downe the Bucklers They who contend for victory rather then for truth will not be answered how much soever they are answered And they who are more loath be foyled then willing to bee rectified will hardly submit to the plainest and clearest evidence The second reading is What doth provoke thee to answer Quid exacer bu â—e ut respondeas Jun. or What imbitters thy spirit that thou answerest As if Job had said Surely Eliphaz my fayre discourse with thee should have stopped the course of this severe proceeding with me before this time thou hast loaded me with hard words and uncharitable jealousies but have I spoken provokingly or bitterly to thee My conscience tells me that I have not and thou knowest I have not He that impartially reads over Jobs answers to Eliphaz may finde here and there a sowre passage but as we say Proverbially You must give loosers leave to speake The wise Physitian heares his Patient giving him uncomely language yet will not heare it much lesse retort or answer so againe They who are in paine must be borne with though they provoke it must not be called a provocation and though they give offence yet it must not be taken When the Childe cryes the Nurse sings God himselfe beares with the manners of his people so the word intimates Acts 13.18 as a Mother doth with a froward Childe and so should we with the frowardnesse of our weake and afflicted Brethren So that in this sense the provocations which Job gave his Freinds were not to be reckoned as provocations and he might well say to Eliphaz What provoketh thee to answer If I in the case I am in have spoken passionately Wilt thou be provoked by it Thou shouldest not Thou oughtest to passe it by and cover it with the garment of charity Yet further we may take the words as a totall denyall of any provocation given on his part Whence Note Some will speake harshly to and of those who never provoked or gave them cause Water runs cleare till 't is troubled and stirr'd by some outward violence But the spirits of some men run muddy though nothing from without stirrs them The Prophet compares all wicked men to the troubled Sea when it cannot rest whose waters cast up mire and dirt Isa 57.20 The Sea is not alwayes troubled when the Windes are quiet that is quiet wee often see a smooth Sea as smooth as Glasse A wicked man is like the Sea when 't is enraged he is such a Sea as knows no calme he is like the Sea not onely when it is troubled but when it cannot rest Though no breath of Winde from abroad offend him yet he stormes He hath lusts in his owne bowels which provoke him when nothing else doth yea those lusts within provoke him when all without labour to pacifie him So David complaines Psal 120.5 7. Woe is mee that I sojourne in Mesech that I dwell in the Tents of Kedar that is With the Sons or descendants of Ishmael who have learned of their Father to mock and persecute I dwell in the Tents of Kedar But what caused them to mock and persecute Was it any provocation that David had given them No for he saith in the next words I am for peace I would live quietly with all my heart but when I speake they are for Warr. A motion for Peace becomes a provocation to Warr It is sinfull to speake rashly or harshly though we are provoked what is it then to speake so when we are not provoked They angred Moses at the waters of strife they provoked his spirit yet it went ill with Moses for their sakes when he spake unadvisedly with his lips Psal 106.32 33. But what was this unadvised speech Moses reports his owne infirmity Numb 20.10 11. And Moses and Aaron gathered the Congregation together before the rocke and he sayd unto them Heare now yee Rebels must we fetch you water out of this Rock And Moses lift up his hand and with his Rod he smote the Rock twice c. The errour of Moses in this businesse was twofold First That he did not onely smite the Rock but smite it twice with the Rod in his hand whereas he had order onely to take the Rod in his hand and speake to the Rock before their eyes and it should give out water Vers 8. His second errour was that he did not onely speake to the people for which in that transaction he had no order from God but spake bitterly and harshly to them calling them Rebels and slighting them Must we fetch water for you c What for you who are a murmuring and gainsaying people God knew the stubbornenesse of that people and their rebellions against him yet he did not call them Rebels but sayd in the close of the eighth Verse So shalt thou give the Congregation and their Beasts drinke God had more reason and power to call them Rebels then Moses had yet he did not And because Moses did that unadvised speech of his and the actions which attended it were called Rebellion at the twenty fourth Verse of the same Chapter Yee saith the Lord of Moses and Aaron rebelled against my word at the waters of Meribah Now if Moses was thus reproved and censured by God himselfe for speaking passionately to a people who had provoked both God their Deliverer and him their Leader what reproofe doe they deserve who either upon none or very little provocation call their Brethren Hypocrites Hereticks Scismaticks Rebels perjured persons men of prostituted consciences or at least of unsettled and uncertaine Principles will not the Lord take notice of this bitternesse even in those who are his precious Servants towards their fellow-servants when he layd so heavy a penalty as non-admission into the promised Land upon a payre of the most eminent and faithfull Servants that ever he called forth to his work since he layd the foundations of the World This fals heavy upon the present age Whence is that bitternesse that Gall and Wormewood which fals from many both tongues and Pens every day What hath provoked them thus to speak and write I confesse there have been provocations and some doe but give Gall for Gall and Wormewood for Wormewood yet it cannot be denyed but that many speak and write bitterly when they have had no provocation yea most who speake bitterly have been treated gently and few who answer angerly will be able to give a good account what hath provoked them thus to answer and how much soever any man hath been provoked the Lord may justly make him smart for such smartnesse in answering It will not beare us out in acting or speaking besides the rule because others doe so Paul shewes us our duty in his owne practice 1 Cor. 4.12 13. Being reviled we blesse bâ—ing defamed we entreat Wee must not defame them that defame us we must not revile our revilers Then woe to those who revile such as blesse them and defame such as entreat
like the wind but it passeth away and though we cannot tell whither it goes yet we may easily tell whence it comes even from the fancie and out of the mouth of a foolish man It was usuall of old to call that which is vaine windy those despisers of holy counsells and Divine Alarums given by the Prophets said The Prophets shall become wind and the word is not in them Jer. 5.13 That is both the Doctrine and the threats which these Prophets utter are vaine and ineffectuall they will doe us neither good nor evill no mans finger shall ake though their tongues ake with talking The Prophet Hosea at once reproves and terrisies the Jewes in this language They have sowne the wind and they shall reape the whirlewind Hos 8.7 To sow the winde is to doe a vaine thing our actions are as seed such as we sow such shall we reape they sowed sin and they reaped trouble Themselves sowed the wind by what they did and they thought the Prophets sowed the winde in what they spake And indeed the words of the Prophet were wind as the peoples works were in reference to the issue those produced a whirlewind to scatter their contemners as these did to scatter their actors The old Satyrist calls vaine words bubly toyes Bullatas nugas utpote similes bullis vento plenis Pers Sat. 5. because such words are like a bubble full of wind possibly full of wit but empty of wisedome and good instruction Should a wise man utter vaine knowledge The Scripture calls that vaine First which is unprofitable these mutually expound each other Eccles 1.2 3. Vanity of vanity saith the Preacher c. What profit hath a man of all the labour which he taketh under the Sunne There 's most vanity where there is least profit and where there is no profit at all there is nothing at all but vanity Turne not aside from following the Lord saith Samuel for then should you goe after vaine things which cannot profit 1 Sam. 12.20 21. Secondly the Scripture calls that and those vaine which hath or have no solidity in them vanity hath so little weight in it that when the Spirit would expresse men who have no weight in them he saith They are lighter then vanity Psalm 62.9 Thirdly the Scripture calls that vaine which is alwayes moving varying and unsetled Psal 144.4 Man is like to vanity his dayes are as a shadow that passeth away He is therefore like to vanity because he is so like a shadow continually passing but never continuing Fourthly the Scripture often calls that vaine which is sinfull in practice or unsound and erroneous in opinion I hate vaine inventions saith David but thy Law doe I love Whatsoever opposes either truth of Doctrine or purity of Worship is a vaine invention of man and opposite to the Law of God he utters vaine knowledge who utters false Principles which subvert the Faith or superstitious formes which endanger the life and power of godlinesse Eliphaz supposed that somewhat of vanity in all these notions was rallyed together into the discourse of Job that it was light and froathy that it was erroneous and full of incongruity especially which carries all these in it that it was worthlesse and unprofitable to the receiver as he expresseth in the third Verse Should he reason with unprofitable talke Should a wise man utter vaine knowledge Hence observe There is a vanity in some kind of knowledge and folly in that which not a few call wisedome It hath been the businesse of some mens knowledge to finde out a vanity in all sorts of knowledge Eliphaz spake well for the matter though ill to the man Job did not utter vaine knowledge but we know too many doe The old Gentiles waxed vaine in their imaginations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vani facti sunt in ratiocinationibus suis Baz their very reasonings were vaine so the Originall word tells us It was not their phansie but their understanding which was vaine The Apostle cautions the Colossians Let no man spoyle you through Philosophy and vaine deceit Col. 2.8 Philosophy in it selfe is an excellent knowledge yet it may be vainely taught and so deceive us as to spoyle us I may say also let no man spoyle you through Divinity and vaine deceit Divinity which is in it selfe the most excellent knowledge the knowledge of God may be vainely taught and so deceive us as to spoyle us That knowledge which is best in it selfe is vainest to us when it is unduely or falsely uttered Secondly observe It is most uncomely for those who either have or would have the reputation of wisedome to speake vainly Should a wise man utter vaine knowledge 'T is no wonder to heare a vaine man speake vainely and for a foole to utter folly Doe men gather Grapes of thornes or Figgs of thistles The vile person will speake villany and his heart will worke iniquity to practice hypocrisie and to utter errour against the Lord Isa 32.6 If a foole a vaine man or a vile person speake thus he speakes like himselfe but if a wise or a good man speake thus he speakes so unlike himselfe that the Chaldee Paraphrase puts not onely an undecensie but an impossibility upon it Can a wise man utter vaine knowledge It is impossible Estne possibile c. Chald. Paraph. Men act according to their principles every thing is in working as it is in being if there be wisedome in the heart it will be heard at the tongue A wholesome Fountaine will send out wholesome waters He that is borne of God saith the Apostle John 1 Epist 3.9 cannot sinne though he hath not a naturall impossibility to sin Sapiens ad mensuram sermones profert libra examinatos justitiae ut sit gravitas in sensu in sermone pondus in verbis modus Ambros l. 1. Offic. c 3. yet he hath a morall impossibility to sinne because the seed of God remaineth in him the frame and bent of his heart is set another way Now as there is a morall impossibility that a godly man should commit sin so that a wise man should speake sin or utter vaine knowledge A wise man speakes as well as acts by measure he waighs what he saith as much as what he doth the tongue of the wise is as a Tree of life Grace in the heart blossomes at the lips in savory words which minister grace unto the hearers Should a wise man utter vaine knowledge And fill his belly with the East winde A belly full of windy meat is bad enough a belly full of wind is farre worse But what is here meant by the belly what by the East-wind The belly is put for the heart and affections together with all the intellectuall powers of the minde John 7.38 Out of his belly that is out of his whole soule shall flow Rivers of living water This water is the holy spirit the holy spirit is sometimes compared also to the wind Venter
to be borne the first of any part of the earth For the earth was covered with water it was a great deep till a word of command came from God that the waters should retire to certaine Channells and receptacles which his wisedome had assigned them now when the waters were thus gathered and put into those vast Vessells then the Hills and Mountaines Quod prius conspicuum est antiquius esse videâ—ur which are the highest parts of the earth appeared first and so the Mountaines are elder in regard of view thâ—n the Plaines and Valleys of the earth That is sayd to be first which appeareth first So then whether we take hills by a Synecdoche for the whole earth or plainely for a part of the earth both reach at highest antiquity There is an opinion I confesse which if true takes away the ground of this notion That hills and mountaines grew up or were as so many excrescencies of the earth since it was created and that they grow dayly as Naturalists expresse it by Juxtaposition But I fully adhere to their judgement under which this notion stands safe that the earth was distinguisht into hills plaines and valleys by the same immediate power which created it though I easily grant that many hills have been accidentally caused and cast up since especially in the deluge And this doth more advance the wisedome of God in the frame of this mighty masse which hath in it greater ornament and yeelds greater delight by this variety then if it had been smoothed all over into Plaines and Levels Quod longe anti suum montium collium comparatione indicari solet Further to cleare the Text consider that it is usuall in Scripture when a thing of great antiquity is spoken of to compare it to the Hills Prov. 8.23 24 25. Wisedome which is Christ speakes thus I was set up from everlasting from the beginning ere the earth was when there were no depths I was brought forth when there were no fountaines abounding with water before the mountaines were setled before the Hills was I brought forth while as yet he had not made the earth nor the fields nor the highest part of the dust of the World Where note also by the way a full confirmation of the opinion even now asserted that God made the Hills immediately which are here also called The highest part of the dust of the earth Againe Psal 90.2 O Lord thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations which he explaines in the next words Before the mountaines were brought forth from everlasting to everlasting thou art God Old Jacob speakes this Divine Philosophy upon his death-bed while he was blessing his sonne Joseph Gen. 49.26 The blessings of thy Father have prevailed above the blessings of my Progenitors above the utmost bounds of the everlasting Hills Once more Hab. 3.6 He stood and measured the earth he beheld and drove asunder the Nations and the everlasting Mountaines were scattered the perpetuall Hills did bow Now a thing is called everlasting either strictly because it shall last for ever or because it lasteth very long in this latter sense the Hills are everlasting The Hills were from the beginning and shall continue to the end As for Job he began to live but lately and he must shortly dye Wast thou made before the Hills Eliphaz proceeds to a second branch of his third reproofe Vers 8. Hast thou heard the secret of God or doest thou restraine wisedome to thy selfe As if he had sayd Possibly thou wilt wave or not stand to this plea of thy great antiquity What is it then that swells thee into such proud and daring thoughts of thy infallible knowledge Is it because Thou hast heard the secret of God The Hebrew word signifies either counsell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Secretum vel consilium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 arcana indicendae Aquil. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theod. or any thing that is secret and mysterious some render it Hast thou heard things unspeakable when the Apostle was caught up to Heaven 2 Corinth 12. He heard words unspeakable which it is not lawfull for a man to utter Hast thou heard unutterable secrets A second translates Hast thou heard the mysteries of God A third Hast thou had discourse with God or hast thou heard God discourse about the great things of wisedome The Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Constitutionem domini audivisti consiliario te usus est Deus Sept. Eadem vox quae est secretum est etiam consilium aut concilum quod in conciliis arcana tractantur consilia non nisi secretò iniri debent Pined Hast thou heard the constitutions of Heaven or knowest thou in what manner God hath setled all the affaires of mankind naturall civill and spirituall Art thou of privy counsell to the King of Heaven or art thou a member of the Celestiall conclave Thus he reproves him for arrogating to himselfe such knowledge as is not attaineable but by speciall inspiration or revelation from God himselfe The Prophet puts the question Jer. 23.18 Who hath stood in the counsell of the Lord and hath perceived and heard his word Who hath marked his word and heard it So the Apostle Rom. 11.34 Who hath knowne the minde of the Lord or who hath been his Counsellor God is able to make knowne the whole mystery of his will in a moment to the meanest soul he can let in stoods upon the understanding without our study he can make a foole wise and drawing back the curtaine of ignorance irradiate the darkest minde with the cleareest light of all things knowable But hast thou heard such secrets There are two sorts of Divine secrets First Secrets of Providence Secondly Secrets of Doctrine The former are of such things as God will doe the latter such as Man is either to doe or beleeve God reveales both to his people The ordinary way for us is by the Word written the extraordinary by a word spoken Thus God opened his secrets to the ancient Prophets and Apostles The Prophet Amos Chap. 3.7 speakes of the secrets of providence Surely the Lord will doe nothing but he revealeth his sacrets to his Servants the Prophets And the Lord himselfe saith of Abraham Shall I hide from Abraham the things that I am about to doe Now as there is a revealing of Providence or of the workes of God so there is a revealing of Doctrines and of the holy Truths of God This he promiseth Joel 2.28 I will powre out my spirit upon all flesh and your Sons and your Daughters shall prophesie your old men shall dreame dreames your young men shall see visions Young men cannot claime to be the first men they were not before the Hills yet to them the visions of Heaven are promised Yet we must not neglect that command of our attendance upon the teachings of the Word because wee have received a promise of the teachings of the Spirit The spirit
