew mercy this would do it to tell him he hath made such a people or he is their maker But there are none whom the Lord hath made in the third sense as to a new creation but he will have mercy on them and shew them favour his making of them such is a gâ—eater mercy and an higher favour thâ—n any they can ask of him nor are there any of that making who are of no understanding So then he that is made of God spiritually needs not care for all the unmaking or undoing he can receive from men nor fear that he shall ever be unmade or unmercy'd by God All he can lose in this world doth not cannot make him miserable who is made fit for the world to come He knoweth he hath an estate setled upon him by his Maker which cannot be taken away A man thus made may say to his spoylers Ye have taken nothing from me but the scraps and sweepings the parings and chippings of my estate The Archers indeed have sorely grieved me and shot at me but my bow abides in strength and the armes of my hands are made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob. He that is spiritually made or made a new creature is made for ever and in every strait he may look to God his Maker as a helper and restorer He that made us when we were nothing can help us when we are reduced to a very nothing It is an encouragement to go to God for healing because he hath wounded us Come and let us return unto the Lord saith the Church for he hath torne and he will heale us he hath smitten and he will bind us up Hos 6.1 Much more is it an encouragement to go unto God to be our healer because he hath been our Maker He that hath made us can mend us He that built us can repaire us if we say as we ought and have been taught Where is God our maker Who giveth songs in the night Those words contain a second Consideration why the oppressed should seek to God he giveth songs that is matter of songs or cause of singing joy and comfort even in the night There are several opinions about the meaning of these words Some as I shewed before interpret this verse of the oppressors None of them say Where is God my maker who giveth songs in the night So the words are a description as of the great worldly security so of the great worldly felicity of those oppressors Poor men labour all day hard and being wearied out with their labours when night cometh they go to bed But prophane great and rich men
refers to a person brought before a Judge for the tryal of his Cauâ—e and standing before him not as a guilty Malefactor with a heavy heart and a down-look but as a man conscious of his own innocency with much honest boldnesse and well tempered confidence The words following intimate such a sence of that word Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him that is be bâ—ought to tryal yet Judgement is before him he will certainly try thee This I take to be the most proper Explication of these words Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him Job spake this as the worst of his case as that which was a greater grief and misery to him than all his other miseries and griefs that God would not set him in a clear light before others or that himself should not have a clear light from God concerning his condition Hence Note The sight of God or Gods discoverie of himself in any dark case is very sweet to an upright and gracious soul Job had begged for this once and again though possibly as Elihu would here convince him he was something too forward in it and did not enough reflect upon himself yet as he had often desired it so doubtlesse it was exceeding much upon his heart that he might have a clear discovery from God The Apostle in somewhat a like case in being aspersed in his Ministry saith We are made manifest unto God 2 Cor. 5.11 It pleased him that he was manifest unto God But when God is pleased to manifest himself unto a Soul how pleasing is that When we can say now we see God we see him clearing up our way clearing up our integrity clearing up our state how satisfying is it And as it is most sweet and satisfying to see God clearing up our state to our own consciences so it is exceeding sweet to see him clearing up our actions to the eye of the world as the Apostle spake in the same place We are manifest unto God and I trust alsâ— are made manifest in your consciences As if he had said we hope God hath discovered us to you and your consciences do also attest with us and for us what we are Light is sweet the light of the air saith Solomon and it is pleasant to behold the Sun the Sun in the firmament how much more sweet is the light of divine favour as also of our own faithfulness shining into our hearts and upon our wayes so that we are able to say now we see the Lord graciously rolling away our reproach owning us and taking our part before and against all the opposing contradicting woâ—ld Secondly Note A godly man may lose the sight and present apprehension of God as owning of him and taking care of him It is so often as to our spiriâ—ual estate and it may be so as to our outward state hence those many complainings which we find in the Psalmes and those many deprecations as to the hiding of Gods face David would faine have kept sight of God O how he desired to see him to behold him yet many times he did not neither as to the assurance of his spiritual interest Saepe deus ostendit faciem suam sed non ita ut cupitait homines ideóque non vident se videre ut ita dicâ—m Coc nor as to the comforts of his outward condition Psal 13.1 Psal 27.9 Psal 30.7 As God sometimes sheweth himself in a kind of cloud or darkness in fire and tempest which is very