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
standeth fast for ever The righteousnesse of God is compared to a great mountain Psal 36.6 because his righteousnesse is firm and unmoveable Thy righteousnesse is like the great mountains or the mountains of God And Psal 46.2 the doing of the greatest things Isa 54.10 the mountains and the making of the greatest changes that possibly can happen in any Nation or in the whole world are exprest by the removing of mountains Though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the Sea yet will we not fear c. That is things which carry the greatest impossibility to be done or which are seldomest done shall be done before we will doe this As men when they would shew how farre they are from submitting to such a thing say We will die first c. So here Who we fear No mountains shall be removed first He breaths out the highest confidence of the Church in the lowest not only of her present but possible dangers As faith can represent to us better things then any we enjoy to raise our joy so it can represent to us worse things and put us harder cases then any we feel and yet carry us above fear A faith removing mountains is put for the strongest faith Though I had all faith so that I could remove mountains 1 Cor. 13.2 that is though I had the strongest faith the faith of miracles When Christ Mat. 21.21 would shew to the utmost what faith can doe he faith If ye have faith and doubt not ye shall not only doe this which is done to the fig-tree but also if ye shall say to this mountain be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea and it shall be done As if he had said if you have faith ye may doe the greatest things imaginable or desirable ye shall remove mountains A mountain is immovable by the meer power of a creature Faith takes that in hand because faith acts in the power of the Creatour And as the faith of man removing mountains notes a faith of miracles so the power of God removing mountains notes a miraculous power So then taking this speech either for the removing of naturall mountains or taking it proverbially as it noteth the doing of the greatest things and putting forth of the greatest power it proveth the point which Job hath here in hand viz. That God is mighty in strength Why He is able to remove mountains Observe from hence First That the Lord if he pleaseth can alter and remove the parts of the earth and change the frame and fabrique of nature He that made the mountains unmoveable to us can himself remove them The Histories and Records of former times tell us how God hath miraculously tossed mountains out of their places Josephus in his ninth book of Antiquities Mons in Burgundia a proximo monte dehiâ—cens vallesque proximas coâ—rctaâ—s multa agricolarum millia oppressit c. Vvernerus in fasciculo Josephus Ant. l 9. c 12. Vide Senâ—cam l. 5. c 15 l. l. â— 15. Natur. Quest Plinium Nat. Hist l. 8. c 38. Cum in agro Mutinensi montes duo inter se concurrehaÌ„t crepâ—tu maximo ossultantes c. Eo concursau villae omnes â—lisae sunt c. cap. 11. mentions the removing of a mountain and Pliny in the eighth book of his naturall History Cap. 30. A later writer reports that in Burgundy in the year 1230. there were mountains seen moving which overthrew many houses to the great terrour of all the inhabitants of those countries Josephus also reports the like done by an earthquake And another tels us of Mount Ossa joyned to Olympus by an earth-quake So that take it in the letter the Lord is able to remove mountains It should make us fear before the Lord and give him glory while we remember that even the outward frame of the world is subject to sudden changes there is no mountain no rock but the little finger of God can move or pull it down As David spake of his metaphoricall mountain his great outward estate Lord thou hadst made it stand strong yet thou didst hide away thy face and I was troubled Psal 30.6 his mountain began to shake and became a very mole-hill uselesse to him when God was displeased If the Lord with-draw himself from our civill mountains we are troubled and if he touch the naturall mountains they are troubled Our mountains will skip like Rams and the little hils like Lambs Psal 114.4 when he is displeased Secondly observe That the power of God is made visible to us in the changes which he works in the creature as well as in the constitution of the creature The power of God made the mountains and created the hils the same power removes mountains and turns them upside down It argues as great a power to destroy the world as to settle the world As the Apostle shews what divinity the Gentiles might have learned in that great book of the worlds creation Rom. 1.20 The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things which are made even his eternall power and Godhead So we may say on the other side The invisible things of him from the confusions which are in the world are clearly seen or they may be understood by the things which are removed and changed in these you may read his eternall power and God-head When God breaks the laws and course of nature he shews his power as well as when he setled the laws and course of nature He shews his power when he lets the sea out of it's place to overflow the earth as well as when he bounded the sea that it shall not overflow the earth Some things are with farre lesse power destroied then made removed then setled but no power can destroy the world but that which made it or suddenly remove a mountain but that which setled it The power of God must be acknowledged in altering as well as in ordering the naturall course or constitution of the creature And if we look to the change of Metaphoricall mountains it is a truth an illustrious truth that the Lord displaies his mighty power in removing and over-turning the great estates and establishments of men or kingdoms When God removes the mountain of our peace of our riches the mountain of outward prosperity and of civill power it becomes us to say He is mighty in power who doth all these things God hath given us great tokens and testimonies of his power in this How many mountains great mountains men who were mountains and things which stood like mountains in our way how many I say of these hath the Lord removed Our eies have seen mountains removing and mighty hils melting the power of God and the faith of his people have wrought such miracles in our daies He removeth the mountains And they know it not They who who or what is the antecedent to
and the pillars thereof tremble This is a second instance but in higher expressions of the same power of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e terram universam Sept. Which shakes the earth out of her place He had said before God removeth mountains Mountains are great bulky bodies but no mountain is so great as the Globe of the whole earth Now saith he the Lord doth not only shake mountains some great parts of the earth but if he pleaseth he can take up the whole earth and throw it out of its place as a man would take up a little ball and throw it into the air He shakes the earth out of her place The word which we translate to shake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non significat motum naturalem sed commotionem quandaÌ„ ex metu trepidationem tremorem Didacus Astunica putat hunc locum illustrari posse ex sententia Pythagoricorum existi mantium terraÌ„ moveri natura sua Copernieus signifies a violent motion of the minde caused either by fear Deut. 2.25 or grief 2 Sam. 18.33 we read of a trembling heart from both Deut. 28.25 It is also applied to civill shakings and commotions by the troublesome spirits of men Prov. 30.21 For three things the earth is disquieted And to unnaturall shakings of the earth by the power of God 2 Sam. 22.8 c. So in the text Some expound this of a naturall motion Those men have surely a motion and turning in their brains who tell us that there is a continued motion of the earth that it turns and never stands still they would ground the motion of the earth upon this Scripture translating thus Which moveth the earth in her place But the text tels us that the earth hath pillars and not wheels Pillars are made for rest not for motion Further This text speaks of it as of an act of Gods anger therefore no ordinary act appointed in nature and the word notes a violent motion not a naturall But we need not stand to refute this motion As when some denied all motion a Philosopher to prove it rose up and walked So when any affirm or give reason for this motion we may shew their senses that the earth stands This shaking then is extraordinary the Lord who made the earth firm upon pillars can make the earth move as if it went on wheels This he doth first by earthquakes these shake the earth as it were out of her place and make it tremble Histories are full and many mens experience can give instances of such terrible shakings of the earth This earthquake is not meant here for there is a reason in nature for that Philosophers dispute much about it and tell us when there is a strong vapour included or imprisoned in the bowels of the earth that vapour seeking vent maketh a combustion there and so the earth shakes This indeed shews the mighty power of God but it is in a naturall way whereas the text seems to imply somewhat more somewhat beyond the learning of Philosophers and Naturalists Besides the text saith He shaketh the earth out of her place Whereas an earthquake shakes the earth in her place and causes it to tremble upon the pillars thereof But did God ever shake the earth out of her place We must understand the text conditionally We have not any instance that the Lord hath actually done so but this supposition may be put The Lord can remove mountains and shake the earth not only in but out of her place We finde such conditionall expressions often put in Scripture not as if the things ever had been or ever should be done but if the Lord will he is able to doe them Amos 9.5 The Lord God of Hosts is he that toucheth the land Terrificam capitis concussit terque quaterque Caesariem cum qua terraÌ„ mare sidera moâ—it Ovid. Met. and it shall melt that is if the Lord doe but touch the land he can melt it As the three children cast into a fiery fornace had not so much as a garment or a threed about them touched with it because the Lord forbad the fire to burn So if the Lord bid a spark but touch us it shall melt and consume us as if we were cast into and continued in a fiery fornace As a word made so a touch shall mar the world when God will yet he hath not done thus unto this day So in the text He shakes the earth out of her place imports what God can not what he hath or will do Note from it That the Lord is able to doe greater things then ever he actually hath done He hath not put the earth out of her place the earth is where it was but he can displace it God hath never acted any of his attributes to the height for they are infinite he never acted power so high but he is able to act it higher He hath never acted mercy in pardoning so farre but he is able to act it further a greater sinner then ever yet was pardoned may be pardoned A greater enemy then ever was overcome may be overcome He hath runne with foot-men and they have not wearied him and he is able to contend with horses in a land of peace he was never wearied and he knows how to wade thorow the swellings of Jordan It is comfortable to consider that the Lord cannot only doe the same things again which he hath done but he hath never done to the utmost of what he is able to doe he can out-doe all that he hath done as much as the shaking of the whole earth out of her place is more then to remove a mountain yea or a mole-hill of earth And the pillars thereof tremble We have the pillars of heaven Chap. 26.11 here of the earth The pillars 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Columna erecta a stando dicta The word in the originall signifies to stand upright to be erect because pillars doe so There are two sorts of pillars upon which there is a different interpretation of the word There are first Supporting pillars And Secondly Supported pillars Or there are pillars for ornament and pillars for strength We set up pillars or pinacles upon the tops of great buildings for ornament and they are supported pillars We may call mountains such pillars for as when some stately palace is built great pillars or pinacles are set upon the towers and battlements so the Lord having framed the earth hath set up mountains as great pillars for the adorning of it He shaketh the earth and the pillars thereof tremble it is true of these upper pillars the mountains they tremble But I take it rather to be meant of supporting pillars under-pillars which bear the frame above and are as the bases or under-props of the earth Psal 105. Who laid the foundation of the earth the earth hath a foundation the Hebrew is He hath founded the earth upon her basis alluding to a building
when these storms are over-blown shall wonderfully encrease Against this it may be objected How can the former estate of Job be called small when as it is said Chap. 1. that Job had a very vast estate We have heard the inventory of his goods the totall summe or apprizement of all being given in by God himself That Job was the greatest of all the men in the East How then can it be said that his first estate was small Though thy beginning were small I answer comparatively it may be called small An exceeding excesse of greatnesse lessens and littles any other greatnesse The Moone is a great light but the light of the Sunne makes that light darknesse That which is glorious hath no glory by reason of the glory that excelleth he that is rich or great hath no riches or greatnesse by reason of riches and greatnesse which excell Job had a fair estate before and was the greatest man of all the men of the East but his estate is promised to be such as shall obscure the former and render it inconsiderable Accordingly it is said in the story of his restoring Chap. 42.10 That the Lord turned the captivity of Job also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before Half is but a little to the whole And at the 12. verse The Lord blessed the later end of Job more then his beginning Which words are a good exposition upon the text in hand When Joseph sent for his father and brethren to come into Aegypt Gen. 45.20 he saith but as for your stuff do not regard that for the good of all the land of Aegypt is before you Joseph knew his father was a rich man Jacob was no beggar but let all that go for nothing leave it to those that will take it up all the good of Aegypt is before you what is all you have to the riches of Aegypt That 's the first sense Observe â—â—om it That The Lord is able to repair all our losses with abundant advantages We complain of losses I have lost a great estate saith one but the Lord is able to give thee such an estate as that the greatnesse of the former shall not be remembred Secondly They who lose much usually have great repairs Iob was great above all others in the East but now he shall be made greater then himself As in spirituals they that have to them more shall be given and they shall have more abundance so they that lose much in temporals to them more is given sometimes then they have lost and they shall have abundance There is a second sense to which the letter of the originall doth rather incline which makes both parts of the verse look only to his second estate namely his restauration and so the sense is this Though thou doest not presently thrive and grow up to a great estate yet afterward thou shalt Though after this breaking and undoing thou shouldst set up as it were but with a little stock one friend bringing thee a peece of silver another a peece of gold a third a jewell all making a purse for thee and so thou beginnest but upon alms and charity yet thy later end shall greatly encrease As if Bildad had said Though God should now begin to comfort and restore thee but with small matters yet doe not thinke he will so conclude with thee he hath enough in store The letter of the originall is most clear for this the words being assertive rather then suppositive Thy beginning shall be small Cum dicat erit satis indâ—cat se loqui de ijs bonis quae habiturus est si resipuerit non de ijs quae habuit ante hanc tempestatem Drus Sic solet Deus ditare suos non uno tempore simul sed paulatim ut Itali dicunt poco à poco Galli peu a peu Idem and thy later end shall greatly encrease which referrs to the time future not past as we and others translate Hence observe That The Lord doth usually raise his people by degrees They do not receive all at once It is true of persons families and Nations We must not look for all in a day Outward mercies may come too fast upon us there may be a glut of them We may have more than we know how to order and take in it may do hurt to receive all together As it is with men that have been long pined with famine and hunger and are grown out of their ordinary course by reason of their necessitated abstinence We doe not presently give them all manner of good cheer or bring them to a full table and let them eat as much as they will but we give them a little and a little at a time and so by degrees bring their stomacks on till they be wrought for plenty So when the Lord brings persons or nations very low he doth not bring in a glut of mercies at first this would be more then they are able to bear as they may be undone if they have all at one receit but he gives they are able to take them in and make a right use of them As Iacob said to Esau his brother when he invited him to march with him no saith Iacob I cannot march thy pace I must consider what my train is I have flocks here that are great with young And if I should over-drive them one day they would all die therefore saith he I will lead on softly according as the cattell that are before me and the children be able to endure So it is in this case the Lord in infinite wisdome gives as men are able to receive We may be over-mercy'd as well as over-affliâ—ted over-laden with comforts as well as with sorrows And therefore as the Lord doth correct in judgement and in measure So also doth he restore We have not full-tide in a moment or in a quarter of an hour it would be terrible dangerous and troublesome if when it is low water we should have full tide in a moment but it comes in stealing by degrees and at last it swels all over the banks Such a stealing flood of mercies the Lord gives his people Therefore be caution'd In the returns of mercy do not despise small things Your beginnings may be inconsiderable this is but a little and that is but a little but doe not despise the first or second little So the Prophet counsels Zech. 4.10 Despise not the day of small things The beginnings of mercy were scarce discernable and they looked upon them as nothing they thought they would never come to any thing Take heed saith the Prophet doe not despise small things there 's more a comming Hast thou but a little Doth God make but some little repairs of outward comforts Do not sleight these look upon them as the beginnings of greater things When Elijah sent his servant to go and look toward the sea whether he saw any sign of rain he at last brought him