He retorts what Job said Chap. 12.3 I have understanding as well as you I am not inferiour to you Here Eliphaz tells him we have understanding as well as you Hath God revealed all knowledge to thee surely we know as much as thou What knowest thou which we know not The words are plaine and need no explication Dic age quae sunt tuae partes they sound as if hee had sayd Come shew thy skill and open thy hidden treasures thou hast shewed nothing yet but what is common to us and others thou seemest to speake of mysteries of things that are unknowne and secret to this day but surely thou hast not traded much in these For What knowest thou that we know not thou hast not yet produced any such peice of knowledge if such precious matter be in thee wrap it not up in the napkin of silence any longer bring it forth that we also may know it Hence observe First Man is apt to stand upon termes of comparison with man Qui velit ingenio cedere rarus erit he cannot beare it that another should be thought or thinke himselfe wiser or more knowing then he Some are not troubled because they know little but because they are esteemed lesse knowing then others What knowest thou that we know not Secondly observe Though some men are of higher parts and better naturall abilities then others yet what one man knoweth others may No man can boast himselfe beyond the line and degree of man For as the heart of man answers the heart of man in sinfulnesse so in a possibility of goodnesse One man may be as holy as another as wise and knowing as another onely God is more holy wise and knowing then any man can be hee knoweth many things which no man knoweth nor can know But though it be a straine of pride for one man to say to another What knowest thou that I know not Yet it is a truth that one man may know as much as another and though some men know that which another man in regard of some personall impediments neither doth nor can know yet the humane nature in every person is capable of the same both kind and degree of knowledge Thirdly Eliphaz is about to reprove the pride of Job as he conceives and he doth it as was but now toucht in such a manner as speaks his owne pride What knowest thou that we know not is the language of a high minde I am as good and as wise as thou though it may be so yet it is uncomely to say so Hence observe Some in reproving other mens faults runne into the very same faults themselves the reproofe of a fault may not onely be faulty but the fault which is reproved A man may reprove pride with much pride and lesser vanityes with abundance of vanity All that good men speak for good doth not begin at a principle of goodnesse their owne corruption may rise up against the corruptions of others and sin is often heard chiding vice How many are there who check passion with passion and are very angry in dislike of anger you shall have some men speake against bitternesse of spirit with a bitter spirit and while they are taxing their Brethren with making breaches or with an unwillingnesse to peace discover much unpeaceablenesse yea an unwillingnesse to have those breaches healed Diogenes was observed to trample upon the pride of Plato with greater pride and he who to rebuke pride in Apparrell wore himselfe an unhandsome and torne Coate was rightly told that his pride was seene through the holes of his Coate There may be as much ostentation in wearing sordid as there is in wearing the gayest Cloathes It was a shame for Heathens to declare their owne folly while they declaimed against the folly of their neighbours how scandalous then is this in Christians Vers 10. With us are the gray-headed and very aged men much elder then thy Father This Verse is the proofe of the former some thinke the comparison lyes betweene Jobs Friends and himselfe We are thy Seniors yet thou speakest as if thou wert the oldest man amongst us Here are two termes in the Text which seeme to distinguish old age First Gray-headed Secondly Very aged much elder then thy Father Among the Jewes a man was counted old at threescore which they called The first old age Prima senectus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicitur unde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 senex media senectus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicitur incipit ab anno 70. durat usque ad 80. annum ad quam qui pervenit postea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 decrepitus dicitur quod est ultimae senectutis vocabulum quae durat usque ad vitae finem vel usque ad annum 100. Nam filius centum annorum habetur pro mortuo Drus Etiam Eliphaz qui canus est Bildad qui decrepitus est inter nos Sophar qui major est patre tuo diebut Targ. At seventy he was expressed by the word which we translate Gray-headed and that was his title till he arrived at Fourescore from that to the end of life the whole state was called Decrepid old Age and they who reached those yeares were expressed by the word which we render Very aged men or as we say men having one foot in the Grave for he that was an hundred yeares old was not numbred among the living but among he dead The Chalde Paraphrast applyes the distinction thus With us is Eliphaz who is gray-headed and Bildad who is decrepid and Zophar who is older then thy Father Hierome gives Eliphaz the precedency in age affirming that he was the eldest Sonne of Esau and that at the time of this dispute he was no lesse then a hundred and fifty yeares old Jobs Father ninety and Job himselfe seventy But I stay not upon these conjectures The scope of Elipqaz in these words may be reduced to this account As if he had sayd We need not depend on thy Authority or antiquity For with us that is on our side or of our party and opinion there are men gray-headed yea very aged much elder not onely then thy selfe but then thy Father Therefore doe not thou charge us with novelty know that we have received our Doctrine from venerable Ancestors if thou hast learned these things of thy Father and drunke in thy opinion from the Aged so have we Nor doe we esteeme the Tenets of our fore-fathers meerely by the number of dayes which they lived but by the wisedome and piety with which they were enriched It is observable in Scripture that Teman from whence Eliphaz came was a famous Schoole of Learning Jer. 49.7 Thus saith the Lord of Hosts is wisedome no more in Teman Hee speakes of it as of a knowne place for knowledge and wisedome What Is wisedome no more in Teman As if we in England should say Is there no more learning at Oxford or Cambridge are the lights
but to speak such or such words may be very sinfull and therefore we and others for explication sake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Faeminine vel ut animum muliebri impotentia labo antem fodicet aut forma Chaldaica Pungit etiam voce 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Logos nugas verba Coc. make this supplement Such words But what words were they Eliphaz doth not quote any passages in his speech but leaves them as we and others translate under a terme of generall distast Such words as if they were not worth the naming or as if no epithite could be found worthlesse enough to name them by For as when Ezra would describe a deliverance in the realilty of it beyond words he doth not tell us what it was but saith onely Seeing our God hath given us such deliverance as this Ez. 9.13 So when Eliphaz would describe words in the vanity or sinfulnesse of them below words he doth not tell us what they were but saith onely Such words as these yet possibly the words he meanes were these Why hast thou set me as a marke so that I am a burden to my selfe Chap. 7.20 or these Chap. 9.30 If I wash me with Snow water and make my hands never so cleare yet thou wilt plunge me in the ditch or these Chap. 13.26 Thou writest bitter things against me and thou makest me to possesse the iniquities of my youth These or such as these were the words which Eliphaz leaves under this note of disdaine Such words Yet these Eliphaz should have mollified with a charitable construction and not have sharpned his owne tongue against them much lesse should he have interpreted them as the turning of Jobs spirit against God himselfe For as some draw neer to God with their lips and give him smooth words while their hearts are farre from him and their spirits turned against him So others may seeme to depart from God with their lips and give him harsh language while their hearts are neere and their spirits cleave unto him I shall further give you a fourfold character of these words sutable to the misprision which Eliphaz and his Friends had of him all along Such words or words so apprehended must needs sound harshly in their eares and in the cares of any man fearing God First Proud words of himselfe insisting upon his owne righteousnesse as they conceived for in the next words Eliphaz saith What is man that he should be cleane they thought Job spake much to paint and bedeck himselfe with his own goodnesse and innocency Secondly Blasphemous words of God though not directly yet by consequence against his works and dealings Thirdly Reproachfull scornefull words against them as if they were neither able nor worthy to be his counsell You are the men and wisedome shall dye with you Fourthly False words upon the whole matter in controversie maintaining as Eliphaz judged contrary to the truth that he was not punished for his sin Words under this fourfold notion are reproveable and sinfull enough such Eliphaz esteemed the words of Job to be proud blasphemous reproachfull false Why lettest thou such words as these goe out of thy mouth Hence Observe First Passion within will vent it selfe by words without when the heart is carryed away and the spirit turned against God no marvaile if the tongue be carryed away and the words of such a man be turned both against God his truth or people Secondly Note Our words are sutable to our spirits some can dissemble much and speak golden words while themselves are drosse but ordinarily our words are such as we are The vile person will speake villany Isa 32.6 A man that is all for the World speakes worldly 1 John 4.5 They are of the World therefore speake they of the World Every man is of the World so as that he is a part of the World but some are so of the World that the World is all them they who are thus of the World must needs speake of the World if they speak any thing for they have nothing else to speake of Thus a covetous man speakes covetously and a proud man proudly Jerem. 43.2 Some told the Prophet to his face Thou speakest falsly the Lord our God hath not sent thee to say Goe not into Aegypt to sojourne there These were proud words indeed but who spake them The text tells us Then spake Azariah the Son of Hoshaniah and all the proud men The proud men spake proudly so on the contrary a sober man will speake soberly an humble man humbly The poore speake supplications saith Solomon rich men speake their commands poore men speake their wishes and desires Thirdly Observe He that dares to speake evill is arrived at a great height of evill Eliphaz puts this as an effect of a heart turned against God such words as these shew that thou art not onely a sinfull man but impudent in sinning For though an evill heart is worse then an evill tongue and an ill thought then an evill word yet when ill words spring from ill thoughts and are as branches growing from the root of an evill heart this shewes a man hightened in sin Sin hath got the mastery of the heart whâ—n it freely vents it selfe at the tongue Some keep their sins downe by hypocrisie and some by common modesty they are either so cunning that they will not or so bashfull that they dare not speak out the filth that lyes within But they are beyond not onely modesty but hypocrisie whose tongues can speak all the evill that is in their heart though the sin of the heart be worse then the sinne of the tongue yet when tongue sinnes are steept in the puddle of a corrupt heart they are most unsavory David sinned when he sayd in his hast all men are lyars How greatly then doe they sinne who tell lyes at their leisure and speak evill with deliberation That which is said in hast is sayd by the tongue alone without the privity of the heart but the heart is alwayes privy to that which is sayd at leisure The Prophet taxeth those the shew of whose countenance did testifie against them Is 3.9 They fall justly under as severe a censure the sound of whose tongues doth testifie against them for they also as it followes in the Prophet declare their sin as Sodom they hid it not Further this also argues the evill of evill speaking because it wrongs others and infects the Auditors The vanity or errour of the minde spoken out is contagious better keep it in then speak it out but both are naught 't is onely good when we purge it out Though it be some allay and lessening yet it is no excuse for sinne that we keep it in God hates it let it lye as close as it will and though a sin kept close doth not hurt others yet it is not onely hurtfull but deadly to its keeper They onely are out of danger who as they doe not let evill goe out of the door
lodgeth in the hearts of debauched sinners they doe they know not what they rage and are furious as if they would pull God out of Heaven and throw the House yea the World out at the Windows These stretch their hands against God and they doe it three wayes First Against the very being of God such a wicked man opposeth God as God he wisheth there were no God or that himselfe were God he would have all power in his owne hand Francis Spira in his despayring distraction sayd I would I were above God In him nature spake her mind plainly and not in Parables Nature heightned in wickednesse would be above God therefore a carnall man is called A hater of God Now that which we hate we would destroy and take out of the way Secondly There is a stretching out the hand against God not onely in this open bold challenge or professed opposition this very few will owne Few Atheists will speak out their blasphemy or send their Trumpet to defie God and most wicked men take a suspicion of this as the highest dishonour and affront that can be put upon them What They oppose God They stretch out their hand against God They will tell you they love God and it may be they will tell you that God is their God and yet will be found sâ—retching out their hand against God therefore not onely doe his professed Enemies stretch out their hand against God but even those his professed Friends who live in the open violation of his righteous Laws they who oppose the will and Word of God the Statutes and Ordinances of God these will be found to stretch forth their hand against God himselfe The Lord complaines Mal. 3.13 Your words have beene stout against me Who we stout against God when did we speak against God we never had such a thought in our hearts much lesse such words in our mouthes So it followes Yet yee say What have we spoken so much against thee The Lord tells them because it seems they could not Vers 14 Yee have sayd it is a vaine thing to serve the Lord and what profit have we that wee have kept his Ordinances and yee call the proud happy c. To speak or thinke thus though such a word be not spoken formally as it is probable they did not is to be stout against God To say It is a vaine thing to serve the Lord is not onely a disservice but a Rebellion against the Lord To say There is no profit in keeping his Ordinances is the highest prophanation of his Ordinances to call The proud happy is to stretch out the hand against God for he stretcheth out his hand against and resisteth the proud Thirdly The hand is stretched out against God when it is stretched out against his people his Servants or any that are under his tuition and speciall protection to oppose or stretch out the hand against these is to stretch out the hand against God The Prophet Zacharie sets forth both the care of God to keep his people from trouble and his Sympathy with them in trouble by an elegant Similitude Hee that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye Zach. 2.8 What part is more sensible of the least hurt then the eye or being hurt causeth a greater smart God is as tender of his people as any man is of his owne eyes He that toucheth them sc to wrong or vexe them toucheth the apple of Gods eye he lifts up his hand against Gods face and against the most excellent part of his face his eye and against the most excellent part of his eye the apple of it or ball of the eye which is the proper instrument of seeing We use to say There is no sporting with the eyes men doe not like it to have their eyes played with Surely then God will not beare it Dicimus vulgo cum oculis non ludendum est that any should smite or wound his eyes And he interprets any hurt done to his people as done to his owne eye yea to the apple of his eye When it was under debate in the Councell what should be done with the Apostles Gamaliel advises Refraine from these men and let them alone c. Lest haply yee be found to fight against God Acts 5.38 39. Some possibly would reply We fighters against God We love God here is a company of turbulent Fellows called Apostles who disquiet the City may we not punish them but we must presently be judged fighters against God No saith Gamaliel you fight against God if they and their Apostleship be of God Saul was zealous of the Law and as he thought for God yet Christ rebukes him from Heaven with Saul Saul why persecutest thou me Thou stretchest forth thy hand against me when thou dost it against the Saints then there is a stretching out the hand against God not onely by a boysterous opposition of God As Pharoah Senacharib and Julian did but by opposing the wayes or word the Messengers or Servants of God Hence Observe First Though every sinne be against God yet some sinnes are more against God Wee cannot say that every one who sins stretcheth out his hand against God there is a difference of sins in degree though they are all in their nature deadly there is a presumptuous sin a sin committed with a high hand which hath these two things chiefely in it First A sinning against cleare light Secondly A sinning with full consent and swindge of will In that place of Numbers where this sin is described Chap. 15.30 There are two other Characters put upon it First it is called A reproaching the Lord And secondly a despising of the Word of the Lord Every sin is a transgression of the Word of the Lord but every sin is not a despising of the Word of the Lord every sin is displeasing to God but every sin is not a reproaching of God Every sin even the least is a departure from God but some sins are full of activity against God It is conceived that the presumptuous sin in the old Testament is the same with or answers to the sin against the holy Ghost in the New and that which leads to this apprehension is because no sacrifice was appointed for that under the Law as this is sayd to be unpardonable under the Gospell And the Author to the Hebrewes is expresse Chap. 10.26 If we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins The Gospell knowes but of one Sacrifice for sin and that but once offered they who despise that have despised all for there remaines no more Sacrifice for sin God will not send his Son to dye a second time for those who have trodden the Son of God in his death under foot and have counted the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing God indeed stretcheth out his hand all the day long to a gainesaying and rebellious people that is to those who
