Job with when he questions doth Job feare God for nought Satan accuseth with a question doth Job feare God for nought The question may be resolved into this Accusation Job doth not feare God for nought The word which we translate for nought hath a threefold sense from the Hebrew First Some render it in vain Doth Job feare God frustra in vaine We are then said to doe a thing in vaine when we cannot attaine the end which we propose in doing of it The Egyptians helpe in vaine that is they cannot procure that salvation and deliverance which was desired or intended and so the sense here may be doth Job feare God in vaine No he doth not he hath his end he looked for riches that he intended in taking up the service of God and that he hath attained Secondly It is interpreted by without cause Doth Job feare God without cause so the word is translated Psal 35.7 where David complaining of his enemies saith without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit which without cause they have digged for my soule As if he should say I never gave them any cause why they should lay snares for me I never wronged or hurt any of them According to this sense when Satan saith doth Job feare God for nought namely without cause it is as if he had said The Lord hath given Job reason enough he hath given him cause enough to doe what he doth Job seeth reason in his Flocks and in his Heards in his many Children and in his great Houshold in his Substance and in his Honour he seeth reason in all these why he should feare God and be a very obedient servant having so bountifull a Master Doth Job feare God without cause Or thirdly The word is translated by Gratis as we expresse it to doe a thing gratis that is to doe a thing without any reward without any price or without pay I shall instance Scriptures wherein the word is rendred in that sense Gen. 29.15 Laban saith to Jacob when he was come to him to serve him Thou art my kinsman shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought that is shouldest thou serve me gratis or without wages as he explaines his meaning in the next words tell me what shall thy wages be So that to doe a thing for nought is to doe a thing without wages without price And so there is the same interpretation of the word Exod. 21.11 where Moses speaking of the Maid that was taken into the family and was not married saith If he doe not these three unto her then she shall goe out free without money she shall pay nothing she shall goe out gratis or for nought So here we may take in this sense to fill up the forme doth Job serve God gratis doth he serve God without price or without pay Surely no thou hast given him sufficient hyre wages sufficient for all his service Job doth not serve thee gratis out of good will and affection to thee but he serveth thee for hire because thou payest him so plentifully So the generall sense of the words Doth Job feare God for nought is as if Satan had bespoken the Lord in such words as these Lord thou doest enquire of me whether I had considered thy servant Job I confesse I have and I must needs acknowledge that he is a man very diligent and zealous in thy worship and service neither doe I wonder that he is so seeing thou hast out-bid all his labours and indeavours by heapes of benefits There is no question but thou mayest have servants enough upon such termes at such rates as these no marvaile if Job be willing to doe whatsoever thou commandest whenas thou bestowest upon Job whatsoever he desireth Thou seemest as it were to neglect all other men and only to intend the safety and prosperity of thy darling Job Is it any great matter that he who hath received a flocke of seven thousand Sheepe from thee should offer a few 7. or 10. to thee in sacrifice Is it any great matter that he should give some of his fleeces to cloath the poore who hath received from thee so many thousands to cloath and enrich himselfe Is it a strange thing that he should feede a few that hath 500 yoake of Oxen Is not Job well hired to worke for thee doth he feare God for nought who hath recived all these Yet a little more distinctly for the opening of this expression I shall give you Satans sense in three notable falsities or lyes which he twists up together in this one speech Doth Job feare God for nought First That riches will make any man serve God that it is no great matter to be holy when we have abundance a man that prospers in the world cannot choose but be good This Satan implyes in these words and this is an extreame lye for as there is no affliction so there is no outward blessing can change the heart or bring it about unto God They did not serve the Lord in the abundance of all things Deut. 28.47 Abundance doth not draw the heart unto God Yet Satan would inferre that it doth This might well be retorted upon Satan himselfe Satan why diddestnot thou serve God then thou diddest once receive more outward blessings from God then ever Iob did the blessednesse of an Angell yet that glorious Angelicall estate wherein thou wast created could not keepe thee in the compasse of obedience thou diddest rebell in the abundance of all blessings and diddest leave thy habitation Satan thou shouldest not have served God for nought Why then didst not thou serve him thine owne Apostacy refutes thy errour in making so little of Jobs obedience because he had received so much Secondly There is this in it Doeth Job feare God for nought Satan intimates that God could have no servants for love none unlesse he did pay them extreamely That God is such a Master and his worke such as none would meddle with vnlesse allured by benefits As if Satan should say you have