go on boldly till he meets with opposition he will work in a fair day till he meets with a storm and dangers threaten but there he gives over He that is not acquainted with the assurance office of heaven will seldome if at all runne hazards here on earth True trust brings God and the soul together but the hypocrite never comes near God and then no marvell if he be afraid to come near danger Note from it before we put the words together thus much That an hypocrite hath a trust of his own a trust like himself Whose trust An hypocrite doth most things which the upright and sincere hearted doe and he seems to have every thing which the upright and sincere hearted have Doe they pray so doth he Doe they hear se doth he Do they fast so doth he Have they faith He hath a faith too Have they the fear of God he also hath a kinde of fear Have they zeal so hath he yea the zeal of hypocrisie burns hotter for a blast then the zeal of sincerity He hath grace proper to his state false grace for his false heart he hath trust such as it is a trust which belongeth to all of his rank see the character of it in the next words It shall be a spiders web 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tam animal quam rete ejus quod solet contexere significat The Hebrew is It shall be the spiders house the web is the house of the spider We have the same word Isa 59.5 They weave the spiders webbe Isaiah speaks of such pretenders They trust in vanity and speaklie These were the spiders web which they weaved But why is the trust of the hypocrite compared unto the spiders web I shall clear that in four or five particulars which will be as so many notes upon this text 1. Because the profession and all the works of an hypocrite are very weak and unstable as the spiders web is There is a kinde of curiosity in them but there is no strength or stability in them The spider works very curiously but her house will not bear any stresse of weather much lesse force of battery The spiders web is no match for a broom or a whisk Thus it is with the profession the trust of hypocrites you may see a neat spinning a fine threed of profession accurate weavings and contrivances but when it comes to a push it is not able to stand if you doe but touch it 't is gone Some will stand out longer then others yet all fall as Christ assures us Mat. 7. ult it is the hypocrite who buildeth his house upon the sand to have a house built upon the sand is no better then to have a house built in the cicling when the storm comes that house fals and when the broom comes this must down 2. The trust of an hypocrite is called a spiders web because he fetches and frames it as it were out of his own bowels that whereunto he trusteth is wrought out of himself That 's the nature of the spider she hath no extrinsecall materials to build her house with she doth not hew her stones out of any quarry or fetch her timber from any forest as we may allude the materials which she hath she fetcheth out of her own bowels The Bee makes an house and fetcheth the materials from this and that flower so the Bee makes a comb for a house but the spider sucks no flowers Thus it is with hypocrites their trust and hope is as the spiders web made out of their own substance they eviscerate themselves they fetch all out of themselves The meaning is all their trust is in their own duties in their own strength in their own stock in their own gifts upon these they build these are their house We finde the Pharisees trust thus grounded such was his house Luk. 18. I fast twice a week I give alms I pay all men their due He was very exact in righteousnesse according to the Law upon this and out of this he makes his house this is to make an house like a spider Though it be our graces we trust upon our trust will be a spiders web The believer is well compared to a Bee the Bee hath an house and honey but the Bee fetcheth all from abroad from herbs and flowers Believers have their house to dwell in and their honey to feed upon but they such all from the promises of Christ yea they suck it from Christ himself they rest not in the letter of the promises but they go to Christ who is the matter promised and the accomplisher of all the promises Here they build their house and hew out the pillars of it 3. Their trust shall be a spiders web in the issue it shall perish like a spiders web How is that Assoon as the house comes to be cleansed down go the spiders webs when the house is swept the cob-webs are first swept away Thus it is with the trust of all hypocrites when God sweeps his house his Church he quickly sweeps out these spiders webs Isa 14.23 the Prophet speaks of the besome of God the judgements of God are the besome of God by which he sweepeth his house God hath a double besome or a double use of his besome he hath a besome of destruction and a besome of purgation It is a besome of destruction to hypocrites and it is a besome of purgation to his Saints When either the besome of destruction or the besome of purgation is in hand the trust of hypocrites is swept away When the Prophet describes the Lord in his great and terrible judgements Isa 33.14 the text saith The sinners in Zion are afraid fearfulnesse surprizeth the hypocrite who shall dwell with devouring fire God provoked is a devouring fire How shall stubble and spiders webs stand before him When trouble comes the trust of hypocrites goes to wrack they tremble then for their trust is but a spiders web it cannot stand one stroak or endure the flaming heat The hope of a godly man grows strongest in times of trouble he is purified in the fire and the hope of an hypocrite weakens till it be none at all in times of trouble it is cast out of doors amongst the rubbish or is consumed with the fire 4. Take this parallel between the spiders web and the profession of hypocrites The spider makes his web to catch and ensnare others to catch the poor flies She hath a double use of her house to lie in it and to entrap flies in it Her house is a snare The profession of an hypocrite is a spiders web in this notion he makes it to catch flies with to ensnare and deceive the simple that he may prey upon them He would count godlinesse a poor thing did he not make a gain of godlines That brings him in food and cloathing he lives upon it This his deceitfull web is so fine spun and fairly woven that you cannot easily discern any
of what he knows so he wishes there were no such thing to be known and that the revealed will of God were lesse by so much as it specially opposeth his will Thirdly The contest about providence grows as high in the hearts of men as that about predestination to life or the rule of life The Saints sometimes modestly enter this controversie Let me plead with thee saith Jeremy Chap. 12.1 He doth it we see with a great deal of trembling and submission he seems to ask leave before he doth it Hypocrites contend with God proudly about their own good works Isa 58.3 Wherefore have we fasted and thou seest not As if they had done so well that God himself could not mend it Carnall men plead with God profanely about his works as if he had done so ill that they could mend it Ye say the way of the Lord is not equall hear now O house of Israel is not my way equall Are not your waies unequall Ezek. 18.25 They charged God with ill dealing because he punished them who did evil Wherefore will ye plead with me ye all have transgressed against me saith the Lord Jer. 2.29 they began to plead with God about his dispensations as if he had been unrighteous or rigorous Wherefore will ye plead with me I will plead with you saith God vers 9. God may plead and contend with man but shall man plead and contend with God Ye have all sinned and transgressed against me that 's enough to stop your mouths I can answer you with one word Ye are a company of sinners then plead not with me Plead with your mother plead Hos 2.2 let man plead with man man with his neighbour The wit of one man may compare with the wit of another and their justice may hold plea with one another But neither the justice nor the wit of man will serve him to plead with God That is a second observation Man is not able to maintain his cause and hold plea either against the works of God or for his own If he dispute with God in the schools or fee an advocate to implead him at the barre he is not able to answer him one of a thousand Isa 45.9 Woe be to him that striveth with his maker it is this word Wee be to him that contendeth with his maker for he shall not be able to make out one argument or prove any thing against him such a man is in a very sad condition woe unto him David praies Ps 143.2 Enter not into judgement with thy servant for in thy sight shall no flesh living be just â—â—ed As if he had said Lord if the holiest and purest if the best of men should come and stand before thee in judgement or plead with thee they could not be justified therefore David was so farre from contending with God that he deprecates Gods contending with him enter not into judgement with thy servant such a charge is laid upon Job Chap. 33.13 Why dost thou strive with him for he giveth not an account of any of his matters And if he should condescend to give an account can any man gain by it The Lord argues so convincingly That every mouth must be stopped and all the world become guilty before God Rom. 3.19 Every mouth shall be stopped when God opens his When God speaks man hath nothing to say against him Every mouth is stopped with this one word Man is a sinner The Apostle points at some Tit. 1.11 Whose mouths must be stopped he means with reason to convince them that they are in an errour By this one argument That all men are sinners God stops their mouths forever Thirdly By way of corallary we may give you that generall ttuth That no man can be justified by his works If we contend with him we cannot answer him one of a thousand He that mixeth but one sin with a thousand good actions cannot be justified by his works how then shall he be justified by works who hath not one perfectly good action amongst a thousand sins Man is not able to answer for one thing he doth of a thousand no not for one thing he doth of all that he hath done He that would be justified by his works must not have one ill action amongst all his actions One flie in the box of ointment corrupts all one defect makes a sinner but many good actions cannot make one righteous If our heart condemn us God is greater then our heart 1 Joh. 3.20 Should man contend with his own heart that will condemn him his own heart would bring a thousand witnesses against him sooner then one for him Conscience is a thousand witnesses man cannot answer before that tribunall how much lesse can he answer God Who is greater then our hearts and knoweth all things That 's the argument Job goes on with to prove that man cannot be justified before God Verse 4. He is wise in heart and mighty in strength who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered Which words are a further illustration both of the justice of God and of mans duty to be humbled and abased before him He is wise in heart and mighty in strength Here is a double proof in these words A proof first of Gods justice why He is wise in heart Integerrimus judex cui nec sapientia ad judicandum nec potentia ad ex equendum deest therefore he knows how to do right He is mighty in strength or power therefore he needs not pervert judgement or doe wrong for fear of man Fear of a higher power usually biasseth those who are in power Here are two Attributes which keep the balances of divine judgement in a due poise He is wise in heart and mighty in power therefore there is no turning of him out of the path of justice Secondly It is a proof or a confirmation of the other point about which Bildad adviseth Iob namely that he ought to seek unto God and humble himself before him it would be dangerous to contend or contest with God Why He is wise in heart and mighty in power As if he had said Shall ignorant foolish man contend with the wise God Shall weak man contend with the mighty God Alas man is no match for God He is wise in heart and mighty in strength who can enter such a controversie and prosper in it There are two waies to carry on a controversie First By wit and policy Secondly By strength and power If man will take up the former weapon against God if he work by wit and dispute against God God will be too hard for him For he is wise in heart If man will set his shoulders or take up weapons against God poor creature what can he doe The Lord is mighty in strength from both we see there is no dealing with him These two attributes render God at once the most dreadfull adversary Dolus an virtus quis in hoste requiret and the most desirable
and prospered That is did ever any man so weary out God by lengthening this warre that God was as it were forced at last to offer him terms of peace So it happens sometimes with men Ab aequipollente pacem aliquis pugnando obtinere potest licet enim eum superaâ—e non possit tamen assiâ—uitate pugnae eum fatigat ut ad pacem reducatur Aquin. Quis permansit aut perstetâ—t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sep. with Nations and Kingdoms They not getting peace by victory but being spent and tired out with warre begin to thinke of treating Did ever any one put the Lord to offer a treaty with articles of peace to save himself from further trouble They who have not strength enough to overcome may yet have power enough to vex and weary their adversary But God can neither be vanquish'd by force nor vext with our policies into a peace with man Thirdly Others give this sense Who ever held out or was able to persist in a war against the Lord The wicked shall not stand before God in the day of judgement much lesse in the day of battell Who would set the bryars and thorns against me in battell I would go thorow them I would burn them together Isa 27.4 The most steely and and flinty spirits in the world can no more stand before God then briars and thorns can before a flaming fire The Lord soon breaks and destroies all opposing power And so there is a figure in the words for man doth not only not prosper but he is undone and crusht for ever by contending with God Shall man prosper in a warre with God No it shall end in his own ruine and utter destruction Whence observe That nothing can be got but blows by contending with God The greatest Monarchs in the world have at one time or other found their matches but the great God never found his match Hoc est signum evidens quod fortitu lo Dei omnem humanaÌ„ fortitudinem exoedit quia nullus cum eo paceâ— habere potest resist endo sed solum humiliter obediendo Aquin. Vicisti Galilae Pharaoh contended with him but did he prosper in it You see what became of him at last he was drown'd in the red sea Julian contended with Christ he scoffed at him he came up to the highest degrees he sate in the chair of the scorner and in the tribunall of the persecutour but what got he at last When he was wounded and threw up his bloud toward heaven said he not O Galilean thou hast overcome I acknowledge thy power whose name and truth I have opposed Christ whom he had derided and against whom he hardened himself into scorns and scoffs was too hard for him All that harden themselves against God shall be worsted Gather your selves together O ye people and ye shall be broken in peeces Isa 8.9 Gather your selves together against whom Gather your selves together against the people of God and ye shall be broken in pieces Why Emanuel the Lord is with us If no man can prosper by hardening himself against the people of God because the Lord is with them how shall any man prosper by hardening himself immediately against God If Emanuel will not let any prosper against his people certainly he will not let any prosper against himself Therefore Prov. 28.24 Solomon laies it down directly He that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief and Prov. 29.1 He shall be destroyed and that without remedy there is no help for it all the world cannot save him A hard heart is it self the forest of all judgements and it brings all judgements upon us A hard heart treasureth up wrath against the day of wrath Rom. 2.5 As a hard heart is Satans treasury for sinne so it is Gods treasury for wrath The wals of that fiery Tophet are built up with these stones with their hard hearts who turn themselves into stones against the Lord. Then take heed of hardening your selves against God You know the counsell which Gamaliel gave Act. 5.39 Refrain from these men and let them alone c. See how tremblingly he speaks lest you be found even to fight against God as if he had said take heed what you doe it is the most dreadfull thing in the world to contend with God he speaks as of a thing he would not have them come near or be in the remotest tendency to Man will not meddle with a mortall man if he be too hard for him how should we tremble to meddle or contend with the immortall God! Christ Luk. 14. warning his Disciples to consider afore-hand what it is to be his disciples gives them an instance of a King What King saith he going to make warre against another King sitteth not down first and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that commeth against him with twenty thousand Now I say to you if any such be here that have hearts steel'd or harden'd against God who challenge God the field and send defiance to heaven O sit down sit down consider whether you with your ten thousand are able to meet God with his twenty thousand that 's great odds half in half but consider whether one single simple man can stand against his twenty thousand whether a man of no strength can stand against infinite strength whether you who have no wisdom are able to stand against him that is of infinite wisdome Can ignorance contend with knowledge folly with wisdome weaknesse with strength an earthen vessel with an iron rod O the boldnesse and madnesse of men who will hazard themselves upon such disadvantages He is wise in heart and mighty in power who hath hardened himself against him and hath prospered And as God is so powerfull that no wicked man in the world can mend himself by contending with him so neither can any of his own people If they harden themselves against God they shall not prosper To harden the heart against God is not only the sin of a Pharaoh of a Senacherib and of a Julian but possibly it may be the sin of a believer the sin of a Saint And therfore the Apostle Heb. 3. gives them caution Take heed lest any of your hearts be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sin and whose heart soever is hardned against God that man good or bad shall not prosper or have peace in it It is mercy that God will not give his own peace or let them thrive in sin Grace prospers not when the heart is hardened joy prospers not nor comfort nor strength when the heart is hardned the whole state and stock of a beleever is impaired when his heart is hardened And if the Saints harden their heart against God God in a sense will harden his heart against them that is he will not appear tender hearted and compassionate towards them in reference to present comforts he will harden himself to afflict and chasten when they harden themselves to
