praise him whether men do or no. All thy works shall praise thee saith David Psal 145.10 What then should they do for whom they are wrought The latter part of the verse shew what they will do who know what God hath wrought for them Thy Saints saith he shall bless thee They who have as most have low thoughâ—s can never give high pâ—aises of the works of God Thirdly In that this counsel and exhortion is given to Job in that this spur is as it were put to his sides Remember that thou magnifie Note The best men need monitours and remembrancers to quicken them about their duty of magnifying the works of God The Lord though he needeth not yet will have us to be his remembrancers to do our works for us if we would have our works done the Lord would have us by prayer to mind him of our own and of all his peoples condition Isa 62.6 Ye that are the Lords remembrancers so we put in the Margine and in the Text ye that make mention of the Lord c. The Lord will have us to be his remembrancers And though he is ever mindful of his Covenant yet he liketh it well to be put in mind of it But O what need have we of a remembrancer to put us in mind of the work of God and to magnifie his work We need a dayly remembrancer to put us in mind of what we should do how much more of what God hath done We need to be minded of that which 't is a wonder how we can forget our latter end or how frayle we are how much more do we need to be minded of those duties which fit us for our latter end and lead us to those enjoyments which never end Fâ—urthly Observe Such is the sinfulness of mans heart and his sluggishness that he hardly remembers to magnifie God for those works which he cannot but see Elihu urgeth Job and with him all men to remember that they magnifie even that work of his which men behold and which every man may see How slack are they in or to that great duty of magnifying God who when they see or may see if they will his mighty works yet mind not the magnifying of him Fifthly Observe Some works of providence are so plain that every man that doth not wilfully shut his eyes may behold them He is altogether stupid and blockish that seeth not what all may see Hence the Psalmist having said O Lord how great are thy works concludeth such among brutes and fools Psal 92.6 The brutish man knoweth not neither doth a fool understand this It was the saying of Plato an Heathen That man is worthy his eyes should be pulled out of his head who doth not lift them up on high that he may admire the wisdome of the Creatour in the wonderfull â—abrick of the world I may adde and in the works of providence Are they not such that as the Prophet speaks He that runs may read them Sixthly Consider why doth Elihu thus charge it upon Job surely to humble him for his sin in that he did not magnifie God for his works Hence Note It is a great aggravation of our neglect of praising God for his works or of our not magnifying the works of God seeing his works are obvious to every man even to the weaker and ruder sort of men If the very blind may see them how sinfully blind are they who see them not The works of God should be sought out Psal 111.2 4. If they lie in corners yet they are to be sought out and they are sought out of them that have pleasure therein If God should hide his work under ground if God should put his Candle under a bushel as Christ saith men do not Mat. 5. yet 't is our duty to seek it out and set it upon a Candlestick that all may behold it and praise him for it Now if the most hidden works of God must be sought out that they may be magnified surely then when the works of God stand forth and offer themselves to our view and we cannot tell which way to draw our eyes from them how great a sin is it not to behold them not to give him the glory of them Seventhly Observe To magnifie the works of God is mans duty yea it is a most necessary and indispensible duty This is the poynt chiefly intended by Elihu in his present discourse with Job This containeth the sum and substance of the whole Text. To magnifie the work of God is so necessary so indispensible a duty that A remember is put upon it lest at any time it should slip from us The Lord knowing how great how weighty how comfortable how profitable a duty it is to keep the Rest day prefixeth this word Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy Exod. 20.8 I might give instance from several other Scriptures importing those duties which have a memento put upon them to be of great necessity and that the Lord will not bear with us if we lay them by or neglect the constant performance of them To forget any duty is very sinfull how much more those which we are specially warned to remember that we do them David was not satisfied in doing the duty of the text alone but must associate others with him in it Ps 34.3 O let us magnifie the Lord together that 's a blessed consort the consort of the blessed for ever The whole work and reward too of Saints in heaven is and eternally will be to magnify God and they have the beginnings of that work and reward who are sincerely magnifying his work here on earth God hath magnified his word in all things above his name Psal 138.2 and the reason is because his workes answer or are the fulfilling of his word to the praise of his glorious name Now if God hath magnified his word by his workes then we must magnifie his workes or him in his workes For wherein doth God magnifie his word but in his works He hath magnified his work by bringing his word forth in his works Surely then if God hath magnified his word by bringing it forth in his works then 't is our duty to magnifie the works of God which are the product effect and answer of his word But some may say how is that done I would give answer to this question in five things First Then we magnifie the work of God when we magnifie God for his work we cannot magnifie the mercy of God but by magnifying the God of our mercys We cannot magnifie his work while we neglect himself we magnifie God in his work first when we ascribe the whole efficiency of what we see done in the world to him and say This is the singer of God Or when we say according to this or that time What hath God wrought Numb 23.23 To magnifie the work of God is to give the whole of it to God 'T is the hand of God upon a work that sets
this reading Elihu in these words prevents an objection which Job might take occasion to make from what he had said or wished rather at the 36th verse of the former Chapter My desire is that Job may be tryed unto the end That is further afflicted or afflicted to the utmost Against this desire of Elihu Job is by him supposed making his exception or objection in this verse As if he had said Why doest thou or what reason hast thou to desire that I should be yet again tryed by affliction What I pray would that profit me if I were afflicted yet more and more Can the suffering of evil do me good or make me better To this objection Elihu gives answer in the next verse and those which follow to the ninth and he doth it as the Asserter of this Interpretation judgeth by this Dilemma Thy afflictions would profit either God or thy self seeing God doth nothing in vaine but neither thy sufferings how grievous soever nor thy doings how righteous soever can profit God no more than thy sins or evil doings can damage God therefore it remains that if God afflict thee further it will be if thou hast a heart to improve it for thy profit This reading and the sense arising from it is much insisted on but as the former is very harsh so I conceive this latter is very dark and intricate and grounded upon the supposition of an objection very remote or not easily to be suggested in this discourse And therefore to avoyd both my own and the readers unnecessary trouble I shall take the Text as it stands in our Translation and offer somewhat for instruction from it How great sinfulness there is in saying There is no profit in the wayes of God I have shewed at the 21st Chap. vers 11 th and Chap. 34th vers 9. So that referring the Reader thither I shall here give only this Note It is very sinful to say we shall get no advantage by leaving sin We may well put the Apostles question Rom. 6.21 to our selves What fruâ—t have we in those things whereof we are now ashamed What benefit have we got by polluting our selves with sin But how vaine a question is it to say What profit shall I have if I be cleansed from my sin Elihu chargeth Job with this yet still remember he referrs not to his eternal but temporal condition And this was Asaphs or Davids temptation also as to his temporal condition even he the one or the other David or Asaph spake as much in express terms as Job is here charged with Psal 73.13 where complaining of the great tryals and troubles he had been under and of the prosperity of the wicked Behold saith he these are the ungodly who prosper in the world they increase in riches But how is it with me Verily I have cleansed my heart in vaine and washed my hands in innocency for all the day long have I been plagued and chastned every moment As if he had said What have I got by my holiness and forsaking of sin what have I gained by my strictest walkings and abstainings from the very appearance of evil Have I not reason to conclude in good earnest that I have cleansed my heart and hands in vaine seeing my sufferings are not lessned though my sins are seeing my punishments are renewed every morning though I am every morning upon the renewal of my repentance Thus spake the Psalmist in the day of his temptation and doubtless this day of his Temption had been a day of temptation and provocation to the Lord like that of Israels in the Wilderness Psal 95.7 had not the Lord come in by his grace and helped him to bite in his words at the very next verse If I say I will speak thus if I use such not only uncomely but wicked language as this I have cleansed my heart and hands in vaine Behold I should offend against the generation of thy children And when I thought to know this it was too wonderful for me that is it was beyond my skill to reconcile these works these providences of God towards me with his word and promises nor was I any whit less at a loss how to reconcile the prosperity and flourishing condition of wicked men with those terrible threatnings which the Lord in his Word every where thunders out against them These cross and intricate dispensations puzzel'd me greatly put my soul into a maze nor could I spel their meaning nor make out the sense of them Vntill I went into the Sanctuary of God then understood I their end the woful Catastrophe the miserable end of wicked-men their slippery standing and their sudden falling as both are described v. 18 19 20. Then also I understood the blessedness of a godly mans estate both now and for ever in having God his guide and his portion v. 24 25 26. then I understood what profit and advantage comes by cleansing our selves from sin though to the eye it appeare not yea though all appearances speak the contrary To be cleansed from or to remove sin is profitable and advantagious First As to the removal of Judgement When we begin cleansing work the Lord usually makes an end of afflicting work For as one great end of sending affliction is to cleanse us from sin Isa 27.9 By this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged and this is all the fruit to take away his sin so our being cleanâ—ed from sin is usually the end of our afflictions When we are cleansed from sin we are troubled no more we smart no more speak then Is it no profit to be cleansed from sin when so many not only persons but Nations have been ruin'd because not cleansed from sin God gave his own people cleanness of teeth Amos 4.6 that is famine or want of bread because of the uncleanness of their hearts and lives and is it no profit to be cleansed from sin when for our sinfull uncleannesses God will cleanse us of all our comforts even to a morsel of bread 'T is therefore a speech both false in it self and highly diâ—honourable unto God to say I shall have no profit for still I shall suffer though I be cleansed from my sin whereas first there is more profit in being cleansed from sin than in being delivered from sufferings and secondly when once we are cleansed from sin we are in the fairest way to be cleared from and see an end of all our sufferings Secondly The more we are cleansed from sin the more communion we have with God and the more peace from God Is not this a great profit a profit besides the eternal reward a profit far better than any temporal reward Will not communion with God satisfie us for the loss of friends of estate or health Will not peace with God answer all the tribulations we can meet with in this world If therefore being cleansed from sin we have closer communion and sweeter peace with God let no man say
quem Deus Instituit Aquin. 1. 2 dae q. 21. Art 4. Ad primum nothing can be diminished nothing taken from God by any act of man Yet man as much as in him lyes takes away from and gives or brings to God when he either keeps or doth not keep that order which God hath appointed Sinners shall be judged and dealt with as they that have greatly annoyed and disadvantaged God as they that have rob'd and spoyl'd him as they that have smitten and wounded him as they that have abased him and laid him low And there is reason they should be judged as having done so forasmuch as they do their utmost to do so Thus they are described Psal 2.1 2. The Heathen rage and the People imagine a vain thing The Kings of the Earth set themselves and the Rulers c. And why all this what was it for It was against the Lord and against hû Anointed This was done by the Princes and Great Ones of the world yet they were so far from being able to prejudice the Lord either in his Person or in his Interest that he did but laugh at them for it And 't is considerable that God is described there according to the notion used by Elihu in the Text sitting in the Heavens vers 4. He that sitteth in the Heavens shall laugh the Lord shall have them in derision And why doth the Lord laugh surely because he sees they can no more hurt or hinder him in his purposes by any of or all their sinful advisings and attemptings than if they should hope to batter down the Heavens by discharging a Pot-gun against them And therefore he concludes with a triumphant Yet ver 6. Yet have I set my King after you have done your worst upon my holy Hill of Sion The sins of men do tuâ—n to the glory of God but to their own shame The sins of Gods own children turn to the gloâ—y of his mercy those huge heaps and numberless numbers of sins committed by his Children before Conversion what do they in the issue but lift up the glory of his Grace in the pardon of them And the rebellions committed by impenitent sinners going on in obstinacy to the end without Conversion what do they but lift up the glory of God in his Justice and wonderful judgements which he will bring upon them The sins of the old world which was a world of sin all flesh having corrupted their way before God and there being but one righteous Family found in it all those sins I say did not dammage God at all but indeed they glorified both his Patience and his Justice his Patience in sparing them so long even an hundred and twenty years after warning given his Justice in sending the Flood at last which brought swift destruction upon them and swept them all away The unnatural crying sins of Sodome did not hurt the God of Heaven but God took advantage thereby to gloâ—ifie his Justice in raining Fire and Brimstone upon them from Heaven Gen. 19.24 Pharaoh by all his opposition against the Israel of God did not disadvantage God but gave him an advantage to make his Power known by swallowing up him and his Egyptian Host in the waters of the Red Sea That which is done against the Will of God fulfills the Will of God The sins of men are so far from hurting the God of Heaven that they glorifie him among men on Eâ—rth while they behold him either turning the evil which is dore into good or punishing them â—or their evil doings That which men speak or do against God like an Arrow shot up into the Ayre falls down upon their own heads David Ps 111.2 breaks out wonderfully into the praise of God upon this consideration The works of the Lord are great sought out of all them that have pleasure in them These woâ—ks of God wherein we should take pleasure are not only wo ks of mercy to the Godly vers 3 4 5. but of vengeance upon the wicked vers 6. He hath shewed his people the power of his wâ—rks that he may give them the heritage of the Heathen The works of his hands are Verity and Judgement vers 7. That is judgement for Saints in saving them and upon sinners in consuming them De eo quod agitur contra Dei voluntatem voluntas ipsius vel mala in bonum convertentis vel mala punientis impletur August Enchirid c. 100. We should much contemplate the works of God in bringing glory to himself out of the sins of men The Angels sinned and sell man sinned as soon almost as he was set up These Creatures did that which God would not have done yet God brought about that which he would And thus it is to this day among all the childâ—en of men while they break holy Commandements God fulfills his holy Counsels no thanks to them yea woe to them So then the Lord hath no hurt by sin which way soever sinners turn themselves they cannot turn away his Counsels nor turn from his Counsels When they are disobeying his revealed will Miro et inaffabili modo non fit praeter ejus voluntatem quod etiam contra ejus voluntatem fit quia non fieret si non sineret nec utique nolens sinit sed volens Nec sineret bonus fieri male nisi omnipotens etiam de malo facere posset bene August in Psal 111. he is doing his secret will in which God is most righteous and in his season will lift up his Righteousnesse and Holinesse his righteous and holy Will in the face of all the sinners in the world and they shall know and confesse that he hath served his own wise and holy purposes even in those Providences wherein they have had no purpose but to serve their foolish and unholy lusts and pleasures We have an illustrious proof of this in that extreamly evil and unnatural practise of men good in the main the holy Patriarchs against their own Brother Gen. 50.20 who told them plainly when he meant them no evil but good But as for you ye thought evil against me but God meant it for good to bring to pass as it is this day to save much people alive Further To clear the Point in general we may distinguish of sin as having a threefold opposition First Against our selves Secondly Against our Neighbour Thirdly Against God This division or distinction of sins must be so understood that the two former namely sin against our selves and against our Neighbour brings a real detriment and disadvantage to our selves and to our Neighbour But as sin hath respect to God it doth not bring any real detriment to him Only it may be said First The will of many sinners is raised up to that height of wickednesse as purposely to set themselves to dishonour God to blaspheme his name and do despight to the Spirit of Grace Heb. 10.29 which is the utmost length that sin or lust can go Secondly The nature of
and done us good all our dayes In which sense the word is used 1 Sam. 12.6 And Samuel said unto the people it is the Lord that advanced Moses and Aaron We put in the Margin made Moses c. it is this word Eloah nomen singulare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 participium plurale Factores mei sic usu obtinuit de deo loquuntur promiâ—cue modo singulariter modo pluralitur Sensus autem ubique singularis est Ideo nomen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Elohim quando de vero deo dicitur interpretes reddunt semper deus ubi ratio habetur sensuâ— non terminationis Drus vid Merc Vbi est deus qui fecerunt me Heb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he made them gâ—eat and put them in those high places of Government and Trust The Lord is he that maketh men in this sense We say commonly of a man that is advanced to some great place He is a made man and on the contrary of a man that is thrown down He is an undone man God giveth us a being and a bodily fabrick he protects us in our being he advanceth us to a wel-being in all we may call him and call upon him as our Maker And when men would unmake us that is oppress and undo us then we should say in faith Where is God our maker who once gave us life and hath since lifted us up from the gates of death and put us into a good condition Many are crying out upon and possibly some railing and raging at men but who saith in the sense opened Where is God my maker There is one thing further considerable in the Grammar of the Text. The Hebrew is plural or a plural with a singular as Gen. 1.1 In the beginning God created The word Elohim rendred God is plural The word Bara created singular Thus here Where is God my makers Mr Broughton translates Where is the puissant my makers I might spend much time in shewing the consent of several Scriptures in that poynt Joshua said to the people who promised and engaged to serve the Lord ye cannot serve the Lord. Why could they not the reason follows For he is an Holy God Josh 24.19 The Hebrew strictly is God holyes he Thus the Prophet expresseth it Isa 54.5 Thy makers is thy husband Solomons admonition runs in the same plural stile Eccl. 12.1 Remember now thy Creators in the dayes of thy youth Deus sanctus est Ad verbum Dii sancti ipse Mont But though the Scripâ—ure speaks of God sometimes in the singular sometimes in the plural number yet the sense is alwayes singular The true God being but One and the onemost one and therefore the plural word Elohim is alwayes rendred in the singular number God where menâ—ion is made of the true God they having regard to the true meaning or Divinity of the Text not to the Grammar or termination of the word There are usually two reasons given by learned translaters and interpreters why the true God who is but one in essence and being is so often expressed in the Hebreâ— text plurally First to insinuate or intimate unto us that Great and glorious mystery of the Blessed Trinity of persons in the God-head I say to intimate it we cannot make a full or convincing proof from it against any Antitrinitarian Adversary because though the word Elohim notes a plurality yet we cannot by any force of the word determine that plurality precisely to a Trinity that must be done by other Scriptures of which we have an abundant store to stop the mouth of all gainsayers Secondly they tell us This plural word is used to set forth the honour of God according to the usage of Kings and Soveraigne Princes called Gods who speak of themselves though single persons in a plural stile We and Vs But I conceive neither is this cogent though both this and the former may be piously improved So much for the opening of these words No man saith Where is God my maker Hence observe First Many cry and complain in affliction but look not to God in affliction Deut. 32.18 Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindfull and hast forgotten God that formed thee Which as it is often verified in times of peace plenty and prosperity so not seldome in times of trouble pressure and affliction Yea there are some who cry and complain in affliction yet turn away from God in affliction Hos 7.14 They have not cryed unto me with their heart when they howled upon their beds they assemble themselves for corne and wine and they rebell against me These are so far from seeking God indeed or saying Where is our maker with their heart that they rebell against him while they would be relieved and fed by him How frequently even at this day do some men storme and fret and rage little minding God in their afflictions though formally or vocally calling on him 'T is easie to complain but hard to pray in a day of trouble The Jewes are reproved for their regardlesness of God while they made great preparations in a time of danger and war or of a feared siege Isa 22.8 c. Thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forrest ye have seen also the breaches of the City of David that they are many c. And the houses have ye broken down to fortifie the wall Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool c. Here were politick warlike preparations yea God was little thought upon in all this as it followeth v. 11. But ye have not looked unto the maker thereof neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago 'T is thus with the most of men when outward misery comes upon them what crying what working is there yet little returning to God little turning into their own hearts Secondly Note When men oppress and vex us it is best to have our recourse to God and apply to him That counsel Look to me and be saved Isa 45.22 is true of temporal as well as of eternal salvation God is our best friend at all times even in the best times and it is best to look to him in the worst times David could say Psal 73.28 when flesh and strength and heart when all fayled him It is good for me to draw near to God Let our condition be what it will but especially if we are in a bad condition it is good yea best to go to him who hath our times that is all the changes of our condition in his hand to him in whose hand the arme of the mighty is and in whose hand alone there is might to help and deliver us from the arme of the mighty Is it not best to look to him in affliction who can either support us in or bring us out of our affliction as pleaseth him He that made us can protect and save us therefore in every pinching strait in
every pressing danger let us go to God in faith and hope and he will either give us enlargements or do us good by and in our worst and greatest straits Thirdly Note As it is good when at any time we are in trouble to look to God so we should then look to God specially under this relation as he is our Maker It is good then to say God is my maker and I am the work of his hands therefore he will take care of me and deliver me out of the hand of my oppressors There are five duties which arise from this Consideration that God is our Maker First We should highly esteem and be thankfull for this benefit our making Secondly We should be confident that he who hath made us will preserve us Thirdly We should patiently submit to him when he afflicteth us himself or suffers others to afflict us Fourthly We should give him glory by believing that he will take care of us in or deliver us out of all our sufferings and afflictions Fifthly We should not think nor speak hardly of God because he hath made us subject to tryals and the exercise of patience neither should we take it ill that he hath made others so high or great that they have power to oppress us In all these respects we should look to God our maker and neither murmure at nor be afraid in a day of â—ffliction The Lord himself poynts us to that Isa 51.12 13. Who art thou that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall dye and of the son of man which shall be made as grasse and forgettest the Lord thy maker It is good in time of affliction to remember God in all our relations and in this as our maker in a three-fold making of us First As our maker in a natural capacity that is as he hath made these bodies of ours we may plead with and urge the Lord to take care of and preserve our bodyes because he ha h made them preservation is an act of providence and pâ—ovidence followeth creation Secondly As our maker in a civil capacity that is as he hath made us rich or poor high or low in the world or in any worldly enjoyments Pharaoh that great Dragon lying in the midst of the rivers said Ezek. 29.3 My river is mine own and I have made it for my self But grace teacheth us to say otherwise if we are rich or strong God hath made us so if our river be broad and deep full and over-flowing God hath made it so and if we are poor and weak if our river be naâ—row and shallow empty and dry God hath made it so and who shall say to him Why hast thou made it so That God is the maker of our crosse should make us quiet under it Thirdly A godly man should look to God in affliction as his maker in a spiritual capacity I do not mean as he hath made our spirits but as he hath made us spiritual or as we are his workmanship that 's the Apostles word created in Christ Jesus unto good works Eph. 2.10 That we are thus wrought works much upon the heart of God in the day of our affliction That God hath made us men that we are his creatures is a good argument a faire plea and moves much but that he hath made us new men or new creatures his Sons by grace and Temples of his Spirit that he hath made us holy believing righteous is a far stronger argument a suller plea and moves much more A soul that can go to God thus and tell him he is his maker a soul that can say as 't is said of the Church Isa 54.5 My maker is my husband He that made me hath married me to himself a soul that can say this may indeed triumph in and over all his tribulations How sweet is it to have an interest in Christ and by him a relation to God as our maker in this respect When the Lord rejects a people to the utmost he saith he will not be stayd no not by this relation as their maker from doing it Isa 27.11 This is a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour As if the Prophet had said If any argument could move the Lord to shew mercy this would do it to tell him he hath made such a people or he is their maker But there are none whom the Lord hath made in the third sense as to a new creation but he will have mercy on them and shew them favour his making of them such is a gâ—eater mercy and an higher favour thâ—n any they can ask of him nor are there any of that making who are of no understanding So then he that is made of God spiritually needs not care for all the unmaking or undoing he can receive from men nor fear that he shall ever be unmade or unmercy'd by God All he can lose in this world doth not cannot make him miserable who is made fit for the world to come He knoweth he hath an estate setled upon him by his Maker which cannot be taken away A man thus made may say to his spoylers Ye have taken nothing from me but the scraps and sweepings the parings and chippings of my estate The Archers indeed have sorely grieved me and shot at me but my bow abides in strength and the armes of my hands are made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob. He that is spiritually made or made a new creature is made for ever and in every strait he may look to God his Maker as a helper and restorer He that made us when we were nothing can help us when we are reduced to a very nothing It is an encouragement to go to God for healing because he hath wounded us Come and let us return unto the Lord saith the Church for he hath torne and he will heale us he hath smitten and he will bind us up Hos 6.1 Much more is it an encouragement to go unto God to be our healer because he hath been our Maker He that hath made us can mend us He that built us can repaire us if we say as we ought and have been taught Where is God our maker Who giveth songs in the night Those words contain a second Consideration why the oppressed should seek to God he giveth songs that is matter of songs or cause of singing joy and comfort even in the night There are several opinions about the meaning of these words Some as I shewed before interpret this verse of the oppressors None of them say Where is God my maker who giveth songs in the night So the words are a description as of the great worldly security so of the great worldly felicity of those oppressors Poor men labour all day hard and being wearied out with their labours when night cometh they go to bed But prophane great and rich men
