When Job was yet brought nearer to God he was more humbled Ch. 42.5 6. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now mine eie seeth thee that is I have a clearer and more glorious manifestation of thee to my soul then ever I now perceive thy power thy holinesse thy wisdom thy faithfulnesse thy goodnesse as if they were corporeall objects as if I saw them with mine eye Wherefore I abhor my self in dust and ashes he could not goe lower in his thoughts of himself then this expression laid him Abhorrence is a perturbation of the minde arising from vehement dislike or extreamest dis-esteem Abhorrence strictly taken is hatred wound up to the height As exulting is the highest act of joy and delighting the highest act of love so abhorring is the deepest act of hatred and to abhorre repenting in dust and ashes is the deepest act of abhorrence Thus low Job goes not only to a dislike but to the furthest degree of it abhorrence of himself when he saw the Lord. So Isaiah in the 6th of his Prophecy when God came neer him and he saw so much of God cries out I am undone for I am a man of polluted lips but did not Isaiah know he was a sinfull man a man of polluted lips till then Yes but he was never so sensible of it as then He saw his own pollution more then ever by the light of the glory of God that shone round about him He never saw himself so clearly as when the majesty of God dazel'd his eyes When the Sun shines bright into a room we may see the least mote in the air so when the glory of God irradiates the soul we see all the motes and atoms of sinne the least spot and unevennesse of our hearts or lives this brings the soul low and will keep it so The more we know of God the more we honour him and our selves the lesse These two are eminent effects of knowing God As God rises in our thoughts so we fall Paul who had been wrapt up into the third heavens and had a multitude of divine revelations cals himself The least of the Apostles 1 Cor. 15.9 and lesse then the least of all Saints Ephes 3.8 not that any thing can be lesse then the least The Apostles holy rhetorick doth not crosse Aristotles philosophy But the originall being a double diminutive his meaning is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he was as little as could be therefore he puts himself down so little as could not be lesse then the least Job speaks neer him How much lesse shall I answer him The Question imports an inability in him for resolution He thought himself so much lesse able to answer then they that he could not tell how much lesse And therefore leaves others to cast it up and take the account how short he was of that businesse he knew it was much but how much it was he knew not How much lesse shall I answer him And choose out my words to reason with him The word signifies choice upon exact triall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Elegit LXX vertunt per 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Exod. 17.9 cap. 18.25 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—ob 34 4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deut. 7. â— Hinc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 juvenis aâ— militiam negâ—â—ia electus idoneus Loqui selectis verbis ornataâ— composita oratione It is used in that sense Exod. 17.9 Moses biddeth Joshua choose out men to go and fight with Amalek he did not take them as they came to hand or lay his hand violently upon them to presse them but he advisedly took his choice he had pickt men for that service David gathered all the children of Israel he had a select company to fetch up the Ark 2 Sam. 6.1 and when he undertook the duell with Goliah the Text saith he went to the brook and chose him out five smooth stones they were choice stones fittest for his sling As it is among persons and things so among words there are choice words some are but rubbish refuse words others are precious wise sutable words How should I choose out my words to reason with him Shall I think by setting words in a curious frame to prevail with God or shall I by speaking rhetorically and elegantly overcome him There is much power in oratory in choice of words and therefore the holy Ghost forbids the Ministers of the Gospel to speak with choice words in that sense namely with rhetoricall and artificiall strained eloquence which naturally pleaseth the ear and takes the heart which kinde of speech is called wisdome of words 1 Cor. 2.17 and the enticing words of mans wisdome Chap. 2.4 They having an aptnesse in them to entice or perswade are called enticing or perswasive words And because he would have little or nothing of the creature seen in winning souls therefore the Apostle professes he used not such eloquence of words Great Oratours have carried whole Assemblies by the ears And lest it should be thought that the Ministers of the Gospel convert men with oratory therefore they must not use such choice words It becomes them not like Rhetoricians and Orators to polish their stile with an affected curiosity and exactnesse of language But as affected language is sinfull so neglect or rudenesse of speech is not without blame We should labour to speak properly and weightily so it becomes us to choose our words and not to speak till we have heard what our selves would say And thus Job knew he ought to chuse his words when he spake to God but he knew also he could not make any such choice either of rhetoricall and perswasive words or of logicall and argumentative words as might fit him to answer God or reason with him He was assured that neither the eloquence of his stile could perswade him nor the strength of his arguments convince him How shall I choose out words to reason with God In the Originall the word reason is not found only thus Shall I choose out words with him To choose out words with another bears this elegancy as if Job had said If I should set my self to choose words with God he would choose better words then I more forcible words then I he is more able infinitely to make choice of words and matter to convince me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then I to convince him Significat causam aut ratio nem sic eligere verba est novas in veâ—re rationes vel argumenta ad suaÌ„ causam suâ—ciendam For the word which we translate words may signifie not only words with which matter is cloathed but the matter it self cloathed with those words The summe of all is I can neither choose matter nor words to discourse and argue with God his invention and judgement about both infinitely exceeds mine M. Broughton refers the word choosing to Job and not to words thus Shall I choose to word it with God
trials of the Saints They are occasions to shew forth their vertues and their graces They give proofs both to God and the world what manner of men they are Tried ones are precious ones many others are so but these appear what they are they have shewed their metall All true faith is good but tried faith is best 1 Pet. 1.7 That the triall of your faith that is that your tried faith being much more precious then of gold that perisheth may be found unto praise c. Prudens futuri temporis exitū Caliginosa nocte premit Deus Ridetque si mortalis ultra Fas trepidat c. Horat l 3. Car Od. 29. Besides these two interpretations I shall adde for a close two more which may further illustrate the meaning of this laughter ascribed to God at the triall of the innocent First or Thirdly He laughs at the fears and sad fore-casts of his people who not being able to look thorow second causes and see the ends of things in their beginnings presently judge all 's lost the Church must be ruin'd and the Saints undone because thus tried Now God knowing the end of all actions not only at their beginning but from the beginning yea from eternity he looking thorow the blackest clouds and darkest nights upon the issues of all things derides the simple conjectures of men about them The very Heathens have given us such a notion of God in laughter Secondly or Fourthly God laughs at the laughter and derides the joies of wicked men who see his innocent ones tried For they say in their hearts and it may be with their tongues Happy we who have scaped such a scouring we would not have been in their coats for a world better die then live to bring our selves into such troubles Or thus Now the day is ours we have prevailed These men are catcht and entangled we shall doe well enough with them now The Lord hearing such language at the triall of the innocent laughs to thinke how those wretches shall see themselves deceived when they see these who were fallen rising again or God by their fall raising others and setting his King upon his holy hill of Sion Lastly As God laughs at the triall of the innocent so let the nocent and impenitent remember and tremble at it that God will laugh at the approach of their torments and mock when their fear commeth when their fear commeth as a desolation and their destruction as a whirlwinde Job having thus shewed how the innocent are afflicted shews in the next verse how the wicked are exalted from both he infers that there can be no judgement made of any mans inward state whether he be innocent or wicked upon his outward state whether he be prosperous or afflicted The innocent are under the scourge and the wicked are upon the throne and who doth these things but God himself that 's the sum of this 24th verse Verse 24. The earth is given into the hand of the wicked he covereth the faces of the Judges thereof if not where and who is he The earth is given into the hand of the wicked The earth Earth may be taken strictly for the element of earth as it is opposed to fire water and air Not so in this place But more largely earth is put