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
we read of a Ship in which Paul sailed to Rome whose sign was Castor and Pollux two Pagan Sea-gods It is said that God brought all the beasts of the earth to Adam that he should give them names but he brought not the host of heaven to Adam that he should give them names he named them himself Psal 147.4 He telleth the number of the stars he calleth them all by their names Men are not able to tell the number of the stars they tell distinctly but to a thousand three hundered or a few more and they are not able to tell all these by distinct names but they are constrained to reckon them by constellations where a whole family of stars are called by one name The Lord hath made it his speciall priviledge to tell the number of the stars and to call them all by their names And these are named in the Text for all the rest Observe Thirdly Some stars are more excellent of greater vertue and name then others when these are named it is for speciall reason The Lord nameth these as stars of more then ordinary dignity These are in degree next to the Sunne and Moon when a few are named for many we usually name the chiefest as the whole people of the Jews are set forth by the heads of their Tribes by the Chiefs and when a Nation is spoken of it is by those greater names the Magistrates and the Ministers These are named because they have most to doe and the greatest businesse in a Nation So these stars are here named because they are of speciall use and influence The Apostle gives us this clearly 1 Cor. 15.41 There is one glory of the Sunne another of the Moon and another glory of the Starres for one star differeth from another star in glory One star hath a more honourable name then another Some starres God doth not vouchsafe to name particularly to us when others which are of greater glory are As in a building some parts of it are chief The foundation the top stone the corner stone the strength and beauty of the whole building are comprehended under these God hath made differences and degrees in all creatures in the heavenly as well as earthly The names of most stars are concealed as being of a lower degree And we finde that whensoever in Scriptare stars are spoken of scarce any are named but these and these are often named which implies their superiority and dignity The Prophet urges this as an argument of humblest addresses unto and dependance upon God Amos 5.8 Seek him that maketh the seven stars that is Pleiades and Orion and turneth the shadow of death into the morning c. He doth not say Seek him that maketh all the stars the Lord made all But because he hath given so much vertue and excellency to these these only are reported as of his making Here Which maketh Arcturus there Seek him which maketh the seven stars As if he had said In those stars God hath laid out much of himself and made his power and wisdome most visible How much hath God in himself who hath communicated so much to one senslesse creature And though stars differ thus one from another yet they envy not one another Which lessons us to be content though God make our names lesse named in the world than the names of many of our brethren though he trust more talents to or put more light into others than into our selves One star differs from another star in glory but no star envies anothers glory Fourthly Job being about to declare the power and wisdome of God gives instance among other things in this He maketh Arcturus Orion c. Then observe The power and wisdome of God shine eminently in the stars The power and wisdome of God shine in every grasse that grows out of the ground yea in every clod of earth much more then in the stars of heaven Much of God is seen in those works of God yea so much that many have been drawn to make them gods There is so much of God seen in the heavens that not only Heathens who had not the true knowledge of God but his Covenant-people who knew him and whom he knew above all the Families of the earth have been drawn away to worship the host of heaven That place before cited Deut. 4. hinteth as much Take heed lest when thou liftest up thine eyes to heaven and seest the Sunne and the Moon and the stars even all the host of heaven thou shouldest be driven to worship them and serve them If thou lift up thine eies to the stars and not higher even to God who made the stars thou wilt quickly mistake the stars for God or make the stars thy god the heart of man is mad upon idolatry Read how often the Jews are taxed with this sinne 2 King 21.3 and in 2 King 17.16 and in Amos 5.26 which clears this truth that much of the power and wisdome of God is stamped upon the stars if God did not much appear in the stars so many had not taken the stars for God or given them which is proper and peculiar to God religious worship There are five or six things which shew the power of God and his wisdome in making of the stars First The greatnesse of the Stars such vast bodies shew an infinite power in their constitution It is incredible to ordinary reason unlesse men have skill and learning to make it out and to lay the course of nature together that the stars are so great The Sunne is reckoned by Astronomers to be one hundred sixty six times bigger than all the earth The Moon indeed which is called a great light is thirty nine times lesse then the earth yet that magnitude is farre beyond common apprehension Some other of the planets are almost an hundred times bigger then the earth And whereas the fixed stars are distinguished into six magnitudes or differences of greatnesse Those of the first magnitude which are many are conceived to be one hundred and seven times bigger then the whole earth We look upon a star as if it were no bigger then the blaze of a Candle and the Countrey-man wonders if the Moon be bigger then his bushell or broader then his Cart-wheel If the most judicious enter the consideration of these things they may soon come to amazement that so many stars in the heavens should be more then an hundred times bigger then all the earth And if there are such vast bodies in heaven what a vast body is heaven That continent must needs be exceedingly exceeding vast which contains so many exceeding vast bodies in it If we get but a nook or a corner of the earth for our portion we presently thinke our selves great men yet what is all the earth to the heavens And what are the heavens we see to that heaven which is unseen to which these are but a pavement The heavens which are to us a roof are but a floor to the
the former context exalted the power and wisdom of God in many instances and closed all with an admiring sentence He doth great things and unsearchable marvellous things without number He in these words seems to give a proof of those attributes of Gods works that they are innumerable and unsearchable c. Verse 11. For loe he goeth by me and I see him not he passeth on also but I perceive him not As if he had said I am not able to reckon how often he worketh for I cannot alwaies perceive when he worketh I am not able to search out all his great and wonderfull actings for I cannot see him in many of his actings He goeth by me and I see him not The Lord is said to goe by us not in regard of any locall motion for he that filleth all places moves to none Doe not I fill heaven and earth is the Lords query of himself to those who thought to play least in sight with him And he convinces them that they could not be hid from him in secret places because he fils all places There is no place to be found beyond the line of heaven and earth both which God fils Jer. 23.24 Then his motion is not locall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mutavit variavit rem vel locum denotat mutationem conditionis vel loci Mol. in Ps 90. 6. but providentiall God doth not move to act but his acting is his moving He goeth by us doing marvellous things for us and we see not when he is doing or what he is doing The other word here used He passeth on is of the same sense yet more peculiar and proper to the motion of spirits we had it in the fourth Chapter vers 15. A spirit passed before me saith Eliphaz when he speaks of the vision that appeared It signifies to change and vary either place or condition The transitory changablenesse of the creature is expressed by it Psal 102.27 Thou doest change them and they shall be changed the creatures passe on as from place to place so from condition to condition The fashion of them passeth away 1 Cor. 7.31 They have not only a perfective change but a corruptive change but of the Lord he saith Thou art the same and thy years shall have no end The word is used for changing by oppressive destruction Prov. 31.8 Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction or death Such as are appointed to that great change are called a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Filij excidij i. e. qui traâ—untur excidio Jun. in loc The Sons of change or destruction Thus the Originall So that the word signifieth any change or motion whether perfective or corruptive The Lord saith Job passeth on he maketh changes he worketh sometimes to perfect sometimes to destroy but I perceive him not I am not able to make out what he doth Here are two words one referring to sense the other to understanding He goeth by me and I see him not that is my senses cannot finde him He passeth on also and I perceive him not that is he destroieth he buildeth he planteth he rooteth up but I am not able to apprehend him or unriddle the meaning of his wonderfull works He doth great things and things unsearchable b NoÌ„ est una interpretatio hujus divini ac cessuâ— recessus Pined There is much variety of opinion about the meaning of these words though I think the meaning is clear in that generall I have now given Yet I will touch a little First Some interpret Jobs discourse conversing still in and about the c Multa sunt naturalia quorum suprenum auctorem Deum vel opus inchoantem vel ab opere cessantem noÌ„ observamus atque ita praecedenti sententiae haec innectitur tanquam illius subjecta ratio Id. Quemadmodum sit in omnibus extra omnia supra omnia sciri non potest Olymp. naturall works of God the earth the heavens the waters and the air of which he had spoken before as also about the body of man Act. 17.28 In him we live and move and have our being God is about us he is ever with us and yet we observe not either when he begins to work or resteth from working How he is in all things without all things and above all things is not known Secondly Others take his going and passing for the acts of his d Deum venire miserentis est discedere punientis Phil. Presb. Aquinas ad beneficia praestita vel denegata refert Transit eum quem impunituÌ„ relinquit Drus favour or dis-favour He goeth by me in bestowing favours and He passeth on in taking them away his accesses or recesses in mercy or judgement his love and his wrath are often indiscernable He goeth by me he passeth on he varieth his workings and I perceive him not To passe by is taken sometimes for sparing pardoning or shewing mercy The Lord by his Prophet Amos 7.8 reports severall judgements from a full execution of which he was taken off yet at last he resolves I will not passe by them any more it is the word here that is I will not have mercy on them any more I will not spare them any more the next time I come with my drawn sword in my hand I will be sure to smite and wound before I put it up I will not passe by them any more So He passeth by me may note here the sparing mercy of God The Lord spareth man many times and pardons him not suffering his whole displeasure to arise when man takes no notice but is insensible of it The word is used in this sense Prov. 19.11 It is the glory of man to passe by an offence that is to spare a man that hath offended not to punish him or take revenge and it is ordinary in our phrase of speech to say I will passe you by for this time that is I will not take any severe notice or strict account of what you have done And we finde in the same prophecy of Amos that to passe thorow notes judgement and wrath in the opposite sense In the fifth Chapter vers 17. In all vineyards shall be wailing Why For I will passe thorow thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In interiori tuo or I will passe into thy bowels or inwards So the letter of the originall that is I will come to judge thee I will passe thorow thee as a revenger and wound thee deeply insomuch that in all vineyards there shall be wailing why in all vineyards When he saith There shall be wailing in all vineyards it implies there should be wailing every where for if there were joy in any place it would be in the vineyards vineyards are places of mirth and refreshing grapes make the wine which makes glad the heart of man Therefore when he threatens That in all vineyards there shall be wailing it is as much as
if he had said There shall be sorrow in those places where usually the greatest joy was found or there shall be sorrow in every place Joy shall dislodge and give place to sorrow for I will passe thorow thee saith the Lord. So that as the work of providence in sparing and the work of providence in punishing may be understood by this word with a little varying of the construction He passeth by me in the waies of mercy and I see him not Deus simplicissimus est spiritus invisibilis itaque neque nos adorientem cum venit neque cum obis pedem referentem sentiâ—e possumus and he passeth thorow me in the waies of judgement and I see him not I cannot see or understand him as I ought either in waies of judgement or of mercy Thirdly we may take the words as they are an argument to prove the power and wisdom of God to be such as man is no way able to match or to deal withall which is the subject Job is upon He would set the Lord infinitely above all that is in the creature and he doth it there by an argument drawn from his nature What is his nature Why he is most simple he is a spirit without any mixture without any composition without any materiality he is invisible bodily eies cannot behold him therefore certainly bodies are not able to overcome him Man being a materiall substance is not able to see the Lord then surely he is not able to contend with much lesse to conquer the Lord What then doth he medling with him It was said at the 4th verse of this Chapter Who ever hardened himself against him and hath prospered Is flesh and bloud any match for a spirit If man would strive with God where should he have him He goeth by me â—nd I see him not he passeth on also and I perceive him not I know not where to meet him he can come upon me on every side he may take me at all advantages and destroy me for I know not how to guard or defend my self If a man were to fight with an enemy whom he could not see and yet his enemy saw him what an advantage had his enemy against him Doth any man harden himself against God He goeth by and we see him not How then can we deal with him or stand against him Thus I say it may be an argument to make good that great assertion That there is no contending with God flesh and bloud are too weak for a spirit It is the argument which the Apostle uses to shew that the devil is too hard for man We wrestle not with flesh and bloud but with principalities and powers with spirituall wickednesses c. Ephes 6. They passe by us and we understand it not they are now here amongst us and we take no notice of it We are no matches for evil spirits much lesse are we able to match the most holy Spirit Est invicti hostis descriptio Spirituall wickednesses are strong but spirituall holinesses are stronger This third interpretation renders the words a description of an invincible enemy Fourthly It may be understood in the generall Significatur hic summa distantia inter Deum homines Deus omnia videt rebus omnibus praesentia efficaciâ— sua intervenit homo suo affixus loco Deum non videt nisi in effectis Coc. to note the infinite distance which is between God and man or the dignity of God above man The Lord is omnipresent he is going by and he is passing on he is in all places and he acts his power and wisdom where he pleases Poor man is confined to a place to a spot of earth when he is here he cannot be there but God is every where And though God be every where yet he cannot be seen any where where he is God sees all himself being unseen and fils all places his presence being is unperceived nothing is hid from him yet he is hid to every thing but the faith of his own people Thus He goeth and we see him not he passeth on and we perceive him not And so the whole is a confirmation and proof of the generall assertion that the Lord is infinite in power and wisdom and that man is an ignorant narrow-room'd and narrow-hearted weak creature compared unto him We may form up the Argument thus Si quod documentum potentiae sapientiae suae â—e dat Deus ob oculos meos non sum is qui id pervestigare possum adeo inscrutabilia sunâ— judicia ejus Juâ— Transeundi transmeandi verbis concinnè significat ea documenta sapieÌ„tiae quae Deus exh bet quasi praesens praeâ—entes erudiret He is weak and ignorant in comparison of God who cannot see or comprehend where God is or what God doth But man is not able to comprehend or see where God is or what God doth Therefore man iâ— weake and ignorant in comparison of God The ground is this He that cannot comprehend or see what another doth is not able to hinder or match him in what he doth But such is the state and condition of man he is so far from being able to equall God in dignity or hinder what he doth that he cannot finde out or know what God doth Yet this is not to be taken strictly as if man did not at all perceive or understand what God doth Job in the former context gave us a large account of the works of God what wonders he had done The Saints finde out some of Gods doings in the world though the blinde world see not any thing he doth But he speaks comparatively The Lord passeth on and we perceive it not that is it is little of God that we perceive it is little of the workings of God that we see at the best There are many persons who do not see him at all and many works that are not seen at all by any person Ita significat ex ioperibus Dei vix centissimum quodque ut par est ab hominibus expendi â—ined And they the eies of whose understandings are anointed to see most clearly are not able to see all that God doth None can see all some will not see what they may Isa 26.10 Lord when thy hand is lifted up they will not see it and in the former verse In the land of uprightnesse will he deal unjustly and will not behold the Majesty of the Lord. That which good men see is but little and evil men see nothing So that as the Lord goeth altogether invisibly in his essence so mostly in his actions man sees but few things of the many and little of the great things which God doth Nemo potest scire an Deum habeat in se habitantem in se manentem Jâ—cob Janson in loc I meet with a grosse exposition of this text given by some Papists No man saith one of them can know whether God dwell
