the soule but thou art driven with every blast in this thy hope Hope makes Heb. 6. 1â— not ashamed but thou either art or oughtest to be ashamed is this thy hope The feare of the Lord is cleane but thou art defiled Rom. 5. 5. is this thy feare Then againe consider this when Job carries himselfe thus in his trouble Eliphaz telleth him what is not this thy feare thou art surely but an hypocrite for if thy feare were true it would have preserved thee from these impatient complainings and distempers Hence observe That true feare holy feare preserves the soule and keepes it holy Holy feare is as a golden bridle to the soule when it would runne out to any evill It is like the bankes to the sea which keepes in the raging waves of corruption when they would overflow all If thou haddest feare indeed thou wouldest never thus breake the bounds of patience The feare of the Lord is to depart from evill that 's the definition of it therefore if thou haddest any feare of God indeed thou wouldest never have done this evill Curse thy day Prov. 14. 27. The feare of the Lord is a fountaine of life to depart from the snares of death that is either from sinne which is spirituall death or from damnation which is prepetuall death the feare of the Lord is a fountaine of life to depart from both these snares of death where this feare is not we are ready to joyne with every evill and so to fall into the jawes of every death Abraham Gen. 20. 11. argues so The feare of the Lord is not in this place therefore they will kill me when we perceive a bent of spirit to devise evill and a readinesse of the hand to practise it we may conclude the feare of the Lord is not lodged in that heart Fourthly observe That trust or confidence in God settles the heart in all conditions Is not this thy confidence Thy confidence certainly is but a shadow for if it had been reall thou hast been established and upheld notwithstanding all that weight of affliction that lies upon thee When there was an unquietnesse upon the soule of David he first questions his soule about it Why art thou disquieted O my soule and then directs trust in God Psal 42. 11. So the Prophet promiseth Isa 26. 3. Him wilt thou establish in perfect peace whose heart doth trust upon thee They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion Psal 125. 1. He that is carried and tost thus about with every winde of trouble and gust of sorrow shewes he hath not cast out this anchor of hope upon the Rock Jesus Christ But here a question must be answered for the cleering of all and likewise for discovering the strength or weaknesse of this argument brought by Eliphaz in this particular case of Job Eliphaz taxed Job with hypocrisie because his graces did not act or they did not act like themselves like graces he gave not proofe of them at that time Hence the doubt is Doe a mans fallings or declinings from what he was before or what he did before argue him insincere Is there sufficient strength in this Argument for Eliphaz to say Job thou hast been a comforter of others thou hast profest much holinesse heretofore and now thou art come to the triall thou canst not make it out thy selfe therefore thou hast no grace therefore all thy religion is vaine For the resolving of that I answer first that the proposition is not simply true that every one who faileth or declineth or falleth off from what formerly he was or held forth is therefore an Hypocrite or that his graces are false and but pretences there may be many declinings and failings many breaches and backslidings and yet the spirit upright Indeed falling away and quite falling off are an argument of insincerity and hypocrisie for true grace is everlasting grace true holinesse endures for ever Therefore we are here to consider whence these failings were occasioned in Job and how a failing may be exprest and continue so as to conclude insincerity or hypocrisie First it was from a sudden perturbation not from a setled resolution Job was not resolvedly thus impatient and unruly an unexpected storme hurri'd his spirit so violently that he was not master of his own actions Job had not his affections at command they got the bridle as it were on their necks and away they carried him with such force that he was not able to stop or stay them Secondly it came from the smart and sense of pain in his flesh not from the perversnesse of his spirit If the taint had been in his spirit then Eliphaz had a ground a certain ground to have argued thus against him Thirdly Jobs graces were hid and obscured they were not lost or dead the acts were suspended the habits were not removed when the grace which hath been shewed is quite lost that grace was nothing but a shew of grace painted feare and painted confidence but in Jobs case there was only a hiding of his graces or a vaile cast over them Lastly We must not say he fals from grace who falleth into sin nor must it be concluded that he hath no grace who falls into a great sinne It followes not that grace is false or none because it doth not work like it selfe or because it doth not sometimes work at all True grace workes not alwayes uniformly though it be alwayes the same in it selfe yet it is not alwayes the same in its effects true grace is alwayes alive yet it doth not alwayes act it retains life when motion is undiscern'd Wherefore they who doe not work like themselves or do not work at all for a time in gracious wayes are not to be concluded as having no grace or nothing but a shew of grace And so much be spoken concerning this first Argument contained in these six Verses the conviction of Job from his failing in the actings of his grace the putting forth of that fruit which formerly he had born and shewed to the world JOB Chap. 4. Vers 7 8. Remember I pray thee who ever perished being innocent or where were the righteous cut off Even as I have seen they that plough iniquity and sow wickednesse reape the same IN these two Verses and the three following Eliphaz coucheth and confirmeth his second Argument wherein he further bespatters the innocency of Job and hopes to convince him of hypocrisie The Argument is taken from the constant experience of Gods dealings in the world Remember I pray thee who ever perished being innocent We may give it in this forme Innocent persons perish not righteous men are not cut off But Job thou perishest and thou art cut off Therefore thou art no innocent or righteous person The major proposition is plaine in the seventh Verse for that question Who ever perished being innocent or where were the righteous cut off is to be resolved into this Negation No innocent person
clay they lye in the frame and between the rafters of this house sucking up the spirits and wasting the strength spending the heate and drinking up the naturall moisture of the body we know not how we consume but we consume we know not how we decline but we decline we dye we know not how but we dye Is it not then as with a moth creeping upon us yea feeding upon us without noise Againe Take it by way of similitude not as before actively or instrumentally they are crushed as by a moth or as a moth crushes but passively or subjectively They are crushed as a moth that is they are crushed as a moth is crushed alluding to the easinesse of crushing a moth A moth is dust as soone as you crush it the least touch kills it Man in his house of clay is so weake that if God doe but touch him he dies and falls to dust the Lord needs not bring his great Artillery and make batteries against the body of man the body of man is no such strong Fort or Bulwarke to stand out a long siege or endure much assaulting and opposition he is crushed as a moth betweene your fingers Hence David most humbly deprecates the stroake of God which he saw comming or felt as come because he was not able to beare it Psal 39. 10. Remove thy stroake away from me I am consumed by the blow of thine hand Lord if thou strike me thus I shall quickly consume And least you should think that Davids flesh he being a King was tender and delicate and so lesse able to beare any hardship therefore in the following words he puts the case in generall concerning man or man-kind Take the man whose strength is as the strength of stones and his flesh as brasse yet this man breakes and vanishes under the hand of God so he affirmes ver 11. under this passive consideration of a moth When thou with rebukes doest correct man for iniquity thou makes his beauty to consume away like a moth And then closes with that common axiome of mans mortality surely every man is vanity Selah Further Man may well be said to be crushed or die even as a moth for as the garment breeds the moth and then the moth eates the garment so besides that power of God or the outward stroake of his hand of which David spake mans own distempered body breeds ill humours they diseases and these breed death As it was with Jonas gourd so it is with us we give life and suck to a worme in our own roots which sucks out our life causing our leaves to fall and our goodly branches suddenly to wither Thirdly From that sense he is crushed before Arcturus or as long as the Starres continue Observe That as mans state is fraile and weake so it will be the for ever of this world Doe not looke that ever there shall rise up a generation of men that shall have better houses then houses of clay or houses stronger built then our present buildings As we are risen up in our fathers stead a generation of sinfull men so we are risen up in our fathers stead a generation of weake mortall men and our children will arise in the stead of us their fathers a generation of men as mortall as we their fathers Till the whole compages and course of nature be changed man shall not exchange the infirmity of his nature He shall never be without crushing sicknesses till he is above them The sad story of man holds on still and growes yet more sad before it was crushing now it is destroying Verse 20. They are destroyed from morning to evening they perish for ever without any regarding it We may understand the former verse of naturall death and this of casuall and violent death Destuction and perishing import violence Though I conceive naturall death be here also intended They are destroyed from morning to evening they perish for ever without any regarding it or as Mr. Broughton reads it between a morning and evening they are wasted without any regarding or without any thinking upon it They are destroyed that is they are subject or liable to destruction A mane ad vesperam i. e. per torum diem quâ—ppe mane vespera sunt paâ—tes diei Drus That phrase from morning to evening notes the whole day it is as much as to say they are destroyed continually or all the day long as the Apostle speaks out of the Psalme Rom. 8. 