idle away the day and sport and play and sing away the night As good men have holy songs in the night Isa 30.29 Ye shall have a song as in the night when a holy Solemnity is kept c. So the wicked have their wanton vaine revelling songs in the night when their sensual Solemnities are kept Belshazer was drinking in the night and doubtless he had his musick songs that night And as he had his songs mirth and musick in the night so he said not Where is God my maker who giveth me songs in the night he instead of minding God his maker in his mirth minded only the gods which himself had made as the text speaks Dan. 5.4 They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and of silver c. And thus 't is in proportion with all the wicked to whom God gives songs in the night they say not Where is God my maker This interpretation which carrieth the songs to the oppressors before spoken of contains a truth yet I shall not stay upon it but take the words as referring to the oppressed Here it may be queried how doth God give them songs in the night I shall not insist upon those conjectures which some have made about this giving songs in the night As First implying God so gracious that he giveth us not only in the day but in the night occasion of joy in sorrow namely the view and contemplation of the Heavens and Starrs which are very pleasant and refreshing Psal 19.1 Others Secondly conjecture that God may be said to give the sorrowful and oppressed ones songs in the night by the singing of birds in the night of that bird especially which hath its name from singing in the night the Nightingal Some insist much upon these interpretations It is I grant a great mercy of God that when the Sun is down we have Moon-light and Star-light and that in the night we have the innocent harmless birds to sing and make us pleasant melody But leaving these we may take the words in a double notion First Properly Secondly Metaphorically Properly and so to give songs in the night as the night is taken for night time imports the goodness of God to man not only in the day time but in the night Hence Note God in the night season as well as in the day gives his people matter of joy Night-mercies deserve and call for day-praises especially two sorts of night-mercies First Night preservations Psal 3.6 I laid me down and slept for thou Lord makest me to dwell in safety The night is subjâ—ct to many dangers Qui distribuit nocturnas custodias Sept The Septuagint render fully to this sense Who giveth watch or preservation in the night that 's matter of praise and thanksgiving to God Secondly he gives us cause of praise and singing not only for preserving our lives while we sleep in the night but for refreshing us with sleep in the night Psal 127.2 So he giveth his beloved sleep The Lord gives us not only safety but sleep Sweet sleep is a great mercy Eccl. 5.12 The sleep of a labouring man is sweet whether he eat little or mucâ— and they who sleep sweetly get refreshing and renewings of strength after all their foâ—mer labours for new labours So thaâ— if we take night properly for the night time there is much occasion of rejoycing given by God to mankind in general and more peculiarly to his faithfull servants in reference to those common mercies of bodily safety and the return of natural strength and spirits Secondly Take night properly and then this assertion He giveth songs in the night may have this meaning The Lord gives his people a praising frame of heart in the night season Etâ—am cum nulla ad eum laudandum documenta circumfulgent intus Spiritu excitat ad laudes Jun When they are wrapped up and compassed about with outward darkness when they are solitary and alone when no worldly object holds out any occasion of comfort to them yet then the Lord lets in a light or shines into their sâ—uls by his good Spirit The Lord may well be said to give songs even in the night when by the immediate work of his Spirit he filleth our spirits with joyes unspeakable and glorious These aâ—e the most ravishing songs of the night Hence Note God by his good Spirit doth often suggest sweet meditations and comfortable thoughts to his people in the night In the night the Lord minds his servants either of such mercies as they have already received or of such as according to his promise he is ready to or will surely bestow that so they may be busied in that heavenly work of praising him and rejoycing in him when they awake or cannot sleep This was Davids experience Psal 17.3 Thou hast visited me in the night Men use to visit us in the day when we are up or awake But saith David God gives me visits in the night when I am in bed he gives me many a song or makes me to rejoyce When we are in our retirements or freest from the hurry of worldly businesses and enjoyments then we are in the fittest posture for the entertainment and enjoyment of God The Lord visits his servants in the night not only as David there to try them or as elsewhere to instruct them but to comâ—oâ—t them as David was assured Psal 42.8 The Lord will command his loving kindness in the day time and in the night his song shall be with me That is a song concerning him I will sing and rejoyce even in the night time because of the goodness and kindnâ—ss of God to me in the day The experience of Asaph or of David communicated in that Psalm to Asaph gives further proof of this Psal 77.6 where having said v. 1. I cryed unto God with my voyce and he gave eare unto me he adds v. 6. I call to remembrance my song in the night that is those occasions of joy and singing which God hath heretofore given me These songs were sweeter to me than sleep As it sheweth an excellent frame of spirit to remember the Commandments of God in the night which David also professed as his practise Psal 119.55 I have remembred thy Name O Lord in the night and have kept thy Law The name of God is any manifestation of God either in his word or works And again Psal 119.62 At midnight I will rise to give thanks to thee because of thy righteous judgements Some watch in the night to give thanks Psal 134.1 others give thanks when they wake at any time in the night both are acts of purest love to God and proceed from purest consolation in God Cant. 3.1 By night on my bed I sought him The Spouse doth not say only by night I sought him but by night on my bed I spend not the night in sleeping but in seeking him whom my soul loveth Psal 16.7 My reines instruct me in the night
impenitents among his own people by the Prophet Isa 1.15 Though you make many prayers I will not hear for your hands are full of blood Ye are full of bloody sins and ye have not humbled your selves nor cleansed your hearts and hands by the blood of the Covenant to this day and being in that case you may cry and pray till your hearts ake and your tongues ake too yet no prevailing with God no grant no hearing Another Prophet tells them as sad newes from the Lord Jer. 11.11 Behold I will bring evil upon them which they shall not be able to escape or go forth of and though they shall cry unto me I will not hearken to them Though the Lord threatned I will bring such evil upon them that they shall not escape they might say well but when the evil hath taken hold of us we hope God will hear us and deliver us No saith God when the evil hath overtaken and arrested you yet your prayers shall not overtake me Though you cry yet I will not hearken unto you That 's a dreadful Scripture of the same import Psal 18.41 They cryed but there was none to save them even unto the Lord but he answered them not They cryed being in great distresse and they cryed to the Lord he brings in that lest any should say they cryed indeed but possibly 't was to false gods to idols possibly they knockt at a wrong doore and so were not heard No they cryed to the Lord to the Lord by name they were right as to the object of prayer but their hearts were not right they were not right subjects of prayer That once blind man saw this truth when answering the Pharisees about the person by whose power he received his sight he told them plainly Joh. 9.31 We know that God heareth not sinners that is Such as love and live in sin such as go on impenitently in their sins By this answer he closely but strongly confuted that blasphemous opinion and censure of the Pharisees who reputed and reported the Lord Jesus Christ who came into the world to save sinners as one of the vilest sinners in the world and upon that account got him crucified at last As if the man had said Were he that cured me of my blindness such a sinner as you reckon him to be he could never have obtained power from God to cure me of my blindness for we know God heareth not sinners When men sin and pray as it were by turns their prayers are turned into sin and therefore will not be returned in mercy God sometimes hears sinners in wrath and judgement and he sometimes will rot hear Saints as to the grant of the thing in hand prayed for in love and mercy but he never denies praying Saints in wrath nor doth he ever hear a sinner such a one as is here intended in mercy when he prayeth Now as when the Disciples heard Christs answer to the Pharisees question about Divorce they presently said Math. 19.10 If the case of the man be so with his wife it is not good to marry so some hearing this doctrine that God heareth not proud sinners when they cry or pray may possibly say if the case of the proud be thus with God it is not good for them to pray at all To such I answer this doctrine is not urged to make proud or impenitent sinners to leave praying but to leave their pride 't is urged to make them humble under their oppressions and afflictions not to make them prophane They who as they are cannot get by prayer certainly they cannot get by casting off prayer What answer can they have who cry not at all to God when some may cry and get no answer as Elihu here speaks There they cry but none giveth answer because of the pride of wicked men This sense or interpretation most insisted upon in this 12th verse will appear more full and faire in opening the 13th Ad dicti superioris confirmationem Epiphonemaris vice subjicit in which Elihu brings down what he said here into a strong and peremptory conclusion or the next verse renders another reason why God would not relieve those oppressed ones It was not only for the pride of their spirits v. 12. but also for the emptiness and heartlesness of their prayers or because the prayers of proud and evil men are heartless or empty Vers 13. Surely God will not hear vanity neither will the Almighty regard it They cry but God will not hear why will he not hear what hinders He tells us both why and what Surely God will not hear vanity What is vanity What saith vanity hath vanity a tongue can vanity speak the Text saith God will not hear vanity 'T is frequent in Scripture to ascribe a tongue and a voyce to sin of any kind though some sins are more vocall and speak louder than others yet all speak But when he saith Surely or without all Question the Lord will not hear vanity by vanity we are to understand vaine men praying or vanity is put for the prayers and crys of those persons who are as vaine as vanity it self The word rendred vanity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 temeritas falsitas mendacium dicitur de re salsa vana levi mutili signifieth a lie as also rashness temerity God will neither hear rash-headed nor false-hearted prayers he will not hear vaine prayers or the prayers of vaine men The Abstract is often put for the Concrete in Scripture Psal 107.42 All iniquity shall stop her mouth When the Lord brings about that mighty work the bringing down of the mighty sets the poor on high those that are at once poor and humble the Lord will set on high then Iniquity that is wicked men men of iniquity shall stop their mouths or have their mouths stopt they shall not have a word to say as gaine-saying that righteous and glorious work of God So here God will not hear vanity that is vaine men or men that pray vainly all that which men speak or act is vaine or vanity if it be not good if it be not answerable to the will and ends of God yea whatsoever prayer doth not proceed from faith and flow from a pure heart is vanity 't is but straw and stubble dross and dung God will not hear vanity Neither will the Almighty regard it He that will not hear will much less regard vanity The sense is gradual regarding is more than hearing we may put both together he will not hear with regard nor regard what he hears from such The strong God who hath all power in his hand the power of Authority or the power of a Judge will not hear vanity The All-mighty The All-sufficient who hath all power of efficiency in his hand the nourisher and preserver the punisher and correcter of all men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 intendit oculos visum intentis fiaeis oculis intuitus est solicitè
quandoquidem igitur illa non extat invasit ira ejus qua odit et amolitur peccat m etiam in iis ques diligit et salvâ—s vult maxime Coc. He hath visited in his anger or strictly his anger hath visited That is God hath heavily afflicted thee God is far from all passion and perturbation of mind only he is said to be angry or to visit in his anger when he doth that which anger produceth among men when he casts down and punisheth when he lays his hand sorely upon the Creature then he is said to be angry then His anger hath visited The word notes quick breathing in the Nostrils anger appears or vents it self there as it is said of Paul when Saul Acts 9.1 And Saul yet breathing out threatnings and slaughter against the Disciples of the Lord went unto the High Priest You might see anger as it were foam yea flame out of his mouth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ira ejus visitavit and evaporate at his nostrils Thus saith Elihu Because it is not so his anger Hath visited To visit is properly to go to and see any person whom we respect and love thus we visit friends in civility and courtesie Secondly To visit is an act of pity and mercy and thus we visit the sick the widdow and the fatherlesse James 1.27 Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is to visit the fatherlesse and widows in their affliction that is to go to them in pity either for the supply of their wants by our purse or for the comforting of their hearts by our counsel Thirdly We visit in care as well as in kindnesse that is when we go to our Families or Flocks or places of charge wheresoever they are and see that or whether all things are well and right with them or well and rightly done towards them according to the rules that such persons under our charge ought to act and live by Thus in Colledges and Hospitals there is a visitation of care to make enquiry of persons in trust about persons and things under their trust To the Point in hand there is a twofold visitation of God First He visits in love and mercy Ruth 1.6 Then she that is Naomi arose with her Daughter in Law that she might return from the Countrey of Moab for she had heard in the Countrey of Moab how that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread That is God had shewed them kindnesse and mercy in relieving them from that devouring famine Again Gen. 21.6 And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said that is he gave her the promised mercy of a Son Once more Luke 1.68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his People and that 's a blessed visitation indeed which brings redemption Thus the Scripture often speaks of Gods visitation in mercy Secondly There is a visitation of God in anger wrath and judgement The Law saith Exod. 20.4 5. Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven Image c. Thou shalt not bow down thy self to them nor serve them for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God visiting the iniquity of the Fathers upon the Children unto the third and fourth Generation of them that hate me That is punishing the iniquity of the Fathers upon the Children these Children continuing in their Fathers ways to do sinfully such Children as take up the evil examples or tread in the bad steps of their fore-Fathers shall suffer for it The Prophet at once upbraided the impudent Jews and threatned them in this Language Jer. 6.15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abominations nay they were not ashamed neither could they blush therefore they shall fall among them that fall at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down saith the Lord. Again Isa 26.14 Therefore hast thou visiâ—ed and destroyed them There is a visitation for destruction that 's a sad visitation In this sense we read of a time of visitation Jer. 8.12 Jer. 10.15 We read of days of visitation Hosea 9.7 The dayes of visitation are come the dayes of recompence are come We read also of a year of visitation Jer. 23.12 For I will bring evil upon them even the year of their visitation saith the Lord. As also Chap. 11.23 I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth even the year of their visitation This is the visitation here spoken of it is a time a day a year of sore visitation with thee O Job Because it is not so he hath visited in his anger Hence Note First God expects the work of Faith and Patience when his afflicting hand is upon us Faith hath much work to do at all times but most in times of affliction There is also a use of two sorts of patience in our best dayes the patience of labouring in Gods work and the patience of waiting for the reward of our work after all our labours But in sad dayes the Lord expects we should exercise both patience in suffering and in waiting for deliverance out of all our sufferings then 't is that both Faith and Patience trusting and waiting must have their perfect work Secondly Note When the Lord doth not find or see as he expects the work of Faith and Patience in a time of affliction he will afflict more and more until he finds or works it This is it which Elihu saith in the Text Because it is not so he hath visited in his anger Job was sorely afflicted before but now he is visited in anger because he did not manifest such trust in God as he expected in that condition As when the wicked repent not of their sins under the punishing hand of God he will punish them more and more even seven times more for their sins Levit. 26.41 So when good men act not their Graces believe not trust not under the afflicting hand of God he usually afflicts them more and more gives them soarer stripes and layeth yet heavier burdens on them When God misseth what he lock'd for we may quickly feel what we looked not for Mr. Braughtons Translation speaks the Point fully But now for missing his anger doth visit Man seldome misseth tâ—ouble from God when God misseth duty from man and 't is a me cy that he doth not 't is mans mercy when God minds him of his deficiencies in duty though by a smart visiting rod. Thus the Lord spake of Davids Seed and 't is to be understood of all the Seed of Christ whom David typed Psal 89. If his children forsake my Law v. 30 31. Then vers 32. will I visit their transgressions with the Rod c. How true this charge of Elihu was as to Jobs omission of duty I shall not stay to enquire only this we know Job had professed trust in God yet because it was mingled with so much complaint with so many unbelieving expostulations Elihu might say the Lord missed the patience trust and confidence
which he expected from Job Doubtlesse more of all these should have appeared in him and they should have appeared more in that time of affliction There are two things which God looketh for and aims at in the time of our affliction first the mortifying of corruptions that they woâ—k no more at least no more so strongly as they have done secondly The stirring up and acting of our Graces that they may be more woâ—king and work more strongly than ever they have done Where the Lord sees not these effects of affliction that our sins grow lesse and our graces more that we complain lesse and trust or believe more we are like to be afflicted more and he will discover his anger more Because it is not so he hath visited in his anger And thence Note Thirdly Distrust or impatience under the afflâ—cting hand of God or our not trusting God in our worst condition patiently is a very provoking sin We provoke the Lord to visit us in his anger when we do not trust in his mercy Our not trusting God must needs provoke him to anger for when we do not trust him we question him distrust or unbelief questions all that God is and all that God hath promised it questions his Truth and his Faithfulnesse his Power his Mercy and his Goodnesse all these which are the glory of God and in all which the sons of men ought to glorifie him these are all questioned and darkned when we put not forth acts of trust and reliance upon God in times of greatest affliction and extremity Is it not then a provoking sin I say not to with-draw trust from God and give it to an arm of flesh but not to put out fresh and full acts of trust upon God let our affliction or extremity be what it will The Children of Israel were in great extremity at the Red Sea a mighty Army pursuing them at the heels to destroy them and mighty waters being before them ready to swallow them up in these straits whilest they should have done their utmost to get and assure God to be their Friend the Psalmist tells us They provoked him Psal 106 7. But wherein lay their provocation that Scripture saith They remembred not the multitude of his mercies The former mercies of the Lord did not strengthen their trust in present troubles that was one provocation And as former mercies did not strengthen their trust so the present trouble drew out their distrust as another Scripture assures reporting their behaviour in it Exod. 14.11 And they said to Moses Because there were no Graves in Egypt hast thou taken us away to dye in the Wildernesse Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us to carry us forth out of Egypt What were these fearful fore-casts these amazing bodements of an unavoidable as they apprehended ruine but the overflowings of unbelief or distrust in God and this was another provocation Former mercies are forgotten yea eaten up by unbelief as the seaven lean Kine in Pharaohs dream eat up the fat ones and present difficulties are aggravated by unbelief as if all the power of God could not remove and overcome them And will not the Lord think you visit in anger for such a sin as this Again As Elihu doth not say barely he hath visited but he hath visited in his anger or his anger hath visited so consider who was it that was thus visited in anger It was Job a Godly man a man perfect and upright Hence note Fourthly God visits or afflicts even his own people his elect and choicest servants with fatherly anger when they displease and provoke him We find the Scripture speaking expresly of the anger of God towards the best of his servants even towards a Moses as himself made confession Deuter. 1.37 when they displease him Also the Lord was angry with me for your sakes saying thou also shalt not go in thither Moses was a most meek man the meekest man upon the face of the earth nor was he an inferior in any other grace yet the Lord was angry wi h him and angry with him upon that special occasion his unbeliefe Numb 20.12 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron because ye believe me not to sanctifie me in the eyes of the children of Israel therefore c. We read of the Lords anger breaking out against Aaron for another sin Numb 12.9 The anger of the Lord was kindled against them that is against Aaron and Miriam because they had spoken against Moses vers 1.8 Aaron was the High Priest and as he was high in office so eminent in grace and doubtless Miriam was a very gracious woman yet the Lord was not only angry with them but exceeding angry his anger waxed hot against them and kindled when they forgot their duty to Moses and remembred not their distance with reverence Solomon in his prayer at the Dedication of the Temple speaks of the people of God collectively If they sin against thee and thou be angry with them The Lord is not only angry with the world but angry with his Church not only angry with Babylon but with Jerusalem And as Solomon spake that of the whole Nation of the Jewes supposing they might fall under the Lords anger all together as a body so he did experience it sadly in his own person 1 Kings 9.11 And the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel which had appeared unto him twâ—ce Wise Solomon departed from God through an evil heart of unbelief and vanity after the Lord had come and appeared to him more than once in grace and savour and the bitter effects or fruits of that departure appeared to him shortly after the Lord saith that Scripture was angry with Solomon and the sequel of his History tells us there went out very hot displeasure against him As these Scriptures are a proof of the Lords anger kindling against his people when they sin so we find the Church represented praising the Lord for quenching the fire of his angeâ— Isa 12.1 And in that day thou shalt say O Lord I will praise thee though thou wast angry with me thine anger is turned away and thou comfortest me When we turn from God his anger is turned against us and when we turn to God his anger is turned away from us When the Lord is angry what can comfort us but the turning away of his anger And by the very act of turning away his anger he comforts us though all the world be angry with us But some may say How doth the Lord who is said to love his people with an everlasting love visit them in anger To clear that we may distinguish of anger First There is correcting anger Secondly there is consuming or destroying anger Destroying anger is inconsistent with eveâ—lasting love but not correcting anger correcting anger may be very grievous therefore the Prophet deprecates it Jer. 10.24 Correct me O Lord in Judgement not in thy anger The
their life nor their death is precious in the Lords sight as both of the meanest Saints are Psal 116.15 The special Promises of preservation are made to the godly the common Providences of preservation extend to the wicked God preserves many wicked men but not one of them can plead a Promise for his preservation or say Lord thou hast undertaken to preserve me I have thy Word or Warrant for my preservation So then the Lord doth not preserve the life of any wicked man upon a word of Promise Secondly I answer When the lives of the wicked are preserved they are not preserved for any love which God bears to their persons as such but either First to bring them into a better state that is to turn them from their wickedness that being converted they may be saved at last according to his purpose Or Secondly they are preserved to serve some ends and purposes of his in this World For though God hath no pleasure in them yet he makes some use of them and doth his pleasure by them Or I may say they are preserved to be Executioners of his displeasure in chastening and correcting his own people The King of Assyria was preserved in great Power and to what end I will send him against an hypocritical Nation Isa 10.6 He must go on my Errand though he meaneth not so nor doth his heart think so as the Lord spake vers 7. He hath other matters and designs in his head but I have this use of him and of his power even to punish the people of my wrath The Lord made use also of Nebuchadnezar and his Army to serve him in the destroying of Tyrus and of him and his Army he saith They wrought for me Ezek. 29.20 Thus the Lord doth some of his work his strange work especially his work of Judgment by the hands of wicked men and therefore he preserves their lives Yea he preserves them many a time to be a help and a defence to his people A Thorn Hedge keeps the Pasture that strange Cattle break not in and eat it up Wicked men are as Bryars and Thorns and they are suffered to live because the Lord can make use of them as a Fence to his people When the Serpent cast out of his mouth water as a Flood after the woman the Church that he might cause her to be carryed away of the Flood then the Earth that is earthly carnal men helped the Woman Rev. 12.15 16 The Lord used bad men to do that good work the preservation of his distressed and persecuted Church Thirdly As the Lord suffers many wicked men to live that they may be brought out of their sins so he suffers others to live that they may fill up the measure of their sins Why did the Lord preserve the Amorites was it because he loved or liked them no but because they were not then ripe for Judgment Gen. 15.16 The Iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full Some wicked men are to fill up their dayes that they may fill up the measure of their Fathers sins by their own as Christ threatned the Scribes and Pharisees Math. 23.32 Such a grant of life though for a thousand years is worse than a thousand Deaths Fourthly we may answer The wicked are not so much preserved from as reserved unto further wrath 2 Pet. 2.9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust unto the day of Judgment to be punished God doth not presently punish all the wicked nor take away their lives there is a day of Judgment coming and till that day come their lives are preserved as persons reserved unto Judgment Fifthly VVhen wicked men are said to be out of the Lords Protection consider There is a twofold Protection First ordinary Secondly extraordinary The Lord doth preserve and protect wicked men in an ordinary not in an extraordinary way he doth not work wonders much less miracles to preserve them as he often doth for the preservation of his own people God will not be at such cost in preserving of wicked men as he is at in the preserving the lives and liberties of his eminent Servants rather than they shall perish or not be preserved he will somtimes work a miracle and put Nature out of its course to save their lives VVhen those three VVorthies were cast into the midst of the burning fiery Furnace God stopt the rage of that furious Element that the Fire had no power upon their bodyes nor was an hair of their head singed neither were their Coats changed nor the smel of fire had passed on them Dan. 3.27 Did we ever hear that the Lord restrained the power of the fire to preserve wicked men When Daniel a man precious in the sight of God was cast into the Lions Den the Lord preserved his life also by stopping the Mouths of the Lyons Dan. 6.22 Did we ever hear that God preserved the lives of wicked men in such a way No sooner were Daniels accusers cast into the Lyons Den but the Lyons had the Mastery of them and brake all their bones in pieces e're ever they came to the bottome of the Den v. 24. The Lord doth not preserve the lives of the wicked by miraculous manifestations of his Power and Glory Sixthly I answer Though some wicked men are commonly preserved as other men yet many by their wickedness hasten their ruine and shorten the number of their dayes We may distinguish of wicked men First wicked men may be taken in a General notion for all that are unconverted and unregenerate Many persons pass for honest and good men in the world who yet are wicked being carnal and abiding in a state of nature wicked men of this sort are ordinarily preserved Secondly Take wicked men and such I conceive the Text especially intends for notorious wicked men such as are murderers blasphemers c. the Lord doth not preserve the lives of such but lets mans Justice seize upon them or divine vengeance overtake them Psal 55.23 The blood-thirsty and deceitful man shall not live out half his dayes that is he shall not live half so long as he might according to the course of Nature because of his nefarious sinful courses Histories are full of dreadful Tragedies sealing to this Truth with the blood and untimely death of gross offenders How often have we seen or heard of the Veâ—geance of God following and falling upon those that were signanter notoriously wicked and of â—â—ese we are especially to understand the Poynt and Text He preserveth not the life of the wicked Take this Inference from all that hath been said about this awakening Observation How sad is the life of a wicked man indeed of any man on this side the Line of grace but especially of any very wicked man He can scarce be said to live whose life is not preferved by God a wicked man is alwayes in death seeing God doth not preserve his life The Apostle