or abide in him or no. And Bellarmine in his 5th book and 5th Chapter concerning justification citeth it to prove That a believer cannot know that he is justified but must believe blinde-fold or take the work of justification by grace in the dark For saith he God goeth by us and we see him not he passeth on and we perceive him not Allenâ—ssi â—e huÌ„c locum citat Bellarâ—inus ut probet nuâ—uÌ„ fidâ—lem scire an justificatus sit Coc. That is as his glosse speaks God commeth in favour to justifie or he leaveth under wrath and yet man remains ignorant both of the one and of the other state Surely he was at a great pinch to finde a proof for his point when he was forced to repair to this Scripture to seek one Providence toward man-kinde not the justification of a sinner is the proper subject of this text And as there is nothing for a blinde-fold justification here so many other Scriptures are expresly against it To say that a man cannot know when God loveth him or shineth upon him is to contradict what our Saviour asserts Joh. 14.17 I will send the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but ye know him for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you Ye know him saith Christ to his people the Saints see God in a spirituall sense or in his workings upon their spirits And though God works much upon our spirits which we know not yet we have a promise of the Spirit by whom we know God in his workings Few know when God is nigh or when he is a farre off what his goings away mean or what his commings But when he cometh to the Saints they know he commeth and when he hideth or departeth from them they know his hidings and departures Hence their joies and over-flowings of comfort when he manifests his presence and hence their bitter complainings and cryings after him where he seems to absent himself and hide his face yet this Text hath a truth in it in reference to the inward and spirituall as well as the outward and providentiall dealings of God that sometimes He goeth by us and we see him not he passeth on also and we perceive him not Hence learn First That God is invisible in his essence and incomprehensible in many of his actions Mans eie cannot see him Mans understanding cannot comprehend what he doth But why speaks Job this as a matter of wonder if it be the common condition of man-kinde Behold he passeth by and I see him not who can see him who can perceive or comprehend him When Moses Exod. 33.20 desired to see his face the Lord answers No man can see my face and live God spake to Moses face to face that is familiarly as a man speaketh to his friend yet Moses did not could not see the face of God No man can see God in his essence or nature A sight of God would astonish yea swallow up the creature It is death to see the living God and man must die before he can see God so fully as he may and know as he is known But though the face of God be invisible yet his back-parts may be seen Behold saith the Lord to Moses there is a place by me stand thou there upon a rock and thou shalt see my back-parts thou shalt see much of my glory shining forth as much as thou canst bear as much as will satisfie thy desire were it a thousand times larger then it is though not so much as thou hast not knowing what thou askest desired of me My Name shall be proclaimed Gracious and mercifull c. the back-parts of God may be seen the invisible God discovereth much of himself to man and shews us a shadow of that substance which cannot be seen Some may object that of the Prophet Isaias crying out Woe unto me for mine eies have seen the King the Lord of hosts Chap. 6.5 Seen him could Isaias see him whom Job and Moses could not Isaias did not see him in his essence and nature but in the manifestations and breakings forth of his glory His train filled the Temple saith the Text vers 1. or his skirts It is an allusion to great Kings who when they walk in State have their trains or the skirt of their royall robe held up T' was this train which Isaias saw He saw not God who was present but he saw the manifest signs of his presence That speech of Isaiah seemed to savour of and border upon highest blasphemy and was therefore charged as an article of accusation against him he was indited of blasphemy for speaking those words I have seen the Lord his enemies taking or wresting it as if he had made the Lord corporeall and visible with the eie of the body And it is conceived he was put to death upon that and one other passage in his prophecy Cha. 1.10 calling the Princes of Judah Princes of Sodom and the people thereof the people of Gomorrah But though God be thus invisible in his essence yet there is a way by which the essence of God may be seen And of that Moses to whom the Lord said Thou canst not see my face the Authour to the Hebrews saith Heb. 11.24 That he saw him who was invisible the letter of the text carries a contradiction in the adjunct it is as much as if one should say He saw that which could not be seen The meaning is He saw him by the eye of faith who could not be seen by the eye of sense faith sees not only the back-parts but the face of Jehovah the essence of God is as clear to that eye as any of his attributes yea his essence is as plain to faith as any of his works are to sense Thus he is seen Whom no man hath seen nor can see 1 Tim. 6.16 not the Saints in heaven they are not able to see the Lord in his essence He passeth by them there and they see him not in heaven we are promised a sight of him yet not that fight Blessed are the poor in spirit for they shall see God and without holinesse no man shall see the Lord then holy men shall see him the state of the Saints in glory is vision as here it is faith 2 Cor. 13.12 We shall see him face to face and as he is 1 Joh. 3.2 These Scriptures which speak of the estate of the Saints beholding God in glory are not to be understood as if the nature and essence of God could be seen for no man hath seen that nor ever shall but they are meant of a more full and glorious manifestation of God We shall see then face to face that is more plainly for it is opposed to seeing him in a glasse we see him now in a glasse that is darkly in ordinances in duties in his word and in his works but there shall be no need of these glasses in heaven We
What dost thou 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Behold he taketh away Rapuit more latronum Significat velocitatem rapinae Rab Mord Raptim auferre Tigur The word signifies to take away by violence and force to take away as a robber takes to steal away As if he had said suppose the Lord come by open violence to take a thing from thee or secretly and as it were by stealth to bereave thee of thy estate or of thy life if he take all from thee and strip thee naked What canst thou doe So the word is used Prov. 23.28 speaking of a wicked woman an harlot She lieth in wait as for a prey the Hebrew is She lieth in wait as a robber to take away the estate yea and the life of those whom she shall entangle Si rapuerit hominem è muâ—do Targ. Si morti tradiderit August Quoâ—ies ipsi visum fuerit ut mihi nunc eve nit â—uempiam vel bonis ipsis spoliare quis illumut raptorem ad restitutionem cogeâ— imo quis illum jure in disquisitionem vocarit voluntas enim ipsius est juâ—tlâ—iae norma Bez 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 è ralice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Some understand this more specially of taking away life If he will stop thy breath and deliver thee up to death so Augustine upon the place or as the Chaldee If he take one out of the world who can hinder him As if Job had said The Lord may not only take away so much as he hath taken from me but more without wrong to me He hath taken away my goods and my estate my children and friends he hath fetched away my health and strength my beauty and outward comforts if he come and take away my life also at next bout I cannot hinder him I can neither compell him to restore nor call him to an account I can neither urge him to restitution nor charge him with oppression He plainly intimates the rapine of his goods by the Chaldeans c. Of which he spake positively Chap. 1.21 The Lord hath taken and here by way of generall supposition If he take away Who shall hinder him Mr Broughton translates Who shall make him restore So he carries it in allusion unto men who violently take away the goods and estate of another If a man come with force and take away my goods Vertere aut reducere quis reâ—â— uere eum faciet quis recuperabit aut reduâ—et praedam I may make him restore them again by a greater force but if the Lord take away and ask me no leave I cannot make him restore The word signifies to stop or turn a thing and because in recovering of a prey or in making a man restore we stop and stay his course therefore the word is indifferently applied to both Others understand it in this sense If he taketh away who shall hinder him That is who can turn him from his purpose Who can stop him in the thing he hath a minde to doe Quidam non de praeca sed dâ— ipso Deo intelligunt Quu revocabit eum à proposito Si repentè interroget quis respondebit ei Vulg. Vel quòd respondens convertit se ad ìnterrogaÌ„tem vel quòd responsum regeraâ—ur restituaturque tanquam debitum interroganti The Vulgar translation varies much If he suddenly ask a man a question who shall be able to answer him The Hebrew word which signifies to return signifies to answer answering is the return of a word Prov. 8.13 He that answereth or returneth a word before he heareth a matter But I shall lay that by though the abettours of the Vulgar make great store of it interpreting their meaning thus if the Lord cite a man to judgement and bring him to triall man is not able to answer him or to plead his own cause Man cannot stand before the Lord. Observe hence First That All our comforts are in the power of God If he taketh away supposeth he can take away and he can take all away and doe us no wrong It is no robbery if God rob us his robbery is no wrong why because he comes not as a thief but as a Lord and Master of our estates he may come and take them away as he pleaseth and when he pleaseth Secondly Note this from it He taketh away That which God doth by the hand of the creature is to be reâ—koned as his own act He taketh away when creatures take away It is seldom that God dealeth immediately with us in these outward providences he sends men stirs instruments to do what is done But that which man doth the Lord doth Isa 42.24 Who gave Jacob to the spoilers and Israel to the robbers Did not I the Lord Men spoil'd and robbed them yet it was the Lords act to send those spoilers Did not I the Lord As that which man doth in spirituals is the Lords act when man converteth and saveth it is the Lord that saveth and converteth when man comforteth and refresheth by applying the promises it is the Lord that comforteth and refresheth when man gives resolution in doubts it is the Lord that resolveth doubts mans act is the Lords So here when man robbeth and spoileth us the act is from the Lord though the wickednesse of the act is from the man The Lord suffers men to spoil and undoe us yea the Lord orders them to spoil us it is done not only by his permission but by his commission not only with his leave but by his appointment I will send him against an hypocriticall Nation and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge to take the spoil and to take the prey and to tread them down like the mire of the streets Isa 10. Observe thirdly What the Lord will doe either by himself or by instruments no man can stop or prevent If he taketh away who shall hinder him The Lord hath absolute power if he will overthrow men or families or whole Kingdoms none can stay him There have been four great Monarchies in the world and the Lord comming in judgement against them hath taken all away The united strength of all creatures cannot stand before him when he is angry and resolved The Babylonian could not say and perform it I will keep my throne The Persian could not say and do it I will keep my State The Grecian could not say and maintain it I will keep my glory The Roman could not say and make it good I will keep my empire When the Lord had a minde to it he came and fetch away the power and glory the crown and dignity of those Monarchs he threw down their thrones brake their states darkned their glory dissipated their empires no man could hinder him How are ye fallen from heaven O Lucifers sons of the morning how are ye cut down to the ground which did weaken the Nations Though ye said in your hearts We will ascend into heaven we will
exalt our thrones above the stars of God We will ascend above the heights of the clouds we will be like the most high yet how are ye brought down to hell to the sides of the pit All that look upon you say Are these the men that made the earth to tremble that did shake Kingdoms Thus the Lord hath taken away the thrones of Princes and none could hinder he hath also removed the Candlesticks of Churches and none could hinder Christ threatned the seven Churches in Asia that he would come and take away their Candlesticks which of these hindered him Both Crowns and Candlesticks must down if he speak the word It is said when David kept his fathers Sheep there came a Lion and a Bear and took a Lamb and a Sheep out of the flock but he arose and went out after them and rescued both Lamb and Sheep taking the prey out of their teeth When the Lord Christ the Lion of the Tribe of Judah will come and tear and take away no David can rescue out of his hand The five Kings that came against Sodome took away Lot Abraham went with his army and made them restore made them bring back again it is ordinary with man when one hath robbed another for a stronger to make him restore and vomit up the sweet morsels which he hath swallowed It is not thus with God First Power cannot doe it though the instruments which he useth to take away from us be weak yet the strong shall not be able to make the weak restore A weak Nation may destroy a strong Nation and the stronger shall not be able to make the weaker restore if the Lord send them When the Babylonians encamped about Jerusalem he warns them by his Prophet doe not thinke you shall deliver your selves by your great strength I have sent them to take your City and your State And though they were all wounded meâ— yet they shall rise up and take your City Isa 43.13 I will work saith the Lord and who shall let it Who shall let it Why they might say We will have some that shall let it No saith the Lord none shall let it Behold I have sent to Babylon and destroyed all their Princes those that fought to hinder me in my work by their power and counsell are broken though they seemed as strong as iron bars so the word is These bars of iron cannot keep me from entring I will break all opposition raised against my work Secondly As power cannot hinder him so policy cannot no counsell shall stop him They Isa 7.6 took counsell and resolved strongly We will go up against Judah and destroy it and set a King in the middest of it even the sonne of Tabeal The Lord answereth in the next words It shall not stand neither shall it come to passe You resolve to doe it you make it out in your counsels how to hinder mine but it shall not be it shall not come to passe As no counsell against us shall stand if the Lord be with us Isa 8.10 So no counsell for us shall stand if the Lord be against us Thirdly When the Lord is resolved to take away the peace and glory of a Nation or of a Church he will doe it and no spirituall means shall hinder him praier it self shall not hinder him If any thing in the world can move the Lord to restore when he taketh away the peace of a people it is praier and the cry of his people Praier hath often met the Lord as Abigail did David 1 Sam. 25. and prevailed with him to put up his sword which was ready to destroy At the voice of praier the Lord hath restored that which he took away and hath staied from doing that which he seemed fully resolved to doe Psal 106.23 The Lord would have destroyed them had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach Did Moses out-power the Lord did he out-wit or out-policy the Lord No but Moses praied and praied so strongly that the Lord was hindered that is he as if he had been hindered did not effect the thing he restored their comforts again when he had arested but some of them and seemed to come armed with resolution to take all away Yet sometimes we finde the Lord will come and take away and praier it self praier and fasting cries and tears shall not hinder God will trample upon all these God was resolved to take away the glory of Israel and to assure them that he would he takes away that wherein their chief assurance lay that he would not Jer. 15.1 Thus saith the Lord Though Moses and Samuel stood before me yet my minde could not be toward this people c. As if he had said Ye think to hinder me now ye will stop me ye will send out praier your old friend which hath helped you heretofore at many a dead lift And if you cannot pray enough your selves you will procure praiers and pray in the aid of praier from all the favourites that I have in the world ye will get Moseses and Samuels such as they to pray for you ye may doe so if ye will but it shall not profit you they and ye shall lose your labour even these labours will not quit cost or be worth the while to the end ye aim at for Though Moses and Samuel stood before me and intreated for this people yet my minde could not be toward them cast them out of my sight and let them goe forth such as are for the sword to the sword and such as are for death to death and such as are for captivity to captivity Thus I say sometimes the Lord is so resolved to take away life riches glory peace the all both of persons and Nations that nothing shall help us or hinder him no not the praiers and cries not the supplications and tears of his own people which are the strongest stops of all in the way of provoked justice If praier cannot stay destruction and obtain a reprieve from death if the praiers of a Moses and a Samuel cannot nothing can it is as if God had said The best means shall fail you therefore all means shall fail you if when praier cannot hinder God we resort to other meanes it is as if we should thinke to fasten an Anchor with a twined threed which hath broken a cable or to conquer an enemy with a pot-gun and a bull-rush whom we could not with sword and Cannon And as God will not sometimes be entreated so he ought not at any time time to be questioned which is the next point Who shall say unto him What doest thou That 's further considerable man is not only not able to stop the Lord from what he would do Supremus ju lex est a quo non potest esse provocatio but he hath no right to put in a plea against what he hath done no nor to ask him what he hath been doing or why he did it