indeed one eminent servant but you should not have had him unlesse you had beene at double cost with him Here is another lye Satan windeth up closely in this speech For the truth is Gods servants follow him for himselfe the very excellencies of God and sweetnesse of his wayes are the argument and the wages by which his people are chiefely moved and hired to his service God indeed makes many promises to those that serve him but he never makes any bargaines with them His obey him freely Satan makes bargaines to hire men to his service as he did with Christ Mat. 4.9 All these things will I give thee if thou wilt fall downe and worship mee God makes many large and gracious promises but he never makes any such bargaine and agreement with men for their obedience Then there is a third sense full of falsehood which Satan casteth upon Iob Doeth Job feare God for nought that is Iob hath
We may be as much amazed at what Job spake as we were at their silence And there appeares the same reason of both namely the greatnesse of his griefe They saw his griefe so great that they forbare to speake Job feeleth his griefe so great that he cannot longer forbeare to speake it must have a vent After this saith the Text Job opened his mouth Why Job had opened his mouth before he had spoken twice since he was encompassed with those sorrowes True But Job never opened his mouth as now he opened his mouth before to justifie and to blesse his God now he openeth his mouth to accuse and curse his day and therefore the Chapter may well begin with After this Job opened his mouth he never spake in this manner before For he no sooner opened his mouth but he cursed his day The argument and subject of the whole Chapter is contained in this first verse the cursing of his day and concerning this the Chapter holdeth forth three things most considerable There are three particulars belonging unto this Chapter First The Matter and the Manner of this Curse what it is and how expre'st Job pronounceth a curse upon his day and unfolds the curse he unfolds it with much Rhetorick and straines of eloquence Troubles will make a man Rhetoricall Job as it were calls up all his spirits whets his wit and heightens his invention to prepare a proper curse for his day This he doth from this first verse to the end of the nineteenth Secondly In this Chapter Job holds forth to us the ground or reason of this curse He is full of passion but his passion is rationall He curseth but he shewes you why This reason with some occasionall intermixtures is demonstrated from the ninth to the end of the nineteenth verse If I am asked a reason of my anger why I am so bitter against my day This is the account I give Because it shut not up my mothers wombe c. Thirdly We have an inforcement of this curse upon his day by a vehement expostulation against the lengthning and continuance of his dayes He complained in the beginning of the Chapter that ever he had a day and now he complaines as much that he hath any more dayes He wonders why his life began and he is troubled because it doth not end Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery c. This expostulation concludes the Chapter The nine former verses containe the first division of the Chapter Jobs curse upon his day both the matter and the manner of the Curse We have this Curse first pronounced upon his day in generall Then Job opened his mouth and cursed his day Secondly He fixes a curse upon his day in the severall parts of it Take a naturall day for the space of 24 houres and then it consisteth of two parts of day and night light and darkenesse According to which division the curse runs verse 3. Let the day perish wherein I was borne and the night wherein it was said a man child is conceived Thirdly He pronounceth a speciall proper curse upon each part of his day Take the day for the light for that space betweene Sun-rising and Sun-set He curses that vers 4th and 5th Let that day be darknesse let not God regard it from above neither let the light shine upon it c. Then followes a curse upon the night in the 6 7 and 8. verses As for that night let darkenesse ceise upon it let it not be joyned unto the dayes of the yeare c. So then Job pronounceth this curse first in generall against his day Secondly He divides the curse upon the severall parts of the day Thirdly He fastens a speciall curse upon each part You see how accurate how exact Jobs sorrowes have made him We will begin with that which is first here the cursing of his day in generall contained in the first verse Then Job opened his mouth or after this Job opened his mouth and cursed his day Then or After this hath a double reference First After the seven dayes silence After his friends had sate by him so long upon the ground neither moving question nor administring a word of consolation then Job opened his mouth Or secondly After this That is After his sorrowes were as it were boyled up to the height and began a little to remit so as he could breath recollect himselfe and consider in what condition he was After this After there was some allay some ebbe and fall of his overflowing sorrowes then he breakes forth in these words Sorrow doth sometimes not only oppresse the spirit but stop the mouth I am so troubled that I cannot speake saith David Ps 77.4 That he could not speak for trouble speaks the greatnes of his trouble Plenty of sorrow makes a scarcity of words Hence sometmies the Saints in great afflictions and griefe of mind pray and cry much to God when they speke little Hannah continued praying before the Lord 2 Sam. 1.12 Eli the High-priest marked her mouth saith the Text Now Hannah she spake in her