with us they would even stand sâ—â—ll and have nothing to doe if God did not bring us into straights or keep us for a season in them In a sick-bed the Lord shews us and we may find work enough for all our graces especially for faith and patience and submission of spirit to his worke and will We may doe better worke and doe it better in sickness then in health Seventhly God brings many upon their fick-beds to teach them the worth of health and make them thankfull for it They who are seldome sicke are as seldome thankfull for their health and scarce reckon that for a mercy the want whereof they have never felt 'T is rare that we prize what we have till we have it not Eightly God exerciseth many with sickness with a purpose to put men upon a holy purpose of improving their health better and of doing more for God while 't is well with them Lastly not a few are afflicted that God may have an opportunity to doe his worke and declare his power God himself would be hindred of much glorious work in restoring and recovering them to health did he not chasten them upon sick beds The question was put about the blind man Joh. 9.3 4. Who did sin this man or his Parents that he was born blind Jesus answered neither hath this man sinned nor his Parents but that the works of God should be made manifest in him If there had not been a blind man in the world how could the power of God have been made manifest in giving sight to the blind if some were not extreamly torturingly sick how would the power of God be seene in healing the sicke and rebuking their paine For all these purposes Man is chastened with paine upon his bed and the multitude of his bones with strong paine We never profit by chastenings till we answer the purposes of God in sending them and unless we know what and which they are we can never answer them If we answer these nine toucht upon we shall either answer all or to be sure we shall baulke or refuse none Elihu having thus shewed us the sicke man in paine proceeds to shew us what further effect his paine and sickness wrought upon him Vers 20. So that his life abhorreth bread and his soule dainty meat This verse sheweth the second effect of sickness The former was paine This is loss of appetite or nauseousnesse His life That is his living body We may call the sick mans body a living body though it be hard to say whether we should number him among the living or the dead We read life put for the body which liveth or whereby it liveth Psal 88.3 My soule saith Heman is full of troubles and my life draweth nigh unto the grave that is I am ready to dye and my body to be buryed He doth not say he hath no great stomack to but his life abhorreth bread The word here used is of a Syriack derivation Vox 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Syra est notat nauseare facere nam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sordes scoriam excrementum quicquid sordicum et immundum est vel in humano corpore vel ex eo excretuÌ„ Drus Merc nor is it found any where in Scripture but here The nowne signifieth any thing that is filthy excrementicious or uncleane whence the verbe is rendred to abhorre loath or nauceate because we abhorre those things which are filthy or uncleane His life abhorreth bread That is common food Sometimes bread is put for all kind of dyet as David sayd to Mephibosheth 2 Sam 9.10 Thou shalt eat bread at my table But because of that opposition in the text to dainties by bread we may here understand only ordinary food His life abhorreth bread and his soule dainty meat The Hebrew is Meat of desire Not only such meat as men usually desire for the wholesomnesse of it but such as curious palates desire for the pleasantness of it such meat is here meant Yea thirdly such meat as the man had a desire to before his sicknesse for the sutableness of it to his owne taste and appetite he then abhorreth His soule abhorreth dainty meat The turning of the stomack and losse of appetite are usuall symptomes of sickness Almost all sicknesses weaken the appetite and some take it quite away so that the patient not only hath no desire to but loathes dainty meate or meate of desire This phrase or forme of speaking is used Dan 10.3 I saith he ate no pleasant bread or no bread of desires as we put in the margin neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth 'T is used againe 2 Chro 32.27 Hezekiah made himselfe treasuries for silver and gold c. and all manner of pleasant jewells we put in the Margin for all jewells of desire So Amos 5.11 Pleasant vineyards or vineyards of desire It was the manner of the Hebrews to expresse pleasant by desirable because pleasant things are much desired His soule abhorreth meate of desire or dainty meate Hence note First 'T is a mercy to tast our meat or to take the comfort of what we eate Many have meat but cannot taste it That which giveth the best taste to our meat is a taste of the goodnesse of God in it 1 Pet 2.1 If ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious It is sweet to taste meat and the goodnesse of the Lord together Secondly Note God can quickly make those things that are most desirable to us dainty meat meat of desire loathsome to us Some abhor meat because they have eaten of it long The Jewes did eate Manna and Quailes till they loathed them Num 11.20 Others loath meat because they have eaten over-much A third sort loath some meat by a naturall antipathy against it Fourthly Others loath wholsome meat out of a curiosity because it is not dainty enough Lastly Sickness causeth a loathing of all meate even of the most dainty and desirable meate And the Lord at any time can make that which was our desire our loathing We have a like description of a sick man Ps 107.18 His soule abhorreth all manner of meat and draweth neere unto the gates of death Thirdly Note The best of Creature-comforts are but vaine comforts What can dainty meat doe a man good when he is sicke and ready to dye Then gold and silver lands and houses which are the dainty meat of a covetous man are loathsome to him When a man is sicke to death his very riches are sapless and tastless to him wife and children friends and acquaintance can yeild little comfort in that dark houre yea they often prove miserable comforters When we have most need of comfort these things administer least or no comfort at all to us Is it not our wisdome then to get a stock of such comforts as will hold and abide fresh with us when all worldly comforts either leave us or become tastless to us Is it not good to get a store of