36. For thy sake are we killed all the day long The morning and the evening are the parts of a naturall day Gen. 1. 5. or the two termes of a civill day these include and take in the full compasse of the day This sense teacheth us That man is destroyable every moment He wasts in one sense while he growes and dies from the morning of his birth and comming into the world to the evening of his returne and going out of the world And not only so but he is obnoxious to the violent assaults of death every day and all houres of every day From the morning when he rises to the evening when he goes to bed he walkes among armies of dangers and within the Gunshot of destruction The Apostles catalogue of perils is true to this day 2 Cor. 11. 26. In perils of waters in perils of robbers in perils of mine own countrymen in perils by the Heathen in perils in the City in perils in the wildernesse in perils in the sea in perils among false brethren Every place is a peril and every person a peril Where can we goe with whom can we meete and not goe among or meete with perils And doe not all these perils speake destruction from morning to evening Pauls experiences both in regard of a natural but especially of violent death brought forth these conclusions which come full up to the point I die daily 1 Cor. 15 31. in deaths often 2 Cor. 11. 23. we are killed all the day long Rom. 8. 36. Secondly Take the words as a proverbiall speech by which the shortest time is signified As Isa 38. 12. Hezekiah complayning sets forth his mortall sicknesse threatning present death and cutting off thus Mine age is departed and removed from me as a sheapheards tent I have cut off like a weaver my life he will cut me off with pining sicknesse from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me that is either continually or suddenly from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me I am wasting perpetually or before night within the compasse of this day thou wilt destroy and make an end of me these were the thoughts of my heart when I was in the hands of that acute dispatching disease The Psalmist Psal 90. 5 6 describes man as grasse in the morning it flourisheth and groweth up in the evening it is cut downe and withereth that is man continueth but a very short time His life is but a spanne long or
in the bitternesse of my soul What the bitternesse Amarum non solum dulci opponitur sed etiam jucundo Amariorem me fecit senectus i. e asperiorem Plauâ— of the soule is hath been expounded already in the third Chapter therefore I shall not stay upon it It notes only the height or extremity of affliction Bitter is opposed to unpleasant as well as to sweet In the bitternesse of my soule The affliction appeared most upon his body but it afflicted him most in his soule He speaks little of the pain of his body in comparison of the trouble upon his spirit he insists principally upon that I will speake in the anguish of my spirit I will complaine in the bitternesse of my soule not in the pains of my flesh or sufferings of my body and yet that forme of speaking excludes not his sence and sensiblenesse of bodily paines for a man may well say his soul is in bitternesse by reason of the paines of his body Being in this condition we see what his remedy was he falls a crying and a complaining before God telling how it was with him Jobs complaints have been spoken of in former passages of the Book and why he complaines hath been shewed An afflicted soule finds some ease in complaining of affliction To complaine out of impatience distrust and hard thoughts of God is very sinfull in that sence we must be silent as David Psal 39. 9. when the hand of God was heavy upon him I was dumbe I opened not my mouth because thou didst it in reference to the dealing of God with him David had not a word to say Our Lord Christ the great patterne of suffering was as a sheepe before the shearer dumbe and opened not his mouth no impatient speech came from him Though the griefe of Job was very great and so it might somewhat as hath formerly been cleared excuse the greatnesse of his complaint yet in this Job shewed himselfe a Docemur quantae sint hominis virâ—s sibi à Deo derelisti Merc. man subject to like passions as we are Man thinks to get cure by complaining but usually he gets a wound What poore shifts are we poore creatures often put to How often doe we entangle our selves because we are straightned Though Jobs heart kept close to God in the maine though his spirit was preserved untoucht of blaspheming yet we find him touching too often and too loud upon this string of complaining He cannot be excused from some motions of impatience while we hear him setling upon these resolutions to take his fill of or to let loose the reins of his passion to complain I will complaine in the bitterness of my soul Anguish is a very ill guide of the tongue It must needs be troubled matter which passion dictates Observe further That when sorrow continues and hangs long upon us it grows boysterous and resolute We have three wils in the text as if Job had turned all his reason into Will and his will into passion I will not refraine I will speak in the anguish of my spirit I will complaine in the bitternesse of my soule He was grown to a kinde of resolvednesse in his sorrow It is as unsafe for man in this sence to will what Nec tamen is fuit Job qui quod sibi licere non putaret protervè ac procaciter vellet aggredi Meri he doth as to do what he will we ought to will the will of God but we must submit our own We should not mourne over our afflictions nor rejoyce over our comforts but as God wils Yet in this the wil of Job was rather strong then pertinacious He was not a man of that rough make to oppose his wil against the wil and good pleasure of God though that were a paine to him Having thus resolved to complain he complains in this very high Language Verse 12. Am I a sea or a whale that thou settest a watch over me These are his first words words full of deep complaint like the sea which whether he was or no he would be answered Am I a sea Tell me His question is of like importance with that at the 12. verse of the 6. Chapter Is my strength the strength of stones or is my flesh brasse He expostulates with God why hast thou laid such trouble upon me Am I stone or brass that I should be able to bear it And here like a sea swolne with bitter waters in the bitterness of his soul he begins to break the bounds again Am I a sea or a whale that thou settest a watch over me A sea or a whale The sea and the whale are often joyned in Scripture Psal 104. 25 26. O Lord how manifold are thy works c. the earth is full of thy riches so is the great and the wide sea there goe the ships there is that Leviathan whom thou hast made to play therein Againe Psal 74. 13. 14. Thou diddest divide the sea by thy strength thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters thou brakest the head of Leviathan in pieces But why doth Job speake this language In briefe the meaning is this The sea you know is a mighty boisterous and unruly creature and the whale is the strongest mightest and most dreadfull creature in the sea the greatest of the creatures whether upon sea or land The sea is the most boisterous of all the inanimate creatures and the whale is the most boisterous of all living creatures So that here Job gives instance in two creatures which are the most head-strong violent and out-ragious in the whole creation The whale and the sea And he sets forth his own weaknesse by the Antithesis of these two creatures surpassing all in strength with which God only is able to graple and encounter And in asking Am I a sea or a whale he may be conceived to speake thus Lord thou seemest to deale with me in a way beyond all thy dealings with the children of men Thou carriest thy selfe towards me as if I were more proud heady hard to be reclaimed then any man in the world thou seemest to take such a course with me as with the unruly sea and with the boisterous whale to keepe me in compasse He speaks as if God laid too heavy an affliction upon him and tooke too strong a course to tame him or as if he might be more gently dealt with and that God needed not prepare such bonds and fetters for him or lay such law upon him as upon the mighty sea and the monstrous whale But for the words in particular Am I a sea There are three things in the sea specially considerable at which Mare barbarum indomitum elementum est Job might have an aime here First the turbulency of the sea the sea is stormy and turbulent so stormy and turbulent that it threatneth to over-whelme all to over-whelme the ships sailing upon it to over-whelme the Visat est