terrible to the soul so he at other times discovers himself only a little or gives but a glimpse of himself clearly to stir up further desi es of seeing him and to make us weary of all we see in this world in these cases we may be said not to see God when we see him Many godly men are in such a dark condition that they think God hideth his face from them in displeasuâ—e when indeed he doth not but only tryeth them to see what is in them and whether they will obey him in hope and paâ—ience and keep close to him in holy walkings even when he seemeth to depart from them and withdraw his presence Thirdly Observe Good men are apt sometimes to make over-sad conclusions against themselves As evil men are apt to make over-good conclusions for themselves they doubt not but they shall see and enjoy God O what presumptuous thoughts have men and what peremptory though groundless conclusions do they make for themselves upon false and rotten premises they will say they know God and are known of God they see God and enjoy God when they know not the meaning much less have tasted the comfort of knowing God or of being known by him of seeing God or of enjoying him These mysterious experiences are not every man's meat nor every man's matters who makes title to the knowledge of God The Apostle saith expresly 1 John 2.4 He that saith I know him and keepeth not his Commandements is a liar and the truth is not in him And again Chap. 3.6 Whosoever sinneth that is loves and lives in sin hath not seen him neither known him Yet how many are there far from keeping the Commandements of God far from a holy life yea far from a holy state so far from such a holy life as of which it may be said in a Gospel sense that they sin not that indeed they do nothing else but sin yet these are apt to conclude they see God they see him by faith they know him they doubt not but he is their God Now as many carnal men are apt to make false conclusions to themselves of an interest in God when there is no such matter kindling a fire and compassing themselves about with their own sparks as the Prophet speaks Isa 50.11 that is with vaine conceits of their own blowing up that all is well with them when all that they who do so shall have at Gods hand is they shall lie down in sorrow So on the other side godly men often times make sad conclusions against themselves they say as Job in the Text they shall not see him who though as was shewed in opening the Text he did not conclude against his sight of God by grace or that he had no sight of him by faith yet he had not a comfortable sight as to his present enjoyment and he doubted whether ever he should in this world Jonah made such a conclusion Chap. 2.4 Then I said I am cast out of thy sight As Hezekiah said in his sickness Isa 38.11 I shall not see the Lord even the Lord in the Land of the living that is I shall die and shall no more go into the house of the Lord to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his Temple which was the one thing even the only thing in this life which David desired and resolved to seek after Psal 27.4 So many while they live are apt to make such conclusions they
fetters and held in cords De carcere educentur ad occisionem gladij Aquin. Per gladium iransire dicitur qâ—i gladio occiditur Drus but now the sword shâ—ll overtake them and they shall perish or be taken away by the sword The Hebrew is they shall pass away by the sword that is they shall die Man is said to pass away by the swoâ—d when the sword doth not pass by him but smites and kills him which is a temporal perishing It is said Isa 57.1 The righteous perish c. As the righteous perish by a natural death so they may perish by a violent death and possibly that may fall upon them when they attend not the providential dispensations of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—â—â—prie â—â—è miâ—sile aut jaâ—â—lum They shall perish by the sword or by the drawn weapon The word notes any weapon that is drawn or cast forth hence some translate it a Dart or Javeling which is shot out of the hand but it may also be applied to the Sword which being drawn forth out of the sheath is often sent upon deadly messages and may be numbered among missive weapons Now when Elihu saith they shall perish by the sword we may take the word sword properly or tropically Properly two wayes First for the sword of the Warrier Secondly for the sword of the Magistrate either justly punishing or grievously afflicting Some good men have acknowledged in great trials and sufferings under the hand of man that God hath met with them for their neglect or non-attendance to more immediate afflictions under his own hand Again take the sword tropically or improperly and so any sore affliction that greatly annoyeth especially if to death is called a sword in Scripture They shall perish by the sword under one notion or other if they do not obey Hence learn God will not spare no not his own People if they do not obey him God is full of sparing-mercy but the righteous may provoke him so that he will not spare no not them Judgement begins often at the house of God 1 Pet. 4.17 And if Judgement begin at the house of God what shall the end be of those that obey not the Gospel This is a terrible word The righteous may perish by the sword how dreadfully then shall the unrighteous the wicked the scorners of godliness perish If God will make his own people smart in his anger when they provoke him how will he speak to his enemies in his wrath and vex them in his fore displeasure Psal 2.5 Secondly From the gradation of their troubles First