text vvhich Court-flatterers have corrupted with their unsound glosses as if every word of a King were of absolute power and must have peremptory obedience A King is for his Kingdom and while he commands according to the rules and laws of his Kingdom no Subject may question him or say unto him What doest thou There is no power above his power as he is armed with the power of his Laws And because wheresoever the Word of God is there is his Law therefore wheresoever the Word of God is there is power and no man may say unto him What doest thou Every vvord of direction spoken by God is a Law because his vvill is the Law of all things and persons As the will of man by nature is not subject by obeying to the righteous Law of God neither indeed can be so the will of God by nature is the subject containing all righteous Laws neither indeed can it not be for though God be voluntarily and with highest freenesse righteous yet he is righteous necessarily and with greatest undeclinablenesse As he is freely what he is so it is impossible for him not to be what he is And therefore no man ought to say to God What doest thou seeing God can doe nothing but what he ought In vain then is God either attempted by power or sollicited by praier against his own minde For Verse 13. If God will not with-draw his anger the proud helpers doe stoop under him Though If God taketh away none can hinder him though none ought to say unto him What doest thou whatsoever he doth yet possibly some will be venturing upon this hard task and undertake this impossible adventure attempting to recover Gods booty and his prisoners out of his hand but see the issue If God will not withdraw his anger the proud helpers doe stoop under him Suppose any should come to help protect and patronize those whom God hath a minde to take away and destroy shall they prosper or speed No not only they themselves whom the Lord hath taken away but their assistants and their seconds all that appear for them except God call in his anger shall fall before him If God will not with-draw his anger 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non revocabit nasum non redibit à furere The letter of the Hebrew is If the Lord will not turn away his nostrils or his face Nostrils or face are taken here as in many other Scriptures for anger because there is such an appearance of anger in the face and nostrils acted passion is seated there as was noted Chap. 4.9 Therefore to turn away the face or nostrill is to turn away from anger Psal 78.38 Many a time turned be away his anger â—vertit nasum suum quasi se vinci permittat ab hu milâ—ante se peccatore fugeret it is this word When the Lord is angry the turning of his face towards a man sheweth he is reconciled and when he is angry the not turning away of his face shews that he is unreconciled or resolved to continue angry And while God is so resolved man is in a sad case his helpers must stoop The strength of Israel will not lie or repent 1 Sam. 15.29 Ipsamet victoâ—ia vinci neâ—cit The Hebrew is The victory of Israel The Lords strength is victory victorious persons can hardly be overcome but victory cannot therefore except himself will with-draw except himself overcome himself it is not in the power of all creatures to overcome him Job 23.13 He is in one minde and who can turn him As if he had said except the Lord will turn himself and alter what he himself hath determined it is not in men to cause him to alter He is in one minde and who can turn him And what his soul desireth even that he doth which is the highest expression of power imaginable How many things doe our souls desire which we cannot doe We are desiring and desiring yet our hands are not able to bring it to passe The desires of the slothfull alwaies slay them because saith Solomon Prov. 21.25 their hands refuse to labour and the desires of the diligent slay them sometimes because they cannot compasse the thing desired with all their labour but as for the Lord What his soul desireth even that he doth And as his desires are irresistible so is his anger his irascible appetite is as victorious as his concupiscible unlesse God withdraw his anger The proud helpers doe stoop under him The vvord is Helpers of pride that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as think themselves most powerfull and able to help The helpers of pride Invaluit robore insolenâ— suit Freti superbia Fagn Auxiliatores superbiae Regia or the strong helpers The same word note that by the vvay signifies strength and pride because we are so apt to be proud of our strength If a man have a little strength in the world strength of friends or of riches strength of body or of minde strength of understanding strength of memory strong parts he is under a strong temptation to pride Pride is one of the greatest weaknesses of man but it is alwaies grounded upon supposed strength But who are these proud these strong helpers Some understand it of the good angels vvho are the strongest the highest of created helpers Angels stoop under the power of God as well as men Others expound these strong helpers to be devils who are evil angels to whom evil men seek sometimes for help If the Lord will not turn away his anger though men seek to the devil for help as Saul did that helper shall stoop under him Saul consulted with a witch the devils oracle yet he could not be delivered by a witch Others understand by these strong helpers godly men if the Lord vvill not turn away his anger the righteous shall stoop under him that is they shall not be able to rescue a person or a Nation from the anger of God by praier or by the utmost improvements of their interest with God Some places have fallen because they wanted godly men to support them and some places have fallen though they had godly men to support them Qui portant orbem Vulg. The Vulgar Latine translation renders They that bear up the pillars of the world shall fall Godly men bear up the pillars of the vvorld Though the Hebrew vvill not bear their translation yet the sense is good Godly men are the worlds supporters It is said Revel 12.16 That the earth helped the woman that is vvorldly men for carnall ends helped the Church vvhen a floud of persecution cast out of the mouth of the dragon vvas ready to swallow her up But the Church continually helps the vvorld and swallows up many of those flouds of Gods displeasure vvhich else vvould drown the vvorld And because the Church vvas so thin and there vvere so few godly men in the old vvorld therefore it vvas drowned Gen.
for our obedience he usually adds perswasion to his precept and reasons with us as well as directs us His commands are not alwaies barely authoritative and the resolves of his prerogative So when we call upon God for audience we should adde perswasions to our petitions and reason with him as well as entreat him Only we should be carefull to reason from right Topicks and heads of argument such as these First From the freenesse of the grace of God Secondly From the firmnesse of his promise Thirdly From the greatnesse of our need or of the Churches misery Fourthly From all the concernments of his own glory c. Thus we may reason with God for the doing of any thing we ask according to his will and in these reasonings the spirit life and strength of praier consists So then the only thing which Job declineth as sinfull and unbecomming is to reason with God as a contender he might humbly reason with him as a Petitioner or as a remembrancer Put me in remembrance saith the Lord Isa 43.26 Let us plead together declare thou that thou maiest be justified We may declare our cause and we need not fear to declare our sinnes that God may justifie us but we must not presume to declare our righteousnesse that we may justifie our selves this Job disclaims How much lesse shall I answer him and choose out words to reason with him Towards the further clearing of these words we may take notice that Job puts himself under a double relation In the former part of the verse he puts himself in the Respondents place How much lesse shall I answer him And in the later part of the verse he puts himself in the Opponents place and chuse out words to reason with him His meaning is If the Lord will object against me I am not the man who dares or is able to answer him And if I should take upon me to object against the Lord the Lord may and can easily answer me From which notion of the words two points may be observed First No man can answer what God hath to object against him The Lord hath a thousand arguments which we are not able to give him satisfaction in as was touched in the beginning of this Chapter vers 3. We cannot answer him one of a thousand If God should cast a man to hell what hath he to say for himself as from himself when God objects Thou hast sinned If God afflict a man and lay him low giving him this argument for what he doth I am thy Creatour I formed and made thee if I break thee to peeces what canst thou say against me If the Lord should say I am thy Soveraign I have supreme power over thee may I not doe with thee what I will What hath man to answer Man must be silent and lay his hand upon his mouth he hath not a word of reason or holinesse to reason against God in any of his dispensations Let man on the other side gather as many arguments as he can to object against God he is able to wipe them all off presently to blow them away with a breath All the shifts and apologies the excuses and arguings which any make for their sinnes or which they make for themselves against the justice and wisdome of God are answered with a word So that put man in the opponents or in the respondents place he can make no worke of it Secondly Observe from this phrase Shall I choose out words to reason with him God is not taken with words Fine phrases and eloquent speeches will not carry it with him If we would prevail with God we must speak our hearts to him rather then our words yet we ought to chuse out words as was touched before when we speak to God As we must take heed how we hear while he speaks so we have need to take heed what we speak in his hearing That 's Solomons advice Eccles 5.2 Be not rash with thy mouth and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God That is speak not vainly and unadvisedly thy tongue running before thy wit Let wisdome guide thy tongue and let thy heart shew thee wisdome Let not thy heart be hasty to utter when it 's office is to conceive not to utter But how can the heart be hasty to utter Utterance is the businesse of the tongue The heart is then hasty to utter when it suffers the tongue to utter what it self hath not thorowly concocted by meditation and made it's own As in the body so in the minde the third concoction is that which nourishes and assimilates So then Solomons meaning is Let not raw unboiled undigested thoughts passe out into discourses or be stampt into words before the Lord. As there is a sinne of curiosity so there may be a sinne of neglect Extreams are equally dangerous The distance that is between God and us proclaims this duty of our most reverent addresses to him He is in heaven and thou upon earth therefore let thy words be few and yet the fewnesse of words pleases God no more then the multitude of them doth We say In many words there can hardly be a scarcity of errours and in a few words there may be not a few errours possibly more errours then words Fewnesse simply taken is not the grace of words But because they who speak but little doe usually thinke the more and so their words are steept long in their hearts therefore few words are usually choice words It is sinne if we are well conceited of our words And it is sinne if our words be not our best conceptions How shall I choose out words to reason with him Verse 15. Whom though I were righteous yet would I not answer but I would make supplication to my Judge 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This brings the matter to the height Who I reason and plead with God I answer him No Though I were righteous yet would I not answer him The strength of the argument lies thus as if Job had said I am so farre from entring a contest with God that I professe I would not doe it though I had the greatest advantage and fitnesse to doe it of any man in the world though I were righteous I would not do it I doe not say that the reason why I would not plead with God is because I am wicked sinfull and abominable more guilty and unrighteous then my neighbours or then you my friends but how righteous soever I were I would not do it Job speaks as a man who would shew how much he dreads the power and strength of another What I fight with such a man I contend with such a man No I professe I would not fight with him though I were as well weapon'd arm'd and prepared as any man in the world I would not come near him If there be any armour or weapon any furniture or preparations which may enable man to contend with God it
ye think God would yeeld to me if I should contend with him He multiplieth or He hath multiplied my wounds without cause that is His verbis evidenter exponit quae supra occultè dixerat si venerit adme non video Hoc enim ubique fere in dictis Jobi observanaum quod obscurè dicta per aliqua consequentia exponuntur Aquin. without giving me any account hitherto and do you think that now I shall have liberty to call him to an account or that he will give me one He wounds without cause is * Sine causa manifesta et ab homine afflâ—cto perceptibili Aquin. without cause manifested God hath not told me the reason of his chastenings And I doe not perceive the reason I know not why he contendeth with me And so he expounds what he spake at the 12th verse Loe he passeth by me and I see him not There are mysteries in providence Mans eye is not clear enough to see all that God doth before his eyes Job is his own Expositour This later expression gives us a comment upon the former And it is observable that both in this book and in the whole body of the Scripture easier texts may be found to interpret the harder and clear ones to enlighten those which are darker and more obscure The Word of God is not only a light and a rule to us but to it self Or He multiplieth my wounds without cause is Haec à Job dicta sunt quod intell gat se non tam flagellari quam probari as if Job had said I know the Lord deals not with me as with a guilty person nor doth he judge me as a malefactour mine is a probation not a punishment God doth only try me to see what is in my heart and how I can stand in an evil day He multiplieth my wounds without cause that is without the cause which you have so often objected against me namely that I am an hypocrite and wicked I know God looks upon me as a childe Animus in DeuÌ„ praeclare affectus sed tamen affectus doloribus Sanct. or a friend not as an enemy Therefore I have no cause to multiply words with God though God go on to multiply my wounds without cause To multiply wounds notes numerous and manifold afflictions many in number and many in kinde Iobs were deep deadly wounds and he had many of them he was all over wound body and soul were wounds he was smitten within and without as to multiply to pardon is to pardon abundantly Isa 55.7 So to multiply wounds or to multiply to wound is to wound abundantly Here a Question would be resolved How the justice of God may be acquitted in laying on and multiplying afflictions without cause I shall referre the Reader for further light about this point to the third verse of the second Chapter where those words are opened Thou movedst me against him to destroy him without cause yet take here three considerations more by way of answer to the doubt First Whatsoever the Lord wounds and takes from any man he wounds and takes his own He is Lord over all Our health and strength are his our riches are his The world is his and the fulnesse of it Psal 50. If he be hungry he needs not tell us he can goe to his own store It is no wrong to dispose what is our own wheresoever we finde it That rule is as true in revocations as distributions Friend I doe thee no wrong Mat. 20.15 Is it not lawfull for me to doe what I will with mine own Though there were no sinne in man yet there were no injustice in God because he takes nothing from us but what he gave us and hath full power to recall and take away Secondly Suppose man could say that what he had were his own that his riches were his own that health and strength of body were his own yet God may take them away and doe no wrong It is so among men Kings and States call out their Subjects to warre and in that warre their wounds are multiplied without any cause given by them They gave no occasion vvhy they should be appointed to such hazards of life and limb to such hardships of hunger and cold yet there is no injustice in this When God casts man into trouble he cals him out to his service he hath a vvarre some noble enterprize and design to send him upon To you it is given to suffer for his sake saith the Apostle Phil. 1.29 he puts it among the speciall priviledges vvhich some Saints are graced vvith not only above the vvorld but above many of the Saints To whom it is given and that 's a royall gift only to believe Now if in prosecuting this suffering task whether for Christ or from Christ a believer laies out his estate credit liberty or life he is so farre from being wronged that he is honoured Thousands are slain in publike imploiments who have given no cause to be so slain If according to the line of men this be no injustice much lesse is it injustice in God who is without line himself being the only line and rule to himself and to all besides himself Thirdly I may answer it thus Though the Lord multiply wounds without cause yet he doth it without wrong to the wounded because he wounds with an intent to heal and takes away with a purpose to give more as in the present case God made Iob an amends for all the wounds whether of his body or goods good name or spirit Now though it be a truth in respect of man that we may not break anothers head and say vve vvill give him a plaister or take away from a man his possession and say vve vvill give it him again yet God may Man must not be so bold vvith man because he hath no right to take away and vvound nor is he sure that he can restore and heal but it is no boldnesse but a due right in God to doe thus for he as Lord hath power to take away and ability to restore And he restores sometimes in temporals as to Iob but alwaies to his people in spirituals and eternals Hence the Apostle argueth 2 Cor. 4.17 Our light afflictions which are but for a moment work for us an eternall weight of glory Afflictions vvork glory for us not in a vvay of meriting glory but in a tendency to the receiving of glory and in preparations for it There is no wrong in those losses by which we are made gainers Those losses being sent that we may gain and the sender of the losse being able effectually to make us gainers He multiplieth my wounds without cause Hence observe First Afflictions are no argument that God doth not love us As the Lord hath a multitude of mercies in his heart so a multitude of afflictions in his hand and a multitude of afflictions may consist vvith a multitude of mercies At the same time