as himself speaks of a third person Chap. 14. 6. Turne from him that he may rest till he shall accomplish as a hireling his daies This sence is given us fully in the next clause of the verse Nor let me alone till I may swallow down my spittle This is not a refusall of suport from God in the way of his providence by which he upholds every creature For the truth is if Accipienda sunt haec de Deo affligente non providente curante God should so let us alone we of our selves are not able to swallow downe our spittle We are insufficient barely of our selves not only for spirituall acts but also for naturall We can not only not pray and here and believe and repent without the strength of Christ but we cannot goe nor walke nor eat nor drinke nor spit nor swallow downe our spittle without an assistance sutable to those acts from him for in him we live and move and have our being This letting alone is like the departing before spoken in the first clause of the verse As we use to say to a man assaulting or smiting us Pray let me alone Such is Jobs meaning pray give over these bitter chastenings leave off to wound or smite me any more The word signifies to loosen or untie that which is bound or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dimitâ—ere illud quod tenet ligatâ—m laxare dotores dissolvere funi mos cruciatuum straightned and so to deal more gently and tenderly then before The word is used sometimes in a good sence to note that the Lord keepes close and straight to his people as being knit and bound to them by the tie and knot of his own love and free-grace Josh 1. 5. I will never leave thee or let thee loose from me And as it is applied in the negative to the close-keeping of God to us in love so in the affirmative to our departure from God by unbeliefe Prov. 24. 10. If thou faintest in the day of adversity or art loosened from God by feare and want of faith thy strength is small If thou faintest thus in the time of straights and poverty it argues thou hast a very straight narrow poore spirit That 's the elegancy of the originall Si remissus suisâ—◠〈…〉 â—â—gustiae angusta foritudo tua When Job desires to be let alone or loosened his meaning is loosen the bonds of my affliction take me off from the racke of these tortures and troubles As we are girded with strength so also we are girded with weaknesse Job speaks of God in this word Chap. 12. 21. He we 〈…〉 the strength of the mighty The Hebrew is He looseth 〈…〉 of the strong The same God who looseth the girdle of our strength looseth the bands of our infirmity and therefore Job praies O depart from me loosen me let me alone let me goe Hence observe First The Lord can make his owne presence grievous to his own servants In his presence there is fullnesse of joy and at his right hand there are pleasures for evermore Psal 16. Yet he can make his presence to be the fullnesse of sorrow and give us paines with his right hand As he can be to his people like a Sun to warme and comfort them so like a fire to consume and burne them as like a shield to defend so like a sword to wound them The Lord is a Sunne and a shield Psal 84 11. yea and he is sometime as a fire and a sword even to those who walke uprightly The sinners in Zion are afraid fearfullnesse hath surpriz'd the hypocrites Who among us shall dwell with devouring fire who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings That is who shall be able to beare the displeased presence of God which makes him to sinners as a devouring fire Isa 33. 14. And thus the Saints in Sion are sometimes afraid and fearfullnesse surprizes the upright in heart Even they cry out how shall we dwell with this devouring fire with this everlasting burning They especially who have sleighted the presence of God may quickly feele the burden of it Not only doe they so who say formally and in plain termes depart from us but they also doe it in a great measure who doe not prize the presence of God who doe not welcome and entertaine him in all his approaches to them If a friend come to your house and you will not looke upon him or speake to him you bid him be gone and your silence interprets his non-acceptance with you Then take heed of neglecting the comfortable and sanctifying presence of God least you fall speedily into his afflicting presence The angry presence of God is never so terrible to us as it is after our undervaluings of his gracious presence Secondly note if the presence of God chastning be so grievous what will his presence be punishing and tormenting If afflictions which are but for tryall and are all steep'd in love be so grievous what will those terrours be which all steept in pure everlasting wrath If his chastnings be so intolerable to some of his dearest friends what will his revenges be to all his professed enemies Wiâ—â—â—â— men are now burden'd with the presence of God becauâ—◠〈◊〉 so holy they say depart for we desire not the knowledge â—â— thy law but hereafter they shall find the presence of God burdensome to them because he is so just O how will they cry out How long shall not thy wrath depart from us How long wilt thou be angry for ever and shall thy jealousie burne like fire for evermore Yes that it shall They who have so often said in their hearts to God depart from us shall heare his voice saying to them Depart from me ye cursed c. Yee who have not loved my presence shall be banished from it for ever Thirdly observe Troublesome times are very tedious times to us How long The Psalmist under some hidings and ecclipses of divine favour thought himselfe in an everlasting night Hath the Lurd forgotten to be gracious c. Will the Lord cast off for ever Psalme 77. 8. Fourthly observe from the latter branch That afflictions are bonds Eirst They should bind and hold us fast from sinne and to our good behaviour It is better to be bound fast with the cords of affliction then to be loose and at liberty in the wayes of sin Secondly They will bind us from taking in our worldly comforts and sometimes they do which they ought not bind us from taking in spirituall comforts Fifthly observe That man cannot rescue himselfe out of the bands of affliction till God please to loosen him If he bind none can untie if he imprison none can set free we cannot breake his bands nor cast away the cords of his afflictions from us He opens and no man shuts he shuts and no man opens Revel 3. 7. Be yee not mockers saith the Prophet least your bands be made strong Isa 28. 22. that
it is well with the righteous vvhen they are in the deeps of affliction for it is but to bring them off their Mountaines of pride that they may be exalted in the strength and love of God even upon the Mountain of his Holinesse and their glory for ever Thirdly Afflictions bring the Saints nearer to God Troubles abroad cause the soule to looke inwards and homewards Is there any hurt in being brought neerer to God It is good for me to draw neer unto God says David and it is good for us to be drawn neer unto God if vve vvill not come of our selves It is a desireable violence vvhich compels us heaven-ward Heaven is but our nearest being unto God and by how much vve are nearer God on earth so much the more vve have of Heaven upon earth Afflictions as in the Prodigals example put us upon thoughts of returing to God and the more vve returne the nearer vve are unto him returning thoughts vvill not rest but under our fathers roofe yea returning thoughts vvill not rest till vve are got into our fathers armes or under the shadow of his wing and this a happy condition indeed As it vvas vvith Noahs Dove Gen. 8. 9. vvhen she vvas sent forth of the Ark she could finde no place for the soal of her foot to rest on she knew not vvhether to go for the vvaters vvere on the face of the whole earth therefore she returneth back and comes hovering about the Ark as desiring to be taken in but after the vvaters vvere asswaged he sent out a Dove vvhich returned to him no more So when it is faire weather in the world calme and serene even Doves keepe off from God and though they goe not quite away from him yet they are not so desirous of comming to him but when we finde a deluge in the world such stormes and tempests of trouble that we know not where to fix our souls for a day then we come as the Dove fluttering about the Ark and cry to our Eternall Noah that we may be near him yea within with him Wicked men like the Raven which Noah sent out first Verse 7. and returned not againe care not for the Ark of Gods presence in the greatest troubles to be neare God is more troublesome to them then all their troubles But Believers like the Dove will look home at least in foul weather God is their chiefe friend at all times and their onely friend in sad times Is there any harme in this Christ sends a storme but to draw his back to the Ark That at the last where he is there they may be also Lastly we may say it is well with the righteous in their worst condition of outward trouble because God is with them It can never be ill with that man with whom God is It is infinitely more to say I will be with thee then to say peace is with thee health is with thee credit is with thee honour is with thee To say God is with thee is all these and infinitely more For in these you have but a particular good in God you have all good when God sayes I will be with you you may make what you will out of it sit down and imagine with your selves whatsoever good you can desire and it is all comprehended in this one word I will be with thee Now God who is with the righteous at all times is most with them in worst times then he saith in a speciall sense I will be with thee When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee When thou walkest thhough the fire thou shalt not be burnt c. Isa 43. 2. When a mighty winde passed before Eliah it is said That God was 1 Kings 19. not in the winde and when the Earthquake shook the Hils and a consuming fire appeared it is said God was not in the Earthquake not in the fire God joynes not with outward troubles for the terror of his people but he joynes with outward troubles for the comfort of his people So he is in the fire and in the winde and in the Earthquake and his presence makes the fire but as a warme Sunne the stormy winde a refreshing gale and the Earthquake hut a pleasant dance So much for the removing of this objection and clearing up the justice of God respecting the afflictions of the righteous If any shall look on the other hand upon wicked men as if God came not home in his justice vvhile he suffers them to prosper First I answer their prosperity serves the providence of God and therefore it doth not crosse his justice That vvas Nebuchadnezars case Isa 10. 6. I will send him saith God against an hypocriticall nation so then he must prosper vvhile he goes upon Gods errand but mark vvhat followes Verse 12. It shall come to passe that when the Lord hath performed his whole worke upon Mount Zion sc by Nebuchadnezars power vvho vvas but doing the just vvork of God vvhile he thought ambitiously of doing his own novv it is no injustice for God to give an instrument power to do his work and vvhen his bloody lust hath performed the holy vvork of God you shall see the Lord will take an order vvith him speedily For then saith the Lord I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the King of Assyria and the glory of his high looks God let him alone to doe the work he had set him about and it was a righteous work of God upon his people though Nebuchadnezzar went about it wlth a proud and malicious spirit against his people Secondly the prosperity of wicked men serveth them but as an opportunity to shew how wicked and vile they are to act and publish the seven abominations of their own hearts Now as it is one of the greatest mercies under Heaven for a man to have his lusts quite mortified so it is a very great mercy for a man to have his lusts but restrained It is a mercy for a man to have that fuell taken away from his corruptions upon which they feed therefore it must needs be wrath and judgement upon wicked men when God in stead of restraining their lusts giveth them opportunity to inlarge their lusts and layes the reines on their neck to run whether and which way they please without stop or controule This is wrath and high wrath a sore judgement the sorest judgement that can fall upon them wherefore when vve thinke they are in a most prosperous condition they are in the most dreadfull condition they are but filling themselves with sin and fitting themselves for destruction Many a mans lusts are altogether unmortified which yet are chill'd and overawed by judgements And there is more judgement in having liberty to commit one sinne then in being shut up under the iron barres and adamantine necessities of a thousand judgements He that is Satans treasury for sin shall be Gods treasury for wrath Thirdly Their prosperity is the