not to look for much or not to doe their worke for filthy lucre but of a ready mind 1 Pet. 5.2 Thirdly As the reward is small so the opposition is great Ministers are often persecuted and reproacht and the more faithfull and dilligent they are the more they are opposed and reproached To preach the Gospel fully as it should be preacht is to provoke thousands and bring the World about our eares No marvell then iâ— rhe messengers and interpreters of it be not many if they be but as one among a thousand Thus you see what hinders the generallity of men from medling with that work 'T is but one among a thousand that will engage in a work upon these hard termes or that prae-apprehending them hath faith and self-denyal enough to swallow and overcome them Againe Consider those that outwardly bear the name and Title of the Ministers of Christ and you will find that among them they who are true and faithfull to their trust are upon the matter but one among a thousand As there are but few Ministers among many men so there are but few Ministers among many that are true and right interpreters Doe but take out or sever these five sorts from among them who pretend to be Ministers and then it will soone appear that the interpreters in truth are but few among many of those that are so in Title First Take away all those who thrust themselves boldly or are admitted carelesly or by mistake into the Ministery who yet are ignorant blind ungifted and so unable for the worke Secondly Take away those who though they have gifts and abilities yet are lazie and sloathfull such as will not take paines nor worke in the worke Thirdly Take away those who have gifts and are industrious yet are unsound at least in many poynts and erronious in their judgements and so mis-lead and mis-guide those whose guides and leaders they are Fourthly Take away those who though they are not unsound and erronious yet are prophane and scandalous pulling downe that truth with one hand which they have set up with another or building againe those sins by their practise which they have destroyed by preaching and so make themselves as the Apostle speakes in a like case Gal 2.18 transgressours for as God justly calls such transgressours because they have sinned against his word so they make themselves transgressours because they sin against their owne even against the doctrine by which they have condemned those sins which themselves live in Fifthly Take away those who though they are neither of these neither ignorant nor idle nor unsound nor scandalous yet are but meere formall preachers such as only speake words deliver the out-side and skin of the Gospel but have no acquaintance with the marrow and power of it Take away these five sorts from among Ministers and surely this expression of Elihu will be but too much verified The interpreter is but one among a thousand Abstract all that are ignorant idle unsound scandalous formall dispencers of the word from those who are commonly called Ministers and then they who remaine will be very few so few that every one of them may be reckoned one among a thousand And we shall be forced to say that Elihu hath not sayd without cause whether we respect their excellency or their scarsity that any faithfull messenger or interpreter is one among a thousand This is not spoken by Elihu here nor ought it to be taken up by any of the most faithfull Ministers of Christ to draw honour and respect upon themselves or that their persons may be had in admiration who are faithfull this were a pittifull designe of holding out such a truth but it serves for this end that the people of God may see they have a blessing where any are faithfull and may learne how they ought to prize those faithfull messengers whom the Lord sends among them yea how readily they should receive the grace of God which is tendred in their ministry These are not only each of them one messenger or interpreter but each one of them is one of a thousand A soule-convincing converting quickning comforting Minister of the Gospel is worth thousands and one among a thousand The Prophet saith Isa 52.7 How beautifull are the feet of them that bring glad tideings c. By their feet he meaneth their coming feete being the instruments of their coming to bring this glad tideings yet when he saith their feete are beautifull it may have a greater emphasis for the feete being the lowest part of the structure of mans body it may intend thus much that even that which is lowest and meanest in a messenger of the Gospel his feete wearied and wet yea foule and dirty with travel have a beauty upon them how much more his face and countenance for if the very feete of such news-bringers of such messengers and interpreters should be acceptable and lovely so beauty is to all men how much more should their persons and most of all their message and tideings be And doubtlesse if men did but understand it they would acknowledge that God hath committed such a treasury to them as is better and more beautifull then all the gold and precious things of this world and would cry out O what a mercy is it to have such a News-bringer and what Greedy News-mongers would they be The one among a thousand would be more desirable then many thousands of Gold and Silver Elihu having described the person whom the Lord often makes instrumentall for the restoring and comforting of the sick sinner calling him A messenger an interpreter one of a thousand which latter may be applicable to both the former proceeds to shew the business of this messenger or interpreter who is one of a thousand more expressely or to set out what his worke is surely excellent and glorious worke even this To shew unto man his uprightness We are not to understand this shewing for a bare report of the thing in which sense the Prophet complain'd Lord who hath believed our report Isa 53.1 that is we have shewed good things to the world but who hath believed us The shewing spoken of by Elihu is not a bare declaration of the matter to the eare but an effectuall and powerfull impression of it upon the heart Such a shewing as is spoken of at the 16th verse of this Chapter then he openeth the eares of men The Lord speakes so by his messengers and interpreters that he not only makes the eare heare but the heart too The heart heares when we have a sense and are under the power of what is heard As before we had a spirituall interpreter so here we have a spirituall shewing of his interpretation Here 's a heavenly messenger and a heavenly message to the earthly man To tell the earthly his rightfullness saith Mr Broughton Now because of the pronoune his his uprightness It may be demanded whose uprightness he meanes or what this