both upon such rich men and upon their riches if the Lord doth not stop them from getting riches yet he can speak a word and blast all that they have gotten Hence Note That the most substantiall of earthly things are of small or no continuance More particularly That ill gotten goods are not lasting or long-lived Sometimes they melt away and dye in the same hands that got them they alwayes dye and melt away in some of their hands for whom they were gotten There is no tack in their estate in whom there is no Justice That which is gathered by the unrighteousnesse of man shall be scattered by the wrath of God As the little which a righteous man hath is better so it is surer then the great riches of many wicked Sin makes no provision at all for the soule and it makes very ill-provision for the body The title by which we hold worldly things is more considerable then worldly things themselves To hold in Capite from Christ is as the purest so the strongest Tenure Onely he who continues the same for ever and changes not can give continuance to that which is changeable But suppose the wicked mans substance doth continue long for bulke and matter yet the beauty and comfort of it shall not continue for a moment which is the third step of this Gradation 3. Neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof upon the earth Riches are one thing the perfection of riches is another as in spirituall things there is the substance of them and the perfection of them so in temporalls The word signifies the consummation of any thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perfectio eorum a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perfecit alii Minlam vincam dictionem perinde ac si duae essent exponunt quâ—si 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ex eo quod est illorum i. e. res illorum non extendentur per terram Merc. or the bringing it to its perfective end Isa 33.1 When thou shalt make an end to deale treacherously they shall deale treacherously with thee The Prophet doth nor meane it of making an end by way of cessation as if hand heart or tongue did cease dealing treacherously for so wicked men will never make an end of wickednesse if they might have an eternity to act evill in they would act it eternally but he meanes it of making an end by way of consummation as if he had sayd When they are come to a full stature in treachery and have compleated their conspiracies against goodnesse and good men then they shall be dealt with in their kind and as they best deserve Now as a wicked man would compleat his sin and often reaches the very perfection of it so he would compleat his estate and doth sometimes reach to the perfection of it The wicked man would be perfectly rich he is not satisfied to have a compleat estate or enough for meat drink and cloathing he must have a great estate enough for pride pompe and glory Manna pleases him not he must have Quailes superfluities as well as necessaries He thinkes a little too much in spiritualls but a great deale is not enough for him in temporals His internall imperfections trouble him not his aime is at perfection in externalls That is perfect onely in a strict sense to which nothing can be added and from which nothing can be taken away The wicked man would attaine to such perfection but he cannot his owne heart forbids the first for how much soever he hath he would have more added to it he saith not it is enough though it be too much God forbids the latter his portion shall be abated or in the words of the Text He shall not prolong the perfection thereof The utmost perfection he can attaine unto is but the shadow of perfection and though shadows towards the setting of the Sun grow longer and longer yet no shadow can be prolonged they quickly passe and flye away Solomon tells us Prov. 12.3 A man shall not be established in wickednesse Nec mittet in terra radicem ejus Vulg. but the root of the righteous shall continue A wicked man may be set in the ground but he hath no root in the ground Their stock shall not take root in the earth and he that is God shall blow upon them and they shall wither Isa 40.24 A tree not rooted falls by a puffe of winde or withers while it stands The tree of a wicked man may have a great body but he hath no good root he is not rooted in Christ he hath no hold of the Covenant therefore his perfection cannot continue Hence Observe That as there is no worldly perfection of any long continuance so the perfection of wicked men is of shortest continuance Athenasius sayd of Julian the Apostate when he was in the height in the very zenith and perfection of earthly felicity having ascended the Impereall Throne and giving the Law to a great part of the then knowne World He is but a little cloud Nubecula est cito transibit he will soon vanish And indeed his glory and the perfection of it did not continue for when he was but thirty yeares old in that prime of his naturall course and constitution he was out off his power could not protect his Person nor prolong his perfection on the earth David professeth as from his owne experience Psal 119.96 I have seen an end of all perfection The terme of universality All doth not compasse in every kinde of perfection but all the perfections of one kinde The end of Divine perfections cannot be seen when we have seen the most of them there is more of them unseen but the end of all humane perfections may be seen There is a twofold sight First Of the eye Secondly Of the understanding Davids eye had seen the end of many humane perfections and his understanding saw the end of them all he had seen some ending and he saw all must end Never dream of prolonging your perfection here No worldly thing can continue long for the World it selfe shall not continue long If the Scaffold or Stage upon which these perfections are shewed or acted must fall the perfections themselves cannot stand There have been but few that ever advanced so farr as to an earthly perfection but there was never any one that prolonged his perfection on the Earth Adam did not continue in that created perfection which had no imperfection in it how then shall any of his Children continue in an imperfect such is their best perfection As Eliphaz hath shewed us the wicked mans misery in the not prolonging of his perfection so now he shewes us a further degree of it by the prolonging of his affliction Vers 30. He shall not depart out of darknesse Here is the fourth step of this gradation The wicked mans misery in misery He cannot stay in a good nor get out of an ill estate Eliphaz seems to take off an objection for some might
destruction of that Forrest of Lebanon which the Romans cut down for the service of their Seige against Jerusalem or figuratively for the flourishing estate of Jerusalem whose branches though like the branches of the Cedars in Lebanon were dryed up by the flame of that dreadfull War In which stile and figure the Prophet Isaiah denounceth the judgements of God Ch. 2.12 13. The day of the Lord shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty c. And upon all the Cedars of Lebanon And the Prophet Ezekiel puts forth this Riddle and Parable Chap. 17.3 Thus saith the Lord A great Eagle that is Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon with great wings long winged full of feathers which had diverse colours came unto Lebanon that is unto Judea and Jerusalem and tooke che highest branch of the Cedar Namely Jehojakim the King of Judah and carryed him Captive to Babylon The Lord can make any affliction a consumption to the most beautifull branches of a sinfull people or person Whatsoever he useth as an instrument of his indignation is his flame In this sense the very waters which drowned the old World were the fire and flame of God He can by poverty as by a flame consume and dry up riches by disgrace as by a flame consume and dry up honour by sicknesse as by a flame consume and dry up health God hath speciall flames for every speciall branch nothing can continue to doe us good when God gives Warrant or Commission to any of his flames to scorch and consume it The flame shall burne up his branch And by the breath of his mouth shall he goe away We have the flame of God in the former clause and the breath of his mouth in this Some Interpreters conceive that Eliphaz mentions these two The flame and the breath purposesy to put Job in minde what God had done to him for we read in the first Chapter of this Book of the flame of God a fire from Heaven consuming that branch his flocks of Sheep and a breath from God namely a mighty strong winde destroying a more precious branch his flock of Children Eliphaz cloathes this discourse in such termes as might easily reminde and represent to Job what God had done to him in the day of his calamity And by the breath of his mouth shall he goe away There is yet a difference among Expositors about the Antecedent to his His mouth whose mouth Most understand it of the breath of Gods mouth as hath been hinted already Some expound it of the breath of the wicked mans owne mouth I shall touch upon both First By the breath of Gods mouth he shall goe away the breath of God may be taken two wayes Either first as the flame before for his anger which is often expressed by puffing the breath Secondly It may be taken for the decree or determination of God Both these wayes a wicked man goes away by the breath of God first by the anger of God if God doe but breath angerly upon him he is blasted and gone His glory and greatnesse langâ—ish before the least puff of Divine displeasure God needs not make great preparations of Armies or Forces to contend with wicked men he needs not raise Mounts and Batteries to overthrow their best Fortifications of Riches and Honour The Channels of waters were seen saith David Psal 18.15 and the foundations of the World were discovered at thy rebuke O Lord at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils The Prophet tels those who neglected to build the House of the Lord Hag. 1.9 Yee looked for much but loe it came to little and when yee brought it home I did blow upon it God did but blow upon it and by the breath of his mouth all their expected encrease went away When Pharaoh pursued the Israelites in the height of pride and presumption the Text saith It came to passe in the morning watch the Lord looked upon the Hoast of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud and troubled the Egyptians and tooke off their Chariot wheeles that they drave them heavily Exod. 14.24 25. God confounded them by a looke how easily can the Lord rise up and destroy all the power that riseth up against his people Hee can doe it with a breath from his mouth With a cast of his eye When Christ was apprehended by the Officers armed with Staves and Swords he sayd Whom seek you They answered Jesus of Nazereth He saith I am he Christ was not afraid to confesse himselfe As soon then as he had sayd unto them I am he they went backward and fell to the ground Joh 18.6 What a strange power was here that Christ could cast them down with a word and that not an angry word not a word of conviction but confession he did not chide them and say Yee wretches how dare you lay your hands upon me who am an innocent person how dare you carry me to judgement who shall one day be your Judge Christ spake no such terrible language but onely sayd I am he and downe they fell If these words of submission had such a force in them as overthrew those Officers to the ground how shall his Enemies stand before the thunder of his severest increpations and finall sentence As the Lord needs not make great provisions for comforting of his people if he speaks a word it is done if he give but a good look their hearts revive Lord lift up the light of thy countenance upon me thou hast put gladnesse in my heart Psal 4.6 7. So if God doe but darken his countenance against wicked men and frowne upon them if he doe but breath at them he puts sorrow enough into their hearts even consuming killing sorrow By the breath of his mouth they goe away Againe take the breath of God For the decree of God Verbo vel mandato ex ore Dei procedente Jun. for the word or command which goethout of his mouth by this breath of God they goe away The destruction of the wicked is under a Decree God hath spoken in his holinesse Psal 108. 7 8 9. That is he hath given out his word from Heaven the habitation of his holinesse and of his glory or He hath spoken it certainely there is nothing but holinesse in his word and that 's the strength of words David having received this word stands assured That as Shechem and Succoth Gilead and Manasseh Ephraim and Iudah would willingly submit to him and yeild obedience So also that Moab Edom and Philistia who were his professed Enemies should be subdued to him He expected to conquer and tryumph over them to put them to the basest offices as his Vassals because God had decreed and spoken it in his holinesse God hath spoken the word saith he therefore it shall be done yea 't is done and therefore David cryed All 's mine Gilead is mine Manasseh is mine Moab and Edom are mine as soone as God had spoken the
undertake the office of comforting others should consider these three things especially First The nature of the affliction whether internall or externall that which will comfort a man in bodily afflictions will not doe it in soule afflictions Secondly The degree or measure of the affliction If the Playster be too narrow for the Soare how can it heale Thirdly They should consider the temper of the Person afflicted if he be pressed in conscience for sin they should not presse his conscience with sin much lesse should they thunder out judgement and terrour against him for sin if he be very weak they should use few words if he be passionate they should use gentle words lest in stead of perswading they provoke his spirit Many a soule is cast downe and swallowed up in despaire by the ignorance or unfaithfulnesse of those who would bee called Comforters and Supporters Ezek. 13.19 They slay the soules that should not dye and save them alive that should not live Unskilfull Physitians of the body kill more then bodily diseases And though the unskilfulnesse of soule-physitians doth not indeed kill soules that should dye for 't is their owne sin that kils them nor can kill the soules that should not dye for the medicine of Christs most precious blood will heale and save such from their sins yet unskilfull soule-physitians shall be judged and dealt with as having done all this because they have done their utmost to doe it which is also the meaning of that Text 1 Cor. 8.11 And through thy knowledge shall the weake brother perish for whom Christ dyed that is an indiscreet use of that liberty which thy knowledge teacheth thee doth that which may be accounted a destroying of thy weake Brother As that knowledge so the ignorance before spoken of slayes the soules that should not dye As it requires the power so the wisedome and teachings of God to comfort and extricate poore sâ—ules in and from the Labyrinth of their sorrows The Lord hath given me the tongue of the learned What to doe That I should know how to speake a word in season to him that is weary Isa 50.4 It is a great peice of learning to speak aright to a weary soule to deale with them so as neither to flatter them in their sins nor oppresse them under their sins to deale with them so in th ir affliction as that we neither cause them to sleight the hand of God nor yet to sink under it He that can guid and steer the course of a soule that is afflicted and tossed with the tempest of sin and sorrow between this rock and gulfe the Scylla of presumption and the Charybdis of despaire he is a learned Pilot indeed This learning is the speciall gift of God Christ himselfe acknowledgeth that the Lord his Father had given him the tongue of the learned for this end This learning is not taught in the Schooles of men Philosophers and Oratours never taught such an art of consolation nor can it be attained by the bare teaching of the holyest Doctors and Preachers of Divine truths Wee may have a rich furniture of materials for this worke and yet make no worke of it nor be able to put truths and consciences rightly together unlesse the annoynting teach us As the Prophet brings in our great Master and Tutor in this heavenly science againe confessing of himselfe Isa 61.1 The spirit of the Lord is upon me because the Lord hath annoynted me to preach good tydings to the meek he hath sent me to binde up the broken hearted to proclaime liberty to the Captives Till we are annoynted by God we cannot speake effectually to man without the spirit who is the comforter wee prove but miserable comforters we bungle at the work and rather undoe soules then doe them any good Wee may Preach good tydings good newes from Heaven the Gospel is nothing else but good newes yet no good comes of it till the good spirit comes with it both instructing the hearts of those that heare and the tongues of those that speake duely to apply the word Master Calvin upon this place saith Some Comforters have but one song to sing and they have no regard to whom they sing it All persons all estates and all conditions are alike to them The wisedome of a comforter consists in discerning and making these differences As the Apostle Jude hints unto us Ver. 22 23. And of some have compassion making a difference and others save with feare As faith saves all so in a sense feare saves some that is they must be terrifyed and made afraid that they may be saved Jobs Freinds would needs save him with feare whereas they should have had compassion of him and have spoken kindly to him Because they could not make this difference therefore they tooke a wrong course with him and were justly taxed without distinction Miserable comforters are yee all Vers 3. Shall vaine words have an end As if he had sayd I have got no comfort I would faine get some rest your words have not refreshed me I desire you would not trouble me you have done me no good will you have done Shall vaine words have an end The Hebrew is Shall words of winde have an end That expression hath ben opened twice before 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Verba vervi i e. ventosa parum solidas rationes habentia How long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong East winde saith Bildad Chap. 8.2 Should a wise man utter vaine knowledge and fill his belly with the East winde saith Eliphaz Chap. 15.2 Job retorts it upon them Shall words of winde have an end You tell mee that my words are windy yours are so indeed I must hide my selfe from these blasts and stormes of your tongues unlesse you grow calmer Shall windy words have an end Words are windy First When they have no solid reason no substance in them reason is the substance of words and so is truth these two goe alwayes together and where these are not nothing goes out of the mouth but winde Projicit ampullas c. we say of all words which are not followed with action Words are but winde we may say so also of all words which are not accompanyed with reason Verba plena spiritu superbiae Secondly Words are windy when they have much pride and swelling conceitednesse in them The Scripture cals such words Swelling words of vanity That which swels our hearts will quickly swell our lips pride doth both Pride is a winde within us vaine words are a winde without us the proud man knowes not how to ease himselfe of this winde within but by breaking it out in words Thirdly Words are windy when they have much passion in them when they are angry and furious an angry man blusters rather then speakes and makes a noise rather then a discourse While David Psal 39.2 3. was dumb with silence while he held his peace from good his sorrow