looks to him that is poor in spirit or of a contrite spirit let such be in Rags and lye upon the Dunghil the Lord will look to them and he hath a threefold look for them First A look of honour as respecting their Persons Secondly A look of care to supply their wants Thirdly A look of justice to deliver them from wrong And if they that are poor in spirit be rich also in the world they shall not fail to receive right from the hand of the Lord. The Lord giveth right to all sorts of men against their wicked oppressors but his poor the Godly poor believing poor those that are poor not only in purse but in spirit are more peculiarly under this priviledge of being righted by the Lord. And usually in Scripture the word poor is taken in a good sence Nomen pauperis in bonum sumitur pauperes sunt populus Dei for good men as the word rich in an ill sence for evil men Jam. 5.1 Go to now ye rich men weep and howl for the miseries that shall come upon you The Apostle speaks as if that were the case of all rich or as if he called all rich men to weeping and howling c. Yet some poor men are wicked and some rich men are righteous and therefore I conceive the word poor may be taken here for any wronged or oppressed poor yet especially for the Godly poor For though God giveth right to all men even the worst of men yet here the scope of Elihu is to shew that God takes most care of those whom the wicked do most not only neglect but injure and oppresse He giveth right to the poor Hence Note The poor especially the Godly poor are often wronged and go by the worst in the world Or thus The poor as poor usually suffer from and by the world As the world is apt to oppresse any poor so mostly the Godly poor Psal 12.5 For the oppression of the poor I will arise 'T is possible a rich man may be oppressed a mighty man may be oppressed by one mightier than he but usually the poor are oppressed and they trampled on who are already underfoot And therefore the Lord saith For the oppression of the poor for the sighing of the needy now will I arise and set him at safety from him that puffeth at him This is not exclusive the Lord will arise for the help of the rich and great when any such are wronged but he is said to arise for the help of the poor as intimating that the poor seldome come by their right or find help in the world unlesse God arise to help them or help them to it and because he hath said he will help them to their right we may be sure he will Davids Faith was strong upon this promise Psal 18.27 Thou wilt save the afflicted people Psal 72.4 He shall judge the poor of the People Pâ—al 140.12 I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted And his Experience was as clear as his Faith was strong Psal 37.25 I have been young and now am old yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken that is I have often yea alwayes seen him helped one way or other and sometimes set on high from affliction Psal 107.41 The Lord careth so for the poor as if he cared for none else and the best of the poor are little cared for by any but the Lord. Zeph. 3.12 I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people and they shall trust in the Name of the Lord. The rich of this world trust to creature helps but as the Lords poor know they ought not to trust in creature help so they have it not to trust to and therefore they trust in the Name of the Lord not only out of choice which is their grace and duty but out of necessity And what will the Lord do for them that trust in him not only out of necessity but choice he will surely take care of them and do them right Secondly Note God rights the poor freely He giveth them right he doth not sell it What freer than gift They need not bribe for it As he freely giveth them the Righteousnesse of his Son to justifie them so they have common right of free gift to relieve them Note Thirdly The Lord relieves or rights the poor speedily He giveth implyeth a present act and that doubles the mercy Note Fourthly God will always right the wronged poor He giveth imports even a continued act as he did it in former times in the dayes of old so he doth it at this day and will do it always As the Lord giveth right speedily so constantly with him is no variablenesse or shadow of turning Most men do right only by fits but the Lord is ever giving right Lastly He giveth right to the poor not to this or that poor man but to the poor Hence Note The Lord distributes right to all that are wronged As his Mercy so his Justice is not confined to a few but floweth out to all But it may be objected Why then are so many poor without their right If the Lord giveth right and giveth it continually and impartially why do the poor cry and sigh and groan and mourn why see we so many tears of the poor If they have right why do they complain I answer First The Lord giveth right to the poor sometimes when the poor perceive it not Psal 97.2 Clouds and darknesse are round about him Righteousnesse and Judgement are the habitation of his Throne When a man cannot see the Lord doing right yet the Lord doth right The Sun shineth when eclipsed or covered with a Cloud The Lord never ceaseth to right the poor though neither poor nor rich perceive how or which way he doth it Secondly I answer He giveth right to the poor even when they want right or when they are under the sorest oppressions by supporting their hearts in this perswasion that he will give them right The poor have right when their minds are satisfied that they shall have right There is no true Godly poor man in the world how much soever afflicted but his heart is or may be satisfied that he shall have right That 's a sure word Psal 9.18 The needy shall not always be forgotten the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever And therefore we may pray with confidence Forget not O Lord the Congregation of thy poor for ever Psal 74.19 The poor may rest in this assurance while their troubles rest upon them that God will bring forth their Righteousnesse as the Light and their Judgement as the Noon day Psal 37.6 He hath right who believes he shall have it as he that believeth hath everlasting life in hope long before he attains the possession of it John 3.36 Thirdly Though we say The Lord giveth right to the poor both speedily and constantly yet he reserveth to himself a liberty as to
time and means and manner as in all his outward Administrations so in ministring or giving out this right the Lord waits to be gracious till we are ready for his grace and he waits in the same sence to be righteous till the poor are ready for their right they shall not stay for it when once they are ready for it and it would be a wrong to them to have their right before they are ready for it Lastly There is a day spoken of wherein the Lord will do all his poor right in the view of all the world Acts 17.31 He hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the World in Righteousnesse by that man whom he hath ordained The day approacheth wherein the Lord will judge the world in righteousness Right is prepared designed for them The time till right shall be done to all as is desired or to the utmost of their desires maketh hast He that shall come will come and will not tarry Behold saith he I come quickly and my reward is with me to give every man according as his works shall be Rev. 22.12 And if the Lord come with a reward in his hand for those who have done well he will undoubtedly come with right in his hand to give all those who have suffered wrongfully JOB Chap. 36. Vers 7. He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous but with Kings are they on the throne yea he doth establish them for ever and they are exalted THis verse contains a further confirmation of Gods righteous and gracious dealing with the righteous and gracious poor yea with all that are righteous and gracious The words may be taken either in a stricter or in a larger sense First Strictly as an Exposition of the latter part of the former verse He giveth right to the poor that is He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous We may put both together He is so set to give right to the righteous poor he takes such care of them that he cannot take his eye off from them Secondly In a larger and more general sense as a Conclusion upon the whole matter that God will not desert any righteous person whether poor or rich high or low God will take notice of piety and godliness wheresoever he finds it He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 minuit diminuit ademit substraxit The word which we translate withdraweth and is here used negatively He withdraweth not signifies strictly in the Noune any kind of abatement or diminution and in the Verb to diminish or abate or take short in any kind that which was before When Pharaoh Exod. 5.8 gave out a fresh Charge for burdening or indeed oppressing the Children of Israel in their bondage the Order ran in this stile The tale of bricks which they did make heretofore you shall lay upon them you shall not diminish or withdraw any you shall not abate them a brick And Moses shewing how sacred a thing the Word of God is Deut. 9.2 gives a double check or prohibition to all medlers with it First to medlers by way of addition Ye shall not add unto the Word Secondly by way of abateâ—ent or abstraction Ye shall not diminish or withdraw from it it is this word As if the Lord had said Every tittle of my word shall stand by it self and every Iota be establisht be sure that ye put nothing to it that you withdraw nothing from it Further this word which we translate withdraw is rendred also to clip as the hayr of the head or beard is clipt Jer. 48.37 It is indeed high treason against the King of Heaven to clip his coyn his word which bears the royal stamp and superscription of his truth and holiness Thus here he withdraweth not that is the Lord doth not abate lessen diminish or take off his eyes from the righteous his eyes are fixed on them for good alwayes and they are alwayes fixed in the same strength and vertue He withdraweth not His eyes God is a Spirit without parts and passions yet often in Scripture parts and passions are ascribed to him in allusion to man here eyes He withdraweth not his eyes that is his sight Oculos domini esso super aliquem nisi aliquid additur semper in bonum sumitur peculiarem ejus favorem et curam importat Bold or his providence And we may take notice that in Scripture where this expression is used without any further addition it is alwayes taken in a good sense When we read either of Gods keeping his eyes upon his people or of his not withdrawing his eyes from his people it alwayes respects their priviledge benefit and comfort He withdraweth not his eyes From the righteous He doth not say from this or that righteous man but from the righteous implying the whole kind or generation of the righteous The indefinite is universal we may render it thus he withdraweth not his eyes from any that are righteous The righteous here may be taken in a two-fold notion First for the righteous as to their state or who are in a state of righteousness Man wanting a righteousness of his own hath the righteousness of another assigned and imputed to him Justified persons through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ are righteous persons as hath been shewed heretofore Secondly We may take righteous here with respect to the righteousness of their wayes and actions They who do righteousness are righteous saith the Apostle John To a righteous state there belongs a righteous way a righteous walk righteous acting not that the righteous do not sin but they would not nor do they sin at all as the unrighteous It is a high blemish or staine to the Gospel when any that pretend to a righteous state or to righteousness by Jesus Christ are not righteous as to their wayes and course as to their walkings and workings whether towards God or man 'T is true in a strict legal sense none are righteous no not one but in a Gospel sense all justified and fanctified persons are righteous and they are called so not only positively as to what themselves are but comparatively as to what the men of the world are who live in a state or walk in a course of sin and unrighteousness The Lord withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous But some may here object or question Is this true only of the righteous Doth the Lord at any time withdraw his eyes from the unrighteous truly that would be very good newes to many unrighteous persons they would be glad that they and their way might be hid from God or that God would not look upon them I answer This Scripture is not to be so understood as if God did behold the righteous and not the wicked for Prov. 15.3 The eyes of the Lord are every where beholding the evil and the good whether things done or persons doing them The Lord doth not withdraw his eyes from
the name of that place Jehovah Jireh the Lord will see or provide that is as the Lord hath seen and provided for me so he will see and provide for all his in their greatest exigents and extremities What Abraham said all the seed of Abraham may say in the day of their distress Jehovah Jireh the Lord will see and provide And as the Lord hath a seeing and a providing eye for his in times of distress so at all times Moses said of the Land of Israel Deut. 11.12 It is a Land of hills and of vallies a Land which the Lord thy God careth for The eyes of the Lord thy God are alwayes upon it from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year The eyes of the Lord are upon the land that is upon the people of the land or upon the land for the peoples sake who dwell in it What to do the text answers to care for it that is to provide all things for their good to give raine in season and the fruits of the earth not only for the support but comfort of his people We read of the same eye promised to the people of Israel in the Land of their captivity Jer. 29.6 I will set mine eyes upon them for good and I will bring them again into this Land I will not only give them a look or a glance but fix or set mine eyes upon them for good that is to do them good It is a proverbial saying amongst us The Masters eye fattens the Horse The Masters eye is a caring a providing eye he will take care that the Horse shall be well fed Certainly Gods eye is a sattening eye they shall be fat and flourish from whom God will not withdraw his providing eye at least they shall have necessaries or food convenient both for soul and body Fifthly The Scripture speaks of a delighting eye or of an eye of complacency and thus also the Lords eye is upon the righteous he beholdeth them with high content he is as I may say taken with them Isa 66.1 To him will I look that is poor Among all objects none so pleasant or pleasing to God as the poor What poor doth he mean surely the righteous poor or the poor in spirit as was shewed upon the former verse let such a one be whom he will to him will I look mine eye is greatly pleased to behold such a one The word used by Elihu in this Text doth further clear it while he saith He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous How pleasant is any object to our eyes from which we cannot withdraw or take them off but must be continually feeding them upon it Some cannot take off their eyes from unlawfull wanton objects because they are so delighted in them they have as the Apostle Peter speaks eyes full of adultery and such can never glut their eyes with adulterous objects Now certainly the Lord is exceedingly taken with the beauty the spiritual beauty of a righteous person with the comliness the spirituâ—ll comliness of those that are godly when the Text saith He withdraweth not his eyes from them but carries them as it were alwayes in his eye Among the Latines to carry one in our eye is an expression of singular high content delight and pleasure taken in such a person We may say of all the righteous the Lord carrieth them in his eye and therefore he is highly pleased and delighted with them In oculù oliquem gestare est eum vehementer amplecti diligere Thus you have this five-fold eye which the Lord doth not withdraw from the righteous and in that the text saith he doth not withdraw or abate or diminish his eye from them but looks fully upon them it gives us this fixth note The inspection of God upon his compassion towards his care of his delight in the righteous is perpetual Though God doth afflict yet he never ceaseth to love or care for his people Elihu was much upon that industriously to remove the scandal of the crosse which 't is like then did and still doth offend many and causeth them to stumble when they see the righteous afflicted therefore he would assure us that God never withdraweth his eye from them but his care of and pity to Non solum Satagentem attentamque curam denotat haec phrasis sed perseverantem continuam minimeque deflectentem Bold yea pleasure in them is everlasting That eye of his which carries all this in it is never shut towards them The Lord saith of the Church Isa 49.16 Thy walls are continually before me As the walls of Sion so the walls of every righteous person in Zion or of every true Sionist are continually before the Lord he withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep Psal 121.4 he that neither slumbers nor sleeps needs not withdraw his eyes from us and he that hath a tender regard to us will not The Prophet Isa 27.3 speaking of the Church under the Allegory of a Vineyard brings in the Lord giving this assurance I will water it every moment I will keep it night and day He that waters a Vineyard every moment never withdraws his eyes from it now by watering is meant the supply of whatsoever good the Vineyard or Church of God stood in need of to be so supplyed is to be well watered The providence of God as to our spirituall and temporall estate watcheth over us continually to water us But some may question here Doth not the Lord withdraw his eyes from the righteous are his eyes continually upon them what then is â—â— meaning of that Scripture Psal 44.23 and of several others of like importance Awake Lord why sleepest thou That was at once the voyce of the Church and her complaint surely the Lords eyes were withdrawn from the Church when he was asleep I answer The Lord sleeps with respect to his Church as the Church sleeps with respect to the Lord Cant. 5.2 I sleep saith the Spouse but my heart waketh Indeed the Lord doth act sometimes so towards the righteous or lets things go so with the righteous as if he were asleep as if he took no notice of them yet still his heart waketh towards them So that his sleeping doth not imply an intermission of his care but only a suspension of the effects of his care For while the Lord lets things go so as if he were asleep he then wakes and watches as much over the righteous over his Church and people as at any other time when they have the highest actings of his providence for their outward peace and preservation And if that other sort of Scriptures should be objected against his perpetual watching over the righteous or that he never withdraws his eyes which say he hideth his face and turns himself away from them I answer Those Scriptures are all of them to be understood according to the former interpretation the
Text If they obey and serve him Hence note The Lord expects our service and then especially when we suffer Religion and the Worship of God in the whole compass of it is nothing else but service a blessed service a free service a service infinitely more free than any thing the world calls freedom Exod. 4.23 Let my Son go that he may serve me that is worship me All the Sons of God are his Servants and they have most of the Son in them who have most of the Servant in them If any deny him service they deny their sonship or rather as the Apostle speaks of Non-sufferers in one kind or other Heb. 12.8 They are bastards not sons yea God expects whole and all service from us or that we should serve him with our all Deut. 10.12 Thou shalt serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart We must serve the Lord not only with the best we have but with all the best with the heart and all the heart We serve God no further than we obey him and we worship him no further than we serve him and that heartily To serve God as to love God is a very comprehensive word 't is the summe of all the duty of Man To serve God is to submit both to what he commands us and to what he layeth upon us To serve God is to submit to what he would have us do and to whatsoever he is pleased to do with us and so we serve him particularly under sufferings We should alwayes serve him actively and we are called sometimes to serve him passively All Believers are free and yet they must serve and they are made free on purpose to serve We are purchased by the blood of Christ that we might serve him Because we are bought with a price we must not be the servants of men saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 7.23 Whose servants then Surely the servants of God Servus tanquam in bello servatus We are conquered that we might serve The Latines say that a Servant is one that is saved in War taken and saved So it is with all the people of God they are taken in the holy war they are taken prisoners and so made servants to Jesus Christ Yet Believers are servants not only by conquest but compact and covenant every godly man hath as it were sealed Indentures with God he hath upon the matter put his ear to the Lords post to be boared thorow as you read Exod. 21.6 that he may be his servant for ever The Lord expects service But what is it to serve him First To serve him is to do his Will Secondly To serve him is to do his whole Will It is not the doing of this or that piece of the Will of God or this or that patch of the Will of God which renders us his servants but the doing his whole Will Thirdly To serve him is to do his Will only so saith the Scripture Him only shalt thou serve If it may be supposed that we could do the whole Will of God and yet do the will of any other or do our own will too in any thing contrary to his we were not his servants if we serve him not alone or if we serve him not only that is if in serving man we aim not chiefly at the serving of him or if all our services to men are not subservient or not in subordination to the service of God we serve him not at all Fourthly I may add this also To serve God is to do every thing under this contemplation that what we do is the Will of God 'T is very possible for a man to do that which is the Will of God and yet not to serve him in doing it which we never do till we do it because it is the Will of God His Will must be not only the Rule of what we do but the very Reason why we do it else our doings are not his servings They that do not attend this serve God but as a beast may serve him a beast may do that which is the Will of God the inanimate creatures serve him so We hear of stormy winds and tempests fulfilling his Will Psal 148. All living yea liveless creatures do that which is his Will but they do not attend this that it is his Will which they do So that I say to do his Will not considering that it is his Will is to serve him no otherwise than beasts or than the winds or stormes serve him And to do his Will ayming at our own wills or ends is to serve him but as a hypocrite serves him A hypocrite doth not serve God in what he doth though he doth many things which are materially the Will of God because in all he minds his own will more than the Will of God Lastly We must serve God as Sons Mal. 3.17 A Son serveth no less than a Servant yea much more though not as a servant for he knoweth more of his Fathers mind than a meer servant doth Joh. 15.15 and he knoweth that he shall have also though not Wages at the end of every day yet the inheritance in the end Obadiah was the proper name of one good man and it is a name common to all good men they are as that word imports Servants of the Lord. It is a common Theam to urge men to serve God but it is a rare thing to be indeed a servant of God To serve God is the Summe and Marrow of all knowledge in divinity and the great end why we came into this World and for which we are here detained Nor is it an easie matter to come up to or attain the holy skill of serving such a Lord and Master as he There must be a doing of his Will and of his whole Will and of his Will only and that under this precise contemplation that it is his Will to denominate us his servants or to make a proof that we serve him Now whether God teacheth us by his Word or by his Rod which is the teaching of this context O how readily should we obey and serve him To serve him is not only the design of our being made free that is we were not onely made free to serve him but to serve him is our freedom as was touch't before yea to serve him is not onely to be free but to serve him is to reign and rule They that serve God to purpose reign over the lusts of the evil World without and over their own lusts within nor can any reign over the lusts of the world without or their own within but only they who serve him and only so far as they serve him Every gracious act of service to God is the subjugation or bringing under of some lust or other in man Now if any should say surely this is a very sad Life to be alwayes serving or to lead only the life of a servant I answer To serve God or the service of God is
sweet pleasant and easie in a twofold respect Fiâ—st comparatively to the service of sin and the world of lust and the devil that 's a weariness indeed as well as a baseness Secondly It is easie also if we consider the help we have in it The people of God serve him in a Covenant of Grace which as it calls them to work so it gives them help to work The New Covenant doth not call us as Pharaoh did the children of Israel to make brick and deny us straw yea under that Covenant we have not onely straw afforded us to make our brick but we have strength afforded us to make our brick thar is the very power by which we serve our Master is given in by our Master The Masters of this world set us a work but they give us no strength but what work soever God sets his Covenant-servants about he gives them strength to do it Then O how sweet is it to serve him and how readily should our hearts come off in his service Let me add one thing more which brings us to the next words serve him for his is not a lean service not an unprofitable service there is a reward promised to those who serve him yea his very service is a reward his work is wages Therefore what calls soever we have from him let us answer and serve him There are two things which should be the daily meditation of Saints or they should be continually acquainting themselves with them First The Cross of Christ that they may know how and be willing to suffer for him Secondly The Yoak of Christ that they may know how and be willing to serve him If they obey and serve him What then even that which was the last consideration prove king us to his service there is a reward in iâ— If they obey and serve him They shall spend their dayes in prosperity and their years in pleasures Here 's good wages who would not serve that Master who will pay him for his work in that desireable coyne Pleasure and Prosperity They shall spend their dayes in prosperity that is they shall run out their dayes in prosperity their dayes and their prosperity shall be like two parallel lines one as long as the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Significat tum consumere tum consummare significat etiam consumi desiderio quod dicitur aliquem deperire amore The word which we translate to spend signifies to finish and that in a double respect First in a way of Consumption Secondly in a way of Perfection or Consummation That which is consumed is finished or ended So the word is used Psal 90.7 Numb 16.45 The Lord saith to Moses Go you up from this Congregation that I may consume them in a moment I will dispatch them and make an end of them presently The Lord can soon rid his hand of sinners And as it notes a consuming by suddain judgements by diseases or age so by longing or desire 2 Sam. 23.15 And David longed 't is this word he was even spent and consumed with a longing desire and said Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate Now as that which is consumed or spent so that which is perfected is finished Thus Moses having set down the particulars of the whole work of Creation summes all up in this word Gen. 2.1 2. Thus the heavens and the Earth were finished and all the host of them that is God compleated or brought that great work of Creation to its utmost perfection he put as we may speak his last hand to it there was nothing more to be added Here in the text we aâ—e to take this word spend not only as it often signifies to spend in a way of Consumption but also to spend in a way of Perfection they shall perfect not barely wear out their dayes A godly man hath not so much consumed as perfected the dayes of his life when he is come to and hath ended the last day of his life They shall spend their dayes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In bono i. e. in omni jacunditâ—tâ— In prosperity or in good saith the Original Prosperity is a good thing a good blessing of God They shall spend their dayes in good we translate it in the 21 Chapter v. 15. in wealth Wealth also is a good blessing of God to those that are good and prosperity takes that in prosperity is a large word comprehending all good health and wealth honour and peace what-ever we can imagine to render our lives comfortable comes under the name of Prosperity They shall spend their dayes in prosperity or in good this reward they shall have from the Lord who serve him Is not this good wages The carnal rich man pleased himself and said Luke 12.19 Soul take thine ease thou hast goods laid up for many yeares The godly do not please themselves that they have goods laid up for many years in their own Stock in their Lands in their Houses in their Purses in their Shops but they please themselves that they have good laid up for many years yea for eternity in the Promises of God They who serve him they shall spend their dayes in good they shall have good for every day and so finish their dayes with good yet this is not all They shall spend their dayes in prosperity And their years in Pleasures In the former words he promised dayes of Good here years of Pleasure as if he had said they shall enjoy their prosperity long they shall not only have Dayes but Years filled up with it One year containes many dayes how many dayes of pleasure are there in years of pleasure Our life is measured by days to shew the shortness of it the longest measure of it is by years They shall spend their years 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—t jucundis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Affort jucunditatem delectaticâ— in pulchrâ—udinem rei nobis gratissimae In Canticis Parg. in Epithâ—lmiis Munst 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sâ— pt in deloctâ—tionibus Pagn In Pleasures or as we may read it in sweetnesses in pleasuntnesses in deliciousnesses in beauties The word is used 2 Sam. 1.23 to shew the loveliness of Jonathan and Saul they were a pleasant pair a couple of goodly persons They shall spend their dayes in pleasantness or in pleasures Further Take notice the word is plural he doth not say they shall spend their dayes in pleasure but in pleasures implying all sorts and varieties of pleasure in Songs saith one in Marriage Songs saith a second in graceful Beauties saith a third and which may be all or any of these in delights saith a fourth But here are two Questions that I must give answer to for the clearing of this Scripture First The Question may be Is this a mercy much to be reckoned upon to spend our years in pleasure saith not the Apostle 1 Tim. 5.6 The widow that lives
