make Yee have heard of the Patience of Job and what end the Lord made Could we but heare of the Repentance of England all the world I am perswaded should heare and wonder at the end which the Lord would make Even such an end as he made for Job if not a better he would give us twice as much in Temporals double Riches double Oxen and Sheepe double Bracelets and Earings double Gold and Silver double Sonnes and Daughters And hee would give us which is not specified in the Inventorie of Jobs repaire seven-fold more in Spirituals seven-fold more knowledge of his Truth purity in his worship order in his house he would make the light of our Moone to be like the light of the Sunne and the light of our Sunne to be seven-fold as the light of seven dayes in the day wherein he bindes up our outward breaches and heales the stroake of our wound Thus we may looke to be restored not only as Job to more in kind but to better in kind I am sure to better in degree We may looke that for brasse we shall have Gold or our Gold more refined that for Iron wee shall have Silver or our Silver more purified that for wood we shall have Brasse or our Brasse better furbished that for Stones we shall have iron or our Iron better tempered We may look that our Officers shall be peace and our Exactours righteousnesse that violence shall no more be heard in our Land wasting nor destruction within our borders but men shall call our Walls salvation and our Gates praise When these glorious issues of our troubles shall be is in his hand who held Jobs estate in his hand so fast that Satan could not touch a Sheepe nor a shoe-lachet till himselfe willed and who when his time came restored Jobs estate double to a Sheep and a shoe-lachet whether Satan and his Sabeans would or no. We have already seen in Job an Epitome of our former prosperitie and of our present troubles the good Lord hasten the latter part of our National likenes unto him in the doubled and O that it might be a seven-fold restauration of our Peace and Truth In the meane time these Meditations upon this Scripture well digested and taken-in may be through the blessing of God upon them a help to our patience in bearing these afflictions upon the Land a help to our faith in beleeving to our hope inwaiting for the Salvations of the Lord. Whatsoever things were written afore-time were written for our learning but this Booke was purposely written that we through patience and comfort of this Scripture might have hope Nor doe I doubt but that the Providence of God without which a Sparrow fals not to the ground directed my thoughts to this Booke as not onely profitable for all times but specially seasonable for these times It is a word in season and therefore should as a word upon the Wheeles making a speedy passage into all our hearts And how should it not While wee remember that these Wheeles are oyl'd with bloud even with the heart-bloud of thousands of our dearest friends and brethren I finde that this is not the first time that this Booke hath beene undertaken by way of Exposition in such a time as this Lavater a faithfull Minister of the Tigurine Church opened this Scripture in preaching and printed it in the Germane tongue which was afterwards published in Latine by Hartmanus Sprunglius as himselfe expresses in the Title to support and refresh the afflicted mindes of the godly in that last as he then supposed and saddest decliyyning Age of the world Ferus a Popish Fryer but very devout according to the Devotion of that Religion Preacher at Ments chose this Scripture in the time of Warre and publick Calamity as the Title also of his Booke holds forth to comfort his Citizens In his fourth Sermon hee makes this observable digression You know saith hee to his Hearers that I began to expound this Historie of Iob to the end I might comfort and exhort you to patience in these troublesome times This was and is my Intendment this mooved me to handle and explaine this Booke But now in my very entrance upon it the Storme grows so blacke that I see you amazed dejected and almost desperate Some are flying others are preparing to flie and in this great Calamitie no man is found to comfort his Brother But every one encreases his Neighbours feare by his owne fearefullnesse Hee prescribes as farre as their Principles will admit Cordials for the reviving of their spirits and medicine for the cure of these distempers The whole Booke of JOB is a sacred Shoppe stor'd with plentie and varietie of both that you may open your hearts to receive and with wisdome to apply the Consolations and Instructions here tender'd from this part of it is and through the strength of Christ shall bee the desire and prayer of November 8th 1643. Your very loving Friend and Servant for the helpe of your Faith IOSEPH CARYL ERRATA PAg 3. lin 33. for more particulars reade in particular Pag. 5. l 24 for sinneâ— sinne p. 9 l. 2. for distinctions r distinct ones p 27. l 39. for whence r. whom p. 30 l. 21. for all grace goes r. all graces goe p. 40. l. 21. dele But. p. 106. l. 8. r. former p. 118. l. 34. r. and before in such p. 124 l. 1. dele the. p. 179. l. 40. for garments r. garment p. 1â—3 l. 21 for we r. he p 206 l. 39. r. lesse love p. 207. l. 5. r. of a Fathers love p. 239 l. 39. for si r. as p 273. l. 39. for troublers r. troubler p. 306. l. 15. misplaced p. 323 l. 34 for ceise r. seise p. 338. l. 38. for sight r. site pag 371. l. 16. for the r. then p. 402. l. 40. for interrupted r. uninterrupted p. 424. l. 8. adde that p. 452. l. 38. for utmost his r. his utmost p. 454. l 35. for was r. were Divers errors have escaped in the Poyntings which the understanding Reader may easily correct where the sense is obscured as p. 321. l. 11 there wants a Colon after the word Counsell c. AN EXPOSITION Vpon the three first Chapters of the BOOKE of JOB The Introduction opening the Nature Parts and Scope of the whole Booke IT was the personall wish and resolution of the Apostle Paul I had rather speak five words with my understanding then ten thousand words in an unknowne tongue And surely it is far better to speake or heare five words of Scripture with our understandings than ten thousand words yea than the whole Scriptures while we understand them not Now what an unknown tongue about which the Apostle there disputeth is in reference unto all the same is the Scripture unto most even in their owne tongue that which they understand not For as an unknowne tongue doth alwayes hide the meaning of words from us so doe oft times the spiritualnesse
bitter in soule that they account the very bitternesse of death sweetnesse They say not as Agag 1 Sam. 15.32 Surely the bitternesse of death is past but O that the sweetnesse of death would come To be rid of sin makes us long for death spiritually to be rid of paine makes us desire death naturally therefore he saith the bitter in soule long for death The word which we translate by longing signifieth a very vehement desire as you know in our tongue to long for a thing is the highest and hottest acting of desire after a thing It signifieth properly to gape or to breathe Hence by a Trope it signifieth strong desire because they who desire a thing much are said to gape or breath after it just as an hungry man gapes after meate wheresoever he sees it and his mind runnes upon it when he cannot see it that is the force of the word Hence also the word is used in Scripture to note the strong actings of faith and vehement expectations of hope in God when the soule is raised up mightily to beleeve the word of promise then it longs after and opens its mouth wide as it were to receive the thing promised As in Isa 8.17 I will waite upon the Lord who hides his face from the house of Jacob and I will looke for him The Prophet Hosea applies the word to robbers and theeves who stand watching and longing for the traveller and looking at every turning chap. 6.9 As troopes of robbers waite for a man Yet further to cleare this we may take notice that in the Hebrew there are two words which come from this roote whereof the one signifieth the Palate of the mouth because the palate is the part affected with the tast of such meates as we long for Hence we say the mouth waters after such or such a pleasing dish The other word signifies a Fish-hooke and the reason is double either because those hookes are pleasantly baited which when the fish sees he longeth after it and greedily swallowes it downe Or because when the angler hath cast in the hooke he is in great expectation waiting and looking earnestly when the fish will be enticed and bite By all these uses of the Originall word we may collect the exceeding intensivenes of that desire which is here exprest by longing for death They long for death even as a hungry man longeth for any meate or as a woman with child longeth for some speciall meate as a fish longs for the baite or as an angler longeth till the fish bites or as a beleever which as it is the most spirituall so the most ardent desire of all desires to have any promise fulfilled upon which he hath pitch'd his faith and anchors at by hope Which long for death and it cometh not that is it cometh not so soon as they would have it for death will come at one time or other but death doth not come at their time or their pace It cometh not in the Hebrew it is only thus which long for death and it is not we supply it cometh not And dig for it more then for hid treasures To illustrate the greatnesse of this desire after death he adds a similitude of those who seeke for treasures if there be any naturall desire more strong then that of a woman with-child or a longing woman it is the desire of a covetous man the desire of gaine or treasure covetousnesse is the strongest appetite Observe but what a gradation there is in this expression to set forth the greatnesse of their desire after death they doe not only long for it but they dig for it digging you know is no ordinary labour it is an extraordinary worke a hard labour As longing is a strong desire so digging is strong labour hard labour And then it is no ordinary digging neither but digging for a treasure men will dig hard for treasure you see men will dig hard for a stone for iron for coales how then will they dig for a mine of gold or silver A man will dig the earth for a little money but when a man diggeth hoping to find money in the earth that will make him worke indeed now they dig after such a manner And beyond that he saith they dig for it as for hidden treasure that 's a further degree of their endeavour after it That which we translate hidden treasure is but one word in the Hebrew It signifies any hidden thing especially treasures because treasures use to be hid or close layed up And there is a two-fold hiding of treasures There is a naturall hiding and there is an industrious and artificiall hiding There is a naturall hiding so treasures are hid that lie in the bowels of the earth they are naturally hid Then treasures are hid by industry and by art when we are afraid we shall be spoiled of our treasures or that they shall be taken away then there is a hiding them and often a digging to hide them in the earth As now in these times of spoile and violence if a rich man heare that those spoilers are nigh he presently hides his treasure Now either as robbers digge and search for treasures industriously hid or as miners dig and search for treasures naturally hid so saith Job with such earnestnes doe these dig for death There is one thing here to be resolved by way of question before we come to the Observations Namely whether it be lawfull to wish for or to desire death Job here proposeth such as long for death Is it lawfull to desire death doth he speake here only de facto of a thing which some doe or of that which may be done I answer first That death in it selfe is no way desireable and it is not an object of desire We cannot desire that for it selfe which is an enemy or destructive unto us If any should desire death as death or under the notion of death they should desire that which is destructive that which is their enemy so the Apostle calls death 1 Cor. 15. The last enemy which shall be destroyed is death Death is an enemy therefore as death no man can desire it Indeed many have desired death but still we find somewhat else at the bottome of that desire But what bottome or ground makes the desire of death lawfull I answer First It is a holy desire of death if we desire death to be free from sin when the soule saith thus because I see only the end of living will be the end of sinning therefore I long for death that I may sin no longer Secondly It is lawfull to desire death that we may have more full communion with Christ the Lord of life I desire to be dissolved saith Paul but why not that he desired dissolution but that he might be with Christ Phil. 1.23 Christ is life and Christ is our life It is better to enjoy life then to live How much better then is
Job as constantly and as vehemently maintaineth both those questions in the contrary sense He acknowledged himself to be a sinner yet he stiffely denied that he was a hypocrite he disclaimed his own righteousnes in point of Justification yet he justified himselfe in point of uprightnesse And as for the sinfulnesse of his nature and of his life he was willing except knowne or wilfull insincerity to own both and charge himselfe faster then his friends could appealing to and triumphing in free-Grace for full pardon This one Syllogisme I say is the summe of all the dispute between Job and his three friends This is as it were the hinge upon which the whole matter turned But besides these there are many discourses falling in collaterally which concurre to make up the subject of this book For as it is with those that studie the Philosophers-stone the great thing they aime at is to make gold c. that 's the principall the chiefe end yet collaterally they find out many excellent things many profitable experiments have beene made many rare secrets have beene discovered in prosecuting of that great designe So although this be the principall subject of the booke yet collaterally for the carrying on of these disputes many other rare and excellent heavenly spirituall and usefull truths are handled and discovered As to give you some particular instances First We have the Character of a discreet and faithfull Master and Father in a family and the speciall duties which concern those relations The doctrine of the Oeconomicks is often touched in this Booke Secondly We have here the Character of a faithfull zealous and just Magistrate in the Common-wealth how he ought to behave himselfe and what his duty is set downe also plainly and clearly by occasion of this dispute Thirdly We have a great discovery made in the secrets of nature The bowels of nature are as it were ript open and the great works of Creation are here displayed In this you have discourses of the Heavens of the Earth of the Sunne Moone and Starres of those Meteors the Haile the Snow the Frost the Yce the Lightning and the thunder In this you have discourses of Jewels of Minerals and of Metalls In this of Beasts and Birds and creeping things So that by occasion of this dispute a discourse is carried about all the world in the whole circuit of naturall knowledge or Philosophy Fourthly Here are discourses of Christian Moralls of the duties of equity from man to man Of the duties of piety which man oweth to God of the duties of sobriety and temperance towards a mans own selfe Yea here we find the great duty of Faith the matter of beleeving in the Redeemer of the world our Lord Jesus Christ Lastly Here are many discoveries made of God in Himselfe and in his Attributes in his Power Wisdome Justice Goodnesse and Faithfulnesse yea whatsoever may be known of God in any of these is some way or other here discovered So then all being summed up together it may well be said concerning this Booke that it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Book containing all excellencies of wisedom and holinesse and what as some of the Jews and Rabbins say of it in other Books is here a little and there a little is all plentifully gathered together in this In a word it is a Summary a Compendium of all knowledg both humane and divine both concerning our selves and concerning God So much of the subject of this Book both principall and Collaterall The second generall to be considered is the division of this Booke We may consider it in reference to the division First as it is a Dialogue for so some call the whole Booke which is an interchangeable discourse concerning any subject or matter whatsoever And taking it in that notion wee may divide it by the Collocutors or Speakers and by the severall speeches which they made The Collocutors or Speakers in this Booke are Eight 1. God 2. Sathan 3. Job 4. Jobs wife Jobs three friends 5. Eliphaz 6. Bildad 7. Zophar 8. Elihu Who commeth in as a Moderatour of that dispute Their Speeches which they make are in the whole compasse of of the Booke 32. distinctions There are two Dialogues betweene God and Sathan One betweene Iob and his wife Three between Iob and Eliphaz Three betweene Iob and Bildad Two betweene Iob and Zophar Two betweene God and Iob. And then we have Elihu making foure distinct Speeches or Orations which have no Answer And lastly two severall Speeches or Parables as they are called of Iob one in Chapt. 27.1 and the other in Chapt. 29.1 So that summe up all these together and you may divide the whole Booke into 32. distinct or severall Speeches either by way of position or answer or reply or determination God speakes foure times Satan twice Iobs wife once Iob thirteene times Eliphaz thrice Bildad thrice Zophar twice Elihu foure times Or if we should consider the Booke as a Disputation which is higher then a Dialogue so you may distinguish it by the Opponents by the Respondent and by the Moderators The Opponents are three Iobs three friends Iob himselfe is Respondent The Moderators are First Elihu he commeth in first as an Vmpire betweene them Secondly God himselfe at last out of the whirle-winde giveth the decisive determinative voice and sentence He states the question fully for Iob and reproveth Iobs friends as not having disputed and argued aright concerning him Yet further Wee may divide the Booke into five Sections whereof The first doth set forth the happinesse and fullnesse of Iobs outward estate and the integrity and perfection of his spirituall estate And that is conteined in the first 5 verses The second presents Iobs affliction Iobs fall the great and sore calamity which in a moment did overtake him with the occasion of it And this you have set forth from that 5th verse exclusively to the 9th verse of the second Chapter Thirdly We have the questions the debates and disputes which did arise upon and about the fall of Iob into that sad condition which are contained from that 9th verse of the second Chapter to the end of the 31. Chapter Fourthly We have the Moderation or determination of this dispute and of this argument first by Elihu and then by God himselfe from the beginning of the 32. Chapter to the 7th verse of the 42. All which is but as a determination or stating of the Question Fifthly and lastly Wee have the restitution of Iob his restoring and setting up againe and the repairing of his estate and making of it double to what formerly it had bin And that is begun and continued from the 7th verse of the 42. Chapter to the end of the Book So here you have a five-fold division of the Book Once more We may divide the Book into theee parts And so it sets forth 1. Iobs happy condition both in regard of externalls and internalls in the first 5. verses 2. Iobs fall
it is Gods due and our duty to dedicate the morning the first and best of every day unto God Psal 5.3 My voice shalt thou heare in the morning in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will looke up We have a saying among us that the morning is a friend to the Muses that is the morning is a good studying time I am sure it is as true that the morning it is a great friend to the Graces the morning is the best praying time Againe In that Job did rise so early in the morning to offer sacrifice and did this because he was afraid that his sonnes had sinned as we shall see afterward Hence Observe 2. That it is not safe to let sinne lye a moment unrepented of or unpardon'd upon our own consciences or the consciences of others If a mans house be on fire he will not only rise in the morning or early in the morning but he will rise at mid-night to quench it certainly when you have guilt on your soules you have a fire in your soules your soules are on a flame therefore you had need rise and rise early and get up as soon in the morning as you can to get it quenched and put out And offered burnt-offerings There were divers sorts of Sacrifices among the Jewes when the law or rules of sacrificing were established There were first Whole burnt-offerings 2. Trespasse-offerings 3. Sinne-offerings 4. Peace-offerings That which Job is here said to offer was a burnt-offering an Holacost or whole burnt-offering so called because it was altogether consumed there was no part of it reserved for the Priest or for the people but all was offered up unto God Of other Sacrifices as the sinne-offering and trespasse-offering there were parts and portions reserved for the Priest and part of the Peace-offerings for the people as you may see by that expression of the Harlot Prov. 7.14 I have at my house Shelamim Peace-offerings now they did feast upon the Peace-offering for she invited him to a feast But the burnt-offering was wholly consumed the word in the Hebrew doth signifie an ascension or a thing lifted up He offered burnt-offerings word for word out of the Hebrew it is He lifted-up an elevation he caused an Ascension to ascend elevabat elevationem or ascendere fecit ascensionem And it was so called because the Sacrifice which was a whole burnt-offering was all consumed upon the altar And did as it were evaporate or ascend up unto God It was called a lifting-up or a thing lifted-up for three Reasons 1. Because when the Sacrifice was offered the smoake of it did ascend and besides there were sweet odours put upon the Altar which did fume up also with the Sacrifice towards heaven and so the Sacrifice took it's denomination from ascending and going upwards 2. Because the Priest when hee offered the Sacrifice did lift it up upon the Altar and hold it toward Heaven to God 3. Because at that time when the Sacrifice was a burning all the people that were present did lift-up their hands and their eyes but especially their soules and their spirits heaven-wards and powred themselves forth in prayer unto God That of David in Psal 141.2 will give some light to this Let saith he my prayer be set forth before thee as incense and the lifting up of my hands as the evening Sacrifice David at that time as Interpreters note upon the Psalme was barred the enjoyment of the publike ordinances he could not come to sacrificing as formerly he had done now he seekes unto the Lord that he would accept of the lifting up of his hands and heart in stead of Sacrifice as if he should say Lord I have not a Sacrifice now to offer unto thee I am hindered from that worke I cannot lift that up but I will lift up what I have and what will please thee better then a Bullocke that hath hornes and hoofes I will lift-up my hands and my heart unto thee and let these be accepted for sacrifice and all Prayer which is a Sacrifice of the Gospell it is nothing else but A lifting up of the soule an elevation of the spirit unto God So some of the Ancients call prayer an Ascending of the soule unto God And in allusion unto this Hezekiah when he sent to Isaiah the Prophet to pray for him in that time of distresse and day of trouble saith Goe and desire the Prophet to lift-up his prayer for the remnant that are left alluding to the sacrifices which were wont to be lifted up The like expression of prayer you have Psal 25.1 Lord saith David I lift-up my soule unto thee Hence Prayers not answered not accepted are said to be stopt from ascending Lam. 3.44 Thou hast covered thy selfe with a cloud that our prayer should not passe through When you meet with such expressions in the old Testament concerning prayer you must still understand them to be allusions to the Sacrifices because the Sacrifices were lifted up and did ascend That for the Act. For the person It is said that Job offered these Sacrifices Job rose early and offered c. Was not this to usurpe upon the Priests office Was it not this for which King Vzziah was reprehended and told by the Priests It appertaineth not to thee to burne Incense unto the Lord but to the Priests the sonnes of Aaron and was he not smitten with leprosie for doing of it I answer in a word by that rule of the Ancients Distinguish the times and Scriptures will agree It was Job that offered and Job had right to offer The time wherein Job offered Sacrifice doth reconcile this it was before the giving of the Law as we have shewed in the opening of the former points about the time when Job lived now in those times the Father or the elder of the Family was as a Priest to the whole Family and he had the power and the right to performe all holy family duties as the duty of sacrificing and the like this you may see carried along in all the times before the Law was given in the holy Stories of the Patriarks they still offered up the Sacrifice But it may here be further inquired If it were before the Law was given who taught Job to offer Sacrifice Where had he the rule for it I answer this was not will-worship though it was not written worship For howsoever Job did offer Sacrifice before the Law of sacrificing was written yet he did not offer a Sacrifice before the Law of sacrificing was given for the Law of sacrificing was given from the beginning as all the other parts of worship used from the beginning were God could never beare it that men should contrive him a service therefore Job did not offer up an offering unto God according to his owne will a thing that he had invented to pacifie and to please God with God had been so farre from accepting that he could not have
great and mighty power therefore Eph. 1.21 they are called Principalities and powers far above principalities and powers and might and dominions that is farre above all Angels They are called the sonnes of God because they are like God in power and dignity Then againe they are called the sonnes of God because they serve God as sonnes chearfully willingly readily They do not obey as slaves as servants as the best of servants they obey better than the best of servants they obey as children they goe about their worke with filiall and sonne-like chearfullnes and delight Thirdly they are called sonnes because of the great priviledge that God doth vouchsafe them he doth use them as his children as his sonnes they are his Courtiers they are neare him alwaies attending him and continually see his face They have the priviledge of sonnes Came to present themselves before the Lord. Not that the Angels are at any time out of the presence of God for Christ is expresse in that Mat. 18.10 Their Angels doe alwayes behold the face of my Father But they are then said to come and present themselves before God when they come upon some speciall businesse or upon some speciall occasion As it is with us here upon the Earth we are never out of the presence of God for Psal 139. Whether shall I goe from thy presence Yet when we come to pray and are in other holy duties we are said to present our selves before God and to draw neare unto God and God is said to draw neare unto us at such a time and yet God is ever with us and we ever with him So when it is said here that the Angels came and presented themselves before the Lord it noteth only this their readinesse either to give an account of what they had done or to receive directions from God what to doe The Angels are most willing to goe about the service and worke of God and that is all that is here meant by their presenting themselves before the Lord for otherwise they are ever in his presence as Luk. 1.19 The Angell answered and said I am Gabriel that stand in the presence of God and am sent to speake unto thee I am Gabriel that stand he speakes in the present time even now while I am speaking unto thee I stand in the presence of God The Angell while he goeth into the world is not absent from God he beholdeth the face of God alwayes The Schoole-men have an odde distinction they say there are assisting Angels and there are ministring Angels Those Angels that are assistants stand alwayes before God and never are sent out about the world upon any occasion Others are ministring spirits as Heb. 1.14 Are they not ministring spirits sent forth to minister for them who are the heires of salvation This is Schoole doctrine But there needs no such distinction of some to be assisting or attending and some to be ministring Angels for wheresoever they are they are alwayes in the presence of God and their presenting themselves before God notes only their preparednesse to attend the Lords service in whatsoever he shall employ them And Satan came also among them That is the chief of the evill Angels as it is conceived The word Satan signifieth an Adversary and so it is often times applied to men as concerning Solomon it is said that while he did walke exactly with God there was neither adversary nor evill occurrant the word in the originall is there was no Satan in his kingdome and in the 1 King 11.14 it is said The Lord stirred up Satan an Adversary against Solomon and that accusation which those wretches in Ezra c. 4. sent against the building of Jerusalem is called Sitna they sent Sitna an accusation or an opposing letter It comes from the same root any kind of opposition is called Sitna from Satan who is an opposer It is sometimes used more generally concerning any opposition as the Angell that came to oppose Baalam Numb 22.34 I wist not saith Baalam that there was an adversary that stood in the way But how can it be said that Satan should come among the sons of God I said before that it was but an alluding speech to the dealings of men in their sessions and assemblies and there is no necessity to make every particular of it hold Wee may conceive it thus Satan came also among them It is not said that the sons of God and Satan came and presented themselves before the Lord Satan did not joyne himselfe in with them Satan did not offer himselfe for any good service but thither hee came being so ordered by the over-ruling power of God But can Satan come into the presence of God No otherwise than a blind man can come into the Sun he comes into the Sun and the Sun shineth upon him but he sees not the Sun Satan comes so into the presence of God that he is alwayes seene of God he is never so in the presence of God as to see God It is question'd whether the lapsed Angels ever saw God at all while they stood because if they had seene God it is conceived that vision would have been their confirmation But it is most certaine that the lapsed Angels since their fall never saw God nor ever shall though it be said here Satan came among the sons of God you know what the Apostle Jude teacheth That the devils kept not their place but are reserved in chaines of darknesse against the judgement of the great day We shall open that afterward when we come to speake of his compassing the earth how he doth compasse the earth and yet is reserved in chaines of darknesse But I say there is his seat there is his place and all that is spoken of him in this doth not inferre any the least glimpse or fruition of God or communion with the Angels In regard of his nature he is still a spirit but in regard of his sin he is a miserable spirit he hath lost his excellency though he hath not lost his nature And being a spirit he hath power to passe and repasse to goe up and downe the world to ascend and descend at his pleasure as good Angels may and can when God doth permit him We see here the good Angels are called the sons of God in this learne the priviledge of beleevers they partake with the Angels in this title the Apostle saith Behold what manner of love the Father hath shewed that we should be called the sonnes of God if you would know what manner of love it is it is as great as the Angels in Heaven have Christ tooke not upon him the nature of Angels but hath given us the honour of Angels Fallen Angels could not share with us in the benefit of redemption but we share with the Angels that stand in the priviledge of Son-ship We are the sons of God as well as they and in somewhat beyond them they are created sons but not as we