onely this hee gives him the spirit abundantly infinitely without stint or limit So when it is sayd that he corrects man in measure the meaning is onely this that he corrects him moderately mercifully with many stints and limits It is of the Lords mercy saith Jeremie Lam. 3.22 What That we are delivered That we are crowned with comforts These are of the Lords mercy indeed but hee speakes not of these the mercy hee speakes of is That we are not utterly consumed What kinde of mercy is this Sparing mercy Suppose God take away many Children yet if he leave but one here is sparing mercy to the Parents Suppose hee take many hundreds and thousands of a mans estate yet if he leave him a little to buy Bread and to stand betweene him and Beggery this is sparing mercy Suppose we are much consumed yet if we are not utterly consumed this also is sparing mercy In the Prophesie of Daniel we read of a goodly tree And behold a watcher and an holy one came downe from Heaven and cryed aloud Hew downe the Tree and cut off his branches shake off his leaves and scatter his fruit c. Neverthelesse leave the stumpe of his root in the earth c. Though it was judgement to shake off the leaves and fruit to hew downe the boughes and stock yet it was sparing mercy to leave the roote that gave hopes it might grow againe and not be utterly consumed 't is sparing mercy when any thing is reserved But God did not spare Job he took all he did not leave him as we say A Shirt to his back nor a sound patch in his skin Satans power had no limit put to it but as to life onely Chap. 2.6 Behold he is in thine hand but or onely save his life There was indeed somewhat of sparing mercy in that and that was more then Satan would have spared yet it was but so much as without which he could not have groaned out this complaint as to the losse of all other comforts He doth not spare Fourthly There is a sparing mercy of God in the very act of afflicting when hee shewes that he is unwilling to afflict or discovers tendernesse to them that are afflicted Lam. 3.12 He doth not willingly afflict nor greive the children of men As there are many who will serve God in an outward forme of worship whom yet they neither serve nor worship with their will So God will afflict some whom he doth not afflict with his will he doth not give out his spirit or take delight in smiting while he smites them Thus the Lord expressed himselfe towards his ancient people the Jewes he threatens Israel That the Assyrian shall be his King that is the Assyrian shall carry them Captives to Babylon and exercise a tyrannicall power over them Hos 11.5 Yea the Sword shall abide on his Cities and shall consume his branches Vers 6. Now though God were resolved to doe this and did also bring it to passe yet he saith Vers 8. How shall I give thee up Ephraim How shall I deliver thee Israel sc into the Enemies hand How shall I make thee as Admah How shall I set thee as Zeboim Mine heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together I will not execute the fiercenesse of mine anger I will not return to destroy Ephraim that is I will not destroy him wholly by redoubling evill upon him I will destroy once but I will not returne to destroy a remnant shall be saved The Lord gave up Ephraim but he did not make Ephraim as Admah and Zeboim he did not utterly ruine him and what hee did against Ephraim he did it with a secret contest in his owne spirit How shall I doe this I doe it not with my heart and whole minde my heart is turned within me while my hand is turned against thee it grieveth me while thou art grieved while I kindle this fire of affliction in thy borders the fire of compassion kindles in my owne bowels My repentings are kindled together while I punish thee for thine impenitency and my heart is turned within me while I must correct thee for refusing to returne Vers 5. Nero being desired to signe a Writ for the execution of an Offender was so pittifull at his first entrance upon the Empire though he proved a Monster for cruelty after that he could hardly be perswaded or wrought to subscribe it and when he did it Quam vellem nescire literas in doing it he sayd How glad should I be if I could not write my name which wish occasioned Seneca his Tutor to write a Book of Clemencie in which he extols Nero as the patterne and mirrour of clemencie When either God or man doe acts of severest Justice with meltings of spirit and tendernesse of affection towards those who fall under their hand those acts of Justice have a great temperament of sparing mercy in them For as it is in sinning when a Beleever falls into a great sin yet because his heart cannot goe fully with it he cannot delight or take pleasure in it therefore his may be called Sparing sinfulnesse whereas a carnall heart committing onely a little sin for the matter yet because he delighteth in it and is pleased with sin he doth not spare to sin Now I say as it is in sinning so in punishing he doth not spare to punish who doth it with his whole heart and takes delight in it though the actuall punishment be but little whereas he whose heart retreats while his hand is stretched out in greater punishments may be sayd to spare in punishing Hence to shew that God exacted the utmost of his Justice upon his Son our Lord Jesus Christ when hee stood in our place the Apostle saith Rom. 8.32 He spared not his Son How did he not spare him He did not spare him any of these foure wayes He did not spare him so as not to punish him at all for the Cup could not passe from him He did not spare him by deferring the time but when the houre was come that he must suffer he suffered in that moment Nor did he spare him in the degree he suffered to the utmost for our sins God did not abate one drop out of his Cup not one dram of the weight of his sorrows Yea fourthly God did not spare him in regard of the affection with which he punished him The Lord may be sayd willingly to afflict him for the sins of the Children of men though he doth not willingly afflict the Children of men He was pleased to bruise him Isa 53. and that signifies not onely Voluntatem Dei that it was the purpose and resolution of God that his Son should be bruised for our sins but it signifies also Voluptatem Dei the delight and contentment that the Lord had in bruising his Son He did not spare but gave him up with his heart to those punishments which were due to sinners God shewed no more
relenting towards his Son when he stood suffering in the place of sinners then he doth to those sinners who stand in their owne place to suffer without his Son Yea God the Father did not onely not relent or shew any yearning of bowels towards his Son in that suffering condition but as to sense and present apprehension he hardned his heart towards him which caused that greivous out-cry of Christ upon the Crosse My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Not that God did really withdraw his love in the least from his Son but he did infinitely delight to see his Justice satisfied and his Son as a Conquerour bearing up under the weight of it Thus the Lord tooke pleasure in afflicting his Son or as Job speaks Chap. 9. He laughed at the tryall of that innocent and Holy one And indeed without this the worke of our redemption had not been accomplished by a full satisfaction to divine Justice for it would have had somewhat of mercy in it towards the Redeemer as well as it is all mercy towards the redeemed But as it is all of mercy to us so it was to be nothing at all of mercy to Jesus Christ that sinners are redeemed he was to have no more of his Father then he payd for and his Father did not spare him but made him pay the utmost Farthing that upon the casting up of the account betweene himselfe and sinfull man appeared a due debt unto his Justice Job complaines that he was not spared yet the truth is that every man how much soever he suffers on this side Hell hath somewhat of sparing mercy in his sufferings Secondly Forasmuch as Job being about to shew the extremity of his affliction tells us That God did not spare Observe Sparing mercy is the lowest degree of mercy If God deny sparing mercy he denyes all mercy It is argument enough that God shewed Christ no mercy when the Apostle saith He did not spare him That we sinners might have all mercy he that saved us from our sins had none The Angels who sinned found no mercy no sacrifice was provided for them God cast them downe to Hell and delivered them into chaines of darknesse to be reserved unto judgement All which punishments are affirmed by the Apostle Peter as the result of this Negative God spared not the Angels 2 Pet. 2.4 The same Apostle tels us also in the next Verse that God spared not the old World but saved Noah the eight person a Preacher of righteousnesse bringing in the Flood upon the world of the ungodly Neyther the Angels who apostatiz'd from God nor the old ungodly World had any share in sparing mercy Job looked upon himselfe in reference to present peace as one in their case He doth not spare which appeares further in the next clause He powreth out my Gall upon the ground 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fel ab amaritudine Viscera Vulg. The Originall word vvhich vve render Gall signifies properly bitternesse because the Gall is so Peter speaking to Simon Magus Acts 8.23 puts these two together I perceive that thou art in the Gall of bitternesse He that continues in sin lives in the Gall of spirituall bitternesse and he whose Gall is powred out is in or ready to goe into the gall or corporall death For as cleaving of the reines implyed the receiving of a deadly wound so powring out the Gall upon the ground is a proverbiall speaking present death When the gall is out the bowels are out the gall is affixed to the Liver So that it is as much as to say He kils me dead or I am now upon the borders of death it selfe When the gall is indeed powred out we cannot live and he who is afflicted to such a height that he cryes my gall is powred out may well he numbred among the dead The reason or originall of this speech was this as I conceive because when a wilde Beast or any other which are fit for mans eating are taken and slaine it is usuall when the bowels are pulled out to cut off and throw away or powre out the Gall upon the ground lest the overflowing of it should disrelish the neighbouring parts So that Job in this doth onely prosecute the former theame of his greevious sufferings or that he was as Paul speakes of himselfe 2 Cor. 1.18 pressed out of measure above strength insomuch that he despaired even of life which he gives us yet more fully in the next Verse Vers 14. He breaketh me with breach upon breach and runneth on me like a Giant Job varies into all manner of inventions and allusions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vi disrupit erupit Poeticè variat orationis modos lugubres to set forth both the constancy and extremity of his afflictions As before he compared himselfe to a marke against which Arrows are shot so now to a Stone wall or fortified Towre against which battering Rams of old and Cannons in latter ages are usually planted to make a breach that the Souldiery may come up to the assault He breaketh me with breach upon breach Some men are like fortified Cities which cannot be easily entred yet when the Lord of Hosts drawes up his Armies and beseigeth them he hath Artillery and Ammunition enough to thunder downe their highest Towers and to make breach upon breach in their thickest walls Satan complaines Ch. 1. Thou hast made a hedge about him Jobs hedge was the protection of God that hedge was so strong that Satan could not pull up a stake of it nor make a gap in it till God gave him leave But though Job as this similitude implyes were like a wall or fortified tower yet God had made breaches in him God can soone breake our estates our strength our health our comforts our peace our all And when Job saith he breaks me with breach upon breach he meanes a multitude of breaches made together or continuall breaches made one after another Jeremy laments Chap. 4.16 My bowels my bowels I am pained at the very heart my heart makes a noyse in me Why doth he thus double upon these words My bowels my bowels my heart my heart The twentieth Verse gives us an account of that Destruction upon destruction is cryed for the whole Land is spoyled Destruction upon destruction is totall destruction Thus Sampson repeats his Victory over the Philistines Judg. 15.16 With the Jaw-bone of an Asse heaps upon heaps or as the letter of the Hebrew an heap two heaps that is I have made a great slaughter or as himselfe explaines it in the close of the Verse I have slaine a thousand men Wee have the Prophet Ezekiels threat in the same language Chap. 7.26 Mischeife shall come upon mischeife and rumour shall be upon rumour When the Prophet Isaiah would convince the Jewes of their unteachablenesse that whereas as the Apostles speakes Heb. 5.12 They ought to be teachers yet they had need to be taught the first principles of the
vve have used them both for our owne good and the good of others I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himselfe thus saith the Lord Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised Jer. 31.18 Ephraims outward moanes were as musick in the eares of God Ephraim did not murmure against God but he bemoaned himselfe Ephraim was not angry at his chastisement but Ephraim mourned being chastised God heard this fully in hearing hee heard it or it pleased him to heare it It is our duty to testifie our sorrow by the saddest notes of a troubled spirit and it is a delight to God when vve doe so not that hee delights in our sorrows but he delights in the witnesse vvhich vve beare to his wisedome righteousnesse and faithfulnesse in sending those sorrowes I heard Ephraim bemoane himselfe Will an offendor that lookes for mercy come before the Judge in rich apparrell or in some affected dresse Comes he not rather in his Prison clothes puts he not on the garments of heavinesse The Messengers of Benhadad put dust on their heads and ropes about their necks and sack-cloth on their loynes when they came to mediate for the life of their Master And thus the Lord speakes to the Israelites Exod. 33.5 when they had sinned and he was wroth Put off your Ornaments that I may know what to doe with you Ornaments are uncomly when God is threatning judgements It is time for us to lay by our bravery when God is about to make us naked Sack-cloth sowed upon the skin and our horne in the dust are the best ensignes of an afflicted state The Prophets counsell indeed is Joel 2.13 Rend your hearts and not your garments Rending the garments may be taken not onely strictly for that act but largely for all outward actings of sorrow Yet when he saith Rent not this is not a prohibition of but a caution about the outward acting of their sorrow Not in Scripture is not alwayes totally negative it is often directive and comparative So in this place Rend your hearts and not your garments is your hearts rather then your garments or be sure to rend your hearts as well as your garments The one must be done the other ought not to be left undone See more of this Chap. 1. Vers 20. upon those word Then Job rent his Mantle Thirdly Observe Great sorrow produceth great effects and leaveth such impressions as testifie where it is The Apostle saith of the sorrow of the World That it worketh death 2 Cor. 7.10 The sorrow of the World may be taken two wayes First For the sorrow of carnall worldly men whose sorrow for sin is only a vexing of their hearts not a breaking or humbling of their hearts which being separate both from true faith for the pardon of sin and from any reall purpose of leaving their sin worketh death both temporall death often wearing out their naturall life lingringly and sometime destroying their naturall life violently as in Judas as also hastning them on to eternall death of which it selfe is a foretast or beginning Secondly This sorrow of the World is a sorrow for the losse of or disappoyntments about worldly things This also worketh both those deaths in meere worldly men and when it is excessive as under a temptation it may be in a godly man it may be sayd to worke the death of the body in him yea great and continued sorrow though it be not excessive worketh towards this death in a godly man drying his bones and drawing out his spirits as is cleare in Job on whose eye-lids the very shadow of death sate while hee wept and sorrowed 'T is hard to dissemble a little griefe but a great deale cannot be hid As godly sorrow manifests it selfe in excellent effects upon the soule of which the Apostle numbers up seven at the eleventh Verse of that Chapter For this selfe same thing that yee sorrowed after a godly sort what carefulnesse it wrought in you yea what clearing of your selves c. Now I say as godly sorrow manifests it selfe in manifold effects upon the soule so doth the sorrow of the World set its marks upon the body As a good mans heart is made cleane by weeping the teares of godly sorrow so every mans face is made foule by weeping the teares of worldly sorrow and as godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation and life eternall so the sorrow of the World vvorketh an entrance to temporall death yea we may say that godly sorrow doth sometimes worke temporall death Paul was afrayd lest the incestuous person while he was repenting might be Swallowed up with over much sorrow 2 Cor. 2.7 vvhich as vvee are to understand cheifely of a swallowing up in the gulfe of despaire so we may take in that also as a consequent of the other a swallowing of him up in the Grave of death as if hee had sayd The poore man may both despayre and dye under this burden if you let it lye too long upon him As soone as Heman had sayd in his desertion My soule is full of troubles he presently adds And my life draweth nigh unto the Grave I am counted with them that goe downe to the pit free among the dead Psal 88.3 4 5. To which he subjoyns Ver. 9. Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction and then expostulates Vers 10. Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead Shall the dead arise and praise thee As if he had sayd These sorrows will bring me to my grave or in the language of Job On my eye-lids is the shadow of death Till wee enjoy a life beyond the reach of all sorrows wee shall not be beyond the reach of death Hence that promise Revel 21.4 God shall wipe away all teares from their eyes and there shall be no more death neyther sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more paine And as that life which hath no death in it shall have no sorrow in it so that life which is a continuall death the life of the damned is nothing else but sorrow There shall be weeping and wayling and gnashing of teeth for evermore Mat. 13.42 Their eyes shall ever weep their faces shall ever be foule with weeping and on their eye-lids the shadow of death shall dwell for ever Fourthly The hand of God being heavy upon Job he defiled his horne in the dust and fouled his face with weeping he regarded neyther the beauty of his face nor the dignity of his condition all was nothing to him Learne from it Great afflictions take off our respect to the World and all worldly things What is honour What is Gold or Silver What is a goodly House What is a beautifull Wife and pleasant Children What are fine cloathes or a faire face in a day of sorrow or in the approaches of death Spirituals are highest prized when we are lowest Grace shines clearest in worldly darknesse but the light of worldly enjoyments is darknesse to us and that vvhich some esteeme as a Sun is but a