they were bound in fetters and holden in cords but now here 's a sword a devouring sword a killing deadly weapon Hence learn They who give not glory to God in lesser or in lighter afflictions draw greater upon themselves They may come from a cord to a sword from being bound to be slain God hath several sorts of Instruments to chasten his people with and as the best of outward good things may be the portion of evil wicked men so the worst of outward evils may be the portion of good men they may at any time and sometimes shall perish by the sword and as it followes They shall die without knowledge The sword is death a deadly sword 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they shall die Without knowledge or as the text may be read because they were without knowledge But is any righteous man without knowledge That the soul be without knowledge is not good saith Solomon Prov. 19.2 How then can he be good whose soul is without knowledge And seeing we interpret this text of the righteous how can it be said they die without knowledge I answer Knowledge may be taken in a more general sense and so no righteous man either lives or dies without knowledge he neither lives nor dies without the knowledge of God in Jesus Christ whom to know is eternal life John 17.3 and without the knowledge of whom all who are actually capable of such knowledge must die eternally he neither lives nor dies without the knowledge of himself as a sinner and of Christ who saveth him from his sins Such ignorances are inconsistent with the state of a godly man he may do foolishly but he is not a fool he may be wanting in some kind of knowledge but he doth not want knowledge he cannot be without saving knowledge though he may perish temporally without knowledge The first thing that God makes in the new creation is light the light of knowledge there he begins his work therefore we cannot take knowledge generally simply and absolutely in this text Dei monita per castigationes â—cire intelligere noluerunt Drus but as knowledge may be taken restrictively for knowledge in or about this or that particular so a good man may want knowledge there may be somewhat which the Lord would acquaint the righteous with and teach them by their fetters and afflictions which they do not learn and therefore they die without kâ—owledge or because they are without knowledge yet that want of knowledge together with all their other wants and ignorances are pardoned to them Further we may expound the words thus They shall die without knowledge that is without the knowledge or consideration of of that special affliction or judgement which is coming upon them Non est oratio affirmativa stultitiae vel negativa scientiae sed simplicitèr negat advertentiam Bold they shall die unawares not thinking nor so much as dreaming of such a judgement or that such a hand of God was so near them According to this interpretation Elihu intends either their inadvertency of that approaching scourge or calamity with which they are overtaken or their not understanding the reason of it Christ saith in the Gospel Luke 12.46 The master of that servant the evil servant shall come in a day which he knowes not of and in a time when he looked not for him Now as the last Judgement the great Judgement shall come upon the wicked in a time when they look not for it so the Lord may bring a special particular judgement upon some one or more of his own people when they do not think of it or never suspected that they should fall under it Good men are sometimes surprized and so they shall die without knowledge is no more than this they shall be taken unawares by a suddain unexpected judgement Though every godly man hath a preparation for the general judgement yet as to a particular one he may be much unprepared Lastly Some expound the words of more than inadvertency or bare nescience even of folly and some degree of affected ignorance which possibly may prevaile upon a righteous man in some cases and for a time but I rather adhere to the former interpretation because as was shewed before the whole context seems to intend a more ordinary case of a righteous man So then this Scripture holds out the sad issues
Jeremy did not desire the evil day to come on others yet when the evil day was come upon himself we find him venting strange and strong desires of that kind Chap. 9.2 O that my head were a fountain and mine eyes rivers of tears that I might weep night and day for the slain of the daughter of my People He had visions of slaughter and he did even beg a head melted into water for abundant mourning over that day But what were his other what were his further wishes with respect to himself at that time we have them in the next verse O that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of a wayfaring man that I might leave my people and go from them for they be all adulterers a company of treacherous men What uncomfortable desires had Jeremiah as to that day of distress O how did he covet to have a retiring place any hole in the wilderness like a wayfaring man that he might leave his people and see them no more because they were so wicked and their wickedness he foresaw would bring down such dreadful evils upon them And as he wisht this sad retirement upon the foresight of evils to come so we find him in another place Chap. 20.14 15 16 c. wishing that he had never been born to see such presnet evils We have the like plain wish of David in the day of his trouble Psal 55.2 Attend unto me O God and hear me I mourn in my complaint and make a noise because of the voice of the