striving in her womb the Lord answereth thus Two Nations are in thy womb and two manner of people and then addeth The one people shall be stronger then the other people it is this word Regnum regno praevalebit sc populuâ— prae populo robustior the one people shall be prevailingly strong and shall overcome the other both people shall be strong mighty and potent but there is one of them shall have the rule and shall conquer and subdue the other If I speak of strength he is strong The summe is If the Question be about strength and power then the Lord carries the day and the honour he is most powerfull he is strong above all Hence observe That God is of infinite and insuperable strength He hath strength many have malice and wickednesse boldnesse and presumption enough to oppose but none have power enough to overcome him He hath force which none can subdue and he hath authority which none ought to resist These two must concurre wheresoever there is full determining power A man may have authority or right to do a thing and yet have no strength to execute and effect it And many have strength to doe those things as to oppresse a man to take his goods or his life from him for which they have no authority both meet in the Lord therefore he is the Soveraign Lord he hath authority to doe as much as he can and he hath strength to doe as much as he will Some men would make strange work in the world if they had strength sutable to their authority and others would make a good world by their works if they had authority sutable to their strength both these meet in God who can contend with him If we speak of strength loe he is strong There are three things wherein this insuperablenesse of the strength of God appears 1. He hath strength to doe whatsoever he will There is nothing not fecible or too hard for him 2. He hath strength to doe what he willeth not the Lord is able to doe more then ever he will doe he could presently take vengeance upon all the wicked but he will not he is patient and good toward them who look not at all towards repentance to which his goodnesse and patience lead them Rom. 2.5 3. He is so strong that he can doe whatsoeveâ— imports strength because he only doth what he will doe To doâ—â—â—at which is not our will to dâ—e is a note of disability It argues a want of power to be forced to doe a thing as well as not to be able to it He that doth what he would not is not able to doe what he would God is therefore able to doe whatsoever he wils because he never did nor can be drawn to do any thing against his will It follows then That the Lord is so strong that he can doe whatsoever names him strong and only cannot doe those things which if he did he must be weak as was further shewed at the fourth verse of this Chapter Secondly Hence it appears That No creature is able to grapple with God He is strongest The Apostle gives that admonition 1 Cor. 10.22 Doe we provoke the Lord to jealousie Are we stronger then he Surely except man thought he were able to match God he would not be so fool-hardy so vain to throw down the Gauntlet or enter the lists with God The weaknesse of God is stronger then men 1 Cor. 1.25 not that there is any weaknesse in God but take that which men conceive to be weaknesse or weakest in him that 's stronger then man Or The weaknesse of God that is the weakest instruments which God uses are stronger scil in their effects then the strongest which men use God can doe more with ten men then man can doe with an hundred The most stammering tongue and flattest language shall perswade more if God speak with it then the most fluent tongue and sparkling Oratory spoken meerly by man If I speak of strength loe he is strong And if of judgement Who shall set me a time to plead If I cannot by force and power may I not by subtilty and wit by reason and argument by eloquence and rhetorick prevail against him No If of judgement Who shall set me a time to plead As I cannot deal with God at the sword or in the field so neither can I deal with him at the bar or at the judgement seat There are two words in the Hebrew which are used for judging 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iudicium jus ratio The first is Dan the name of one of the twelve Patriarks and from him of a Tribe in Israel Dan shall judge his people Gen. 49.16 And that word in strictnesse signifies to give doom or sentence in a cause The other word is that in the text Shaphat which signifies more especially the doing of right or the righting of a man in any controversie The Greek word takes in both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now while Job saith If of judgement or if we speak of judgement the Question is What judgement doth he mean Judgement is taken three waies First For the rule of judging or for the Law whereby we judge It is said 1 Sam. 10.25 that Samuel after he had anointed Saul for King told the people the manner of the Kingdom and wrote it in a book this manner of the Kingdom was not the common practice and custom of the Kingdom but it is the word of the text the judgements of the Kingdom that is those rules and laws by which the Kingdoâ—â— ought to be governed and judged Secondly Judgement is put for an ability or fitnesse to judge to discern and weigh things to scan a cause and try out the uttermost truth of every circumstance judgement is the ability of the person judging And Thirdly Judgement is taken for the sentence given upon the person judged after the evidence of his cause is heard and taken Judgement in this third sense is the result of the former two For when by judgement as it is the rule of judging and an ability to judge the Judge hath wrought and tried out what the merit of a mans cause and the truth of a businesse in controversie is then the issue of both is Judgement in this third sense that is an act which is passed or a sentence pronounced upon the person that standeth in or the cause which is brought to judgement So If of judgement is If I bring forth my cause to be tried by the abilities of the Judge and by the rule of the Law this will be no relief to me I shall be in as ill a case as if I were to deal with God by plain strength There is an opinion that takes in a fourth sense about this word judgement as if judgement were not a forensicall or a judiciall term in this text but signified only afflictions or punishments upon a people or person Iulicium sumitur hoc loco
pro divinis operibus humarum captum excedeÌ„ tibus non pro forensi judiciali actu Olymp. These are called the judgements of God Rom. 11.33 How unsearchable are his judgements and his waies past finding out that is the severall acts which he passes upon men his providences outward dispensations for he speaks of casting off of the Jews and laying them aside for so long a time which is one of the greatest if not the greatest judgment which God ever burdened his own Covenant people with These saith he are past finding out And then If I come to speak of judgement is If I speak with God about his judgements shewed in those terrible providentiall acts upon others or upon my self and cite him to answer for what he hath done towards me or them Who is able to plead Who will undertake this cause against the Lord Who shall set me a time to plead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In suo Kal condicere convenâ—re tempus constituere propriè significat In Hâ—phil sicut hiâ— convenire facere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Conventus statis horis lo cis aggregari solituâ— Caetus Collegium Ecclesia Congregatio It is but one word which we translate To set a time to plead but the sense is very large and various it signifies to appoint constitute or prescribe either time place or persons any or all the circumstantials of action It is here translated by divers in reference to the time and by some in reference to the place And because the people of God are to meet at appointed times and places for solemn and publike worship therefore this word signifies the Church or the Congregation which is alwaies to meet by publike appointment at such a time or in such a place lest there should be scatterings and confusions amongst those who should be most unanimous and harmonious It is taken also for any meeting Psal 48 4. Loâ— the Kings were assembled or gathered together And Amos 3.3 Can two walk together except they be agreed That is except they be friends They who have not one heart seldom have one way Or except they be agreed that is upon time and place two men cannot converse or have any businesse one with another unlesse they consent and appoint where and when if one be for this time and place and the other for that they can never walk together It is put for a set time 2 Sam. 24.15 the Lord having sent the pestilence upon Jerusalem for the sinne of David in numbering the people it is said the pestilence destroied from the morning even to the time appointed the Lord had set the pestilence a time it wrought to that time and no longer Further The word is applied to any Covenant pact Ohel-Mogred Tabernaâ—ulum testimonij i. e. publicae fidei in Deuâ— homines contestatae c. Pined or mutuall agreement Hence the Tabernacle is indifferently called The Tabernacle of the testimony or The Tabernacle of the Congregation because there God confirmed and setled his Covenant and made an agreement with his people and his people resorted to the Tabernacle to have the articles of that Covenant made good to them by his own appointment Hence I say it was called The Tabernacle of witnesse The Tabernacle of the Testament or The Tabernacle of the Covenant Upon this ground also all the solemn feasts of the Jews were exprest by this generall word they being all observed at set times and places And for this reason the word is used for the grave So in the 30th of this book of Job ver 23. which we translate thus The house appointed for all living Beth. Mogned there is a time when and a place appointed where all that live shall be laid down when they die or where their bodies shall be housed after they are dissolved therefore it is called The house of appointment the house which the Lord hath setled both for time and place where it shall be made and when we shall be carried to it No man goes to his grave by accident The Lord hath appointed man his place and bounded his habitation when he is dead as well as while he lived Again For a clearer understanding of this it may have an allusion to that course which is observed in Courts of Justice where when either Plaintiff or defendant wants counsell to plead for him the Court assigns counsell and it is observed by the learned Praetor dicere solebat Si advocatum non habet ego dabâ— that among the Romans the Pretor would say What Is there none to plead for him I will appoint one to take his cause into consideration and to plead for him It is ordinary with our Judges to appoint counsell as also time and place when and where to hear causes The words may have an allusion to this course of Judges If I come to judgement who will assign me counsell Where shall I get any one to plead this cause and to stand up for me against the Lord Nemo audet pro me testimonium dicere Vulg. There is yet another understanding of the word as having reference to the testimony or witnesse which is brought in So the Vulgar reads it No man will be so bold as to give in evidence for me or be a witnesse on my behalf Take all these senses If I come to judgement who c. I shall get none to give in evidence for me none to plead for me I shall get none to assign counsell for me none to appoint time and place for a hearing Therefore I may as well contend with God by strength as by judgement The summe of all is Job confesses in case he had a minde to goe this way he should not finde any in the world to assist or help him in it We have had divers passages of like nature with this wherein Job declared his utter inability to plead with God therefore I shall but briefly note one thing from it There is no standing before God in judgement by the help of any creature Who shall set me a time to plead Or Who shall be my pleader One man cannot doe it for another all the Angels in heaven are not able to doe it for any man If man enter into judgement with God men and angels cannot help him As the Apostle speaks in another case about the want of love If I speak with the tongue of men and Angels and have not charity it profits me nothing So if we should speak for our selves or others for us with the tongues of men that is with the tongues of the most excellent Oratours or pleaders yea with the tongues of angels with tongues that exceed all that men can speak yet in judgement with God these will be but sounding brasse and tinkling Cymbals Job goes yet a step further If I should undertake to manage my cause my self some clients will desire their counsell to stand by and they will argue their
thus in the excesses of spirituall joy and consolation so sometâ—mes in the excesses of anguish and sorrow a man scarce knows vvhether he be alive or dead vvhat his state is vvhether in the body or out of the body he regards neither hot nor cold friend or foe wife or children he forgets to eat his bread A third expounds the words as an admiration I am perfect and doe ye thinke I know not my own soul Do ye think I am not acquainted with my self Am I a stranger at home Have I so despised my life think ye that I take no notice of it and am either carelesse or insensible how things go with me As if he had said I am perfect and this is the work of a man whose waies are perfect before the Lord he knows and considers his own soul and grows assured how matters are with him Ye my friends charge me with these and these failings and will force them upon me whether I will or no though I deny your charge yet ye re-joyn and re-affirm it upon me as though I knew not my own soul or as if ye knew me better then me self But I am perfect in heart and I know my own soul I doe not so despise my lifâ— as if it were not worth the looking after or as if I were not worth the ground I goe upon Lastly Integer sum rec s cio animam meam i. e. quicquam perversi in anima mea Others understand it thus which appears the fairest and most sutable interpretation of these later ones I am perfect neither do I know my own soul that is I am not conscious of any evil in my soul I know of no secret guilt or corruption hidden there and so science is put for conscience I know not is I am not privy to any evil that my soul delights in and keeps close either against God or man yet such evils are upon me that I despise my life The spirit of a man saith Solomon will bear his infirmity Then what a load of infirmity presses that man whose life is a burthen to him though no sin burthen his spirit Troubles of conscience doe often make the most peaceable outward estate of this life troublesome And troubles in the outward estate may make those who have great peace of conscience weary of their lives What it is to despise life and that afflictions make this life burdensome hath been shewed in the third and sixth Chapters and will come more fully to be considered at the first verse of the tenth Chapter whither I referre the Reader and forbear to insist upon it here I shall only adde that Job makes these words as a transition to the second part of his answer to the charge of Bildad Ingreditur in alteram suae respoâ—sionis parteÌ„ qua justitiam suam defendit à gravi libera integritatis suae animi beâ—e conscij assertione Merl. For having before given glory to God by acknowledging his justice wisdome power and soveraignty in all his actings he passes to an apology for himself or a defence of his own integrity against the insultations suspitions and accusations of his friends As if he had said I have desired to save the honour of God from the least touch of an uncomely thought much more then doe I abhorre proud and rude contendings with him But as for you my friends ye must give me leave to be plain with you I am not the man ye take me for I have none of that basenesse of spirit with which ye charge me I am no hypocrite I am perfect in heart with God and upright in my dealings with men And yet I cannot but complain of my sad afflictions and renew my desires that the Lord would give me ease by death and acquit me from the bands of these calamities by cutting the threed of my life I know ye judge these outward evils as the brand of a wicked man of a man hated by God But I 'll maintain a proposition contradictory to that your opinion ye shall never prove me wicked because afflicted for thus I hold and I will hold it against you all as long as I am able to speak that the Lord destroieth the perfect and the wicked The argument may be formed up thus That cannot be made a clear proof of mans impiety which falleth alike upon the good and bad But great and destroying outward afflictions fall equally upon good and bad Therefore great and destroying afflictions cannot be made a clear proof of mans impiety The proof of the minor proposition or assumption is contained in the three verses immediately following The discussion and opening of which will give both light and strength to this argument JOB Chap. 9. Vers 22 23 24. This is one thing therefore I said it he destroieth the perfect and the wicked If the scourge slay suddenly he will laugh at the triall of the innocent The earth is given into the hand of the wicked he covereth the faces of the Iudges thereof if not where and who is he Videtur hic locâ— impictatem inâ—ludere quasi apud Iob unum idem sit piorum improboruâ— judiciuÌ„ quoâ—que Deus haec inferiora non curet Isid Claâ— THis speech of Iob caused a learned interpreter to tremble when he read it conceiving that it savoured strongly of impiety and blasphemy as if Iob had mingled the state of the wicked and of the righteous in one or as if his minde were that the Lord did not distinctively order the affairs of the world by the dictates of his wife providence but left them to be hudled together by inexorable fate or blinde fortune therefore he concludes that Iob rather personates a man void of the true knowledge and fear of God than speaks his own opinion Thus he censures but let Job be well weighed and his discourse will appear full of truth and holinesse This is one thing therefore I said it This is one thing As if he had said You have spoken many things to me about the power greatnesse justice and wisdome of God in all which I agree with you ye and I have no difference about those points I have alwaies thought highly of God and I desire to think humbly of my self but here is one thing wherein I must for ever disagree from you here we must part So that this verse is as the limit-stone between Iobs opinion Hoc unaÌ„ est meae assertionis caput and that of his friends Here he speaks out the speciall tenet which he holds in opposition to them As if he had said I yeeld and subscribe to your judgement in all but this one and in this one thing I must be your adversary though I will not be your enemy I say it and say it again He destroieth both the righteous and the wicked This is one thing This is uniform So Mr Broughton reads it and in this thing I am uniform or of
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.