lives in any knowne sinne unrepented of Secondly That which is unquiet and unsetled about the pardon of those sins which we have repented of We should get both these evil consciences but especially the first cured and removed by the sprinkling of the blood of Christ before we draw nigh to God in prayer as also our bodies washed in pure water which is either an allusion to the old Ceremonies among the Jewes who before they came to worship at the Tabernacle purged themselves with diverse outward washings leading them to the consideration of that morall puritie both of heart and life in which God is to be worshipped or it is an allusion to Baptisme in speciall in which there is an externall washing of the body signifying the washing of the soule by the blood of Christ and by the effectuall working of the spirit The sum of all is unlesse the person be pure his prayer is not pure These are the ingredients which constitute pure prayer all these met in Job and therefore he concluded not onely confidently but truely My prayer is pure And as these are the ingredients of prayer so they are all necessary ingredients so necessary that if any one of them be wanting the whole prayer is impure They are necessary by a double necessity First As commanded by God in prayer Secondly As meanes without which man cannot attaine his end in prayer The generall end of prayer is that prayer may be heard accepted and answered God heares accepts answers no one prayer without some concurrence of all these The Incense of the Ceremoniall Law was a shadow of prayer which is so great a duty of the morall Law But if this Incense had not been made exactly according to the will of God both for the matter and the manner of the composition prescribed Exod. 30.34 35 36. If after it had been thus made it had not also been offered according to those rules given Levit. 16.12 13. it had been an abomination to the Lord or as the Prophet Isaiah speaks Chap. 66.3 Such a burning of Incense had been but as the blessing of an Idol We may conclude also That if prayer be either composed or presented in any other way then God himselfe hath directed it is not onely turned away but turned into sin That man hath spoken a great word who can say in Jobs sense My prayer is pure Thus Job justifies the prayer he made to God and mainetaines his justice towards men There is no injustice in my hands also my prayer is pure A high profession yet in the next words he goes higher and makes both an imprecation against himselfe if it were not thus with him and an appeale to God for his testimony that it was thus with him JOB CHAP. 16. Vers 18 19. O Earth cover not thou my blood and let my cry have no place Also now behold my witnesse is in Heaven and my record is on high JOB having with much confidence asserted the integrity of his heart and the righteousnesse of his way both towards God and Man confirmes what he had thus confidently asserted by a double Argument First By a vehement imprecation Vers 18. O earth cover not thou my blood and let my cry have no place Secondly By a free appeale an appeale to God himselfe Vers 19. Also now behold my witnesse is in Heaven and my record is on high He shewes the necessity of this appeale Vers 20. My Freinds scorne me therefore I am constrained to goe to God When men have done us wrong and will not doe us right it is both time and duty to appeale to God Upon this ground Job appeales Est juramenti deprecatorii forma quo asseverat nullius sibi iniquitatis consâ—ium esse Aben. Ezra and he concludes according to our translation his appeale with a passionate yet holy wish Vers 21. O that one might plead for a man with God as a man pleadeth for his Neighbour The reason both of his appeale and wish is given us further Vers 22. he looked on himselfe as a man standing upon the very confines of death the Grave was ready for him therefore hee beggs that this businesse might be dispatched and his integrity cleared before hee dyed Hee was loath to goe out of the World like a Candle burnt downe to the Socket with an ill savour He that hath lived unstained in his reputation cannot well beare it to dye with a blot and therefore he will be diligent by all due meanes to maintaine the credit which he hath got and to recover what he hath lost This was the reason of Jobs importunity discovered in these two Verses now further to be opened Vers 18. O earth cover not thou my blood and let my cry have no place There are two branches of this imprecation or rather these make two distinct imprecations The first in these words O earth cover not thou my blood The second in these Let my cry have no place Job engages all upon the truth of what he had sayd being willing that his worst might be seen and his best not heard if he had not spoken truth O earth cover not thou my blood Poeticum sane patheticum in dolore aut re alia gravissima res mutas mortuasve omni sensu audituque carentes testes auditores compellare Job speaks pathetically or as some render him Poetically while he bespeakes the earth and makes the inanimate creature his hearer The sacred Pen-men doe often turne their speech to the Heavens and to the Earth Thus Moses Deut. 32.2 in the Preface of his Sermon his last Sermon to that people Give eare O yee Heavens and I will speak and hear O earth the words of my mouth So the Prophet Isaiah Chap. 1.2 Heare O Heavens and give eare O Earth I have nourished and brought up Children and they have rebelled against me God speaks to that which hath no eares to heare eyther to reprove those who have eares but heare not or to raise up and provoke their attention in hearing Thus Job O earth c. as if the earth were able to take his complaint and returne an answer as if the earth were able to make inquisition and bring in a verdict about his blood O earth cover not thou my blood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 texit operuit abscondit The word signifies not onely common but a twofold metaphoricall covering First Covering by way of dissimulation to dissemble a matter is to cover a matter In that sense Solomon speakes Prov. 12.16 A fooles wraâ—h is presently knowne but a prudent man covereth shame that is He dissembleth his wrath or his anger he will not let it alway break forth for that would be a shame to him Secondly The word signifies to cover by forgetfulnesse That which is not remembred is hid or covered Eccles 6.4 He commeth in with vanity speaking of man and departeth in darknesse and his name shall be covered with darknesse that
spoke my conscience and the truth The Jewes accused Christ falsely yet called for his blood upon their heads therefore God gave them their wicked wish and they lye under the weight of this imprecation to this very day they prayed that the blood of Christ might be upon them and it is upon them As God poures the blood of Christ upon some in mercy so upon others in wrath The blood of Christ is upon Beleevers to wash and cleanse them from their sins but the blood of Christ hath been upon the Jewes to condemne and scatter them as a vile people all the World over for their sin The Lord hath been most exact in answering this cry even in the very place where they made it The History of the Jewes reports that about thirty eight years after this dreadfull curse upon themselves Herod called the Jewes together and demanded a summ of Money of them for making a water-course which they refusing to give he sent for Souldiers to come secretly armed who slew great multitudes of them in that place where they cryed Let his blood be upon us c. At another time Florus who was Generall of the Common Souldiers made a second and that a more bloody massacre of them there And when Jerusalem was taken by Vespasian the blood of Christ was powred upon the heads of many hundred thousands who were slaine by Fire and Sword Famine and Pestilence besides more then seven thousand of them who were led Captive And the Story informes us further that Caesar sold the younger and common sort of those Captives at that contemptible rate of thirty a penny as they or their Fathers sold Christ for thirty pence so by the just judgement of God thirty of them were sold for a penny There was never any people in the World who tasted more justly or more deeply of that cup of self-cursing then the Jews have done yet many persons have tasted deeply of it too besides the Jewes This sin hath so much not only of wickednesse but boldnesse in it that God never lets it goe altogether unpunished though being repented of it may be pardoned Master Perkins in his Booke of the right government of the tongue touching upon this point tels us of certaine English Souldiers in the time of King Edward the sixth who were cast upon the French shore by a storme in which stresse they went to prayer that they might be delivered but one Souldier in stead of praying cryed out Gallowes take thy right or claime thy due and when hee came home he was hanged indeed Master Fox in his Booke of Acts and Monuments hath a notable example to this purpose of one John Peters Keeper of Newgate who was wont at every ordinary thing he spoke whether it were true or false it made with him no great matter to averr it with this imprecation if it be not so I pray God I may rot before I dye and so it came to passe I might give many such instances of rash imprecations which God hath followed with severest vengeance I shall add one more which is fresh in the memory of many yet living of a Gentleman of quality a Knight Sir Gervaise Ellowayes that suffered at the Tower-hill about the death of Sir Thomas Overburie who confessed it was just with God that hee should undergoe that ignominious death for oft in Gaming sayd he I have used this wish I pray God I be hanged if it be not so I wil conclude this point with a neerer instance A Woman who accidentally came into the Congregation while this word was Preached did afterwards by writing certifie me that shee being convinced in conscience of her sin in wishing evill upon her selfe thereby to cover a sin which shee had committed but denyed did feele the sad effects of it according to her wish begging earnest prayers that it might be forgiveâ— her and that God would be entreated to take off his hand Let those wretches heare and feare and doe no more so presumptuously who feare not to wish The Devill take them and God damne them lest indeed God let the Devill loose upon them and take them at their word And here it may be observed that such as are most guilty are most apt to imprecate vengeance upon themselves that they may appeare guiltlesse They have no way left to perswade others that they are good or have not done evill but by wishing evill to themselves Such is the stupidity of a misled conscience that when it is deepest in sin it dares defie Gods justice to gaine an opinion among men of its owne innocency O earth cover not thou my bloood More particularly Observe Great sins bloody sins especially this sin of shedding innocent blood shall not passe undiscovered God will give a tongue to the earth he will make speechlesse creatures speak rather then blood shall be concealed Blood may be concealed a long time but blood shall not alwayes be concealed Gen. 4.7 What hast thou done The voyce of thy Brethers blood cryeth to me from the ground The blood had no voyce and the ground was silent blood hath no more voyce of its owne then water hath or then a Fish that lives in the water hath these did not speake formally but the Lord speakes thus to shew that hee will certainely bring bloody sins chiefely the sin of blood to light The justice of God in all Ages hath sent out his Writ of enquirie after bloody men and for the blood of the innocent Psal 9.12 When he maketh inquisition for blood he remembreth them he forgetteth not the cry of the poore But doth not the Lord make inquisition for all sin Or is there any sin that God doth not enquire after Surely no there was never any sin committed in the World but the Lord inquired hath after it sin shal not be lost God wil finde it out and keep it upon record But when it is sayd God makes inquisition for blood it argues the greatnesse of that sin For while that act of God which extendeth to every sin is appropriated to some one particular sin it is an argument that God takes speciall noâ—ice of it or that it is a very provoking sin Though God makes inquisition for all sin yet as if he would let all other sins passe unsought and un enquired after it is sayd onely of this sin that he makes inquisition for it we finde not the like expression about any other particular sin in all the Book of God though it be a truth that hee enquires for all sin Thirdly Observe O earth cover not thou my blood Innocency feares no discovery Come who will Angels from Heaven Devils from Hell Men on Earth let all creatures be summoned into one Jury of grand Inquest an innocent person will neyther run nor hide his head for it He whose heart beares witnesse with him feares no witnesse that can be brought against him While conscience acquits the matter is not much who accuseth
with God Secondly That God would judge the Sonne of man in respect of his Neighbour In the former he petitions for mercy with God in the latter for right against man or in the former he sues for a judgement of acceptation for himselfe and in the latter for a judgement of reproofe and redargution upon his friends This difference is grounded upon the different construction of the vvords in the originall For the word which is rendred to plead or judge is construed with or governs as gramarians speake the Dative case in the first and the Accusative case in the latter clause of the verse Hence the former is rendred That he would judge or plead for a man with God which notes favour and a benigne defence or patronage of his cause with God so this is used by the Prophet Isai 11.4 He shall reprove argue judge or plead with equity for the meeke of the earth that is he shall reprove or plead in favour of the meeke or on their side he shall undertake their cause and make their defence for them And thus at last God did judge or plead for Job giving sentence in his behalfe and casting the scales on his side against his friends and therefore the latter clause is rendred thus That he would judge the Sonne of man in respect of his Neighbour that is that he would reprehend and reprove him for the wrongs vvhich he hath donâ— to and for the uncharitable censures vvhich he hath layd upon his Neighbour The meaning of the whole verse according to this translation may be represented and paraleld in that prayer of David Psal 35.1 2 3. Plead my cause O Lord with them that strive with me fight against them that fight against me c. say unto my soule I am thy salvation Thus Job as David desires the Lord to speake a word of comfort to him and to tell his enemies or his uncomfortable friends their owne I shall only leave one observation upon this exposition When Christ comes gratiously to assert the innocency of his owne people he will severely rebuke those who have done them wrong Laban had given Jacob hard usage vvhile he was a Servant in his House and when he was gone Laban persued him vvith hard thoughts but God pleaded for Jacob and rebuked Laban Gen. 31.42 the Prophet foretels That the mountaine of the Lords house shall be established in the top of the mountaines that is he vvill not only deliver but advance his oppressed Church The house of the God of Jacob Isai 21.2 3. and when he doth this He shall judge among the Nations and shall rebuke many people Vers 4. Some have observed the same difference in these latter words of Isay which hath been noted in the text of Job and render it thus He shall judge among the Nations that is the Heathen Nations who have vexed his Church And he shall rebuke or plead it is the same word in the Grammaticall construction as here in Job For or in the behalfe of many people that is for many of his owne people who have been opposed by those Nations the effect whereof wee have in the next words And they shall beate their swords into plow-shares that is God will so judge those Nations that his people shall not need to stand upon their guard or learne warr any more because their enemies shall either be turned to them or be totally overturned woe to the Nations when God stands up for his people he will certainly ruine Babylon when he undertakes the controversie and pleades the cause of Zion Yea the day hastens when he will Convince all that are ungodly of all the hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him Jud. vers 15. that is against his people for his sake Fourthly Besides these three expositions of the Text I finde another which is more litterall and yet more spiritual then any of the three and it is that which our late learned Annotators have given us Mine eye powres out teares unto God And he will plead for a man with God and the Sonne of man for his friend The mind of which translation is this He that is Christ Jesus the Mediatour betweene God and man will plead for a man that is for me he speakes in the third person for modesties sake though he meanes himselfe he will plead for me though you plead never so much against me for me I say he will plead with God that is with God his Father the Hebrew word here used for God is in the singular number Eloah not Elohim and so it is in the close of the former verse Mine eye powreth out teares to Eloah God and he will plead with God which more then intimates a distinct personalitie or subsistence in the divine nature One who is and is called God acting towards another who is and is called God though God be but one or unissimus One-most in nature Job weepes to God the Son in assurance that he will plead for him with God the Father He will plead for a man with God And the Son of man that is Jesus Christ whom he called God before he cals now The Sonne of man this Title is frequently attributed unto Christ in the New-Testament Matth. 8.20 The Foxes have holes c. but the Sonne of man hath not where to lay his head so Matth. 10.23.11.19.12.8 c Jesus Christ is called the Sonne of man First to shew the truth of his humane nature he being lineally descended from David according to the flesh and is therefore styled The Sonne of David Secondly to shew the depth of his abasement Christ humbled yea emptyed and nothing'd himself when Being in the forme of God he was made in the likenesse of men Phil. 2. when being the Sonne of God he submitted to so meane a style The Sonne of man Ezekiel amongst all the Prophets is oftenest called Son of man The reason which some assigne is very probable That God spake to him under that Title to keep him humble in the midst of his many visions and revelations for which end Paul in the same case had A I horne in the flesh the Messenger of Satan to buffet him 2 Cor. 12. and though Jesus Christ needed nothing either to make or keepe him humble he being infinitely beyond the reach of pride yet he needed much to shew and give proofe how humble he was Nor could there be any greater evidence of it then this that he was pleased to be The Sonne of man Yet I conceive Son of man may be here only an Hebraisme denoting man which kinde of speaking is also usuall among the the Greekes And that Job might speake of Christ under this notion is cleare from that faith which he discovered in the mysterie of his incarnation that great mysterie of godlines God manifested in the flesh of which he spake so confidâ—ntly Chap. 19.25 26 27. I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter
Christ his being a Paraclete or an Advocate and the spirits being an Advocate John 16.7 If I goe not away saith Christ the Comforter or the Advocate will not come unto you that is The holy Ghost will not come unto you One Advocate goeth away that the other Advocate may come Christ is an Advocate by way of impetration the spirit is Advocate by way of application Christ is an Advocate vvith God to get mercy for us the spirit is an Advocate with us to prevaile on our hearts to receive that mercy Though Christ be our Advocate in Heaven pleading for us with the Father yet if we had not the spirit to plead in our hearts on earth we â—ould never receive the good that Christ hath purchased for us of his Father Christ appeares for us in Heaven Heb. 9.24 He appeares as an Atturney in Court for his Client he is gone to Heaven to appeare for us the spirit comes from Heaven and appeares in us Christ began the worke of his intercession here John 17. Hee is gone into Heaven to continue and perfect it The spirit doth both begin and perfect his intercession here he doth not plead for us but in us or the spirit makes intercession for us by stirring us up to prayer by teaching us how to word and mould or rather how to sigh and groane our prayers Christ makes intercession for us by presenting and tendering those prayers to the Father which the spirit helpes us to make or by making prayers for us himselfe to the Father Some dispute how they inquire much after the manner how Christ makes intercession or performes the office of an Advocate for us but it is enough for us to know that hee is an Advocate or that he makes intercession for us though we are not able to describe the manner how Whether it be First Onely by presenting himselfe to the Father and his appearing for us which is an equivalent if not a formall intercession Or secondly By the tendering of his righteousnesse and merits as satisfaction to the Father Or thirdly By expressing our wants and his desires for us Whether by all these or by which of these or whether by some other way is not determinable by us yet this is cleare that he performes the office of an Advocate for us and that we receive every good thing from the hand of God through his hand Further Christ may be considered First As an Advocate for the whole Church There are some causes of common concernement to all the people of God Thus he was an Advocate for Jerusalem when under bonds and captivity in Babylon Zech. 1.12 Then the Angell of the Lord not a created but the creating Angell or the Angel of the Covenant who is the Son of God answered and sayd O Lord of Hosts how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the Cities of Judah against which thou hast had indignation these three score and ten yeares And as Christ pleads for the whole Church so for every particular member of the Church and that also under a twofold notion He is Advocate first to take away our sins If any man sin saith the Apostle John 1 Epist 2.1 we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous c. Secondly Christ is an Advocate for us with the Father in our sufferings and troubles to get them taken off from us or sanctified to us Doubtlesse Job made use of Christ continually as an Advocate to take off the guilt of sin yet here he makes use of Christ as an Advocate to get off his sufferings especially these misjudgings of his Freinds who deeply censured and aspersed him because of his sufferings yea a Beleever makes use of Christ as an Advocate to get any good thing whether little or great whether for soule or for body as much as he doth for the removing of any evill whether of sin or trouble Secondly Observe The Doctrine of a Mediator betweene God and Man was knowne and beleeved in the World long before Christ came into the World Many saw Christ by Faith before he was seene in the flesh Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seene Heb. 1.1 And as it is the evidence of things so of persons that are not seen Christ tells the Jewes John 8.56 Your Father Abraham rejoyced to see my day and he saw it and was glad And when the Jewes quarrelled at this Thou art not yet fifty yeares old and hast thou seen Abraham Jesus sayd unto them Verily verily I say unto you before Abraham was I am As Abraham saw his day by Faith so David in spirit called him Lord Mat. 22.43 And as these persons with all the holy Elders saw Christ by Faith in the promise so the whole Ceremoniall Law was a representation of Christ to faith by sense Every slaine Sacrifice spake the death of Christ and the sprinkling of that blood the sprinkling of their consciences and ours for the remission of sins Yea They did all eate the same spirituall meat that is the same which we now eate and did all drinke the same spirituall drinke for they dranke of that spirituall Rock that followed them and least we should mistake what was meant by that Rock the Apostle expounds it himselfe And that Rock was Christ The Rock did not follow them but Christ who was signified by that Rock did follow them They who are built upon Christ the Rock shall never be moved yet Christ is a moving as well as a living Rock to those who are built upon him whither soever they move he follows them Thus Jesus Christ was meate and drinke to the Jewes as well as to us for he is the Lamb slaine from the foundation of the World Revel 13.8 that is The vertue ot his death saved all who have been saved from the foundation of the World As Christ was slaine from Eternity in the counsell of God so he was slaine from the beginning of time in the promise of God Gen. 3.15 which was the publication of his death he was then also slaine as to the heart of Beleevers whose Faith having once a word for it makes that which is absent in regard of place spiritually present and that which is not in regard of time truely to be Thirdly Observe The Mediatour betweene God and man hath beene knowne and beleeved in all Ages under a twofold nature both God and Man We have both in this profession of Jobs Faith He beleeved the Mediatour to be God for he saith Mine eye powreth teares to God There is the divine nature He beleeved that the Mediatour should be man and therefore adds The Son of man for his freind there is his humane nature so that not onely the generall Doctrine of the mediatorship of Christ but this particular about the constitution of his person as Mediator was also knowne Had not our Advocate been man he could not have suffered for us and had hee
not been God he could not have satisfied for us These points of Gospel Catechisme are so necessary and fundamentall that in every Age Beleevers have in some measure been instructed about them And whereas the Apostle saith 1 Tim. 2.5 There is one Mediatour betweene God and men or of God and men the man Christ Jesus He doth not add man to exclude the Divine nature from the Mediatorship but emphatically to demonstrate that nature in which he gave himselfe a ransome for us of which he speakes in the next Verse For though the ransome was paid by him who is God or had a divine nature yet it was paid in the Manhood or humane Nature onely The humane ture was the matter of our ransome but from the Divine nature gave worth and value to it Further Job speakes with much confidence and assurance both of Christs willingnesse to undertake his cause and of the successe or good issue of his cause if once Christ did but undertake it He will plead for a man with God Hence Observe Fourthly Christ is very ready to speake for and plead the cause of poore sinners before God his Father He will doe it saith Job Christ is easie to be entreated hee is found of those that seek him not then surely hee will be found of those that seek him His promise is John 6.37 Him that commeth unto me I will in no wise cast out As if hee had sayd Whatsoever I doe I will not doe this And when he saith he will not doe this his meaning is that he will doe much more for them then the not doing of this comes to hee will readily receive their persons and undertake their suites though they have no Fee to give him nothing to move him but the need they have of him Fifthly Observe Christ is a powerfull and an effectuall Mediatour with the Father He carries the day he is a prevailing Mediatour Christ is such a Physitian that no man ever dyed under his hand and he is such an Advocate that no mans cause ever miscarryed under his hand The Arminians maintaine a propitiation made or a Sacrifice offered by Christ for all yet they dare not say it is effectuall for all but the intercession of Christ in their opinion is effectuall for all Christ dyed say they for those that hee doth not save but Christ prayeth for none but those that shall be saved They are not for universall Intercession though they are for an universall Sacrifice or propitiation and their reason is because they cannot deny but many shall perish for ever which yet they could not did Christ but pray for them We beleeve that his Sacrifice is as effectuall as his Intercession and that therefore he dyed for none but those for whom he prayes his Intercession being for the drawing out and bringing home the benefit of his Sacrifice to those and to all those for whom he offered himselfe to God But to the point in hand The Arminian who leaves the death of Christ in the hand of mans free will assisted onely by generall Grace to make it effectuall to himselfe or not he I say asserts the Intercession of Christ not onely sufficient but effectuall for all in whose behalfe he intercedes So that we are sure all shall goe well with us in the Court of Heaven while we have Christ our Advocate with the Father And that we may have fulnesse of confidence to come to God by Christ let us consider these five things First Christ is most wise to mannage our cause so wise that he is the wisedome of the Father If we had an Advocate at the Barr furnisht with as much wisedome as the Judge it were a great step to obtaine in a right suite Secondly Christ is an eloquent Advocate a powerfull Orator As the Lord hath given him the tongue of the learned that he should know how to speake a word in season to him that is weary Isa 54.4 So he hath a learned tongue to speake a word for him that is weary Christ is the Essentiall word and the flower of all declarative words is with him when he spake on earth he spake with authority Matth. 7.29 All wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth Luke 4.24 Yea his hearers somewhere testifie never spake man as this man speaketh And as no man ever spake like him to man so no man ever spake like him to God Thirdly Christ is a faithfull Advocate his intercession is a part of his Priestly office wee have a faithfull high Priest saith the Apostle therefore a faithfull Advocate He will never eyther desert our cause or betray it he is as sure to us as our owne soules yea hee and the soules of his are one Fourthly Christ is a mercifull Advocate hee layes our cause to heart our cause is his cause Hee hath espoused the Interests of his people and doth all for us upon his owne account When Saints are persecuted we may tell him that he is persecuted and that hee is afflicted when they are The Church may plead with Christ to plead for the removing of her sufferings under the title of his sufferings he being the head of the Church and the Church being his body Christ is as a faithfull so a mercifull high Preist Heb. 2.17 and the Apostle saith That in all things it behoved him to be like his brethren that he might be so Christ had an ability of sufficiency to be mercifull to us as God though hee had never been made like unto us by becomming man but hee had not that ability as some speake of Idoneity or fitnesse to be mercifull His being made like unto us hath given him a double Idoneity for the tendernesse of his heart towards us First In that he himselfe hath suffered being tempted Heb. 2.18 His passions in the flesh were great Secondly In that himselfe suffers still in all our temptations his compassions with our flesh are great Now an Advocate who eyther hath had an experience of trouble in his owne person or is full of the sense of his Clients trouble and feeles his smart will certainely doe his utmost to releeve him because in his releife himselfe is releeved also Fifthly Christ is the Favorite of the Judge it is a great advantage to have one pleading for us at the Barr who is in favour with the Bench Christ is highly in favour with the Bench God hath testified from Heaven This is my wel-beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Matth. 3.17 The Judge is our Advocates Freind and Father Lastly That we may be further assured that he will doe his utmost for us Our Advocate calls us his Freinds As the Judge is his Freind before whom he pleads so every Saint is his Freind for whom hee pleads Some will doe more for freindship then for a Fee We know it is so with Jesus Christ he pleads for his people because they are his Freinds This Job makes use of here Hee
going to the grave and when we have stept over or scrambled out of one grave wee may quickly slip into another and be locked in fast enough Lastly Take this from the whole by way of Correllary It is our wisedome to stand alwayes ready for death and the grave for they stand ready for us Ours is a dying life a decaying strength ours are consuming dayes our dayes cannot be many possibly they will be but very few for ought wee know the grave is now ready for us and wee are sure it is a digging and preparing for us Therefore let us be digging in the Word of life that we may be ready to meet and welcome death and the grave which are so ready for us The graves are ready for me Job proceeds to re-inforce the cause of his appeale Vers 2. Are there not mockers with me And doth not mine eye continue in their provocation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a illusit derisit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Formula jurisjurandi huic linguae familiaris Merc. Dispeream nisi amici mei studeant mihi imponere Vatabl. Master Broughton translates by way of affirmation Surely mockers are bestowed on me We by way of Question Are there not mockers with me Yes there are mockers with me Some read it as the forme of an Oath It is familiar in the Hebrew to use such formes of swearing and imprecating so the words are rendred by a learned Interpreter Let me perish if my freinds are not mockers if they goe not about to delude me Job spake this a little before My freinds scorne me Chap. 16.20 Here he is at it againe Are there not mockers with me I finde three words applyed by Job to his Freinds while he reproves this their unfreindly usage 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The first Chap. 12.4 there he useth a word which signifieth to mock with derision 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word Chap. 16.19 notes them such as mocked with wit and jesting The word here used signifies to mock by deceiving or deluding as if his Freinds had carryed matters with him more like Sophisters then Comforters So the word is applyed Gen. 31.7 Jacob tels Leah and Rachell You know that with all my power I have served your Father Laban and your Father hath deceived me and changed my wages ten times that is He thought by changing my wages to deceive me and get all the stronger Cattell to himselfe When Moses went out upon the request of Pharaoh to sue unto the Lord for the removing of a present plague Moses sayd Behold I goe out from thee and I will intreat the Lord that the swarmes of flies may depart from Pharaoh from his Servants and from his people to morrow but let not Pharaoh deale deceitfully any more Exod. 8.29 as if he had sayd You have mocked me two or three times and said you would let the people goe doe not so any more lest your deceiving of my expectation prove the greatest deceit of your owne The deluding Doctors which some delighted in are exprest by this word Isa 30.9 This is a rebellious people lying children children that will not heare the Law of the Lord They did not love the Law of the Lord What then which say to the Seers see not and to the Prophets prophesie not unto us right things speake unto us smooth things prophesie deceits The wickednesse of that people lay in two things eyther they would have the Prophets silent and not speak at all or if they did speak they must Prophesie deceits They loved to be cozoned truth made them smart and they could not abide it A guilty conscience cannot endure plaine words but it loves smooth words as many as you will of these words say they or else not a word eyther prophesie deceit or cease prophecying Here Job complaines Are there not deceivers with me As if he had sayd You tell me you bring the minde of God but you bring false Doctrine you preach deceit Though we cannot say they preached smooth things to Job they spake hardly enough of him and harshly enough to him yet we may say they preached deceitfull things to him for though they did not speake with an intention to deceive him yet they were deceived in speaking and he had been deceived if he had yeelded to what they spake In which sense Job cals them which one would think he had little reason to doe considering how roughly they dealt with him he I say cals them Flatterers at the sixth Verse of this Chapter And what 's the businesse or chiefe designe of Flatterers but to catch others with words or to deceive them into a complyance with their owne ends And this is often and was in this case the end Finis operis finis operantis distinguuntur or tendency of the action when it is not the end or intention of the Agent From this notion of the word Observe First To be among Deceivers is a great misery Secondly To be a Deceiver is a great sin Thirdly To publish that which is false though there be no intendment to deceive is to be a Deceiver As most are ignorantly deceived so there are some ignorant Deceivers and as some thinke what they doe to be very just and that it is their duty to doe it when indeed it is very sinfull so there are some who thinke what they teach to be very true and that it is their duty to teach it when indeed it is very erroneous There are but few who know they are Deceivers when they are now as that Servant which knew his Lords will but did not according to his will shall be beaten with may stripes and yet he who knew it not and did commit things worthy of stripes shall not escape a beating he shall be beaten with few stripes Luke 12.47 48. So he that knowes the truth of God and yet deceives others with false Doctrine shall be beaten with many stripes and he who not knowing the truth deceives others shall not escape unbeaten or unblamed as Jobs Freinds did not Non peccavi Vulg. q. d. innocens heu morior Quandoquidem non sunt ludificationes apud me Jun. There is another reading of this first clause differing from ours Are there not mockers with me The Vulgar thus I have not sinned A second to the same sense thus For as much as there are no mockings or deceivings with me I am a man who deals plainely and simply The word which we translate Mockers as noting a Person is rendered by the act and that negatively There are no mockings with me that is I use no mockings or no false play as I am accused I have spoken my heart nakedly and clearly And yet mine eye continueth in their provocation therefore lay downe now put mee in a surety with thee c. Vers 3. This is a good reading but I will not stay upon it onely take two briefe Notes from it A good man is upright hearted