againe Gen 12.11 It came to passe when he was come neere to enter into Egypt that he said unto Sarah his wife Behold now I know that thou art a faire woman to look upon Read Psal 132.6 Ezek 30.9 Luke 1.32 In the present text it may have all these intendments for is it not a wonderfull thing that God should be gracious to poore creatures is it not strange that he should take so much paines with and exercise so much patience towards them Secondly Lo God worketh all these things He is ready to doe them he waiteth to be gracious or to magnifie his grace in doing them Thirdly Lo God worketh all these things is not this a matter of great consideration ought we not to sit downe and weigh it well Fourthly Lo all these things worketh God certainly God hath and will work all these things this is a truth out of all question a truth of which there is no doubt to be made As the Apostle saith 1 Tim 3.16 Without controversie great is the mystery of Godliness God was manifest in the flesh So I may say without controversie great is this mystery of Gods manifesting himselfe to frayle flesh and doing all these things here spoken of awakening the consciences of men by dreames and working upon them by grievous sicknesses sending an interpreter one of a thousand to declare unto man his uprightness and at last delivering his soule from going downe into the pit Lo all these things worketh God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 operatus est egit perfecit usurpatur etiam pro gubernatione rerum creatarum There is somewhat peculiar in that expression he worketh The native sence of the word implyeth First a willing worke not forced or constrained Secondly a full and compleat worke not an essay or offer not a worke begun only but carried on to perfection The wicked are called workers of iniquity Psal 5.5 because they are free and ready to sin they have a strong tyde and bent of spirit to doe evill and they doe it not to halves but throughly they doe not only begin or nibble at the baite a little as a good man often doth but greedily swallow it downe hooke and all they are fully in it and doe it fully they make a worke of it and so are workers of iniquity The Lord doth good as the wicked doe evill All these things worketh God He worketh them willingly he worketh them compleatly Isa 26.12 Lord thou wilt ordaine peace for us for thou also hast wrought all our workes in us Thou art the Author and finisher of them We are invited Psal 46.8 to come and behold the workes of the Lord what desolations he hath made in the earth The building workes and the desolating workes of God whether respecting persons or nations are perfect workes Lo all these things worketh God Hence note What ever good we see wrought among or for the children of men God is the worker of it As he over-ruleth the evill which is done and both sendeth and ordereth the evill which is suffered so he is the worker of all the good that is done God worketh it all either immediately by himselfe or mediately by second causes and what instrument soever is set a worke yet the worke as to the matter and manner of it as also to the result and issue of it is the Lords He was the worker of all that hath been spoken of in the former context though we reade of a messenger of an interpreter yet the work was Gods 'T is sayd Gen 39.22 The keeper of the prison committed to Josephs hand all the prisoners that were in the prison and whatsoever they did there he was the doer of it Not that he did every thing with his own hand in the prison but he gave the rule and ordered all that was done Much more may I say of the Lord whatsoever is done in the world especially among his people God is the doer of it All goes through his hand Lo all these things worketh God Further From the prefix Lo. Observe The workes and dealings of God with men are wonderfull those especially which he worketh for the humbling of a sinner and for the delivering of a soule from going downe to the pit The breaking of the heart the raysing of it by faith the renewing of its peace and comfort are wonderfull works of God And the reason why we wonder no more at them is because we consider so little of them Hence againe from the word Lo. Note The workes of God are to be deeply considered to be stayed upon We must not passe them by lightly whether they be towards our selves or others God hath made his wonderfull workes to be remembred saith David Psal 111.4 or to be considered that 's the designe of God in his works he hath made them for that end that they should be remembred and attended to or they are such as cannot but be remembred they leave their markes and memorialls behind them God sets such a stamp of his power wisdome justice and goodness upon his workes that they will not be forgotten And as his outward providential workes are such so his spirituall workes are much more such The godly-wise understand them so they have a criticall eye in discerning those invisible workes of God with a poore soule in reducing him from sin and bringing him to himselfe David calleth all the godly to the consideration of those workes in his owne case Psal 66.16 Come and heare all ye that feare God and I will declare what he hath done for my soule What God doth for our bodyes is very considerable but what he hath done for our soules can never be enough considered nor admired Lo all these things worketh God oftentimes with man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The originall is twice thrice so we put in the margin and render it often-times in the text Some expound it of those three distinct wayes in which God dealeth with man before described The Septuagint are expresse for that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Schol. All these things worketh the strong God three wayes with man Which the Scholiast exemplifies in the three wayes here noted by Elihu First awakning him by dreames and visions Secondly troubling him by sicknesses and afflictions Thirdly teaching him by Prophets and Interpreters Yet I conceive the text doth not strictly recapitulate those three severall wayes before spoken of in these words twice thrice but only shewes us that God useth all these wayes or any other as his wisdome shall thinke fit many times or oftentimes for the producing of those blessed effects Lo all these things worketh God oftentimes with man Twice thrice is a double certain number put for any single uncertain number And it only teacheth or assureth us that God debateth with the sons of men in all or any of these wayes oftentimes or more then once If they doe not answer his call or purpose which they