adopted sons Came and presented themselves before God This should teach us to imitate Angels this we pray for That the will of God should be done on Earth as it is done in Heaven The Angels alwayes present themselves they alwayes stand before God ready to doe his will we should be ever in the presence of God in this sense that is presenting our selves standing as in the presence of God ready to take and receive instruction to doe his will what ever it is Lord what wilt thou have me to do Is as it were the voyce of an Angell standing before the throne of God It should be the voyce of every soul Lord what wilt thou have me to doe This is the presenting of the soule before God Then consider here who Satan was Satan was as good in his Creation as any of those who are called the sonnes of God They are called the sonnes of God and he is now called nothing but Satan an adversary His condition was once as good as theirs Note hence There is no created excellency but if it be left to it selfe will quickly undoe it selfe These Angels were as good at the first as any of those that were here called the sonnes of God They were not confirmed they stood upon their owne bottome they fell and had no tempter at all they turned about upon the freedome of their owne will and left their habitation saith the Scripture There is no trusting to any estate out of Christ Further note this what was the difference between those sons of God and this Satan only sin one was as good as the other in the creation nothing else made an Angell a Devill but only sin Sin despoyles the creature of all it's comfort and honour at once Againe note this the Angell falling and becomming sinfull hath his name presently changed he is called Satan an Adversary An adversary to God an adversary to man He that is wicked himselfe will quickly be an adversary an opposer of all goodnesse no sooner a sinner but a Satan Lastly Note this To be an opposer of good is to be conformable to the devill The devill is the Adversary the Satan and so proportionably as any one is an opposer of good so much of Satan so much of the devill he hath in him Therefore Christ said to a chiefe Apostle when he did oppose him in that greatest good of all the working out of our redemption in dying for us get thee behind me Satan Mat. 16. All opposition of goodnesse is a spice of the devill So the Apostle Paul Act. 13.10 when he speakes to Elymas the sorcerer saith O thou child of the devill thou enemy of all goodnesse To be an enemy of goodnesse is to be the child of the devill it is the very character of the devill He is a Satan in respect of all goodnesse and good persons And surely my brethren if this be a character of the devill and to be conformable unto Satan how conspicuous is that conformity in this age How many thousands beare this marke of the devill not only in their hands closely but in their fore-heads openly How many visible walking Satans are there among us enemies of all goodnesse oppressours of all righteousnesse opposers of our peace opposers of our liberty opposers of the Gospell opposers of Christ These are all as so many Satans in the world so many enemies Now is a time that Satans are let loose in the world the devill now if ever workes mightily in the hearts and spirits in the hands and tongues of these children of disobedience It becommeth us then that as there are many adversaries and opposers of goodnesse to shew our selves friends and patrons of goodnesse Christ hath many challenges let him find some Champions Now it is time to raise your spirits not only to love the truth but to maintaine the truth as it is the height of wickednesse not onely to doe evill but to oppose good so it is the height of holinesse not only to doe good but to oppose evill This is just to be on the contrary point to Satan he doth wickednesse and opposeth good let us doe good and oppose all evill To be a Satan against Satan is the glory of a Christian Now set your selves against the Sathans be adversaries to that Adversary and all his adherents so shall you approve your selves the friends of Christ JOB 1.7 8. And the Lord said unto Sathan whence commest thou Then Sathan answered the Lord and said From going to and fro in the earth and from walking up and downe in it And the Lord said unto Sathan hast thou not considered my servant Job that there is none like him in the earth a perfect and an upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evill IN the former verse we shewed you that great and glorious Session the Lord with his holy Angels about him and Sathan too comming among them In the verses following to the end of the 12th We have the businesse or acts of the Session recorded God Interrogates Satan answers Satan moves God grants This is the summe of all the businesse that pass'd in this Session God puts two Interrogatories to Satan one concerning his travells or where he had bin vers 7. The other concerning his observations or what he had done vers 8. In the 7th verse we have the first qustion the Lord beginneth with Sathan And the Lord said unto Satan whence commest thou How the Lord speakes is a point almost unspeakeable There are many disputes about it I will not stay upon them only to open this that you may take in all Scripture of the like kind wherein the Lord is said to speake We must know that as in Scripture God is said to have a mouth and a voice alluding unto man by that common figure so likewise when the Lord speakes we must understand it by the same figure it is but an allusion to the manner of men God is said to speake as men are said to speake but God doth not speake as men speake forming a voice by such organs or instruments of speech But when the Lord speakes it is either by forming and creating a voice in the ayre so God is said to speake sometimes As when Christ was babtized there came a voice from Heaven saying This is my beloved Sonne c. So Joh. 12.28 There came a voice from Heaven saying I have glorified thee which all the people heard sounding in the ayre Secondly God is said to speake when he manifests and declares himselfe either to the spirits of men or unto Angels who are spirits God doth speake unto the spirits of men sometimes without any forming of a voice so the phrase is usuall in the Prophets The word of the Lord came unto me which is to be understood that the Lord did secretly reveale himselfe to the spirits of his Prophets and not by any externall audible voice it was an inward not an outward word So when the
Lord speakes unto Spirits or Angels be they good or evill Angels you must not understand it of a voice formed or fashioned into audible words and syllables but it is a manifestation or a declaration of Gods will and mind unto the Angels mind good or bad as God willeth For the will of God to declare himselfe unto an Angell is the speech of God unto an Angell So much as God intendeth of his mind should be known to the Devill is a speaking to the Devill The intention of one spirit is as plaine to another spirit as the voice of one man is to another man there is the very same proportion So here in this place where it is said the Lord said unto Sathan this was only a manifestation of Gods will as he willed unto Sathan God did manifest himselfe thus farre to Satan that it was his pleasure to know of him whence he came this will was his speech To passe from the manner of speaking we will looke upon the matter spoken And the Lord said unto Sathan whence comest thou That 's the first question This question is here put not for information as if the Lord did not know whence he came as men usually question that they may be informed But questions in Scripture especially when the Lord putteth them are to be understood in some of these senses First to exact a confession from the mouth of the party He said unto Sathan whence comest thou Not that he needed an information but that he might receive a confession from the mouth of Sathan So he questioned Adam Gen. 3. Adam where art thou who told thee that thou wast naked Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee thou shouldest not eate These questions were not to informe God but only that Adam might give a confession out of his owne mouth concerning those things So he questioned Cain Gen. 4. Where is Abel thy brother It was a question only to draw a confession from Cain of what he had done There is a like question of Elisha to his servant Gebazi when he had runne after Naaman and had got a reward from him 2 King 5.25 Elisha saith to him whence commest thou or where hast thou bin He asked him this only to draw a confession from him for saith he afterward went not my spirit with thee when the man turned againe from his charet to meete thee He knew before where his servant had beene God had revealed the thing unto him only he questions him to make him acknowledge it So here the Lord questions Satan whence commest thou that he might have a confession from himselfe Though the Lord doth know all the actions wayes and thoughts of every creature yet God at the last will question every man that he may judge every man upon his owne confession Secondly this question may be understood as intimating a dislike of the thing or of the businesse that Sathan had beene about Questions are many times put not out of ignorance or nescience of what hath bin done but out of a dislike or abhorrence of the thing done When the man or the thing is not approved then God carrieth himselfe toward him and his action as if he knew not what he had bin doing and he must have it out by confession Thus Hiram 1 King 9.13 puts the question upon Solomon What Cities are these which thou hast given me my brother He saw and knew before what Cities they were but thus he question'd because they pleased him not vers 12. In the 8th of Hos 4. God is said not to know that they set up Kings They have set up Kings but not by me they have made Princes and I knew it not That is I did not like them I tooke no notice of them by way of approbation So God questions about things as if he did not know them when he doth not like them and we may conclude that this question holds out to us Gods dislike of the wayes and workes or Sathan Thirdly Questions and this question may be understood in a way of objurgation or chiding Sathan whence commest thou Thou hast beene a tempting thou art come now from murthers and thefts and adulteries and blasphemies from provoking men to all these wickednesses As that question Jona 4.4 was a chiding of Jonah Doest thou well to be angry So Whence commest thou As many times when you are angry with your servants you aske where have you been There is a reprehension in the question So God full of wrath toward Sathan saith whence commest thou Thou hast beene doing all the mischiefe thou canst abroad in the world I am sure Lastly For the better conceiving of the matter of this question proposed whence commest thou There is more to be understood then is expressed For God doth not only inquire here concerning the places where he had bin but concerning the busines and the work which he had done all is included in it Whence comest thou what hast thou bin doing in the world what hath thy businesse bin abroad Every man every creature every Angell good or bad must give an account of themselves unto God So much of the Lords question now let us examine Sathans answer Then Sathan answered the Lord and said from going to and fro in the earth and from walking up and downe in it If I am enquired saith Sathan whence I come I answer I come from walking up and downe in the earth from going to and fro in it Here againe it may be doubted How Sathan speakes to the Lord as before it was about the Lords speaking unto Sathan The speaking of Sathan and all spirits is according to the manner before explained of Gods speaking Then Angells speake one to another or unto God when they direct or intend such or such things to be known As a thought a conception in the mind is a word in the mind so the directing or putting forth or an intending to put forth that word or that thought is the speaking of the mind then the mind speakes As we know in our selves A man meditates he conceives such and such things he formes them all in his spirit under some words into such notions And he can put forth these by desires though he doth not speake And so we are said often in Scripture to speake unto God in our hearts when the mouth doth not speake at all as Moses Exod. 14.15 is said to cry unto God that was nothing but the directing or actuall intending of such and such secret desires unto God that was a crying unto God So it is said of Hannah 1 Sam. 1.13 that she spake to the Lord in her heart After this manner doe Angels and spirits speake As we can speake to God in our spirits by our hearts when we intend or lift up such and such thoughts unto God so they speake in the same manner by making knowne and revealing so much of their minds to God as they desire he should take notice
intelligencers to bring him in a report of the state of things abroad for so there in the vision it is exprest after the manner of men Though Christ needs none to informe him about the estate of his Church and people yet he alludes to the custome of Princes who maintaine Intelligencers in all Courts and Kingdomes to advise them how the affaires of other nations are transacted The very same Originall word is used of God himselfe Zach. 4.10 The eyes of the Lord runne to and fro through the whole earth he is his own Intelligencer exactly discovering and taking notice of every thing that is done in the world So then this is the meaning I have beene going to and fro in the earth saith Satan that is I have fully and throughly taken notice of all passages of all persons in all places of all conditions and sorts of men that is the thing I have beene doing Thus Mr. Broughton translates From searching to and fro in the earth noting his exactnesse of enquiry in his travels Then secondly it noteth the unquietnes of Satan He is an unquiet a restlesse spirit being cast out of Heaven he can rest no where A soule that is once displaced and out of the favour of God hath no place to repose in afterward Now saith he all my businesse is walking to and fro going up and downe Satan hath no rest As the sentence of Cain was Gen. 4. when God had cast him out of his presence thou shalt be a fugitive and a vagabond thou shalt doe nothing but runne up and downe the world as long as thou livest Satan is such a fugitive a vagabond one that runnes up and downe in the world he is an unsetled an unquiet spirit They who are once departed from God can never find rest in any creature but running to and fro is their condition and their curse Thirdly Some understand it thus that Satan makes as it were a recreation of his tempting and drawing men to Hell Satan cannot possibly in a proper sense take any comfort or be refreshed but as one doth well expresse it he himselfe being lost undone and damned seekes to comfort himselfe by undoing and damning others It is a joy to some to have companions in sorrow All Satans delight if we may conceive he hath any delight is in this in making others as bad and miserable as himselfe Therefore it may be he calls his trade of seduction and destruction walking up and downe in the earth as men are said to walke up and downe for refreshing and recreation he speakes of it not as of some toilesome hard journy but as of walking for delight But I conceive the former to be more proper Take two or three Notes from this First Here we may observe That there is no place in the world that can secure a man from temptation or be a sanctuary from Satans assault For Satan goeth to and fro thorough the earth hee is an ubiquitary hee stayes no where but runs every where It is the folly of Popish Votaries that think to shut themselves up in walls from the temptations of Satan Cloysters are as open to Satan as the open field Satan walketh to and fro through the earth Secondly We may note here the wonderfull diligence of Satan Satan is very active to doe mischiefe He walketh to and fro As Peter expresseth it 2 Pet. 5.8 He goeth about as a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devoure There is his diligence and there is his intent Satan speaks nothing of his intent here he conceales that he speakes only as if he went about like a pilgrim walking thorough the earth his maine businesse that he went about to devoure soules is kept in silence but the holy Ghost unmaskes him and discovers the designe of his walking to and fro He seeks whom he may devoure If Satan be thus diligent going about to tempt we ought to be as diligent standing alwayes upon our watch to prevent his temptations Mr. Latimer in one of his Sermons where he taxes the Clergy especially the Bishops of those times for their idlenesse proposeth to them the example of the Prophets and Apostles and of Christ himselfe their diligence in going about to preach should quicken those idlers but saith he if you will not follow their example follow the example of Satan he goeth about in his Diocesse to and fro continually Take example from him in doing evill how to doe good we may take example thus farre from Satan to be as forward to do good as he is to do hurt to be as watchfull against him as he is watchfull against us If this be his busines to go to and fro thorough the earth and his intent be to devour souls then where ever we goe in the world up and downe we ought to be carefull to keep our own souls and gain the souls of others Thirdly We may observe from it that Satan is confined in his businesse to the earth he can get no farther than the earth or to the ayereall part he is called the Prince of the ayre Satan being once cast out of heaven can never get into Heaven more There is no tempter in heaven there is no Serpent shall ever come into the caelestiall Paradise there was one in the earthly Paradise but there shall never be any in the caelestiall Therefore when we are once beyond the earth we are beyond the reach of all temptations we are then at rest from Satans snares and practices as well as from our owne labours Let us now consider what the Lord replyeth or his second Question to Satan Well thou hast been walking to and fro in the earth saith God Hast thou considered my servant Job Tell me hast thou taken notice of such an one Hast thou considered The word is Hast thou put thy heart upon Job So it is word for word in the Originall hast thou laid Job to thy heart Hast thou seriously fully and exactly considered my servant Job And so it is rendred out of the Septuagint Hast thou attended with thy mind upon my servant Job To put a thing upon the heart is to have serious and speciall regard to it as when the Scripture speaks of not putting a thing upon the heart it noteth a sleighting and neglecting of it When the wife of Phineas was delivered and they told her that she had brought forth a son the Text saith she answered not neither did she regard the Hebrew is neither did she put her heart upon it the same word is here in the Text. Thus Abigail speakes unto David As for this sonne of Belial let not my Lord put his heart upon him or as it is translated let not my Lord regard this man of Belial take no notice of such an one as he is he is a foole name and thing doe not regard him doe not put him upon thy heart There are divers such expressions where putting upon the heart is expressed by
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
Swords rusting in your sheathes while you labour in these times of danger to defend your selves you may expect defence from the Lord How unbecomming is it for you now to stand still and say Lord helpe us We must indeed stand still as Moses counselled the people Exod. 14.13 in regard of feare and diffidence but beware of standing still in regard of care and diligence as ever you hope to see the salvation of the Lord. The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon must be cried up at once those two must goe together There is a fourth point that we must observe also from the connection of the two sentences in the Text. Thou hast blessed the worke of his hands and his substance is increased in the Land The blessing of God where it falleth is effectuall If God doth but blesse wee shall increase there is no question of it if God doth but blesse we shall increase mightily Thou hast blessed him and he is increased It is the word that followed the first blessing after the Creation Gen. 1.28 God blessed them and said unto them be fruitfull and multiply Blessing and multiplying goe together the blessing of God is a powerfull blessing It is mighty in operation and carrieth all before it You know what a strong opinion Balak had concerning the blessing of Balaam Numb 22.6 I wot saith he that he whom thou blessest is blessed and he whom thou cursest is cursed A strong conceit and but a conceit As there are many at this day as strongly conceited of the blessing of that Balaam of the seven hills that blessing but cursed Prophet If they can get but a blessing from the Pope they thinke all is safe If they can but get a blessed Sword such some have obtained to doe a cursed act to cut the throats of Gods people or of their Prince it must needs be effectuall You know there was a blessed Standard or Banner given to them that came against us in 88. and when that Standard was lifted up that Banner displayed with the Popes speciall blessing they accounted nay called themselves Invincible Such was their invincible Ignorance till they were taught better with Bryars and Thornes or rather with stormes and winds fighting against them And though they have bin often cozzen'd yet still they retaine such an esteeme of the Popes blessing that they travell and throng for it as for their lives more then for all manner of riches I may say to them as once that great Cardinall did on the same occasion seeing this people will be deceived let them be deceived But I desire to raise your esteeme of Gods blessing for it is a certaine truth That whom God blesseth they are blessed Gods blessings are fixed and effectuall blessings if he blesse we shall be blessed indeed His blessings are irreversible as Balaam was forced to confesse Behold hee hath blessed and I cannot reverse it If once God hath blessed it is not in Satan nor in all his lying Prophets nor in all the power of the creature to alter it no nor to retard or hinder it for a moment If God now give us the mercy of protection if he make the hedge about us and blesse us in these times we shall be continued and established in the Land yea we shall be increased in the Land we shall breake forth abundantly to the amazement of all hearers and beholders Though Rome curse though Hell plot yet if God blesse we are safe This is the thing therefore that we should labour for to be under the influence of the blessing of God If we have but that we have all let meanes be what they will great or little or none at all if God blesse he can make any thing serve the turne any thing with a blessing will doe it any thing with a blessing will make us increase yea make us a strong a mighty an invincible people So that Satan and his instruments for very envy shall be forced to acknowledge that there is a hedge about us which they cannot breake through that there is a wall about us which they can neither scale nor batter with all their Engins and Artillery In these two verses we have had the answer which Satan makes to the Lords question Hast thou considered my servant Job You see the slander that is in it and how he doth advance the blessings of God upon Iob that he might debase the services of Job toward God Now lest God should take him off presently with a denyall and tell him that all this is false that Job is no such man as he represents him to be that he hath most presumptuously intruded into Gods peculiar namely the secrets of the heart for Satan had nothing to accuse him of that was in sight onely he guesseth at his heart lest God I say should presently come and check him thus for his boldnesse and impudence both in contradicting his testimony and in charging Job with insincerity Satan makes a motion in the next verse Put forth thine hand now and tauch all that he hath and he will curse thee to thy face As if Satan should have said Lord if you be not satisfied that thus it is with your servant Job if you will not take my word that he is an hypocrite and that he doth serve you only for ends doe but stretch forth your hand c. Doe but take away that which you have given him and you shall see presently he will take away that which he hath given you if you will withdraw his riches he will quickly withdraw his service JOB 1.11 12. But put forth thine hand now and touch all that he hath and he will curse thee to thy face And the Lord said unto Satan behold all that he hath is in thy power onely upon himselfe put not forth thine hand So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. THis 11th verse containes Satans motion which he subjoynes to his Answer vers 10. But put forth thine hand now By his Answer before he had wounded all the holy services of Iob and now he seekes to wound his estate and possessions His answer was full of malice and his motion is as full of cruelty Whom before he had falsely accused he in these words desireth may be causlesly afflicted Put forth thine hand now As if he should have said There is great question concerning Jobs integrity this one experiment will quickly decide and determine it Touch all that he hath c. This motion is grounded as was before noted upon on feared deniall of his answer in the former words For there Satan had argued after this manner That is an unsound and an hypocriticall profession which is grounded onely upon outward benefits but all the profession of Job is grounded only upon the outward benefits therefore it is unsound Doth Job serve God for nought This is the strength of Satans argument Now he perceiving the weaknesse or rather indeed the falsenesse the
place is translated Psal 17.14 Deliver my soule from the wicked which is thy Sword you see a wicked man is Gods Sword and from men which are thy hand So that thy hand may be understood of an instrument Satan himselfe is Gods hand to punish in that sense as wicked men here are said to be Gods hand from the men that are thy hand though there be other readings of that place some reade it deliver me from men by thy hand and others Deliver mee from men of thy hand but our translation may very well carry the sense of the Originall in it from men which are thy hand as Nebuchadnezzar that wicked King is called Gods servant Jer. 43.10 I will send and take Nebuchadnezzar my servant God speakes of him as his servant or as his hand in the thing So then Put forth thine hand it may be understood I say either immediately or mediately doe it by thy selfe or doe it by Instruments strike him thy selfe or give me Commission or give others Commission to strike There is one thing further in this expression Put forth thine hand now Now. Some reade it put forth thine hand a little and some reade it I pray thee put forth thy hand The Originall word is translated to all these senses we translate it referring to the present importunity and instancy of Satan put forth thine hand now let not this businesse sleepe let it not be deferred a minute a moment let commission goe out speedily to afflict Job And touch all that he hath To touch notes sometimes a heavy and a sore affliction and sometime a light and a small affliction In the Scripture we find it both wayes used Sometimes I say to touch doth signifie the greatest and the sorest affliction or punishment that can be and so Job doth expresse all the afflictions that fell upon him at the last only by touching Job 19.21 Have pitty upon me have pitty upon me O yee my friends for the hand of God hath touched me Whereas Job at that time lay under the sorest and heaviest affliction that could be all his estate was gone and his body was full of diseases and his soule was full of horrour and all this he doth expresse by this the hand of the Lord hath touched me So Psalm 73.14 To be touched signifies the greatest affliction All the day long saith David have I been plagued That which we translate plagued is the same Originall word which we translate touch in the Text All the day long have I beene touched that is I have beene touched with the sorest plagues heavy afflictions have beene laid continually upon me So that to touch signifieth sometimes the greatest or the sorest stroakes of trouble Sometimes againe we shall find it signifies only a light affliction as Gen. 26. in two places of that Chapter at the 11th verse Abimelech charged all his people saying he that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death that is he that doth them the least hurt or wrong So at the 19th verse in that agreement betweene Abimelech and Isaac they conclude thus That thou wilt do us no hurt as we have not touched thee and as we have done unto thee nothing but good So that to touch notes the least ill or hurt that can be wee have not touched thee that is we have done nothing to thee but good Any thing on this side doing of good to them had bin touching of them We find the like expression in Ps 105.15 where the Psalmist speaking of Gods extraordinary care of his people He suffered no man to do them wrong he rebuked Kings for their sakes saying touch not mine annointed and doe my Prophets no harme Touch not mine annointed people that is the meaning of that place though in many other places we know Princes are called the annointed of God yet here it is meant of the people of God in generall they are Gods annoynted as the context clearely carries it for they have all received Unction from God an Unction of grace an Unction of the spirit and an Unction of Priviledge Touch not mine annoynted that is doe them not the least hurt And the sense that these words may beare Put forth thy hand now and touch all that he hath might be carried as if Satan here intended only a touch in the latter sense Give him but the least stroake lay but the lightest affliction upon him doe but touch him you are so confident of your servant Job that he is such a man do but give him the least touch and you shall see how he will discover himself So some expound it He doth not say wound him smite him breake him to peeces but touch him only Neither saith he touch him but his And if thou give him but a touch with the top of thy little finger thou shalt presently find the rottennes of his heart In that sense the word imports an extenuation of Jobs sincerity or heightning of Jobs hypocrisie as if he had been so rotten in his profession that the least touch would overthrow him and make him discover himselfe to be starke nought Like the Apples growing about Sodome which have faire out-sides but if you touch them they moulder away into dust and ashes Though the words have this sense in them and Satan carries it cunningly expressing himselfe in such ambiguous termes yet certainly Satan had a further intendment whatsoever his language may beare he had an intention that Job should be touched in the former sense namely that he should have a touch to the quicke as we say that he should have the sorest and deepest wound that his estate was capable of he would have him whippt not with cords but with Scorpions he would have the little finger of God heavier upon him than his loynes upon others Destroy him undoe him by your touching He speakes by the figure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is when we go lesse in our expressions then in our intentions when our words are lower then our spirits and that is proper for Satan who is the great deceiver the great jugler in word and deed to desire that Job should only be touched when he meant he should be utterly undone and ruined Touch all that he hath that is all his estate all his possessions his children his family his cattell whatsoever belongeth unto Job let all feele an undoing stroake from thy hand Before I come to that which he undertakes upon the affliction I shall observe two or three things from the words thus farre opened Put forth NOW thine hand We may note from that The extreame importunity of Satan to doe mischiefe He would not give God a minuts not a moments respite to consider this thing but doe it now presently let him presently be afflicted he makes haste to destroy he makes haste to shed bloud their feet are swift to shed bloud as the Psalmist speakes So Satan his feet are swift to