up Zerubbabel and others of the Jewish line to reassume the Government of Judah But this Prophesie was chiefely intended and verified in a spirituall sense when God sent Jesus Christ A Governour proceeding from the midst of them of whom Zerubbabel was but a type for of him the Lord speakes chiefely in this admiring Question Who is this that engageth his heart to approach â—nto me Or who is this that with his heart that is with so much chearefulnesse and willingnesse hath put himselfe as a surety for this people with me to approach to me in their cause and to take upon him the dispatch of all their affaires and concernments with me in the Court of Heaven Who is this great this forward Engager but he who also sayd Loe I come to doe thy will O God What will came he to doe Even this To be a Surety and so a Sacrifice to God for sinners Heb. 10. Thus the whole businesse of our deliverance and the first motions to it lay quite without us God appointed and put in Christ our surety with him and Christ freely condiscended to be our surety knowing that the whole debt must lye upon his discharge Put me in a surety with thee But here it may be doubted how this notion of a Surety suites with this place seeing Jobs controversie was with man not with God and himselfe also had professed that all was cleare for him in Heaven I answer That although men accused Job yet their accusation reacht his peace with God for had he been such a one as they represented him he must needs have fallen under the divine displeasure more then he did under theirs And therefore while he pleaded Not-guilty to their charge he beggs further discoveries of the favour of God to him through the Mediatour by the remembrance of whose Suretiship his heart was confirmed in the pardon of all his sinfull faylings against God vvhereof he was guilty as well as his heart told him that hee was not guilty of those wilfull sins wherewith hee was accused by men When we lye under wrongfull accusations of which we indeed need no surety to acquit us it is good to view and renew our Interest in the Surety who will acquit us where there is need Job proceeeds to re-inforce the reason why he desired God to undertake or to provide a Surety for him Vers 4. Thou hast hid their heart from understanding therefore shalt thou not exalt them Or Thou hast hid understanding from their heart As if he had sayd Thou hast cast such a mist before the eyes of these men who mocke me and judge me wicked that they are unfit to be trusted with the determination of my cause for did they not want a due light of understanding they might quickly discerne my integrity and cleare me from their owne suspitions God sometimes as it were wraps or folds up the hearts of the Children of men in ignorance blindnesse and darknesse and so hides not onely understanding from their hearts but their hearts from understanding As God is sayd to circumcize the heart to open the eyes to take away the vaile when he gives the knowledge of his truth so he is sayd to blinde the eyes to cover the heart with fat and to cloud the understanding vvhen hee denyes or withholds the knowledge of the truth Thou hast hid their hearts from understanding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Est mens ratio intellectus dexteritas in agendâ— The vvord which we translate Vnderstanding signifies any of or all the intellectuall powers together with a readinesse or activity for dispatch in any service we are called unto Thou hast hid their heart from understanding therefore they doe but bungle at the businesse and cannot judge aright they cannot discerne the manner of thy dispensations towards me nor see the bottome of my condition Job did not censure his Freinds as fooles or ignorant as if they were witlesse or worthlesse men they were wise and learned yea honest and godly too But when Job saith Thou hast hid their heart from understanding we are to restraine it to the matter in hand or to his particular case As if he had sayd Thou hast hid the understanding of what thou hast done to me from their hearts thy providences are mysteries and riddles which they cannot unfold and as they know not the meaning of what thou dost so they know not my meaning when I sayd Chap. 9.17 He hath multiplyed my wounds without cause Nor vvhen I sayd Vers 22. He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked These sayings are secrets to my Freinds Now Lord for as much as these men have no true insight in this present controversie therefore I begg that thou wouldest undertake for me or put me in a surety with thee Further For the clearing of this Scripture it may be questioned First how God is sayd to hide the heart from understanding God doth this foure wayes First By speaking darkely or in such a manner as the understanding cannot easily finde a passage to the things that are spoken A Parable is a darke saying And when Christ Preached in Parables His Disciples came and sayd unto him Why speakest thou to them in Parables Matth. 13.10 Now among other reasons which Christ was pleased to give of that dispensation this was one Vers 14. In them is fulfilled the Prophesie of Isaiah which saith By hearing yee shall heare and shall not understand and seeing yee shall see and shall not perceive As if Christ had sayd These men have justly deserved to be punished with spirituall darknesse which is not Vnderstanding and therefore I have spoken to them in a darke way They did not heare to obey vvhat was plaine and easie to be understood and therefore now they shall heare what they cannot understand Secondly God hides the heart from understanding by denying or not giving light and that a twofold light First The outward light of his word Thus all those people are sayd to sit in darknesse that is To have no understanding in the things of God where the Gospell is not published Secondly By denying or not giving the inward light of his spirit though the light of the World abound For as a man may have the Sun shining in his face and yet be in the darke if he wants eyesight So as the Apostle speakes 2 Cor. 4.3 4. the Gospell is hid in the most glorious shining of it to those whose mindes the God of this World hath blinded Now every man is borne spiritually blinde or he is blinde by nature and he is blinded by the God of this Worlds till the God of all Worlds sends his spirit with the Word for the opening of his eyes Thirdly God hides the heart from understanding as by not giving so by vvithdrawing the light vvhich he hath given Many have forfeited their eye-sight and their light and God hath taken the forfeiture of them Which he doth first when men are proud of the
from the King of Moab the misery which fell upon the Moabites by that Warr was put into Verse and passed into a Proverbe Numb 21.27 28 29 30. Wherefore they that speake in Proverbs say Come into Heshbon let the City of Sihon be built and prepared For there is a fire gone out of Heshbon a flame from the City of Sihon c. That is A feirce hot Warr is made which hath consumed Ar of Moab and the Lords of the high places of Arnon Holy David met with this measure from men in the day of his sorrowes Psal 69.10 11. When I wept and chastned my soule with fasting that was to my reproach I made sack-cloath my Garment I became a Proverbe or a By-word 't is Jobs language to them In the next Verse he tels us who did this by way of distribution They that sit in the Gate that is Great ones speake against me and I was the song of the Drunkard that is Of the common sort When those false Prophets Ahab and Zedekiah who to put the Jewes into a hope of a speedy returne from their Captivity in Babylon prophesied the speedy ruine of Babylon it selfe when I say those false Prophets should be cruelly put to death by the command of the King of Babylon according to the Prediction of the Prophet Jeremiah then the same Prophet foretels also that this judgement of God upon them for their lyes should be made a By-word and their names a curse Jer. 29.21 22. And of them shall be taken up a curse Plagae Zedikiae tangant te sit frater servus Zedekiae Vatabl. by all the Captivity of Judah which are in Babylon saying The Lord make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab whom the King of Babylon rosted in the fire That signall Victory of Gideon over the Midianites became a Proverbe in Israel Isa 9.4 As in the day of Midian And the Lord promises his people that the fall of the King of Babylon shall be so notorious that they shall take up this Proverbe and say How hath the oppressor ceased The golden City ceased Isa 14.4 The Prophet Habakkuk assured them that this should be while he sayd Chap. 2.6 Shall not all these certainely they shall take up a Parable against him and say Woe to him that encreaseth that which is not bis how long And to him that ladeth himselfe with thicke clay Secondly Observe It is a great burden to be made a disgracefull by-word â—hus God threatned his owne people and numbered it among the sorest punishments of their disobedience Deut. 28. 37. The Lord shall bring thee and thy King whom thou hast set over thee to a Nation whom thou nor thy Fathers have knowne and there thou shalt serve other Gods Wood and Stone and thou shalt become an astonishment and a Proverbe and a by-word among all the Nations whither the Lord shall lead thee This threat was renewed 1 Kings 9.7 And the Psalmist bewailes it that God had brought his people into such a condition Thou hast made us a by-word among the Heathen a shaking of the head among the people thou hast made us a reproach to our neighbours a scorne and derision to them that are round about us Psal 44.13 The Prophet Jeremiah speakes terrour from the Lord Jer. 24.9 I will deliver them to be removed to all the Kingdomes of the earth for their hurt to be a reproach and a proverbe and a taunt and a curse in all the places whither I shall drive them The Hypocrite who putteth the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face and commeth to a Prophet to enquire of the Lord hath his doome denounced in this tenour Ezek. 14.8 I will set my face against that man and make him a signe and a proverbe and cut him off from amidst my people Againe Ezek. 16.44 They that speake in proverbs shall say Such as the Mother is such is the Daughter The Hittites and the Israelites were both alike in sin and they should not be unlike in punishment Such short sentences are an advantage to memory and serve in stead of larger Histories of eminent providences whether mercies or judgements Thirdly Observe God often turnes that to the honour of his servants which men intended to their disgrace Job was a by-word in disgrace God made him a by-word too but for his honour Job is famous to a Proverbe at this day for as when wee would set forth the greatnesse of any mans suffering we say Hee is as poore as Job so when wee would set forth the greatnesse of any mans patience we say He is as patient as Job or he is another Job All the vertues In proverbium abiit Jobi patientia and graces which the Saints have manifested under sufferings are proverbially exprest under the sufferings and patience of Job Never did Caesar nor Alexander nor any of the great Hero's of the World obtaine such a Name and glory by victories over men as Job did by patient suffering under the hand of God And as hee is proverbially spoken of for his suffering so likewise for his holinesse God made his Piety a Proverbe too though his Freinds suspected him for an Hypocrite When the Lord would shew himselfe so unalterably resolved that nothing should take him off from bringing judgement upon a sinfull people he saith I will not doe it though Noah Daniel and Job stood before me Ezek 14.14 As if he had sayd I will not doe it though the most eminent men in holinesse or the greatest favorites that ever I had in the World should sue that they might be spared if any in the World could obtaine this of God Noah Daniel and Job could but they should not therefore none shall See with what honourable Names he is listed Noah and Daniel men remembred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Interpretatur antea prius i. e. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vel ante facies i. e. in conspectu hominum in oculis eorum Exemplum sum coram eis Vulg. Sumitur ver bum Tophet ut 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 portentum prodigium res mira i e. Exemplum quod dam prodigiosum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et nollet eam ignomi iae expâ—nere Bez. Graeci dicunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dicitaâ—p oscriptus publicè in cippo yea crowned with honour by God and all good men are but company good enough for Job Thou hast made me a by-word And aforetime I was as a Tabret Aforetime The word may be taken two wayes First As signifying what was or hath been done in former times in which sense we translate Aforetime or formerly I was as a Tabret Secondly As signifying what is or hath been done in the presence of others Before them I was as a Tabret Wee put in the Margin Before their face or in their sight that is They being witnesses of it I was as a Tabret The Vulgar Latine translates the word which wee render
Tabret an Example I am a by-word and an example before them which is a good sense and then the word Tophet of which more by and by is used for Mophet which signifies a wonder or some strange unusuall thing which appeares or is reported to the admiration of all beholders and hearers I am a Proverbe and a strange example Strange examples grow often into a Proverbe So the Greek expresseth it and we in English say to a man who hath offended greatly You shall be made an example that is You shall be severely punished Mat. 1.19 Joseph being very tender of the honour of Mary his espoused Wise perceiving that shee was with Childe before they came together he was loath to make her a Paradigme or an example of dishonesty and disloyalty he was unwilling to make her a publique example and therefore was minded to put her away privily till the Lord gave him warning in a dreame about it So saith Job here according to this rendring I am a by-word among the people and as it were a Paradigme a publique example Great afflictions have these three things in them in reference to others First They are a wonder to others Secondly They are a terrour to others Thirdly They are an instruction unto others Wee finde all these and more in one Verse Ezek. 5.15 So it shall be a reproach and a taunt an instruction and an astonishment unto the Nations round about thee when I shall execute judgements in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebuke I the Lord have spoken it The Apostle Peter describing the judgements of God first upon the Angels secondly upon the old World and lastly upon Sodome and Gomorah saith that God turning the Cities of Sodome and Gomorah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow making them an ensample to those that after should live ungodly 2 Pet. 2.6 The burning of those five Cities by immediate fire from Heaven made them examples or instructions to all succeeding Generations we may read the odiousnesse of those sins and the severity of God against them by the light of that fire to this very day Great afflictions are teaching afflictions Those calamities which destroy some should instruct all We are not onely to admire and wonder at them to be amazed and terrified at them but to be taught and admonished by them So the Apostle concludes concerning the severall judgements which God brought upon the Jewes while they murmured and disobeyed him in the Wildernesse All these things happened to them for examples or types and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the World are come 1 Cor. 10.11 There are two sorts of examples written in the Word First There are examples for our imitation Secondly There are examples for our caution Some are examples by the good which they have done these must be imitated others are examples by the evils which they have suffered by these we must be warned This translation of the Text intends Job an example of Caution Againe Aforetime I was as a Tabret that is Aforetime I was in good repute or I was pleasant company As if hee had sayd I am now derided mocked at and tossed upon the tongues of men yea I am now voted an Hypocrite though heretofore in my prosperity report gave a very pleasant sound of me though absent and my person was as welcome to them as a Tabret To speake of mee where I came not was musick and I was musicke wheresoever I came but now what am I A by-word musicke still if you will but in scorne a song of disgrace That 's the first sense Hence take one Observation before I proceed to further explication The affections and opinions of men are very variable I am now a By-word before time I was as a Tabret As the estates of men change so usually doe our opinions of them Jobs heart was the same as before he was as holy as ever hee was onely he was not so wealthy as he was his spirit was as full of grace as before onely his Purse was not so full of Gold as before he had not so many thousand Sheep nor so many hundred Oxen he had not such a Family and retinue such worldly riches and honour and because hee endured such a change in his condition see what a change he suffered in mens affections he that before was as a Tabret all were glad of him is now a by-word the scorne of all Christ giveth testimony of John Baptist John 5.35 He was a burning and a shining light and what followes And you rejoyced in him for a season Though John did burne and shine all the while which God continued him in the Candlestick of the Church with equall heat and lustre yet they rejoyced in him but for a while or for a season The Jewes changed their thoughts of John and their esteeme of him was weakned though John continued in the same strength of parts and gifts Then how would they have changed if John had changed The peoples hearts were flatted towards him though his abilities were not John had not that repute and honour after a few yeares which hee had at the first And the word in the Gospel which we translate to rejoyce comes neere the word which we have in this Text a Tabret for it signifies to leape and dance and the Tabret is a musicall Instrument at the sound of which men dance and leape for a time they leaped â—bout John he was a burning and shining light and they danced and skipped about him as Children doe about a blazing fire in the Streets but this was onely for a season John himselfe found the World a changling his followers kept no constant tenour towards him how constant soever his tenour was How great a change did Christ himselfe finde Hee is yesterday to day and the same for ever yet one day the Jewes cry Hosanna they will needs make him a King he had much adoe to keep himselfe from a Crowne the ayre eccoes with Blessed is he that commeth in the name of the Lord yet presently after the cry was Crucifie him crucifie him he is not worthy to live he could not keep himselfe by all his power as man from a Crosse a murtherer is preferred before him Not this man but Barrabas We read Acts 14. how suddenly the Tyde and Streame of affections turned and how opinions varyed about Paul when he and Barnabas had wrought a great cure the people came and would needs adore them and offer Sacrifice and sayd The Gods are come downe in the likenesse of men They brought Oxen and Garlands and would needs worship them there was much adoe to stave them off from Deifying or making Gods of them and yet before that Chapter is at an end their acceptation of him was at an end and Paul was stoned as unworthy the society of men by the same men and in the same place where he was saluted as a God It is no