hath the command of so he hath a use for every creature Isa 7.18 The Lord shall hisse for the fly if God doe but hisse to the fly or any creature on earth yea to the devills in hell they are at his call and doe his will though they intend it not Further though God can doe all himselfe yet he useth various instruments that he may indear man to man or that no man may say he hath no need of another Thus the Apostle argues 1 Cor 12.21 The eye cannot say unto the hand I have no need of thee nor againe the head to the feete I have no need of you Surely then the feete cannot say to the head we have no need of thee nor the hand to the eye we have no need of thee That Creatures may shew their love to one another and see their need of one another God is pleased to give them a charge to worke and dispose of the things in the world though the charge and disposure of the whole world be in himselfe Now if the Lord be thus invested with all power originally and essentially then I would mind those who are in power of two things and those that are under power of one First Let them that have power remember to use it for God They that have but family power should use it for God how much more they that have power over nations Psal 2.10 11. Be wise now therefore O ye Kings be instructed ye Judges of the earth serve the Lord with feare and rejoyce with trembling When he saith serve the Lord with feare I suppose he doth not intend it in that notion of serving the Lord as serving him denotes our holinesse and obedience in generall but when he saith serve the Lord with feare his meaning is serve him so in the exercise of your power and in your places as you have power in your hand as you have received a Charge or Commission from God over this or that part of the earth so serve him with feare in the use of that power As man ought in all the service of God to be in a holy feare so especially when he serveth God in the administration of power because all power is from God And therefore which is the next thing I would hence mind those of that are in power Secondly Remember The day of account must needs be a sad day to those who abuse their power to the oppression of man and chiefely to those who turne their power against God that is against the wayes and truths of God against the servants and people of God against the ends and designes of God God will call such as have had any charge over the earth to an account and let them who either of these wayes abuse their power consider whether such accounts will passe as they must give Surely when the day of the Lord shall be upon such Oakes and Cedars upon such mountaines and hils as the Prophet Isa 2.13 14. calleth the Powers and Princes of this world they will even be forced as he describes them at the 19th verse to goe into the holes of the rockes and into the caves of the earth for feare of the Lord and for the glory of his Majesty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth It is bad to be abused by the power of man but 't is worst for that man who abuseth his power Thy terriblenesse hath deceived thee saith the Prophet Jer 49.16 and the pride of thine heart O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rocke that holdest the height of the hill that is thou that art in high power and also holdest thy height thou art deceived and thy terriblenesse hath deceived thee because thou hast been able to terrifie many with thy power therefore thou hast presumed that none shall ever terrifie or trouble thee This vaine confidence hath deceived thee for as it followeth in the latter part of that verse though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the Eagle I will bring thee downe from thence saith the Lord that is I will bring thee to a reckoning for terrifying those with thy power whom thou shouldest have protected by it Lastly This is matter of great Comfort to all good men who are under power though rhey are wronged and oppressed by the power of man this may support them God hath power over all the earth he hath the Charge and he will see them righted one time or other Eccles 3.16 17. Moreover I saw under the Sun the place of Judgement that wickednesse was there and the place of righteousnesse that iniquity was there I said in mine heart God shall judge the righteous and the wicked for there is a time for every purpose and for every worke And if for every purpose and worke then surely for this the reviewing of the unrighteous judgements of the Princes and Powers of the earth who hold the places of Judgement and righteousnesse to punish the perverting of which the Lord who is Prince of the Kings of the earth often powreth contempt upon Princes Psal 107.40 41. and causeth them to wander in the wildernesse where there is no way yet setteth he the poore on high from affliction and maketh him familyes like a flocke For as the Holy Ghost saith Psal 138.6 7. Though the Lord be high yet hath he regard to the lowly but the proud he knoweth a farr of hereupon his faith riseth up to a full assurance in the next verse Though I walke in the midst of trouble thou wilt revive me thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies and thy right hand shall save me Thus much for the argument here used the Lord is righteous for he hath all power in his hand and he hath no reason upon any account in the world to pervert power yea for him to doe any thing that is not righteous were to act against himselfe even against his owne being and blessednesse who is God blessed for evermore JOB Chap. 34. Vers 14 15. If he set his heart upon man if he gather unto himselfe his spirit and his breath All flesh shall perish together and man shall turn to his dust IN these two verses Elihu perfects the proofe of what he lately asserted that God is just and that there is no unrighteousnesse in him v. 12. yea surely God will not doe wickedly neither will the Almighty pervert Judgement For as Moses in his dying song describes him He is the rocke his worke is perfect for all his wayes are judgement a God of truth and without iniquity just and right is he The first argument for the confirmation of this was opened at the 13 verse And it was grounded upon the absoluteness and universality of his dominion Here we have a second argument from the sweet temperament of his power and goodness God hath power enough in his hand at once to destroy all flesh and to command every man back into the dust But