for all earthly things as Psal 115.6 The heaven of heavens is the Lords but the earth hath he given unto the children of men that is he hath divided all earthly comforts as a portion or inheritance among men their lot falleth there Thirdly Earth is put for the inhabitants or people of the earth Psal 100.1 Praise him all ye earth so the Hebrew which we translate Praise him all ye people of the earth Isa 24.4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away that is they who dwell on the earth Fourthly By the earth we may understand speciall Countries or Nations tracts or parts of the earth Fiftly The earth is put for earthly minded men and for the false Church Revel 14.3 The Saints are redeemed from the earth that is God hath fetcht them out from amongst false worshippers and impure ones he hath rescued them from the world of Idolaters and from the superstitious multitude In this place earth is to be understood in the second third or fourth notion namely for all earthly comforts or for the Provinces and Kingdoms of the earth or for the inhabitants and people of the earth These are given into the hand of the wicked Given The Lord makes as it were a deed of gift of these things unto wicked men So in the 15th of this book ver 19. Vnto whom alone the earth was given and no stranger passed among them which some expound of the righteous No stranger passed among them that is none came in to invade them Or as others render it No strange thing that is no unjust thing came in amongst them they had the earth in their own power and rightfull possession Nihil alienum sc injustum Jun. To be given noteth two things or there is a double act of giving There is a gift by providence and a gift by promise When the Lord is said to give the earth into the hand of the wicked we are to understand it of that common providentiall gift whereby he disposeth of all things to all men no man hath any thing but by the gift of God Thus wicked Jeroboam had the Kingdome of Israel given him and so had hypocriticall Jehu for four generations They served the providence of God and the providence of God exalted them Act. 17.26 He hath made of one bloud all Nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth and hath determined the times before appointed and the bounds of their habitation that is he hath as it were chalked out and drawn a line where the bounds and habitations whither the dominions and possessions of such men shall be extended and where they shall be confined That 's a gift of providence There is a speciall gift of promise peculiar to believers Ro. 8.32 He that spared not his own Son but gave him to die for us how shall he not with him also freely give us all things that is all worldy things or we may take in whatsoever else concerns our spirituall estate besides Christ All the things of Christ yea and all worldly things come in to the Saints as a gift by Christ who is himself the greatest gift that ever man received or that God could bestow How shall he deny us any thing when he hath given us him who is above all things 1 Cor. 3.22 23. Whether Paul or Apollos or the world all is yours for ye are Christs Believers enjoy earthly things by an heavenly title Christ is their conveiance In this sense the earth is not given to the wicked the Lord gives them nothing in Christ or for Christ as a Saviour in the Covenant of Grace Christ as a Lord hath bought the wicked 2 Pet.
iniquity who thinke they can put all their iniquity out of his sight And such shall be made so vile that not only God but their own clothes shall abhorre them as Job expresses himself in the next words Mine own clothes will abhorre me We have the word at the eighth Chapter verse 14. Whose hope shall loath him which we render Whose hope shall be cut off Clothes may be taken either properly or figuratively Taken properly the words may import first his degradation from all former dignities I shall be deprived of all honour and estimation and so the clothes which I wore in the daies of my prosperity will so much unbecome me that they will abhorre me Or secondly Taken properly they are conceived to be a circumlocution of death Thou wilt plunge me in the pit that is I shall die and mine own clothes will abhor me The dead are stript garments doe not become a dead carcase M. Broughtons paraphrase upon his own translation intimates this Mine own clothes shall loath me namely saith he When I go naked to the grave as though my clothes did loath me Others understand it figuratively Mine own clothes shall abhor me that is First Those that are my dearest friends shall abhor me Thou wilt make them flee from me who are as near to me as the clothes on my back Or secondly In a figure Mine own clothes that is mine own works shall abhorre me Hypocrites are said to come in sheeps-clothing Mat. 7. that is doing the works of those who are sincere appearing like them in practice And when we are warned to keep our garments Revel 16.15 the meaning is that we must keep faith and a good conscience in every act of our lives Thirdly It may have respect to lepers whose clothes did abhor them because they wore some mark of difference upon their garments shewing that they were to be shunned and their company avoided But rather in generall Mine own clothes shall abhor me notes extreme pollution If I justifie my self before God Tam squalidus ero ut ea quibus nullus est seâ—suâ— tantum squalorem sentiri abominari videantur I shall be so unclean that my clothes will be loth to touch me We say of one that is very filthy A man would not touch him with a pair of tongs And it is usuall in Scripture to give you that rule for the understanding of this and other the like forms of speaking when a matter is spoken of in a way of excesse that things insensible have sense yea reason and understanding ascribed to them abhorring Vbi aliquarum rerum exâ—essus est dicuntur aliquando in Scripturis sentire insensibilia Sanct. is an act beyond sense it hath a mixture of reason and understanding now to note his exceeding lothsomenesse to God and man who attempts to justifie himself before God the text saith His clothes which have neither life nor sense shall abhor him When the Pharisees envying the acclamations which the multitude of Christs Disciples gave him at his entrance into Jerusalem desired that he would rebuke and silence them Christ answered I tell you if these should hold their peace the stones would immediately cry out importing how just an occasion there was why his Name and glory should be lifted up Do ye think much that reasonable men speak If these should hold their peace the stones that have neither life nor sense would speak Thus Gen. 4.10 to note the foulnesse of Cains sinne and his cruelty toward his brother God saith The earth hath opened her mouth to receive thy brothers bloud from thy hand as if the earth had been sensibly affected with the cruelty of Cain towards his brother thou wouldst not let his bloud stay in his body therefore the earth in kindnesse opened her mouth and took in his bloud from thy hand and that cries up unto me So here I shall be so foul that if my clothes had sense life and reason and could dispose of their own actings and set themselves upon what body and limbs they pleased Iob summam foeditatem animae per summaÌ„ foeditatem corporis indigitat Tam foedus à judicio tuo discederem ut is corpore est sordidus quem vestes suae horrent Coc. Quamvis ego mundus sum à culpa tamen paenis atque dolorum aegritudinum sordibus squalore obsolescam surely they would put themselves off from my body and never come on again they would abhor me I should be as filthy before God in soul as he is in body who must be washed before he is fit to have his clothes put on him As to be clothed with shame so to have our clothes ashamed of us notes the greatest dishonour Lastly This casting into the ditch and the abhorring of his clothes may referre to the continuance of his afflictions though I should make my self never so pure yet the Lord would cast me again into the ditch of affliction he will put me into the pit of trouble till like a man drawn out of the mire Mine own clothes abhorre me or make me an abhorring to all that see me I know the Lord will make further triall of me Hence note God casts his servants again and again into the miery ditch as refiners cast gold again and again into the fiery furnace to make them more pure That which defiles the outward man may be cleansing to the inward And the abominable clothing of the body may be a means to put the soul into the most handsome dresse Secondly Observe That After purgings and cleansings the Lord often goes on with further chastenings Though I wash my self c. yet thou wilt cast me in the ditch and mine own clothes will abhor me Yea our purgings and cleansings are sometimes so far from causing God to take off our afflictions that they doe but fit us for more affliction For the Lord will not trust an impure spirit or an heart defiled under many corruptions under great afflictions He therefore cleanses many and makes them more holy that they may be more fit to bear afflictions No certain argument can be grounded upon this that a man shall come out of affliction because he is cleansed for God chuses in some cases to afflict such most ☞ who are most cleansed The Lord hath as much service from us while we suffer as while we doe his will passive obedience is higher and harder service then active and an unclean heart is of the two though it be fit for neither more unfit for suffering then for doing Therefore Jobs friends could not groundedly affirm that he should be delivered if he were cleansed Indeed if Gods thoughts were like mans thoughts or if he were tied by such rules as we we might make such conclusions but Job concludes He is not a man as we are JOB Chap. 9. Vers 32 33 c. For he is not a man as I am that I should answer him and we should come