enemy because of the â—ppression of the wicked for they cast iniquity upon me and in wrath they hate me they charged him with evils that he had not done my heart is sore pained within me the terrors of death are fallen upon me fearfulness and trouble are come upon me and horror hath overwhelmed or covered me David was at that time in a very sad day you see and what was his wish that day we have it at the 6th verse And I said O that I had wings like a dove for then would I flee away and be at rest lo then would I wander far off and remain in the wilderness Holy David could not keep his heart in those distresses from extravagant wishes David had the integrity of a dove as he often pleaded before the Lord and being distrest he wished also for the wings of a dove that he might flee away and get out of the reach of all those impendent calamities How usual is it for good men in bad dayes to breath out such wishes one wishes that he had never been born rather than to see such a day another wishes he may die presently rather than live in such a day When the Apostle John had given the prophesie of dreadful judgments to come upon the wicked world or the world of wicked men he presently tells us what their wishes or desires will be Rev. 9.6 And in those dayes shall men seek death and shall not find it and shall desire to die and death shall flee from them Most men flee death that 's a misery but death sleeth from some men and that 's a greater misery They are in the worst of conditions who would have death when death will not be had Their lives are worse than death who only wish to die What non-sense wishes and desires had they also in the day of the Lords anger mentioned in the same book Chap. 6.16 Who said to the mountaines and to the rocks fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. It is possible for good men sometimes to have strange wishes but O how lamentable are the wishes of wicked men and unbelievers who have no part nor interest in Jesus Christ in those times when Conscience is wounded and awakened or when a day of the Lords wrath or judgment from the Lord appeareth When Christ the Lamb shall sit upon the throne and call them to give an account O then they will wish for rocks and mountaines to fall upon them that they might not appear how glad will they then be to be hidden with an everlasting night They cannot but desire the night who have sinned against light Holy Job could not forbear to desire the night of death in the day of his distress what desires then must the wicked have who have no hope beyond this life Again as to the vanity of that design of some in desiring the night for shelter Note There is nothing can cover us from the eye or secure us from the hand of God What is darkness to God who is light and in whom there is no darkness at all 1 John 1.5 Desire not the night As gold and silver cannot ransom sinners as great forces all the Armies on earth forces of strength cannot help sinners so the night cannot hide them they that are in the grossest darkness are never the more out of Gods sight The darkness is not darkness to him the darkness and the light to him are both alike Psal 139.11 12. and therefore he said before vers 7. Whither shall I go from thy spirit or whither shall I flee from thy presence If I ascend up to heaven thou art there c. Wheresoever we are God is who is every where nothing can keep us off from or keep us out of the eye of God Lastly as the night is taken for death Desire not the night Hence note It is a vain wish to desire death for our rescue or escape from the evils of this life Death is it self an evil the worst of natural evils How can that help us out of our evils of trouble which is it self the most troublesom evil The Lord promiseth some of his people that they should die before the evil day Josiah and Hezekiah had such promiâ—es 'T is a favour to die as they did in the assurance of eternal life before we feel the evils of this life But death considered in it self is no relief against evil and as it is the worst of natural evils in it self so it carrieth those who are unprepared and unprovided for it to worser evils than any they can meet with in this life Some desire death to escape the evils of this life when as soon as they die they go to the evils of another life which are the second death such a death as hath no second and descend not only to the grave but to hell And what hath any one got by leaving the troubles of this life to fall into the dolors of that second secondless death They only dream of security by death who are unprepared go die Death is good for none but those who are fitted for and have by faith laid hold upon eternal life JOB Chap. 36. Vers 21. Verse 21. Take heed regard not iniquity for this thou hast chosen rather than affliction IN this verse Elihu gives Job another serious admonition or re-enforceth the former warning