thus Hath not the Potter power over his clay Some think they could doe things better then God hath done or at least that God might have done better if they had the power in their hands things should not goe thus and thus What an insufferable indignity is this to the wisdome and power of God that He whose works are unsearchable should be made accountable for his works That of Augustine when he was in a deep meditation about the nature of God may well be applied to the works of God who walking by the sea side in deepe thoughts of God either heard this voyce or was filled with this thought That he might as soone empty the sea with or comprehend the Ocean in one of those little cockle-shels which lay on the shore as with the narrow vessell of his Spirit comprehend the infinite greatnesse of the God of Spirits Marvellous things * Inscrutabile mirabile differunt inscrutabile est qued laâ—et perquiri non potest Miâ—abile est quod ipsum qâ—idem apparet sed causa ejus perquiri non potest Aquin. in loc Unsearchable things and marvellous differ thus Those things are unsearchable which lie hid and cannot be found that is a marvell whose cause cannot be found though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it selfe be not hid This is the third adjunct or attribute of the works of God The word is derived from a root which signifies Seperated Disjoyned or Divided And marvellous things are exprest by that word because marvels or wonders are seperated or Separatus disjunctus Hinc significat mirabâ—lia quia talia sunt à nobis separata captum su erant ita ut ratione quis asse qui aut re praestare â—equeat removed from us three degrees at least They are seperated First from our knowledge or reason Secondly from our sense not that marvels are invisible marvels and miracles are wrought to be seen and the use of them lies in this from the sence to confirme faith or to convince of unbeliefe Which by the way quite overthrowes the Popish refuge of a miracle in their supposed transubstantiation of the bread at the Eucharist who tell us of a miracle but can shew us none But though in all miracles and marvails the thing wrought is plain to the sences yet both the power and manner of doing it are removed from the sences The marvell wrought is seene but the working of the marvell is not seen Thirdly Marvels are seperated or removed from our imitation we cannot doe such things The Lord stands alone working wonders They are seperated part and portion for God himself The Egyptian Sorcerers seemed to doe by their devillish inchantments what Moses did by the command and power of God But at the best they did but seeme to doe like Moses and presently they could not so much as seeme Exod. 8. 18. And the Magicians did so that is they attempted to doe so but they could not They that worke by the devils art or power cannot worke long They will quickly be at A Could not Both their religions and their miraculous workes are at best but in appearance at last they will not so much as appeare In these three respects marvels are rightly called separate Further the word also signifies sometimes A hard or a difficult thing because those things that are very hard and difficult have somewhat of wonder in them and cause us to wonder at them Deut. 17. 8. If a matter come which is too hard the word is which is too marvellous and wonderfull for thee c. And Gen. 18. 14. Is any thing too hard for me saith God the word is Is any thing wonderfull to me Nothing is wonderfull to us but that which is too hard for us There is nothing wonderfull to God who doth all wonders and is himselfe all Wonder It hath beene said concerning those lovers of and searchers after secret wisedome called Philosophers that it doth not become a Philosopher to wonder For admiration is usually the daughter of ignorance we marvell at most things because we know the causes of few things It was therefore a shame for a Philosopher to wonder because it betrayed his ignorance who would be thought studied in yea a master of all causes and able to give a reason of all things in nature But it is most certaine the great God never marvelleth at any thing For is any thing too hard for me saith the Lord. Wonders are things too hard for us and the same word signifies a wonder and a thing too hard There are three words of neare alliancec in the Hebrew Signes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Miracles and Mervails And they may be distinguisht thus A Signe is the representation of a thing present or before us A Miracle or Portentum as contra-distinct from the former shews forth somewhat future or that is to come A Mervaile as differing from both is any act of providence secret or separate from us in the manner of doing or producing it a thing to us unsearchable so Exod. 33. 16. Wherein shall it be knowne that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight saith Moses Is it not in that thou goest with us So shall we be separated I and thy people So we translate it or made wonderfull that is if thou goest along with us thou wilt doe such marvails for us as will make a difference betweene us and all the people in the world we shall be a people marvell'd at all the world over or a spectacle to the world Angels and Men. The presence of God with a people is their difference or will make them differ from all people with whom God is not under the Notion of Favour and Protection present Againe Marvels are taken sometimes for Miracles which are meerely and purely supernaturall For in ordinary acceptation of the word a Marvell is only the heightning and sublimating of nature or acting in the highest Spheare of nature but a Miracle is a crossing or a contradicting of nature A worke altogether above yea against Nature Now we are not to take marvels here in that strict sense for miracles for the great works of God are call'd marvels or wonders which yet are but either the ordinary constitutions of Nature or the extraordinary motions of nature as Psal 136. 4. O give thanks to the Lord to him who alone doth great wonders What are these In the 5 6 and 7. verses instances are given in naturall things as making the heavens and stretching out the earth above the waters The making of those great lights the Sun and Moon * Mirabilior est grani in terra multiplâ—catio quam illa quinque Panum August Tâ—act 24 in Joh in Quicquid mirabile fit in mundo profectò minus est quà m totus hic mundus Qua â—vis ilaque miracula visibiliuÌ„ naturaâ—um videndi assiduitate vile scunt tamen cum ea sapienter intuemur
they not perceive when they see The Prophet tels us because the Lord had said Shut their eyes least they see The work of a Prophet is to open eys but when men wilfuly shut their eys then God shuts them judicially and blinds them with light The Apostle quoting this text Acts 28. 27 expounds it so Their eyes have they closed least they should see for this God closed them that they could not see Paul was preaching and he preached Christ the true light The Sun of righteousnesse Behold the misery spoken of in this text They met with darknes in the day time This is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darknes rather than light Why love they darknesse Because they see not the light And because they see not the light therefore they cannot love it It is impossible to see the light the beautifull face of the truth as it is revealed in Christ and not to love it A Heathen said if vertue much more if Gospell truth were seen every eye would be taken and every heart led captive by it A great part of the world hath not this light to see and the greatest part of those who have this light see it not They must needs meet with darknesse who are darknesse in the day-time And they must grope at noon day as in the night who are night If men heare the law and the testimony and neither speake nor doe according to that word it is as the Prophet gives the reason because there is no light in them or as the Hebrew No Morning in them Isa 8. 20. Till the day starr arises in our hearts the day before our eyes is night Secondly observe Plain things are often obscure to the wisest and most knowing men They grope at noon day as in the night That which a man may see with halfe an eye as we say these men who thinke themselves All eye cannot see Men of acute and sagacious understandings men quick-sighted like Eagles prove as dull as Beetles Owles and Bats see in the darke better then in the light And in a sense it is true of these they can see about the works of darknesse but the light of holinesse and justice they cannot see The reason is given in that of Christ The light that is in them is darknesse no wonder then if the light without them be darknes if the inward light the light that iâ— in them be darknesse how great is that darknesse so great that it quite darkens the outward light Inward darkness is to outward light as a great outward light is to a small one in regard of our use or benefit it extinguishes and overcomes it Hence these men cannot see the plainest object in the clearest light Light shineth in darknes and the darknes comprehendeth it not Joh. 1. 5. Christ breaks forth into a vehement gratulation to his Father Mat. 11. 