heart only her lips moved but her voice was not heard Would you know why in so much praying there was no speaking why her heart spake and not her tongue Her selfe gives the reason at the 15th verse I am a woman of a sorrowfull spirit And verse 16. Out of the abundance of my complaint and griefe have I spoken hitherto sc not with my lips but with my heart All which is given us at the 10th verse She was in bitternesse of soule and prayed unto the Lord and wept sore Thus it was with Job sorrow silenced him sorrow in the height caused that high silence but as soone as that asswaged Then he opened his mouth and spake A man cannot speake till he open his mouth yet to open the mouth and speake is more then to speake First To open the mouth and speake is to speake with a loud or cleare voice as he that speakes softly is said to speake in his throat Or as they who have familiar spirits or wizards are said to peepe and to mutter Isa 8.19 A witch or wizard is called there and in other places of Scripture Levit. 20.27 Deut. 18.11 Ob which signifieth a bottle or bladder because such being possess'd or acted by an evill spirit spake with a hollow voice as out of a bottle and as some affirme with swollen bellies From which manner of utterance the Greekes call them Belly speakers And Junius upon that 8 of Isa 19th apprehends this as a description of those Hell-prophets in opposition to the true Prophets who used to speake with a cleere loud distinct voice Or as Job here To open their mouthes and speake Secondly To open the mouth and speake is as much as to say he spake with his mouth And there is an elegancy in that as in those like expressions I heard it with mine eares that is I did certainely heare
of all He was greatest all these wayes but that which is here specially meant is the greatnesse of his honour and riches He was the greatest man in outward estate of all the men of the East Of all the men of the East Heb Sonnes of the East In the 25. of Genesis v. 6 Abraham gave gifts unto his Sonnes by the Concubines and sent them away from his Sonne Isaac Eastward into the East Countrey Doubtlesse the blessing of God followed these Sonnes of Abraham his friend and they waxed Great but among them all Iob was greatest It had bin much to say he was a great man amongst the men of the East for the men of the East were very great men and very rich men As to say one is a rich man in the City of London where there are so many rich men one that goeth for a rich man there is a rich man indeed But here is more in this he was not only a rich man or a great man amongst the men of the East but he was the greatest he was the richest of them as to say that one is the richest in the whole City cryes a man up to the height of riches this expression then heightens the sence of the Text concerning Iobs greatnesse he was not only great among the men of the East but the greatest man of them as if the Holy Ghost should have said I will not stay reckoning up particulars or telling you this and that Iob had you know the East was a large Countrey and full of rich men his estate was the largest and himselfe the richest of all the men of the East A Question may here be raised Why the Holy Ghost spends so many words and is thus accurate in the setting forth of Iobs outward estate I shall touch three reasons for it 1. He is described to be a man of a very great estate to the end that the greatnesse of his affâ—iction might appeare afterward the measure of a losse is taken by the greatnesse of a mans enjoyment If a man have but little his affliction cannot be great but if a man have much if he have abundance then the affliction doth abound After great enjoyments want is greatest Emptinesse presses those most who once were full I went out full saith Naomi Ruth 1.21 and the Lord hath brought me home empty therefore call me not Naomi which is pleasant but Marah which is bitter for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me 2. The greatnesse of his estate is set forth that the greatnesse of his patience might appeare For a man to be made poorer that was but poore and meane before it is no great matter though he beare it for a man to have but little that never had much is no great tryall of his patience but for a man to have nothing at all that had as it were all things and to be patient under it this shewes the proofe of patience To a man that is borne a slave or a captive captivity and bondage is no trouble it doth never exercise his patience he is scarce sensible of the evill because he never knew better But for a King that is borne free and hath power over others for a King that is in the height of freedome and liberty to become a slave and a captive in such a one patience hath a perfect worke if he beare it So for Iob a man that once abounded in all manner of outward good things to be outed and emptyed of all that tryed his patience to the full 3. It was to give to all the world a testimony that Job was a through godly and holy man that he was a man of extraordinary strength of grace why because he held his integrity and kept up his spirit in the way of holinesse notwithstanding he was lifted up with abundance of outward blessings To be very great and very good shewes that a man is good indeed Great and good Rich and holy are happy conjunctions and they are rare conjunctions Usually riches impoverish the soule and the world cares out all care of Heaven therefore Iob was one of a thousand being at once thus great in riches and thus rich in goodnesse He was rich in grace that was so gracious in the middest of so much riches the godlinesse of Iob was inriched by his riches It argued that Iobs