mighty men that all may know his judgements are deserved by their works he makes their works known Secondly Others render He maketh them know or acknowledge their works The Lord at last by sore and severe judgements will extort confessions from the worst of them he will make the mighty acknowledge that their works have been nought and their wayes perverse In Scripture the same word signifies to know or to confess and acknowledg Thus here he makes them to know or to acknowledge what their works have been Thirdly Rather take it as we render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non significat notum facio quod sciam sed tantum cognosco ideo transtuli cognoscit Drus of Gods act in taking notice of all they had done Therefore he knoweth their works As if Elihu had said these mighty men of the earth thought themselves under covert or that the Lord took no notice of them nor of their works their works were done in the dark and they supposed the Lord could not pierce into them but he will make it appear that he knew their works when he maketh his justice appear in punishing them for their works Hence Note We have an assurance that God knoweth the works of all mon because he punisheth all wicked works or the works of the wicked so punctually and exactly He punisheth many of them here and will punish them all hereafter when we see him breaking the mighty men of the world 't is a proof that God was in their Cabinet counsels and saw what was done there we may conclude he knew their works though men knew them not he could never lay his judgements so exactly upon them as he doth if he did not know their works That God knows the works of all men is a point I have met with before and therefore pass from it here And he overturneth them in the night There are several readings of this clause First Some thus Therefore the Lord knoweth their works and turneth into night that is he turneth their prosperity into adversity he bringeth trouble and affliction upon them they lived before in a day of prosperity in a day of power and worldly greatness but he turneth them into night Secondly Or as others thus He turneth the night that is he changeth the night into day Simul atque mutavit noctum c. Jun. i. e. Lucem protulit qua revelantur omnia in judicio ejus Id. he takes away the dark and close covers of their sins and makes them as manifest as the light Now as the Apostle saith Eph. 5.13 That which maketh manifest is light If God were not light he could not bring to light the hidden things of darkness nor manifest the counsels of the heart Thirdly thus Therefore he knoweth their works and when the night is turned he destroyeth them that is they are destroyed and perish as soon and as easily as the day takes place of the night or as soon as the night is turned into day so soon doth the Lord destroy them he can quickly make an end of them he can destroy them with the morning light We render and I judge that best He overturneth them their persons in the night and so Elihu points at the season or time of Gods breaking and overthrowing them he doth it in the night We may take it strictly as in the case of Pharaoh and the Egyptians Exod. 12.29 as also in that of Belshazzer Dan. 5.30 or in the night that is suddenly unexpectedly Though a man be destroyed in the day yet if it be done suddenly he looking for no such matter we may say it was done in the night because then men are most secure This way of expressing an unlookt for evil the coming of in the night was opened at the twentieth verse therefore I shall not stay upon it He overturneth them in the night So that they are destroyed Elihu said before He shall break in pieces mighty men Here he saith they are destroyed that is they shall be broken to purpose or throughly God doth not break them in pieces for correction but for destruction there are great breakings upon the persons and estates of some men and yet it is but for correction others the Lord breaketh for utter ruine as here so that they are destroyed The Original word signifieth to destroy as it were by pounding in a Morter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contrivit atirivit contudit and the same word is used to signifie a contrite heart a heart broken by godly sorrow under the sense of sin They are destroyed or as it were ground to powder you may break a thing into many pieces yet not grinde it to powder or dust as corn in a Mill or spice in a Morter but these saith Elihu are not only broken to pieces but beaten to dust that 's the strength of the word which we render they are destroyed Hence Note What God hath a mind to do he can do it certainly and will do it throughly He breaks men in pieces so that they are destroyed and brought to dust When the Prophet declares the breaking of the four Monarchies it is said Dan. 2.35 They shall be as the chaffe of the Summer threshing upon the Mountains if the Lord will destroy the mightiest they shall certainly be destroyed as Balak said to Balaam I wo◠that whom thou cursest are cursed as if he had said thou canst curse effectually if thou wilt set thy self to it 't is not in the power of all the Balaams in the world to effect a curse though they pronounce a curse 't is only in the power of the Lord to curse effectually he can bless whom he pleaseth and they are blessed he can curse whom he pleaseth and they are cursed Thus as Ephraim lamenting his sin and sorrow confessed Jer. 31.18 Lord thou hast chastised me and I was chastised God paid him home as we speak if we chastise a childe he is chastised but when Ephraim saith thou hast chastised me and I was chastised his meaning is I was greatly and effectually chastised that is first In a literal sence I found thy hand heavie upon me it was a sore affliction that I was under Secondly In a spiritual sence Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised that is my heart was humbled and broken under thy chastisements in either notion we see the effectualness of the Lords work Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised And therefore Ephraim invited the Lord to another work Turn me O Lord and I shall be turned if thou wilt but turn thy Spirit upon this hard heart of mine it will be effectually turned it will be not only broken for sin but from sin As if he had said I have received reproofs and counsels from men and they have not turned me but Lord if thou wilt reprove and counsel me I shall be turned thus the Lord carrieth his work home to conversion in his spiritual dealings with some and to