in pleasure is dead while she lives If it be a dead life to live in pleasure how then is it here promised as a favour as a mercy to them that obey and serve God that they shall spend their years in pleasures I answer by distinguishing of pleasure pleasures are of two sorts First lawful and honest delights of such we read Gen. 49.20 where dying Jacob blessing of Asher saith Dabit deliâ—ias regis Hebr Mont He shall yield royal dainties or pleasures for a King meaning he shall give not only honest but honourable pleasures and contentments such as befit Kings Secondly There are unlawful and dishonest pleasures which the Apostle calleth Heb. 11.25 the pleasures of sin for a season A wo will be their portion who live in such pleasures Go to now ye rich men weep and howl saith the Apostle James Chap. 5.1 why so among other Reasons this is given for one vers 5. Ye have lived in pleasure wantonizing and gluttonizing and Epicurizing in such base pleasures you have lived therefore wo to you To live in sinful or unlawful pleasures is death and misery or a life worse than death but to live a life of lawful and honest pleasure is a mercy the mercy here promised and the very life of our lives Secondly We may distinguish of pleasures thus they are either first Corporal pleasures pleasures of the body of which we read Job 21.25 One dyeth in his full strength and another dyeth in the bitterness of his Soul and never eateth in pleasure that is he hath had no contentment in the body or no bodily contentment but was alwayes sickly crazy pining languishing and ill at ease his life was tedious even a burden to him for he could never eat in pleasure scarce last what he did eat Secondly There are Spiritual pleasures Psal 36.8 They shall drink of the Rivers of thy pleasures David speaks there of Saints what enjoyments and Joyes they have in the Church or House of God attending upon him in holy Ordinances Thirdly There are eternal pleasures Psal 16.11 In thy presence is fulness of jâ—y and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore Such are all the joyes of Heaven or of a glorified state Now when Elihu saith they shall spend their years in pleasures we are not to take it meerly for honest corporal pleasures for such a life at best is but the life of a Beast but we are to take these corporal pleasures either as heightned by better that is as spiritualiz'd by the sense of the love of God and mixed with spiritual pleasures or for those purely spiritual pleaâ—ures which the soul finds in communion with God alone having nothing to do or no intercourse with creatures drinking at the River of his pleasures in Prayer in Hearing in Meditation in breaking Bread in Singing Now to spend our dayes either in these purely spiritual pleasures taking in also those corporal pleasures so qualified as before and duly circumstantiated is a high a very high blessing and mercy indeed So then here is nothing to feed the fancy of Epicures here is no promise of sensual though of sensitive pleasures these only are pleasures sit for the Servants of God these pleasures only become Saints as for those other pleasures Christ saith of them in the Parable of the Sower Luke 8.14 They choak the Word of God and God will not feed his people with such pleasures as a reward of serving him as shall choak the Word and unfit them for his service No we are to watch against and deny our selves such pleasures as our Lord Jesus caution'd his Disciples Luke 21.34 Take heed least at any time your hearts be over-charged with surfetting drunkenness and the cares of this life and so that day come upon you unawares As if he had said Take heed of carnal pleasures as much as of worldly cares for as they are alike destructive to the present purity of the Soul so they alike endanger our future peace and lay us open to the surprize of Judgment And as such pleasures ruine the state of the soul so of the body too with which they have nearest cognaâ—ion Hence that of Solomon Prov. 21.17 He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man There pleasure is opposed to work or labour He that is all for taking his pleasure and will not follow his Calling this man comes quickly to poverty and will dye a Beggar Suppose the pleasure be lawful yet if he loves pleasure and is at his pleasure when he should be at his labour he will soon be reduced to a morsel of bread and become a poor man But he that loveth unlawful pleasures shall not only be a poor man but will prove a wicked man Thou that art given to pleasures Isa 47.8 is the Character of Babylon God gives good men pleasure but 't is the mark of an evil man to be given to pleasure They that love pleasure are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God 2 Tim. 3.4 and such must needs be the worst of men And therefore we are not to understand this Text of any sinful pleasure nor of a life meerly lead in lawful pleasure that a man should be all upon his pleasure and lay aside his Calling Elihu doth not oppose pleasure to work labour or business but to trouble sorrow and affliction They that obey and serve the Lord shall spend their years in pleasures in honest pleasures that is they shall live not only contentedly but joyfully The Lord alloweth us to take any honest pleasure while we live but not to live in pleasure he alloweth us to take our delights but our delights must not take us There is yet another Query for it may be said Is this a truth that they who obey and serve the Lord shall spend their dayes in prosperity and their years in pleasures I answer to that First If we take it absolutely and universally we cannot affirme that every one who serveth and obeyeth God shall alwayes have pleasure that is outward comforts and contentments in this world many of the Lords faithfull servants have lived in paine and sorrow so that if as David spake in this case Psal 73.5 we should speak thus we should offend against the generation of his servants Some flourish in grace who wither in worldly comforts There is no certain connexion between these two Grace and outward peace or pleasure the providences of God vary in this poynt as himself pleaseth Neither is it true that the true servants of God do uninterruptedly or alwayes enjoy inward pleasures comforts and contentments for he that feareth the Lord and obeyeth the voyce of his servants may walk in darkness and trouble of spirit and see no light Isa 50.10 We are therefore to understand this Scripture as others of like nature of that which is commonly done or of that which we may upon good ground expect from God and in faith wait for that if we serve and obey him he will
were bound in Fetters and holden in Cords of affliction Now saith Elihu here they shall spend their dayes in prosperity and their years in pleasures Hence Note There is no condition so low and forlorn but the Lord is able to bring us out of it and into the enjoyments of fullest comforts He can change our Iron Fetters and Cords into Rings of Gold and Bracelets he can translate our dayes of trouble and our years of pain into dayes of prospeâ—ity and years of pleasure it was so with Job in the issue and he was the man that Elihu here intended Job was long bound in fetters and holden in the cords of affliction yet as Elihu told him he should so he did afterwa ds spend his dayes in prosperity and his years in pleasure the Lord doubled his Cattel to him his friends fil'd his Coffers and his Cabinets Every man gave him a peace of money and every one an Ear-ring of Gold his children also were the same foâ— number his daughters the fairest in the Land himself also lived in the fulness of this outward Prosperity till he was full of dayes and he fed upon the delicious fruits of this Promise all his after-dayes Manasseh having run a course of unparallel'd wickedness was at last taken by the Captains of the host of the King of Assyria among the Thorns and they bound him with fetters and carryed him to Babylon 2 Chron. 33.11 yet when in his affliction he besought the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his Fathers he was entreated of him and brought again to Jerusalem where he spent his dayes in prosperity and his years in pleasure If we turn to the Lord in affliction the Lord is ready to turn away our affliction or as the Church prayed in the half turn of her affliction Psal 126.4 to turn our captivity as the streams in the South that is to make both a most admirable and a most comfortable turn of our condition Streams in the hot Southern Countries are rare the Rain of those Lands usually is dust Streams in the South are also very welcome How glad are they of a cooling Showre from a Cloud who daily feel and are fainted with the scorching Beams of the Sun Such a turn shall they have saith Elihu who being holden in the cords of affliction turn from iniquity obey and serve the Lord. Thirdly From the matter of the Promise Note A comfortable passage through this life is a very great mercy as well as the hope of happiness for ever in the other life 'T is prosperity and pleasure in this world though nor meer worldly prosperity and pleasure which is here pâ—oâ—ised and we are not to slight any thing that comes by promise yea we should highly esteem those things which considered in themselves are little worth as they come to us through the Promise We may quickly over-rate and over-reckon outward things in themselves and we ever do so if we rate or reckon them any better than vanity but as they are promised and bestowed in a way of savour from God and as they are a part of the purchase of Christ and handed to us by him so are even outward things to believers thus they are very valuable Upon these terms to live and spend our dayes in good and our years in honest lawful pleasures is a great mercy From the whole take two Corolaries First How blasphemous then is their Opinion who say it is a vain thing to serve the Lord or that there is no profit in calling upon him which blasphemy was resuted Chap. 21.14 Secondly Would we have a good end of or out-gate from our afflictions then let us hear and obey Thus much of the first case what the issue of their afflictions shall be who obey The Second issue upon the contrary case followeth in the 12th verse Vers 12. But if they obey not they shall perish by the Sword and dye without knowledge Here contraries are set one over against another for their fuller illustration If they obey not that is if those righteous men spoken of before vers 7. obey not What it is not to obey is clear by what I said was to obey in opening the former verse I shall only take notice that in this latter part it is not said If they obey not and serve him not but only if they obey not and I conceive Elihu saith no more or proceeds no further because they who deny obedience will certainly deny service therefore he stops at that If they obey not They who are good in their state may often fail in doing that which is good for of those this Text yet speaks and is generally interpreted The Hypocrite in heart is spoken of in the next verse but here Elihu is speaking of the righteous and because he is so therefore by this disobedience cannot be meant an obstinate rebellion but a sloth or carelesness in attending to the Call of God for the amendment of some evil in their lives If they obey not Hence Note The calls and commands of God are not alwayes obeyed no not by good men not by the righteous The call and command of God is not at all obeyed by the wicked and it is not alwayes obeyed by the righteous The righteous sometimes hear the word but do not answer it and sometimes they feel the rod and do not attend it they cry out of the smart of the rod and of the sores which the lashes of the rod have made upon them they weep over or because of their sores yet they do not presently give glory to God by obeying him and leaving their sinnes I mean as to that special point of duty in which God would have them obey him and as to those special sins which God by that affliction calls upon them to leave Many good men do not presently understand the purpose of God in this or that affliction and while it is so with them they must needs fail in answerableness to it I know every godly man hath a general bent to obey God and serve him It is not with the godly in their afflictions as with the wicked under theirs of whom the Prophet speaks Isa 9.13 They did not turn to him that smote them yet even such Scriptures are in a degree applicable to many of the people of God they do not alwayes turn to him that smiteth them when they are exercised with variety of calamities they mind not the Lord as they ought And hence it is I say that though the righteous have a general bent to obedience yet they sometimes come short of that obedience which a special affliction or correction calleth them to yea they may be so short in answering it that the Lord may proceed to lay heavier and greater afflictions upon them even to the taking of them out of the world as it followeth in this verse If they obey not They shall perish by the sword Before they were bound in
fetters and held in cords De carcere educentur ad occisionem gladij Aquin. Per gladium iransire dicitur qâ—i gladio occiditur Drus but now the sword shâ—ll overtake them and they shall perish or be taken away by the sword The Hebrew is they shall pass away by the sword that is they shall die Man is said to pass away by the swoâ—d when the sword doth not pass by him but smites and kills him which is a temporal perishing It is said Isa 57.1 The righteous perish c. As the righteous perish by a natural death so they may perish by a violent death and possibly that may fall upon them when they attend not the providential dispensations of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—â—â—prie â—â—è miâ—sile aut jaâ—â—lum They shall perish by the sword or by the drawn weapon The word notes any weapon that is drawn or cast forth hence some translate it a Dart or Javeling which is shot out of the hand but it may also be applied to the Sword which being drawn forth out of the sheath is often sent upon deadly messages and may be numbered among missive weapons Now when Elihu saith they shall perish by the sword we may take the word sword properly or tropically Properly two wayes First for the sword of the Warrier Secondly for the sword of the Magistrate either justly punishing or grievously afflicting Some good men have acknowledged in great trials and sufferings under the hand of man that God hath met with them for their neglect or non-attendance to more immediate afflictions under his own hand Again take the sword tropically or improperly and so any sore affliction that greatly annoyeth especially if to death is called a sword in Scripture They shall perish by the sword under one notion or other if they do not obey Hence learn God will not spare no not his own People if they do not obey him God is full of sparing-mercy but the righteous may provoke him so that he will not spare no not them Judgement begins often at the house of God 1 Pet. 4.17 And if Judgement begin at the house of God what shall the end be of those that obey not the Gospel This is a terrible word The righteous may perish by the sword how dreadfully then shall the unrighteous the wicked the scorners of godliness perish If God will make his own people smart in his anger when they provoke him how will he speak to his enemies in his wrath and vex them in his fore displeasure Psal 2.5 Secondly From the gradation of their troubles First they were bound in fetters and holden in cords but now here 's a sword a devouring sword a killing deadly weapon Hence learn They who give not glory to God in lesser or in lighter afflictions draw greater upon themselves They may come from a cord to a sword from being bound to be slain God hath several sorts of Instruments to chasten his people with and as the best of outward good things may be the portion of evil wicked men so the worst of outward evils may be the portion of good men they may at any time and sometimes shall perish by the sword and as it followes They shall die without knowledge The sword is death a deadly sword 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they shall die Without knowledge or as the text may be read because they were without knowledge But is any righteous man without knowledge That the soul be without knowledge is not good saith Solomon Prov. 19.2 How then can he be good whose soul is without knowledge And seeing we interpret this text of the righteous how can it be said they die without knowledge I answer Knowledge may be taken in a more general sense and so no righteous man either lives or dies without knowledge he neither lives nor dies without the knowledge of God in Jesus Christ whom to know is eternal life John 17.3 and without the knowledge of whom all who are actually capable of such knowledge must die eternally he neither lives nor dies without the knowledge of himself as a sinner and of Christ who saveth him from his sins Such ignorances are inconsistent with the state of a godly man he may do foolishly but he is not a fool he may be wanting in some kind of knowledge but he doth not want knowledge he cannot be without saving knowledge though he may perish temporally without knowledge The first thing that God makes in the new creation is light the light of knowledge there he begins his work therefore we cannot take knowledge generally simply and absolutely in this text Dei monita per castigationes â—cire intelligere noluerunt Drus but as knowledge may be taken restrictively for knowledge in or about this or that particular so a good man may want knowledge there may be somewhat which the Lord would acquaint the righteous with and teach them by their fetters and afflictions which they do not learn and therefore they die without kâ—owledge or because they are without knowledge yet that want of knowledge together with all their other wants and ignorances are pardoned to them Further we may expound the words thus They shall die without knowledge that is without the knowledge or consideration of of that special affliction or judgement which is coming upon them Non est oratio affirmativa stultitiae vel negativa scientiae sed simplicitèr negat advertentiam Bold they shall die unawares not thinking nor so much as dreaming of such a judgement or that such a hand of God was so near them According to this interpretation Elihu intends either their inadvertency of that approaching scourge or calamity with which they are overtaken or their not understanding the reason of it Christ saith in the Gospel Luke 12.46 The master of that servant the evil servant shall come in a day which he knowes not of and in a time when he looked not for him Now as the last Judgement the great Judgement shall come upon the wicked in a time when they look not for it so the Lord may bring a special particular judgement upon some one or more of his own people when they do not think of it or never suspected that they should fall under it Good men are sometimes surprized and so they shall die without knowledge is no more than this they shall be taken unawares by a suddain unexpected judgement Though every godly man hath a preparation for the general judgement yet as to a particular one he may be much unprepared Lastly Some expound the words of more than inadvertency or bare nescience even of folly and some degree of affected ignorance which possibly may prevaile upon a righteous man in some cases and for a time but I rather adhere to the former interpretation because as was shewed before the whole context seems to intend a more ordinary case of a righteous man So then this Scripture holds out the sad issues
and Sacrifices as in obeying the voyce of the Lord â— Saul had been very carefull to bring home sacrifices He had not obeyed the command of God yet hoped to put him off with a sacrifice But what were heards and flocks of cattel to be sacrificed when Saul rebelled against God Nothing provokes God more than outward services of worship when they are not accompanied with inward and universal submission to his will for that 's no better a sacrifice no purer worship than a Heathen payes to his Idol-god Hypocrites offer God only the blind and the lame Mal. 1.14 that is maymed and imperfect services there is imperfection in the services of the best but theirs are imperfect services so imperfect blind and lame that they are fit only for the blind and the lame so Idol-gods are called 2 Sam. 5.8 And do not they heap the wrath of the true God who serve him no better than false gods are served by their Idolatrous Devoâ—ionists Secondly There must needs be a continual heaping up of wrath by Hypocrites for if not to set the heart right provokes God to wrath Psal 78.8 The Lord was exceedingly displeased with the Israelites because they set not their heart aright Now if the Lord be so angry when the heart is not set aright much more must it provoke the Lord when then do purposely set their hearts wrong when they do evil knowingly advisedly when as it were they study to do evil To do good only in shew doth more displease the Lord than the doing of that which in shew is evil or which is evil above-board known to be so by all beholders As Hypocrites often deceive men so they attempt to deceive God himself This cannot but heap up wrath being it self so great a heap of sin They who think God will be pleas'd with outward Services alone or have no care to give him inward are alike displeasing to him Therefore among all sorts of sinners the Lord declares his wrath and thunders woe upon woe in the Gospel against Hypocrites They have heaped up wrath and it shall be heaped upon them They shall have their Portion in the Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone That 's the first thing what they do They heap up wrath When the hand of God is upon them they are so far from coming forth humbly and penitentially to turn away his wrath or to seek his face that they provoke him more and more and dreadfully enflame the reckoning against themselves They heap up wrath Secondly Elihu tells us what the Hypocrites in heart do not They cry not when hâ— bindeth them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vincire pro castigare species pro genere Licet hanc doctrinam in communi Elihu propâ—nat verisimile tamen est Jobum dicendo pungere But is it a fault or so great a fault not to cry when God bindeth us Are we commanded or bound to cry when we are bound in fetters and holden in cords of affliction wherein lyeth this sin That will appear while I shew what crying is here intended To cry is First to complain and make a noyse this is the cry of impatience Secondly to mourn and be sorrowful this is the cry of Repentance Thirdly to pray to supplicate yea to pray mightily to pray strongly and this is the cry of Faith Luke 18.7 Shall not God avenge his own Elect which cry day and night unto him That is which pray mightily to him night and day The hypocrite in heart often makes the first cry when God bindeth him the cry of impatience but never the two latter he makes not either the cry of Repentance or the cry of Faith in Prayer when God bindeth him This lets us see the second Part of the wickedness of these hypocrites 't is the omission of a most necessary duty yea of two They act very sinfully for they heap up wrath they act not holily for they do not cry when God binds them that is they neither repent nor pray or they repent not heartily they pray not earnestly in the day of their affliction Hence note First Hypocrites humble not themselves when God humbleth them When he binds them as it were hand and foot they are tongue-tyed and heart-tyed The Lord said of such Hos 7.14 They cryed not unto me with their heart when they howled upon their beds they assemble themselves for Corn and Wine and rebel against me They howled and made a noyse but saith the Loâ—d all the while they cryed not to me There was no Repentance no Prayer in their cry they cryed not with their heart Hypocrites will first complain much when God binds them secondly they murmure much when God binds them thirdly they will vex themselves like a Bull in a Nett when God binds them Fourthly they will rail and curse when God binds them but repent or pray they do not Isa 8.21 They shall pass through it hardly bested and hungry and it shall come to pass that when they shall be hungry they shall fret themselves and curse their King and their God and look upward Here was blaspheming but no crying no repenting no praying no deprecating the hand of God or the Judgment felt in an humble and spiritual way Hypocrites cry not to the Lord though he makes them cry they are readier to find fault with God than with themselves in the day of adversity they neither cry the cry of godly sorrow for their sin nor the cry of godly Prayers for help out of their affliction They who are false with God in times of Peace seldom if at all repent or duty apply themselves to God for help in times of trouble the reason is The Conscience of the hypocrite in heart tells him Anteactae turpis â—itae â—emâ—ria anintum enervat he hath dealt basely with God and therefore when he is in streights or bound what face what faith what liberty of spirit can he have to cry to God Such hypocrites often cry out despaiâ—ingly but oh how rately are they brought to cry either believingly or repentingly when God bindeth them Secondly Consider this cry a little further as a Prayer-cry Hypocrites in heart may be much for prayer in time of prosperity they were not hypocrites else if they did not pray they were openly prophane not hypocrites Christ speaking of hypocrites Math. 6. tells us they pray much and Math. 7. they cry Lord Lord. Hypocrites are much in praying especially in times of prosperity yet here he saith They cry not when he bindeth them that is in the day of adversity Hence Observe That which is not done uprightly will not be done constantly Hypocrites cry to God only in shew at best and when 't is best with them but when they fall into a troubled condition they cry not they even lay down their shew they throw up their duties when they miss their desires They who have prayed often in a time of prosperity not throwing away their sins coming into