godlinesse was very great and very right because he continued right in the middest of all his greatnesse How often doe riches cause forgetfulnesse of God yea kicking against God How often are they made the bellowes of pride the fewell of uncleanenesse the instruments of revenge How often doe rich men contemne dispise and oppresse their weake and poore bretheren but to make riches the fewell of our Graces and the Instruments of duty both to God and man To have the house full of riches and the heart full of holinesse these united are admirable Extremes are very dangerous to be extreame poore or extreame rich is an extreame temptation Therefore the wise man Agur Prov. 30.8 prayes Give me neither poverty nor riches Lord saith he I would not be in any of the extreames It is a sore temptation to be farre on either hand to be farre on the hand of riches or farre on the hand of poverty To be very poore and very holy is a rare thing That man hath great treasures and riches of grace who is so I remember the speech of a poore woman who having a child about 8. or 9. yeares of age and being once in such a streight that hunger began to pinch them both the child looking upon the Mother said Mother doe you thinke that God will starve us No child answers the Mother The child replyed if he doe yet we must love him and serve him Such language from the heart becomes and argues more then a Child in Grace a growne Christian. They are fil'd with Christ who can starve and serve him So likewise are they who being full fed yet serve him and temptations are greater upon the full then upon the empty upon the rich then upon the poore The reason of it is because as riches doe stirre up lust so they give fewel and administer instruments for the obtaining and taking in of that which lust calls for this poverty doth not The poore saith Christ receive the Gospell the lame and the blind make most speed and see their way clearest into the Kingdome of Heaven but for rich men he saith It is easier for a Camel to goe through the eye of a needle then for a rich man to enter into the Kingdome of Heaven We see now the Miracle acted in Iob the Camel is got thorough the needles eye Job a rich man is got through the needles eye with three thousand Camels c. And the reason was because all his Camels Cattell and riches did not take up so much roome in his heart they were not so thick in his spirit as one
bruise and breake the heart of their tender Father Afflictions presse most when they are least expected Let us observe then this mixture of malice and cunning in Satan in choosing his time To carry a man from one extremity to another puts him upon the greatest extremity To make the day of a mans greatest rejoycing to be the day of his deepest sorrowes this is cutting if not killing sorrow To be brought from extreame sorrow to extreame joy suddenly doth rather amaze then comfort the spirit of a man It is said that when the Lord turned againe the captivity of Zion the people were like them that dreame the change was so great so sudden that they were rather astonished and amazed then comforted with it for a while So much more to be hurried from extreame joy to extreame sorrow from the borders of comfort to the brinke of death on a sudden is not so much to afflict a man as to confound and distract him This course Satan takes with Job It were well if we could be wise in this respect to imitate Satan to choose out our day to do good when there is greatest probability of successe as he chose out his day to do mischief It is the Apostles rule as you have opportunity doe good if wee could be wise to lay hold upon opportunities it would be a wonderfull advantage to us as a word fitly spoken is word upon the wheele so a worke fitly done is a worke upon the wheele it goeth on takes upon the heart both of God and man Let us consider whether now we have not a season whether this be not a day that holds forth to us a glorious opportunity Surely we may present this day unto you as a day to be doing in Let us therefore be as quick in this our day to doe good as Satan was in that day to doe hurt This is a day wherein great things are a doing and grievous things are a suffering by many of our bretheren therefore you should be working this day make a day on 't This is a day in which sonnes of Belial men that will not beare Christs yoke are combining to breake it and to cast his coards from them Then joyne this day to helpe Christ else as Mordecai said to Esther If thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time this was a day for Esther to worke in then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jewes from another place but thou and thy fathers house shall be destroyed So I may say to you in reference to the present opportunity if you altogether hold your peace hold your purses and hold your hands at this time at such a day as this enlargement will come to the Church some other way but you may be destroyed who thinke to hold and keepe your peace either by saying or doing nothing If ever you will appeare this is a day to appeare in to doe good Let us be wise to manage and improve our day That it may never be said of us as our Lord Christ did of Jerusalem If yee had knowne even ye in this your day the things which belong unto your peace Luk. 19.42 It is a sadder thing to have had a season and not to know it sc not to use it then not to have had it Solomon tells us Eccles 8.6 That Because to every purpose there is a time and judgement therefore the misery of man is great upon him Misery cannot be great to a man because there is a time for every purpose but because men are either so blind that they