it was hard for Elihu to charge Job thus though Job had let fall some inconsiderate speeches which administred occasion for such a charge And as one of the Ancients speakes of difficulties and seeming contradictions in Scripture Distinguish the times and the Scriptures will accord So distinguish the time of this dispute take Job at the beginning of it before he was teazed and heated by his friends and then he spake at a very low rate of himselfe If I were righteous I would not know my owne soule But in the heat and towards the later end of this long dispute Job gave too much advantage for such a construction to be put upon his words that he justified himselfe rather then God then which nothing can be said more unjustifiable nor more reproveable Hence observe To justifie our selves doth usually and justly lay us open to the reproofe of others or To justifie our selves drawes blame upon our selves To justifie is foure wayes used in Scripture First which is the most remarkable and excellent act of it God justifieth man Rom. 8.33 It is God that justifieth This act of divine Grace consists in two things First in the imputation of Christs righteousnesse to us Secondly in the free remission of our sins Secondly Man justifieth God Luk. 7.29 30. And all the people that heard him and the Publicans justified God being baptized with the Baptisme of John Where to justifie imports as much as to Glorifie doth Acts 13.48 And when the Gentiles heard this they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord That is they readily approved and received the word of the Lord when we approve the Doctrine and doings of God his word and works then we justifie him And how ready should we be on all occasions to justifie God who only is and is altogether good when he is so graciously ready to justifie us who are evill altogether evill and ungodly Thirdly We read in Scripture of man justifying man which is done any of these three wayes First He that consents to what another hath done though the deed be evill justifieth him in doing it A secret liking of any mans action is as much as that amounts to the justification of his person Secondly He that openly approveth or applaudeth what another hath done justifieth him much more To consent with sinners is sinfull to flatter them in their sin is abominable Thirdly He that stands up to maintaine and defend what another hath done justifies him most of all All these acts of justification Job denied his friends while he said Chap. 27.5 God forbid I should justifie you That is that I should secretly consent to or openly approve and maintaine what you have said concerning me or you in saying it Fourthly The same man is said to justifie himselfe this selfe-justification is that which kindled the wrath of Elihu against Job The text is expresse Because he justified himselfe c. This justification of our selves is of two sorts First Internall and mentall when in our hearts we give sentence for or approve of our selves when we inwardly boast and glory of our selves whether in what we are or in what we doe and affirme The Pharisee Luk. 18.11 stood and prayed thus with himselfe or to himselfe that is silently God I thanke thee that I am not as other men are extortioners unjust adulterers or even as this Publicane I fast twice in the weeke c. Thus he justified himselfe Secondly There is an externall and vocall selfe-justification when we openly commend and cry up our selves Thus Jehu justified himselfe 2 Kings 10.16 Come see my zeale for the Lord He would needs blow a trumpet and proclaime before all men how good a man he was and what good he had done Yet further the justification of our selves is two-fold First Lawfull yea and commendable Take that in two particulars First That man who is really and indeed in a justified state through the free grace of God in Christ he when a just occasion is offered may justifie himselfe declaratively before men For as we ought alwayes to justifie our selves declaratively by our works that is give evidence by our workes that we are justified by faith so we may justifie our selves by our words to magnifie the rich grace of God in justifying us freely through Christ David called others to take notice of what God had done for his soule Psal 66.16 Thus a beleever may lawfully at any time and at all times it is his duty to justifie himselfe before men by giving as the Apostle directs 1 Pet. 3.15 an answer to every one that asketh a reason of the hope that is in him that is of his justified state with meekness and feare Secondly A man that is sound at heart honest and upright with God may lawfully justifie himselfe as to the integrity of his intentions purposes and designes when he falls under other mens jealousies and suspicions David being often unjustly condemned by Saul was as often in this worke of justifying himselfe against him Psal 7.8 Judge me O Lord according to my righteousnesse and according to mine integrity that is in me As if he had said I am judged unrighteously but I appeale to thy righteous judgement who fully knowest which I also know my conscience bearing witness mine integrity I appeale to thy mercy for the many sins which I have committed against thy selfe bâ—â— I appeale to thy Justice whether as I am accused I have at all sinned against Saul We may reade Paul doing the same at large while he professed 1 Thes 2.3 4. that he did not act upon covetous designes for himselfe nor was a flatterer of others but as he was allowed of God to be put in trust with the Gospel even so he spake not as pleasing men but God which tryeth the heart As it was the continuall practise of false Apostles and others to discredit Pauls Ministery by bringing his person out of credit so it was his continuall care to counter-worke them by a professed vindication of himselfe We may lawfully justifie our selves and our actings when we are not only suspected but falsly accused and wrongfully charged about them and that either of these two wayes First When we are charged to have done that evill which we never did then we may justifie our selves by a flat deniall David did so in that case Psal 7.3 4. O Lord my God if I have done this if there be iniquity in my hand c. As if he had said O God thou knowest I have not done this which many burden me with Againe Psal 35.11 False witnesse did rise up they laid to my charge things that I knew not I have not had so much as a thought to do that which they say I have actually done Thus he discharged himselfe of those crimes which indeed he never committed nor was guilty of Secondly We may justifie our selves lawfully when the good we have done is charged upon us as an evill deed or we looked