curse God If he that touches them touches God then he that curseth them curseth God too And God is cursed in any of these senses two wayes first by detracting from himselfe his worship his workes or his servants the good they have or by fastning on them and aspersing them with the evill which they have not Hee will curse thee to thy face Observe two or three Points from this First Note this Satan can only guesse at the hearts of men Hee would undertake and enter warranty with God that Job would blaspheme if God did but touch him but he was deceived Satan did but conjecture at most and speake at a venture If he did not lie knowingly I am sure he did but guesse ignorantly Satan knowes not what is in the heart that 's Gods peculiar that 's Gods cabinet God knew there lay sincerity in the heart of Job all the while although Satan would stand to it that nothing was there but hypocrisie Secondly Wee may note seeing Satan accusing him of hypocrisie would have him afflicted That affliction is the tryall and touchstone of sincerity When God doth afflict you then he doth bring you to the touchstone to see whether you are good mettall or no he doth bring you then to the furnace to try whether you be drosse or gold or what you are Affliction is the great discoverer That unmaskes us Satan was not out in the thing he hit upon the rightest way that could be if any thing would discover Job affliction would Indeed some are discovered by prosperity and outward abundance The warme Sunne makes some cast off that cloake which the winde and the cold caused them to wrap closer about them Some when they have gotten enough from God care not for God when the fish is caught they lay by the net for they doe but goe a fishing with Holynes and the profession of Religion and when they have their ends ther 's an end of their profession Affliction and the crosse try others Some will hold on with God as long as the Sunne shineth as long as it is faire weather but if the storme arise if troubles come whether personall or publike then they pull in their heads then they deny and forsake God then they draw backe from and betray his truth what they such and such men no not they Trouble makes the great tryall bring professors to the fire and then they shew their mettall This course Satan took with Job He knew Job had bin abundantly tryed by fullnesse and abundance and these did not draw his heart from God he must therefore now try another way It is an excellent passage in the Church history concerning Constantius the father of Constantine that to the end he might try the hearts of his Courtiers he proclaimed that all they who would not forsake the worship of the true God should be banished the Court and should have heavy penalties and fines layed upon them presently upon this saith the story all that were base and came to serve him only for ends went away forsooke the true God and worshipped Idols by this meanes he found out who were the true servants of God and whom he meant to make his owne such as he found faithfull to God he thought would prove faithfull to him What this exploratorie decree of Constantius effected in his Court the same did that which the Apostate Julian set forth in good earnest against the Christians He no sooner caused it to be proclaimed that whosoever would not renounce the Faith should be discarded his service and forfeit both life and estate to his high displeasure But presently upon the publication of that decree they who were indeed Christians and they who had only the title of Christians presented themselves as it were on a common stage to the view of all men Such as these are Willows not Oakes And as it was with Naomi and her two daughters in law Orpah and Ruth All the while that she was Naomi beautifull and had enough they both stayed with her but when once Naomi became Marah bitter and empty then Orpah tooke her leave of her but Ruth abides with her Here was the tryall whether Orpah or Ruth had the sincerer affection to Naomi Ruth loved her mothers person Orpah her estate and outward preferments While Religion and prosperity goe together it is hard to say which a man followes but when once they are forced to a separation where the heart was will soone be manifest The upright in heart are like Ruth whatsoever becommeth of the Gospell they will be sharers with it in the same condition be it affliction or be it prosperity be it comfort or be it sorrow be it faire weather or be it foule be it light or be it darknesse they will take their lot with it This is a cleare truth that whatsoever was the cause of our doing a thing that being removed we cease to doe it if outward comforts and accommodations in the world be the cause why we follow Christ in the profession of his Gospell then as soone as ever they faile our profession will faile too When zeale is kindled only with the beames of worldly hopes when worldly hopes faile our zeale is extinct and our indeavour is cut off with our expectation Wee are next to consider the Lords grant of Satans motion And the Lord said unto Satan behold all that he hath is in thy power only upon himselfe put not forth thine hand So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. We have in this verse First Gods Commission or his permission unto Satan Behold all that he hath is in thine hand And Secondly His limitation of the Commission Onely upon himselfe put not forth thine hand Thirdly Satans speedy execution of his Commission So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. The Lord said unto Satan all that he hath is in thy hand in thy power so we translate it the word in the Originall is all is in thy hand Satan mooved that God would put forth his hand against Job and God puts Job into Satans hand Least Satan should cavill that God had toucht him but lightly he puts him into Satans power and le ts him doe it himselfe who would doe it throughly The hand as we before noted is put for power and when any thing is put into the hand it is put into the power or disposition of another Exod. 4.21 Thou shalt doe all the wonders before Pharaoh which I have put into thy hand And Joh. 3.35 The Father loveth the Sonne and hath given all things into his hand This phrase of giving or putting into the hand is taken either for good or for evill Sometime the putting of a thing into ones hand is only for the managing and disposing of it for good As Gen. 39.7 8. Joseph said that his master had committed all that he had into his hand that is to take care of it and to order it for his masters
the souls under the Altar cry How long Lord how long They cry to God how long they knew that he only had the time in his hand he only could tell how long and it should be as long as he pleased How long Lord They cryed not to cruell tyrants how long will ye persecute but Lord how long will it be before thou come to revenge And so David Psal 31.15 My time it is in thy hand speaking of his afflictions There is no affliction but it is in the hand of God for the continuance of it as well as for the manner of it and as no enemie man or devill can make thy crosse greater or longer or heavier so no friend man or Angell can make thy crosse lighter or lesser or shorter then God himselfe hath appointed Onely upon himselfe shalt thou not put forth thine hand thou shalt not move an inch further not a haires bredth further As our afflictions for the matter of them are by the will of God as the Apostle speaks 1 Pet. 4.19 While you suffer saith he according to the will of God those words according to the will of God note not only the righteousnesse of suffering that it must be in a good cause but also the spring from whence those sufferings come they are Ex voluntate Dei so Mr. Beza translates it they are out of the will of God Now I say as they are out of the will of God or from the will of God springing from his will and flowing from his dispensation of things in the matter of them so also in every circumstance God himself gives thy crosse length and bredth and thicknesse he fills thy cup of sorrow he directeth how many drops to a drop shall be put into it thou shalt not have a drop more then God prescribes and which is more comfortable knowes will be for thy good Secondly Observe That Satan is boundlesse in his malice toward the people of God If God did not set him bounds he would set himselfe no bounds therefore saith God unto him Onely upon himselfe c. He had a mind to have gone further he would have been upon Job himselfe as well as upon his estate if God had not stop'd and curb'd him Therefore the Apostle gives that assurance for the comfort of the people of God 1 Cor. 10.13 God saith he is faithfull who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able As if he should say Satan would with all his heart lay more upon you than you are able to beare Satan would breake your backs if he were let alone but God will not suffer it Satan hath a boundlesse malice against the people of God Some observe this from his name Leviathan Isa 27.1 In that day the Lord with his great and strong Sword shall punish Leviathan the piercing Serpent Leviathan is put there for Satan and for all the instruments of Satan now Leviathan signifieth in the Hebrew an augmentation an addition or an increase And Satan is so called because say they he ever desires to lay more burdens upon to increase the afflictions troubles and temptations of Gods people he never thinkes he hath done enough against them His thirst to worke mischiefe is never quenched but still he desires to doe more he would faine have his Commission inlarged to doe more mischiefe in the world Therefore God is said not to strike after their stroake in the 7th verse of that 27. of Isa Hath hee smitten him as he smit those that smote him In the Hebrew it is Hee hath not smitten him according to the stroake of those that smote him according to their stroake noting that the stroake of Leviathan and the stroake of his instruments is an unmeasurable stroake a boundlesse stroake they would never give over striking They thinke the wound is never deepe enough nor blood shed enough but saith the Prophet verse 8. God doth it in measure so that he opposeth their striking to Gods afflicting by the measure of it God keepeth his afflictions in such a bound and compasse he afflicts in measure but Satans stroake and the stroakes of wicked men are without all measure that is without all moderation unlesse God stop them they would never make an end Lastly Observe how Satan is by this proved a deceiver he intended more than he spake you may see it plainly in this because God put a restraint upon him Touch all that he hath saith Satan that referred to his possessions outward estate as if that had bin the mind of Satan in the motion do but afflict him in his outward estate I desire no more to make this tryal now when the Lord saith All that he hath is in thy hand there he grants him the motion in the letter of it but the Lord God saw that Satan had a further reach when he said Touch all that he hath which words seeme to extend no further then his estate but had not God limited and restrain'd him he by an indefinite grant to his motion had likewise fallen upon his person that was the great morsell he gaped after all this while he would have been doing with Job himselfe else there was no need of this limitation Onely upon himselfe put not forth thy hand Satans fingers itcht to be medling with Job though his words called for what he had not for himselfe And Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. As soone as he hath leave and his Commission he is gone presently He went out from the presence of the Lord. The word is he went out from the face of the Lord Now the face of the Lord in Scripture it is taken sometimes for the essentiall glory of God that inaccessible Majesty of God Exod. 33. ult Thou canst not behold my face Sometimes the face of God is put for the favour and love of God Cause thy face to shine upon thy Sanctuary which is desolate Dan. 9.17 and cause thy face to shine upon thy servant So in many other places the face of God is put for the favour of God because as the favour and love of a man is seene and discovered in his face so there is somewhat in those dealings of God which discover God he is said to make his face to shine upon his people when he doth discover by any act of his that he loves and favours them that is the shining of his face upon them The face interprets the heart and shewes the meaning of the spirit so in those things which interpret somewhat of the love of God to us God is said to make his face shine upon us On the other side the face of God is put sometimes for the anger and wrath of God because anger is seene in the face too so in those things by which God discovereth his anger he is said to set his face against men there is an expresse place for it in this sense Lam. 4.16 The anger of the Lord the
Hebrew is the face of the Lord hath divided them that is the Lord hath done such things as have the character of anger upon them that doe represent and hold forth nothing but the anger of the Lord unto a people and that anger of the Lord is called the face of the Lord unto a people Thirdly by the face of the Lord in Scripture we may understand the ordinances and the worship of God because in them and by them God is revealed manifested and knowne to his people as a man is knowne by his face So in the old Testament comming to God in those institutions was called appearing before God because in them God had promised to manifest himselfe unto his people Lastly the face of God is put for the common and generall presence of God in the world by which he filleth Heaven and Earth Psal 139.7 Whether shall I go from thy presence Now when it is said that Satan went forth from the face of God or from the presence of God it cannot be understood in the first or in the second sense for he cannot so come into the presence of God or before the face of God before his face of glory or before his face of favour Satan never came nor ever shall And as the presence of God is taken for his worship so Satan cares not to come into his presence Lastly as the face of God signifies his common and generall presence in the world so Satan cannot possibly goe out from his face Whether shall I goe from thy presence nor men nor devils are able to go out of the presence of the Lord in that sence for he filleth Heaven and Earth Then these words He went out from the presence of the Lord are spoken after the manner of men When a servant commeth to his Master to receive Commission to doe some businesse and hath his errand given him then he goeth out from the presence of his Master about his businesse So Satan comes here upon a businesse unto God he makes a motion and desireth to have such power put into his hand to doe such and such things the Lord grants it and so soone as ever he had his dispatch he goeth out of the presence of the Lord. So that the meaning is only this that Satan left off speaking with God left off moving God any further at that time and went out to execute that which he got commission to doe as servants goe out from the presence of their Masters when they have received warrant or direction what to doe While a servant is in expectation of his message or errand so long his eyes are upon his Master Our eyes wait upon thee O God as the eyes of servants looke unto the hands of their Masters Psal 123.3 The eyes of servants wait upon the face of the Master till they have received their message and then they goe out from their presence It notes the speed that Satan makes when he receives power from God to afflict or to chasten and try any of his children he makes no stay presently he goeth out from the presence of the Lord. Satan is speedy and active in executing any power that is committed unto him against the people of God against any particular member or against the Church in generall As soone as ever he hath but his Commission to afflict he is gone about it instantly As the good Angels in Heaven are described to have wings because as soone as ever they have received a command from God they are upon the wing they fly as it were to fulfill the will of God and in that sense goe out of his presence So Satan and the wicked Angels are upon the wing too in that sense as soon as ever they have received power they presently put it in execution And we may in this make Satan himselfe our patterne As we pray that the will of God may be done on earth as it is in heaven in heaven by the good Angels So in this sense I say we may desire that we may doe the will of God with as much speed as the evill Angels It is not unwarrantable to learne from Satan speedily to be doing about the will of God JOB 1.13 14 c. And there was a day when his sonnes and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brothers house And there came a messenger unto Job and said The Oxen were plowing and the asses feeding besides them And the Sabeans fell upon them c. IN the former context we shewed you the affliction of Job mooved by Satan and permitted by God Touch all that he hath is Satans motion All that he hath is in thine hand is Gods permission From this 13th verse to the end of the 19th the afflictions of Job are particularly described and we may observe 6 particulars in the Context concerning his afflictions 1. The time or season of his afflictions And there was a day when his sonnes and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brothers house ver 13. 2. The instruments or the meanes of his afflictions Satan who undertooke the afflicting of Job stands as it were behind the doore he doth not appeare in it but sets on others His instruments were first cruell and bloody minded men the Sabeans verse 15. The Chaldeans verse 17. Secondly those active creatures devouring fire and stormy windes the fire verse 16. the winde verse 19. 3. The matter of his affliction or in what he was afflicted it was in his outward estate 4. The variety of his afflictions he was not smitten in some one thing in some one part of his outward estate but he was afflicted in all his Oxen his Asses and his Camels violently taken away his Sheep burnt up by the fire his sons and his daughters over-whelmed and crushed by the fall of an house all his servants attending upon these slaine consumed destroyed excepting only one from every stroke to be the sad relator or messenger of these calamities 5. The suddennesse of his afflictions they came all upon him in one day 6. The uncessantnesse of the report of these afflictions the sound of them all was in his eares at once as they were all brought upon him in one day so they are all told him in one houre yea by the story it doth appeare there were but very few moments betweene the first and the last For the Text saith that no sooner had one messenger ended his dolefull news but another begins nay they did not stay so long as to let one another make an end but the Text saith While the former was yet speaking there came another and said and so while the next was yet speaking there came another and said while he was yet speaking another c. So that Satan did not give Job so much as the least minute of intermission to breath a while or recollect himselfe His troubles both in the acting and in the reporting were close
cloathed with strength proportionable Satan is a mighty Prince commanding in the spirits of wicked men ther 's his Throne he can kindle their lusts and â—â—flame their spirits set them on fire from hell and then cause them to goe on with a rage in doing mischiefe as high as Heaven He can leade men captive at his will though not against their owne will Yet to shew the efficacy of his actings he is said to lead them captive at his will to doe his will and execute his devillships designes It is admirable what Satan can doe upon wicked men who are his willing vassals and bond-slaves if he speake the word they goe if he suggest they submit if he move they obey And likewise we see what a mighty Prince he is in the aire all the elements and the meteors stoope to his direction He cannot onely command men who have reason but he can command the fire the water the winds the thunders therefore he is called the Prince of the power of the ayre those powers that are in the aire he can command For though it be a truth that Satan of himselfe cannot make one sparke of fire or so much as one breath of wind yet if hee be let loose and unchain'd hee can goe to Gods Store-house of wind and fire hee can goe to Gods Magazin of thunder stormes and tempests he can fetch out such store of all these and so enrage them that no man is able to withstand their violence The Apostle taxes all naturall men that they live without God in the world that is they live without a sensible apprehension of the Majesty of the power and holinesse of God they are not affected with God in the world I may say in a sense unto many godly men and it may be a reproofe unto them that they live without the devill in the world that is they have not such apprehensions of the power and policy and sleights of Satan as they ought to have We doe not know or apprehend as we ought and as we might who the devill is or what his power is I doe not speake this as if I would have any meditate and pore upon the power of Satan so as to be afraid of him that 's no part of my intent but it is for this end that our hearts might be raised up to blesse God who doth binde up such an enemy and bound such a power who if hee were let alone would doe us mischiefe an hundred times in a day Nay he would unquiet and unsettle the whole world This is the reason why we should consider the power and policy of Satan to blesse God who stops the mouth of this Lyon so that he cannot stirre to doe that mischiefe unto which his nature doth at once encline and inable him Verse 20. Then Job arose and rent his mantle and shaved his head and fell downe upon the ground and worshipped Verse 21. And said Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I returne thither the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord. Verse 22. In all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly These three verses containe the third Division of the Chapter as we shewed in the Analysis of it We have seene in the first the character of Job in his prosperous estate and the description of his prosperity We have seen his afflictions in the causes in the time in the instruments in the matter and in the manner of inflicting them In this third part we have the carriage of Job how Job tooke it how he behaved himselfe in this sad condition And likewise how God tooke it that Job did so behave himself So then We may note two things in the generall out of these 3 verses 1. We have the carriage of Job his behaviour 2. We have the testimony of God concerning his carriage and behaviour The carriage and behaviour of Job is laid downe verse 20 21. And concerning his carriage the Text gives us to consider 1. What Job did 2. What Job said 1. What he did and that is in the 20th verse and there we find mentioned five distinct actions of Job upon the receiving of the relation of his affliction 1. He arose 2. He rent his mantle 3. He shaved his head 4. He fell downe upon the ground 5. He worshipped 2. What he said and that is in the 21. verse And he said Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked c. His sayings containe two strong and undeniable argumentall Propositions and one cleare Conclusion flowing naturally from them both or from either of them by which he doth acquit the Lord in his afflicting of him and also support and strengthen his own soule under those afflictions The testimony of God concerning Jobs carriage is in the 22. ver The Lord comes in as it were like an umpire to determine who got the day which is resolved when he saith In all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly These words expressely set the Laurell of victory upon the head of Job Satan undertooke that Job if touched would curse God now saith God looke upon him touch'd see what he hath done examine all his actions that are past observe what he hath spoken weigh every word that hath come out of his mouth in the ballance of truth and reason and when thou hast done both tell me whether he hath yet cursed me I pronounce that in all he hath done in all he hath said Job hath not charged God foolishly That in the generall for the sum of the Context and for the parts of it To begin first with what Job did his actions Then Job arose and rent his mantle c. Then Job stood out the three former assaults unmoveably but when he had received the fourth then his bowels were moved And then c. Job arose This was his first action to arise is properly an act of one that sitteth he is said to arise that before did sit or lie But yet in Scripture to arise is not alwayes taken so strictly neither is it in this place To arise in the Scripture language notes two things First the speedinesse of doing a thing when a man doth a thing instantly or presently he is said to arise to doe it to arise and doe it though he were standing or walking before This is an Hebraisme He arose and rent his mantle that is He presently rent his mantle upon the hearing of these messages especially the last And so you have the word in divers places as Judg. 20.18 The children of Israel arose and went to the house of the Lord that is they went presently up to the house of the Lord 2 Sam. 14.31 Then Joab arose and went to Absolom the meaning is only this that upon the receiving of that message he went with speed he made no delayes And Nehem. 2.18 when Nehemiah exhorted them to the great worke of building
their garments neither the King nor any of his servants that heard all those words As if it had beene said this was a time that called them aloud to rend their garments to humble themselves and repent before the Lord when they heard such words as these cloathed with their own sinne and Gods wrath read unto them but they did it not yet they were not afraid neither did they rend their garments So then renting of the garment was used as a ceremony of repentance as a shadow of godly sorrow It had nothing in it selfe to move God only it testified the greatnesse of their griefe that their hearts did rend as their garments were rent Further Renting of the garment was used in case of extreame indignation Indignation is anger sorrow boyl'd up to the height It is as it were the extract and spirit of them both And it is stir'd especially when the eare of a man is filled with a voice of blasphemie or his eye with a spectacle of bold transcendent wickednesse against the Lord. Word being brought to Hezekiah of the blasphemie that Rabshakeh had belched our against God when he heard how he had reproached the living God in saying who is the God of Jerusalem that he should deliver it out of my hand the text saith that Hezekiah rent his cloathes with indignation that report fill'd him with a mixture of griefe and anger he was grieved that the holy name of God was blasphemed he was angry with the blasphemer these caused holy indignation and this the renting of his garments Thus also when Paul and Barnabas had restored the Creeple at Lystra the superstitious Lystrians would have done sacrifice to them as gods which when the Apostles Paul and Barnabas heard of and saw the preparations Oxen and Garlands brought to the gates for that abhominable Idolatry they rent their cloathes and ranne in among the people saying Sirs why doe you these things we also are men of like passions with you They rent their cloathes with indignation being grieved and vext to see men so besotted and God so dishonoured This act of Job in the Text renting his garments may referre to either of these it may referre to all these If it be demanded why did Job rend his garments I answer first He rent his garments for the greatnesse of that sorrow that was upon him in regard of his outward affliction Secondly He rent his garments to testifie his deepe humiliation under the hand of God with repentance for all his sinnes Thirdly He rent his garments being filled with indignation at those blasphemies which Satan suggested to him This latter I cleare thus you know it was the maine designe the very plot of Satan to provoke Job to blaspheme God doe this saith he Touch all that he hath and he will curse thee to thy face He did promise this to himselfe and did undertake with God to bring Job to that height of impatience If so then there is no question but as these messengers of sorrow came to him so Satan came with them and pointed every message with this or the like poysonous suggestion Now see what a master you serve now blaspheme God why shouldest thou make scruple of thinking or of speaking evill of him who hath powred out all these evills upon thee Never stand so much upon his honour who stands so little upon thy comfort It is no question but Satan provok'd Job in some such manner He was not wise to promote his own ends unlesse he did plie him with temptations to blsphemy Now Iob being most sensible of these temptations it being to him as afterwards to holy David Psal 42 10. as a Sword in his bowels while the enemy said unto him where is now thy God he arises with indignation and soule-abhorrence of these injections rending his garments c. That for the second act The third followes And shaved his head Shaving of the head was used sometimes to expresse sorrow sometimes to expresse bondage and I find it used in Scripture in opposition to both these sc in times of joy and liberty First Shaving of the head was used as a note of sorrow Isa 15.2 the Lord speaking by his Prophet of the great affliction that should come upon the Jewes saith On all their heads shall be baldnesse and every beard cut off that is they shall mourne that 's the meaning of it And Isa 22.12 In that day did the Lord God of Hosts call to weeping and to mourning and to baldnesse that is to shaving of themselves or cutting off their haire the meaning of it in joyning baldnesse and mourning was only this to shew that there should be extreame sorrow and mourning in the land The Lord calleth to mourning and baldnesse that is to an exceeding great mourning such as those mournings used to be when they shaved their heads And the Prophet puts in this as an aggravation of their sinne that when the Lord called for such a mourning as was joyned with baldnesse and shaving the head that then there should be joy and gladnesse slaying Oxen and killing Sheepe eating flesh and drinking wine See this more cleare Ier. 7.29 when the Prophet fore-shewes the great affliction of Jerusalem he thus bespeakes them Cut off thine haire O Jerusalem and cast it away and take up a lamentation To adde one instance more Mica 1.16 In case of their sore affliction the Prophet saith Make thee bald and pole thee for thy delicate children enlarge thy baldnesse as the Eagle The meaning of all is mourne bitterly or mourne greatly for thy delicate children thy delicate and sweet children they are destroyed mourne greatly for them enlarge thy baldnesse as the Eagle As the Eagle because the Eagle as naturalists observe casteth her feathers and her head is many times quite bald therefore it is said here enlarge thy baldnesse as the Eagle that is be exceeding bald cut off all thy haire in that great mourning We may illustrate this by a contrary rule given by this Prophet Jeremie and likewise by Ezekiel when mourning was forbidden Jer. 16.6 where he speakes of some that should die and have none to mourne for them he saith they shall not lament for them nor make themselves bald for them Ezek. 24.17 Make no mourning for the dead what followeth Bind the tire of thine head upon thee when they should keepe on their haire their tire that was an argument that there was no mourning Further we find that the cutting off the haire the shaving of the head was a signe of bondage and reproach when David sent messengers to Hanun Samuel records that Hanun tooke the messengers and shaved off the one halfe of their beards and cut off their garments in the middle and the men were exceedingly ashamed now the shame was not only because their beards were halfe cut off for if that had beene all they might quickly have cut off the other halfe and have delivered themselves from the