25. I thanke thee O Father Lord of heaven nnd earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes The wise and prudent could not see so much as children They were so wise in their own conceits that they could not conceive the things of God As it is in spirituals so likewise in regard of civill counsels God hides wisedome from the wise and understanding from the prudent They shall not be able to doe or see what a child might have done or seen they shall doe such things and so absurdly that a child would not do them Mysteries are plain when the Lord opens and plainest things are mysterious when he shuts the eyes of our understanding Thus farre Eliphaz hath set forth the power and justice of God against subtill crafty counsellours Now he shews the opposite effect of his power and goodnesse Vers 15. But he saveth the poore from the Sword from their mouth and from the hand of the mighty But he saveth the poor It is very observeable in Scripture that usually if not alwayes after the mention of judgement and wrath upon the wicked the mercy goodnesse and love of God unto his own people are represented least any should thinke that judgement is a worke wherein God delighteth he quickly passeth from it and concludes in what he delighteth Mercy As he retains not his anger for ever towards his own people so he stay â—s not long upon the description of his anger against his enemies because he delighteth in mercy Mich. 7. 18 A subject of mercy is most pleasant both to the hand and pen of the Lord. He wishes rather to write in hony than in gall and to draw golden lines of love then bloudy lines of wrath Satan is a Destroyer and he doth nothing but destroy and pull down The Lord destroyeth and he pulleth down he defeats and disappointeth but he hath another worke besides he saves and delivers he builds up and revives the hopes of his people He saveth the poore These poore are Gods poore Some may be called the Devils poore for they have done his worke and he hath given them poverty for their wages Satan will give all his hirelings full pay when they die The wages of sin is death while they live many of them receive only the earnest of it poverty and trouble All that are poore stand not under the rich influences of this promise He saveth the poore Wicked poore are no more under Gods protection then wicked oppressouâ—s or wicked rich men are This poore man cryed and the Lord heard Ps 34. 6. Not every or any poore man Some poor men may cry and the Lord heare them no more then he did the cry of Dives the rich man in hell Luk. 16. Forget not the Congregation of thy poore Psal 74. 19 Thy poore by way of discrimination There may be a greater distance between poore and poore then there is between poore and rich There are many ragged regiments Congregations of poore whom the Lord will forget for ever But his poore shall be saved And these poore are of two sorts either poore in regard of wealth and outward substance or poor in regard of friends or outward assistance A rich man especially a godly rich man may be in a poore case destitute and forsaken wanting patronage and protection God saveth his poore in both notions both those that have no friends and those that have no estates The Hebrew word for Poor springs from a root signifying desire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a radiâ—e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod est desiderare quasi pauper omnia deâ—ideret cum nihil habeat inde Ebion haerâ—tiâ—us quasi mentis inteligentiae inops Schiud Quia omnibus indiget omnia cupit gâ—ata habeâ— Rab. Da. and the reason is because poore men are commonly rich in desires They that are full of sensible wants are full of earnest wishings They that are emptiâ—st of enjoyments are fullest of hopes and longings And the reason why poverty of spirit in our spirituall
Deliverer in six troubles yea in seven How sad I say will it be if we have put God to reade the Chronicle and repeate the historie of his deliverances given us as he did to Israel and say I delivered you in 88 from the Spaniard I delivered you in 1605. from the Gun-powder-Treason I delivered your Parliament I delivered your City I have often delivered your Armies and sometimes crown them with glorious victories now I will deliver you no more Will not such speakings from providence be a plaine conviction that we have forsaken the Lord and chosen other gods God hath sometime what a miracle of mercy chosen those who forsook him but he never so stedfast is he in faithfullnes forsook any who chose him to be their God If he keepe not such from yet he will certainly preserve all such in trouble as it follows Yea in seven there shall no evill touch thee He saith not He shall deliver thee from six troubles and from Non dicit â sexsed in sex non quod ab illis non possit sed quod cum acciderint ab illis liberet ut in illis non succumbat seven As if troubles should only threaten but never come upon us or as if all our deliverances should be preventions but he shall deliver thee in six troubles yea in seven there shall no evill touch thee Evill signifies sometimes the evill of sin and sometimes the evill of punishment We may here take it either way The Lord will so keep up thy spirit and direct thy way in trouble that thou shalt not defile thy selfe with the evill of sin thy troubles shall purge not pollute thee And he wil so keep thee that thou shalt not be annoyed by any evill of punishment If fatherly displeasure should appeare against thee wrath shall not Love shall be mixed with thy correction with thy wormwood and gall as the Church speaks in the Lamentations thou shalt have a temperament of hony and of sweetnesse Ita eripiet ut nullum malum attingat eâ—tiaÌ„si tentari conflictari sâ—naâ— ad tempus nocumentum tamen non capies Coc. in loc though troubles presse thee yet evill shall not Touch thee Not touch thee This notes exact deliverance we think ourselves well many times if we can come off from dangers with a scratch face with a wound or with the losse of a limbe but to come off without the losse of a haire or which is lesse without a touch speakes a compleate deliverance It astonisht Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 3. 27. to see the three children come out of the fiery fornace without a haire of their heads singed without any change of their coats or the smell of fire So much this imports thou shalt passe the pikes through six yea seven a whole army of troubles and no evill shall touch thee When the woman told the tempting Serpent God hath said ye shall not eate of the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden nor touch it Gen. 3. 3. She implyed a charge of totall abstinence And when the Lord salth No evill shall touch thee it implies a promise of totall deliverance In the first and second chapters of this book and it is the same originall word Satan begs leave of God that he might touch Job and touch all that he had Now here Eliphaz seemes to touch that string No evill shall touch thee as if he had said God will not let his servants be overwhelm'd as thou art with evils no evill shall so much as touch them And the truth is though Satan obtained leave of God to afflict the body of Job with paines and he made it all over as one wound yet no evill touched him in the sence here intended Though Job was all over evill sores yet there was not so much as the least scarre of an evill upon him Troubles touch't him but evils did not And troubles may touch the servants of God but evill shall not Hence observe God saves and delivers his people from all evill even while they are in the midst of trouble He delivers as well in trouble as from trouble while trouble is continued good may be enjoyed While his are in the water and in the fire God is with them and his presence is more then deliverance Isa 43. 2. If God be with us though all evils are upon us yet no evill touches us The presence of the chiefe good is banishment to every evill As a wicked man may be loaded with good things and yet none of them touch him that is doe him any good So a godly man may be loaded with evils and yet none of them touch him that is doe him any hurt And thus we may understand that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 10. 14. God is faithfull who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation also make away to escape that ye may be able to beare it Temptation you shall have but with temptation even while temptation is upon you or while you are in temptation The Lord will make a way for you to escape the evill of that temptation Thus with or in trouble we have deliverance To be kept from the evill of trouble is a deliverance from trouble while we are in trouble Thus far of the generall promise Now Eliphaz goes on to particulars in the 20 verse c. As if he had said Least thou shouldst think I deale onely in generall notions that I may more easily elude and deceive thee Therefore Dolosus versatur in universalibus I will now give instance in the point and name what troubles I meane I will ascend with thee to particulars and reckon up the greatest outward evills the most pinching straits that befall the sons of men or the children of God and out of all these I affirme The Lord will deliver thee Vers 20. In famine he shall redeem thee from death and in war from the power of the sword Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue c. Famine Redimere est lucrari ex alterus potestate interposito precio velpotentia conâ—ravim detinenâ—ium ad faciendum liberuÌ„ aut suum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Redemit liberavit ex augustia servitute c. leads the Vanne of this great Army of Evills here mustered up He shall redeem But what is it to redeem from Famine To redeem properly is to take a man out of the power of another by price or by greater power Redemption is an act of speciall favour and it notes a speciall distinction by favour When God threatned Pharaoh and his people with swarmes of flies and promised that his own people should be free I will sever in that day the Land of Goshen in which my people dwell that no swarms of Flies shall be there vers 22. This act of divine discrimination is called Redemption in the next verse And I will put a division Heb. a Redemption between