will-esteem thee for this Certainly no. We may take in both senses of the word Will he esteem thy riches or Nobleness Hence note First Greatness without goodness is of little or no esteem with God Note Secondly God will not be taken off by any outward respect whatsoever from bringing vengeance upon evil men God will not be stopt in his course of Justice wiâ—h riches or great titles with honour or nobleness The riches of one man cannot ransome another Psal 49.7 8 9. They that trust in their wealth and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches none of them can by any means redeem his brother nor give to God a ransome for him Nor can any mans riches ransome himself Pro. 10.2 Treasures of wickedness that is treasures gotten wickedly profit nothing Nor will the treasures of the wicked though well gotten profit them Pro. 11.4 Riches availe not in the day of wrath Zeph. 1.7 Their gold and silver shall not profit them in the day of my wrath If you present your selves before God with titles of honour and bags of gold neither the one nor the other will do it he will not regard thy riches nor nobleness When Ishmael came treacherously upon those Jewes ten of them said Slay us not Jer. 4.8 for we have great treasures in the field of Wheat and of Barly and Oile and of Wine so he forbare and slew them not among their brethren But this will not do in the day of the Lords anger Will he esteem thy riches 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 clamavit Septuaginta id in mente habuissâ— videntur nam vertunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 opulentus dives Isa 32.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—or scurec significat opes cap. 30.24 cap. 34.20 Non estimabit clamorem tuum nihil ducit quantum vis clames non ea movebitur sed pro diâ—itiis malo Merc Some translate thus Will he regard thy crying or clamor As if Elihu had said Cry as much as thou wilt the Lord will not regard it This goes higher Many possibly will not be taken off from the process of Justice by greatness or riches who yet by our humble supplication and cry may be taken off But will the Lord regard thy cry or as the Septuagint read it Will he have regard to thy prayer Wicked men that have rejected the Lords commands will yet hope or rather presume the Lord will hear their cry and therefore they will be at their prayers in times of trouble when the wrath of God breaks out this is their last resort and refuge They who never made the Lord their choyce in good times will yet make him their refuge in evil times or in dayes of trouble they think surely to be sheltered and saved and spared when they pray but this will not do neither Will he esteem thy prayers The Hebrew Text at least allows if not clearly holds out this reading and it can be no hurt to take in as much profitable sense as the words without undue straining may hold out to us So then when the Lords wrath appears neither riches nor honour nor prayers nor teares can give sinners any relief The cryes and prayers of the wicked are no more regarded by God than their riches or greatness Then they shall call upon me saith Wisdome Pro. 1.28 that is When their feare cometh as desolation and their destruction cometh as a Whirlewind when distress and anguish cometh upon them v. 27. when 't is thus with them then they shall call upon me but I will not answer that is I will not esteem their cry That 's a very remarkable Scripture Psal 18.41 where David speaking of his enemies how the Lord had given him their necks and a power to destroy them that hated him presently adds They cryed but there was none to save them but it may be they cryed where they should not for help no saith the Text they cryed even to the Lord but he answered them not then did I beat them as small as the dust before the wind c. The Lord having declared how resolv'd he was to proceed in a way of wrath against the Jewish Nation adds Jer. 14.12 When they fast I will not hear their cry That people had been very obstinate and rebellious they had withstood the call of God by the Prophet yet when they saw wrath appearing and approaching then they betook themselves to fasting and prayer but saith the Lord it shall not advantage them though they fast and in their fasting cry yet I will not regard them nor be entreated I know they will be praying to me but I will take no notice of them See how dreadfull a thing it is to refuse the offers and tenders of grace to go on in a way of sin for then no ransome will do it riches and honours yea prayers and cryes and teares shall not be regarded Will he esteem thy riches No not gold This is to be joyned according to our translation with the former words and it suits fully with our translation of these words Gold being the best of worldly riches and having the greatest power with and command over men yet saith Elihu Will he esteem thy riches no not Gold He mentions that because I say it is the choicest part of riches the worst sort of gold is of higher esteem and worth than any other mettal Gold beaâ—es the greatest price among metals and hath the greatest prevalency among men but none with God The word rendred Gold signifies defending but gold is no defence against God Will he esteem thy riches no not Gold The note is the same in substance with the former The Lord regards not men for their riches no not for the best of riches Not only will he not esteem your Copper and Brasse and Iron and Tynn but not your Gold 1 Pet. 1.18 Gold doth much with men but nothing with God I shall not stay upon this clause it being only an hightning of the same thing before asserted But There are two other readings of the latter part of this verse upon which I shall stay a little First thus Will he esteem thy riches no not in affliction The word which we render as one signifying the best gold Ne quideâ—â— in angustia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ego nomen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verto in augustia alii reddum in sâ—gnificatione auri in qua râ—paritur cap. 22.24 sed ibi scribitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in accentu distinguente pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pisc refined gold other interpreters render as two words which signifie to be perplexed or in streights Will he esteem thy riches no though thou art in the greatest streights and knowest not what to do Hence Note The Lord will not regard rich wicked men when they are in streights The Lord who esteems not the wicked rich at any time will lest esteem them in an evil time The Lord who hath an esteem of and a regard
book at the second verse as the servant earnestly desireth the shadow c. When a labourer is hot and sweltered almost as we say at his work in the Sun how earnestly doth he desire the shadow We say in the Margine of that place he gapeth after the shadow A man when he is hot gapes to suck in fresh air Such an intendment and force there is in this word desire not long not for gape not after the night The night seems not to be a thing or a season so desireable that we should gape for it or long after it Solomon saith Eccl. 11.7 Surely light is pleasant and it is a comfortable thing for the eyes to behold the Sun but who hath a desire after the night what is the beauty or comeliness of the night that any should so much desire it why then doth Elihu here forbid Job as supposing he did to desire it desire not the night I answer the night may be taken two wayes or under a twofold notion First properly as that which casteth a vail or mantle of darkness over both persons and things and covers them from our sight in allusion to which the sense is this Do not hope to hide or conceal thy self from the eye or knowledge of God As thou canst not be ransomed as thou canst not be rescued from his power which was shewed before so desire not the night for thou canst not be obscured from his knowledge under the covert of it there is no hiding from God Though I judge that interpretation too gross which supposeth Elihu counselling Job not to desire the night as robbers and adultereâ—s to cover him while doing wickedly yet possibly he might think Job was not so free to confess the evils which he had done and therefore rather desired the concealment of them Secondly the night in Scripture as also in humane Authors is put improperly for death All the dead are wrapt up in a night of darkness Hence that counsel John 9.4 Work while you have the day the night cometh when no man can work We may work yea much work is done in the natural night It is said of the vertuous woman Prov. 31.18 Her candle goes not out by night she and her maids are at work in the night therefore it cannot be strictly meant that no man can work in the night The night there is the night of death Ne aspires ad illam noctem sc mortis qua abeunt populi ad locum suum Jun. Qua e medio tolluntur populi in loâ—o ipsorum Pisc or of an extream troublous life in these nights especially in the former no man can work for there is no wisdom nor device nor labour in the grave whether we are going Eccl. 9.10 According to this Scripture interpretation desire not the night is desire not death Job had put forth such desires more than once Chap. 7.15 My soul chooseth strangling and death rather than life Mr. Broughton translates Breath not unto that night for peoples passage to their place That is saith he desire not death the common passage of all men as thou hast done Therefore Elihu seems here to call Job off from those desires do not thou peeviâ—hly or impatiently because of the trouble of thy life call for death lest it come too soon and it do by thee as it hath done by many others whom it hath cut off in judgment So it followes here Desire not the night When people are cut off in their place Death is a cutting off As many die in the night so when-ever any die they are cut off from this world and all the imployments of it they are cut off from their dearest friends and relations Death cuts off the thread of life and us from the comforts of this life The Hebrew is when people ascend The Original Scripture expresseth dying by ascending though the death of the wicked is rather a descending Verbum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ascendere pro excidi tolli â—umitur It is said by a late Writer concerning the heathen profane and wicked Emperors of Rome Such a one descended that is died in such a year of his abomination Now though the wicked descend when they die yet there is a sence also wherein all men may be said to ascend when they die and there is no doubt but the godly as to their more noble part ascend to God when they die Thus the word is used in the fifth Chapter of this Book at the 16th verse where Eliphaz speaking of the death of a godly man saith to Job Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age like as a shock of corn cometh or ascendeth in his season David deprecated an immature death under this Metaphor Psal 102.14 Take me not away in the midst of mine age The word is let me not ascend in the midst of mine age that is before I have measured the usual course of life Translatio a condelis quarum lumen ascendit atque ita paulatim consumuntur ipsa Thus to ascend is the same with to be cut off death cuts off the best from this world and then they ascend to a better This sense of the words suits well with the latter exposition of the night as taken for the night of death The word ascend is conceived to have in it a double allusion first to corn which is taken up by the hand of the reaper and then laid down on the stubble Secondly unto the light of a candle which as the candle spends or as that which is the food of the fire is spending ascends and at last goes out and vanisheth There is yet a further sense of the whole verse thus Desire not the night c. That is do not curiously enquire the cause of that divine judgement by which God sometimes sweeps away whole nations good and bad together in the night or suddenly Or thus disquiet not thy mind in the night but rather rest in the will of God when thou seest or hearest of those great destructions which come upon persons or nations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sub subter saepe significat in loco Desire not the night when people are cut off in their place that is when they die in or are removed from the place where they formerly lived and had their abode in which sense it is said of the dead their place shall know them no more Psal 103.16 How well soever any are setled death cuts them off in their place First Forasmuch as Elihu speaking to Job in this distressed estate wishes him not to desire the night Observe In times of distress and trouble we are apt to make many strange wishes or to express uncouth requests and desires The Prophet Jeremiah quits himself from this in one point chap. 17.16 I have not desired the woful day Lord thou knowest He was so far from desiring it that he prayed for the peace and prosperity of that people but though
Jeremy did not desire the evil day to come on others yet when the evil day was come upon himself we find him venting strange and strong desires of that kind Chap. 9.2 O that my head were a fountain and mine eyes rivers of tears that I might weep night and day for the slain of the daughter of my People He had visions of slaughter and he did even beg a head melted into water for abundant mourning over that day But what were his other what were his further wishes with respect to himself at that time we have them in the next verse O that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of a wayfaring man that I might leave my people and go from them for they be all adulterers a company of treacherous men What uncomfortable desires had Jeremiah as to that day of distress O how did he covet to have a retiring place any hole in the wilderness like a wayfaring man that he might leave his people and see them no more because they were so wicked and their wickedness he foresaw would bring down such dreadful evils upon them And as he wisht this sad retirement upon the foresight of evils to come so we find him in another place Chap. 20.14 15 16 c. wishing that he had never been born to see such presnet evils We have the like plain wish of David in the day of his trouble Psal 55.2 Attend unto me O God and hear me I mourn in my complaint and make a noise because of the voice of the enemy because of the â—ppression of the wicked for they cast iniquity upon me and in wrath they hate me they charged him with evils that he had not done my heart is sore pained within me the terrors of death are fallen upon me fearfulness and trouble are come upon me and horror hath overwhelmed or covered me David was at that time in a very sad day you see and what was his wish that day we have it at the 6th verse And I said O that I had wings like a dove for then would I flee away and be at rest lo then would I wander far off and remain in the wilderness Holy David could not keep his heart in those distresses from extravagant wishes David had the integrity of a dove as he often pleaded before the Lord and being distrest he wished also for the wings of a dove that he might flee away and get out of the reach of all those impendent calamities How usual is it for good men in bad dayes to breath out such wishes one wishes that he had never been born rather than to see such a day another wishes he may die presently rather than live in such a day When the Apostle John had given the prophesie of dreadful judgments to come upon the wicked world or the world of wicked men he presently tells us what their wishes or desires will be Rev. 9.6 And in those dayes shall men seek death and shall not find it and shall desire to die and death shall flee from them Most men flee death that 's a misery but death sleeth from some men and that 's a greater misery They are in the worst of conditions who would have death when death will not be had Their lives are worse than death who only wish to die What non-sense wishes and desires had they also in the day of the Lords anger mentioned in the same book Chap. 6.16 Who said to the mountaines and to the rocks fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. It is possible for good men sometimes to have strange wishes but O how lamentable are the wishes of wicked men and unbelievers who have no part nor interest in Jesus Christ in those times when Conscience is wounded and awakened or when a day of the Lords wrath or judgment from the Lord appeareth When Christ the Lamb shall sit upon the throne and call them to give an account O then they will wish for rocks and mountaines to fall upon them that they might not appear how glad will they then be to be hidden with an everlasting night They cannot but desire the night who have sinned against light Holy Job could not forbear to desire the night of death in the day of his distress what desires then must the wicked have who have no hope beyond this life Again as to the vanity of that design of some in desiring the night for shelter Note There is nothing can cover us from the eye or secure us from the hand of God What is darkness to God who is light and in whom there is no darkness at all 1 John 1.5 Desire not the night As gold and silver cannot ransom sinners as great forces all the Armies on earth forces of strength cannot help sinners so the night cannot hide them they that are in the grossest darkness are never the more out of Gods sight The darkness is not darkness to him the darkness and the light to him are both alike Psal 139.11 12. and therefore he said before vers 7. Whither shall I go from thy spirit or whither shall I flee from thy presence If I ascend up to heaven thou art there c. Wheresoever we are God is who is every where nothing can keep us off from or keep us out of the eye of God Lastly as the night is taken for death Desire not the night Hence note It is a vain wish to desire death for our rescue or escape from the evils of this life Death is it self an evil the worst of natural evils How can that help us out of our evils of trouble which is it self the most troublesom evil The Lord promiseth some of his people that they should die before the evil day Josiah and Hezekiah had such promiâ—es 'T is a favour to die as they did in the assurance of eternal life before we feel the evils of this life But death considered in it self is no relief against evil and as it is the worst of natural evils in it self so it carrieth those who are unprepared and unprovided for it to worser evils than any they can meet with in this life Some desire death to escape the evils of this life when as soon as they die they go to the evils of another life which are the second death such a death as hath no second and descend not only to the grave but to hell And what hath any one got by leaving the troubles of this life to fall into the dolors of that second secondless death They only dream of security by death who are unprepared go die Death is good for none but those who are fitted for and have by faith laid hold upon eternal life JOB Chap. 36. Vers 21. Verse 21. Take heed regard not iniquity for this thou hast chosen rather than affliction IN this verse Elihu gives Job another serious admonition or re-enforceth the former warning
designes through all the world He will carry them through against all Psal 92.8 9. Thou Lord art most high for evermore Lo thine enemies shall perish thine enemies who would hinder thy work they shall certainly fall Christ is called The first and the last He saith St John Rev. 1.17 laid his right hand upon me and said fear not I am the first and the last Why should he not fear what did Christ offer to cure him of his fear Christ doth not give him a bare disswasive Fear not but a rational ground why he should not fear Fear will not be blown away with a breath Our passions are never truly quieted nor attempered but by reason Upon what ground then would Christ take off Johns fear even upon this in the Text I am the first and the last As if he had said John why doest thou fear knowest thou not who I am what a Lord and Master thou servest Why John I tell thee I am the first and the last and therefore thou mayest be sure I will do my work and none shall lett me John had wonderfull things in vision shall all these be done thought he yea saith Christ Fear not I will carry on my designes all the designes that Christ had in the world were then in vision Eternity triumphs over all difficulties The Eternall will see the last man born as we say he will have the last word and the last blow I am the first and the last Lastly From this Consideration of God let us take a prospect of our selves what poor short-lived short-breathed Creatures we are There is no searching out the number of the years of God but we may quickly search out the number of our own years our life is but a span long Psal 39.5 yea our age is nothing before God Did we consider the eternity of God what should we judge of our span-long life we are said to be of yesterday Some expresse man thus He is yesterday as if he were not to day but were already past while he is The best that can be said of him is this he is but of yesterday and possibly he shall not have a to morrow but the Lord is for ever and ever the same And though we are short-lived as to this world though our years may soon be told over yet let us remember that God hath called us to the participation of eternity though we have not the eternity of God which is without beginning yet we shall have an eternity from God without end every man is everlasting as to his soul The godly shall be blessed for ever and there is an eternal estate of wo and misery to the wicked the number of the years of their sorrows and sufferings who live and die without Christ cannot be searched out The number of the years of the joy and blessedness and rest and happiness and tranquility of those that believe of those that are faithfull of those that are godly of those that walk with and fear God I say the number of the years of their joy and happiness cannot be searched out neither No man can number or tell how long-lasting the felicity of Saints shall be As the number of the years of God cannot at all be searched out so he hath given man as to his future estate a numberless number of years And it were well if we who enjoy this life and are dying every moment would often consider there is a life coming which will never die the number of our years also in that sense cannot be searched out The thoughts of eternity should swallow up all our time yet alass how doth time or the things which are but temporary swallow up in most men the thoughts of eternity What-ever we do in time should be to fit us for eternity yet alass most use their time so as if they did not believe or at least hoped there would not be any such thing as eternity Did we but spend two or three minutes of time every day in the serious remembrance of our eternal estate it would be an effectual means to make us both holy in and contented with what-ever temporal estate we meet with in this world We should be earnestly searching after God all our dayes did we consider what it imports to us that the number of his years cannot be searched out Thus Elihu labours to draw Job to the consideration of God himself who is the Author of those great providential works both of those he had spoken of before the works of providence ordering men here in civils as also of those works of providence in natural things of which he comes to treat largely both in the latter part of this Chapter and in most of the next Where we shall find Elihu giving us as iâ— were a Systeme or body of natural Philosophy in his discourse about the wonderfull works of God which he is calling Job to consider JOB Chap. 36. Vers 27 28. 27. For he maketh small the drops of water they pour down rain according to the vapour thereof 28. Which the clouds do drop and distill upon man abundantly ELlihu having shewed the greatness of God himself in the former verse proceeds to shew the greatness of his wo ks he had done it before as to Civil Administrations and the ordering of humane affaires in casting down and lifting up the sons of men he doth it now in natural things or in ordering the motions of nature still in reference unto man He describes the greatness of the works of God aloft or above in the Aire and in the Clouds as he had before described the greatness of his works here below on the Earth The whole remainder of Elihu's speech in this Chapter and to the end of the 37th is spent in a philosophical discourse about the Meteors and those various operations and changes that are wrought in the Aire he discourseth of Rain of Thunder and Lightning of Snow and Winds from all which works of God in Nature Elihu would convince Job of the Justice and Righteousness of God as well as of his power which was his chief purpose He begins this philosophical Lecture or Lecture of divine Philosophy with the Rain in the two verses now read and he mingles much of that matter in this and the following Chapter He speaks here I say of the Rain which is a dispensation of God usually both very profitable comfortable what more profitable or more comfortable than the rain It is also a dispensation of God sometimes very dreadfull and hurtfull The Lord sends the very same Creature upon contrary services sometimes for good sometimes for evill aâ— one time as a blessing and at another as a curse to the inhabitants of the earth What Elihu speaks of the Rain in this Chapter may be reduced to five heads First He sheweth the manner of it's formation and generation v. 27 28. Secondly The vastness or huge extent of the vessels containing it which are the clouds
of the aire spreading themselves all the Heavens over v. 29. Thirdly He tells us of the sudden changes and successions of rain and faire weather of a cloudy and serene sky v. 30. Fourthly He sets forth the different purposes of God in dispensing the rain which are sometimes for judgement someâ—imes for mercy v. 31 32. Fifthly He intimates the Prognosticks of it or what are the signes and foreâ—unners or foretellers of it v. 33. The two verses under-hand hold out the first poynt the formation and generation of the rain Vers 27. He maketh small the drops of water That is God as it were coynes and mints out the water into drops of rain As a mighty masse of gold or silver is minted out into small pieces so a huge body of water is minted out into small drops that 's the sum of these words according to our rendring The Hebrew word rendred He maketh small hath a two-fold signification and that hath caused a three-fold translation of these words First It signifieth to take away oâ— to withdraw according to this signification of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ademit substraxit a two-fold power of God is held forth about the drops of water First Substraxit deâ—u stillas aquâ—rum scâ— ex mari fluminiâ—us â—â— loc is humidis quae fundunt pluviam ad nubeni ejus Haustus vapor ex aqua cogitur in nubem quae dainde sundit pluviam Merl Qui ausert stillas pluviae Vulg. The power of God in drawing the water up from the Earth to make rain for that in Nature as we shall see afterwards is the cause of â—ain God draws up the water from the Earth which he sends down upon the Earth he draws up the vapours and the vapours become a Cloud and the Cloud is dissolved into rain Secondly The word may very well expresse according to other texts of Sc ipture the putting forth of the power of God in stopping staying keeping back and with-holding rain from the eaâ—â—h when â—od hath drawn water from the earth he can hold it frâ—m the eaâ—â—h as long as he pleaseth The Chaldee Pa aphrase saith He forbids the drops to water the earth or he sends forth a proh bition to the clouds that they give no water The vulgar Latine speaks to the same sence who takes away drops of rain that is from the earth Mr. Broughton renders he withdraws dropping of water In this sence I find the word rendred expresly Numb 9.7 where certain persons are brought in by Moses thus complaining Wherefore are we kept back that we may not offer an offering to the Lord with the children of Israel It is a case there were some it seems suspended from bringing their offerings to the Lord and they demand a reason of it to give which Moses saith stand still and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you But I quote that scripture only for the force of the word wherefore are we kept back or with held which was for some uncleanness Thus you have the first signification of the word and a double translation upon it both very pertinent to the nature of the rain and the Lords dealing with man in it which is the subject Elihu is insisting upon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mâ—nuit diminuis Secondly The original word signifies to diminish or lessen or make a thing small so 't is rendred Exod. 5.8 when the children of Israel complained that they were oppressed in making brick This commandement came from Pharaoh The tale of bricks which they did make heretofore you shall lay upon them you shall not diminish ought of it It is this word Again Deut. 4.2 Ye shall not add to the word which I command you neither shall you diminish ought from it Man must not make the word of God smaller or greater than it is 'T is high presumption to use either subtraction from or addition to the word of God Thus also the word is used in the case of second or double marriages Exod. 21.10 If he take him another wife her food that is the food of the first wife her raiment and her duty of marriage shall he not diminish Our translators take up this sense of the word as noting the diminishing of a thing in the quantity of it He maketh small the drops of water or he makes the water fall in small drops whereas if the water were left to it self it would poure down like a sea or like a flood to sweep all away This is the work of God and though it be a common yet it is a wonderful work He maketh small the drops of rain A drop is a small thing and therefore the Prophet when he would shew what a small thing or indeed what a nothing man is yea all the nations of the earth are to God saith Isa 40.15 The nations are as a drop of a bucket and are counted as the small dust of the ballance Behold he taketh up the Isles as a very little thing The Spirit of God piâ—cheth upon this comparison when he would set forth that great distance between God and man Man is but a drop to God But are not all drops small why then doth he say He maketh small the drops The reason is because though all drops are smâ—ll yet some drops are smaller than others and we read of great drops in the Gospel History of Christs agony in the Garden which was an immediate suffering in his soul from the hand of his Father pressing him with that weight of wrath which was due for our sins Luke 22.44 He sweat as it were great drops of blood As God made Christ sweat great drops of blood for our sins so he makes the Clouds to sweat small drops of water for our comfort He maketh small The drops of rain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Guttavit guttatim fluxit The Verb of this Substantive is used Joel 3.18 In those dayes it shall come to pass that the mountaines shall drop down new wine by which we are to understand the plentiful effusion of the Spiâ—it promised in the latter dayes David describing the Lords glorious march thorow the wilderness saith Psal 68.8 9. The earth shâ—ok the heavens also dropped at the presence of the Lord thou O God didst send a plentiful rain whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance when it was weary Which Scripture principally intends the spiriâ—ual rain which drops down upon believers and refresheth their wearied souls And therefore by a Metaphor this phrase to drop signifies to prophesie or preach the word of God because that like rain falls silently Sâ—binde Praeceptuci auriâ—ulis hoc instillare memento Horat. Lib. 1. lip 8. and as it were in drops upon the hearers it falls in at the ear and soaks down to the heart it soaks quite thorow as Moses spake Deut. 32.2 My dâ—ctrine shall drop as the rain and my speech shall destil as the dew And as the word is used