Thou hast made me the head of the Heathen a people vvhom I have not knowne shall serve me As soone as they heare of me they shall obey me the strangers shall submit themselves unto me That of the Apostle will more illustrate this sence who speaking of the great benefit of prophecying in a knowne tongue concludes his Discourse thus If all prophecy and there come in one that beleeveth not or one unlearned he is convinced of all he is judged of all And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest and so falling downe on his face he vvill WORSHIP God and report that God is in you of a truth The worship then is not given to the Church but to God who in such ordinances or other acts of his power and goodnesse is evidently revealed as present in the Church So much for the actions or gestures of Iob what he did He rent his mantle and shaved his head and fell downe upon the ground and worshipped Now we come to his words to that which Iob spake in the two last verses Verse 21. Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I returne thither Verse 22. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh blessed be the name of the Lord. Words are or ought to be the Interpreters of the heart and the Comment of our actions This speech of Iob doth indeed interpret his heart and expound the meaning of his former actions This speech I say of Iob is the true Comment of his owne actions for some seeing Iob renting his garments and shaving his head and casting himselfe downe upon the ground they might not know the meaning of all this they could not reade his heart in these strange behaviours they might not understand what his intentions were probably they might judge that he was enraged and madde that he was distracted or drunke with sorrow that he was either desperate or impatient at the report of those losses Therfore now to confute all such surmizes he speaks forth the words of truth and sobernes And by that which he saith sets so fair and true a glosse upon his actions as might then render them not only rationall and ingenuous but holy and gracious in the eyes of all men as they were before in the eyes of God who knew his heart Satan was now like the servants of Benhadad before Ahab watching for words he had done his businesse and now he was trying how it would worke what the event and issue would be he harken'd when some irreverent speech should come from the mouth of Iob he looked presently that he should blaspheme God he could not but smile surely when he saw him renting his garments and shaving his head and falling downe on the ground O now it workes I shall heare him blaspheme and curse God presently He that is thus distempered in the carriage of the other members of his body will not surely be able long to rule that unruly peace his tongue One undutifull or dishonourable word cast upon God would have beene musicke to Satans eare and joy to his heart He would have catch'd it up as nimbly as the men before spoken of did brother Benhadad from the mouth of Ahab But how blanke look'd Satan how was he cloathed with shame at the fall of those words from Iob Naked came I out of c. What David spake concerning the words of his enemies Psal 55.21 Their words were smoother then butter but warre was in their heart they were sweeter then honey and softer then oyle yet were they drawne swords vve may speake of these words of Iob considered in reference to Satan and in reference unto God These words of Iob in reference unto God were as sweet as hony as smooth as butter For this breath had nothing in it but meeknes and patience humility and holinesse in all which God delights but in reference unto Satan they were as drawne Swords as poyson'd arrowes Satan was hardly ever so smitten before as he was by these words of Iob. There is no word in this sentence but gave Satan the lye and refuted all his slander And in the close Iob gives him the deepest stabbe of all It was a dagger at the very heart of the devill when he heard him say Blessed be the name of the Lord. No words could be utter'd upon the longest study more crosse to Satans expectation or more answerable to the former testimony of God and therefore the Lord crownes all both his actions and his speeches with a new testimony In all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly So much of Jobs words in generall I shall now examine them distinctly in the parts Some conceive that Job at that time spake out his mind more largely but that the Holy Ghost in the penning of this Story did gather and summe up the strength of all his speech into these two conclusions Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I returne thither The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh blessed be the Name of the Lord. We will consider the words a little first in the Grammaticall sense of them and then we will consider the reason of them For here they are used logically as a strong and mighty argument both for the supporting of his owne spirit under those afflictions and for the justifying and acquitting God in so afflicting him Naked came I out of my Mothers wombe c. Naked There is a two-fold nakednesse there is an internall nakednesse and there is an externall nakednesse There is a nakednesse of the soule as well as of the body The nakednesse of the soule is when it is devested of all it 's gracious ornaments and endowments When Job saith Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I returne thither it referreth especially to the nakednesse of the body for though it be a truth that Job came naked into the world in regard of his soule yet he knew he should not goe naked out of the world in regard of his soule Seeing then he referreth nakednesse to his going out of the world as well as to his comming in therefore it cannot be here meant of an inward nakednesse his soule came naked in but he knew his soule should go out cloathed Neither can it be meant of a then present spirituall nakednesse for Job was never so richly and gorgeously attired in his soule never appeared in such glorious ornaments of grace as when he was stript of all worldly comforts Therfore the nakednesse here is bodily nakednesse that which Moses speaks of Gen. 2.25 describing our first Parents They were both naked saith he the man and his wife and they were not ashamed Yet that nakednesse and this which Job speakes of though they were both bodily and externall were very different and unlike for that nakednesse of Creation needed no covering nakednesse was then an ornament Man was richly attired when he had no garments The nakednesse of creation
The Lord hath taken What will Job charge all those robberies upon God himselfe Doth not this looke like the blasphemy that the devill hoped would come out of Jobs mouth I answer when Job saith the Lord hath taken it doth but set forth the supreame power and soveraignty of God in ordering all things and as we opened before that God gave the Commission to Satan or leave to spoyle him or else Satan could not have touched one of the dogs of his Flocke Job knew that God had all men and devils fire and wind all creatures in his hand He saith the Lord hath taken because none could take but by the will of God and he was satisfied that God willed that in righteousnesse and in judgement which they acted with so much cruelty and injustice Is there any evill in the City and the Lord hath not done it Amos 3.6 Every evill of affliction or of trouble is said to be the Lords doing because it cannot be done without the Lord. Wicked men in all their plots and in all their successes are either the rod of God to chasten his people for their sins or else they are as Gods fornace to try his peoples graces and purge them from their sins Thus the hand of the Lord is in all our sorrows The Lord saith Job hath taken away We should from hence learne In all our afflictions to looke beyond the creature In all the evils we either feele or feare let our hearts be carried up unto God As then we rightly enjoy outward blessings when those blessings carry us up unto God when upon creatures our hearts are raised up to Heaven So then we make a right use of afflictions of crosses and troubles when we are led by crosses in our meditations unto God Job doth not say the Lord hath given and the Caldeans have taken away the Lord hath enrich'd me and Satan hath robb'd me but as if he had never heard any mention of Satan or Chaldeans of fire or winde he saith the Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken He doth not fall out with man or complaine of the devill he is not angry with chance or fortune with starres or constellations many in the troublesome evils which they suffer are apt to fly out upon all creatures and upon all causes rather then to cast an eye upon God whereas indeed we should not take either good or evill out of the hand of any creature There were some of old Marcion and his followers who could not relish this Doctrine nor endure that we should carry our evils and lay them before Gods doore and say the Lord hath done this Therefore they found out two beginnings that is two Gods rather then they would make the same God the authour of such extreames as they thought of good and evill They said There was one God that was a good God and another an evill God the one a giving God the other a taking God the one a loving God a mercifull God the other an angry God a severe God Many of the Heathen taught better divinity then those Heretikes For they feyned that their Jupiter had two great vessels placed at the entrance of his Pallace whereof the one was filled with Good and the other with Evill These he dispenced according to the dictate of his owne will among the sons of men And they painted Fortune in two formes with two faces of contrary colours the formost white the hindermost blacke to signifie that good and evill which they shadow'd under white and blacke came both from goddesse Fortune which comes neare that language in the Prophet Isa 45.7 I forme the light and create darkenesse I make peace and create evill And we are taught to looke upon the same God as the spring and fountaine of all good and of all this sort of evill Though it be a truth as the Apostle speakes that the same fountaine cannot send forth bitter water and sweet take it in a naturall or morall sense yet the same fountaine may send forth bitter and sweet take it in a civill sense that is the same may be the authour of outward corrections and of outward favours God is not the fountaine of good and of evill in a morall sense so nothing but good floweth from him but take it in a civill sense and so both good and evill bitter and sweet come from the same fountaine Consider the words as they are an argument and then see their strength to the purposes for which Job doth especially here apply them First the acquitting or justifying of God 2. The supporting and comforting of himselfe and so wee may note from them First That the absolute soveraignty of the Lord over us is enough to acquit him from doing us any wrong whatsoever he doth with us Job saith only this The Lord hath given and the Lord hath fallen He is the soveraigne Lord therefore I have no reason to complaine he doth it upon whom I have laid no ingagement upon whom I have no tie at all to doe this or that for me he doth it who may resolve the reason of all his actions into his owne will he is the Lord. God cannot injure his creature therefore the Apostle hath recourse to that onely in the 9th Rom. for the answer of all cavils and objections against Gods dealing with man Hath not the Potter power over the clay The soveraignty and supremacy of the Lord is enough to beare him out whatsoever he doth with or to his creatures O man who art thou that repliest against God Then againe it is as strong for the second end for the support of the soule in bearing evill consider that it is the Lord that giveth and the Lord that takes The thought of Gods soveraignty over us and over ours may quiet our spirits in all that he doth unto us or ours As it doth justifie God so it should quiet us heare David Psal 39 9. I was dumbe saith he and opened not my mouth because thou diddest it he doth not say I was contented because thou dealest thus and thus with me but I was dumbe I opened not my mouth because thou diddest it that it was the act of God the soveraigne Lord satisfied him he had not a word to say because God did it So Job here The Lord hath taken away is as if he had said I could not have borne this at the hands of any creature but at the hands of my soveraigne Lord that may dispose of me and mine and doe what he pleaseth at his hands I not only beare it but take it well Joseph had not a word of discontent to vent against his brethren being thus resolved It was not you that sent me hither but God Gen. 45. And David layes aside all revenge against rayling Shimei on this ground So let him curse because the Lord hath said unto him curse David 2 Sam. 16.10 A godly man cannot be angry at the doing or speaking of that which pleaseth
God that it should be done or spoken And it takes away all complaining that the Lord hath taken away Blessed be the Name of the Lord. The Septuagint and so the Vulgar from them insert here another sentence betweene these two the Lord hath taken away blessed be the Name of the Lord reading it thus The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away as it pleaseth the Lord so commeth things to passe blessed be the name of the Lord but we have no more in the Hebrew then our owne translation gives us Blessed be the Name of the Lord. This is the triumphant conclusion which floweth from the former Propositions this is the issue and result of them both A conclusion as opposite to Satans designe as the two Poles of the Heavens are one against the other Satan waited to heare Iob conclude with blaspheming the Name of the Lord and now he heareth Job conclude with blessing the Name of the Lord. How did this vex and sting Satan This one word of Iob did wound Satan more then all the afflictions which Satan procured wounded Iob. Though I return naked though all be taken from me yet blessed be the name of the Lord. Blessed be the Name of the Lord. The Name of God in Scripture is taken first for God himselfe The name of a thing it is put for the thing named Psal 44.5 Through thee will wee push downe our enemies thorough thy Name we will tread them downe that rise up against us Thorough thy Name that is thorough thee Thorough thee and thorough thy Name are the same So Psal 48 10. According to thy Name so is thy praise that is thou art praised like thy selfe as thou art in thy selfe so thou art or oughtest to be praised by thy people the name is put for the person You have it clearly Act. 1.15 The number of names together were about an hundred and twenty that is the number of persons so many persons because numbred by their names Secondly the Name of God is often in Scripture put for the attributes of â—od Thirdly the Name of God is put for his Ordinances or worship Goe yee now to my place which was in Shiloh where I set my name at the first Jerem. 7.12 that is where I first set up my publike worship because as a man is knowne by his proper Name so is God by his proper worship And therefore false worship is the setting up of a strange god When we mistake the name we mistake the person Fourthly the Name of God is that reverence esteeme and honour which Angels and men give unto God As we know amongst us the report and reputation that a man hath among men is a mans name what men speake of him that is his name such an one hath a good name we say such an one hath an ill name that is men speake or thinke well or ill of such persons So Gen. 6.4 When Moses describes the Gyants he saith they were men of renowne the Hebrew is They were men of name because the name of a man is the opinion he hath amongst men as a man is esteemed so his name is carried and himselfe is accepted in the world So the name of God is that high esteeme those honourable apprehensions which Angels and men have of God such as the thoughts and speeches of men are for the celebration of Gods glory and praise such is his name in the world Blessed be the name of the Lord. By blessing God we are to understand either first what we expresse in word concerning God God is blessed by his creatures when his goodnesse and greatnesse and mercy and bounty and faithfulnesse and justice are published with thanks-giving and praise Or God is blessed likewise when we have high and great and glorious thoughts of God when we inwardly feare and reverence and love and honour God then we blesse God The one is to blesse with the tongue the other to blesse with the heart The tongue blessing without the heart is but a tinckling cimball The heart blessing without the tongue makes sweet but still musicke both in consort make that Harmony which fils and delights Heaven and Earth When Job saith here Blessed be the Name of the Lord we are to understand it both wayes that Job speakes out the blessing of God with his mouth and likewise he had high and reverent thoughts of God His heart and tongue met at this worke and word Blessed be the Name of the Lord. We may note from hence That God is worthy of all praise and honour not onely when hee doth enrich and strengthen us when he fills and protects us but also when he doth impoverish and weaken us when he empties and and smites us when he gives us up to the will of our enemies to the will of devils and wicked men even then God is to be blessed It is a good thing and it is our duty to blesse God when we are rich and when we are full as Deut. 8.10 When thou hast eaten and art full then thou shalt blesse the Lord But it is a farre better thing yet but our duty to blesse the Lord when we are poore and weake when we are empty and have nothing to eat then to blesse the Lord is the breathing of an excellent spirit indeed 1 Thes 5.18 In every thing give thankes Let God doe what he will with his children they have cause to thanke him As he is God in himselfe blessed for evermore When God thunders in judgements so loud that he breaketh the Cedars and shakes the Wildernesse then to give unto the Lord the glory due unto his Name and in his Temple to speake of his glory argues a spirit highly ennobl'd and glorious in grace Psal 29. Therefore his children should not rest in this that they beare afflictions but they should labour to bring their hearts to blesse and glorifie God in and for the afflictions that they beare And a soule that thus honoureth God shall assuredly receive honour from God That which the Apostle speakes of the Saints suffering persecution is true of them in any kind of holy suffering The Spirit of glory and of God doth rest upon them 1 Pet. 4.14 The Spirit of God is spoken of as if it were unsetled and unquiet and knew not where to fix it selfe till it had found such a soule like Noah's Dove that went hovering about and knew not where to rest the sole of her foot till it came to the Arke so the Spirit of God is exprest as hovering about from person to person from place to place as if it could not rest any where till it finde a soule triumphing and blessing God in affliction at least lying quietly under affliction till God takes it off and there the Spirit rests and settles it selfe Observe further that Job here blesseth God in his afflictions and that makes the difference his afflictions now are good unto him If we blesse God in our
afflictions then our afflictions are blessings unto us We have so much blessing in our affliction as we can blesse God for our affliction There is a mighty power in this speech I blesse God it changeth evill into good here is an heavenly Alchimy as we may so speake whatsoever affliction you touch with blessing God you turne that affliction to a blessing if you have an Iron-yoake of affliction upon you doe but touch it with blessing God it turneth it into gold When you have a heavy crosse upon you ready to weigh you downe doe but touch the crosse with this word from the heart and it makes it as a crowne of glory upon your heads Thus I say you may turne every evill into good every affliction into a comfort and a blessing if you can but touch it with blessing the Name of God We will come to the Conclusion In all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly This testimony the Lord giveth concerning Job both in reference to what he did and to what he spake In all this In renting his mantle in shaving his head in falling to the ground in worshipping in saying Naked came I out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I returne thither The Lord hath given the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not neither charged God foolishly God himself puts all the actions and all the speeches of Job into the ballance and finds not any lightnes in them he bringeth all that he had done and all that he had said to the Touch-stone and findes them pure mettall The Holy Ghost the great and infallible moderatour of this cause and question betweene Job and Satan determines That in all this Job sinned not neither did he charge God foolishly But it will be objected Is there any man that sinneth not Or is there any man that sinneth not in every thing How then are we to understand what the Holy Ghost pronounceth In all this Job sinned not Is any man so holy or can his heart be kept in so holy a frame as to doe and speake so much without any touch of sinne without any spot of defilement Jobs question Cap. 9. affirmes that no man can doe any one act purely pure Who can bring a cleane thing out of that which is uncleane Now Job himselfe in his nature was uncleane he had uncleannesse in him how then was a cleane thing brought out from Job Whence had he such a priviledge above his brethren as not to sin in doing and suffering so many things There are some Popish Commentators who would build the Tower of perfection upon this and other the like Scriptures scil That a man may in this life be freed from all sinne For the refuting this sence and clearing of the text I will give you the resolution in a distinction or two First if we consider sinfull actions they are of two sorts There are actions sinfull in the matter when the very thing done is a sin as to steale to lye to be drunke to commit adultery and the like the very thing done is a sinne materially There are other actions that are sinfull in the formality or manner of doing so a good worke in the matter may be sinfull in the manner of doing We doe not assert that all the workes of regenerate persons are sinnes as if they were sinfull actions or that all that they doe is sinfull in the matter for that were a reproach to the Spirit of Christ that were to reproach the grace of Christ by which they being regenerated act and doe these things But we positively affirme that to the workes of regenerate persons to their best workes some defilement cleaves so that though the action be not sinfull yet there is some sinne in the action There is a great deale of difference betweene a sinfull action and sinne in an action We have that difference expressely Exod. 28.38 Where the High-Priest is said to beare the iniquity of the holy things holy things yet iniquity in them holy things in the matter of them yet iniquity in the manner of performing them Now when it is said here In all this Job sinned not we are to understand it first thus Here were no acts sinfull in the matter of them such as Satan did promise unto himselfe and did undertake with God that Job would speake and breake out into Satan was confident that Iob would blaspheme and curse God to his face this was an act of an high nature sinfull in the very matter of it an act abominable In all this Job sinned not such a sinne he was not transported by passion or impatiency to reproach and curse the living God Secondly in Scripture language we are said not to sinne when we doe not commit such and such sinnes as is cleare in that instance about David of whom this transcendent testimony is given 1 King 15.5 That he turned not aside from any thing the Lord commanded him all the dayes of his life save onely in the matter of Uriah the Hittite a high expression of his holinesse What then Shall we thinke that David never sinned at all but in that matter No the meaning of it is that David never fell grossely or foully but that time In comparison of that act all the rest of the life of David went for so holy as if he had lived without any sinne at all In this sense the Apostle Iohn giveth the command not to sinne 1 Joh. 2.1 I write unto you little children that you sinne not it is a possible precept in an evangelicall sense that is that you sinne not as wicked men doe who can doe nothing else but sinne In this sense Job sinned not he carried himselfe like a holy person like an obedient child of God like one born of God as the Apostle speaks whose character and priviledge it is that he cannot sin Such have the blessing of impotency in the unregenerate part so that they cannot sin strongly though as yet they have not that blessed ability in their regenerate part not to sinne at all The Septuagint addes to this clause He sinned not before the Lord or against the Lord. The Vulgar addes those words with his lips Neither of them mend the sence of the Hebrew Text and the latter makes it worse For it is a higher and clearer testimony to say In all this Job sinned not then to say In all this Job sinned not with his lipps for he might sin in thought c. though it be most true which the Apostle James speakes Chap. 3.7 If any man offend not in word the same is a perfect man Or charged God foolishly The translations are somewhat different the Septuagint thus He did not cast any folly upon God others He did not offer any thing unsavourly of God Another He did not accuse or complaine of God The word in the Originall is He did not give we translate he did not charge