assault This the Greeke seemes to favour rendring it thus Though we have laine between the inheritances or the lots sc our own and the enemies either 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. Ainsworth way the sense reaches this point fully Though Beleevers lye among the pots or ncarest dangers yet they are assured that they shall have wings as the wings of a Dove which are covered with silver and her feathers with yellow gold There is gold and silver in the eye of faith while there is nothing but blacknesse and death in the eye of sense yea faith assures them that they shall be white as snow in Salmon as it follows in that Psalme that is they shall have whitenesse after blacknesse or light in the midst of darknesse Salmon signifies darke duskish or obscure for it was a hill full of pits holes and glins very darke and dangerous for passengers but when the snow was upon it it was white and glistering now saith he they shal be like Salmon in the snow though black in themselves yet white lightsome and glorions either through pardon of sin or victory over their enemies to both which whitenesse hath reference in Scripture Againe In that it is said At destruction and famine thou shalt Non solum singulas arumnas superabit sed omnium illarum in unum coeuntiam agmen Integrum ex omnibus exâ—rcitum fâ—gabiâ— laugh as from that word laughing we see what spirits the Saints have in troublesome times So inasmuch as he gathers together and rally's all the scattered troopes of afflictions to charge at once upon a beleever and yet concludes At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh Observe That A godly man laughs at or is above all evils though brought against him at once It hath been said That Hercules could not match two here are two Destruction and famine overmatcht by one bring whole legions and armies of troubles to encounter a Saint he overcomes them all He famishes famine and destroyes destruction it selfe The Apostle Rom. 8. 35. musters up as it were all evils together into a body and dares any or all to battell with a beleever Who shall separate us from the love of God shall tribulation or distresse or persecution or famine or nakednesse or perrill or sword which of these shall undertake the challenge or will you bring any more then come life or death Angels or principalities or powers things present or things to come height or depth or any other creature none of these single nor all of these joyned shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Every heightned Saint is a spirituall Goliah who in the name of the living God bids defiance to this huge host and they all run and tremble before him Rejoyce saith the Apostle James 1. 2. when you fall into divers tempatations A beleever hath joy not only when he grapleth with a single temptation but let there come many divers temptations variety of temptations variety for kind and multitude for number yet he rejoyceth in the middest of all Neither shalt thou be affraid of the beasts of the earth Having thus lifted a godly man above the afflicting reach of those two great evils famine and destruction want of good things and spoiling of their goods he proceeds to instance another great evill wherein a godly man is exempt from and set above fear Neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth Beasts of the earoh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a radice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vita vivents bestia fera The root of that word signifies life and so any living creature especially a wild beast because they are so active and full of life therefore they are named from life And these are called the beasts of the earth First Because beasts are produced from the earth and the earth received a charge to produce them Gen. 1. 24 25. And God said let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind and God made the Beast of the earth after his kind Or secondly Because Beasts have nothing but earth to live upon as men whose portion is only in creatures are called men of the world or men of the earth The word for * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Complectitur totum terrarum orbeÌ„ tum habitabilem tum qui non est habitabliis deductum volunt a verbo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 curraâ—e vel quia coelum perpetuo rotatu circa terram currit vel quâ—d omnia animalia currant super faciem terrae earth signifies the whole earth habitable or inhabitable And though the earth stand still yet this word is derived say some from running either because the heavens runne round aboui the earth with a continuall rotation or motion or because all creatures men and beasts move or run upon the face of the earth Though others deduce it from a word which signifies to desire Alii à verbo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. voluiâ— conâ—upiviâ— deductum voluat eo quod terra jugiter appetat afferre wish or will a thing because the earth is perpetually desirous of bringing forth fruit for the use and helpe of man But it is not agreed on what we are to understand by the beasts of the earth First Some take the words improperly and so the beasts of the earth are interpreted men A company or society of men and these in a double sense For the word notes sometimes a company of men in a good sense and sometimes a company of men in an ill sense I shall give you an instance of both for the clearing of this text It signifies men or a company of men in a good sense Psal 68. 10. where speaking of that raine of liberalities that is blessings of all sorts which God sent upon his inheritance to confirme and refresh it he saith Thy Congregation hath dwelt therein Thy camp or leagure thy host or troop dwelt there so 2 Sam. 23. 13. which the vulgar translates Thy beasts and the Greeke Thy living Animalia tua habitabunt in ijs Vulg. Sept. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 creatures dwelt therein The same word is used and some apprehend in allusion to this Psalme Rev. 4. 6. Chap. 5. 8 9 in those mysticall descriptions of Christ and his Church In this sense it suites not at all with the promise of the text These beasts are not to be feared but honoured and loved mans greatest spirituall comforts on earth are found in the society of these beasts But commonly this word referred unto men signifies an association of wicked men men of the earth worse many of them then the beasts of the earth These are spoken of in the same Psalme ver 30. Rebuke the company of speare men or Archers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The rout or crue of the Cane that is men that beare reeds or canes whereof speares and arrowes were wont to be made therefore the
should see none of it when he died so because when he died others should see him no more all his beauty riches and good things must be buried with him There is an elegancy in putting these two together to see and be seen Death stops both it takes us from seeing and it takes us from being seen As all the good we have will be hid from our eyes so all our glory and excellency will be obscured from the eyes of others in the dark chambers of the grave Thine eyes are upon me and I am not Job speaks of a three-fold eye 1. Of his own eye Mine eye shall see no more good Verse 7. 2. Of the eye of men The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no more 3. Of the eye of God Thine eyes are upon me and I am not He doth not say Thine eyes are upon me and thou shalt not see me Gods eye looks into the grave and can see there when we are out of the eyes of men we are in the eye of God therefore he saith Thine eyes are upon me and I am not as if he had said Lord if thou shalt defer a little to help me and then shouldest come to look for thy Job I shall be dead I shall be laid in the grave I shall not be capable of remedy if my remedy be deferr'd it is too late to give a man a cordial when he is dead Thou shalt Tuornm beneficiorum si forte cupias humanitus loquitur cum occulto questu neglectus sui uon ero capax Cocc not have a Job to helpe if thou dost not help him quickly Some understand it in a spiritual sence Thine eyes are upon me as if he should say Lord thine eyes are upon me to search me and try out my wayes and alas I am not I am not able to stand before thy justice before thy pure eyes which can behold none iniquity But rather take it as an appeal to God whether or no he were not near death Thou Lord seest I am as a dead man as a man not to be numbred among the living Therefore if thou wilt deliver me let thy loving-kindnesse speedily prevent me for I am brought very low As a sick man in some acute disease hastens his Physitian Sir give me somewhat presently or I am gone you cannot but see I am a borderer upon death Thine eyes are upon me and I am not That is I am not alive I am not among the children of men Not to be doth not import a not-being but a not appearing I am not as I was nor can I long be at all Rachel wept for her children because they were not Josephs brethren said to their Father Joseph is not and Job himself in the 21. of this Chapter explains this to be his sence Thou shalt seek me in the morning and I shall not be Death is a great devourer it sweeps all that appears of man into the grave The world shall no more enjoy him nor he the world this is mans not being when he dies as the two following verses further explain by an elegant similitude Verse 9. As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away so he that goeth downe to the grave shall come up no more 10. He shall return no more to his house neither shall his place know him any more Job having moved the Lord to take notice of and compassionate his transitory condition his life being but like the hastening wind He gives us another comparison to the same sence and purpose There his life was but a wind and here it is but a cloud As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more c. The cloud in a naturall notion is a thick and moist vapour drawn up from the earth by the heat of the Sunne to the middle region of the aire and by the coldnesse of that heavenly country where snow and haile c. are made and stor'd up is further condens'd congeal'd and thickn'd and so hangs or moves partly from natural causes the Sunne and wind but especially by supernatural the mighty power and appointment of God like an huge mountain in the aire To this cloud Job compares the vanishing estate of this life As the cloud such a cloud as you see hanging in the aire is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 consumed or spent The same word is used at the 6. Verse My life is spent without hope A cloud comes to it's height and then 't is quickly disperst and vanisheth away The letter of the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ambulavit ivit per metalepsin de rebus evanescentibus intereunti bus c. is It goeth or walketh away The walke of the clouds is according to the walk of the winds we cal it the Rack of the clouds When the Heavens are as it were all masked with clouds and a black vail or curtain drawn between us and the Sun the winds in a little time dissipate and scatter them It is usual in Scripture to compare those things which are vanishing suddenly consumed to clouds In which sence Isai 44. 