cannot see or so sluggish that they will not make use of the proper time for every purpose Thus the preacher himselfe expounds it Chap. 9.12 For man also knoweth not his time as the fishes that are taken in an evill not and as the birds are taken in a snare so are the sonnes of men snared in an evill time when it falleth suddenly upon them Consider what Solomons experience taught him Let not your inadvertency of these times make you a new experiment of that ancient truth And leave men that should be wise especially that pretend to wisedome to be numbred among and compared with a silly bird a silent fish Then again Forasmuch as it was the day of their great feast of their feast with wine upon which this great affliction assaulted Job Observe That the fairest and clearest day of our outward comfort may be clouded and overcast before the evening It was as faire a day as ever began in Jobs family a feast and a feast with wine and that in the eldest Brothers house and yet all was darkenesse before night This is true in reference to ungodly men great and terrible judgements fall suddainly upon them their light is turned into darknesse in a moment as Christ compares it to the dayes of Noah and the dayes of Lot As it was saith he in the dayes of Noah they did eate they dranke they married wives they were given in marriage untill the day that Noah entred into the Arke and the flood came and destroyed them all and as it was in the dayes of Lot c. both which are in two words set out by the Apostle when they shall say peace and safety then sudden destruction commeth Thus it is with ungodly men their Sunne often sets at noone when they say yea when they conclude all 's well then judgement mixt with wrath is at the doore This is a truth also in reference unto godly men and the Churches of God all their outward comforts may be clouded in a day while they are eating and drinking not sinfully but in a holy manner suppose as the Apostle adviseth to the glory of God yet even at that time all may presently be taken away And therefore as the Apostle saith rejoyce as if you rejoyced not in the creature and eate as if you did not eate and buy as if you possessed not Why For the fashion of this world the Scheme of this world passeth away You see it did with Job in what a goodly fashion was his worldly estate in the morning how was it drest and adorned in perfect beauty in all its excellencies as we heard it before described yet before night all the fashion of it past away and the beauty of it was quite blasted Therefore you that have great estates and good estates estates well gotten and well govern'd be not high-minded trust not in uncertaine riches If riches increase and if they increase in a right way yet set not your hearts upon them for the fashion of worldly things quickly passeth away Riches make themselves wings to fly away when thou art making doores and locks bolts and barres to keepe them in That for the time in the 13th verse But what did Satan upon this day That is set forth in the 14th v. and so on And there came a messenger unto Job and said The Oxen were plowing and
sorrowings are of the same continuance with my refreshings The phrase imports the un-intermittednesse as we may so speake of his sorrowes that he had no stop no breathing time which was not a sighing time no not for a meale time while he was eating with every bit of meate he had a morsell of sorrowes He might say as the Psalmist Psal 102.9 I have eaten ashes like bread and mingled my drinke with weeping when I drinke my teares flow into my cup When I take in a few drops of comfort I weepe out streames of sorrow Or my sighings come and returne so fast upon me that I have no time to eate my bread I am so plied and followed with these afflictions that I have no leisure to be comforted If at any time a man gets respite from his griefe it is when he eates how respitlesse then was Jobs griefe before whom sorrow and sighings sate as guests continually at his table My roarings are powred out like water As the former words shewed the continuance so this the extremity of Jobs sorrowes It is a great affliction that makes a man of spirit speake or complaine It is a greater affliction that makes a man of spirit weepe or mourne How great an affliction then is it which makes a man of spirit cry out and roare when a man of courage roares he is pained to purpose Job a man of spirit and courage doth not only sigh but roare Sighings are more secret sorrowes but roarings must be heard especially his roarings which were powred out like water Roaring is the Lyons voice and here is an allusion to the hungry Lyon roaring on his prey Or to the troubled waves of the sea which also are said to roare Excessive sorrow is often set forth by roaring Psal 22.1 Why art thou so farre from the voice of my roaring saith David typing the sorrowes of Christ I doe not only cry but I roare out unto thee Lord why doest thou not heare my strong cries cries like the roaring of the Lyon or the noyse of troubled waters So Psal 32.3 David to shew his extremity of paine and trouble while he kept in and did not confesse his sin speakes thus while I kept silence while I smothered my sin in secret I roared for the very disquietnesse of my soule silence in not confessing sin causes roaring under the guilt of sin Those are great burdens of sin and great burdens of sorrow that cause roaring My roarings are powred out like water This notes further yet the abundance and the strength of his sorrowes I am powred out like water I am as it were all melted into sorrowes is said of Christ in that Psalme of his passion Psa 22.14 I am powred out like water my