scelus est veritatem palliare Merc But it is a farre greater sin to commend the sins of others or to commend others in their sin And we may take the measure of this sin by the punishment of it When we heare the Lord threatning flatterers with suddaine destruction doth it not proclaime to all the world that their sin is full of provocation The Lord beares long with many sorts of sinners but not with sinners of this sort My maker would soone take me away Whence note Secondly God can make quicke dispatch with sinners As the grace of God towards sinners Nescit tarda molimina spiritus sancti gratia so his wrath needs no long time in preparations When we designe great actions we must take time to fit our selves Princes must have time to set out an Army or a Navy when they would either defend themselves against or revenge themselves upon their enemies But God can presently proceed to action yea to execution He that made all with a word speaking can destroy the wicked as soone as speake the word he can doe it in the twinkling of an eye with the turning of a hand My Maker would soone take me away Thirdly Because Elihu being about to speake in that great cause sets God before him and God in his judgements in case he should speake or doe amisse Note Thirdly They that doe or speake evill have reason to expect evill at the hand of God If I should flatter saith Elihu my Maker would soone take me away I have reason to feare he will not that God takes away every sinner as soone as he sins God rarely useth Martiall Law or executes men upon the place we should live and walke more by sence then by faith if he should doe so but any sinner may expect it God I say is very patient and long-suffering he doth not often take sinners away either in the act or immediately after the act of sin Yet there is no sinner but hath cause to feare lest as soone as he hath done any evill God should make him feele evill and instantly take him away David prayeth Psal 28.3 Draw me not away with the wicked and with the workers of iniquity There is a two-fold drawing away with the workers of iniquity First to doe as they doe that is wickedly Thus many are drawne away with the workers of iniquity and 't is a good and most necessary part of prayer to beg that God would not thus draw us away with the workers of iniquity that is that he would not suffer the workers of iniquity to draw us away into their lewd and sinfull courses Secondly there is a drawing away to punishment and execution In that sence I conceive David prayed Lord draw me not away with the workers of iniquity who are taken away by some sudden stroake of judgement though I may have provoked thee yet let not forth thy wrath upon me as thou sometimes doest upon the workers of iniquity doe not draw me out as cattell out of the pasture where they have been fed and fatted for the slaughter Every worker of iniquity is in danger of present death and may looke that God will be a swift witness against him though most are reprieved yet no man is sure of that Againe In that Elihu represents God to himselfe ready to take him away in case of flattery and prevarication in that cause Note Fourthly It is good for us to over-awe our soules with the remembrance of the judgements and terrours of God 'T is profitable sometimes to converse with the threatnings as well as with the promises 't is profitable to remember what God is able to do against us as well as to remember what God is able to do for us Even believers should goe into the dreadfull treasuries of wrath into the thunders lightnings of divine displeasure as well as into the delightfull treasuries of mercy of love compassion it is good for a good man to thinke God may take me away as well as to thinke God will save and deliver me we need even these meditations of God to keepe downe our corruptions and to fright our lusts Though it be the more Gospel way to make use of love yet the Gospel it selfe teacheth us to make use of wrath 2 Cor 5.11 Knowing the terrour of the Lord we perswade men Lastly Note When we goe about any great worke when we are either to speak or doe in any weighty matter it is good for us to set God before our eyes to thinke of and remember our Maker As in great undertakings we should remember our Maker waiting for and depending upon his assistance strength and blessing in what we doe or goe about so we should remember him to keepe our hearts right And to remember seriously believingly and spiritually that God beholds and seeth us in all our wayes and workes and that according to the frame of our hearts and the way that we take in every action such will the reward and the issue be cannot but have a mighty command and an answerable effect upon us We can hardly doe amisse with â—od in our eye And therefore as it is sayd of a wicked man Psal 10.4 that through the pride of his countenance he will not seeke after God God is not in all his thoughts So David said of himselfe though in that Psalme he speakes chiefely as a type of Christ and so in proportion or as to sincerity every godly man saith like David Psal 16.8 I have set the Lord alwayes before me because he is at my right hand therefore I shall not be moved that is as I shall not be utterly overthrowne by any evill of trouble so I shall not be overcome by any evill of temptation or I shall not be moved either in a way of discouragement by the troubles I meete with or in a way of enticement by the temptations I meete with How stedfast how unmoveable are they in the worke of the Lord how doe they keepe off from every evill worke who set the Lord alwayes before them and have him at their right hand Could we but set the Lord before us either in his mercies or in his terrors we should not be moved from doing our duty in whatsoever we are called to doe Thus farre Elihu hath drawne out his speech in a way of preface preparing himselfe for his great undertaking with Job He hath now fully shewed the grounds why he undertooke to deale with him and what method he would use in that undertaking In the next Chapter and so forward to the end of the 37th we have what he sayd and how he managed the whole matter JOB Chap. 33. Vers 1 2 3. Wherefore Job I pray thee heare my speeches and hearken to all my words Behold now I have opened my mouth my tongue hath spoken in my mouth My words shall be of the uprightnesse of my heart and my lips shall utter knowledge clearely ELihu having spent the whole