which is a Cloud in a figure troublesome and afflictive Providences There is no light of what kind soever it is but there may be a Cloud to intercept it and come between us and that even the light of the favour of God the light of his countenance which is the most blessed light of all even that light hath many a Cloud The clouds of ouâ— sins cause the Lord to cloud his face with anger and displeasure and hinder the light of his favour and loving kindnâ—ss from shining upon our souls Secondly In that Elihu saith He câ—mmandeth it not to shine Note The Lord hath a soveraign power over all creatures He sends forth his commanding word not only to Angels and Men but to Beasts yea to inanimates he sends out his orders and edicts to the Clouds of the Air to the Light of the Sun to things without life and they submit presently and obey he speaketh to the light as if it were a â—eaâ—onable creature he commandeth it not to shine and it shineth not The hosts of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth are at the diâ—pose of God the wâ—â—le course of nature moves and stands still at his word and pleaâ—ure The Sun stood still in the dayes of Jâ—shua at his command and by the same command the Sun wenâ— backward in the days of Hezekiah and 't is by his command that the Sun withdraws its light and is muffled up with Clouds at any time He commandeth it not to shine Take these Inferences from it First Then what cannot God do He that commands the light not to shine and it shineth not Is any thing too hard for him who but God can stop the Sun from shining If all the Princes and Potentates of this world should joyn their forces their counsels together and send a prohibition to the Sun to stay its light and forbear its shining one moment they were not able to do it yet if the Lord do but speak the word the Sun shineth not he can give it a prohibition and supersede the going forth of its light to us yea he hath power enough not only to coveâ— the Sun with Clouds but to turn it into a Cloud and to blot it out of the heavens Secondly learn hence In what dependance we are upon God for every thing God can keep the light from us every day if he pleaseth and wrap us up in perpetual darkness as he plagued the Land of Egypt with thick darkness for three dayes together 'T is true the Sun riseth and goeth down in a natural course yet still by a divine order and commission As God can sorbid the Light by interposing Clouds so he can sorbid the Clouds to give us showers and bind up all the sweet influences of heaven from destilling upon the earth to make it fruitful He can speak to our garments that they warm us not to our food that it nourish us not to our physick that it cure and heal us not to all our relations that they comfort us not to all our possessions and riches that they content us not O let us remember that we depend upon God for Rain for Light for Sun-shine for all it is at his word that they all put themselves forth to do us good and at his word they are all staid and stopt in their motion from doing or bringing us any good Leâ— us remember also God can command another light not to shine he can by a word stop the progress of the Word and stay that blessed and most beautiful light the light of the Gospel from shining to us by some Cloud or other coming between To how many nations of people where that light sometimes shined hath God long since sent a command and it shineth not It shined brightly in former Ages upon the African Churches but now for a long time God hath said to the light of the Gospel shine not upon them there 's scarce any light at all at most but a glimmering of Gospel-Light in all that vast continent a quarter-part of the world What mighty Dominions are now possest by the followers of Mahomet both in Europe and Asia where the light of the Gospel did once shine very brighâ—ly and gloriously How famous were those seven Asian Churches men ioned and writ to by the command of Christ and the ministry of his servant and Secretary John Rev. 1.2 3. yet now darkness possesseth all those places and the Alcoran hath thrust out the Gospel and whence is all this Surely God commanded and that light shined not nor hath it shined with any bâ—ightness for many hundred years Jesus Christ who threatened Ephesus with the removal of her Candlestick hath removed all those Candlesticks and put out their ligâ—â—â— The same stop can God give to the Gospel-light which hath shined among us blessed be his Name for many years together Let us take heed that we forfeit not that blessed light that we provoke not the Lord by our abuse of it and unthankfulness for it to send out a command that it shine not among us any more We read in the Prophets how divine light was prohibited both to the People and to the Prophets The stop of it to the People we have Amos 8.9 I will cause the Sun to go down at noon and I will darken the earth in the clear day The Prophet speaks not here at all of the stop of natural light nor doâ—h he only intend the stop of that metaphorical light Prosperity in outward things which the Lord doth often eclipse and daâ—ken when men dream least of it or have no more fear about it than â—hey have that the Sun will go down at noon day but he at least intends if it be not his principal intendment to shew that a grievous judgmâ—nt was hastning upon them as to their spiritual enjoyments that the light of divine knowledge what to believe and what to practise was declining and ready to go down though they thought it was but noon with them and the day very clear For as the famine threatned vers 11. is expounded upon the place by the Prophet himself not to be a famine of bread and a thirst for water but of hearing the word of the Lord so the darkness threatened in this 9th verse is not to be restrained to the loss of their worldly liberties and comforts but extended to those which were spiritual and divine the failing of vision and the removing of the light of the Word And as in this Prophet we find the light departing from the People so in the third of Micah vers 6 7. we find God commanding the light not to shine to the Prophets the false prophets he meanes there for so he describeth them vers 5. Therefore shall night be unto you the prophets who deceive my people who teach them vanity and lead them to Idolatry and superstition therefore I say shall night be unto you that ye shall have no vision and it shall be dark
to you that you shall not divine and the Sun shall go down over the Prophets and the day shall be dark over them What the Lord means by all this you have exprest in the close of the 7th verse There is no answer of God that is God doth not now any more manifest his mind and will by the Prophets that they might manifest his will unto the People I close this point with the renewal of my former admonition Let us therefore take heed â—e provoke not the Lord to command this light not to shine either to Prophets or People in our Hoâ—izon Thirdly He commandeth it not to shine by the Cloud that cometh between Though as I said the word Cloud be not exprest in the text yet we know 't is a Cloud that usually cometh between the light and us Hence note Though God can do all things by his bare word yet he ordinarily useth means to bring about his purposes whether for good or evil whether in mercy or in judgement to the children of men There is something comes between God hath a Cloud or somewhat like it to put between us and the light 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vers 6. The Apostle 2 Thes 2.6 7. treating of Antichrist the man of sin intimates that he would have filled the world with the darkness of errour and superstition very quickly by a full discovery of himself had not something with-held him had not something come between him and his design for a time What was that 'T is generally conceived 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 7 that which did with-hold or come between the man of sin and his purpose of filling the world with the darkness of his wicked errours and abominable worship was the power of the Roman Empire at that time Antichrist could not put forth his power while that power stood in its strength God could have with-held Antichrist immediately from putting forth of himself but he saw it best to put a block in his way the power of the Roman Empire and until that was thrust out of the way the man of sin could never shew himself fully in that unlimited exercise of his sinful power Now I say as there was then a with-holder of Antichristian darkness somewhat that came between and hindred its effectual working so usually I may say universally somewhat comes between to check and stop the course of the Gospel-light or of any other mercy Sin is a Cloud of our making and God in judgement makes that as a Cloud coming between us and our mercies He did so of old to Israel and he told them so by his Prophet Jer. 5.25 Your sins have with-holden good things from you Sin with-holds good things not formally but meretoriously that is sin is the meriting or deserving cause of their withholding This one Cloud of our sins brings all the Clouds of trouble between us and our mercies and the Lord hath alwayes some Cloud or other of trouble at hand in readiness to cover the light that it shine not to us when we trouble and grieve him by those foggy and filthy clouds of our sins Thus far of that which is preparatory to rain Clouds covering the light It followeth Vers 33. The noise thereof sheweth concerning it the cattel also concerning the vapour Hic versus difficillimus est si quu in toto Jobo in quo quot sunt expositores tot fere sensus afferuntur Merc. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Strepitus ejus quidam deducunt a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sonâ—vit clamavit voâ—iferatus est alii a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 amicus socius This Verse according to our translation as I touched before carrieth on the same thing There we had the preparation as it were for rain Clouds gathered and covering the Sun so making dark weather Now saith he that the rain is coming the noise thereof sheweth concerning it The word which we render noise taken from one root signiâ—ieth any troublesome clamour and as derived from anoâ—her root it signifieth a friend or companion as I shall touch afterward But at present leaving that I shall open it according to our own reading as it signifieth a noise Some read his noise that is Gods noise he maketh a noise in the air And this noise of God in the air is either first the noise of the wind winds often fore-run great raines or secondly the noise of thunderclaps that ratling noise heard from the clouds which come between us and the light this noise sheweth concerning it that is this sheweth fowl weatheâ— is coming or that rain as we speak is brewing in the Clouds Both the blustering winds and the ratling roaring thunder tell us afore-hand and give warning that the weather will suddenly change or that rain is at hand Hence Note God by natural signs gives warning of a change in natural things When God is about to send rain the noise that is in the Clouds tells the world that 't is coming Some are very skilful in observing these things such we call weatherwise From this I would only infer If God doth fore-shew or give signs of the change that he makes in natural things then surely he doth much more give his people warning of the changes he is about to make in civil things in the States and Kingdomes of this world There are some things which do as it were predict or fore-shew such and such changes neer if we were wise to observe them The Jewes were very inquisitive to know of Christ the signs of the times These signs they enquired of him not so much out of curiosity which had been bad enough as out of treachery to intâ—ap him in his words yet mark what Christ said to to them Math. 16.1 2 3.3 He answered and said unto them when it is eveâ—ing ye say it will be fair weather for the skie is red a red skie shewes concerning fair weather and in the morning it will be foul weather for the skie is red and lowring When the skie lowres or as here in Job when the Cloud cometh between us and the light that tells us it will be foul weather Now saith Christ do you think that God hath given us such warnings about changes in natural things and hath he not given signs which may fore-shew changes in other things which more concerns us Therefore Christ checks them in the 3d verse O ye hypocrites ye can discern the face of the skie and can ye not discern the Signs of the times that is what changes God will mâ—ke in the times As if he had said if you were wise ye might discern the signs of ruine approaching â—o you and your City A dreadful black Cloud of destruction hung over the City of Jerusalem at that time as Christ had fore-told them in several places of the Gospel the time is coming saith he when there shall not be left one stone upon another yet you cannot see the signs of these things you are very
and Lightning In Thunder and Lightning the Law was delivered to Moses on mount Sinai Exod. 19.6 And to affect the peoâ—le of Israel when they had provoked God by their peremptory and discontented way of asking a King Samuel coming to deal with them about it 1 Sam. 12.16 17 18. said Stand and see this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes Is it not wheat-harvest to day I will call unto the Lord and he shall send Thunder and Rain that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great And the Lord sent Thunder and Rain that day even while Samuel was speaking for their conviction and humiliation as the next words shew and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel Thus possibly while Elihu was about to speak of Thunder for the humbling of Job God commanded it to Thunder for his deeper humiliation and if so the cause why Elihu trembled is apparent enough The terrible Thunder-claps which then rent the Clouds and even shook the earth might well cause him to tremble Secondly We may understand these words at this my heart trembleth with reference to the whole matter which Elihu had before him what he had begun to speak and was further to speak of Gods dreadful power might shake his heart with astonishment The due apprehensions of the greatness of God may soon strike man into a fit of trembling it did Job as himself confessed at the 21th Chapter of this Book v. 5 6. Mark ye and be astonished and lay your hand upon your mouth for when I remember I am afraid and trembling takes hold of my flesh as if he had said Quoties mihi divinae majestatis abyssus in mentem venerit expavesâ—it â—or meum c. Brent while I duly consider the great things that I have spoken those greater things if greater may be that I am about to speak I cannot but tremble and stand as one filled with astonishment How was the Apostle Paul amazed at that most mysterious dispensation of God in casting off his ancient people the Jewes the seed of Abraham his friend for so long a time Rom. 11.33 O the Depth c. At this my heart trembleth that is I am heartily afraid The heart is here put for the whole inner man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Motus commotus fuit corpore aut anima ex cura aut metu mali 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. or for all the powers of the soul and the word rendered to tremble notes a disturbance of the whole man both of soul and body the Septuagint render it by the same Greek word used Math. 2.3 where upon the wise mens coming from the East to inquire concerning the King of the Jewes it is said When Herod heard this he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him That news of a new King put them into a grievous fright they knew not what to make of it nor which way to turn themselves in such a turn of affaires in such a new world as that new-born King might make This word is else-where in Scripture used to note the suddenest surprize and the strongest possession of fear Thus when Isaac through the subtilty of Rebekah had given the blessing to Jacob which he intended for Esau 't is said that upon the appearance of his mistake he trembled exceedingly Gen. 27.33 Doubtless it did wonderfully astonish the good old man to think that God should carry him beyond and beside his own purpose to bless the yonger brother instead of the elder This strange disappointment by the over-ruling providence of God put him to a stand and troubled his thoughts more than a little especially because he was now taught that by his carnal affections to Esau he was running quite cross to the mind of God revealed Chap. 25.23 Read the same force of the word Exod. 19.16 to which the Apostle reâ—eâ—â—ing saith Heb. 12.21 So terrible was the sight that Moses said I exceedingly fear and quake Read also the same impoâ—tance of the word 1 Sam. 4.13 Chap. 14.15 Such was the Condition of Elihu he was deeply affected tâ—embling â—ook hold of him The Spirits run to the heart in a time of feaâ— or upon a sudden fâ—ight as Ciâ—iz ns to the Castle in a day of danger and then the outward members being deseâ—ted by the spirits grow cold and tremble There is a natural infirmity called The palpitation or trembling of the heart But this of Elihu was supernatural at least some-what more then natural as arising either from the consideration of what God hâ—d done or of what himself was about to speak and not only did his heart tremble but Cordis palpitatio totius animae concursus ad cor in pavoribus oâ—idens est Galen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Effluxit Sept. Evulsum est August Emotum est Hieron Salit seu subsilit Tharg Hiâ— verbis excessum quem Graeci 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vocant puto denotari quae 〈◊〉 effectus causam admirationem cum pavore subsequi solet Bold Et humâ—nas motura tonitrua montes Ovid. 1. Met. Was moved out of its place Which is added to set forth the exceeding greatness of that fear which seized upon him The Text speaks as if his heart were indeed removed or taken out of his body It is usual in Scripture to affirm that as done which is like to be done The ship was said to be broken John 1.4 and the net Luke 5.6 because both were in eminent danger of breaking We say of a man in great fear his heart is ready to leap out of or out at his mouth One of the Ancients renders here my heart is pluckt out the septuagint It floweth out the Chaldee paraphrase takes up the foâ—mer expression my heart leaps or jumps which as it doth sometimes for joy so often for ear or at the unexpected appearance of danger Some conceive by this moving of his heart out of his place that Elihu was in a kind of extasie that he was as it were carâ—ied out of himself upon the hearing of that dreadful voice of God the thunder taking it so Note Thunder is a terrible thing It hath made and may make the stoutest heart to tremble One of Christs Apostles was called Lebbeus Mat. 10.3 as much as to say the hearty man or all-heart Now he that is Lebbeus a man of the greatest courage the most hearty man may be put to a tremble at this when he heares it thunder Heathens have spoken much of this and by a peculiar word have called those who are much amazed men thunder struck Hos Laetinus Attonitos vocat Attonitus est cui casus vicini fulminis sonitus tonitruum dant stuporem Serv in tertium Aenid Tonitrus dici videtur a terrendo quod conterreat hominem Aliqui a tono ruendo quia magno cum sonitu fiat irruat Suetonius de Augusto Caliguâ—a men being so much amazed at the sound of
at hand and afar off It is said of the Empire of the Sun Psal 19 6. his going forth is from the end of the heaven and his circuit unto tke ends of it and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof much more may I say of the Empire of God his going forth is from one end of the earth to the other and there is nothing hid from his wisdom and government One of the Ancients gives his sentence clearly with this truth Qui summa regit extrema non deserit qui utique praesens equalis est etiam in dissimilibus sil i ipsi dissimilis non est Gregor He saith he that ruleth in the highest heavens doth not forsake the ends of the earth he is every where present and every where alike present though the places are unlike yet the presence of the Lord is a like when need requires it That 's further matter of comfort that under the whole heaven and unto the ends of the earth we may find the Lord ready for us and disposing all things not only for good but for the best He directeth it c. Vers 4. After it a voice roareth or after it he roareth with a voice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Elliâ— sis praepositionis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Post eum Vulg. Pro volunte ac jubente illo ut post deum sit post ille praeceperit Drus Anteambulones praenuncii supremi regis adventantis There is another reading of these words some give it thus after him a voice roareth That is after his command God willing and giving forth an order for it a voice roareth that is at his command or word the voice roareth or followeth As if the scope of Elihu in this Text were to shew that neither Thunder nor Lightning stir a foot or haires breadth till they have a word from God as indeed they do not For though Thunder and Lightning may be called Gods Vshers or Heralds that go before him proclame his approach Psal 18.12 13 14. yet they follow and come after him They go before him as to action yet they come after him as to commisâ—â—on they go not till he saith go or hath given them commission to go That 's a profitable reading of the words Our translation saith after it a voice roareth that is after the Lightning or as soon as it hath Lightned a voice roareth Our experience teacheth us that Thunder followeth the Lightning which we are not to understand according to the nature of the thing for so Thunder and Lightning are as it were born and brought forth together there is no difference between them at all in time but there is a difference as to order at least as to order in our apprehension and so the one may be said to come after the other the Thunder after the Lightning as when a gun lesser or greater is discharged if you are at a distance you may see the fire a considerable time before you hear the report Segnius irritant animos demissa per aurem quam quae sunt oculis subjecta fidelibus Horat. and possibly the bullet hits the mark before the sound hits to the ear though the discharge be made in a moment which some say is because the eye is a quicker sence than the ear but rather because light doth in a moment strike through the air but the sound comes by certain circuits fetcheth a longer compass before it comes at the ear as hath been toucht lately before as also at the 26 verse of the 28 chapter And besides this or any other reason of the thing in nature constant experience teacheth us that we see the light first and then hear the voice and therefore Elihu speakes here very congruously to both After it a voice roareth And as the reason of this in nature as was shewed is that more speedy passage of the light through the air than of the sound so a moral reason may be given of it which take in this observation God mindes or warnes us of his Judgments before he sends them Fulguratio ostendit ignem fulminatio â—mitit illa ut-ita dicam cominatio est conatio sine ictu ista jaculatio cum ictu Sen. lib. 2. Nat. Quest cap. 12. When you see Lightning you say there will be Thunder by and by as natural Lightning gives warning of Thunder so God gives warning from his word and providences when a Thunder-clap of judgment in any kind is coming God never sends a judgment but we hear of it before we feel it God speaks before he strikes Matth. 24. Behold I have told you before Lightning tells us Thunder is at hand God doth not use to strike his people with a Thunder-bolt before he hath given them notice by a flash of Lightning indeed judgments alwayes surprize the wicked how much Lightning soever hath been dashed in their eyes yet the Thunder comes unawares The day of the Lord will at least come as a snare upon all carnal men though they have had frequent calls to prepare for it God in the course of nature teacheth us the course of his providence Lightning gives warning that Thunder is coming and happy are they who take warning by his Lightning and so escape the stroke of his Thunder after it a voice Roareth It hath been already shewed that Thunder is the voice of God here Elihu tells us what kind of voice it is it roareth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rugivit propriâ—â—m leonis The word signifieth the roaring of a lion 't is also applyed to the roaring of the Sea that 's a dreadful roaring Naturalists tell us there are several sorts of Thunder every Thunder is not a roaring Thunder they give five or six gradual denominations of Thunder First There is a shreeking or crashing Thunder 1. Stridens Secondly There is a hissing Thunder 2. Sibilans as when red hot iron is put into water Thirdly There is a cracking Thunder 3. Crepans as when a bladder is broken or a chesnut in the fire 4 Tumultuans Fourthly There is a rumbling Thunder We sometimes hear only a rushing in the clouds no crack of Thunder breaking our 5. Rugiens c. Garcaeâ—s Meteorolog Fifthly There is a roaring Thunder as this text speakes a voice roareth Sixthly There is a whispering Thunder I may call it a kind of silent oâ— still-voyced Thunder possibly that was such spoken of 1 Kings 19.12 After the fire a still small voice As also that when Jesus Christ was baptized by John in Jordan Matth. 3.17 And lo a voice from heaven saying This is my beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased 'T is conceived that voice came in a still whispering Thunder Such doubtless was that Thunder John 12.28 29. when Christ prayed Father glorifie thy Name then came there a voice from heaven saying I have both glorified it and will glorifie it
the true knowledge of Jesus Christ and to encourage the faithfull dispencers and professors of it both by your favour and example worshiping the Lord in the beauty of holiness If any should ask Why is the Lord to be so worshipped why must he have such high honours from those that are high what doth he in the World which calls for such adoration David answers Meteorologically as well as Theologically he answers from the Clouds vers 3. The Voyce of the Lord is upon the Waters the God of glory thundreth the Lord is upon many Waters The voyce of the Lord is powerful the voyce of the Lord is full of Majesty As if he had said Although the Lord Jesus Christ will not set up an outward pompous political Kingdome such as that of Cyrus or Alexander c. yet by the Ministry of the Gospel he will erect a spiâ—itual Kingdome and gather to himself a Church that shall abide for ever out of all the Nations of the earth For the Gospel shall be carryed and preached to not only the people of Israel the Jewes but to the Gentiles all the world over that the minds of men may be awakened enlightned and moved with that unheard of Doctrine of Salvation by Christ which had been hid from Ages and Generations And though many shall be hardned against and oppose that glad-tydings yet because the God of glory thundereth that is because the voyce of the Lord is powerful and full of Majesty he accompanying the Ministry of the Gospel with power and terror like that of Thunder home to the Consciences of men for their conviction and conversion therefore it shall do great and glorious things subduing the greatest and stoutest sinners to the obedience of his Will This Thunder will cast down the strong holds of sin and every thing that exalteth it self against the knowledge of God and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10.4 5. This is it which the Prophet David intendeth according to this allegorical interpretation by the effects of Thunder elegantly expressed vers 5 6 7 8 9 The Voyce of the Lord breaketh the Cedars yea the Lord breaketh the Cedars of Lebanon that is proud and high-minded men who are in their own conceit as tall as Cedars these he will make to see that they are but shrubs these he will humble and break â—heir hearts by true repentance for the pride of their hearts and all the abominations of their lives Further vers 6. He maketh them also to skip like a Calf Lebanon and Syrion like a young Vnicorn that is the Lord by his thundering powerful voyce first will make them skip as frighted with fear and secondly as revived with joy Yet more vers 7. The Voyce of the Lord divideth the Flames of fire that is will send and divide to every one as they need 1 Cor. 12.11 the holy Spirit who is compared to and called Fire Mat. 3.11 and who came as with a Thunder-storm of a mighty rushing wind and with the appearance of cloven Tongues like as of fire and sate upon each one of the Apostles Acts 2.2 3. Nor did this Voyce of Thunder accompanied with divided flâ—mes of fire reach Jerusalem only for as it follows vers 8. The Vâ—yce of the Lord shaketh the Wilderness the Wilderness of Kadesh that is the Lord by the voyce of the Gospel shall go forth with power to those Gentiles who are like a wilderness barren oâ— goodness and unmanur'd in spirituals though they dwell in well-govern'd Cities and are well-furnished with Morals It shall go forth also to those Gentiles who inhabit wast wildernesses and are not so much as reduced to civility These wildernesses the thundering voice of the Lord hath shaken heretofore and doth shake at this day and will yet further shake that the fulness of the Gentiles may come in Many of these wildernesses hath the Lord turned into fruitful fields and pleasant lands by the voice of the Gospel sounding among them For in these wildernesses as it followeth vers 9. The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve that is they that were as wild as untaught and untamed as the hind or any beast in the forrest he brings to the sorrows of theiâ— new-birth to Repentance and Gospel-humiliation And in doing this He as the Psalmist goes on discovereth the forrests that is opens the hearts of men which are as thick set and full grown with vanity pride hypocrisie self-love and self-sufficiency as also with wantonness and sensuality as any forest is over-grown with thickets of trees and bushes which deny all passage through till cleared away by cutting down or burning up Such an opening such a discovery doth the Lord make in the forrests of mens hearts by the Sword and Fire that is by the Word and Spirit of the Gospel and when all this is done the forrest becomes a Temple and as that verse concludes In his temple doth every one speak of his glory And if the floods of ungodliness rise up against this people whom the thunder and lightning of the Gospel have subdued to Christ and framed into a holy Temple then the Psalmist assureth us vers 10. The Lord sitteth upon the flood that is 't is under his power he ruleth and over-ruleth it yea The Lord sitteth King for ever and v. 11. The Lord will give strength to his people the Lord will bless his people with peace Thus the Lord thundereth marveilously and these are glorious marvels which he thundereth he converts sinners The thunder of the Gospel frights them out of sin and the grace of it gives them peace Thus though I like not their way who are given to allegorize the Scriptures yet I doubt not but we may make a profitable use both of this and many other Scriptures by way of allegory This being an undeniable truth which is the ground of it That the Lord puts forth as it were the power of Thunder and Lightning in the preaching of his Word these two things are to be marked First That Thunder and Lightning are a kind of Word of God to us they tell us though confusedly yet plainly enough for the conviction and condemnation of gainsayers there is a God the greatest Princes of the world have taken notice of Thunder and Tempest that there is a God over all governing all nor needs there any more teaching than that to condemne Athiests and Mockers at Religion We say proverbially of some men who make a rude noise they are so loud that we cannot hear God Thunder for them yet know there 's no noise can so drown the voice of Gods Thunder in the Clouds but it will condemn all that hear it not so as to acknowledg God in it Secondly We should mark that as Thunder and Lightning are a kind of Voice or Word of God to us so the Word of God or the Voice of God speaking in his Word is a kind of Thunder and Lightning to us