The word which wee translate adverbially foolishly is a Noune in the Originall yet it is fully enough to the sense Hee charged not God foolishly or hee charged not God with folly so it is rather in the Originall That word which is here translated folly signifieth in the generall any thing that is indebite dispositum any thing that is unduely disposed any thing in disorder And wee finde it in Scripture referred divers wayes First It is put for unsavoury meat without salt or sawce as Job 6.6 Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt The word unsavoury there is the same with this here rendered folly or foolishly Secondly It is used for morter that hath not a due temper or mixture in it as Ezek. 13.14 I will breake downe the wall that yee have dawbed with untempered morter morter that is not well tempered is unfit for use Thirdly It is put for any rude undigested or indiscreet speech as La. 2.14 Thy Prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee They have seen foolish and unsavoury things for thee Hence the word is used to expres madnes because madnes is the height of folly being without any seasoning without any temper a thing that hath no taste of wisdom or goodnes in it Jer. 23.13 I have seen folly in the Prophets of Samaria that is they are unsavoury their speeches are untempered morter they are foolish and vaine So then he did not charge God with folly or charge God foolishly hath this sense Job did not speake any thing rashly or unbecomming the Majesty of God or charge him in the least to have dealt unwisely or unjustly with him As if the Lord had said Satan thou diddest expect that Job should now at this time have charged me home and have laid load upon me with complainings for dealing thus with him thou expectest that he should have broken out into the dialect of hell it selfe such words as these Why what have I done against God that he should deale thus with me Is this the wages that I shall receive for the worke and service I have done him Will he discourage and dishearten others from comming on to his service by my sad example Is it justice in God that I who have lived so innocently should be thus extreamely afflicted Could the Lord finde out no swearers no drunkards no adulterers in the world to let Satan loose upon but he must needs turne him loose upon me Had he no other Butt in the world to shoot the arrowes of his indignation at but at an innocent breast Is this a just God who uses his servants thus Or if he be omniscient and omnipotent why then did he not protect me from Satans rage Why did he not defend me from the violence of those evill men Such kind of speeches or to this effect Satan expected Job would have uttered rashly against the Lord but he is deceived Job hath no such thought much lesse did hee speake such words either against the justice or wisedome or power of God hee charges no folly upon God the only wise God but gives him glory saying Blessed be his Name whatsoever hee doth with me or mine Learne from hence first what blasphemy is or what it is to curse God To curse God is to charge God with folly or with doing things foolishly and rashly For these expressions expound one another Satan said Job would curse God the Holy Ghost saith Job hath not charged God foolishly therefore that is a definition of Gods owne making plainly declaring what it is to curse God Yet every speech or act unbecomming the Majesty wisdome and power of God doth not presently denominate a man a blasphemer There may be blasphemy in what is spoken and yet the person speaking not a blasphemer Job himselfe spake many things afterward unadvisedly in the heat of dispute but he blasphemed not Blasphemy or cursing of God properly taken is ever joyned with an intent to cast reproach upon God As every one is not a lyar that telleth what is not true but he that telleth an untruth knowing it to be an untruth with an intent to deceive and wrong others So he that thinkes or speakes a thing unbecomming God with an intent to reproach or slander God and his wayes this is blaspheming indeed Secondly observe Impatience under and murmuring at the crosse which God laies upon us is a charging of God with folly Murmuring against God questions the wisdome of God Complaints have a charge in them We taxe what is done while we submit not to what is done When we lie under Gods hand quietly and silently then we speak the praise of God then our carriage ascribes all wisdome honour and glory unto him Thirdly In that it is here said by way of excellency concerning Job that in all this Job sinned not referring it to his behaviour under these afflictions as if the Holy Ghost had said it is matter of admiration that in this in all this Job should not sinne Note from hence That it is an high act one of the highest acts of grace to be composed in thought and word under great afflictions In all this Job sinned not as if he had said it had not been much for Iob not to sin in other things but in this affliction in this distresse being so put to it being thus tryed in all this not to sinne is Grace almost to a miracle Lastly Note this What is well done by us shall be sure to receive a faire testimony from God When Iob had carried himselfe discreetly and spoken discreetly the Lord hides not this in darknesse hee shuts it not up in silence but proclaimes the innocency and uprightnesse of his carriage in this present passage of his life as he had done before concerning the whole course of his life and conversation that he was perfect and upright The Apostle publisheth Glory and honour and peace to every man that worketh good Rom. 2.10 They that carry themselves well either in suffering or in working for God shall have glory and honour and peace from God No man needs blow a trumpet in his owne praise when he hath done well as the Pharisees did Math. 6. What we doe well the Lord himselfe will report to all the world In all this Job sinned not nor charged God foolishly And so wee have done with this third part of the Chapter and with this whole Chapter which containes as you have heard those three generals the description of Iobs prosperous estate The description of his tryals and afflictions and the description of his carriage under those afflictions Now when he is come off from this assault without wound without any touch of sinne Satan perceiving himselfe defeated and frustrated in this attempt will not yet give it over he is restlesse he will attempt him once more We shall finde him in the next Chapter at the Assembly againe renewing his motion for a second assault that hee may have leave
to lay his siedge nearer and closer to Iob presuming that though he had not prevailed at the first yet he shall at the second charge let me charge him but once more and then see his fall He will curse thee to thy face JOB 2.1 2 3 4 5 6. Verse 1. Againe there was a day when the sonnes of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan came also among them to present himselfe before the Lord. 2. And the Lord said unto Satan from whence commest thou And Satan answered the Lord and said from going too and fro in the earth and from walking up and downe in it 3. And the Lord said unto Satan Hast thou considered my servant Job that there is none like him in the Earth a perfect and an upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evill and still he holdeth fast his integrity although thou movedst me against him to destroy him without cause 4. And Satan answered the Lord and said skin for skin yea all that a man hath will he give for his life 5. But put forth thine hand now and touch his bone and his flesh and he will curse thee to thy face 6. And the Lord said unto Satan Behold he is in thine hand but save his life AS the Prophet Ezekiel when in vision he had beene shewed one abomination was led forward to a second and a third and a fourth with Come see a greater abomination than this or these Or as the Angell proclaimeth in the Revelation One woe is past and another woe is at hand The same may we say concerning this History of Jobs sorrowes Having shewed you his first affliction in the former Chapter I must now leade on your attentions with Come behold a second a greater then that and having shewed you one woefull day I must now shew you a second Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves This whole Chapter presents us in the generall with Jobs second tryall About which wee may observe these particulars 1. The occasion of it 2. The causes of it 3. The manner of it 4. The consequents of it 1. The occasion of it was Satans appearing at that heavenly Session and being there questioned about that former affliction of Job he answers with slander and desireth that Job may be brought about to a second tryall 2. The causes of this affliction as of the first are two 1. God And 2. Satan 1. God permitting and limiting it 2. Satan provoking and then inflicting it Both are laid downe in the words of the context now read to the end of the sixth verse 3. The manner of this affliction was the striking and smiting of Jobs body with a sore and noysome disease which you have contained in ver 7 8. 4. The Consequents of this affliction or what followed upon it and those are three 1. His wives sinfull councell ver 9. As soone as she saw him thus smitten What saith shee doest thou still retaine thine integrity Curse God and die There 's her counsell 2. His wise and holy reply ver 10. 3. His friends loving visit vers 11 12 13. They hearing of the affliction of Job came from a farre country to see him and to comfort him These are the distinct parts of the whole Chapter These six verses descipher the occasion and the causes of Jobs affliction Satan inciting and provoking the Lord and the Lord permitting and limitting Satan The three first containe the same matter which we have opened and explained in the former Chapter and they are almost word for word the same therefore I shall not need to stay long upon them Only I shall enquire a little further about two things First about the day of this great appearance And secondly about the persons appearing who are said to be the sons of God To the former of these the Jewish Doctors contend much That this was the first day in the recourse or returne of the yeare intimating if not contending that the first day of every yeare was as Gods day of generall Audit in which he conveen'd or called together his Angels to give him an account of all the passages and dispatches of the yeare past and to give them instructions what to doe the yeare comming which opinion I leave under the censure of a learned Interpreter as grosse and groundlesse Others fixe it upon the last day of the weeke affirming that this was the Sabbath day And that this was a convention or Assembly of the Church on Earth for the solemne worship of God upon that day which is here called A presenting themselves before the Lord in concurrence with which opinion the sonnes of God must needs be interpreted holy men I find some affirming that men are not called the sons of God in all the old Testament but the Angels only And so they take that Text Gen 6.2 The sons of God saw the daughters of men c. for the Angels either good or bad who being taken with the beauty of those daughters assuming bodies came into them of whom came the Giants A conceit as monstrous as those Giants and fitter for a fabulist then a Divine On the other extreame Chrysostome denyes that the Angels are at all called the sonnes of God We may walke safely in a middle way betweene these two For both Angels and men are called the sonnes of God Why Angels are called the sons of God hath been shewed Chap. 1. v. 6. Men are called the sons of God for two reasons either for their power or greatnesse so they Gen. 6.2 might be called the sonnes of God because great and powerfull on the earth Or rather secondly for their piety and holinesse by which they resemble God and in which they serve God as a sonne doth the Father Indeed the Apostle affirmes that the priviledge of sonship was brought-in by the Incarnation of Christ who is said In the fullnesse of time to be made of a woman c. That we might receive the adoption of sonnes Gal. 4.5 But in Scripture a thing is spoken of as newly done when it is more fully done Joh. 7.39 The Holy Ghost is said not to be given at that time because he had not been so plentifully given And the Apostle to the Hebrewes speakes as if the way into Heaven had been but then opened because it was then more clearly opened Heb. 9.8 So we are said to receive the adoption of sons when Christ came in the flesh because then our son-ship was more apparant though before it was as reall So then according to this Interpretation the sence of the words is That upon the Sabbath day when the servants of God the faithfull of that age and place were met together to celebrate the publick worship of God Satan the evill spirit who is ever ready to oppose and resist us to interrupt and hinder us when we appeare before the Lord in holy duties came also among them to
present himselfe before the Lord. I propose this as an opinion to which my owne inclination is not strong These words with the context as was noted in the former Chapter seeming to me rather a representation of Gods providence towards man then a description of mans worship tendered unto God Againe there was a day It may be yet further enquired how much time passed betweene the first and this second day of appearance Some affirme it was the immediate day after others the immediate Sabbath after A third opinion deferrs it to the yeare after Satan cunningly delaying the businesse all that while to the intent he might more fully see how the former affliction wrought what effects it had or would have upon Job before he attempts a second The text resolveth us in neither of these but leaveth it indifferent and undetermined saying onely Againe there was a day It is most probable that there was such a distance of time betweene these two afflictions as was competent to a full discovery of Jobs spirit under the first As when Christ was tempted and had foyled Satan in that temptation it is said the Devill departed from him for a season he left him probably to see what effects might follow upon the former temptation So Satan having tempted Job and tempted him by a temptation though one in the generall yet with a foure-fold assault foure severall messengers making as it were foure charges upon him he leaveth him for a season and againe when there was a day he returnes to renew the assault and battery I shall passe-over the two verses following in all that they containe opened in the former Chapter But in the latter end of the third verse there is somewhat added very materiall where the Lord bespeakes Satan concerning Job Hast thou considered my servant Job that there is none like him in the Earth a perfect and an upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evill This was the Character which God gave of him before in the former Chapter but now he goeth on And still he holdeth fast his integrity although thou movedst me against him to destroy him without cause This is superadded to his testimony his commendation is enlarged Job you see hath gained in this conflict he was described before as an holy man now he is described as a tryed man as an approved souldier Job hath obtained this honour in the former combate with Satan a glorious addition to his character As the patience and other graces of Job did increase so did the testimony of God increase concerning him Note from this addition only in the generall thus much That such as honour God God will honour If we doe any new or further service for God God will adde some further honour and respect unto us If we do or say or suffer any thing extraordinary for God God will say or doe somewhat more than ordinary concerning us The old character did not serve when Job had done this new service God will never conceale any of our graces no nor the improvement of any of our graces If we speake but a word for God we shall heare of it againe God takes it and pens it downe as it is said Malac. 3.16 They that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened and heard and a booke of remembrance was written God sets it downe presently So he recorded what Job had spoken and gives it him in at the next meeting with Satan We can never loose either by doing or suffering for God All shall be recompenced to the utmost farthing As it is usuall with Kings and great-men of the world for great services done them especially in warres and battels to make additions to the titles of honour to give some new motto's or put some new devices in the Coate-armour of those who serve them Thus doth God here Job having play'd the man as we say or rather the Saint in that former combate he hath a new title of honour put into his stile Now it is not only Job a man that feareth God and escheweth evill but Job a man that holdeth fast his integritie Consider the words themselves And still he holdeth fast his integrity The words And still or to this present time may have a double reference First barely to the time past Job was not only a perfect and a sound man in former times but hee is so still so at present Or rather secondly it referres to the affliction and losses hee had suffered as hee was in former times so hee is at this time as he was in prosperous times so hee is in troublesome times When the day was light and cleare to him Job was a perfect man and now the day hath nothing but darknesse and gloominesse in it Job is a perfect man still though wounded in his estate and broken in his outward comforts yet he is as sound and whole in his spirit as ever he was Though cattell servants children be dead and gone be spoyl'd and lost yet grace is safe and faith tryumphs hee still holdeth fast his integrity Holdeth fast This which we translate by two words is but one word in the Hebrew Our language is not comprehensive enough to expresse the fullnesse of that word in a word Iob doth not only hold his integrity but he holdeth it fast the word implyes a strength in holding to hold a thing firmely And more the word hath a further Emphasis in it it signifieth not only to hold a thing by that degree of strength wherewith formerly we did hold it but it doth import thus much to waxe stronger in the holding of it to prevaile or increase in strength As when David sent Ioab to number the people Ioab was unwilling and said to the King Now the Lord thy God adde unto the people an hundred-fold but why doth my Lord the King delight in this thing Then it followes Notwithstanding the Kings word prevailed against Joab That which is there translated And his word prevailed is the same with this we translate here Holdeth fast the Kings word did take a prevailing hold upon Ioab or held him fast to the doing of the Kings command though he would have got oft from the businesse So we may understand it here still he prevaileth or waxeth stronger in his integrity The same word is used by the Prophet Malachi cap. 3.13 14. where God convinceth those proud spirits that puffed at his service Your words saith he have been stout against me That which we translate have been stout is the same with this in the text of Iob your words have beene stout that is they have growne stronger and stronger against me and my waies you are confirm'd in wickednesse whereas your hearts should have beene brought downe and humbled you are increast and hardned in your obstinacy and rebellion Such is the strength and meaning of the word in this place Iob by this opposition growes more strong and stout in his
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
especially there meant and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death or the goings out from death that is God hath all wayes that lead out from death in his own keeping he keepeth the key of the door that lets us out from death when a man is in the valley of the shadow of death where shall he issue out where shall he have a passage No where saith man he shall not escape but God keepeth all the passages when men think they have shut us up in the jawes of death he can open them and deliver us To him belong the issues from death It is an allusion to one that keepeth a passage or a door And God is a faithfull keeper and a friendly keeper who will open the door for the escape of his people when they cry unto him It is exprest so in Psal 141.7 Our bones are scattered at the graves mouth as when one cutteth or cleaveth wood upon the earth that is we are even ready to die to be put into the grave What then But mine eyes are upon thee O God the Lord in thee is my trust leave not my soul destitute Keep me from the snare which they have laid for me Let the wicked fall into their own nets whilest I withall escape that is make me a way to escape As if he should say Thou hast the key of the gate by which we may issue out from death Lord I look that thou shouldest now open it for me Let it comfort us that God hath our lives and the issues from death in his own hand When Satan thought he had Job fast enough lockt up in the valley of the shadow of death God kept him safe he opened a door and let him out Thirdly note that as God hath life in his hand in a speciall manner so he takes speciall care of the lives of his people Save his life saith God I will look to that Psal 116.15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints Precious is their death not that death it self is precious a privation hath no preciousnesse in it but their life is precious therefore he will have a great price for their death God puts off the life of a Saint at a deare rate Woe unto those who violently and unjustly take away that which is so precious in the esteeme of God at one time or other he will make them pay dear for such Jewels Fourthly observe It is mercy to have our lives though we lose all things else You see here God saith concerning Job Save his life I have given thee his estate thou hast spoiled that now I will leave his body in thine hand wound that afflict that but save his life Here was mercy Therefore it was a speciall promise and priviledge made and granted to some in times of great publike sufferings and common calamities as to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian Jer. 39.18 and to Baruch the Scribe Jer. 45.5 that their lives should be given to them for a prey as if God had said It is no ordinary favour in times of common danger to have your lives for a prey you complain for this losse and that losse and you have cause too but think withall that you have your lives And why is it said that they should have their lives for a prey A prey you know properly is that which we take out of the hand of an enemie that which was in his possession the lives of these persons were said to be given to them for a prey in those perillous times because God by his care and providence did as it were fetch back their lives from the hand of the enemie their lives in naturall reason were in their enemies hands but God undertakes to fetch them back and recover them out of their hands and so they were promised to have their lives for a prey Thus God giveth to many of his people their lives for a prey and they are to blesse God in this behalfe whatsoever afflictions and troubles are upon them that yet they have their lives Lastly we may hence raise our meditations to consider the wonderfull love of God to us in Christ when God sent Christ into the world to save sinners he put him into the hands of Satan and his instruments yet he doth not say as here to Satan Save his life Afflict him as thou wilt persecute him in his cradle despise him slander him revile him accuse him crowne his head with thornes scourge him buffet him spit in his face c. but save his life No this bound is not set to the malice of Satan or the rage of men God gives them leave to take life and all Concerning his servant Job God saith to Satan Spare his life but when he sendeth his Son he gives no order to have him spared but gives his cruell enemies full scope How wonderfull is the love of God who for our sakes was so expensive of his Sons life when as he thus spared the life of a servant If Satan had been chained up from taking the life of Christ he had been at liberty to triumph over our lives to all eternity We had all died if God had said to Satan concerning Christ Save his life Thus we see the Commission of Satan against Job and the limitation of it Satan was not tyed up so short as he was in the former Chapter and yet still he is tyed There he might meddle with Jobs estate but not with his body here he may meddle with his body but not with his life Though God lengthen Satans chain yet he never lets Satan loose though he be at more liberty then before yet he is in custody there is a But of restriction upon him still It is our comfort that though Satan as Philosophers speake of liquids water and the like cannot keep himself in his own bounds yet he is easily kept in bounds by the word and power of God Verse 7. So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with sore boiles from the sole of the feet unto his crowne Verse 8. And he took him a potsheard to scrape himselfe withall and he sate down among the ashes So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. He is presently upon execution as soon as he hath his commission We have explained these words in the former Chapter See then what he doth He smote Job with sore boiles from the sole of his feet unto his crown He smote Job saith the Text. In the former afflictions Satan had instruments to work by He stirred up the Caldeans and Sabeans he moved the fire and the winde into a conspiracie against Job Here he that he might be sure it should be done fully doth it himselfe He smote Job When the devil smiteth he smiteth thorowly he smiteth home When Angels strike they strike to purpose It is said Act. 12. that an Angel of the Lord smote Herod and he was eaten of wormes and
make use of our friends to doe us hurt by He tempteth not only by himself but by creatures And not only by creatures that are at a distance from us but by those who are neerest in relation and by those most He can make a servant a child a wife instrumentall for our ruine In this sense we may apply that caveat of the Prophet Jer. 9.4 Take ye heed every one of his neighbour and trust ye not in any brother That also of Micah Trust ye not in a friend put ye not confidence in a guide keep the doores of thy mouth from her that lyeth in thy bosome Yea take heed of thy owne bosome Satan drawes a party from our selves against our selves Thirdly observe Satan is very subtile to make choise of such instruments as may do his work most effectually Of all those that were about Job he could not have picked out any to have carried on his plot so powerfully and with such probability of successe First in regard of her neernesse she had opportunitie to come unto him and freedome to improve that importunity Saul knew what hee did when he married his daughter to David I will give him her said Saul that she may be a snare to him 1 Sam. 18.21 Politick marriages are usually made for temptation not for comfort snares are tyed fastest with a false lovers knot Secondly the motion or perswasions of a wife whether to good or evil are very taking upon a husbands heart We see it in the first wife that ever was she by perswasions overcame Adam unto sin she was the devils agent for the undoing of her husband and the world Ahab was very wicked but he had a tempter in his bosome But there was none like unto Ahab who did sell himselfe to work wickednesse whom Jezebel his wife stirred up Unparalell'd wickednesse is ascribed to the provocations of a wife When a Prince hath given up his affections and his conscience into the hands of a malicious wanton woman he will quickly sell himselfe to such wickednesse as will be his owne trouble and entitle him like king Ahab the troublers of a kingdome Thirdly Satan knew that a wound is deeper by how much the hand is neerer that strikes it Afflictions presse us most when they are from our friends What thou my son said Caesar in the Senate What thou my wife Is thy hand upon me in my own house might Job say The Prophet brings in one questioning What are these wounds And Christ answering Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends Zech. 13.6 The height of enmity is thus exprest A mans enemies shall be the men of his own house Micah 7.6 This caused David to complaine so bitterly Psal 55.12 It was not an enemie that had done this but it was thou my friend and my equall and my companion The friend wounded more then the sword So might Job complaine It was not an enemy it was not a Sabean or a cruell Caldean that spake this but it was thou my equall my friend my companion and which is more then all these My wife my second selfe I grant that in one sense the wounds of a friend are precious Precious are the wounds of a friend but the kisses of an enemy are deceitfull Precious are the wounds of a friend when a friend doth wound with holy reproofe but when a friend wounds by sinfull counsell or solicitations unto sinne those are pernicious wounds If that which is light in us be turned into darknesse as Christ speakes how great is that darknesse So if that which should be our comfort be turned into our sorrow how great is our sorrow Therefore we see why Satan spared the wife that she might be an instrument and a most effectuall instrument either to prevaile upon him or to vex him in case she did not prevaile Doubtlesse Job did not feele so much smart when Satan smote both flesh and bone as now when his flesh and bone smote him Thus we see the cruelty of Satans mercy He spared Jobs tongue and he spared Jobs wife he spared his tongue that Job might have a member free for an instrument of sin in cursing God and he spared Jobs wife that himselfe might have an instrument to bid him sin Curse God and die This was her counsell And his wife said unto him Doest thou still retain thine integritie Curse God and die Her words consist of two parts 1. A sharpe and a scornfull exprobration 2. A wicked and sinfull direction Her scornfull exprobration in these words Doest thou still retain thine integritie Her sinfull direction in those words Curse God and die Doest thou still retain thine integritie Words quick and short It is probable we have here only the compendium or briefe of that discourse which passed between Job and his wife We have only the poison and the Antidote as a learned Expositor hints it upon this place The Septuagint have taken the boldnesse if they be not falsified to set down his wives speech at large and joyn it in with the body of the Text thus A long time being spent his wife said unto him How long wilt thou hold out saying Behold I wait yet a little while expecting the hope of my Salvation For consider thy remembrance is blotted out from the earth even thy sons and thy daughters the pains and travell of my womb whom I have brought forth in vaine Thou thy self sittest here in the rottennesse of worms abiding all night in the open ayre I poore hand-maid wander from place to place from house to house looking when the sun will set that I may take a little repose from the paines and sorrowes which now oppresse me but utter thou some word against the Lord and die The Greek Authors comment upon these words as upon the text it selfe But I shall wave them wholly Neither shall I stay here in the Explication of the words according to our reading out of the Hebrew because we have handled them at the third verse of this Chapter In the testimony which God giveth concerning Job where he speakes thus to Satan Hast thou considered my servant Job how that he is a perfect man c. and that he still holdeth fast his integritie God spake it to the praise of Job still he holdeth fast his integritie his wife speaks it to his reproach and upbraideth him with it Doest thou still retain thine integritie The words spoken by both are the same but the sense and intent of the speakers is quite different God speakes them in honour to Job his wife speakes them in contempt of Job and therefore she formes them into a question a cutting kinde of speech Doest thou still retaine thine integritie As if she should say What art thou so senselesse and so stupid so mad and sottish to go on in this course still what hast thou got by it where are thy earnings what is the advantage of holinesse or what