Observe That to lose our hope is the utmost of evils Bildad doth not say that the hypocrite is damned and shall go to hell and endure the wrath of God for ever This one expression Their hope shal perish amounts to all this and more if more can be Do but sit down and imagine in your thoughts and contrive the utmost of all evils felt by men yea the utmost were it possible of all the evils of punishment that are in the thoughts of God and all are wrapped up and comprehended in this one word Their hope shall perish Hell and wrath and fire and brimstone and the worm that never dies meet in this one word Bildad goes on to illustrate this by a further instance Verse 14. Whose hope shall be cut off and whose trust shall be as a spiders web Verse 15. He shall lean upon his house but it shall not stand he shall hold it fast but it shall not endure The hypocrite clings about the object of his hope as a man that is ready to drown takes hold on any thing upon a straw or a rotten stick but though he lean upon his house it shall not stand c. These words contain the second similitude which is both a confirmation and a further illustration of the former for having concluded in the 13. verse with these words The hypocrites hope shall perish he as it were doubleth and resumeth it here again Whose hope shall be cut off and whose trust shall be a spiders web The originall beareth different interpretations and from that severall senses have been given of these words The word here used for hope is not the same in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we had in the last clause of the former verse His hope shall perish This word was opened at large in the fourth Chapter at the sixth verse where we translate it confidence Is not this thy hope thy confidence the uprightnesse of thy waies Now besides that the word signifies hope or confidence it signifies also folly inconstancy frowardnesse of spirit vanity and levity of minde And thus some render it here This hope shall be cut off 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Debilitatus laÌ„guef actus fuit per MetaphoraÌ„ maestitia â—olore taedio affectus fuit propriè tanquam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. rem putidam et quae nauseam parit aversari eam abhorrere Non enim placâ—bit ei veâ—ordia ejus Vulg. That word also beareth different interpretations 1. To be weakned to languish and because those things which languish and are weak either are cut off or are ready to be cut off therefore it signifies likewise cutting off 2. Further the word imports gradually 1. displeasing 2. loathing or abominating 3. chiding or contending The words yeelding these senses receive different translations and interpretations First thus taking the former for inconstancy or folly his folly shall displease him or His folly shall not please him So the Vulgar Hypocrites never please God and at last they shall not please themselves The waies and works of hypocrites are ever displeasing to God and they shall at last be displeasing to themselves That 's the sense of their translation And not only shall the waies of an hypocrite be displeasing but they shall be a loathing an abhorring to him the Lord loaths him now The prayer of the wicked is an abomination and he shall loath himself hereafter Haec displicentia cum fastidio quodam tabescentia conjuncta est There is a double loathing There is a loathing of repentance And there is a loathing of despair The former though it be unpleasant yet it is an happy loathing of our selves Such loathing of our selves is pleasing to God in the act and will be pleasant to us in the fruit Ezek. 6.9 They shall loath themselves for the evils they have committed And again Ezek. 16.47 and 20.43 the word is taken for this loathing of repentance But the hypocrite shall have another kinde of loathing What a loathing of despair seeing himself utterly lost and his hopes quite cut off he shall be an abhorring to himself There is yet a third step or degree of sense in this word He shall not only be displeased with himself and loath himself but he shall fall out with himself his hope shall displease or vex him into self-anger Secum ipse liti gabit rixabitur quae omnia ad mentis commotionem animi cruciatum pertinent Pin. Some render the word by contending or chiding as a man that is displeased with another falleth out with him wrangleth and contendeth with him so an hypocrite at last shall chide contend and wrangle with himself he shall contend as much with himself at last as ever the word of God contended with him before An hypocrite never commeth to a Sermon but God chides him the Word of God contends with him and the Spirit of God hath a controversie with him this man will not be warned by the chiding of God nor take that to heart he still goes on in his hypocrisie But when no reproofs nor chidings can prevail upon his heart he is left to the reproofs and chidings of his own heart which will read him such a lecture and give him such a schooling as he never had in all his life Conscience may be long silent and it may long flatter but when once it begins to speak and to speak right it is the most terrible Preacher in the world There is no Boanerges or sonne of thunder hath so dreadfull a voice Mount Sinai it self did not thunder so loud as conscience will And as conscience speaks loud so it speaks long An hypocrite shall reprove and chide himself for ever What a fool was I What a beast was I thus to flatter my self thus to mask mine own filthinesse and to dawb over the rottennesse of my heart with the fair covering of a verball profession Why did I wilfully deceive my self into irrecoverable perdition Again Observe from Whose folly shall displease him That the whole course of hypocrisie is nothing but foolishnesse Of all fools the hypocrite is the greatest and the reason is because he takes a great deal of pains in profession and hath no good at all by profession he ventureth himself many times in the world to persecution he runs the hazard of his credit of his estate of liberty and life What a fool is this to take so much pains and subject himself to so many dangers in the outward profession of Christ yet at last to lose the fruit and benefit of all This folly must needs displease him he shall at last see what an extreme fool he hath been to trouble himself about that which bringeth him in no reall good but will really double and encrease all evil upon him No man sins at so dear a rate as the hypocrite A second translation takes the Noun as we for hope and not for folly and retains the former sense of
go on boldly till he meets with opposition he will work in a fair day till he meets with a storm and dangers threaten but there he gives over He that is not acquainted with the assurance office of heaven will seldome if at all runne hazards here on earth True trust brings God and the soul together but the hypocrite never comes near God and then no marvell if he be afraid to come near danger Note from it before we put the words together thus much That an hypocrite hath a trust of his own a trust like himself Whose trust An hypocrite doth most things which the upright and sincere hearted doe and he seems to have every thing which the upright and sincere hearted have Doe they pray so doth he Doe they hear se doth he Do they fast so doth he Have they faith He hath a faith too Have they the fear of God he also hath a kinde of fear Have they zeal so hath he yea the zeal of hypocrisie burns hotter for a blast then the zeal of sincerity He hath grace proper to his state false grace for his false heart he hath trust such as it is a trust which belongeth to all of his rank see the character of it in the next words It shall be a spiders web 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tam animal quam rete ejus quod solet contexere significat The Hebrew is It shall be the spiders house the web is the house of the spider We have the same word Isa 59.5 They weave the spiders webbe Isaiah speaks of such pretenders They trust in vanity and speaklie These were the spiders web which they weaved But why is the trust of the hypocrite compared unto the spiders web I shall clear that in four or five particulars which will be as so many notes upon this text 1. Because the profession and all the works of an hypocrite are very weak and unstable as the spiders web is There is a kinde of curiosity in them but there is no strength or stability in them The spider works very curiously but her house will not bear any stresse of weather much lesse force of battery The spiders web is no match for a broom or a whisk Thus it is with the profession the trust of hypocrites you may see a neat spinning a fine threed of profession accurate weavings and contrivances but when it comes to a push it is not able to stand if you doe but touch it 't is gone Some will stand out longer then others yet all fall as Christ assures us Mat. 7. ult it is the hypocrite who buildeth his house upon the sand to have a house built upon the sand is no better then to have a house built in the cicling when the storm comes that house fals and when the broom comes this must down 2. The trust of an hypocrite is called a spiders web because he fetches and frames it as it were out of his own bowels that whereunto he trusteth is wrought out of himself That 's the nature of the spider she hath no extrinsecall materials to build her house with she doth not hew her stones out of any quarry or fetch her timber from any forest as we may allude the materials which she hath she fetcheth