their dens by a storm or by the Snow then they go to their dens and places of shelter or as we speak to Covert The word rendred Dens signifies a place of ambush or of lying in wait such are the dens of wild beasts as it is said of the wicked Psal 10.9 He lieth in wait secretly as a Lion in his den 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ereb a verbo Arab insidiari Et ingreditur bestia in insidias i. e. in latibula unde insidiatur Merc. to catch the poor c. It is this word Such kind of retreats have the wild beasts they have their dens which are alâ—o places to watch for their prey And as they often go to their dens upon choice or of their own accord so they are sometimes driven to them as in the text for shelter against a storm Then the beasts go into dens And remain in their places They not only go into dens but there they remain they keep home the storm keps them in As when the flood of waters the great rain of Gods strength was upon the earth Noah was shut into the Ark and there he remained Gen. 7. he did not only go in but stayed in till the flood was asswaged so it is said here of the beasts they remain in their places they will not budge nor peep out till the storm be over Hence note First Thâ— Providences of God in various seasons affect the very beasts of the earth Those creatures which live only a life of sense yet partake somewhat of reason at least they act according to reason they are sensible of what God doth though they know not that he doth it And is not this a great reproof to those who are not only not sensible of but slight those â—everer dispensations of God how beast-like are those men who have not so much sence of the dealings of â—od as the beasts have who though they have a knowledge beyond bruits yet they use their knowledge no better no nor so well as bruits and so they are either as the Prophet saith bruitish in their knowledge or as the Apostle Peter 2 Pet. 2.12 They are as bruit beasts in humane shape made to be taken and destroyed How can they avoid being taken and destroyed by the judgments of God or as Elihu expresseth it by the great rain of his strength who take not so much notice of them as to see their danger and get into a hiding place For Secondly When the beasts go into dens and remain in their places what is it that moves them to it Surely 't is to be as we say out of harms way Hence note Every creature by the light of nature would get out of danger Great snowes and rains of strength are dangerous or g ievous to beasts therefore they avoid them they will not stand in the open air while a storm lasts if they can help it Beasts will save themselves as well as they can and if so then take these two Inferences from it First For our instruction We are sent to school by God himself more than once to the beasts and creeping things of the earth Solomon sends us to the Ant a creeping thing he bids us consider her wayes and be wise Elihu in this text sends us to the wild beasts of the earth to Lions and Bares to Tigers and Wolves and bids us consider their wayes and be wise Here is matter of instruction for us What is that Get out of harmes way make haste out of danger when the cold Snow comes and the great Rain of the strength of God take heed you be not found abroad without a a shelter Surely God who hath provided dens for the beasts and places for those wilde creatures to hide themselves in hath not left us without a niding-place when the great rains of trouble fall or threaten to fall God invited his people of old where to look for and whither to go for shelter in such a rainy day Isa 26.20 Come my people enter thou into thy Chambers and shut thy door about thee hide thy self as it were for a little moment until the indignation be over-past For Behold the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the Inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity As if he had said Hide your selves till the storm be over till the great rain of my streng h be gone God who hath put an instinct into the creatures to go to their dens to their places in a stormy season doth specially call to men and among men specially to his own people when 't is a time of indignation to go into their Chambers and hide themselves till it be overblown Do not stand out in the rain do not stand in the storm get into your chambers what are these Chambers surely not the chambers of our houses they are poor refuges the rain of his strength will break or soak into those chambers how well soever roofed or ceiled The chambers in which the people of God are called to hide themselves are God himself the Power of God the Faithfulness of God the Truth of God the Goodness of God in these Chambers he calls his people to hide themselves Solomon assureth us Prov. 81.10 The Name of the Lord is a strong tower the righteous runneth into it and is safe As God hath taught the beasts to run into their dens so he instructs us in his Word to run into his Name as to a strong tower where we may be safe David said Psal 57.1 Vnder the shadow of thy Wings shall be my refuge until this calamity be over-past That is I will put my self under thy protection while the stormy showers last The Hen gâ—thereth her young ones under her wings so would Christ the Jewish Nation both for comfort and safety and they refused him What followed The next verse tells us Desolation What could save them when the Roman Eagle spread her wings against them who would not come under the wing of Jesus Christ Matth. 23.37 'T is not any worldly refuge not any arm of flesh but the shadow of the Lords wings that can hide us in an evil day from the evil of the day They who get and keep close to God by Fai h need not fear the worst stormes which this world can raise against them And hence let sinners in general take warning suppose you should live all your dayes in this world without a storm I mean without any outward trouble yet remember there will be a stormy day the day of the great rain of the strengâ—h of God will come he will rain down vengeance upon all the ungodly in that day Vpon the wicked he shall rain snares fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest in that day Psal 11.6 Therefore see that you have a refuge against that day when many shall as it is said Rev. 6. Call to the rocks hide us and to the mountains fall upon us cover us from the presence of him that sits on the
Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. Although we should have prosperity or fair weather as long as we live in this world yet there is a day of wrath coming be not then to seek of a hiding place which is only to be had in and by Jesus Christ He is the man chiefly intended by the Prophet Isa 32.2 That shall be a hiding place from the wind and a covert from the tempest If you are without him in that day you stand naked to the wrath of God and that will quickly soak into you or sink you for ever Secondly As the beasts going to their dens for shelter may instruct us so it may reprove and upbraid us and it will be at last a dreadful reproof upon all that are backward in this thing to provide themselves of a Covert against the Storm The Jewes as hath been formerly toucht were upbraided with the Crane the â—urtle and the Swallow because they knew the time of their coming Jer. 8.7 They knew when such a Countrey would be unfit or unsafe for their stay and therefore they removed to places more comfortable to and commodious for them But saith he my people know not the judgement of the Lord. As if he had said my people have not so much wit or fore-cast as the Crane and the Swallow they know not what is good and safe much less what is best and safest for themselves let it snow and rain never so fast either they stand it out and out-dare it or they seek such coverts from it as cannot be a covering to them 'T is said the very Vermine Mice and Rats will by a natural presage come out of a house that is ready to fall They are more senseless than Mice or Rats who hasten not to a place of safety when they perceive the foundation of that sinful State wherein they stand sinking and the walls cracking on every hand How faithless then are they how presumptuous and senseless who hasten not out of Babylon when they hear the Scriptures of truth saying not only that Babylon shall fall or is falling but as of a thing already done and past Babylon is fallen is fallen Is it not dangerous to stay in a falling house in a house which shall so certainly fall that 't is said and said again 't is fallen 't is fallen O take heed of a hard heart when you hear of a falling house or of a storm ready to fall upon your heads When God threatned Pharaoh to bring a storm of hail upon the land of Egypt that was indeed a rain of his strength a mighty rain of hail the text saith Exod. 9.20 He that feared the word of the Lord amongst the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattel flee into the houses but they whose hearts were hardned let them stay abroad and so they perished Sinners you hear of a worse storm of hail threatned than that which fell upon Egypt even the great rain of the strength of the Lords wrath revealed from heaven against you shall the beasts in such a day of distress go into dens and remain in their places and do you think to abide the day of the Lords terrible coming Do you think to stand it out when he appeareth The Prophet foreshewing the day of Christs first coming in frail flesh said Mal. 3.2 Who may abide the day of his coming and who shall stand when he appeareth for he is like a refiners fire and like fullers sope Now if the day of Christs first coming was such as sinners could not abide when he came only with refining fire to fetch out the dross of their sins and purge away their corruptions shall sinners impenitent and unbelieving sinners I mean presume that they shall be able to abide or endure that day of his second coming when he shall come with consuming fire to punish and take vengeance on them for their sins Away with these vain confidences which as the Prophet told the Jewes Jer. 2.37 the Lord will certainly reject and in which you can never prosper and go into those holes of the rock the wounds of a crucified Saviour in which and in which only you may be safe and saved for ever from the Snow and great Rain of Gods strength the power of his anger which none know at present Psal 90.11 but all must feel who are not sheltred from it by Jesus Christ who delivereth us from the wrath to come 1 Thes 1.10 JOB Chap. 37. Vers 9 10 11. 9. Out of the South cometh the Whirlwind and cold out of the North. 10. By the breath of God Frost is given and the breadth of the Waters is straitned 11. Also by watering he wearieth the thick Cloud he scattereth his bright Cloud ELihu having spoken of Thunder and Lightning as also of Snow and Rain with their effects upon man and beast at the 6th 7th and 8th verses last opened he in the 9th and 10th verses speaks of the Winds with their effects first Cold Secondly Frost or first of the VVind secondly of the Cold and thirdly of the Frost and then at the 11th verse of the wonderful works of God in disposing and dispersing the water in the Clouds for the refreshing of the earth by Rain in its season In the 9th and 10th verses I say he discourseth of the Winds and though there be four Cardinal or principal VVinds the East VVest North and South which are subdivided into thirty-two VVinds according to the Mariners Compass yet here Elihu treats by name of two VVinds only the South-VVind and the North-VVind which two are often and eminently spoken of in Scripture which two as they come from directly contrary Points in the Heavens so they produce contrary effects famously known among men on earth And therefore I conceive Elihu gives instance only about them as being more generally taken notice of Vers 9. Out of the South cometh the Whirlwind c. The word which we render the South properly signifieth a Chamber an inner Room or secret place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cubiculum interius penetrale omne quod in intimis partibus est a Chamber within a Chamber which is the most private retiring Room or Chamber Gen. 43.30 Judg. 16.9 2 Sam. 13.10 1 Kings 20.30 Cant. 3.4 VVe say Out of the South c. And the Reason why the South is expressed by that word which signifieth a secret Chamber is because the South Pole is scituate or placed in the most secret part of the VVorld Polus Antarcticus occultatur a nobis uâ—pote depressus â—ub nostro Horizâ—nte secundum quâ—ntitatem qua Polus Arctiâ—â—s super Horizoâ—tem elevatur Aquin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—proriptuariis superveniunt dâ—lores Sept. as to them who inhabit Northern Climates they who live nearest the North Pole are farthest removed from the South And as the same word in the Hebrew Tongue signifieth the South and an inner Chamber so at the 9th Chapter of this Book vers 9.
unawares nor by the unceâ—tain changes of the Air but according to his direction and unchangeable purpose It is turned about by his Counsel The creatures do not govern themselves nor are they Masters of their own motions The way of man is not in himself surely then the way of the Cloud is not in it self Clouds take their course according to the order and command which they receive from God Again The Clouds are thus turned about by the Counsel of God that they may do whatsoever he commandeth them Hence note Clouds are sent about work there 's somwhat to be done by every Cloud God will not have a Vapour arise nor a Cloud stir for nothing he commands them to be doing And if God send Clouds abroad to work much more doth he send man forth into the world to do work appoints him what work to do The first Man was no sooner made and set up in a state of created perfection but he was presently set to work he must be doing Gen. 2.15 And the Lord God took the man or Adam and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress and to till it From the Angels in Heaven to the worms that creep upon the earth there 's no creature but hath somwhat to do yea not only the living and rational creatures but as here in the Text the very inanimate creatures the senseless creatures the Clouds have somwhat to do God sends them forth upon his business Every creature hath a service hath somwhat to do And therefore it will be ill with those whom God finds idle or doing nothing or nothing to any good purpose That servant had been doing to whom Christ in the Paâ—able is represented thus speaking at the last day Well done good and faithful Servant Thirdly observe The Clouds are faithful and ready Servants they do whatsoever the Lord commands them They are Gods Messengers and they will do any or every Eâ—rand which he sends them about and trusts them with 'T is the duty and commendation of a Servant to do whatsoever he is commanded A mans servant must do all his Masters just and lawful commands he must not take up this or that command to do it and pass by the rest The Rule is plain Col. 3.22 Servants obey your Masters in all things Much more must a Servant of God obey him in all things Acts 13.22 I have found David a man after mine own heart he shall fulfill all my Will David was a trusty servant he was not like Saul who did the Lords work to halves The Clouds are trusty Servants they do whatsoever God commands them and we may distribute the commands which God gives the Clouds into two Ranks First The command of God to the Clouds is somtimes for the hurt oâ— punishment of man God threatens and he executes vengeance by the Clouds Ezek. 13.13 Winds conveigh the Clouds and the Clouds pour down overflowing showrs in the anger of God and great hail-stones in his fury to consume and ruine all before them Secondly Clouds execute the command of God in a way of favour as they execute his threatnings so they fulfil his promises Hos 2.21 22. Both these commands to the Clouds are expresly mentioned in the next verse I only touch them here Now forasmuch as the Clouds are here described under the notion of the prest and faithful Servants of God doing whatsoever he commands take these Inferences from it First If Clouds do whatsoever God commands them then surely Christians ought to do whatsoever Christ commands them Shall the Clouds of God out do the children of God in obedience We find that admonition often urged in the Scripture of the New Testament especially in the 13th of Mathew and in the 1st 2d and 3d Chapters of the Revelation He that hath ears to hear let him hear But behold a wonder they that have no ears hear The Clouds have no ears and yet they hear and more than hear they do the commands of God What shall we say when Clouds hear and obey and men do neither Let us learn Duty from the Clouds We are sent to the School of Nature in holy Scripture almost throughout Elihu seems to say Go to the Clouds O ye that are either slothful or disobedient consider their work and be wise they are continually doing whatsoever the Lord commands them Secondly If the Clouds do whatsoever God commands them then here 's matter of comfort to all who do what God commands them surely God will not command the Clouds to do them any hurt who are doing his commands If you can say that you do the commands of God you may rest assured God will never give the Clouds a command to do you hurt I do not say but an affliction may drop out of the Clouds upon a man that is doing the commands of God or the Clouds may have a command to drop affliction upon him that is doing the commands of God but the Clouds drop no hurt upon any that do the commands of God And therefore seeing the Clouds even those Clouds that carry Storms and Tempests Thunder and Lightning Snow Hail and Rain the great Rain of his strength seing I say these Clouds that are the Treasuries and Magazines of such terrible things are at the command of God let not his faithful people fear for when the Winds are Stormy when the Clouds are black and carry as we think nothing but wrath and death in them God will take care of â—hem and charge his Clouds to do them no harm Clouds whatsoever they are doing are doing Gods commands and doubtless he will not give them any commands for their hurt who keep and do his commands And as 't is matter of comfort to the faithful Servants of God that he commandeth the Clouds in the Air so that he also commands those Clouds which are raised in the hearts of men or that sit and appear in their faces and foreheads We often see Clouds gather in the Brows of displeased mortals As some are clouded with sorrow so others are clouded with anger and wrath Those black Clouds in the faces of men are as dreadful as the blackest Clouds in the Air yet the Lord who commands the Clouds in the Air commands the Clouds of anger and choler of wrath and indignation rising out of the hearts and appearing in the faces of men and can blow them over or blot them out whensoever he pleaseth Thirdly If the Lord by his commands orders the Clouds and the Clouds are ready to execute his commands then let us have high thoughts of the power of God and of his commands If men refuse the commands of God if the stout and hard hearts of men will not stoop to them the Clouds of Heaven yea the clods of the earth will Whatsoever God commands he will have it done not one title not one Iota as Christ spake of the Law shall fall short or fail or be unfulfilled If such and such will
exactly what they aâ—e what they would be and what they would do And as by waters common people or nations so by mountaines and hills the great the mighty ones of the nations are exprest Princes and honourable men are as great mountains Thus spake the Prophet The day of the Lord shall be against the mountains Isa 2. that is against the mighty men of this world Hence that deriding question Who art thou O great mountain before Zerubbabel Zac. 4.7 That is O thou great man who art thou surely thou art not so much as a mole-hil before the God of Zerubbabel who when he comes down the mountaines melt down at his presence Isa 64.1 who if he doth but touch the mountains they smoake Psal 144.5 as if struck with Thunder God weighs these mountains of the earth that is he considers and unstands them exactly God weighed him who was the greatest mountain of a man in his time Belshazzar was the sole Monarch of the earth he had almost the whole known world at his command yet the Lord said of him Dan. 5.22 Thou art numbred thou art weighed and thou art found too light Thirdly As God weigheth men of all sorts so he weigheth the actions of all sorts of men 2 Sam. 2.3 By him actions are weighed that is all actions are weighed by him the least actions are weighed by the mighty God and so are the greatest he knoweth how to poyse them and so make use of them that they â—ay effâ—ct what is answerable to his own counsel and purpose This is it which the Prophet intended when he said of the Lord Thou most upright dost weigh the path of the Just Isa 26.7 that is the motions and goings or doings of the Just The pathes of the Just come often into very uneven ballances in this world every one will be weighing them one gives this judgement of them and another that few hit right the most of men being either blinded with ignorance of them or prejâ—diced wiâ—h malice against them But the comfort of the just is the most upright weigheth their path and will give the just weight of them Fourthly and lastly God weigheth the very spirits of men All the wayes of man are clean in his own eyes but the Lord weigheth the spirits saith Solomon Prov. 16.2 The Lord doth not only weigh actions and pathes that is the whole outward course and tenour of our lives but he weighs our spirits that is the principles from which our actions flow and by which we are carried on in our pathes he findes one man to be of a light of a vain spirit and another man to be of a proud high spirit a third to be of a covetous having holding spirit a fourth of an envious spirit that cannot bear the good of another and a fifth to be of a revengful spirit that wil do another as much hurt as he can Again the Lord by weighing finds out them whosoever they are that have a weighty serious spirit that have an upright sincere spirit that have a heavenly gracious spirit God knowes who they are that have a spirit for the things and wayes of God in the midst of all contradictions of men and having thus weighed the spirits of men he disposeth of them and deals with them accordingly And I may add this to the question in the text Dost thou know the ballancing of spirits Surely no for thou knowest not the ballancing of the Clouds which may be known much easier The wonderous works of him which is perfect in knowledge Mr. Broughton renders The miracles of the perfect in knowledge As if he had said the shining of the light in his Cloud and the ballancing of the Clouds are to be numbred among the wonderous works of him that is perfect in knowledge The wonderousness of Gods works was touched at the 14th verse I shall not stay upon that here only mark how Elihu describes God by a periphrasis or circumlocution he doth not say the wonderful works of God but the wonderful works of him That is perfect in knowledge This is a description of God and such a description as will fit none but God who hath and who only hath not â—nly knowledge but the perfection of it We need not name God when we speak of him that is perfect in knowledge it can be meant of none but him Elihu at the 4th verse of the former Chapter said to Job He that is perfect in knowledge meaning himself as that text was expounded is with thee In what sense Elihu might say of himself that he was perfect in knowledge was there shewed and here it must be shewed and confessed that neither Elihu was nor any the most knowing are perfect in knowledge like God or as God is The Apostle saith of the best knowers in this world 1 Cor. 13.9 We know in part and we prophesie in part we behold darkly as in a glass They that have the clearest eye-sight the purest intellectuals know but in part and see but darkly which is far from perfectly therefore I say this description of perfect in knowledge hath a peculiar meaning here proper only to God as will appear more particularly in opening this Observation from it God is not only full of knowledge but perfect in knowledge or The knowledge of God is perfectly perfect That 's perfectly perfect to which nothing can be added and from which nothing can be taken Such is the knowledge of God it is impossible to add any thing to it and it is as impossible to diminish it God cannot forget or unlearn any thing already known nor can he know any more things no nor any thing moâ—e than he already knoweth therefore he is perfect in knowledge More distinctly the knowledge of God is peâ—fect For First He knoweth all things what-ever is knowable he knoweth He knowes First All things past Secondly He knowes all things present Thi dly He knows all things to come Isa 46.10 He declareth the end from the beginning Now he that knowes all things past present or to come is perfect in knowledge Secondly He is perfect in knowledge for he knowes all things at once in one prospect oâ— by one aspect he doth not know one thing after another nor one thing by another he knows all at once Thirdly He is perfect in knowledge for he knows all things as they aâ—e â—e doâ—h nâ—t know things according to appearance only or as they are held foâ—th to be Many will make fair shews and offer both themâ—elves and their actions as very good holy righteous religious yet the Lord who seeth through them seeth them 〈◊〉 nought quiâ—e thâ—ough Heb. 4.12 All things are naked and manifest to him He seeth to the skin he seeth thâ—ough cloaks and â—izâ—rds yea he seeth through skin and all he lookes into the breast the breasts of men are to him as if they were cut open as the word there imports Fourthly He is perfect in knowledge For he knoweth all
Hence note What-ever stands in the way of our comforts God can quickly remove it When Clouds cover the light from us God hath â—is wind ready to chase them away and clear up the weather Never did any such thick and dark Cloud of sorrow and trouble hang over the heads or fill the hearts of the people of God but he had means at hand to dispell and scatter it or he could scatter it himself without means When dreadfull Clouds of danger looked black upon and threatned the Church of God during the Reign of Julian the Apostate Athanasius said It is but a little Cloud Nâ—becula est citò transibit a wind will shortly cleanse it away His meaning was now we are compassed about with fear and trouble but peace and prosperity will not stay long before they return This is true also if we carry it yet in a more spiritual way as to those Clouds of sorrow which often darken and afflict our minds in the midst of outward prosperity or in the clearest sun-shine-Sun-shine-day of peace that ever was in this world when these inward Clouds dwell as it were upon the soul the Lord hath a wind which passeth and cleanseth them away too What is that wind it is his holy Spirit The word in the text Bolduc is used often to signifie not only the natural wind in the air but that divine wind the Holy Ghost who is compared unto the wind in many places of Scripture and his opperations are like those of the wind For as the wind bloweth where it listeth we hear the sound thereof but know not whence it cometh nor whither it goeth so saith Christ is every one that is born of the Spirit John 3.8 And as our Regeneration is wrought by that secret yet strong and powerfull wind so likewise is our consolation The Spirit of God doth those â—ffices in our hearts which the winds do in the air As the wind dispells and sweeps away the Clouds which are gathered there so the Spirit of God cleanseth our souls from those Clouds and foggs of ignorance and unbelief of sin and lust which are gathered in and would else abide for ever upon our hearts From all these Clouds the holy Spirit of God cleanseth us in the work of Regeneration And from all those Clouds which trouble our Consciences the holy Spirit cleanseth us in the work of Consolation Some Interpreters expound the words only in this mystical sense quite rejecting the proper But though by allusion we may improve the words to this spiritual sense yet doubtless Elihu speaks here of the winds properly taken or of the natural winds and their sensible effects and so according to our reading this Text as it hath been opened teacheth us what sudden changes God makes in the Air. Now the light is shut up or shut in and anon it is let out again and all by the powerful hand of God who doth administer these things to us interchangeably as himself pleaseth Secondly The text according to another reading which others insist much upon and conceive pertinent to the scope of Elihu runs thus â—im enim non respiâ—iunt homines lucem quum nitida est in superioribus nubibus quas ventus transiens purgavit Translatio Jun For now men cannot see the bright light in the Clouds when the wind passeth and cleanseth them Mr Broughton translates clearly so his words are these And now men cannot look upon the light when it is bright in the Air then a wind passeth and cleanseth it And then the sence of the whole verse is plainly a setting forth of the excellency or superexcellency rather of the light of the Sun which is so clear and splendid that if the Air be but cleansed from Clouds if it be but a pure Air no man is able to face it nor his eye directly to behold it We behold all things by the light of the Sun but no man can stedfastly behold the light in the Sun no man can look right up to the Sun when it casts forth its fiery rayes and shines bright upon us And this some conceive so genuine and clear an exposition of the Text that the light of it may seem to obscure and darken all others Now according to this second reading the whole verse with that which followeth contains an argument to confirm the former proposition laid down at the 20th verse If a man speak he shall be swallowed up that is if a man come too nigh unto God and be over-bold with him he shal even be swallowed up of his brightness that it is so I prove thus saith Elâ—hu The very light of the Sun Nemo potest adversis oculis â—itidum solem contueri quis ergo ferat praesentiâ—m Majestaâ—â— dei Jun which shines in the Air is so bright and so powerful that no man is able to hold up his eyes against it And if so then from the lesser to the greater his argument riseth thus If when the Sun shineth brightly no man is able to look upon it then much less are we able to behold the bright Majesty of God or to comprehend his greatness This rendring hath a very profitable sense in it leading Job to reason thus with himself I plainly see by all that hath been discoursed that for as much as I am not able to bear the brightness which breaks through the Clouds nor the noise of Thunder of which Elihu spake before for as much as I am not able to bear the fiercenesâ— of a great Rain nor the coldness of the Frost nor the impetuousness of the Wind nor the violence of a Tempest for as much as I am not able to bear the clear light of the Sun shining in my face therefore surely I am much less able to bear the Majesty and glory of God if he should unvaile or open himself unto me Thus I say Elihu leads Job to an humbling conviction that he could not stand before the glorious Majesty of God because he was not able to endure the brightness of the Sun shining upon him If the light of the Sun the Created light be too excellent for mortal eyes then what is God the Creating light what is God who dwelleth in light who is light and in whom there is no darkness at all 'T is a Maxime in Nature Excellens visibile visum destruit A â—isible object exceeding bright dazles the eye and even destroys the sight And why was all this spoken to Job Surely to bring him upon his knees as afterwards it did to humble him to take him off from his frequent appeals or desires of approach to God for the debate and determination of his cause The sum of all in a word is as if Elihu had said O Job thou canst not see the bright light of the Air if the wind do but fan it and cleanse the Clouds how then shalt thou be able to dispute thy cause before God to whom the most glorious