though I will not boast of my selfe yet this I feele and speake by experience Hee that hath cleane hands shall wax Stronger and stronger 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Addet fortitudinem purus manibus sumet audaciam Sept. Is cujus vita pura est addet robur i. e. magis ac magis invalescet ut bene aget Merc. The Hebrew is He shall add strength that is Hee shall goe on from one degree of strength to another But vvhat strength shall hee add Hee meanes not bodily strength The best of Saints may loose that in the battels of affliction and grow every day weaker and weaker But hee shall add spirituall strength so the Apostle states it 2 Cor. 4.16 Though our outward man perish yet the inward man is renewed day by day The more evill a Beleever suffers the stronger he is in goodnesse and to doe good while his flesh weares off and wasts he gets new spirits hee takes heart and is more couragious as the Septuagint render Jobs text Hence Observe First Grace is of an increasing nature it growes stronger and stronger True grace lives and therefore it must needs grow The graine of Mustard-seed proves a great tree Psal 84. They goe from strength to strength or from company to company that is From one good company to another still gathering up goodnesse as they goe As the Bee goes from Flower to Flower to gather Honey so Beleevers goe from duty to duty from Ordinance to Ordinance from praying to hearing to gather grace and strength every grace hath strength and the more grace the more strength till we come to that which is strictly called Strength of grace Secondly Observe A thorow godly man doth not onely not fall from grace in time of trouble but hee increaseth and groweth in grace hee addeth strength As affliction gives a proofe of grace vvhether it be true or no so where it is true it is improved by affliction Naturalists tell us that the reason of thunder and lightening is Tanto magis integritati studebit Bez. because the heat being pent in and imprisoned by the cold of the middle Region breakes out by an Antiperistasis with terrible noyse and flashings And thus when grace is pent in by opposition persecution and affliction it enlargeth it selfe and breakes out with greater strength yea with a kinde of heavenly violence and not onely maintaines its owne but is a gainer It is sayd of the Lacedemonian Republique That vvhen all other Kingdomes were undone by Warr that onely grew rich was bettered by it Wee may say that whereas all prophane persons and Hypocrites are undone by affliction all their Paint is washed off their Varnish discovered onely true Beleevers thrive and are advantaged by it He that hath an upright heart and cleane hands growes stronger and stronger His inward man encreaseth in outward decayes It is sayd of the Israelites Exod. 1.12 that the more the Egyptians afflicted them the more they multiplyed and grew They multiplyed in number they grew in strength and stature their oppression their was addition in temporals It is so with all true Israelites in spirituals the more they are afflicted and troubled the more they increase And whereas the Lord speakes in reference to wicked men Isa 1.5 Why should you be smitten any more yee will revolt more and more The more evill men are smitten for their good the worse they are We may say on the contrary that the righteous the more they are smitten with evill the better they are yea they sometimes put wicked men to such a stopping expostulation as God makes there concerning wicked men Why should we trouble them any more They will hold fast more and more they will not be beaten off with sowre lookes and hard words no nor with our hardest blows We may trouble and weary out our selves yea and breake our owne hearts but we shall never dishearten them All Ages have given experiments of this The Apostles in the Acts rejoyced when they were threatned and were emboldned with scourging 'T is sayd of the suffering Saints Heb. 10.34 They tooke joyfully the spoyling of their goods They were glad of an opportunity to put off their worldly goods at so great a rate as a proofe of the sincerity of their graces Our goods never goe off at so high a price nor come to so good a Market as when they are spoyled in a good cause Paul tells us That many waxed confident by his bonds Phil. 1.14 They were so farr from withdrawing from the profession of the Gospell because Paul was clapt up in Prison and layd by the heeles that they were more bold to avouch it As some have been weakned and terrified by the sufferings of others so many have been confirmed and heartned they have been not onely kept from discouragement but they have waxed confident by bonds and their spirits have been at greater liberty by seeing others in Prison though they had reason enough to expect their turne would be next Exquisitior crudelitas gentium adversus Christianos illecebra est magis sectae plures efficimur quoties metimur Tertull. One of the Ancients tells us The more cunning and exact our Persecutors are the more constant and exact Beleevers are The Christians of those times grew into a kinde of artificialnesse in grace while the Heathens grew so artificiall in cruelty and the oftner they were mowed downe by the bloody Sword the more were begotten and quickned by the Word The opposition which truth and holinesse found was a provocation to owne the truth and to them a sweet temptation unto holinesse Thirdly Note When God gives new tryals he will give new strength The righteous grow stronger as their afflictions grow stronger Never feare greater tryals when you are promised greater strength If you have more burdens you shall have more shoulders Whether the Lord calls us to passive obedience or to active hee is wise and faithfull to proportion and give out suitable ability It is not from the improvements of Free-will but from the fresh annoyntings of the spirit that we are strengthned with might in the inner man Eph. 3.16 And againe Col. 1.12 We are strengthened with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long-sufferance with joyfulnesse Affliction it selfe cannot strengthen us in grace it rather weakens us the increase of strength flowes from the same Fountaine whence wee had the first strength All is from God In the Lord have we righteousnesse and strength Isa 45.24 And he is an everlasting strength the rock of Ages Isa 26.4 As he is an everlasting strength in himselfe so he is to his people And the reason why his people are everlastingly strong is because he is so Even the youths shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fall but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as Eagles they shall run and not be weary and they
hands are cleane and his heart is cleane he is cleane all over and holy all over while we call him all this we doe not call him beyond what God hath made him JOB CHAP. 17. Vers 10 11 12. But as for you all doe you returne and come now for I cannot finde one wise man among you My dayes are past my purposes are broken off even the thoughts of my heart They change the night into day the light is short because of darknesse THough Jobs Freinds had severely reproved and threatned him reproved him for his supposed sin and threatned him with further sufferings in case hee continued in sin yet did they as often counsell and encourage him counsell him to repent and returne to God encourage him with promises that God would repent and returne to him yea turne his captivity and afflictions as the Rivers in the South and that though he then was in a night of sorrow yet a morning of joy or joy in the morning should surely breake out and shine upon him Now as Job had before often and also in the former part of this Chapter supported himselfe under the weight of all their reproofes and threatnings by the power of God and the conscience of his owne integrity so he had as often before and he doth it here againe in the latter part of this Chapter cast off their promises and incouragements together with all hopes of any restauration in this life to such a flourishing outward condition as he once enjoyed And because his Freinds discerning this in him by some of his precedent answers had judged it as a symptome of secret guilt and selfe condemnation which would not let him so much as expect any good So Eliphaz had perstringed and smitten him Chap. 15.22 He beleeves not that hee shall returne out of darknesse Therefore Job wonders to see them persist in that opinion and concludes them under a great dâ—fect of understanding who did not perceive that a man so miserably pined and worne with sicknesse and paine as hee was had nothing to look after or prepare for but onely a Grave And this he doth with much rhetoricall elegancy and passionatenesse of speech to the end of this Chapter His sense may be drawne together into this breife way of reasoning He who is as a dead man already should not feed himselfe or be fed by others with hopes of life or of worldly prosperity in this life But I for my part am as a dead man or but the shadow of a man Therefore I will neyther feed my selfe neyther ought you to feed me with hopes of life or of prosperity in this life Yet before he layes downe and illustrates this Argument he invites over his Freinds to his opinion and professeth that they had not yet spoken any reason nor argued like wise men in all that they had argued to the contrary Vers 10. But as for you all doe you returne and come now for I cannot finde one wise man among you Though some wise men goe out of the way yet it is for want of wisedome that any man goes out of the way while Job calls upon his Freinds to returne hee implyes that they going out of the way were not wise and that it would be their wisedome to returne into it But as for you all Job puts all his Freinds into one predicament and indeed they were much alike to him having all troden in the same path and met in the same judgement of and resolutions against him But what would he have them doe As he supposed them all in one way and that out of the way So he sets them all to the same worke that they might come right againe Doe you returne and come now Yet there are three opinions about his meaning while hee saith Returne and come First Some conceive that Jobs Freinds being netled as we say and provoked with what he had spoken before began to renew the dispute and to rally themselves with conjoyned Forces Quasi facta testudine una omnes concurrite Nicet Ad disputationem provocat Sanct. Veruntamen omnes incumbite venite quaeso Sept. for a fresh encounter which Job perceiving he according to this Interpretation dares them in these words and sends them a Challenge As if he had sayd I see you are providing your selves and consulting for a rejoynder with me I doe doe if you thinke good returne and come put pour selves into what posture you please joyne your forces together I am ready to receive your charge and make my defence I am not afrayd of you all you are three and I have not so much as a Second yet I will not turne my back from you all therefore as for you all doe yee returne and come now come when or as soone as you will Thus He challengeth them to a further dispute Returne and come Convertendi verbum cum quocunque alio verbo junctum idem significat quod rursus aut altera vice aliquid facere is as the propriety of the phrase in the Originall imporrts come againe if you will come a second time come a third The word that we translate Returne when it is joyned with another Verbe say Grammarians signifies as much as Againe or to doe a thing the second time Take two places of Scripture for it Jos 5.2 At that time the Lord sayd unto Joshua Make thee sharpe Knives and circumcise againe the Children of Israel the second time So wee translate The Hebrew is Returne which is the word of the Text and circumcise them a second time Not that they who had been once circumcised must have a second circumcision But for as much as circumcision which was first commanded to Abraham had beene long disused while the people of Israel were moving and unsetled in the Wildernesse therefore the Lord gives circumcision a kinde of second Institution by requiring Joshua to restore it solemnely a second time as it was set up at first Returne and circumcise them that is renew that ancient Ordinance of Circumcision The like way of speaking read Psal 85.6 where David in behalfe of the Church pleads with God thus Wilt thou not revive us againe The Hebrew is Wilt thou not returne and revive us We translate the Verbe Returne by the Adverbe Againe Will thou not revive us againe Thou hast given us many revives when we were as dead men and like carkasses rotting in the Grave thou didst revive us wilt thou not revive us once more and act over those powerfully mercifull workes and strong salvations once more or againe So here Returne and come that is Come againe The words thus expounded are an argument of Jobs magnanimity and holy courage in maintaining his right and standing up in the defence of his owne integrity against all commers As it is our duty to contend earnestly for the Faith once delivered to the Saints so for our owne faithfulnesse Secondly Others expound the words as an advise not
reason of darknesse Hae meae cogitationes noctem mihi in diem convertunt Merc. But who was it that made this change They change the night into day and the day into night Who Some ascribe it to his troubled thoughts of which hee had spoken before his thoughts were so torne and distracted that their confusions turned the night into day and the day into night that is a plaine sense as if he had sayd By reason of my continuall cares and distractions I take no comfort neyther night nor day Others referr it to his Freinds They that is Praesentium malarum cogitationes efficiunt ut dies quamvis lucidus mihi sit nox Jun. my Freinds turne the night into day and the day into night and if his Freinds be the Antecedent it comes much to one for his Freinds did it by filling him with troublesome thoughts and unquiet reasonings his Freinds did it by filling his heart and head as we say with their Proclamations Hence Note When the minde is unsetled the man cannot rest Waking nights and wearisome dayes are the portion of a troubled spirit There is a further elegancy considerable in the latter branch of this Verse The light is short because of darknesse The Originall is The light is neere because of darknesse Propinquum pro brevi exponit Rab. Sol. The word signifies neernesse whether in time or place and it is usually put in Scripture for short for that which is of short continuance Job 20.5 The tryumphing of the wicked is short The Margin is The tryumphing of the wicked is from neere that is It is hard by it began but lately and it will soone be over or at an end In this elegancy the holy Ghost speaks of false gods Deut. 32.17 They sacrificed to Devils and not to God Idola dicuntus dij ex propinquo i. e. qui diu non durant vel qui de novo pro diis haberi ceperint Merc. to Gods whom they knew not to new Gods that were come newly up The Hebrew is to neere Gods it is this word to short Gods Gods that are neere that is Gods short or neer in their originall they have been but a little while they are newly come up as we translate Whom your Fathers knew not nor feared Idols are new Gods neer Gods we need not travell farr to finde out their descent and pedigree the oldest of them are but of a late date or of a new Edition upstart Gods as they are compared with Jehovah the true God who is from everlasting And as they are called neer Gods in regard of their originall and rise so likewise in regard of their continuance they are not for eternity we shall see an end of those Gods shortly they are not long-lived much lesse are they to everlasting The true God is the same for ever false Gods are nothing Idols are nothing in the World and they shall in short time be thrust out of the World and all the neere Gods shall be put farr away What the Lord speakes of these night-Gods the Gods of the darknesse of this World Job speakes of the comforts or light which he once received from God The light is short because of darknesse that is It is ready to end and expire We may say of all the light which wee have in this World that it is short because of darknesse Spirituall light or the light of Gods countenance shining in or upon his people hath a darknesse attending upon it in this World The experiences of most Christians answer that of one of the Ancients about this heavenly light Rara hora brevis mora Bern. It comes but seldome and it is soone gone We have but some glimpses and glaunces of divine favour here not a steady sense of it that except to a very few is reserved for Heaven 'T is so also about temporall light the light of Gods providence towards us hath a darknesse attending upon it yea a darknesse mixed with it When our comforts have scarse saluted us or spoken with us they are interrupted and taken off by approaching sorrows Those creature enjoyments and relations which have most light in them have also much darknesse hanging about them and hovering over them Man at the best estate is altogether vanity And his longest light here is short because of darknesse But Job speakes not this in reference to the generall state of man much lesse to the best estate of man in this life he applyes it specially to an afflicted estate and particularly to his owne How short is the light of an afflicted soule how quickly doe Clouds come over him and Ecclipses shut the shining from him when the light of a man in prosperity is but short and his day in danger of a night every moment All our light on earth dwells upon the borders of darknesse the light of Heaven hath no neighbourhood with it and therefore is not onely long but everlasting Illae tenebrosae cogitationes a mente mea discedentes pro nocte jucundum quietis diem pro tenebris licem matutinam i. e. optatam pacem constituunt Bold Yet I finde a learned Interpreter making this Verse speake the returne of Jobs light The changing of night into day is to be understood saith he in a good sense And the breaking of his thoughts and purposes is according to this Interpretation nothing else but the scattering of his darke and melancholly thoughts and purposes which being removed and gone the night of sorrow was turned into a day of joy and the morning light here called the neere light because it immediately succeeds the darknesse which the Noon-light doth not this morning light saith he came before the face of darknesse To which sense the Vulgar Latine translates the last clause After darknesse I hope for light Et rursum pâ—st tenebras spero lucem Vulg. or though I be now in darknesse I hope for lighâ— As if Job had sayd After this darke night and dreadfull storme God hath spoken to the angry Sea of my tempestuous thoughts and behold there is a great calme But though the Author of this Exposition be so much in love with it that he counts all other spurious yet I rather persist in and stick to the toâ—â—â— â—eeing the whole context runs upon the aggravaâ—â— of Jobs present troubles with which this Interpretation holds no agreement Nor is there any necessity as the Author supposeth to take it up for the avoyding of that imputation of a low weak and sinking spirit which the former exposition in his apprehension subjects Job unto for though we say that Job doth as often elsewhere so here againe make report of his sorrowes in highest straines of holy Rhetorick yet we are so farr from saying that he desponded or sunke under them that we doubt not to say which is all that this Author would say or have others take notice of in his singular Interpretation that he was more