out of her own bowels The Bee makes an house and fetcheth the materials from this and that flower so the Bee makes a comb for a house but the spider sucks no flowers Thus it is with hypocrites their trust and hope is as the spiders web made out of their own substance they eviscerate themselves they fetch all out of themselves The meaning is all their trust is in their own duties in their own strength in their own stock in their own gifts upon these they build these are their house We finde the Pharisees trust thus grounded such was his house Luk. 18. I fast twice a week I give alms I pay all men their due He was very exact in righteousnesse according to the Law upon this and out of this he makes his house this is to make an house like a spider Though it be our graces we trust upon our trust will be a spiders web The believer is well compared to a Bee the Bee hath an house and honey but the Bee fetcheth all from abroad from herbs and flowers Believers have their house to dwell in and their honey to feed upon but they such all from the promises of Christ yea they suck it from Christ himself they rest not in the letter of the promises but they go to Christ who is the matter promised and the accomplisher of all the promises Here they build their house and hew out the pillars of it 3. Their trust shall be a spiders web in the issue it shall perish like a spiders web How is that Assoon as the house comes to be cleansed down go the spiders webs when the house is swept the cob-webs are first swept away Thus it is with the trust of all hypocrites when God sweeps his house his Church he quickly sweeps out these spiders webs Isa 14.23 the Prophet speaks of the besome of God the judgements of God are the besome of God by which he sweepeth his house God hath a double besome or a double use of his besome he hath a besome of destruction and a besome of purgation It is a besome of destruction to hypocrites and it is a besome of purgation to his Saints When either the besome of destruction or the besome of purgation is in hand the trust of hypocrites is swept away When the Prophet describes the Lord in his great and terrible judgements Isa 33.14 the text saith The sinners in Zion are afraid fearfulnesse surprizeth the hypocrite who shall dwell with devouring fire God provoked is a devouring fire How shall stubble and spiders webs stand before him When trouble comes the trust of hypocrites goes to wrack they tremble then for their trust is but a spiders web it cannot stand one stroak or endure the flaming heat The hope of a godly man grows strongest in times of trouble he is purified in the fire and the hope of an hypocrite weakens till it be none at all in times of trouble it is cast out of doors amongst the rubbish or is consumed with the fire 4. Take this parallel between the spiders web and the profession of hypocrites The spider makes his web to catch and ensnare others to catch the poor flies She hath a double use of her house to lie in it and to entrap flies in it Her house is a snare The profession of an hypocrite is a spiders web in this notion he makes it to catch flies with to ensnare and deceive the simple that he may prey upon them He would count godlinesse a poor thing did he not make a gain of godlines That brings him in food and cloathing he lives upon it This his deceitfull web is so fine spun and fairly woven that you cannot easily discern any
it were in his bosome and next his heart thus the Lord deals with the righteous His not casting away is a near embracing There is a two-fold casting away First Temporall Secondly Eternall and in neither of these senses doth God cast away a perfect man Not only shall he not perish eternally but not temporally He doth not reject or cast him away for a moment his love is an everlasting love and there can be no breaches or gaps made in it so as to cut off his love to the person although he often signifies displeasure against his sin The perfect man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word we had in the first Chapter where it is used to expresse Jobs compleatnesse in spirituals A compleatnesse not in degrees but in parts sincerity fill'd up his soul and so perfected all the limbs and members of his inward man Observe hence First A gracious soul shall never be rejected of God Whatsoever God doth in the world he will never doe this Heb. 13.5 He hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee If God doth not leave a perfect man he will not cast him away The Apostle puts the question Rom. 11.1 Hath God cast away his people God forbid God hath not cast away his people whom he fore-knew Perfect men are Gods jewels not the rubbish or off-scouring of the world though the world count them so A wise man will not cast away jewels Perfect men are Gods servants his faithfull servants all the willing service he hath done him in the world on this side Angels is done by these men A wise man will not cast away such as are truly serviceable unto him Perfect men are Gods children they are borne of God and sonnes of the most high Naturall love will not cast away a childe Perfect men are Gods portion the lot of his inheritance his revenue comes in he hath his in-comes of glory by them A man will not despise his own glory he will not reject his own inheritance Further They who are perfect come to him in his Sonne and he hath pawned his truth for it Joh. 6.37 He that commeth to me I will in no wise cast out As if he had said this thing is furthest from my heart of any thing in the world God cals after many who goe away from him but he casts away none who come to him None come to him till he draws them therefore he will not drive them away who come Again Perfect men have the Spirit of God God cannot cast away or stop his ears at the voice of his own Spirit They have the earnest of his Spirit if God should go about to put them off or lay them aside they will shew God those tokens and pledges of his love the earnest he hath given them to assure their hearts Lastly He hath tied himself to them in the bond of a Covenant they are fast to him in the everlasting bonds of his own love therefore they cannot be cast off So he promises his people Levit. 26.44 though they should provoke him to afflict them yet he would not reject them utterly he might put them into the hands of their enemies but he would never cease to be their friend For all that when they be in the land of their enemies I will not cast them away Many think when the Saints are cast into trouble that God hath cast them away no there is no such matter when they are in their enemies hand God holds them still in his hand yea in his heart I will not cast them away neither will I abhorre them to destroy them utterly and to break my Covenant with them for I am the Lord their God The Covenant holdeth God and his people so fast together that they shall never part We finde the Church complaining grievously as if she were cast away Psal 44.9 Thou hast cast us off and put us to shame and goest not forth with our Armies and verse 23. the Church praies Arise O Lord cast us not off for ever So Psal 60.1 O God thou hast cast us off and vers 9. Who will bring me into the strong City Wilt not thou O God which hadst cast us off God to sense casts off his own people when he casteth them into dangers but even then their faith takes hold of God and Gods love takes hold of them Though all this be come upon us yet have we not forgotten thee nor dealt falsely in thy Covenant Psal 44.17 neither had God forgotten them or dealt falsly in the Covenant they were his people still and as near unto him as when they were furthest from those troubles God casts away some indeed but they are such as he never had within the bonds of his Covenant He casts away wicked men as rubbish as filth and dirt such the Prophet speaks of Hos 9.15 My God will cast them away because they did not hearken unto him These were imperfect not perfect men God cast these away not from any interest they had in him but because they never had any Such as will not hearken unto the Word of God God will cast away why They cast God away when they cast the Word of God away They cast the Covenant behinde their backs Psal 50. no wonder God casts them behinde his back he throws them oâ—t of doors when they throw his truth out of their hearts Perfect men love the truth of God for ever and the God of truth loves them for ever Secondly For as was said these words expresse lesse then is meant Observe That perfect men are highly esteemed by God He prizes them greatly he delighteth in them They that honour me I will honour saith God not only will I not cast them away or abhorre them but I will honour them God esteems and prizes them though the world disesteem and reject them There is many a soul which the world tramples under their feet as the mire in the streets which at that time God laies in his bosom Christ imbraceth some in his arms whom the world yea whom their brethren hate and smite with their tongues Isa 66.5 Your brethren that hated you that cast you out for my Names sake said Let the Lord be glorified Not only the wicked world may doe this but brethren even those that are brethren indeed in the main may possibly hate a perfect man and cast him out your brethren that hated you and cast you out for my Names sake but the Lord at that time loved them as it follows But he shall appear to your joy and they shall be ashamed And if God doth not only not cast away perfect ones but esteem them then take these three cautions First Ye that are perfect be sure ye keep close to God doe not cast him off doe not cast away the word any one truth or command of God Cast not the waies of God away for he will never cast you away Secondly Ye that are perfect Cast not away