will lay aside my heavinesse I will comfort my self It is a hard thing to comfort others Luther said It is as easie a work to raise the dead as to comfort the conscience but it is harder for a man to comfort himself Eliphaz gave testimony to Job in the fourth Chapter vers 3 4. that he had upholden him that was falling and had strengthned the feeble knees But now it is come upon thee and thou faintest it toucheth thee and thou art troubled Thou who hast holpen others canst not help thy self Yet here Job was upon a resolve to comfort himself I answer Though it be a truth that no man is able to comfort himself no more then he can convert himself and that a man is no more able to change his heart from sorrow to joy then he is able to change his heart from sin to grace yet a man may attempt or assay he may use means to comfort himself When Job saith I will comfort my self the meaning is I will doe the utmost I can I will not be behinde in my endeavours I will take the best course and improve all opportunities to get out of these dumps whosoever will prescribe me a way or direct me to a remedy of these sorrows I will submit to it I will comfort my self From whence note That What a man really endeavoureth to doe that he may be said to doe I will comfort my self Why Because though he were not able to attain such an end Joy and comfort lieth beyond the line of the creature yet he reached at it he attempted and assaied all means to comfort himself Thus the salvation of a man is ascribed to himself A man is said to save himself though salvation belongeth to the Lord even temporall salvation but especially eternall salvation yet a man may be said to save himself As the Apostle 1 Epist 4.16 exhorts Timothy to walk by a holy rule to settle himself in his studies to read the Scriptures and to meditate in them to be faithfull in dispensing of the Gospel assuring him If thou dost these things thou shalt both save thy self and them that hear thee Save thy self No man can be his own Saviour he may be as well his own Creatour Timothy was thus encouraged because in so doing he did all that a man ought who expects salvation That was the way to though not the cause of salvation Salvation is all Christs yet he who doth his best to save himself may be said to save himself Thus also a man comforts himself converts himself instructs himself when he putteth himself out to the utmost of gifts graces and opportunities to doe or attain duties and blessings No man saith the Prophet doth stir himself up to take hold of the Lord. The word in the Prophet signifies to awake or to watch no man wakes or watches his opportunity to take hold of the Lord. It notes also that action of old birds who flutter with their wings and beat up their young ones to urge and provoke them to use their wings and flie abroad Thus he complained because the lazy dull-hearted Jews did not raise up and waken their hearts to doe what they could though to doe it was more then they could Secondly Observe That a man in affliction may help on his comforts or his sorrows I will comfort my self I will leave off my heavinesse Some adde to their afflictions and are active to aggravate and encrease them they make their night darker and obscure the light of counsell that is brought unto them they joyn with Satan their enemy and by the black melancholy vapours of their own hearts stifle the consolations that are administred them by faithfull friends Like Rachel Jer. 31. they refuse to be comforted when reviving Cordials are offered they spill them upon the ground and will not take in a drop they are so farre from comforting themselves that they will not receive comfort from others The Prophet seems to be resolved upon the point he would go on in sorrows Look away from me I will weep bitterly labour not to comfort me Isa 22.4 As sometimes a man under great affliction bespeaks comfort from others O I am in a sad case come comfort me shew me how I may get ease from these sorrows Many beg praiers and send bils of their afflictions desiring to have them spread before the Lord in the Congregation that some comfort may be dropt from heaven into their diseased bodies or wounded spirits Others sleight praiers and care not to be comforted as if it were an ease to them to mourn and a refreshing to be in heavinesse There is a two-fold ground upon which comforts are thus put off 1. Some put off their comforts upon fullennesse of spirit black and dark spirits love to bathe themselves in sorrow Sorrow is the bath of drooping spirits and it is Satans bath too Melancholly is commonly called The devils bath he takes delight to wash in the streams of our unnecessary tears Sorrow for sinne puts the devil to the greatest sorrow Godly grief is a grief to Satan but he delighteth in our worldly sorrows as the devil may be delighted if he have delight in any thing this is one thing he delights in our forbidden sorrows Some sorrows are as much forbidden as any pleasures The devil is as much pleased with our unlawfull sorrows as he is with our unlawfull pleasures And he labours as much to make us pleased with them 2. Others help on their own sorrows and lessen their comforts through forgetfulnesse or ignorance they as the Apostle chides the Hebrews Chap. 12.5 have forgotten the exhortation which speaks unto them as unto children Now as wicked men rejoyce because they forget or know not their ill condition So godly men are sad when they forget or know not how good their condition is Yet Job supposes the review of his good estate would neither check his sorrows nor establish his peace If I say I will forget my complaint I will comfort my self I am afraid of all my sorrows Thirdly Observe Man is not able to comfort himself we can make our selves crosses but we cannot make our selves comforts A man may say as Job did Chap. 7.13 to his bed comfort me or to his riches comfort me or to his wine and good chear comfort me or to his friends comfort me He may say to all outward acts of pleasure to merry company and musick eomfort me Yea a Saint may say to his graces and holinesse comfort me and yet none of these can comfort him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or they comfort him in vain Timuit expavit prae metu se abstrahere timorem denâ—tat imminentis calamitatis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Significat dolore affiâ—ere interdum figurare Qui materiam aliquam ut lucum vel ceram figurat manibus digitis is illam premendo quasi dolore afficit Bold Est elegans metaphora verba alicujus figurare nam
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
fear with reference to the two former verses especially to the verse immediately fore-going There Job desires a Daies-man or complains that there is none here he tels us what he might have expected if he had one As if he had said Had I a Daies-man then I know he would take away the rod from me that is he would give judgement that I should be eased of this affliction and his fear should not terrifie me that is he would never give a sentence which should be a terrour to me That 's a fair sense in reference to what he spake before but I rather keep his meaning within the compasse of what he is speaking here And then by fear we may understand Paveris nomine intelligendum putareÌ„ fulgoreÌ„ splendorem vel majestatem niniam qua priscis illis temporibus nonnunquam Deus vel Angelus pro Deo serviâ— suis apparabat Bol. First Those raies and beams of Majesty which the Lord letting out a little upon Job he was not able to bear them We finde when in those ancient times God appeared the beholders were terrified Manoahs wife tels her husband A man of God came unto me and his countenance was like the countenance of an Angel of God very terrible Judg. 13.6 And when God appeared to Abraham An horrour of great darknesse fell upon him Gen. 15.12 in what a wofull plight was Daniel receiving the visions of God Dan. 10.8 God who is the joy of his people is also a terrour to them Things which are not what they seem to be are not so terrible near hand as at a distance God who is infinitely more then he can seem to be is more terrible near hand then at a distance Hence it is that when God who is alwaies near us shews himself to be so our spirits fail within us In that presence of God which we shall have in glory there will be fulnesse of joy And in that presence of God which we have in the waies of grace there is abundance of joy But if while we are here in a state of grace some little of that presence of God which is proper to the state of glory fals upon us we are more distressed then comforted with it How much more then when God clothes himself with terrour and as he did to Job so reveals himself unto us Secondly We may interpret this fear by the former part of the verse the rod his afflictions were terrible the hand of God lifted up to smite him made him afraid But whether it were this or that the majesty of God overawing him or the rod of God chastening him the sense is plain Job was opprest with fear from the Lord yea with terrour from the Almighty causing this vehement deprecation Let not his fear terrifie me Hence observe First That God sometimes appears terribly to those he loves entirely Job was one of Gods darlings and God was imbracing him while he was scourging him Job had kisses from heaven when he felt nothing but lashes here upon the earth The heart of God was full of love while his hand was filled with a rod his bowels yearn'd upon Job and his face terrified him at the same time That precious man Heman was followed with terrours and visions of amazement all his daies I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up while I suffer thy terrours I am distracted Psal 88.15 The terrours of God even terrours to distraction may be the present portion of those whose portion is everlasting mercy Observe Secondly Man is not able to bear the anger of G d. Though he be but correcting us yet we cannot bear his anger toward us This caused the Prophet to cry out Jer. 10.24 Correct me O Lord but not in thine anger The words are not a praier for correction I know no warrant for that but a submission to it As if he had said Lord I am willing to bear thy correction but I cannot and who can bear thine anger The Church complains Psal 90.7 We are consumed by thine anger and by thy wrath we are troubled The fatherly anger of God is as a consuming fire and we are but as stubble before it What then is the fiercenesse of that anger which he will pour out upon wicked men for ever Who knoweth the power of thine anger Psal 90.11 Man cannot understand how powerfull the anger of God is much lesse stand before the power of his anger As man cannot comprehend the love of God Ephes 3.18 19. The Apostle exhorts To know the love of God which passeth knowledge that is to know so much of it as is knowable the love of God is past the knowledge not only of nature but of grace because it is infinite So we should labour To know the anger of God which passeth knowledge that is to know it so farre as it is knowable The anger of God cannot be fully known because it hath an infinitenesse in it as well as his love And as the one shall never be fully known but by enjoying it so neither can the other but by feeling it Upon this consideration the Lord makes that gracious promise to his people Isa 57.16 I will not contend for ever neither will I be alwaies wroth for the spirit should fail before me and the souls which I have made But is not the spirit or soul of man of an everlasting make And shall not the damned endure the contendings of Gods wrath for ever and not fail The substance of the soul cannot fail and the spirit is incorruptible The spirit is full of morall corruption but it is not subject to naturall corruption or the corruption of its nature How glad would the damned be if their spirits might fail and their souls return to nothing The failing of the spirit under the wrath of God is the failing of its hope and courage Thus the spirit sinks and the immortall soul dies away under the sense and weight of Gods displeasure But what if the Lord should take away his rod and change his â—errours into smiles What will Iob do then when this is granted see what he will do Verse 35. Then would I speak and not fear him but it is not so with me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. But is this the use which Iob would make of the mercy he begs Doth he entreat the Lord to take his terrifying fear away from him and then resolve not to fear him at all Whose voice is this Is this the voice of Job I will speak and not fear him Jobs character in the first Chapter was A man fearing God and dares he now say I will speak and not fear him As the fear of God ought to be the seasoning of all our works and actions so it ought to be the seasoning of all our words and speeches why then doth he say I will speak and not fear him To clear this I answer Fear may be taken two waies Either for the grace of fear or
speak in the bitternesse of my soul But what speaks he As when he first spake these words Chap. 7.11 he presently turned his speech to God desiring him to deal more sweetly with him and puts the question Am I a Sea or a Whale c. So here after he hath set forth his resolvednesse to complain he presently turns his speech to God imploring favour I will say unto God doe not condemn me vers 2. and he puts the question vers 3. Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppresse As if he had said Lord I cannot but complain of my condition and I must take the boldnesse to complain to thee but I will not complain of thee as if thou wert mine enemy nor will I contend with thee as if thou wert a party my meaning and scope is only this to supplicate thee as my Judge I will say unto God Doe not condemn me c. JOB Chap. 10. Vers 2 3. I will say unto God Doe not condemn me show me wherefore thou contendest with me Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppresse That thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands and shine upon the counsel of the wicked IN the former verse Job resolved to complain in this second he begins his complaint I will say unto God c. He complains to God not against God He leaves his complaint upon himself but he tendereth and presenteth it before the Lord I will say unto God What he saith may be cast into a double request 1. That God would not condemn him 2. That he would instruct or convince him as if he had said Lord do not use thy absolute power to destroy me Do not reject me because thou wilt Shew me the reason of thy proceedings that I may either sit down contented with what is amisse in my state or reform and amend what is amisse in my life Doe not condemn me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Noli me docere impium esse Sept. Forte graviore aliqua tristitia obrutus impiam aliquam vocem emittam q. d. Noli occasionē quaerere mei lapsus The Septuagint hath a very different rendering of this clause I will say unto God Do not teach me to be wicked or to do wickedly but is it not wickednesse as black as hell to suppose that God teaches any man to be wicked The Lord hates wickednesse and can he teach it The Lord punishes wickednesse therefore he cannot teach it The minde of the Greek translatours is not that God doth formally teach any to be wicked but that some learn wickednesse or are ensnared in sinne by that which God doth unto them As if Iob had said Lord doe not encrease and heap afflictions upon me Doe not over-grieve and burden the spirit of thy poor creature lest he should even be forced through impatience to speak unadvisedly or doe any thing unbecommingly Lord do not occasion me thorow the extremity of my afflictions to say or doe that which I must repent and be ashamed of Which is also the sense of that petition in the Lords-praier Lead us not into temptation Great affliction lay us open to great temptations And as calamity is an occasion for our graces and vertues to shew themselves So also for our lusts and corruptions Some never appear so holy and others I mean of those who are really godly never shew so much unholinesse as in