in general any laudable or praise-worthy thing With God all that is which is worthy to be and ought to be commended praised honoured by men and Angels We translate well With God is Majesty Others With God is praise Jacob saith of Judah the Kingly Tribe Gen. 49.8 Thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise The Vulgar Latine expresseth it thus With God is fearfull praise Some read the words as a Doxology or giving of glory unto God not as we With God is terrible Majesty but unto God be reverent or terrible Majesty that is let the Glory and Majesty of God be acknowledged in all these things which have been spoken of in all those strange changes and impressions which he works in the air and which are obvious unto the eyes of the Children of men With God is Majesty with God is praise or unto God be praise for all his works and not only praise and Majesty but Terrible Majesty Majesty to be feared to be reverenced to be dreaded to be trembled at With God is terrible Majesty Hence note First Majesty belongs eminently unto God With God is Majesty As the Scripture speaking of power saith Power belongeth unto God Psal 62.11 that is properly and fundamentally all power is in God what-ever power is in the Creature it is but a derivative from Gods power So Majesty is originally and fundamentally in God what-ever the Majesty of the Kings and Princes of this world is it is but a stream a ray issuing from the Majesty of God or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Magnificentia 70. as the Greek version hath it from his Magnificence We may discern the Majesty of God in every thing that he is or is spoken of him The Majesty of God is in his Greatnesse his is a Great Majesty The Majesty of God is in his Highnesse his is a High Majesty The Majesty of God is in his honour his is a most honourable Majesty the Majesty of God is in his Word he speaks with Majesty his is a most Majestical Word the Majesty of God is in Works Majesty is stampt and printed upon all that he doth What shall I say there is Majesty in the Wisdom of God and Majesty in the Justice of God and Majesty in the Goodness of God and Majesty in the Power of God there is Majesty in the Love of God and there is Majesty in the Wrath of God there is Majesty in the Truth and Faithfulness of God every thing God hath hath a Majesty in it therefore he is said Psal 93.1 to be clothed with Majesty Psal 96.6 Honour and Majesty are before him I saith David Psal 145.5 will speak of the glorious honour of thy Majesty and of thy wonderous works Every-where the Scripture sets forth the Majesty the wonderful Majesty of God Note Secondly Gods Majesty is a terrible Majesty The Majesty of Kings is dreadful and terrible but I may say the Majesty of Kings the Majesty of Solomon and of Ahashuerus the Majesty of Nebuchadnezzar and of Alexander either first in their Robes or secondly in their Buildings or thirdly in their Feastings or fourthly in their Followers and Attendants which four do chiefly hold out the Majesty of Princes is but a mean thing a very little thing a nothing in comparison of the Majesty the Glorious Majesty the terrible Majesty of God His is a terrible Majesty indeed And therefore they are rebuked Isa 26.10 Who will not behold the Majesty of the Lord. What not behold such a dreadful Majesty such a terrible Majesty The Scripture sets forth not only the Majesty but the terribleness of the Majesty of God read at leisure Deut. 7.21 Nehem. 9.32 Psal 47.2 Therefore say unto God how terrible art thou in thy works Pâ— 66.3 Say this unto God for vers 5. He is terrible in his doings toward the children of men even to all sorts of men to the great as well as to the small to the high as well as to â—he low to Princes as well as to the People Psal 76.12 He is terrible to the Kings of the earth God is terrible in his Majesty to those who have the most terrible majesty And as the Lord can appear terrible out of all places so he is most terrible out of his holy places Psal 68.35 that is terrible Judgments are sent by God out of his Sanctuaries or holy places upon all them who prophane or despise who pollute or abuse â—his holy things Take these two Inferences from the consideration of the terrible Majesty of God First We need not fear the terribleness of any creature while we have the terrible Majesty of God with us As he hath been so still he is as the Prophet spake Isa 25.4 5. A strength to the poor a strength to the needy in his distress a refuge from the storm a shadow from the heat when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall And therefore the Prophet concluded in the latter end of the 5th verse The branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low Secondly If God hath such terrible Majesty then as it is a comfort to his people against the terrible ones so what a terrour should this be to those who are not his people especially to those who are openly rebellious who kick against his Majesty and will not behold with reverence the Majesty of the Lord Let them remember With God is terrible Majesty The Pâ—ophet foretels a day wherein the Majesty of the Lord will terrifie the most potent sinners and make them at their wits end Isa 2.10 12 19 21. Enter into the Rock and hide thee in the dust for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his Majesty For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty and upon every one that is lifted up and he shall be brought low it shall be upon the Cedars of Lebanon c. that is upon those that are high like the Cedars of Lebaâ—an and strong like the Oaks of Bashan And they shall go into the holes of the Rocks and into the caves of the earth c. And why all this the Text answers vers 19. For fear of the Lord and for the glory of his Majesty when he shall arise to shake terribly the earth O the terribleness of Gods Majesty to all those who tremble not at his Majesty to the proud who are lifted up in their own thougâ—ts who are high in their own imaginations yea the Majesty of the Lo d will be terrible to all impenitent sinners in that day I may say moâ—e distinctly in these four dayes First In the day of Conscience or when their own Consciences are a terrour to them How sad is it for a man to have God and his own Conscience terâ—ible to him at once When sinners are awakned when God sets their sins in order before them they are a terrour to themselves as it is said of Pashur Jer. 20.3 The
Lord hath not called thy name Pashur but Magor Missabib that is fear round about I will make thee a terror to thy self thy own Conscience shall be terrible to thee A man had better fall into the hands of the most cruel Tyrants in the World than into the hands of his own Conscience But when a man is a terrour to himself then to have the Lord a terrour to him likewise to have God appearing in terrible Majesty how dreadful is it The awakened Conscience of a sinner carrieth in it as a thousand witnesses so a thousand terrours and God in his anger is more terrible than a thousand consciences Secondly God is terrible to sinners in the day of outward trouble when as David speaks Psal 65.5 By terrible things in righteousness he answereth the prayers of his People When God is doing terrible things in the World how miserable is their case to whom God also is a terrour in that day A godly man when God is doing the most terrible things shaking Heaven and earth and as it were pulling the world about our ears yet because he finds God at peace with him he is well enough But as for impenitent sinners when God is doing terrible things what will become of them I may bespeak them in the words of the Prophet Isa 10.3 What will ye do in the day of your visitation and in the desolation which shal come from far to whom will ye flee for help and where wil ye leave your glory As if he had said whâ— or what can be a comfort to you when God is a â—errour to you And therefore another Prophet fore-seing such a terrible day coming makes this earnest deprecating prayer Jer. 17.13 O Lord be not thou a terrâ—ur to me in the evil day I know an evil a terrible day is at hand but Lord I beg this of thee that thou wilt not be a terrour to me in that day if men should be a terrour to me and God a terrour too it would be inâ—upportable Yet thus it will be with the unrighteous when God doth terrible things in righteousness and such things he will do in the latter dayes Take heed lest God appear with terrible Majesty to you in such a day Thirdly How terrible is God to impenitent sinners when awakened in the day of death What is Death In this Book Death is called The King of Terrours Now if when Deaâ—h is making its approaches to a person who lives in a contempt of the wayes and word of God if when his breath sits upon his lips ready to depart and the King of Terrours is ready to tear his caul and to rend his heart-strings asunder if then I say God appears in terrible Majesty what condition will such a one be in To have Death the King of Terrours and the Living the ever-living God in terrible Majesty falling upon a poor creature at once is a thousand deaths at once Fouâ—thly What will sinners do in the day of judgment that will be a terrible day indeed The Apostle 2 Cor. 5.10 having said We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ to receive according to what we have done in the body whether good or bad presently adds knowiâ—g therefore the terrour of the Lord we perswade men that is knowing how terrible the Lord will be to impenitent sinners to all whom he finds in their sins knowing this terrour of the Lord and how terrible the Majesty of the Lord will be to such in that day we perswade men we do all we can to pluck them out of their sins and turn them to God in Châ—ist Jesus who saves his people from their sins for to be sure that will be a most dreadful day to sinners Thus the Mâ—jâ—sty of God will be terrible to the wicked and ungodly especially in these four dayes Only they who fear the Loâ—d and take hold of his name by faith shall be able to stand befoâ—e his terrible majesty God will not be a terrour but a comfoâ—t to them â—hat fear him in every evill day Fu â—her the word as wâ—s shewed before signifies not only Majesty but Praâ—se With God is â—errible praise dreadful praise Hence note First The Lord is most praise worthy With the Lord is praise The Psalmist every where sâ—ts fo th the praise-worthiness of God and presseth this duty upon us I shall not stay upon it only remember with the Lord is praise that is he is to be praised And from the attribute of his praiâ—e or that with the Lord is terrible praise Note Secondly Even in those things which the Lord doth most graciously for us and is to be highly praised by us even in thâ—se he is to be feared dreaded and reverenced God is to be praised not only with joy and thankfullness but with fear and reverence for with him is terrible praise It is the express word of Moses in his song after the destruction of the Egyptians in the Red Sea Exod. 15.11 Who is a God like unto thee glorious in holines fearful in praises We should not be affraid to praise God no we should be most forward to praise him but we should have a holy fear upon our hearts when we praise him Praise is the work of heaven from whence fear shall for ever be banished there will be perfect love and perfect love Casts out fear 1 Joh. 4.18 What-ever fear hath torment in it as all fear out of Châ—ist hath we shall have nothing to do with in that blessed life And even in this life praise which is the work of heaven on earth should be performed with such a spirit of love joy as is without all base tormenting fear we should have so much love to God in and for all the good things he doth for our soules especially ye and for our bodyes too in dealing out daily mercies that it should cast out all that fear which hath torment in it Yet there is a fear which should pâ—ssess our spirits while we are praising God a fear of reverence I mean which fear I doubt not will remaine in heaven for ever Glorified Saints shall praise God with that fear that is having an everlasting awe of the Majesty of God upon their hearts He is fearful in praises and therefore let us so praise him as remembering our distance so praise him as to be affraid of miscarrying in the duty and so instead of praising displease him in stead of honouring grieve him This duty of praise is very dreadful The Psalmist saith there is mercy or forgiveness with thee O Lord that thou mayst be feared Psal 130.4 Not only is the Lord to be feared in his wrath and in the executions of his justice but he is to be feared in his mercy in that greatest expression of his favour towards us the forgivness of our sins When we are in the highest exaltations of the mercy of God and of the God of our mercies yet then should our hearts be
God what he is he ever was and ever will be there is neither encrease nor diminution of his strength But because things which are alwayes encreasing grow to a huge bigness and strength therefore he is said to encrease in strength or as our translation imports to excel in power He that excels in power is excellent in power The word rendred power implieth the power of doing the Greeks call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or of activity a power put forth in working he is excellent in power that is in ability to do whatsoever he pleaseth and when 't is said he is excellent in power in this kind of power iâ— notes that the power of God in doing doth wonderfully excel all thaâ— ever he hath done Ejus virtus in infinitum excedit omnes effectus suos Aquin. The effects or acts of the power of God are nothing as I may say to the faculty of his Power he can do more than he hath done He is so far from having over-acted himself I mean from having done more than he can do again which hath been the case of many mighty men and may be the case of any man how mighty a doer soever he is that he can do infinitely more than he hath done if he himself pleaseth he is excellent in power or of excelling power I have as was lately said opened this point of the power of God in other places of this Book whither I refer the Reader yet taking the power of God as the word is properly here intended for his working power Note The working power of God is excellent so excellent that it exceeds the apprehension of man There is a two-fold power of God and in both he is excellent First His commanding power his power of Soveraignty or Authority that 's a most excellent power 't is a power over all whether things or persons Secondly His power of working or effecting that which he commands Some have a power of commanding yet want a power of working they want a power to effect that which they command but whatsoever God hath a mind to command he hath an hand to effect and bring it about he can carry on his work through all the difficulties and deficiencies which it meets with in or by the creature He can do his woâ—k though there be none to help him in it though all forsake him and with-draw from his work yea he often worketh though there be not so much as an Intercessor to move him to work Isa 59.16 He saw that there was no man to do any thing and wondered that there was no Intercessor to entreat him to do somewhat for them Things were in a great exigency and there was not only no man that would put forth a hand but there was no man that would bestow a word for redress no man would bespeak either God or men for help What then must the work stand still or miscarry no saith the text His own arm brought salvation unto him that is set it ready at hand for him to bestow upon his people or his own arm brought that salvation to his people which they greatly needed and he graciously intended though he had not the contribution of a word towards it from any creature here below one or other God alone is self-sufficient and to man All-sufficient Such is the working power of God that he can work not only when he hath but a little help but when he hath no help at all Secondly The excellency of the woâ—king power of God appears in this that he can and will pâ—oduce the desired effect and bring his work to pass though many though all men oppose it and rise up against it though they set both heart and hand wit and will power and pollicy to cross yea to crush it The Lord is so excellent in power that he both can and will do his work through all opposition though mountains stand in his way though rocks stand in his way he will remove them or work through them Isa 43.13 I will work and who shall lett it Neither strength nor craft neither multitude nor magnitude neither the many nor the mighty can lett it if the Lord undertake it Take a double Inference from this First 'T is matter of great comfort to all that fear God in their weakest condition and lowest reducements when they are fatherless and have none to help them As the Lord is excellent in his woâ—king power so he usually takes that time yea stayes that time till his servants are under the greatest disadvantages till they are at worst before he will put forth his power and work The Apostle saith of himself 2 Cor. 12.10 When I am weak then am I strong that is then have I the strength of the Lord coming into my help And as it is with respect to particular persons so to the whole generation of his children when they are weak then are they strong that is then they have the strong God the God excellent in power appearing and working for them Secondly This alâ—o is a sad word to all that stand in the way of Gods working power His working power quickly works through all power and can work it down Babylon is a mighty powerful enemy but Rev. 18.8 we read of the downfal of Babylon and that her ruine shall come as in one day But how shall this be effected The answer is given in the close of the verse For strong is the Lord God which Judgeth her Suppose there should be no power in the world strong enough to pull down Babylon yea suppose all the powers in the woâ—ld should stand up foâ— Babylon 't is otherwise prophesied for the Kings of the earth shall hate the whore and shall make her desolate and naked and eate her flesh and burn her with fire but suppose I say all earthly power should appear for rather than against Babylon yet this is enough for us to rest in strong is the Lord which Judgeth her He is excellent in power and as it followeth In Judgment This comes in lest any should think because God is so excelent in power so mighty in strength that therefore he would carry things by violence or by meer force as the sons of men the mighty Nimrods of the world somtimes do If they have strength and power to do such or such things they regard not Judgment nor Justice they look not whether right or wrong therefore Elihu when he had said God is excellent in power presently adds and in Judgment As if he had said Though the Lord excel all in power and is able to crush the mightyest as a moth yet he will not oppress any by his power the worst of men shall find the Lord as much in judgment and righteousness as he is in strength and power And therefore O Job be assured God hath not done thee any wrong nor ever will This I conceive to be the scope of Elihu in the connexion of these two
office and place be to do Jâ—sâ—ice yet they have noâ—hing of justice no tincture of it in them They neither feare God nor regard maâ— to do him any justice as the unjusâ— Judge is described Luk. 18.2 and with most Justice is a very â—carce Commodity they have but a very little of it and they disâ—â—ibute it very poorly and sparingly Where almost is the man to be found that hath plenty of justice in himâ—elf and distributes it plentifully to others There was surely a great scarcity of Justice in the Justicers of Jerusalem when the Lord by his Prophet Jer. 5.1 offered to pardon the whole City if upon the sending forth of his Wâ—it of Enquiry the name of any one man could be returned that executed Judgment O that Dearth of Justice and in what place may we hope to find plenty of justice among men when so little of it was to be found in Jerusalem the City of God yet this may comfort us that though there be little of it in or among men there is plenty of it in God And that there is plenty of justice in God I would demonstrate these five wayes First He hath plenty of justice who deals justly with every man God giveth every man his due all his due and nothing but his due More distinctly take this in two branches First he that rewards all that are good with good not this or that man not his kinsman or his friend only but every man that is good with good he hath plenty of Justice Thus doth God The respect which God hath to the persons of good men is like the respect which good men have to the commands of God it is universall he respects them all As they give him plentifull obedience having a respect to all his Commandements so he gives them plentifull Justice he hath respect to all their persons to all their workings to all their wayes which are holy just and good Again Secondly He hath plenty of Justice who punisheth all that do evil not winking at nor sparing friends or kindred Surely then there is plenty of justice in God for as he rewards all the good with good so he rewards all evil men with evil that 's all the reward they shall have and they shall have plenty of it Psal 31.23 He plenteously rewardeth the proud doer The proud shall have and drink up the last the residue the remainder the very dregs of the bitter cup of the cup of trembling as the Hebrew elegancy used by the Psalmist intimates Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil for there is no respect of persons with God Rom. 2.9 11. As he will punish none but evil-doers so he will punish them every one except they repent Secondly With the Lord is plenty of Justice for he knows the whole Compass of Justice he hath the clear Idea of it in his understanding he knows all the rules of it or rather is the rule of it All the rules of Justice came out from him and are but the signification of his own mind therefore he must needs know them and be well skilled in them Some men have a good mind to do justice yet have no plenty of it because they are unskilfull in the rule of it the Lawes both of God and man A Judge that is blind thâ—ough ignorance and hath not a gift of knowledge and understanding in the Law faulters in doing or is unfit to do Justice as much as â—e â—hat is blinded with gifts oâ— byass'd by relations and private passiâ—ns he that is blind the former way cannot have and he that is blinded by any of the latter wayes will never dâ— plenty of Justice But as the Lord hath an infinitely cleaâ— eye as to the rule â—o no gift can blind him nor can any relation put ouâ— his eyes from seeing a faulâ— nor divert him from punishing it Isa 27.11 It is a people of no understanding either to do goâ—â— or to depaâ—t from evil therefore he that made them that 's a neer relâ—â—ion will not have mercy on them and he that formed them that 's the â—ame will shew them no favour As if the Lord had said Justice shall be done though the work of my own hands be uâ—done by it There 's plenty of justice And as God knows the rule of the Law perfectly and will not be turned aside from it so he knows the matter of fact perfectly and cannot be mislead about that Upon which mistake some who have great knowledge of the rule of the Law yet do not plenty of justice they often condemn the innocent and acquit the nocent because they find not out the truth of their cause but are misinformed about it But the Lord is a God of knowledg by him actions are weighed he knows not only the matter of Law but the matter of fact too and therefore with him there is plenty of Justice Thirdly There must needs be plenty of Justice wi h God because he knows the spiâ—it and hearâ— with which every man acts he knoweth whether a thing be done maliciously or meerly by a surprize of passion Justice is guided much by that consideration in some cases The Lo d knows the heart wherewith every thing is done and the design or ayme of every man in doing it As he will make manifest the Councels of the heart at last to all so now the Councels of the heart a e manifest to him therefore he must nâ—eds be plentiful in justice Fourthly God is clothed wiâ—h sufficient power to execute justice therefore wiâ—h him there is plenty of it Some have a good mind to do justice they know the Law the fact too yet are shortned and straitned in doing justice because they have not power or are not able to carry it out against potent offenders but are forced to forbear the doing of justice because at present they cannot The doing of justice requireth strength of hand as well as strength of Law and integrity of heart David had a good mind to do justice upon Joab though neerly related to him â—â—en he had under a pretence of friendship slain Abner but he â—aw himself under a necessity of forbearance at that time and therefore said I am this day weak though anoynted King and these sons of Zerviah be too hard for me But there are no sons of Zerviah too hard for the Lord he can call them to an account at any time David knew that very well and therefore he referred Joab to Gods Justice in the close of that verse 2 Sam. 2.39 The Lord shall reward the doer of evill according to his wickedness Can thine heart endure or can thine hands be strong in the dayes that I shall deal with thee saith the Lord by his Prophet Ezek. 22.14 They cannot therefore with him is plenty of Justice Fifthly The Lord cannot but have plenty of justice for his very natuâ—e is justice Man doth that readily and plentifully which he doth
had Fathers of our flesh who for a few dayes chastened us after theâ—r own pleasure they to ease themselveâ— have put us to pain but the Lord doth it for our profit that we might be partakers of his holiness There is just cause we should be afflicted when we provoke God by sin or when he would purge us from our sin or make us more holy And as it may be said God will not afflict because he doth not afflict us but when there is cause for it so Thirdly Because he doth not afflict us but when there is need 1 Pet. 1.6 nor more than there is need we shall not be afflicted an hour longer nor have a grain more of weight in the burden of our cross nor a drop more of gall and wormwood in the cup of our sorrows than we have need of Isa 27.7 8 9. Hath he smitten him as he smote those that smote him in measure when it shooteth forth thou wilt debate with him As if it had been said he shall have no greater a measure than is both useful and needful First to humble him for his sin secondly to subdue and mortifie his sin thirdly he shall have no more than is needful to exercise his graces his faith and patience no more fourthly than is needful to make him thankful for deliverance and sensible of mercy when it comes Thus as God who hath plenty of Justice will not afflict us but when there is need so not more than is need Fourthly It may be said He will not afflict because he doth not afflict us more than we can bear he tenderly considers our strength what we are able to stand under how long we are able to stand under it he will not break our backs nor our hearts unless by godly sorrow for or from sin by affliction God saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 10.13 is faithful 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 bear it Hence whâ—n it is said Lam. 3.33 He doth not afflict willingly c. it follâ—weth vers 34. to crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth The Lord makes many his prisoners yet then his bowels are opened towards them he will not crush nor tread them down as mire in the streets I saith the Lord Isa 57.16 will not contend for ever c. For if I should the Spirit should fail before me and the souls which I have made I know what your spirits can bear and I will contend no longer than I know you are able to bear it Hence that Promise Psal 125.3 The rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous least he put forth his hands to evil The Lord knows the rod may prevail over us so as to put us upon the doing of evil and therefore he will take order that it shall not Thus we may safely understand this assertion He will not afflict that is he afflicts not willingly he afflicts not till there is need nor will he afflict more than needs nor more than we are able or himself will enable us to bear he will either support us under or give us deliverance out of all our afflictions in due time I might hence or from the whole infer a double duty First Be Patient under affliction Secondly Be Comforted in affliction For God doth so afflict that he may be truly said not to afflict But having met with occasions for the ministring of such like counsels to the afflicted from other passages in this book it may suffice only to mind the Reader of them here This spake Elihu in the close or peroration of his discourse to stir up Job to consider all the dealings of God with him he would have him sit down with these four Doctrinal Conclusions upon his heart that God is Excellent in Power and in Judgement and in plenty of Justice he will not afflict Surely he will not afflict more in measure nor longer in time than is need as Job seemed in his passion to intimate and charge God for which he had several reproofs before Thus far I have opened these words as they stand in our translation There are two or three different readings especially of the latter part of the verse which would not be altogether omitted and therefore I shall touch at them and then proceed to the next and last verse of this Chapter which is also Elihu's parting word or the conclusion of his large and close discourse with Job The first different reading is much insisted upon by some Interpreters Take it thus Omnipotens quem non assequimur amplus est virtute sed judicio mâ—gnitudine justitiae non affliget Merc. The Almighty whom we cannot find out is great in power but he will not afflict in judgment and plenty of justice This translation transposeth those words which we place in the end of the verse he will not afflict to the middle of it and it renders the copulative particle And by the adversative But This makes the sence of the whole verse more plain and easie than the former as also to rise up more fully to the purpose of Elihu As if he had thus summed up all that he spoke before or had contracted it into this sum Which things seeing they are so as I have declared we may certainly conclude Quamvis sit potentissimus tamen homines ante creatos tanti facit ut non utator omnipotentia sua ad eos summo jure pro meritis eorum affligendos Jun. that the Almighty is so full of majesty and power that we are no way able to reach compass and find him out Yet notwithstanding he is so full of goodnesse and mercy that he is very sparing towards men and will not afflict them according to their demerits nor up to the extremity of justice This exposition holds out clearly that temperament of the power and justice with the goodness and mercy of God which Elihu undertook to demonstrate at the fifth verse of the thirty sixth Chapter and so forwards He is great in power but he will not afflict in judgement Take this note from it How great soever the power of God is yet he doth not afflict sinful man according to the greatness of his power nor the utmost line of his justice The Lord is full of mercy full of sparing mercy he spareth his people as a man spareth his own son that serveth him Mal. 3.17 And indeed if God should afflict in plenty that is in extremity of justice what would become of the best of the holiest of men Who can withstand the power of the great God who can stand in judgment before him if he should mark iniquities Psal 130.3 Woe to the most innocent man alive if God should mark iniquities and not forgive iniquities And therefore it follows in the next or 4th verse of that Psalm