22. the sins of the Saints are compared to a cloud and the pardoning of their sins to this consuming and scattering of the cloud I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions and as a cloud thy sins A cloud is but a kind of a blot in the pure parchment-roll of the skies I am sure a cloud of sinne is a foule blot in the roll of our lives Blot a fair writing and you cannot read it but blot out the blots and then 't is legible again yet the blotting out of sinne intimates it fair written as an evidence or a record against us till a pardon blots it out In which sence Christ is said to have blotted out the hand-writing of Ordinances that was against us Col. 2. 14. Thy sins O Israel so the Lord seems to speak in the Prophet are as a cloud to hinder the shining of the light of my countenance upon thee like blots they hinder thee from reading the evidences of my favour or they stand like evidences of guilt against thee But I have blotted out this cloud that is I have pardon'd thy sins and by the breath of my favour and free grace scatter'd thy transgressions with all the evils and sequels which they naturally bring forth So that now the light shines fair and warm upon thee the evidences which were against thee cannot be read and thou mayest read the evidences of my love and mercy towards thee The sins of the Saints are but vanishing clouds whereas sin in it selfe and the sins of all those who are out of Christ are an abiding cloud they are a cloud firme and immoveable like a mountain of brass or a rock of stone Sins make such a cloud as no power in Heaven or earth is able to consume but the power of mercy and a
seemes to looke upon it as too great honour though it were a burdensome one that Saul a King one so much above him would follow and pursue him Against whom is the King of Israel come out against a dead dog or against a flea Alas I am no match for thee thou puttest too much weight upon me in that thou contendest with me To make great preparations and to send out a great army and skifull Commanders against an enemie magnifies that enemy that is it begets an apinion that surely he is some great and potent enemy against whom such great preparations are made In this sense you may understand it that affliction is a magnifying of a man because the great God comes forth to battle against him who is but dust and ashes but as a dead dogg or a flea The Heathens had such a notion they looked Hoctamen infoelix miseram solabere morte Aenei magni dâ—xtra cadis Virg l. 10. Occumbens I nunc Herculis armis Donum ingens semperae tuis memorabile factis Valer. Flac. l. 3. Argon upon it as no small priviledge for a man to be slaine by some famous great Commander Comfort thy selfe in this miserable death said one thou fallest by the hand of great Aeneas thou art magnifyed enough in this that thou hast such a man as Aeneas to fight with thee And another To die by the arme of Hercules amighty favour and alwaies to be remembred Some kind of trouble is an honour as well as a trouble The magnifying of man as well as an afflicting of him Man is so farre from deserving any favour from God that as a creature he is not worthy a blow though as a sinner he is most worthy of death from God But secondly we may answer it that man is not only thus notionally but really magnified by afflictions and that two waies First in this life the very humblings of the Saints are their exaltations their afflictions are their glory There was never any so famous for greatnesse for riches for honours as some have been for sufferings Who is there upon record throughout the whole booke of God who is there in any historie of the world so famous for greatnesse and riches and high atchievements as Job a sufferer All the victories of Alexander or Caesar yea of Joshua and David have not render'd them so famous to posterity as the conflicts of Job His affiictions have magnified him more then all his other greatnesse or then the greatnesse of other men hath magnified them If Job had only been the richest man in the East I believe we should never have had a word of any of his acts or so much as mention of his name in Scripture That which gave him the honour to have a whole booke written of him alone by the pen of the holy Ghost besides the often mention of his precious name in other books is this that he endured so much That man is magnified really who is thus afflicted and comes off holily Secondly Afflictions have an influence upon the life to come The Apostle is expresse in that 2 Cor. 4. 17. where he exhorts not to be troubled with our present afflictions for they worke for us a farre more exceeding weight of glory That which workes for us an exceeding weight of glory magnifies us It is not said any where in the Scripture that mans honours or his riches or his greatnesse in the world worke for him a farre more exceeding weight of glory There is no such thing ascribed or atributed to outward comforts and priviledges but our afflictions worke for us a farre more exceeding weight of glory Not as Papists abuse that Scripture as if afflictions did merit glory but as the way Duntaxat significatur quo itinare ad gloriam pervenitur and course wherein God sets men and through which he will exalt and lift them up to greatest glory Glory is the purchase of Christ and all the heaviest sufferings of the creature are not able to purchase one graine of glory not the least imaginable weight of glory much lesse an exceeding weight of glory but God brings his people to glory and makes them as he did the Lord Christ in their degree perfect through sufferings Hence observe That afflictions are if rightly improved the exaltations and magnifyings of the Saints The rod of discipline in Gods hand becomes a scepter of honour in ours This crosses the common thoughts of the world The truth is there is scarce a soule in the world under affliction but he thinks himself abased by it and saith that God hath laid him low Yet the right use and improvement of affliction is the best preferment The Apostle Jam. 1. is expresse Let the brother of low degree rejoyce in that he is exalted The low have an exaltation yea their lownesse is their exaltation yet we are ready to have undervaluing thoughts of our selves when the hand of God is upon us when God takes away that for which men set a price upon themselves they scarce thinke themselves worth any thing But this especially reaches that sinfull contempt of others a man afflicted is esteemed by most as a man abased They who have prized a man and had great thoughts of him when he had a great estate c. let him once fall in temporals though he continue the same in spirituals yea though he increases in them and his grace shines as much or more then ever yet he is dis-esteemed and laid low in their thoughts So much for those words what it is to magnifie and likewise how they may have a sutablenesse with Jobs condition he being so afflicted and emptied when he spake them And that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him To set the heart notes foure things in Scripture First Great care and intention of spirit Prov. 27. 23. Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks and looke well to thy herds the Hebrew is set thine heart upon thy herds The heart is set upon the herds in providing and taking care of them in looking to the welfare of the herds and of the flocks Samuel uses that language to Saul 1 Sam. 9. 20. when he came seeking his fathers asses As for the asses saith he set not thine heart upon them that is take no care for them never trouble thy selfe more about that businesse that care is over they are found In this sence God sets his heart upon man What is man that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him That is that thou shouldest take so much care of him and watch over him As the Lord speakes of his vineyard Isa 27. 3. I the Lord will keepe it lest any hurt it I will keepe it night and day He set his heart upon the vineyard to watch it least any should touching hurt it God in this sence takes so much care for man that he seemeth as it were carelesse of all other creatures 1 Cor. 9. 9. Doth God take
care for Oxen God doth care for Oxen The Apostle having shewed the goodnesse of God to beasts providing by a law that they should not be muzled presently he questions Doth God take care for Oxen As if he had said surely there is some what more in it or saith he it altogether for our sakes Not altogether doubtlesse God had regard to Oxen But for our sakes no doubt it was written that is chiefly for our sakes That he which ploweth should plow in hope and he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope So when Christ speaks of the Lillies Mat. 6. If God so cloath the Lillies of the field how much more will he cloath you You shall have the strength of his care to provide for you to feed and cloath you thus God sets his heart upon man he lookes to his people as to his houshold to his charge he will see they shall have all things needfull for them And so not laying to heart which is the contrary signifies carelesnesse Isa 47. 7. It is reported of Babylon Thou saidst I shall be a Ladie for ever so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart that is thou didst not regard these things to take care about them And Ezek. 40. 4. the expression is very full where God cals the Prophet to attention and he calleth him all over Behold saith he with thine eyes and heare with thine eares and set thine heart on all that I shall shew thee He wakens the whole man See and see with thine eyes Heare and heare with thine eares and set thine heart upon it the sum of all is be thou very intentive and diligent about this businesse to the utmost Secondly To set the heart notes an act of the affections and desires A man sets his love upon what he sets his heart that 's the meaning of Psalm 62. 10. If riches increase set not your heart upon them That is let not your love your affections your desires close with these things when riches abound let not your desires abound too It is an admirable frame of heart to have narrow scant affections in a large plentifull estate He is the true rich man who loves his riches poorly Set your affections on things that are above Col. 3. 2. Thirdly To set the heart notes high esteeme and account this is more than bare love and affection 2 Sam. 18. 