affliction Hence that request of Agur Prov. 30.9 Lord feed me with food convenient for me lest I be poor and steal and take the Name of my God in vain Such is the meaning of the Septuagint when they say Lord teach me not to be wicked God teaches man to be holy both by his word and by his works yet some of his works may occasion the flesh to learn wickednesse and to act wickedly Verba sunt hominis se excusantis quasi praecastigantis liberiorem suam orationem Aquin. Secondly These words may be understood as a Preface or a rhetoricall introduction to prepare the ears of the Lord to re-receive the bill of complaint which Iob was about to put up unto him As if he had said Lord possibly through the tediousnesse of my pain and the continuance of my sorrows words may slip from me of which I shall not be able to give a good account or others make a fair construction yet Lord Doe not condemn Doe not censure me I speak only to excuse my self not to accuse thy Majesty I speak only in my own defence let not what I speak be an offence to thee Lord I have so great a weight of affliction upon me that I cannot but hope thou wilt give my words some grains of allowance if they should want their due weight of wisdom and of holinesse As Abraham when he was about to pray for Sodome makes his apologies and preparatory speeches unto God Let not my Lord be angry and I will speak and I will speak yet this once Gen. 18. So here I will speak c. but I will first say unto God be not angry Doe not condemn me If my infirmities prevailing over me I speak amisse Lord be not criticall with me examine not every word strictly Strong passions make an unruly Oratour and when the speaker bears much he may expect to be much borne with by his hearers That 's a second But rather 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Verbum condemnandi fere semper ad culpam pertinet Noli me peragere reum aut sontem pronunciare His suppliciis videris me velat impium sceleratumque palā declarare Pin. Ne quaeso me ita affligas ut omnes qui hoc vident judicant me propter peccata gravissima talia pati Thirdly We may take the words as a plain deprecation Doe not condemn me The Hebrew is litterally thus rendered Doe not wicked me that is Doe not count me or cast me for a wicked man But did the Lord account Iob as a wicked man Or had Job an opinion that the Lord did account him so Surely Job had good yet humble thoughts of himself though he endured so many evils yea he was perswaded that the Lord who laid those evils on him had good thoughts of him too and when he saith Doe not condemn me doubtlesse he had hopes possibly he had assurances that the Lord had justified and acquitted him why then resolves he I will say unto God Doe not condemn me First We may expound him thus Lord Doe not that against me which may give the world occasion to condemn me or Lay not thy hand so heavily upon me lest they that understand not the reason of thy dealings should be occasioned to adjudge me wicked Though Job had a witnesse above and a record on high though he knew his reputation was unblemished before God in the midst of all these breaches upon his family and botches upon his body yet he knew men would condemn him as guilty of the most notorious evils of sin when they
with me Why am I brought to such a triall I am sure it is not with thee as with mortall Judges who having eyes of flesh can see no further then the out-side of things and know no more then is told them and therefore must fetch out what lies in the heart of man by examination and if examination will not do it they must do it by torture Lord there is no need thou shouldest take this course Thou canst enform thy self fully how it is with me though I should not speak a word though I am silent yet thine ear hears the voice and understands the language of my spirit Though I hide or cover my self yet the eye of thy omniscience looks quite thorow me seeing then thou hast not eyes like the eyes of men wherefore is it that thou enquirest by these afflictions after mine iniquity and searchest as men use to do after my sin Hast thou eyes of flesh or seest thou as man seeth God hath no eyes much lesse eyes of flesh God is a Spirit and therefore he cannot have eyes of flesh He is all eye and therefore properly he hath no eyes The eye is that speciall organ or member of the body into which the power of seeing is contracted but God is all over a power of seeing The body of man hath severall parts and severall honours and offices are bestowed upon every part The eye hath the great office and honour of seeing committed to it The eye is the light of the whole body and knowledge is the eye of the soul The eye of God is the knowledge of God Ipsum nomen Dei Graecum hanc videndi efficacit atem prae sesert 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nimirum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spectare contemplari dicitur Nihil est in intellectu quod noÌ„ priâ— suit in sensu The Greeks expresse God by a word which signifies to see and he is therefore said to have eyes and to see because the eye is a principall instrument and seeing a principall means by which man receives knowledge Naturalists tell us there is nothing in the understanding but that which is first in the sence The sences are doors to the minde the furniture and riches of that are conveyed in by the eyes or ears These bring informations to the understanding Naturall knowledge cannot have an immediate accesse to man and 't is but seldom that spirituall hath Both are commonly let in by sence The superiour powers must traffick with the inferiour otherwise they make no gain Though God hath no need of any help to bring in or improve his knowledge yet that is ascribed to him by which knowledge is improved He hath eyes but not of flesh he seeth but not as man Hast thou eyes of flesh Flesh by a Synechdoche is put for the whole nature of man The Word was made flesh Joh. 1.14 not body or soul but Flesh that is man consisting of soul and body Thus here eyes of flâ—sh that is mans eyes And so the later clause of the verse is an exposition of the former Oculi carnei sunt secundum carnem judicantes When he saith Hast thou eyes of flesh It is no more then this Dost thou see as man seeth To have an eie of flesh is to judge according to the flesh and to see as man seeth is to see no more then man When Samuel was sent to anoint a King over Israel in the place of Saul 1 Sam. 16.7 the Lord said concerning the first-born of Jesse Look not on his countenance or on the height of his stature because I have refused him The reason added is this For the Lord seeth not as man seeth for man looks on the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart There we have Jobs doctrine of Gods seeing delivered by God himself Samuel thought he who made the fairest shew to the eie of man must needs be the man who was fairest in the eye of God but the Lord seeth what is not seen and often findes most reality in the least appearance he who hath not eyes of flesh sees beyond the flesh There are seven differences between the eye of flesh or mans eye and the eye of God 1. Mans eye is but a means or an instrument of knowledge Gods eye is his knowledge The act and the faculty are not distinct in God All in God is act Neither is God another thing from his act whatsoever is ascribed to him is himself The eye of God is God seeing The knowledge of God is God knowing The love of God is God loving 2 Man must have a two-fold light to see by an inward light the light of the eye and an outward light the light in the air without both he cannot see man doth not see as Naturalists speak by sending forth a beam or a ray from his eye to the object but by receaving or taking in a beam or a ray from the object into his eie The object issues it's species to the eye which being joyned with the visive power of the eye man seeth But God seeth in himself of himself and from himself he needs no outward light Christ is described having a fiery eye His eyes were as a flame of fire Revel 1.14 Revel 2.18 Even nature teacheth us that those creatures which have fiery eyes see in the dark and see best when it is darkest because they see by sending forth a beam or a flame from their eyes which at once apprehends the object and enlightens the passage to it God who commanded light to come out of darknesse for the use of man commands light in darknesse for his own The darknesse hideth not from thee saith David but the night shineth as the day The darknesse and the light are both alike to thee There is no darknesse nor shadow of death where any of the workers of iniquity can hide themselves Job 34.22 Thus God hath not eyes of flesh he seeth not as man seeth 3. Man seeth one thing after another his eye is not able to take in all objects at once he views now one and then another to make his judgement of them But God seeth all things together he beholdeth all at one view his eye takes and gathers in all objects and all that is in every object by one act The Lord looketh from heaven and beholdeth all the sonnes of men from the place of his habitation he looks upon all the inhabitants of the earth Psal 33.13 14. 4. An eye of flesh seeth at a distance and at such a distance Naturalists tell us there must be a due distance between the eye and the object If you put the object too neer the eye Sensibile positum super sensuÌ„ tollet sensationem the eye cannot see it That which is sensible put upon the sense takes away sensation Again if the object be very remote the eye cannot make any discovery of it The eye cannot see farre and it cannot discern so farre as it
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
Sight which is the chief sense is put for any sense And so the meaning is Though I am righteous yet I cannot hold up my head or take any comfort because I am so full of confusion and see so much affliction As if he had said Can a man at the same time mourn and rejoyce Can a man lift up his head while he hath such a load upon his heart Hence observe They who see much affliction can hardly take in any consolation Come to a godly man under great outward or inward troubles tell him of the love of God of the pardon of sinne of an inheritance among the Saints in light as his portion you can hardly fasten any of these things upon him sorrow within keeps comfort out As till sin be cast out we cannot act holily so till worldly sorrow or the excesse of godly sorrow be cast out we cannot act joyfully The Saints in a right posture of spirit are joyous in all their tribulations and Christ is able to make consolations abound as tribulation doth abound yet where there is abundance of tribulation consolation is usually very scarce Drops will hardly be received where rivers are offered and poured forth Another reading of the words representeth Iob bespeaking God in praier mixed with complaining If I were righteous Satis habeas ignominiae vide impotentiaÌ„ meam Coc. yet cannot I lift up my head be thou satisfied with confusion and behold my affliction So M. Broughton As if Iob had said Let it be enough Lord let it now suffice give me some ease that I may lift up my head a little before I lay it down for altogether Thus David praied Ps 39.11 12. When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth surely every man is vanity O spare me that I may recover stâ—ength before I go hence be no more When Nehemiâ—h was humbling himself and confessing his sin and the sinne of that people he concludes according to this interpretation Chap. 9.32 Let not all the trouble seem little before thee that hath come upon us on our Kings on our Princes and on our Priests and on all thy people as if he had said Lord consider that now we have been greatly punished though we have been punished lesse then our sins deserve Thou maist justly inflict more but we are not able to endure more Rectius in imperativo q. d. vide Domine quo sim statu tum cognosces ita esse ut dico Mâ—rc Thirdly We read imperatively Therefore see thou mine affliction So his meaning is Lord take notice of my sad condition I am full of trouble Hence observe That when sorrows are come to a great height it is time for us to pray that God would cast a compassionate eye upon them When we are past the cure and help of man we are fittest objects for God When the pressures of the people of Israel were greatly encreased in Aegypt then the Lord himself saith I have seen I have seen Exod. 3.7 and when affliction is boyl'd up to the height then let us say See Lord see Lord. When the rage and blasphemy of Rabshakeh both by speaking and writing reached even unto heaven Then Hezekiah went and spread the letter before the Lord 2 King 19.14 As if he had said Lord do thou read this letter Lord bow down thine ear and hear Lord behold and see we are full of confusion See thou our affliction And when the enemies of the Jews in Nehemiah's time fell to scoffing and jearing the work they had in hand and them in the work then that zealous Governour puts it unto God Hear O our God for we are despised Secondly Note That when our afflictions are at the highest and greatest thou the Lord is able to master and subdue them I am full of confusion see thou mine affliction As if he had said It is in vain for me to shew my diseases and my wounds to creatures but I know I am not past thy cure though I come thus late or thus I have shewed my wounds and my diseases to the creature I have made my moan to men but they cannot help Now I bring them unto thee O see my affiction All our ruines may be under the hand of God he hath bread and cloathing for us he can be our healer when none can either in heaven or earth Lastly Observe When our afflictions are at the highest then usually God comes to deliver When the waters of affliction swell over the banks and threaten a deluge then God turns the stream when our sores fester and are ready to gangrene then God applies his balsome He seldome appears in a businesse which others can do or undertakes that which is mans work As in the sore travel of women in childe-bearing other helpers undertake it not till as they speak it be past womens work so God seldome meddles eminently he acts alwaies concommitantly till our deliverance is past mans work that so the whole praise of the work may be his When danger is upon the growing hand then desire God to take deliverance in hand then pray and pray earnestly that God would see your afflictions when you perceive them to be encreasing afflictions So it follows in the next verse See thou mine affliction Verse 16. For it encreaseth Thou huntest me as a fierce lion and again thou shewest thy self marvellous upon me This verse with the next are an elegant and patheticall description of Iobs yet growing and prevailing sorrows for having closed the 15th verse with an Assertion and a petition I am full of confusion therefore see thou mine affliction he presseth and pursueth both in these words For it encreaseth Thou huntest me as a fierce lion For it encreaseth M. Broughton renders How it fleeth up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In bonum elevâ—tâ—â— eminuit in malum intumuit superbiit de inanimatis â—revit auctus â—uit The Hebrew word is taken sometimes in a good and sometimes in an ill sense In a good sense it signifies to be lifted up or to be eminent in excellency In an ill sense it signifies to be lifted up or exalted with pride The word is applied also to things without life and then it signifies to augment by addition or encrease The Vulgar takes it in that ill sense as noting pride and high-mindednesse translating by the Noun thus For pride thou dost catch me as a lion or thou dost hunt me as a lion because I am proud A lion is a stout creature and may be an embleme of pride Another gives a sense near that When it lifteth up it self then thou huntest me as a fierce lion When what lifteth up it self when my head lifteth up it self he had said in the former verse If I be righteous yet will I not lift up my head for if I doe lift up my head in pride then thou wilt hunt me as a fierce lion I shall
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