shalt become a plain The Prophet is assured that all the power and strength which opposed it self against the reformation and re-edification of Jerusalem should be laid levell with the ground Per montes intelligit regeâ— qui si ut moÌ„tes firmitate â—o hore perstant Râ—â— Dav in Ps 14â— 5 So we may interpret Psa 144.5 He toucheth the mountains and they smoke the meaning is when God doth but lay his hand upon great men upon the mightiest of the world he makes them smoke or fune which some understand of their anger they are presently in a passion if God do but touch them Or we may understand it of their consumption A smoking mountain will soon be a burnt mountain In our language to make a man smoke is a proverbiall for destroying or subduing And besides there are mountains in this figurative sense within us as well as without us The soul hath a mountain in it self and it is an act of the great power of God yea of an higher and greater power of God to remove inward than it is to remove outward mountains Isa 40.4 The Prophet fore-shewing the comming of Christ and the sending of the Baptist to prepare his way tels us Every mountain and hill shall he made low Christ did not throw down the outward power of men who withstood him he let Herod and Pilate prevail but mountains and hils of sinne and unbelief in the soul which made his passage into them impassible he overthrew These mountains of high proud thoughts the Apostle describes 2 Cor. 10.14 Casting down imaginations and every high thing and bringing into captivity every thought every mountainous thought to the obedience of Christ These are metaphoricall mountains the power of sinfull men without us and the power of sinne the pride of our own hearts within us It is a mighty worke of God to remove these mountains But these are not proper to the Text for the instances which follow being all given in naturall things shew that those here intended are naturall mountains Taking mountains for earthly materiall mountains it is doubted how the Lord removes them There are different opinions about the point Some understand it of a naturall motion * Montes naturae sua generabiles sunt corruptibiles additione partium generanâ—ur detractione partiuÌ„ corrumpuntur Aquin Caj Minimè mirandum est fi quaâ— terrae partes quae nunc habitantur olim mare occupabat quae nunc pelagus sunt oâ—im habitabantur sic campos montes par est invicem commutari Sâ—â—b l 17. Philosophers disputing about mountains and hils conclude that they are subject to generation and corruption by the addition of many parts they are generated that is kneaded or gathered together and become one huge heap of earth and by the detraction falling and crumbling off or taking away of these parts they are removed again Thus we may expound that Job 14.18 And surely the mountain falling cometh to nought Yet this cannot be the meaning of Job here For though we grant that doctrine of the Philosophers that there is a generation of mountains and so a corruption of them yet that corruption is so insensible that it cannot be put among those works of God which raise up the name of his glorious power * Divina poteâ—tia in â—aâ—â—longa segni montium remotione non se praebet valdâ— mirabileÌ„ cuâ— remo fere 〈◊〉 qui eam rem videat Pined That which fals not under observation cannot cause admiration Slow and imperceptible motions make small impressions either upon the fancie or understanding That here spoken of is quick and violent and by it's easie representation to the eye causeth wonder and astonishment in the beholders And so it imports a removing them by some violent motion Thus the Lord is able to remove and hath removed mountains sometimes by earthquakes sometimes by storms and tempests sometime those mighty bulwarks are battered with thunder-bals discharged from the clouds Psal 97.5 The hils melted like wax at the presence of the Lord. Hils melt down when he appears as a consuming fire Psal 104.32 He looks upon the earth and it trembleth and he toucheth the hils and they smoke Those rocky mountains are as ready to take fire as tinder or touch-wood if but a spark of Gods anger fall upon them God by a cast of his eye as we may speak can cast the earth into an ague-fit he makes it shake and more tremble with a look He by a touch of his mighty arm hurls mountains which way he pleaseth as man doth a Tennis-ball We read Isa 64.1 How earnestly the Prophet praies O that thou wouldst rent the heavens and come down that the mountains might flow down at thy presence Where he is conceived to allude to Gods comming down upon Mount Sinai at the giving of the Law Exod. 19. which is said To melt from before the Lord God of Israel Judg. 5.3 Some understand it of that day of Christ when he shall come to judge the world others of that day when Christ came in the flesh to save the world then the mountains were levell'd according to the preaching of the Baptist but rather the Prophet being affected with the calamitous condition which he fore-saw the Jews falling into entreats the Lord to put forth himself in some notable works of his providence which should as clearly manifest his presence as if they saw the heavens speaking as of solid bodies renting and God visibly comming down then those difficulties which lay in the way of their deliverance and looked like huge mountains of iron or of adamant would presently dissolve like waxe or ice before the Sunne or fire The Prophet Micah describes the effects of Gods power in the same stile Chap. 1.3 4. Behold the Lord cometh forth out of his place and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth and the mountains shall be molten under him Ex quo hoc loco non absurde colligitur fuisse proverbium ad significandum maximam olique Deo convenietem potentiam Bold and the valleys shall be cleft as wax before the fire and as the waters which are poured down a steep place So to remove mountains is used proverbially Job 18.4 Shall the earth be forsaken for thee or shall the rock be removed out of his place that is shall God work wonders for thee or God will alter the course of nature as soon as the course of his providence To say God can remove mountains is as much as to say he hath power to doe what he will and the reason is because mountains are exceeding great and weighty bodies mountains are firmly setled now to remove a thing which is mighty in bulk and strongly founded is an argument of greatest strength The stability of the Church is compared to the stability of mountains Psal 125.1 They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion which cannot be removed but
be humbled under the mighty hand of God If we know not what God hath done he can quickly doe enough to make himself known They who will not see the hand of God when it is lifted up that they may be humbled shall see it and be ashamed Isa 26.11 if the removing and shaking of our mountains doe not awaken us the overturning of them shall That 's the next act of divine power in this noble description And overturneth them in his anger 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vertit subvertit significat versionem vel in nibilum vel in formam aut qualitatem aliam vel in locū alium The word signifies to over-turn a thing so as to change the form and fashion of it yea to bring it to nothing not only to remove a thing out of its place but to take away the very being of it and to remove it out of the world He not only turns mountains into mole-hils but into plains yea into pits they shall not be mountains any longer nor any thing like a mountain It is much to remove a mountain and set it in another place but more to crumble it in a moment all to dust that you shall not finde a piece or a clod of it The Prophet threatens the obstinate Jews in such a language Isa 30.13 14. Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall swelling out in a high wall whose breaking commeth suddenly at an instant and he shall break it as the breaking of the Potters vessel c. So that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sheard to take fire from the hearth or to take water withall out of the pit He overturneth them in his anger Anger in man is a mixt affection made up chiefly of these two ingredients sorrow and revenge Some call anger the boiling of the bloud about the heart or the boiling of the heart in bloud The fumes whereof rise so fast into the brain Ira suror brevis that anger sometimes dislodges reason and is therefore called by others a short madnesse The word in the text signifies the Nostrils and the Scripture frequently applies that to anger 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ira inde transfertur a l nasum qui est instrumentum trae in quo ira precipuè apparet Fames morabilèm in nasum conciunt Plaut because anger is seen and made visible in the nostrils Quick breathing is a sign of anger God is without parts and passions he is not angry as man but is said to be angry when he doth like man in his anger The Lord is not moved or stirred by anger but he is angry when he makes motions and stirrings in the creature he lets out the effects of anger but himself hath not the affection much lesse the perturbation of anger Hence observe That the troubles and confusions which are in the creature are tokens and effects of the anger of God As the setling and establishment of the creature is an effect or sign of his goodnesse or as these tell us that God is pleased So when the Lord hurls the creature this way and that way when he tosses it up and down as if he cared not how this is an argument of his anger when Moses came down from the Mount and saw what the people of Israel had done how they had made a golden calf and polluted