heart in the middest of my bowels is like melted wax When the Prophet Ezekiel would shew how that people should be affected with the tidings of their afflictions he saith Every heart shall melt and all hands shall be feeble and every spirit shall faint and all knees shall be weake as water chap. 21.7 The Hebrew is all knees shall goe into water The sorrowes of repentance are exprest by the powring out of water to note both the abundance of them and the intensivenes of them in that known place 1 Sam. 7.6 They gathered together to Mizpeh and drew water and powred it out before the Lord that is they mourned abundantly and they mourned with all their strength How strong and abundant the sorrowes of Job were hath beene often shewed before and observations drawn down from them And therefore I shall need doe no more then cleare the words and give the sense It followeth For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me and that which I was afraid of is come unto me For the thing which I greatly feared The causall particle in the beginning doth not alway inferre a cause this verse is not a reason of what he spake before but this particle is often used in Scripture for affirmation or illustration and not as causall or by way of demonstration As Joh. 4.17 Christ tells the woman of Samaria Thâ—u speakest well I have no husband the Greeke is for I have no husband We translate it only by way of assertion So Mat. 7.23 Then will I professe unto them I never knew you the Greeke is then I will professe unto them for I never knew you we render it only as an asseveration So very frequent in the Hebrew the particle Chi which is here used hath in it only the force of an affirmation For the thing I greatly feared is come upon me that is certainely or assuredly the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me as if Job should make this as the conclusion and the summe of all his complainings this is it which now I must conclude that the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me and that which I was afraid of is come unto mee The thing which I greatly feared The Hebrew is I feared a feare and it is come upon me And so feare is in the Scripture frequently put for the thing feared by a Metanomy of the effect for the cause the abstract being put for the concrete As Prov. 1.26 I will mock when your feare cometh that is when the trouble which you feared shall come upon you As if Job should have said this evill is that which I have fore-seene and fore-thought I had such misgivings in my spirit long before this that such a black day might come upon me and I might be thus hedged in now I see my thoughts are come to passe and my conjectures prove true the thing which I feared and greatly feared is come upon me We translate well I greatly feared the Hebrew is I feared a feare Such expressions raise the sense As when we are said to be bought with a price it notes that there was a great price paid for our redemption To rejoyce with joy shewes the greatnesse of joy So here To feare a feare shewes that he was in a great feare as we translate I feared a feare I greatly feared Here it may be questioned whether these feares of Job were lawfull doth it become us to have such mis-givings of heart in respect of our outward condition The Apostle biddeth us be carefull in nothing Phil. 4 6. and was it a vertue or a grace was it commendable or so much as approveable in Job to be fearfull in all things Christ rebukes his Disciples because they were afraid in a storme and was it well in Job that he was fearfull in a Sun-shine when he had the fairest weather and prospered in all things Doth it become a godly man to be alwayes solicitous about his estate and doubting that troubles will come One would thinke there is trouble enough in troubles when they come a man should not trouble himselfe with them before they come Besides it is said Prov. 10.24 respecting wicked men that God will
it be in regard of personall troubles or nationall troubles to hold fast and keepe close to God in such distresses is admirable To continue good while we suffer evill is the height and crowne of goodnesse As it is that which putteth one of the greatest aggravations upon the sinfulnesse of men that they will hold fast their sinnes in the middest of judgements The Prophet Amos with much elegancy of speech and vehemency of spirit urgeth this against the Jewes Cap. 4. I have given you cleannesse of teeth yet have yee not returned unto me I have with-holden the raine yet have yee not returned unto me I have smitten you with blasting yet have ye not returned unto me I have sent among you the pestilence and the sword yet have yee not returned unto me saith the Lord. The Prophet Ieremy takes up the same argument having before spoken of judgements sent upon them Yet saith he they hold fast deceit and refuse to returne Cap. 8.5 they held fast deceit though they were afflicted that aggravated their sinfulnesse Now I say as it makes sinne out of measure sinfull to hold it fast when God afflicteth so it makes grace out of measure gracious putteth a wonderfull splendour and glory upon it if we hold fast our grace when troubles and afflictions meet us in the holding of it forth and God will put an Emphasis upon such a one for grace as he did upon Ahaz for his sinne 2 Chron. 