3. when a counsell of warre was held by Davids Commanders about going out to battell against Absolom they all vote against Davids person all undertaking upon this ground they will not care for us they will not set their hearts upon us or value us their hearts are set upon thee thou art the prize they looke for and therefore the heate of the battell will be against thee Againe 1 Sam. 4. 20. When the wife of Phineas was delivered of a son a son is the womans joy and glory yet the text saith when the women that stood by told her that a son was borne she answered not neither did she regard it she did not set her heart upon it because the glory was departed from Israel In either of these sences the Lord sets his heart upon man he greatly loves man The love of God to man is the spring of mercy to man yea love is the spring of love love acted springs from a decree of love Deut. 7. 7. The Lord thy God did not set his love upon you c. because ye were more in number then any other people but because the Lord loved you Love also led in that highest work of mercy the giving of Christ God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son Josh 3. 16. As love is the spring and root of all the reall duty which mans performes to God and is therefore called the fulfilling of the law Our love fulfilleth the will of God so the love of God is the root of all that good we receive his love fulfilleth our will that is whatsoever we will or ask according to the will of God the love of God fulfills it for us Our love fulfills the law of Gods command and Gods love fulfills the law of our wants and lawfull desires His heart is set upon us and then his hand is open to us Further God doth not only love man but his love is great and his esteeme of man very high and he reallizes the greatest love by bestowing the greatest mercy How did God set his heart upon us when he gave his Son who lay in his bosome for us He set his bosome upon us when he gave us his Sonne who came out of his bosome Hence let us see our duty Should not we set our heart upon God when God sets his heart upon us the soveraignty of God cals for our hearts He as Lord may use al that we have or are And there is more than a law of soveraignty why we should give God our hearts God hath given us his heart first he who calleth for our hearts hath first given us his What are our hearts to his heart The love of God infinitely exceeds the love and affection of the creature What were it to God if he had none of our hearts But woe to us if we had not the heart of God This phrase shews us the reason why God calls for our hearts he gves us his own it is but equall among men to love where we are loved to give a heart where we have received one how much more should we love God and give him our hearts when we heare he loves us and sets his heart upon us whose love heart alone is infinitely better then all the loves and hearts of all men and Angels There is yet a fourth consideration about this expression the setting of the heart Setting the heart is applied to the anger and displeasure of God so the phrase is used Job 34. 14. If he set his heart upon man all flesh shall perish together that is if God be resolved to chastise man to bring judgements upon him all flesh shall perish together none shall be able to oppose it As it is the hightest favour to have God set his heart upon us in mercy and love so it is the highest judgement to have God set his heart upon a man in anger and in wrath to set his heart to afflict and punish The Lord answers his own people Jer. 15. 1 2 3. that notwithstanding all the prayers and motions of his beloved favourites in their behalfe his heart could not be towards them Then his heart was strongly set against them or upon them in extreame anger therefore he concludes they that are for the sword to the sword and they that are for destruction to destruction c. If God set his heart to afflict he will afflict and he can doe it And there may be such a sense of the text here What is man that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him that thou shouldest come
the Angel is sent now to conduct them to Canaan That was told them Chap. 23. 20. and they well satisfied with it Behold I send an Angel before thee to keepe thee in the way and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared I answer The Angel in the 23. Chapter is by all that I meet with agreed to be the Lord Jesus Christ the great Angel of the Covenant but the Angel chap. 33. appeares to be a created Angel and rather threatned them then promised them And though the Lord is pleased to signifie a reason of sending this Angel in favour to them namely least he himselfe consume them in the way for their stubbornesse Yet the people are not satisfied with this tidings surely they thought if the Lord was not able to bear their provocations much lesse could an Angel and therefore if he should send an Angel and withdraw his own presence from them they must perish A meere Angel could not have borne their manners as the Lord did receiving provocations from them and continuing preservations over them those forty yeares It is yet further observeable that the Hebrew is not only singular but a particular The preserver of Adam or of that man which hath some speciality in it We translate in generall the preserver of men but the preserver of man or of that man is more emphaticall God preserveth all but he hath a speciall eye of preservation upon some Thou preservest man and beast saith the Psalmist the beasts of the earth are preserved but man is preserved more And among men some are more preserved It is a truth the great God preserveth his greatest enemies a wicked man were not able to lift up a hand or a tongue against him if God did not uphold him but God is the speciall preserver of that man that is the preserver of a godly man or of godly men As Christ is the Saviour of all men but especially of those that beleeve so the preserver of all men but especially of those that beleeve he hath a care of them beyound the care he hath of the world The care which God hath of the rest of the world compared with that towards his own is but carelessenesse and he as it were neglects the whole world to looke to his own people As it was said of Constantine that for the love he bare to Constatinople he undress'd and unadorn'd al the other Cities of the Empire to beautifie and adorn that God seems to take off from al men in the world to lay it on upon his people The very gleanings of those mercies which his people have are better then the whole vintage of the world And the Lord is therefore a special Saviour to his people because First They are more precious than the rest of the world and that cals for most care which hath most worth A man takes more care of his jewels then of the lumber in his house These are my Jewels saith God Mal. 3. A man carries his jewels about him or keeps them in a safe cabinet Secondly Neerenesse of relation calls for that care will not a man perserve his wife his spouse The Church is the spouse of Christ Will not a man preserve his children if his house be on fire bring my children out saith he The heart of God is towards his children he must provide them a porton Yea they are his portion he makes a revenew of them Deut. 32. 9. A man will preserve his revenew that wherein his estate lies All that God hath on earth though he hath such a fulnesse in himselfe that he needs nothing from his Church yet al that he hath he is pleased to say he hath it from his Church and therefore God is said to be great in Zion He is the same great God all the world over but it appeares not so what he is to the men of the world as to the Saints in Zion it doth yea he is little in the eye of the world in comparison of what he is in Zion therefore he takes great care to preserve his Zion Lastly observe The preserving care of God over man especially over that man over his own people is a perpetuall care Preservation is a continued act if God should leave us one moment and stop providence creation would be dissolved This continuance of his care is eminent towards his Church Isa 27. 3. Least any hurt it I will keep it night and day Night and day divide all time between them to do a thing night and day is to do it continually Psa 121. 4. He that keepeth Israel neither slumbreth no◠sleepeth A slumber is lesse than sleepe but God will not so much as slumber in his thoughts towards us all his are waking thoughts Futher his love is without intermission that knowes no stops nor breaches therfore his care is so too His peoples dangers are without intermission therefore his preservation is so too Enemies oppose his people without intermission therefore he protects them so too The Devill goeth about like a roaring lion he is ever in motion he goeth about as an Abaddon or Apollyon the destroyer and devourer of men The care of Christ prompts him to a like vigilancy He goeth about preserving his act of preservation runs parralell with that of the enemies opposition God watches that his people may have some quiet rest and sleep As the story reports of Alexander the great that he told his Souldiers I watch more Certo scio me plus vigilare quam vos ut ipsi somnos quietos capere possitis Arian l. 8. than any of you all that you may sometimes have quiet sleepe his care dispensed with some of their carelessnesse It is most true of God he wakes for ever and he watches for ever to preserve us that we may sleepe in quietnesse and confidence Solomon reprooves some secure ones who are as they who sleep on the top of the mast Pro. 23. But the Saints may sleep in regard of fear though not of endeavour on the top of the mast while they remember that both the helm and the winds are in Gods hands As our spiritual estates so our temporal are kept as with a garrison in their degree by the power of God through faith unto salvation So much for the title O thou preserver of men Why hast thou set me as a marke against thee so that I am a burden to my selfe Why hast thou set me as a marke against thee The word signifies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Occurrit obviam factus fuit Quare posuistime contraium tibi Vulg. In occursum tibi Pagn Objectum tibi Tygur Offendiculum in quem semper impingas Vatab. to meete one to come the opposite way Hence some translate this why hast thou set me contrary to thy selfe because he that meets another comes the contrary way the way opposite to him Why hast thou put me as an object against thee or as an enemy to thee the