it is a giving of glory to God and our giving glory to God is our blessing of God Josh 7.19 Give glory to the Lord God of Israel and make confession unto him Thus blesse God that is confesse thy sin and so prepare thy selfe to die in a holy manner seeing thou art past hope of life addresse thy selfe piously for death Thus he and all upon these grounds First because he could not be perswaded that a wife the Governesse of such a holy family as Jobs was a wife the companion of such a holy man as Job was should be so full of the Devill so wicked to speake the Devils words with the Devils heart And secondly because Satan himself could not be so sencelesse as to beleeve or hope that such desperate counsell could ever take upon Jobs heart And therefore he conceives that she advised him only as any one would a dying friend or a malefactor condemned and ready to be carried to execution yet persisting in his sin or unlamenting the wickednesse which procur'd that sentence Her errour saith he was only this that she judged him wicked because he was thus smitten and that he trusted upon his integrity because he held it fast whereas indeed Job looked for no good but out of the hand of Free-grace and accounted his very Integrity but dung to the righteousnesse and redemption of the promised Messiah But with humble respect to so reverend an Authour there are two reasons strong against this Exposition in my apprehension which I shall propose and submit to the readers judgement The first is this It had been quite against Satans designe that Jobs wife should give her husband good counsell For it had been so farre from being an addition to Jobs affliction that it had been a great abatement of it to heare his wife speake so holily and administring such wholesome counsell in the substance of it though mistaken in the application of it to him And surely a heart so composed as Jobs was under all these pressures would have shaped out such an answer as this My deare wife I thanke thee for thy care and counsell thou hast a holy jealousie over me that I am not in such a posture of spirit as becomes a dying man Though there be an errour in thy advise as applied to me yet I take it as an errour of love and thy reproofe though misplaced is very acceptable and pretious unto me But which makes my second reason He reproves her for it and tells her plainely Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh Whereas if that had been the meaning of her words she spake as one of the wise women like a wise woman indeed It is an act of wisedome and of love both to suspect ill of another when that suspition leads us only to advise him for his good It is an excellent thing when jealousies are improved into faithfull counsels Surely then Job had never numbred her with the foolish women if that speech of hers had imported only an humble preparation for his approaching death In the second place Some who translate the words Blesse God and die doe yet expound them as very sinfull counsell though the words sound faire yet the sense is made very foule These understand them as an Ironie as if his wife scoffing and jeering her husband had said Doest thou still retaine thine integrity blesse God and die thou shalt have enough of thine integrity take thy fill of blessing of God thou art all for blessing God and holding fast thy integrity goe on if thou wilt and blesse God still and see what thou shalt get by it thou shalt have no other reward but a wound thou shalt receive no wages of this Master but death blesse God and die repeate that speech now which you used under the first affliction Repeate againe that beloved maxime with which you seeme to be so much delighted The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord you shall see it will not fright death away or be any security from the graveâ— you thought when you spoke those words first that they would have prevented a second trouble and that God who saw you take the former stroake so kindly at his hands would not strike you againe But you see good words are no defence against blowes And if thou shouldest be so foolish to flye for refuge to the same submissive language experience would quickly teach thee that as before it could not protect thee from this soare disease so now it would be no protection from the arrest of death Blesse God and die Some strengthen this sense from the forme of speaking here used which is imperative Blesse God and die She bids him doe it I doe it and spare not Such expressions import a mixture of scorne as Lam. 4.21 Rejoyce and be glad O daughter of Edom Here is a grant if not a command a seeming direction if not an injunction to rejoyce and be glad what is given as the occcasion of this joy The Cup also shall passe thorough unto thee What cup A cup of blood a cup of trembling And is this to be rejoyced in Surely in such joy the heart must be heavy and the acting of such mirth is sorrow yet he bids her rejoyce as if he had said be as merry as you can yet the cup shall passe thorough unto thee thou shalt not escape So Eccles 11.9 Rejoyce O young man in thy youth and let thine heart cheere thee and walke in the wayes of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes doe so but know that for all these things God will bring thee into judgement Thus here Blesse God and die Goe on I pray take thy fill of blessing God blesse him as much and as long as thou wilt yet I see the image of death in thy face die thou shalt Mr. Broughton seemes to encline to such a meaning in his translation doest thou still hold thine integrity blessing God and dying As if she had said wilt thou be such a foole to goe on blessing God and dying blessing God while he is killing thee which was indeed Jobs wisedome and his resolution a little after Though he kill me yet will I trust in him So farre of those who translate the text blesse God and die with that two-fold exposition upon it I shall now consider what sense we are to make out of these words as we translate them and as they are indeed most generally translated Curse God and die This reading of the text seemes most answerable to Satans designe which being to provoke Job to curse God it was most proper to sute his wives spirit with such thoughts and to put his own words into her mouth Curse God and die This thred is of the same spinning with the former and carries Satans plot home upon his own principles She speakes this adversaries mind as fully as he could himselfe when she bids her
and solid reason The reprehension in these words Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh The reason of his reprehension in those which follow What shall we receive good at the hand of God and not evill To begin with the reprehension Thou speakest as one of the foolish women In the Hebrew Woman is not exprest it is only a Feminine as one of the foolish ones we translate it foolish woman That word commeth from Nabal which signifieth properly a thing fallen off like a dried leafe or blasted withered fruit without life without strength without sap and moysture exhausted and kill'd thorough excesse either of cold or heat and so by a Metaphor it noteth any one without the sap or juyce of wisedome goodnesse and honesty such a person we call a saplesse person Or it signifieth one that is vile and base and low one that hath a base withered low fallen spirit a spirit fallen below all noble or holy resolutions Nabal is such a foole as hath his judgement and understanding faded and corrupted in regard of any holy principles though he may be wise in regard of naturall principles Such the Prophet describes they are wise to doe evill but to do good they have no knowledge Jer. â— 22 Hence the Latin word Nebulo which signifies a Knave is by good Etymologists derived from the Hebrew Nabal because such are dull-heads in goodnesse and witty only in wickednesse Such was he 1 Sam. 25.25 Nabal is his name and folly is with him That proper name is the same with the Appellative here that 's the Masculine this the Feminine Thou speakest like a Nabalesse We find the word often used elsewhere to signifie wicked worthlesse and vile persons Psal 14.1 The foole hath said c. Deut. 32.6 21. at the 6th verse O foolish people and unwise doe ye thus requite the Lord And ver 21. They have provoked me to anger by those that are no gods and I will provoke them to jealousie by them which are not a people and move them to anger with a foolish nation by them which are not a people by a foolish nation A foolish people deserve not the name of a people Looke upon this word in the abstract folly is wickednesse and to worke folly is in the language of the Scripture as much as to worke wickednesse to worke the greatest wickednesse Hence it is sometimes translated villany Ier. 29.22 23. The Lord make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab whom the King of Babylon rosted in the fire because they have committed villany in Israel And throughout the Booke of Proverbs the foole and an ungodly man a wise-man and a godly man are Synonomaes words signifying the same thing Thus Job reproves his wife thou speakest as one of the foolish women like one of those who have no wisedome no goodnesse not any sense or sap of goodnesse in them But who were these foolish women at whom he aimes in this comparison that is not cleare some conceive he intends the women of Idumea Thou speakest as one of these heathen women these Idumeans I have heard indeed such language from them when things have gone amisse with them I have heard them cursing their Idols cursing their gods I have heard them raile at fate fall out and wrangle with fortune Thou speakest like one of them Thou takest thy patterne in this from the custome of the Heathen who use their gods coursely when they thinke they have but course usage from their gods If their gods be angry they will be angry with and revile their gods Thou speakest after the rate of these foolish women Thou diddest never heare such doctrine in my family or among those who feare and love the true and ever-living God Job you see is now somewhat warme in his speech Job had indured much and all his sufferings hitherto had not stirr'd any passion in him but that of sorrow as we saw in the latter end of the former Chapter Not an angry posture not an angry expression all along but now that God and the wayes of God are concerned Job can hold no longer this speech of his wife cast dishonour upon both and now passion begins to stir hee cannot forbeare her though his wife Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh Observe That Passion becometh us in the cause of God Our Lord Christ teaching his Disciples the true meaning of the Law tells them Mat. 5.22 He that is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgement but he that is not angry when there is cause especially when there is such a cause as this he likewise is in danger of the Judgement Secondly Job is not only angry with her but he reproves her Thou speakest as one of the foolish women It is lawfull sometimes to expresse holy anger and passion by sharpe reproofes Christ who was meeknesse and humility it selfe yet when he hath to deale with Pharisees he can call them a generation of vipers painted Sepulchers blind guides an adulterous generation children of the Devill Anger can hardly be silent and that anger is admirable which speakes and sinnes not He that knowes not how to be angry knowes not how to love And he that knowes not how to reprove with love knowes not how to be angry You may discerne love in Job mingling with and moderating his reproof Job rebukes his wife but it is with the spirit of meeknesse First He doth not speake positively or down-right Thou art a foole but comparatively Thou speakest as one of the foolish women use to speake That seemes one mitigation or allay of this reproofe yet I confesse such speaking by way of similitude hath often in it the force and intent of a direct assertion Another thing observeable for the meeknesse of Job is this He doth not fall out with the whole Sex and say ye women are foolish and ignorant and impatient But thou speakest as one of the foolish women He doth not charge the whole Sex he knew there were wise women as well as foolish such Solomon describes Pro. 31.26 She openeth her mouth with wisedome and we know Abigail the wife was wise and her husband was Naball a foole Iob doth not lay it upon women in generall he falleth not out with all because he knew there were some foolish ones and because he saw his wife in that act imitating those foolish ones There is a third thing mitigating the sharpnesse of the reproof Iob doth not fall out with or disgust the ordinance of God because his wife spake thus he saith not who would marry to be yoak't with such a one as you It is enough to make one forsweare marriage to have or heare of such a wife better be in any condition then in a married condition How often doe husbands discover this folly if their wives displease them presently the ordinance of God displeaseth them who would be married It is very sad when mans
sorrowes 2. To communicate unto him their comforts First To mourne with him And secondly To comfort him The former of these two ends viz. their mourning with him we have largely set downe in the two latter verses they put that end into act presently as soone as they came they fell a mourning with him And we may observe 5. distinct acts of Jobs friends solemnly condoling or mourning with him The first act is this They wept And to shew that it was no ordinary weeping the Text saith They lift up their voice and wept The second act of their mourning was their renting of their Mantles And they rent every one his Mantle The third act was the sprinckling of dust upon their heads and the sprinckling of dust toward Heaven which was another aggravating circumstance of their sorrow The fourth act was their sitting downe with him upon the ground seven dayes and seven nights The fifth act of their mourning with him was their silence And none spake a word unto him The Cause or the reason of this solemnity in their mourning the reason of these 5. Acts but especially of the last of their silence is given us in the latter words of the verse For they saw that his griefe was very great therefore it must have great sorrow and great silence to waite the fittest season for the administring of counsell and consolation Thus for the parts and resolution of the words contained in these 3. verses I shall come to the opening of the particulars And when Jobs three friends The word which we translate friends springs from a root which signifieth to feed a mans selfe or others or to eate together as Sheepe eate together and so from the same word a Pastor or a feeder of Sheepe is derived Psal 21.1 The Lord is my Shepheard and feeder And by a Metaphor it is translated for a friend because friends doe usually feed together eate and converse together So David describes a friend Psal 49.9 My familiar friend that did eate of my bread Jobs visitants are thus exprest his friends or familiars The word sometimes notes only a friend at large or any neighbour So in the Law Exod. 20 16. Thou shalt not beare false witnesse against thy neighbour or it is the same word against thy friend there it is taken in a large sense for a neighbour that is for any besides thy selfe to whom offices of love are due as Christ expounds it Luk. 10.30 But usually it is put strictly for a speciall friend as in Deut. 13.6 when he speakes of inticers to Idolatry If thy friend saith he who is as thine owne soule there is the same word and he shewes by a circumlocution whom he meanes by such a friend namely such a one who is as thine own soule one that lieth in thy bosome and is as neere and deare to thee as thy selfe I suppose here in this place Jobs three friends were not friends at large but intimate and speciall friends or as we use to say bosome friends And therefore when it is said Jobs three friends we are not to understand it as if Job had but three as if these were all the friends Iob had but amongst all his friends these carried away the name these were the chiefe and choice Jobs three friends As it is said concerning Davids Worthies 2 Sam. 23 David had many Worthies but there was a first three a chiefe three among them all So here Iob doubtlesse had many friends a large catalogue of friends but in these you have the toppe of his friends the chiefe hree the first three These three speciall friends came to visit Iob to mourne with him and to comfort him The occasion of this visit presents it selfe next When these three friends heard of all this evill that was come upon Job When they heard of it The troubles of Iob were noysed all the Country over yea into strange Countries Two things are swiftly carried about upon the wings of fame and poasted about by reports First The sinnes Secondly The afflictions of godly men If they fall into any sin it will be heard of all a Country it may be all a Kingdome over It shall be told in Gath and publish'd in the streets of Askelon Againe if they fall into any great affliction every one descants upon it and many will passe deepe censures It becomes matter of wonder that men eminent in godlinesse great professors such as have held forth the name and upheld the truth of Christ that they I say should fall into great afflictions is reported discours'd admir'd all a Country over There is nothing that is more talked of then the trouble that befalleth godly men When the three friends of Job heard of all this evill that was come upon him When this report about Iob came to them they came to Iob. They came saith the Text every one from his owne place The word Place is often used in Scripture to signifie a Country a City or a Region Now here it is conceived that the place from whence they came was not only the place where they dwelt but the place where they governed It is frequently asserted by the Iewish Doctors with whom the Septuagint agree and most of the Jesuits are in it to that these three friends of Iob were Kings either Reges or Reguli such as had the governement of those Countries where they lived Beza rejects this as a Fable and telleth us that this opinion hath no footing or foundation in Scripture but is grounded only upon that usuall boldnesse of the Iewish Doctors But whether they were Kings or subjects whether they came from their private dwellings or from the places of their dominion needs not trouble us This is cleare that they were great men eminent persons in their Country and the disputes which follow testifie that they were men of very great wisedome and understanding according to all the learning of those times These three friends of Job are here set forth by name by a double name By the name first of their persons Secondly by the name of their Country or of their Family For that 's a question whether the additionall name be derived from the Country where they dwelt or from the Family out of which they were extracted Eliphaz the Temanite he is the first We reade Gen. 36.11 that Esau begat Eliphaz that Eliphaz was the eldest sonne of Esau and Eliphaz begat Teman This Teman descending from Esau is supposed to be the Father or the Ancestor of this Eliphaz from whom he is called Eliphaz the Temanite and so Temanite is a note of the Family from whence Eliphaz descended It is usuall likewise in Scripture to give such additionall names from the Countries or places and so Eliphaz the Temanite may be from Teman of which we reade often in Scripture Teman signifies the South It was a Southerne Country Further Teman was a place wherein it is observed that the Schooles
of Learning were seated Jer. 49.7 Concerning Edom thus saith the Lord Is wisedome no more in Teman Two things may be gathered from that Text. First That Teman was in Edom or Idumea Secondly That it was a place wherein there was much profession of wisedome and learning So then we may take the word Temanite either as referring unto the Stock from which Eliphaz sprung or unto the place where Eliphaz lived The Hebrewes referre it unto his Stock or pedigree And the Caldee Paraphrase is for the place or Country Jobs second friend was Bildad the Shuhite All that I find for his pedigree is that he came from one of the sonnes of Abraham by his second wife Keturah of whom it is said Gen. 25.1 That she bare him Zimram and Jockshan with others and Shuah From which Shuah was the family of the Shuhites And it is conceived that Bildad was of that line and therefore here called Bildad the Shuhite And for the last Zophar the Naamathite there is lesse certainty concerning him Some will have him to be Zepho mentioned Gen. 36.11 who was Grand-child to Esau by Eliphaz his eldest sonne And for his additionall name Naamathite the best conjecture which I find takes it from Naamah the name of a City spoken of Josh 15.41 in the division of the promised Land to the Children of Israel Now it is said that these three upon the report of all the evill that was come upon Job came to visit him for they had made an appointment together to come or they all agreed together they came not by accident but by appointment The word signifieth to meete by solemne agreement Hence the place where the children of Israel used to meete to solemnize the worship of God before the building of the Temple was called the Tabernacle of the Congreation because they were to congregate or meete there at set times to celebrate the name of God according to his own institution And in the thirtieth Chapter of this Booke the grave is called Beth-mogned v. 23. the house of the gathering together of all men according to that Statute of Heaven It is appointed unto men once to dye Heb. 9.27 It is the fancie of Origen upon this place that these three friends came at adventure that they came all of them severall wayes unknowne to or without the privity of one another from their severall Countries and met as it were by miracle at Jobs house the same day and houre But the Text is cleere that there was a profest covenant and agreement made by which they came together They came saith the Text to mourne with him and to comfort him In these words we have the end or intendment of their coming First They came to mourne with him The word which we translate to mourne signifieth to move the body or to passe from place to place Cain after that sinne of his in murthering his Brother Gen. 4. hath this judgement pass'd by God upon him that he should be a fugitive and a vagabond he should be Nod a mover from place to place and afterwards it is said he dwelt in the Land of Nod which some interpret for a speciall place for a Country called Nod but it is taken by others thus hee dwelt in the Land of Nod that is where ever he dwelt he found the Land as it were moving it was a moving a shaking a trembling Land to him He dwelt in the Land of Nod His conscience quaking continually by reason of the guilt that was upon him for murdering his Brother the earth also seemed to quake under him wheresoever he went or dwelt That only by the way The same word here used in the Text by a Metaphor signifies to mourne or compassionate the afflictions and miseries of another So Nah. 3.6 Nineveh is laid wast who will be moane her And Isa 51.19 These two things are come unto thee who shall be sorry for thee And the reason why this word which signifieth properly to move is translated to signifie mourning in compassion with others may be either first this because such persons will runne goe or move from place to place to give and administer comfort to their friends whose afflictions affect and grieve them as we see here in these friends of Job they took a long journey they moved indeed when they came to mourne Or rather secondly as I conceive for this reason because such compassionate sorrowes and mournings when our friends are under deepe and sore afflictions are usually exprest by moving the body or at least moving some member of the body as many times the hand is lifted up and we strike our breasts or we shake the head It is ordinary in compassionate sorrowes thus to move the hand or the head and so the word is used to signifie mourning from that act which accompanies or testifies mourning And the same word is sometimes used to signifie that trepidation or trembling of the heart those convulsions of the spirit upon the approaches of our own troubles So Isa 7.2 That fearfull motion and disquietnesse both of Prince and people when they heard of the invasion of their Country by Rezin King of Syria c. is thus exprest The heart of the King and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the wood are moved with the winde Secondly It is said they came to comfort him The word which is there used to comfort signifies likewise to mourne and especially the mournings of repentance or to repent for sin with sorrow the reason is given because true comfort doth spring from repentance Joy often ariseth out of sorrow and so the same word is applied to both Worldly joy and sorrow are contraries but godly joy and sorrow are con-causes mutually effecting and helping one another We have here an excellent patterne held forth unto us of our duty in reference unto distressed persons or Nations First thus It is both an act and an argument of true friendship to mourne with and comfort those that are in affliction A man doth then set his seale to it that he is a friend when he will partake and share in his friends afflictions when he will divide with him in all estates whatsoever it is whether sweet or sowre joy or sorrow he will have his part Many friends will come and rejoyce with you they will come to a feast with you they will meete at a house of mirth with you but they fall off and goe backe when they must weepe with you when if they come they must come to a house of mourning Solomon Prov. 17.17 gives us the true character of a friend A friend loveth at all times and a brother is borne for adversitie It is the note and triall of our love to God when we love him at all times what ever he doth with us And it is the argument of true love unto our bretheren when we love and owne them at all times whatsoever they
Sam. 16.15 who came forth and cursed David still as he came That act was alike opposite both to the rule and word of the 5th Commandement which saith honour thy father c. taking-in the civill father as well as the naturall Shimeis cursing David lightly esteemed David he did not looke upon him in or according to the weightinesse and honour of his Kingly person or of his Kingly office a King is a weighty person a Crowne is a weighty thing Shimei despised and so cursed both Sometime the word is translated directly to despise I will give you two texts for that Gen. 16.4 When Hagar saw she had conceived her Mistresse was despised in her eyes it is the same word with that used here for cursing the meaning is she did lightly esteeme her Mistresse Thus she thought now shall I have the honour of raising Abrahams family now I am at least as good a woman as my mistresse thus she despised Sarah Againe 1 Sam. 2.30 where the Lord saith concerning Elies sonnes Them that honour me I will honour and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed I will make little account of them that make little account of me and woe be to those though all the world honour them whom God despiseth That man looses more then honour whom God doth not honour And they who deny God his honour deny him all good and offer him all evill such a dispising of God is a cursing of God Further To curse if we consider it in the nature of the thing and not strictly in the literall sense of the word is to wish evill to a thing or person This also is the meaning of the curse in this place for when Iob explaines this curse in the parts of it he doth as it were with wonderfull art and skill gather together whatsoever may be thought the evill of a day or the evill of a night and calls it up to seize upon them A curse or to curse virtually containes in it all evill As a blessing or to blesse containes in it virtually all good Every mercy we enjoy is a blessing specificated And so any evill that falls upon man as Sword Famine Pestilence c. is a curse specificated Howsoever possibly those things which are in their nature evill and in their matter a curse may be qualified in reference unto some persons into a blessing But take a curse properly and it containeth all evill and only evill in it Therefore as when God had given the world an esse a being that he might give it a bene esse a well being he adds to the work of Creation the word of benediction And God blessed them and said unto them be fruitfull c. Gen. 1.22 28. So afterward when man had sinned and the Lord intended to leave the world groaning under part of those evills which sin had brought upon it he wraps up all in the word of a curse Cursed be the ground for thy sake c. Gen. 3.17 So then when Job curseth his day he wisheth all the evill to it that a day is capable of And Job opened his mouth and cursed his day But what was this day that Job was so angry with it and that his passion doth so burne against it The Text speakes indefinitely Job cursed his day Some understand it of the day of his present suffering he cursed the day on which such troubles befell him And we find sometimes in Scripture that a day put thus alone is an evill or a troublesome day As in the 12th verse of the Prophecie of Obadiah the Lord rebukes the children of Edom thus Thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother that is the day of thy brother Jacobs sufferings the day wherein I had him under my rod and afflicted him So the day of the Lord is the day of the Lords anger when he powres wrath and trouble upon the earth Isa 2.12 The day of the Lord of hostes shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty and upon every one that is lifted up and he shall be brought low The day of the Lord or the day of a man undetermin'd often signifies an evill day But here we may rather understand it for that day which was as the occasion or for the occasionall day of all Jobs troubles and that was his birth-day If his birth-day had beene prevented all his troublesome dayes had beene prevented therefore he falls out with that as himselfe explaines it verse 3. Let the day perish saith he there wherein I was borne and the night in which it was said there is a man-child conceived It is usuall to call a mans birth-day his day so the Scripture is conceived to speake Hos 7.5 In the day of our King the Princes have made him sicke with bottles of wine That is on his birth-day which among Princes is commonly solemniz'd with feasting As we reade of Pharaoh and of Herod So then the day is his birth-day the day of his nativity which some take precisely for the day upon which he was borne and others more largely for the annuall returne of that day as if he had laid in a curse for a day whensoever or how often soever it should returne in the yeares of his life A little further to cleare the sense of this curse let us consider the whole matter as we have considered the words There are two or three questions which being debated and resolved will give light to this context Job you see takes upon him to curse First it may be questioned whether a curse be in the power of man or no Can a man curse persons or things Surely blessings and cursings are both in the hand of God whether we respect persons or things There is a ministeriall curse and a ministeriall blessing in the power of man but it is not in the power of any man magisterially to make any thing or person blessed or to make any thing or person accursed It was a great brag which Balack made of Balaam Numb 22.6 I wot saith he that he whom thou blessest is blessed and he whom thou cursest is cursed He thought he had the curse in his command he could curse whom he pleased and what he pleased and when he pleased but he was deceived he reckon'd beyond his strength and beyond the strength of a creature What the Apostle speakes in another case concerning the ministery of the word Paul may plant and Apollos may water but it is God that giveth the increase is as true in this one man may plant a curse and another man may water it with a hearty wish that it may grow but it is God only that giveth the increase of evill and the decrease of good Curses are not in the power of any creature if they were we should have a miserable world quickly How many should we see daily blasted with the breath of malicious execrations Some mens mouthes are full of cursing Psal 10.7