themselves with idols such a passion of anger came upon him that he threw the Tables of the Law out of his hand and brake them So when the Lord would signifie his displeasure he throws the creature out of his hand and breaks man against man Nation against Nation as a Potters vessell one against another The comfort and well-being of the creature consist in this that God holds it in his hand if he doe but let it goe out of his hand it perishes much more when he casts it with violence out of his hand The Prophet Hab. 3.8 describing the great confusions which God made in the world questions thus Was thine anger against the rivers Was thy wrath against the sea that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation God being angry with the enemies of his people made strange work amongst them Rather then his people shall not be delivered the world shall be confounded Was the Lord angry with the sea when he compelled the rivers to change their courses and discover the bottome of their chanels as in the passage of his Israel thorow the red sea No God was not angry with the sea but with Pharaoh and his host with the oppressours and troublers of his Israel and when he was thus angry he check'd the course of nature and turned things up-side-down When David was in a distresse and his enemies encompast him round about what then Then the earth strook and trembled Tanta extiti◠divinae irae vis pro Davide contra hostes defendendo ut videbatur orbē invertere omnia miscere c. Pined the foundations of the hils were moved and were shaken because he was wrath Psal 18.7 That God might rescue David out of the hand of trouble he troubled the foundations of the earth he made the world shake and Kingdoms tremble that his David might be setled upon his throne The Lord threatneth Hag. 2.6 that he will shake the heaven and the earth and the sea and the dry land he will move all creatures why so He shakes them for the setling of his Zion vers 7. I will shake all Nations and the desire of all Nations shall come and I will fill this house with glory saith the Lord of hostes When the Lord comes against the superstition and idolatry and profanenesse and wickednesses of the world in anger no wonder if Kingdoms shake yea he therefore shakes Kingdoms that he may establish Jerusalem a quiet habitation a tabernacle that shall not be taken down not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken Isa 33.20 We are waiting when God will shake Babylon and in his anger overturn the seven mountains thereof Babylon is built upon mountains upon seven mountains to note the strength and power of it yet the Lord will remove Babylon out of her place and overturn those mountains in the fiercenesse of his anger and in jealousie poured out Then every Island shall flee away and the mountains shall not be found Revel 16.20 That is the remotest and strongest places which owned and maintained Babylon shall either be converted or confounded they shall appear no more under that spirituall notion though in a naturall and civill they doe remain That which is not as it was is spoken of as if it were not A great change in our condition is called a change of our very being The anger of God overturns things as if it did annihilate them Job goes on Verse 6. Which shakes the earth out of her place
living God upon contempt of mercy obtained by the Mediatour So the Apostle argues Heb. 10.26 If men sinne wilfully after they have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinne but a certain fearfull looking for of judgement and fiery indignation c. Thence concluding vers 31. It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God They who sleight the bloud of Christ and neglect the great salvation tendered to sinners bâ—â—im can have no more sacrifice for sinne Wicked men crucifie to â—hemselves the Sonne of God afresh and put him to open shame Heb. 6.6 But God will not crucifie his Sonne or put him to open shame again for them God will not make another Gospel for them as he must if they be saved who contemn this No there remains no more sacrifice for sinne these men who once with all man-kinde fell into the hands of God by transgressing his Law are now under another notion fallen into his hands even by the contempt of his Gospel and now God saith I will deal with them alone for they have refused the Daies-man whom I sent and who was ready to lay his hand upon us both It had been unconceivably sad with us all if as in the case of Jobs temporall lost estate there was no Daies-man between God and him on earth so in the case of our spirituall lost estate there had been no Daies-man between God and man in heaven But it will be unconceivably more sad with those who having bad the tender of such a Daies-man shall be found contemners of him Greatest love neglected breaks forth and ends in greatest wrath JOB Chap. 9. Vers 34 35. Let him take his rod away from me and let not his fear terrifie me Then would I speak and not fear him but it is not so with me WE have shewed in the two former verses Job renouncing and protesting against all thought of contending at all with God He is not a man as I am that I should answer him Exploratum est me non posse Deum coram superiore aliquo judice sistere quo â—irca superest ut ipse s t supremus juâ—ex apud quem ego pro me dicere paratus um si coÌ„trabat flagellum calam tatis quo me cedit extenuet formidinem majestatis qua concutior â—â—ned c. In these two he desireth God not to contend with him as if he had said Lord I will not plead or dispute with thee and I know such is thy soveraignty thou maiest doe whâ—t thou pleasest with me Yet oh that thou wouldest be pleased to abate of the severity of thy proceeding and to remit the fiercenesse of that wrath wherein thou appearest against me that I might have liberty to spread my câ—ndition in thy presence I have no friend to take up the matter for me but I would open my case in a few words my self if I might obtain a cessation but for the time of treaty if thou wouldst forbear fighting while I am speaâ—ing Let him take h s rod away from mâ— and let not his fear terrifie me Then would I speak c. Let him take his rod away from me The rod hath divers acceptions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Virga baculus quâ— nascitur ex arhore ant radice arboris The word Sh bet in the Hebrew is taken sometimes strictly for a branch bough or sprig growing forth from the stock of a tree and because a rod or a staff is made of the branch of a tree therefore the same word signifies both Secondly It signifies a Scepter the Scepter of a King which emblems the power of a King Ahasucrus held forth his golden Scepter to Queen Esther in token of acceptance Esth 5.2 And because in ancient times as the learned observe they were wont to make Scepters of such rods Sceptrum quod priscireges majestatis se veritatis gratia manu tenebant baculus erat and all Scepters have the form or shape of a rod therefore the originall expresses the rod and the Scepter by the same word Gen. 49.10 The Scepter Shebet the rod shall not depart from Judah nor a Law-giver from between his feet Thy Scepter O God is a Scepter of righteousnesse Psal 45.6 that is thou usest thy Scepter righteously The Scepter notes two things 1. Authority to judge or command 2. Power to correct or punish both are included in that prophecy of the Kingdom of Christ Psal 110.2 The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Sion that is he shall invest thee with power to govern as the next words expound it Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies Commanders in warre direct with a rod or leading staffe and Magistrates punish with a rod in times of peace Sceptrum significat regium Dominium cujus signum erat sceptrum Tribus quâ—e ex uno paâ—re tanquam baculâ—s ex una arbore nata est Percussio punitio plaga quae fit baculo Hence thirdly By a Metonymy the Scepter imports dominion rule and government it self Amos 1.8 I will cut off him that holdeth the Scepter that is who hath the government in his hand Fourthly The word is often used in Scripture to signifie a Tribe or a family of persons because a tribe is as a branch sprung from one stock so the twelve Tribes of Israel like twelve branches sprung from that great and ancient stock the Patriarch Iacob Lastly The word signifies punishment or correction correction is often given with a rod therefore to be under the rod is to be under punishment Thus the Lord threatens to visit the transgression of the house of David with a rod and their iniquity with stripes Psal 89.32 The rod and reproof give wisdom Prov. 29.15 The rod hath a voice Hear the rod saith the Prophet Mic. 6.9 but t is best when a voice is joyned with the rod and instruction mixed with correction Quinque apud Hebraeos sunt nomina pro baculo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bold Bold in loc There are in the Hebrew to note that by the way five words which signifie a rod or a staff Some resolve that seeming contradiction which is in the two Evangelists Matthew and Mark by the different signification of these words When Christ Matth. 10.10 as also Luk. 9.3 sent forth his Apostles to preach the Gospel among other instructions and directions given them for their journey this is one Take no staves But Mar. 6.8 Christ commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey save a staff only One Evangelist saith they must not take staves and in the other they are bidden to take staves Now say these in Matthew and Luke where he forbids his Disciples to take staves he expresseth himself by the word in the text Shebet which signifies a correcting or smiting staff 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Take no staves to smite and strike with Baculus vel virga