28.22 In the time of his distresse did he trespasse yet more against the Lord This is that King Ahaz that brand is put upon him So there is an honour stamp'd on Job in this testimony that in the time of his distresse he did yet more good This is that Job to serve beleeve and love God more in distresse this is integrity to a wonder this drawes the heart of God toward such and makes them truly glorious in the eyes of godly men That which followes in the text doth yet more advance the honour of Job in this victory still he holdeth fast c. Though thou movedst me against him to destroy him without cause Though thou movedst me The word here used to move signifieth more than a bare motion it carries in it a perswasion and more then a bare perswasion it carries in it a vehement instigation As when a man doth perswade a thing by arguments and strong reasons that is the force of the word as in that place 1 King 21.25 There was none like Ahab which did sell himselfe to worke wickednesse in the sight of the Lord whom Jezabel his wife stirred up stirred up is the word in the text thou movedst me Jezabel moved Ahab incited him never gave him over by arguments and reasons by this consideration and that consideration to doe wickedly in Israel So here Satan did as it were plie God with arguments and reasons to instigate him against Job Thou didst move me against him Satan is a cunning Oratour and knowes how to handle a matter that it may take with greatest advantage Some may question how can this be Will God be mooved by Satan Is not the Lord unchangeable Have Satans words and arguments such power with God to moove him to doe a thing I answer it two wayes We may cleare it first thus As the Saints and people of God in prayer are said to move God and to prevaile with God they are said to carry a businesse with God Now you know what they doe in prayer they doe not only spread a petition barely before God but they strengthen it with all the arguments they can argument upon argument pleading upon pleading yet the Lord himselfe is not stirred he is not changed at all by the prayer of his people it is not to be thought that the Lord upon the prayers of his people takes up any new thoughts or puts on any new resolutions to doe this or that for a mercy that is but a day old in regard of our prayer obtaining it is an eternity old in regard of God purposing it therefore God is not changed at all but he is said to be moved to give or doe as or when we pray because he giveth and doth what he himselfe had purposed to give when we should pray for as God from all eternity did purpose to give to his people such and such mercies so he did purpose and decree to give them when they prayed Now then as it is in regard of his peoples prayer and seeking for mercy they move God but it is onely the bringing forth of that which he had in his heart from all eternity to doe for them So here in this case God had a purpose from all eternity to try Job and likewise he did purpose the way and the meanes of it that it should be done upon the motion and instigation of Satan For although God cannot be moved by any to doe a thing which before he intended not he is unchangeable yet as by his eternall will and counsell he doth produce things in time So likewise from eternity he did order and will the manner of their producing he purposed to do good for his Church upon the supplications of his servants and sometimes to afflict his Church or servants at the instigation of Satan Secondly This place thou movedst me against him is to be understood by a figure very frequent in the Scripture God speaking of himselfe after the manner of men because as men usually when they do a thing are moved by others to do it and by perswasions are sometime prevailed with to doe that which they intended not an houre before So God is said to doe a thing upon motion though he intended it from eternity often descending to expresse himselfe by that which is common to men though his manner of doing it be transcendent infinitely beyond men From the force of this word so explained Thou movedst me against him Observe That Satan is an earnest and importunatè solicitour against the people and Church of God he without ceasing provokes God against them he bends his wits and straines his language to the height in pleading against them to get them delivered up into his hands or into the hands of his instruments And if Satan be thus zealous so importunate a sollicitour against the Saints It may teach us to be as earnest and zealous for the Saints Satan doth not onely move but he moveth by arguments he incites It is not enough to pray by proposing our desires but we must pray enforcing and pressing our desires such a holy unquietnesse of spirit as is expressed by the Prophet Isa 62.1 For Zions sake will I not hold my peace and for Jerusalems sake will I not rest c. Such was that required of the Watch-men set upon the walls of Jerusalem which should never hold their peace day nor night Yee that make mention of the Lord or yee that are the Lords remembrancers keepe not silence and give him
no rest till he establish and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the Earth Isa 62. ver 6 7. This duty is now doubled on us by the great afflictions and greater feares of Sion When Christ was in his agony he prayed more earnestly Luk. 22.44 And when his Church is in an agony we ought to pray more earnestly At such a time we must mingle more fire with our prayers we must pray more fervently At such a time we must mingle more water with our prayers wee must pray more repentingly We must with Jacob Hos 12. weepe and make supplication At such a time we must mingle more faith with our prayers we must pray more beleevingly In a word at such a time every prayer must be a pleading yea a wrestling with God a wrestling with resolution not to let him goe untill wee have got a blessing till wee prevaile with God to destroy his Churches enemies as Satan in the text moved God to destroy Job