was borne let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed Cursed be the man who brought tydings to my father saying a man-child is borne unto thee He doth not only curse his birth-day but the messenger of his birth And he curses both with a word of deeper detestation then Job imployed to ease or empty his troubled spirit by Jobs word signified but his disesteeme and himselfe regardlesse of his day but Jeremie imployes that very word through which God powred out his wrath and everlasting displeasure upon the serpent and the Devill Gen. 3.14 in each of these Jeremie went a straine of impatience beyond Job and yet holy Jeremie still The Lord saith the same Prophet Chap 8.14 hath put us to silence and given us waters of gall to drinke because we have sinned against the Lord. When we remember our own sinnes we have reason to be silent though the Lord feed us with waters of gall bitter waters And if we be silent and open not our mouthes because we have sinned he beares with our cry as we are pained He knowes whereof we are made and remembers that we are but dust A little thing troubles our flesh therefore it is no wonder if flesh and blood cry out in great troubles though they be subdued by grace unto the spirit And if God in this case beare with us we ought also to beare with one another and not be scandaliz'd or take offence when we see good men mourning and lamenting under the evills which they endure He that understands man will compassionate the sorrowes not question the sincerity of a complaining groaning brother Thirdly Job complaineth bitterly and he curseth but what doth he curse He curseth his day Observe from thence That Satan with his utmost power and policie with his strongest temptations and assaults can never fully attaine his ends upon the children of God What was it that the Devill undertooke for was it not to make Job curse his God and yet when he had done his worst and spent his malice upon him he could but make Job curse his day This was farre short of what Satan hoped Doubtlesse when the Devell heard the word cursed come out of Jobs mouth he then began to prick up his eares and triumph surely now the day is mine now he will curse his God but at the fall of that word cursed be the day Satans hope falls and downe goes he That word day was darkenesse to the Devill and as the shadow of death he failes of his end and is confounded he goes away ashamed and hath not a word more to say but leaves his friends to say the rest The gates of Hell shall never prevaile against those who are founded on free grace and the rock Jesus Christ Fourthly observe That God doth graciously forget and passe by the distempered speeches and bitter complainings of his servants under great afflictions Job spake this curse but when God comes to question with Job we doe not heare a word or title of this curse charg'd upon him God takes notice that hee had spoken of him the thing that is right Chap. 42.7 God commends him for what he had spoken well but Job doth not heare a word of what he had spoken ill When the iniquity of his speeches was sought for there was none and his failings they could not be found for God had pardoned them as the Prophet speakes of Israel and Judah Chap. 42.20 Our Lord Christ saith that of every idle word you shall give an account at the day of judgement and by your words you shall be justified and by your words you shall be condemned Math. 12.36 37. We had neede looke to our words God writeth what we speake and keepeth a booke of all we say You will say How then were Jobs distempered complainings forgotten and all taken for well spoken that he had spoken I answer First None of Jobs were idle words though there was errour in his words Secondly His right words were more then his erring words Thirdly His heart was upright when his tongue slipt Fourthly He repented of those slips and errours And lastly God forgiving blotted them out of his booke for ever Further in a sense we may say that God makes allowance to his people for such failings not an allowance of connivence and dispensation God doth not dispense with any to doe the least evill or expresse the least impatience in their speeches but he makes an allowance of favour and compassion considering their weakenesse and the strength of temptation he abates proportionably when in such a condition they speake impatiently though their actions and speeches want some graines of that weight which they ought to have yet weighing them in the scale of favour with his gracious allowance they go for currant and passe in account with God as good and full pay of that duty he expects from us and we owe unto his Majesty JOB 3.4 5 6 7 c. Let that day be darkenesse let not God regard it from above neither let the light shine upon it Let darkenesse and the shadow of death staine it let a cloud dwell upon it let the blacknesse of the day terrifie it As for that night let darkenesse seize upon it let it not be joyned unto the dayes of the yeere let it not come into the number of the moneths Loe let that night be solitary let no joyfull voice come therein WE have already given the Analysis and parts of this Chapter The subject of it is Jobs curse upon his day The first section of it in the nine first verses containes the matter and the method of that curse And he curseth his day First In generall ver 1. After this Job opened his mouth and curseth his day Secondly He curseth it in both the parts of it ver 3. Let the day perish in which I was borne and the night in which it was said there is a man-child conceived In these six verses which remaine appertaining to the first Section he affixes a particular curse to each part of his day taking a day for a naturall day and then dividing it into day and night he gives a speciall curse to each of these parts A curse upon the day and a curse upon the night The curse powred out upon the day lies in the fourth and fift verses of this Chapter Let that day be darknesse let not God regard it from above neither let the light shine upon it let darkenesse and the shadow of death staine it let a cloud dwell upon it let the blacknesse of the day terrifie it Here are six distinct branches of shis curse First Let the day be darkenesse Let the day Here we are to take day not for a naturall day but for the day as it is the continent of light the whole space of time from the rising to the setting of the Sun Now saith he Let the day be darkenesse Be darkenesse There is a great aggravation of misery in that as
Christ speakes Mat. 6.23 If the light that is in thee be darkenesse how great is that darkenesse While Job wisheth that his very day which is light should be darkenesse how great a darkenesse doth he wish unto it And if the day be darkenesse how darke must the night of that day be Then againe Let the day be darkenesse he doth not say let the day be mistie or cloudy or duskie or darke he doth not wish it like that day described Zech. 14.6 It shall come to passe in that day that the light shall not be cleare nor darke but he saith Let it be darkenesse Both in Scripture and common language Abstracts are emphatically significant and carry more then an ordinary sense in them When David saith Psal 27.1 The Lord is my light there is more in it then if he had only said the Lord doth enlighten me So to set forth the wofull condition of those who are unregenerate or in the state of nature the Apostle tells them Ephes 5.8 Ye were sometimes darkenesse not only in the darke but darkenesse So here to expresse how great a curse he wishes upon his day Job saith Let the day be darkenesse it selfe Now darkenesse may be taken two wayes Either Properly or Improperly Proper darkenesse is nothing else but a privation of light it is no positive creature it hath no cause in nature but is the consequent of the Sunnes absence When Job wishes let that day be darkenesse we may understand it of this darkenesse as if he had said whensoever that day commeth about in the recourse and revolution of the yeare let it be darkenesse or a very darke and gloomy day This had bin a great evill upon his day This kind of darkenesse was one of the 10 plagues with which God smote Egypt And yet there is darkenesse which is a greatet evill then this I meane darkenesse improperly taken and so frequently in Scripture any sorrowfull troublesome sad condition is express'd by darkenesse A condition of darkenesse is a sad condition a darke day is as much as a sad day So then Let that day be darkenesse that is let it for ever be accounted a sad and sorrowfull day Thus the Prophet Joel Chap. 2.2 calls a day of great trouble a day of darkenesse and gloominesse a day of clouds and of thicke darkenesse When Solomon Eccles 12.2 would shew by way of Antithesis the sad and evill condition of old age comparatively to youth he unfolds it by darkenesse remember now thy creatour in the dayes of thy youth make haste serve God betime But what needs such haste I tell thee why as times change so thy estate will change Evill dayes will come I therefore counsell thee to doe it while the evill dayes come not nor the yeares draw nigh when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them while the Sunne or the light or the Moone or the Starres be not darkened A day without pleasure is a day without the Sunne take away the joy of a day and you take away the light of a day Young-men have the Sunne and the Moone and the Starres all kind of light and comfortable influences upon them but these will be darkened and ecclipsed when old-age cometh that will put out or at least obscure your light your day will be gone and your night will have neither Moone nor Starre in it therefore worke while you have light that is while you have health and strength of body while you have freedome and activity of spirits fit for that great service remember that is know and serve your Creatour So in the Text we may take darkenesse improperly as darkenesse notes an uncomfortable estate and it is used in Scripture to note a two-fold uncomfortable estate First An estate of sinne Secondly An estate of misery This latter darkenesse is the daughter of the former The Prophet Isay Chap. 9.2 speakes of the people that sate in darkenesse which is repeated Mat. 4.16 that is in the darkenesse of ignorance of sin and guilt They had naturall light enough and they had civill light enough aboundance of outward comforts they had health and strength and riches and peace and plenty but they had not a Christ to take away their sins and cleanse their consciences and therefore they were a people that sate in darkenesse Jobs curse intends not this darkenesse of sin but that other improper darkenesse the darkenesse of sorrow the darkenesse of penall evill As if he had said let sorrow and sadnesse over-shadow let mourning and teares overwhelme let calamity and trouble for ever possesse the day upon which I was borne Let not God regard it from above Here is a second part of the curse and a more grievous curse then the former Let not God We may observe here the Name whereby God is expressed it is Eloah The learned Hebricians observe ten severall Names of God in Scripture three of which note his Being Jehovah Jah Ehejeh Three his Power El Eloah Elohim Three his Governement Adonai Shaddai Jehovah Tsebaoth One his Excellency or Super-excellency Gnelion The Name Eloah here used is derived from El which signifieth Mighty and so by that addition to the word there is an addition made to the sense Eloah is Most Mighty or Almighty This word in the singular number is very rare the Name Elohim which is the plurall is very frequent in holy Scripture Christ upon the crosse cryes out to God by this Name in the singular number Eloi Eloi my God my God as calling for the Almighty power of God to support and carry him through his sufferings David useth it in the 18th Psalm ver 31. Who is a God save the Lord. Who is Eloah save Jehovah that is who is a mighty strong God save the Lord Jehovah so the next words explaine it Who is a rocke save our God So Job being about to impleade and accuse his day calls to the mighty God as it were to judge this day to his everlasting neglect Let not God regard it from above Regard it from above The word signifies sometimes to inquire and search after or to take an account of a thing exactly and judiciously as they that are called to reckoning or to judgement are enquired after and so it hath relation to that Name of God Eloah a powerfull or mighty Judge Let not God regard it is let not God take any account of it or enquire after it let it passe as not worth the looking after Secondly The word signifies to have a care of a thing to have a thing or person in account as well as to call unto account to take care and be watchfull over another for good is our regarding of it In this sense the word is used Deut. 11.12 where Moses speaking concerning the Land of Canaan saith It is a Land which the Lord thy God careth for Careth for is the same word with this and this Text may well be expounded by that which followes as the
woman thou knowest how to act the part and postures of a mourner to the life Goe to David and faine thy selfe to be a mourner and as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead And it is observed to this day in many places and as I have been informed frequently in Ireland that not only friends and neighbours are called to lament at the funerall of their friends and neighbours but many others no way related scarce ever known to the person deceased who come professedly to straine for teares and make lamentable out-cryes over the dead To such a custome or profession Job here alluding saith Let them curse it who curse the day If it be objected that this Text speakes of such as curse the day and not of such as mourne upon or bemoane the day That is easily removed because upon those dayes of mourning they were wont to mixe execrations with their lamentations and curses with their teares crying out oh the day alas for the day oh that ever such a day came In the 30th of Ezekiel v. 2. The Lord saith Sonne of man prophecy and say thus saith the Lord God howle ye woe worth the day These did curse the day and such were hired in that sense to curse the day As Balaam who loved the wages of unrighteousnesse was hired to curse the people of God Numb 22. So then the cursing here meant was a dolefull wish that the day had not beene or that such things had not hapned upon that day And so these words Let them curse it who curse the day who are ready to raise up their mourning are only a circumlocution describing those mercinary cursers or mourners As if Job had in more words said thus Let this night be cursed in as high a straine and mourned over with as enlarged sorrowes as the art and invention of those whose trade is cursing and who have teares at command ever did or can put forth when hired on purpose to mourne over the saddest spectacles and most calamitous events Now this being taken for a ground-worke that in those times and Countries men and women were hired to mourne and that an art of mourning was then profest the difficulties that are in the Text opposing this are further to be examined For here still it seemeth doubtfull how this word Leviathan can fall in with such an interpretation or be applied to those hired and professed mourners Towards the clearing of which I shall a little open three words The first is Gnatidim who are ready which signifies a prepared and meditated active readinesse as we find in two Texts of the Booke of Hester The copy of the writing for a commandement to be given in every Province was published unto all people that they should be ready against that day chap. 3.14 and againe chap. 8.13 So that in Job to be ready to raise up the mourning notes more then an immediate going about a thing As we say I am ready to doe a thing that is I will or must doe it presently For it notes also a studied readinesse or preparednesse to doe a thing The second word is Gnour to raise up which is properly to raise from sleepe as in that place Psal 44.23 Awake why sleepest thou O Lord Arise cast us not off for ever The third word is Leviathan which hath two other significations both appliable to this interpretation First Divers of the Rabbins translate it by the Hebrew word Ebel which signifies mourning or sorrow and with the pronoune affixed Their sorrow or their mourning And this is asserted by the learned Mercer for the plainest meaning of the word and so found in the writings of the Hebrew Doctors which also directly answers our translation who are ready to raise up their mourning Secondly The word Leviathan is derived according to the opinion of others from Lavah i. e. joyned or associated Hence Leviath i. e. society or fellowship to which the same pronoune being affixed the word Leviathan is made up and according to that extraction and composition is rendred socictatem suam their society or their company And the word in this derivation and construction of it falls in with the sense of the former interpretation who are ready to raise and stirre up their company namely to goe fourth and mourne or their company of mourners And the reason is two-fold why they are or may be said to raise up their company of mourners First Because those solemne mourners were usually a great many they were a company a Chorus or a Quire making a dolefull lamentation and so when they were to mourne they called together or raised up their company of mourners And the word raised is proper for a second reason because in such mournings it was custom'd to rise up very early or early to raise up one another As David speaking of musicall rejoycing Psal 108.2 saith Awake psaltery and harpe I my selfe will awake early The Hebrew is very emphaticall in that place word for word thus I my selfe will awaken the morning as if he should say the morning shall not awaken mee but I will awaken the morning the morning shall not find me sleeping but I will be up first and call up the morning So those mourners used to awake early in the morning or rather to awaken the morning and they had one woman whom they called Praefica the leader the first or the chiefe of the quire and company of mourners plangendi Magistra whose office it was to call up and bring on the rest It appeares in the Gospell of Matthew that the Jewes in those times used to call in musick to their mournings For when Christ came to the Rulers house whose daughter was dead the Text saith He saw the minstrels and the people making a noise Mat. 9.23 And Josephus relating the story of his owne supposed death shewes how all the City of Jerusalem continued a mourning for him thirty dayes And he adds directly to this point That many musicians were hired for reward to leade those songs or direct the solemnity of those lamentations This exposition upon the supposition of alluding to that custome in mourning and the allowance of those significations of the word Leviathan hath a cleare and a faire sense respecting the series of the Text Job having so farre powred out a curse upon and lamented his night he as it were calls for those to finish and conclude it who traded in such kind of curses and who were skill'd in lamentations There is an objection against this taken from the Grammaticall regimen or construction of the Originall The Hebrew word who are ready is of the Masculine gender and the Pronoune relating to it Leviathan their mourning is of the Feminine gender so that here seemes to be a fault in Grammar if we expound it thus their mourning or their company of mourners To this we may give a double answer First That such changes of one
angry with my day and I shew you why because it shut not up the doores of my mothers wombe c. The reason or the argument stands thus There is cause I should curse that day and that night which not hindering my conception or my birth brought me forth upon the stage of the world to act a part in all these sorrowes But the day and the night did not hinder my conception or my birth therefore I have cause I have reason enough to breake out in such complaints and curse them I doe it because these shut not up the doores of my mothers wombe This is the argument or reason by which he defends his passion and this argument will be found to have more passion in it then reason if we examine it to the bottome For he complaines of that as the cause which was not the cause of his troubles what did the night or the day that he thus chargeth them They had no efficiency in bringing those evills upon him circumstances are not causes Effects are produced in time but time doth not produce effects Only this we may say to helpe it he doth not curse the day as if it could have shut the doores of his mothers wombe but because on that day those doores were not shut But leaving the reason of his speech we will consider the sense of it The Hebrew word for word is thus rendred Because it shut not up the doores of my belly And that the Chaldee Paraphrast renders thus by way of explanation Because it did not shut up the doores of my lips the mouth saith he being as it were the doore or the in-let to the belly or stomack every thing goeth in by that doore and so he carries the sense thus let that night be cursed because it did not stop my breath and so make an end of mee The Septuagint hath it thus because it shut not up the doores of my Mothers belly which answers our translation the doores of my mothers wombe Mr. Broughton to the same sense because it shut not up the doore of the belly that did beare me that is my mothers belly I shall in silence passe over that secret or mystery in nature which may be the ground of this expression There are two secrets in Divinity which are the grounds of it and of them I shall speake The first is this When God layes that affliction of barrennesse upon the woman he according to the phrase of Scripture is said to shut up the wombe And when he sendeth the blessing of fruitfulnesse he is said to open the wombe We have both Gen. 20.18 When Abimelech had taken Sarah Abrahams wife the Lord fast closed up all the wombes of the house of Abimelech The meaning of it is this he made all the women barren or withheld the blessing of conception The Jewish Expositors render the meaning in the very words of this Text that the Lord had shut up all the doores of the wombes of the house of Abimelech And so likewise for fruitfulnesse God is said to open the wombe as Gen. 29.31 And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated he opened her wombe but Rachel was barren Then to shut the doores of the wombe notes the power of God in denying and to open those doores the blessing of God in giving conception and making fruitfull Secondly It may referre to the birth for there must be an opening of those doores and that by an Almighty power for production as well as for conception And therefore David Psal 22.9 ascribes it to the Lord Lord thou art he who tookest me out of my mothers wombe It was not the Midwife did it It was not the womens helpe that stood about his mother but Lord thou didest it The hand of God only is able to open that doore and let man into the world Unlesse he as we may so speake turne the key the poore infant must for ever lye in prison and make his mothers wombe his grave In either or both these respects Job here speakes against the night because it shut not up the doores of his mothers wombe to stop his conception or stay him in the birth For then either he had not been or he had not been brought forth as the subject of all those calamities Hence observe first That fruitfulnesse or conception is the especiall worke and blessing of God God carries the key of the wombe in his own hand From him we receive life and breath Acts 17.25 yea in his booke are all our members written which in continuance were fashioned when as yet there was none of them Wee are fearefully and wonderfully made Our substance is not hid from God when we are made in secret and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth As the holy Ghost admirably and most elegantly describes the conception and formation of man in the wombe Psal 139.14 15 16. There are foure keyes of nature all kept in the hand of God First The key of the Raine The clouds cannot open themselves the flood-gates of Heaven cannot be unlocked nor those sluces opened to let downe a drop of raine untill God turne the key Deut. 28.12 The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure the Heaven to give the raine unto thy land in his season Secondly The key of Nutrition or of Foode Psal 145.16 Thou openest thine hand and satisfiest the desire of every living thing The strength of the creature is shut up in the hand of God and untill he unlock his hand the creatures cannot strengthen or nourish us though we have our houses and our hands full of them Thirdly The key of the Grave Eze. 37.13 I will open your graves and cause you to come out of your graves We are so fast lockt up in death that all the power in the world is not able to release us till God speake the word and turne the key of the graves-doore That place in Ezekiel is meant I know of a civill death But it is as true of naturall death And the argument is stronger for it If when a Nation as the nation of the Jewes then did lyes in the grave of bondage and captivity no man can unlock that doore without the key of Gods speciall providence much lesse can any hand or power but his open the doore and bring us out of the grave of our corporall dissolution There is this fourth key belonging to the doore spoken of in the Text the doore of the wombe Which was shadowed in that ceremoniall law among the Jewes of giving their first-borne unto God as a thankefull acknowledgement that the beginning of all propagation and increase was from him Further observe That our birth and production is the speciall worke of God Thou art he that tookest me out of my mothers wombe saith David And he apprehended the power of God so great in his naturall birth that he from thence takes an argument to strengthen his faith that God could doe any
of sleepe sleepe is a short death and death is a long sleepe Many of them that sleepe in the dust of the earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to everlasting contempt Dan. 12.2 Our friend Lazarus sleepeth saith Christ to his Disciples Jâ—h 11.11 but I goe that I may awake him out of sleepe In the 14th verse Jesus said unto them plainely Lazarus is dead Then had I beene at rest We usually say when a man goes to sleepe he goes to rest Yet rest is more then sleepe for sometimes a man sleepes when he doth not rest his very sleepe being troubled and he troubled in his sleepe But when rest is joyned with sleepe it is perfect sleepe The word here used signifies a very quiet setled and peaceable condition Hence Noah had his name And he called his name Noah saying this sonne shall comfort us concerning our worke and toile of our hands because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed Gen. 5.29 He was rest and comfort to the old world by preaching righteousnesse even the righteousnesse which is by faith which alone gives rest unto the soule and is able to refresh us in the midst of all those toyles and labours which that first curse brought upon the world both new and old Such rest and sweet repose had I found saith Job from all my toile in the house of death and bed of the grave Having thus foure words concurring in the same sense we may here not unprofitably take notice of that elegant multiplication of words in the holy Scriptures There store is no soare and variety is no superfluity yea there Tautologie is no superfluity It is the usuall rhetorick of the Holy Ghost to speake the same thing in divers words yea sometime in the same words We find such a congeries or heaping up of words used for the most part in some heate of passion or vehemency of spirit As first when God would expresse a great deale of anger and wrath against a people he speakes thus Isa 14.22 23. I will rise up against them saith the Lord of hostes and cut off from Babylon the name and remnant and sonne and nephew I will also make it a possession for the Bittern and pooles of water and I will sweepe it with the besome of destruction Here are a multitude of words and all tending to the same purpose setting forth the fiercenesse of Gods anger and the resolvednesse of his judgement for the ruining of Babylon The towring confused pride of the King of Babylon is presented to us in such a heape of words Isa 14.13 14. heare the pure language of pride from that Kings heart Thou hast said in thine heart I will ascend into Heaven I will exalt my throne above the Starres of God I will sit also upon the mount of the Congregation I will ascend above the heights of the clouds I will be like the most High The manifold apostacies and backslidings of Judah are described in many words by the Prophet Zephanie chap. 1.6 And them that are turned bank from the Lord and those that have not sought the Lord nor enquired for him Chap. 3.2 She obeyed not the voice she received not correction she trusted not in the Lord she drew not neere to her God When our Lord Christ would shew the extreame ignorance and darknesse of his Disciples in those great Articles of his sufferings death and resurrection having taken the twelve unto him and discoursed of those points he concludes Luk. 18.31 34. And they understood none of these things and this saying was hid from them neither knew they the things that were spoken As if Christ had said their ignorance in these mysteries was so great that they had not the least glimpse or glimmerings of light about them So here I should have lien still and been quiet I should have slept and been at rest and all to note the interrupted-quiet and tranquility of the grave As if he had said Had I died then not only had not these stormes been upon me nor these waves gone over me but the least breath of wind had never blowne upon me Hence we may observe First That in regard of all outward troubles death is the rest of man Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord for they rest from their labours And they who die out of the Lord rest from all that labour they have had in this world There is no worke nor device nor knowledge nor wisedome in the grave whither thou goest Eccles 9.10 This life is a day of working and death is a night of resting The Sunne ariseth man goeth forth to his labour untill the evening Psal 104.23 When the Sunne of our life ariseth we goe forth to our labour untill the evening of death This life is a continued motion death is a continued rest This life is but noise and tumult death is silence Our life is a stormy passage a tempestuous sea-voyage death bringeth us to the harbour There is a foure-fold rest which we obtaine in death First A rest from labour and travaile no working there Secondly There is a rest from trouble and oppression no warres no bloody battels there Thirdly There is a rest from passion no sorrow no griefe shall afflict us there In the grave there is a fourth rest better then all these a rest from sin a rest from the drudgerie of Satan a rest from the winnowings and buffetings of Satan a rest from the law of our members warring against the law of our minds When Saul went to the witch of Endor for advise with Samuel that Samuel or the Devill in the appearance of Samuel speakes as one disturb'd being raised from the grave Why saith he hast thou disquieted me to bring me up 1 Sam. 28.15 I was at rest why diddest thou call me up to a land of trouble It is the observation of an ancient Father and the resolution of an ancient Councell concerning Christs weeping over Lazarus Joh. 11. That not his death but his rising drew those teares When Christ came to the grave where Lazarus lay the Text saith that Jesus wept Why did Christ weepe saith Jerome in comforting a mother that had lost her daughter It is cleare that Christ wept over Lazarus that was dead but he did not weepe thy teares Christ did not weepe because Lazarus was dead but he wept rather because Lazarus was to be raised up againe he wept to thinke that his friend Lazarus should be brought back into so troublesome a world And it was the resolution of the third Toletane Councell that Christ did not weepe over Lazarus because he was dead but because he was to be raised up againe to feele the burdens and afflictions of this life that was their apprehension of it And it is a truth that whosoever lives the common life of nature lives in trouble But such is not the life of him who is raised from the dead The lives of such though here