double oppression First An oppression by our words And secondly An oppression by our actions the oppression of the tongue and the oppression of the hand The tongue is a great tyrant the tongue will lay on load and draw bloud The Vulgar understands it of this tongue-oppression Is it good for thee that thou shouldest calumniate or slander me that is Give others occasion to speak evil of me That is a good sense Slander and censure wound deep hard words bruise the credit and break the heatt as well as hard blows bruise the flesh and break the bones But take it here rather for oppression by outward violence So the word is often used Psal 119.122 I have done judgement and justice give me not â—ver to mine oppressours to those who would wrong me because I have done right And it noteth as an open or violent oppression so a cunning subtil oppression a cheating fraudulent oppression All wrong how close and cunning soever is oppression We have that sense of the word Hos 12.7 He is a merchant the balances of deceit are in his hand he loveth to oppresse How doth a Merchant oppresse He comes not like a thief or a Nimrod with a sword in his hand bidding you Deliver your purse or your life commanding you to give up your right or your liberty but while in buying and selling in trading and dealing he offers you a fair bargain or as we say a penny worth for your penny he smites you secretly and cuts your throat as famine doth without a knife the balances of deceit are in his hand Balances are put for all instruments or means of trading by these he deceives light weights oppresse the State as a heavy weight presses the body The word imports also oppression by with-holding what is due as well as by taking away what we duly hold Deut. 24.14 Thou shalt not oppresse an hired servant that is poor and needy that is thou shalt not detain or keep back any part of his wages The word you see is of a large sense Is it good unto thee to oppresse I know thou wilt not oppresse me either by speaking evil of or over-censuring me either by open violence or by secret fraud either by taking from me what I have or by detaining from me what I ought to have Thou wilt not oppresse either with tongue or hand either as a robber with thy sword or as a merchant with thy balances Thus Iob expostulates upon highest confidence both of the justice and holinesse of God as if he had said Lord I know thou doest not love to oppresse no thou art mercifull and full of compassion Whence is it then that thou seemest to act so unlike thy self Is this thy pity to a poor creature and thy love to the work of thy hands Thou usest to rejoyce in the consolation of thy people and mercy pleaseth thee thou usest to send out rivers of goodnesse for wearied souls to bathe in and streams of comfort for thirsty souls to drinke and be refreshed in How is it then that a bitter cup is put to my lips continually and that I am overwhelmed in a salt sea in a sea of gall and bitternesse Hence observe God is so good and gracious that he loves not to grieve his creature Among men Mica 7.4 The best of them is as a brier the most upright is sharper then a thorn hedge Even they that seem most gentle and compassionate will yet sometimes scratch like briars and tear like thorns but the Lord changeth not neither do his compassions fail The actings of God appear sometimes unsutable to his nature but they are never so When he breaks us to pieces he delights not in our breakings nor doth he ever break his own but with an intent to binde them up again God is so farre from loving to oppresse that one of his most eminent works of providence is to relieve those who are oppressed Ps 12.4 For the oppression of the poor will I arise saith the Lord. And when the Lord arises oppressours shall fall O Lord cries Hezekiah in his sicknesse I am oppressed undertake for me Isa 38.14 As if he had said This disease like a mercilesse tyrant oppresses my spirit death hath even master'd me and got the victory over my house of clay Lord Come to my rescue thou wast wont to deliver poor men as a prey out of the hand yea mouths of their oppressours O deliver me from this cruell sicknesse which is ready to oppresse my life and hale me as a prisoner to the grave Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppresse And That thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands This clause hath the same sense in generall with the former It is not good unto thee It is neither pleasing nor profitable nor honourable That thou shouldest despise the worke of thine hands 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Significat rejicere cum fastidio tanquam vile comtemptum quid Mer. in Pagâ— Exfastidâ—o contemptu sequi solet rei contemptae oppressio aut abj ctâ—o Huâ—c hominem quem â—uis maâ—i bâ—s fo masti de luto terrae Dru. Some translate this clause by oppression Is it good that thou shouldest oppresse the work of thine hands The word in propriety signifies to dâ—spise we have met with it more then once before it noteth also loathing yea abhorring And it may very well bear that other sense of oppressing for when a man loaths a thing and abhors it he will quickly slight and oppresse it who cares what becomes of that which he abhors These two are joyned together 2 King 17.20 The Lord rejected all the seed of Israel and afflicted them and delivered them into the hand of spoilers untill he had cast them out of his sight When once the Lord rejected or despised the seed of Israel they were presently afflicted and delivered up to spoiling That thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands He means himself or any other man all men being the work of Gods hands 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Propriè laboreÌ„ lassitudinem quandam in efficiendo opere denotat ex quo orationis bujus vis amplificatur The word which we translate work strictly taken signifies hard work extream labour labour with wearinesse Here understand it in a large sense for God works not to wearinesse And when after he had finished the whole work of creation it is said by Moses Gen. 2.2 That he rested on the seventh day from all the work which he had made The meaning is only this he gave over or ceased to work not that his work put him to any pain or need of rest But why is man called The work of Gods hands Hath God who is a Spirit hands or any bodily parts By an ordinary figure in Scripture hands and feet eyes and ears are ascribed unto God He is therefore said to have hands because he works not because he works with hands The hand is the
past that vvhich vvas from the beginning and shall be to the end yea to that vvhich hath no end eternity is alwaies before him God is said to remember or to forget vvhen he acts like a man vvho remembers or forgets but there is no act either of forgetfulnesse or of remembrance in God Remembring implieth two things in God First A serious attention to the person and consideration of the thing vvhich he formerly seemed to slight or lightly to passe by We also remember by minding and thinking upon vvhat is present as well as by recalling what is past Secondly To remember notes a speedy supply of our wants or actuall deliverance out of dangers God remembers us when he favours us he remembers us when he pities us he remembers us when he relieves us Who remembred us in our low estate Psal 136.23 that is who brought us out of our low estate The needy shall not alway be forgotten Psal 9.18 not alway no nor at any time the Lord doth not at all forget any much lesse such needy ones as that Scripture intends The meaning is they shall not alway be undelivered their estate shall not lie for ever unconsidered and their cry unattended to God will not deal with them nor suffer others to deal with them as if he had forgotten them Hannah was long under that affliction of barrennesse and when the Lord gave her conception it is said He remembred Hannah 1 Sam. 1.19 his thoughts were ever upon her and upon her petition but when he granted her petition then he remembred her indeed As we then remember God when we obey his commands so God remembers us then when he fulfils our requests Remember I beseech thee As it is our duty to remember the Lord so it is our priviledge that we may put him in remembrance It is a priviledge and a very great one to be a remembrancer to the king of heaven The Prophet describes such an office Isa 62.6 Ye that make mention of the Lord or nearer the Hebrew Ye that are the Lords remembrancers keep not silence and give him no rest Great Princes have an officer called their Remembrancer and they need remembrancers It is at once their honour and their weaknesse to have them They cannot retain all businesses and preserve a record within themselves of all affairs within their Kingdoms It is an honour to God that he hath remembrancers but it is his greater honour that he hath no need of them Himself is the living record of all that hath been done or is to be done Knowledge is above memory and he that knows all things is above remembrancers God is willing we should speak to him after the manner of men but we must not conceive of him after the manner of men We must not think he hath forgotten us though we may beseech him to remember us There are four things which the Saints usually move the Lord to remember First His own mercies Remember O Lord thy tender mercies was Davids praier Psal 25.6 Hath God forgotten to be gracious was Davids question and infirmity Psal 77.9 yet God acts sometimes as if he had forgot his nature or had need to be minded to do what he is God can no more forget himself then deny himself no more forget to be gracious then cease to be yet he gives his people leave yea