his servant and his friend So it followes Thou movedst me against him to destroy him To destroy him The word Destroy signifieth to swallow up or to devoure You have it Gen. 41.4 where it is said that the seven leane eares and seven leane kine did devoure or eat up the seven full eares and the seven fat kine And Exod. 7.12 the text saith That Moses his rod did swallow up the rods of the Magicians Psal 124.3 Vnles the Lord had been on our side they had swallowed us up quicke In all these places it is the same word we have here thou movedst me to destroy him In the former Chapter where Satan desired God to touch Job I shewed what kind of touches Satan desired to lay upon the people of God you see it now cleared by God himselfe Thou movedst me to destroy him to swallow him up Thy words were moderate and diminitive doe but touch him but thy intentions were bloody and destructive thou movedst me to destroy him to make an end of him that was thy meaning Without cause But will the Lord the wise God doe any thing without cause A wise a prudent man will not doe any thing without cause though Satan may be so brutish and unreasonable to move God to doe a thing for which there is no cause would the Lord be so perswaded by his motion to doe it without cause The text seemeth here to speake so thou movedst me to destroy him without cause and God hearkned to his motion before and gave him up all his estate to doe with it what he pleased Briefly to cleare this Without cause It is the same originall word used in the former Chapter Doth Job serve God for nought or without cause as was then opened so here Thou movedst me against him to destroy him without cause or thou movedst me against him for nothing or for nought We may consider this phrase of speech without cause three wayes First in reference unto Satan Secondly in reference unto God Thirdly in reference unto Job himselfe From each of these considerations light will shine into this point First in reference unto Satan God tells Satan thou movedst me against him without cause that is Job never gave thee any cause why thou shouldest make such a motion against him Job had never wronged thee or done thee any hurt as David saith of his enemies they are mine enemies without cause I was never injurious or unjust unto them So Satan was Jobs enemy without cause Job never gave him occasion Indeed the holinesse and goodnesse of Job was Satans griefe and Satans trouble but for any other trouble or wrong Job never did him therâ—fore without cause it was in reference unto Satan 2. In reference unto Satan without cause that is Thou didst not alleadge any sufficient cause or charge him with any particular crime thou didst onely bring in a generall suspition against him there was not so much as a common fame as you know it was a course to accuse men upon common fame So saith God here it was nothing but a suspition raised out of thine owne braine as indeed those common fames that we heard of not long since upon which many were accused yea condemn'd were only suspitions borne in the brains of those men So here Job was charged meerly upon the suspition of Satan there was no crime directly alleadged nor any evill report in the world against him cause was not shew'd legally therefore without cause thou movedst me against him 3. In reference unto Satan without cause that is it now appeareth upon the tryall that thou didst move me against him without cause that which thou didst pretend to be the cause was not found in Job thou pretendest he was an hypocrite and served me for himselfe now thou seâ—st thy selfe confuted it appeareth he did serve me for nought sincerely and not for his owne endâ— He is no painted sepulcher no rotten self-seeker If we consider the words in the second place with reference unto God Thou didst move me against him without cause then we must take heed of thinking that God doth any thing without cause No the wise God doth every thing in number weight and measure he doth every thing upon great reason upon the highest reason God will not doe the lowest thing but upon the height of reason he doth the least thing upon greater reason than the greatest Polititians in the world doe the greatest Therefore God had reason important reason to give Job up to be afflicted He did it for the tryall of Job he did it for the magnifying of his free-grace and the graces of his free Spirit in his weake creature he did it that Job might be set up as an example of patience he did it to discover the slander of the devill therefore he did it for strong reasons it was not without cause in reference unto God himselfe Lastly If we consider it in reference unto Job it was not absolutely without cause neither for though there was not that cause in him which Satan pretended namely grosse hypocrisie yet if the Lord should search and sift him narrowly as if he should search and sift the holiest of his servants his pure eyes and holy nature would find sinne enough in them which might justifie him or shew to his justice sufficient cause take the sinne in it selfe not onely to afflict them temporally but to lay his hand upon them for ever Should God I say have tryed him thoroughly and looked upon sinne in it selfe he might finde cause to afflict him in regard of his sinne So then absolutely in reference unto Job it was not without cause God might have found cause in regard of his sinne But there were other causes in reference unto Job it was to try Iob to exercise Iob it was that Iob might have further honour after the tryall There might have been a reason in sinne if the Lord had marked iniquity And there were many reasons in referrence to his good why