troubles turne a Pallace into a desolate place so riches and plenty power and peace meeting together in Kings and great men turne desolate places into Pallaces Kings and Counsellours are of such wealth and power that they can alter the most desolate and ruinous places into delicate edifices and stately dwellings Or lastly Which doth best suite with the subject of Jobs discourse or curse in this Chapter He speaking so much of death by the desolate places we may understand Tombes and Sepulchers places of buriall which Kings and Counsellours build to or for themselves And so taken the sence may be given thus as if Job had said if I had died I should have lien in the grave with as much ease and quiet as those great Princes and Kings of the earth who build themselves stately monuments to lie in It would have been as well with me as with any of them though interr'd under stately tombes We know it was an ordinary thing for Kings and great men especially in ancient times to prepare for themselves costly monuments while they lived as houses for their bodies being dead Which grew to such excessive charge among the Romanes that they were forced to make a Law to restraine it The Egyptians bestowed more care and cost in building their tombes then their houses Even Abraham Gen. 23.16 bought him a burying place before he built himselfe a house though while he lived he dwelt in a moveable tent yet he would be as sure as he could of a certaine grave And good Joseph of Arimathea had made himselfe a sepulcher in a rock Math. 27.60 And it is said of Absolom 2 Sam. 18.18 That in his life time he had taken and reared up a pillar that is he had artificially raised a great pile of goodly stones in the Kings dale For he said I have no sonne to keepe my name in remembrance And he called the pillar after his own name Now as this pillar was to keepe his name so he intended it likewise to keepe his body when he should die For it being related in the verse before how as soone as he was slaine they made no more adoe with him but cast him into a great pit in the wood and layed a very great heape of stones upon him The holy Ghost to shew us the vanity of man in preparing for a dead body while he neglects an immortall soule and how God disappoints the vaine conceits of men in supposing to perpetuate their own name and greatnesse The holy Ghost I say to shew this presently subjoynes in the sacred story Now Absolom in his life time c. As if he had said Doe ye observe how this ambitious Prince was buried even tumbled into a pit with a rude heape of stones cast upon him This man had prepared himselfe another kind of monument even a sumptuous pillar c. So that under or by that pillar he had archt a curious vault for himselfe to be buried in called Absaloms place namely his burying place And the word which we have here for desolate places is in Scripture clearely applied to the grave or a place of buriall We have it in Ezek. 26.20 where the Prophet foreshewing the destruction of Tyre speakes from the Lord thus When I shall bring thee downe with them that descend into the pit and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth in places desolate of old There are three words in that verse and they are all Synonima's words of the same signification First The pit Secondly The low parts of the earth Thirdly The desolate places and all these are but severall expressions for the grave or for a place to bury in It is no more but this When I shall bring thee downe even with those that lie buried in the grave So that the word which we translate desolate places being also in other places used for the grave or a place of buriall we may very well expound it so here that desolate places are the graves or sepulchers of Kings and Princes and Counsellours of the earth which we may doe especially because Job treats in this place about death and the state of the dead Now Tombes and Monuments may be called desolate places in two respects First Because when the body is layed in there all company and all friends leave it you shall have a mighty traine following their friend to the grave but there they leave him Kings and Counsellours have stately Funerals but when their subjects or friends favourites or flatterers have brought them to the tombe and opened the doore of the grave they goe no further they will not goe in with them and dwell with their bodies in the dust of death as much as they honour'd or ador'd them when they lived so that they are in desolate places Secondly Graves may be called desolate places because Tombes and Sepulchres were in desolate places they were made in some high Mountaine or caved Valley in some place remote from the company and habitations of the living for in former times they did not bury in Cities or in Townes but in places where few came till they were carried and therefore properly called desolate places It is observed that among the Romans the first Emperour that was buried in Rome was Traian And the law of the twelve Tables did prohibit both the buriall and the burning of the dead within the City So then it is cleare that anciently Tombes and Monuments were erected in desolate places and that great cost was bestowed in building and beautifying of them both which favour and illustrate the exposition given It followes in the Text Or with Princes that had gold who fill their houses with treasure The word Sar a Prince in the Hebrew as in most other languages signifies the chiefe the head the first Some Criticks conceive that our English word Sir comes from it it is very neere in sound and so is the French word Mounsier to this Originall for a Prince or Chiefe Job describeth Princes thus they are such as had gold noting both what the study and indeavours of Princes are namely to lay up gold and likewise what is requisite for them Gold is of great use in a high estate Treasures are necessary for Princes Princes that had gold Therefore Solomon that wise Prince saith of himselfe Eccles 2.8 And he putteth it among his Princely workes I gathered me also silver and gold and the peculiar treasure of Kings When the Wise-men came to Christ the first thing they offered him was gold and they did wisely for he was a Prince gold being the chiefe and as it were the prince of Mettals is a very proper offering for Princes And howsoever wisedome and goodnesse justice and clemency are farre more necessary requisites in Princes then gold yet there is such a necessary conjunction of these two that we find him in the Prophet Isa 3.7 refusing the governement because he was poore Be thou our Ruler say
twelve bretheren and behold the youngest is this day with his father and one is not Gen. 42.13 that is one is dead So Jacob speakes at the 30th verse of the same chapter Joseph is not c. Hence that answer of the Wise-man to Alexander who demanding of him whether the living or the dead were more in number said The living for the dead are not As infants that never saw the light This clause may be an exposition of the former clause shewing what Job meanes by an untimely birth even an infant that never saw the light Yet all infants that never see the light are not untimely births Infants are often still-borne when their mothers have gone out their time to the last houre before the paines of travaile come upon them And therefore I rather understand this as distinct from the former In the one Job intending such as are borne before time which births are commonly called abortions or miscarriages And in the other those who die in the birth who are commonly called still-borne The word which is here used for an infant signifies properly a weaned infant but it is likewise transferred to signifie an infant dying in the birth which is therefore said never to see the light So Salomon expresseth it too in that place Eccles 6.5 Moreover he hath not seene the Sunne And in allusion to this David when he curseth the plots of wicked men that though they have conceived mischiefe and though they have gone with it a long time and are ready to bring it forth yet in Psal 58.8 saith he let them be that is let their counsels and designes be like the untimely birth of a woman that they may not see the Sunne that is let them be dashed and blasted let them never bring forth their poisonous brood to the hurt and trouble of the world To these saith Job I am sure I should have bin like if not to Kings and Counsellours and had beene as well and all one to me In death untimely births and those that goe downe to the grave as a sheafe of corne that cometh in ripe are all one there is no difference in the grave betweene the infant that never saw the Sunne and him that hath lived to see an hundred recourses of the Sun The speech of Job proceedes to a third sort he strengthens his argument of rest in death I should certainely have had rest in death for in death even they who have been most vexed who have had least rest who have been even restlesse in the world they have found rest in death this he cleares by a further induction in the 17 18 19 verses There the wicked cease from troubling and there the weary be at rest There the prisoners rest together they heare not the voice of the oppressour The small and great are there and the servant is free from his master When he had spoken of the rest of death concerning those great and mighty ones and the rest of death concerning untimely births and infants then he speakes of the rest which poore oppressed ones or which wicked oppressours have in death all these have a rest in regard of outward bodily troubles agitations and labours in the grave therefore certainely there I should have been at rest There that is in the grave the wicked cease from troubling True rest and wickednesse never meete rest and the wicked meete but seldome And it is but halfe a rest and it is rest but to halfe a wicked man to his bones in the grave and it is rest to that halfe but for a little time only till the resurrection The word which is here used for wicked is considerable Though every wicked man be a sinner yet every sinner is not a wicked man It is one thing to sin and another thing to be wicked there are divers words in the Hebrew tongue which signifie as it were the divers statures of sinners and the degrees of sinne And the Hebrew which usually expresseth many things by one word doeth here use many words to signifie one thing only differing in degree First A sinner is called sometime Cata that 's the lowest expression noting one that doth misse a marke or his way he aimes at the marke yet misses it he would goe in the right way yet mistakes it or is misled So every man the holiest men are sinners they often misse the marke the white which God sets up though they take their aime and level carefully at it Secondly A sinner is called Peshang which signifieth a willingnesse to sin and an unwillingnesse to obey it signifieth pride in sinning or a sinning from pride which is plaine rebellion Thirdly The word here used and in divers other places signifieth wickednesse in the height and men most active in wickednesse So that when Job saith There the wicked are at rest he meanes those who had beene restlesse in sin who could not sleepe till they had done mischiefe nor scarce sleepe for doing mischiefe He meanes those who had out-run others in the sinfull activity or rather turbulency and unquietnesse of their spirits such as are without peace themselves and seeke to molest and disturbe the peace of others The Prophet describes them to be like the troubled sea which cannot rest Isa 57.20 The proper signification of the word wicked in the Hebrew is the word unquiet vexatious or without rest 1 Sam. 14.47 Wheresoever Saul turned himselfe he vexed the enemy So Job 34.29 And the reason of it is given because men of this height and stature in sin are men of troubled unquiet and restlesse spirits As it notes a height in holinesse and grace to have a kind of unquietnesse upon the spirit till we can doe good and compasse holy designes and purposes when we are not only pious but zealous As David resolves Psal 132.3 4. Surely I will not come into the Tabernacle of my house nor goe up into my bed I will not give sleepe to mine eyes nor slumber to mine eye-lids untill I find out a place for the Lord c. So unquietnesse upon the spirit till it can put sin into act and compasse an evill project notes a compleatenesse in the sinner Sin wakes and workes in them to purpose who cannot sleepe till they have wrought out their sin of these it is properly that Job speakes here these troublers of themselves and troublers of Israel these whom the Lord shall trouble this day or one day There sc in the grave these wicked ones cease from troubling there they have a kind of rest being dead who could not rest while they lived there at least they cease from raging This word Ragaz notes any vehement motion either of mind or body arising from feare or grief or anger or the concurrence of them all As when David heard of the death of Absolom the Text saith 2 Sam. 18.33 The King was much moved c. He was as it were for a time enraged or distracted much troubled
you even the sighing of those Josephs whose feet are hurt in the stocks and the iron enters into their soules As some translate that Psal 105.18 When you are at your tables and have plenty then remember the bread of adversity and the water of affliction which the poore prisoners your bretheren are served with and must be contented with every day or starve in prison When you are in your pleasant warme chambers and soft beds thinke of the cold loathsome dungeons and hard boards in which and on which many of them lie And when you heare the voice of love and such speaking to you who have the law of kindnesse in their tongues Prov. 31.26 then remember those who heare the voice of the oppressour From which take this second observation That the words of oppressours are wounding words The voice of an oppressour is a terrible voice And therefore Job puts this in as a speciall priviledge that the poore prisoners shall have in the grave They shall not heare the voice of the oppressour who can rest where they speake or heare their words and not be troubled therefore not to heare the voice of the oppressour is a circumlocution noting full liberty The wilde-Asse is so described Job 39.7 he regardeth not the crying or the voice of the driver the Originall word is that in the Text he regardeth not the voice of the oppressour or of the exacter This is the liberty of the wild-Asse which was never in hand or under burdens whereas other Asses that are in hand and are employed to beare and travaile they must be at the voice of the driver they heare the voice of their oppressours And some men are very unmercifull to their beasts It is greevous to the poore cattell to heare the voice of such drivers and the groanes of those beasts will rise up in judgement against their drivers And if so how then will the groanes of the Saints rise up against theirs drivers We have lately heard of oppressours turn'd drivers they have driven their poore bretheren as beasts or cattell before them and more cruell then any such drivers they have not suffered them to drinke of the pudled water through which they passed And yet more the words of these drivers as goades and staves beate their eares and prickt them to the very hearts in their passage The voice of these oppressours is the voice of scorne the voice of slander and reproach and David shewes us from his owne experience how reproaches worke Psal 42.10 as with a sword in my bones mine enemies reproach me And the Apostle Heb. 11.36 speakes of the beleeving persecuted Jewes that they had this triall of cruell mockings their oppressours sharpened their tongues as well as their swords against them the tongue wounds deeper then the sword the tongue wounds the spirit but the sword cannot reach beyond the flesh And God will take as deepe if not a deeper revenge upon oppressours for their tongue-woundings then for their sword-woundings hard words as well as hard blowes must be accounted for And the Apostle Jude assures us ver 15 That the Lord cometh to execute vengeance upon all and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deedes which they have ungodly committed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him If any shall say when did we speake against the Lord Christ will answer as in the Gospell Matth. 25. In as much as you have spoken against any one and you have spoken against many of the least of these my bretheren yee have spoken against me To how many of my bretheren have you said many times Where is now your God To how many have you said as they Psal 22.9 in that prophecy of Christ You trusted on the Lord that he would deliver you let him deliver you To how many have you said Where are your prayers and fastings where is your Parliament Where are your hopes These are hard speeches This voice of the oppressour cuts the heart of the poore prisoner he can with more ease die then heare such blasphemies and reproaches The wicked Mal. 3.13 bluster and speake bigge against God himselfe your words have beene stout against me saith the Lord If wicked men will speake stoutly against God the high God how stoutly will they speake against a poore oppressed captive that lies under their feet Seeing then it is such a wound and a terrour to be under the power of insulting oppressours who will not only strike with the sword but strike with every word Let us pitty and pray for our bretheren that are under the hands yea feet and which is worse under the tongues of such drivers pitty them in regard of the wants which they feele and of the words they heare every day And let us betimes hearken to another voice that we may not at last come to heare this voice O that my people had hearkened unto me saith God Psal 81. If we would hearken to the voice of God we should not heare the voice of such men It is the punishment which God layes upon a people and it is a suitable punishment for not hearing his voice that he gives them up to heare this voice when a Nation will not heare the voice of the Prophets then they must heare the voice of oppressours Let us hasten to heare the voice the sweet voice the pleasant voice of our God in his ministers of the Gospell lest we be given up to heare the dreadfull grating cutting voice of such miscreants who yet are the ministers of Gods just displeasure against a disobedient people If we like the deaf adder stop our eares at the voice of the charmer charme he never so wisely Psal 58.5 doubtlesse the Lord will yea he hath done it in part already send Serpents and Cockatrices among us which will not be charmed and they shall bite us with bitter and sharpe words Jer 8.17 Let us therefore so heare the voice of the word that we may be delivered from this rod of the voice which smarts worse then the voice of the rod and from the scourge of tongues And let us pray that God would hasten the performance either of that gracious promise Isa 14.2 They shall take them captives whose captives they were and they shall rule over their oppressours or of that Isa 60.17 that he would make those great and notable changes in the Church and give us for brasse gold and for iron silver and for wood brasse and for stone iron That he would also make our Officers peace and our Exactors righteousnesse This will be a time of refreshing indeed And as the time of the restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy Prophets since the world began Acts 3.21 namely when our Officers shall be peace and our very Oppressours righteousnesse When the very troublers of a people become their peace how great is that peace when they
complained but she was check't for complaining that her way was hid from God Isa 40.27 Why sayest thou O Jacob and speakest O Israel My way is hid from the Lord and my judgement is passed over from my God Yet that place is not to be understood of a hiding from the eye of Gods inspection as if the Church had any suspition that the Lord did not know or did not see how matters went with them or in what condition they were but it is to be understood of the eye of Gods compassion There is a seeing eye or contemplating eye and a compassionating or succouring eye So the meaning of that complaint is only this Why sayest thou my way is hidden from the Lord that is why doest thou speake as if God did not regard thee in thy troubles as if God had no pitty nor compassion on thee no bowels toward thee why sayest thou my way is hid from the Lord In the third of Exodus when God comes to help the people of Israel he telleth Moses I have seene I have seene or I have surely seene namely with an eye compassionating their condition as the next words shew for I know their sorrowes Now when the Church complained that her way was hid from God her meaning was that God did not take notice so as to pitty and deliver her Excepting in that sense she could not conceive that her way was hidden from God neither is the way of the Church So hidden from God but as to our sense for the Lord pities his people when he corrects them and therefore Jacob is chidden for saying so Why sayest thou O Jacob my way is hidden from the Lord Therefore this Text is not to be understood of Jobs way in respect of God but of the hiding of Gods way or the hidden dealings of God toward Job My way is hid saith Job that I cannot understand nor interpret nor expound the meaning of Gods dealing with me I am not able to give an interpretation of it I know not what this thing meaneth My way is hid The way of Gods dealing with him was a hidden way in two respects First In regard of the cause of his affliction It was hidden from him why God had layed so sore and so heavy a burthen upon him and that is it which Elihu in the 34. of this booke ver 31 32. hints at where he telleth Job surely saith he it is meet to be said unto God that which I see not teach thou me He answers such a complaint as this I saith Job cannot see the reason why God doth afflict me Elihu tells him It is meet to be said unto God that which I see not teach thou me and if I have done iniquity I will doe so no more Lord if thou wilt shew me that my sin is the cause and what sin is the cause I doe here promise I will lay down my sin and through thy helpe doe so no more Or againe It was hidden in regard of the issue or event My way is hid that is I can see no passage out of this way I cannot tell when these troubles will end I see no helpe I have no glimpse of light breaking out to me in this way it is a darke a hidden way unto me This darkenesse troubles him as much as all his troubles And it is as if he had said I am so encompast with clouds that I walke in darkenesse and see no light My life is so entangled and wrapt up in troubles that I see no way of deliverance or escape And this exposition seemes most proper if we take in the latter part of the verse where he saith and whom God hath hedged in This explaines the hiding of his way to be the hedging of his way such an incompassing of him about with sorrowes that he could not make his way out In the first Chapter you may remember that Satan was much troubled that God had made a hedge about Job And now Job himselfe is much troubled that God had made a hedge about him I am the man saith he whom God hath hedged in That which before was the object of Satans envy is now become the object of Jobs complaint a hedge Sure then it was not the same hedge No that which Satan complained of and envied at was a hedge of mercy and a hedge of blessings a hedge of favour and of protection But this which Job complaineth of is a hedge of thorny troubles and of pricking sorrows The former was as we may speake a hedge of Roses and this was a hedge of Bryars That was a hedge so high and strong that no evill could come in to or breake through to annoy him And this was a hedge so high and strong that no good could come or be brought unto him So then take the sense thus Why is light given to a man whose way is hid and whom God hath hedged in that is why doth God continue my life when I am in such a condition as that I can neither discover the reason why I came into it nor am I able to discover any passage out of it And this is it which the Church complaines of Lament 3.7 He hath hedged me about that I cannot get out and verse 9. He hath enclosed my wayes with hewen stones God had built up a wall as it were by art with hewen stones he had set them so close together that there was no passing by no getting through Observe hence first That affliction is usually accompanied with much darkenesse Affliction is often called darknesse in Scripture And as it is darkenesse without so it often causeth darkenesse within An afflicted person hath such darkenesse upon his person that he cannot discerne many times either why God doth afflict him or when God will make an end of his afflictions That in the Prophet Isa 50.10 is true of outward afflictions as well as inward Who is there among you that feareth the Lord that obeyeth the voice of his servant that walketh in darkenesse Ther 's many an afflicted person walkes in a way hidden in a three-fold darknesse First The way is hid in the darkenesse of the cause for which he came into it Secondly The way is hid in the darkenesse of the event how to get out of it Thirdly The way is hid in the darkenesse of his present duty what to doe in it The way of affliction is often wrapt up and hidden in this threefold-darkenesse Further Seeing Job speakes of this as an addition to all his sorrowes and as the complement of them all that he was thus shut up and hedged in and that his way was thus darke in regard of the cause of it Observe That It increaseth an affliction greatly not to know the reason of an affliction or to have the way of Gods dealing hidden from our eyes It is a trouble not to see the reason of things The mind is exceedingly eased when the understanding hath light This
made Jeremie enquire Why doth the way of the wicked prosper As if he had said If I could see the reason of it it would satisfie me but while thou keepest me in the darke and I can give no account to my owne soule or those that aske me of this thy dispensation to wicked men this is the burthen of my soule It is usually said They are happy who know the causes of things And in regard of the diseases of the body we say that a disease is halfe cured when the cause of it is discovered But when a Physition is in the darke and cannot find out the cause of a disease he must needs be in the darke for the remedy of it So it is also with a man in regard of any affliction when he cannot find out the cause he knoweth not what to pitch upon as a remedy When Rebekah Gen. 25.22 had twins in her wombe and they strugled together within her she was much troubled and nothing would satisfie her untill she went to God to know the reason of the thing Lord saith she why am I thus And when God had told her that two Nations were in her wombe and that two manner of people should be separated from her bowels she made no more complaints So when there are such strivings such struglings and contrary motions of trouble in us or about us the soule goes to God and enquires why is it thus Lord I am more troubled with the ignorance of my troubles then with the weight or smart of them Thirdly Take the words as respecting the issue or deliverance from trouble and they affoord us this observation That It is a great addition to an affliction not to see or discerne a way to escape or get out of affliction To be in an affliction out of which there appeares no passage unlesse the soule be mightily supported by the hand and power of Christ brings within a step of despaire The Apostle speakes as much when he saith 1 Cor. 10.13 There is no temptation hath taken hold of you but that which is common to man and then it followes but God is faithfull who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to beare it As if he should say If God did not indeed discover or make out to you some way of escaping I must needs say you were never able to beare it but saith he God will make a way for you to escape that ye may be able to beare it Meaning that the opening of this way would revive their spirits and then they would be able through the strength of Christ to beare it If so then how shall the soule beare an affliction when God instead of making a way to escape doth as it were make a hedge to stop all escape Therefore when the Lord would support his people in their troubles he promised that they should have a doore of hope opened to them I will give her the valley of Achor for a doore of hope Hos 2.15 He would give her some appearance some glimpses and openings of deliverance in and from their present dangers It is threatned Deut. 28.25 thou shalt come out one way against thine enemies and flie seven wayes before them they should flie many wayes but they should escape no way Thou shalt come out one one way and flie seven wayes that is thou shalt try this and that and every way to escape but thou shalt find a hedge at every wayes end to stop and hinder thy escape We use to say of a man in a distressed condition He is in a wood or in a wildernesse And when God entangles men in their own devises it is said He powreth contempt upon Princes and causeth them to wander in the wildernesse where there is no way Psalm 107.40 So Pharaoh said of the children of Israel they are entangled in the land the wildernesse hath shut them in Exod. 14.3 And when a people are as the children of Israel were having a a Sea before them an army behind them and Mountaines on either hand Then they may say as Job did their way is hid and God hath hedged them in For my sighing cometh before I eate and my roarings are powred out like water Here Job takes up the former proposition and applies it particularly to his own person Before he said only in the generall why is light given to him that is in misery and why is light given to a man whose way is hid and whom God hath hedged in Now he saith in effect it is thus with me I am a man in misery and I am a man whose way God hath hid and hedged in wherefore then is my life continued And he proves that he was in such a condition by the effects of it sighes and roarings So that this verse holds forth two things about Jobs sorrow First The continuance of it in those words My sighing comes before I eate Secondly The extremity of it in those My roarings are powred out c. The argument may be thus framed That man is in extreame and continuall misery who doth not so much breath as sigh who when he would speake is forced to roare But thus it is with me my sighing cometh before I eate and my roarings are powred out like water therefore my misery is extreame and continuall My sighing cometh before I eate In the Hebrew it is word for word thus before the face of my bread my sighings come Which Hebraisme before the face of my bread hath a great emphasis in it It notes the continuance of his sorrowes without any intermission When a thing is said to be before the face of another it notes an equall continuance with that before the face of which it is said to be As in the negative Exod. 20.3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me so we translate it the Hebrew is Thou shalt have no other gods before my face that is so long as I continue to be thy God thou shalt have no other god but I shall be thy God to all eternity therefore thou shalt have no other gods but me for ever So in the affirmative Psalm 72.5 where under the type of Solomons Kingdome the continuance of the Kingdome of Christ is prophecied the Holy Ghost saith It shall continue so long as the Sunne and Moone endureth the Hebrew is it shall continue before the face of the Sunne and of the Moone that is there shall be an equall duration of the Kingdome of Christ and of those lights of Heaven the Sun and the Moone The Kingdome of Christ shall last as long as the world shall last So then according to this sense before the face of my bread my sighings come is as if he had said looke how long I have my bread before me looke how much time I spend in eating so much time I spend in sighing my
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