a charge to move him to do what he cannot but do what he is resolved yea what he is ready to do Mercy pleaseth God so much that he often appears displeased on purpose that we may remember him of his mercy He delights we should desire what he delights to grant Secondly The Saints usually minde God of his Covenant God is ever mindefull of his Covenant Psal 111.5 yet he loves to be minded of it His royall title is The God that keepeth Covenant for ever yet he loves to be desired not to break it Thus Jeremy begs for the Jews the Covenant-people of God Do not abhor us for thy name sake Do not disgrace the throne of thy glory remember break not thy Covenant with us Jer. 14.21 The Psalmist praies upon the same ground Have respect to the Covenant for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty As if he had said Lord Thou hast made a Covenant to preserve and protect thy people but now they are oppressed The dark places that is places full of ignorance and wickednesse which are spirituall darknesse are full of cruelty Holy knowledge hath no such enemy as ignorance Or the dark places are full c. may be thus understood there is no such obscure corner or by-place in the land but their malice searcheth it out for the vexation of thy people We are so far from having liberty to serve thee publikely in the light that we feel the cruelty of bloudy minded men though we do it secretly or in the dark Now Lord it is time for thee to remember thy Covenant Thirdly The Saints use to put God in remembrance of the rage and blasphemies of his and their enemies Thus the Church of the Jews cries unto the Lord Psal 137.7 Remember O Lord the children of Edom in the day of Ierusalem who said rase it rase it even to the foundation thereof When a man is wrong'd who intends revenge he will say to the party wronging him well Remember this or I shall remember you for this Revengefull men have strong memories so hath the God to whom vengeance belongeth He will certainly remember the sinfull revengefull cry of Edom against Jerusalem though the sins of Jerusalem did cry to him for vengeance The Psalmist is as earnest in another place urging the Lord to remember for his own interest as here for the interest of his Sion Psal 74.18 Remember this that the enemy hath reproached O Lord and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy Name As if he had said Pray Lord take a note of this make a memorandum of this That the enemy hath reproached thy Name God will remember it if any of his servants are reproached much more when himself is Fourthly The Saints remember God of their own frailty and that two-fold First Naturall Secondly Spirituall Remember how short my time is wherefore hast thou made all men in vain Psal 89.47 Man is a frail short-liv'd creature and it is some comfort to him that God knows he is so That which Job puts the Lord in remembrance of is his naturall frailty some understand it also of his spirituall Remember I beseech thee That thou hast made me as the clay The LXX reads it Thou hast made me clay 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word signifies cement or morter which are mixt of earth water Thou hast made me as tempered clay When the originall of man is described Propriè significat cementum vel terram aqua mixtam it is said The Lord formed man dust out of the ground or
referuÌ„t ad prioris status foelicitatem nam superbum imperiosum animal leo est regiaeque potentiae symbolum notwithstanding all the out cries and loudest lamentations which he made against them Secondly The comparison is laid between the lion and Job Thou huntest me as if I were a lion So divers of the Ancients and the Septuagint understand it I am taken or catched like a lion As if Iob had said Lord Thou usest me as a wilde beast thou huntest me as thou wouldest hunt a lion or a bear thou settest thy nets and toils thou makest snares and pits as Nimrods doe in the hunting of lions and other wilde beasts Thou dealest with me as if there were no taking no taming of me but by severest and roughest waies Thou dealest with me as if in my prosperity I had been like a fierce lion oppressing and preying upon the poor or as if in my affliction I had provoked thee to resolve that thou wilt never leave off to afflict me till thou hast destroied me Thou huntest me as a fierce lion How are they hunted Lions are not usually hunted to be preserved 't is rare to hunt lions so but because they are hurtfull and destroying creatures Non capiâ—r ad vitam ut animalia quae solent haberi in delicili Bold therefore they are hunted that they may be destroied and do no more hurt as if he had thus expressed himself Thou Lord seemest to adjudge me not only as an unusefull and unserviceable creature but also as a dangerous and a noxious creature as a naturall bruit beast made to be taken and destroied 2 Pet. 2.12 yet I cannot assent that Job though under the darknesse of a sore temptation had such dark thoughts of God as if he had no other end in afflicting him but to make an end of him I rather expound him in a third sense that the comparison is made between God and the lion Thou O God like a lion dost hunt me Consent of Scripture is clearest for this interpretation which often represents God in afflicting his people under the notion of a lion as will appear in the proof of the observation arising from it which is That the Lord seemeth sometimes to put off all pity and compassion towards his people So the Church complains Lam. 3.10 He was unto me as a bear lying in wait and as a lion in secret places God threatned by the Prophet Hosea Chap. 5.14 I will be unto Ephraim as a lion and as a young lion to the house of Judah I even I will tear and go away I will afflict them fiercely and terribly Again Hos 13.7 I will be unto them as a lion as a leopard by the way will I observe them Hezâ—kiah speaks the same language Isa 38.13 I reckoned till morning that as a lion so will he break all my bones As when man dealeth cruelly with his brother he is a wolf to him or a lion to him Psal 17.12 Mans acting of beastly lusts is all the metamorphosis or change of men into beasts which Heathen Poets have so much fancied or the holy Scriptures so often mentioned Now I say as man acting cruelly upon man is called a lion so also is God When God would shew the abatements of his wrath then he saith I am God and not man Hos 11.8 9. How shall I give thee up Ephraim c. Thus he debates by and by he votes and resolves negatively I will not execute the fiercenesse of mine anger I will not return to destroy Ephraim for I am God and not man But when he would shew the highest workings of his wrath then he denies to shew himself so much as man Thus old Babylon and Chaldea are terrified Isa 47.1 Come down and sit in the dust O virgin daughter of Babylon c. Why so Babylon had set so long upon a throne that she knew not how to think of sitting in the dust yet she must for vers 3. I will take vengeance and I will not meet thee as a man How then I will meet thee as if I were a beast or a lion Thou shalt finde no kinde of humanity at all from me not only not the kindenesses and mercies of a God but not so much as the kindenesse and mercy of a man Thus the Lord met with that literall Babylon and so at last he will meet with mysticall Babylon And as he will be to all his proud enemies a destroying and devouring lion so he appeareth often to his own people he saith even to Ierusalem and to Zion I will not meet you as a man when you are carnall and walk as men The usuall dealings of God with his people are full of compassion In measure peck-peck when it shooteth or when thou sendest it forth thou wilt debate with it He staieth his rough winde in the day of the East-winde Isa 27.8 He will not bluster against and storm his people when their enemies storm against them he also measures out their afflictions and marks what is fit and proportionate to their strength and for their good as a Physitian measures and weighs all the ingredients which he mingles in a potion for his sick patient so the next words intimate By this therefore shall the iniquity of Iacob be purged and this is all the fruit to take away his sinne Yet at another time he afflicteth without measure as if he intended to kill rather then to cure and to take away their lives rather then to take away their sins I grant his greatest afflictions are as exactly measured and weighed as the least God knows to an hairs breadth the length and bredth and to a grain the weight and burden of the longest broadest and weightiest affliction but when he afflicts greatly he is said to afflict without measure because things unmeasurable or which cannot easily be measured are very great And if ever the Lord afflicted any of his in this sense without measure surely he afflicted Iob so who thus cries out Thou huntest me like a fierce Lion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et redis licet aliquantisper remittas tamen statim rediâ— c. And again thou shewest thy self marvellous or wonderfull upon me Again We render it as an Adverb others as a Verb Thou returnest and shewest thy self wonderfull upon me The sense is the same in both noting the continued or repeated acts of his affliction Vna vice post aliam Ab. Ezr Iterum iterumque ostendis miranda tua facta in me Drus Thou art still and still wonderfull against me As if Iob had said Lord Thou no sooner ceasest but thou beginnest again thou no sooner takest off thy hand but I feel it again if thou grantest me a little breathing and withdrawest from me thou returnest again if thou givest over the chase a while thou pursuest it again with as loud a cry with as fierce assaults as ever my sorrows know no intermission In me non caret emphasi