motions of the beasts of the earth and the motions of the birds of the air are all directed by God yea the motions of the very inanimate creatures of those that have no motion in or of themselves but whose motion is by some outward violence and pressure put upon them even their motion also is directed by the hand of God Thunder and Lightning are inanimate liveless creatures they have no motion of their own but by impression and violence yet God directs their motion as truly as he doth the motions of those câ—eatures which move by the most deliberate actings of their own will reason and understanding What is there so violent in its motion as Thunder What is there so swift in its motion as the Lightning of which Christ being about to give his people warning Christus non venit clam aut invisibiliter ut illi volunt qui jactant se habere christum in deserto in urbe in claustro in conditorio sed palam ut fulmen editum per omnia lucet Coc. not to believe those deceivers who say Lo here is Christ c. saith Mat. 24.27 For as the Lightning cometh out of the East and shineth even unto the West so shall also the coming of the Son of man be that is as the Lightning instantly passeth from one part of the heaven to the other visibly so shall the coming of the Son of man be a sudden swift and visible comingâ— Ye shall not need to go into corners to shew or see him for he shal come as the Lightning discovering himself to all by the brightness of his coming There was such an apprehension of the swiftness of the Lightning among the Ancients that though the Latine word signifying to Lighten is accented long Ad significâ—ndam hanc è nubibus subitae lucis eruptio nem â— s erat antiquâ—â— media syllâ—ba â—â—rrepta ut â—â—â—erent fulgâ—â—â— Sen. lib. 2. Nâ—t quest cap. 56. yet because Lightning is so swift in motion they were wont to pronounce it short Lightning being so quick and active they thought it was not suitable to draw it out in speaking by a long pronunciation But though Lightning have such a violent and swift motion yet 't is under Gods command and direction and it shall make no more haste than God will An arrow flies with a very violent and swift motion yet it is God that directeth the arrow he diâ—ects it more than the man that shoots it and when a shot is made as we say at random God then diâ—ects it as in that notable history of Ahab when he against the counsel of God given him by Micaiah would needs go up to the battel at Ramoth Gilead 1 Kings 22.34 the text saith There was a man who drew a bow at a venture we put in the Ma gin He drew a bow in his simplicity he had no special intenâ—ion against Ahab he did not aim at Ahab when he shot his arrow but God carâ—ied it to the right mark to fulfil that which he had determined and spoken concerning Ahab yea he directed it not only to the right man but to the right place the joynt of his armour When in battel arrows and darts and bullets are sent forth as so many thunder-bolts the Lord directs them and hands them whither they shall go whom they shall hit and where God also directeth the thunder-bolts of his Word where and whom they shall hit And to the point in general that the Lord hath a guidance over those things that are most contingent we may see in that of Moses when he gave a Law from the Lord about the man that goeth with his Neighbour to cut Wood Providentia non est incerta cut vaga If saith he the head slippeth from the helve and lighteth upon his neighbour that he die he shall flee into one of those cities and live Deut. 19.5 The reason of this Law is expressed Exod. 21.13 because in such conâ—ingent cases God delivers him into his hand the man had no intent to hit his Neighbour but fetching a blow the head slieth from the helve and both hits and kills him and to shew that this contingency was ordered by God the text saith God delivered him into his hand And forasmuch as God hath such a power over the motions of the creature it may be matter of comfort and incouragement to us not only with respect to Thunder and Lightning that we should not fear them as the heathen who neitheâ— know nor fear God but we may take comfort from hence also with respect to the most violent and hurried motions that we see here below When we find men acting like Thunder and Lightning without deliberation when they are all in passions and perturbations yet let us know these violent moâ—ions shall not fall any where by chance or hap hazarâ— nor by their own â—way but as God appoynts and over-rules them they shall either fall quite besides the marke which men aimed at and so do no hurt to any or if they do God orders what hurt they shall do He directeth it under the whole heaven Let us carry this consideâ—ation alwayes with us and it will be a gâ—eat stay to our minds in all the violent motions of the creature Again â—rom the extent of this divine direction or providence of God as to these things He directeth it under the whole heaven and unto the ends of the earth that is every where Note The providence of God reacheth to all places His ordeâ—s go forth into all lands his dominion is under the whole heavens and unto the ends of the earth Psalm 65.5 He is the confidence of all the ends of the earth and of them that are afar off upon the Sea God is not helpful to his people in one place of the eâ—rth and not in another or helpful to them upon the earth and not upon the Sea but to the ends of the earth and upon the broad sea he is their confidence that is they may conâ—â—de and trust in him wheresoever they are Hence that expostulation in the prophet Jeremiah 23.23 Am I saith the Lord a God at hand and not a God afar off Some would circumscribe and limit the Power of God as if being a God neer at hand he could not be a God afar off too or to those who are scattered to the ends of the earth But while he puts the question am I a God at hand and not afar off he puts it out of question that he is a God afar off as well as at hand The Syrians said pleased themselves in their conceit 1 Kings 20.28 The Lord is God of the hills but he is not God of the vallies therefore they would change the battel as if he could order things here and not there but all shall find feel him as they did a God both of the hills of the vallies a God both of the Land and of the Sea a God both