the chaffe of unwritten traditions nor with the mixtures of humane iâ—â—entions They should be taught cleare knowledge as Elihu here speaketh This mercy was also prophecied Zeph 3.9 Then will I turne to the people a pure language or a Clean lip it is this word that is what they speak shall be pure truth Their language shall be not only Grammatically pure proper and genuine but Theologically pure without any tincture of error in it Secondly As the word is taken according to our translation Adverbially Note We ought to speake truth clearly Some speake cleare truths who yet doe not speak them clearly They speak great truths yet obscure them in their own way of expressions they who wrap up sound doctrine in hard uncouth words or deliver it in an unnecessary multitude of words doe rather puzzle and confound their Auditors then enforme or instruct them And they who speak not knowledge clearly are like those who mud the waters or raise a dust in the ayre which will not let others see distinctly what they hold or put in either Speaking in darke words and strange notions is like speaking in a strange language They only speak profitably who speak clearly We commonly say Truth seekes no corners truth would not be hid What are obscure and ambiguous words words of a doubtfull construction and interpretation but corners wherein many hide truth while they pretend to speak and publish it Such speakers as wel as they who speak in an unknowne language are Barbarians to their hearers And therefore as the Apostle in reference to an unknowne tongue so should we say in reference to any covert or obscure way of speaking in our owne mother tongue We had rather speak five words that others may be edified then ten thousand words in hard and strange expressions Though we speak in a knowne language yet doubtfull words hinder edifying as much as an unknowne language doth yea such are as a forreiner to their hearers while they speak in their owne Country tongue 'T is a speciall gift of God to speak knowledge clearly The Apostle hath left that excellent advice with all who are called to speak the great things of eternall life 1 Pet. 4.11 If any man speak that is if he speak about the things of God divine things let him speak as the Oracles of God What are they The oracles of God are the knowne word of God But how are those oracles to be knowne Surely as God spake them plainly and clearly The oracles of God were spoken without ambiguity therefore let no man speake them as the oracles of the devil were spoken or as the devill spake his oracles that is ambiguously and doubtfully The devill of old gave out all his answers and oracles doubtfully and darkly to his darke and blinded votaries what he sayd might beare severall Constructions And he spake so on purpose that whatsoever the event or issue proved to be he though the father of lyes might have the reputation of speaking truth Croesus Halym penetrans magnam perverâ—et opum vin The Devils oracle gave Croesus such an answer as he might Interpret either of a great successe or of a great overthrow when he asked counsel about his warres And when Saul came to Enquire of the Witch of Endor that is of the Devill 1 Sam 28.11 he gave him a doubtfull resolve To morrow shalt thou and thy Sons be with me v. 19. Which ambiguous answer might be understood as of the next day following so indefinitely of any day neere approaching Satan loves not to speake knowledge clearely But the servants and messengers of Christ must use great plainness of speech while they are treating of and giving out the mind of God to his people and be carefull that as the doctrine is sound which they deliver so there may be a clearness in their delivering of it Their lips as Elihu engaged his should ought to utter knowledge clarely JOB Chap. 33. Vers 4 5 6 7. The Spirit of God hath formed me and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life If thou canst answer me set thy words in order before me stand up Behold I am according to thy wish in Gods stead I also am formed out of the clay Behold my terror shall not make thee afraid neither shall my hand be heavie upon thee IN these foure verses Elihu still prosecutes a discreete praefatory insinuation both of himselfe and of his intended discourse into the heart of Job that both might find wellcome and good entertainment there Elihu had assured him at the third verse that he would speak in the uprightness of his heart or that he would deale candidly and clearly with him That was a strong argument to gaine attention And in this fourth verse he argueth with and urgeth Job to give him attention because he was a man of Gods making as Job also was The same hand wrought them both and therefore why should there be a strangenesse between them or an unwillingness to give or receive counsel and helpe from one another Vers 4. The spirit of God hath formed me and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life I shall open these words two wayes First As a direct proposition or assertion Secondly In their connection and dependance as they are here used for an argument of perswasion First Consider the Text as an assertion The spirit of God hath made me c. The word doth not signifie barely to make 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 faciendi verbum artificiosam elaboratam agendi rationem affert Pined or to clap up a worke any how but to make with art to make skilfully to compose and fashion a thing with exactest grace comeliness and beauty Thus are we made by the Spirit of God Man is an excellent piece of worke yea man is the Master-piece of all the visible workes of God The Spirit of God hath made me There are two things here to be enquired First what we are to understand by the Spirit of God to whom Elihu attributes his making Secondly Why doth Elihu attribute his making to the Spirit of God To the former question I answer First negatively that by the Spirit of God we are not to understand a power or vertue put forth by God in which sence we sometimes read the Spirit of God in Scripture But by the Spirit of God here we are to understand God the Spirit In which sence we read Gen 1.2 The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters As also Math 3.16 He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him that is upon Jesus Christ baptized by John in Jordan The second question is Why doth Elihu attribute his making to the Spirit of God Regeneration or our new-making is properly the work of the Spirit but is Creation or our naturall constitution his work also Saith not Moses Gen 2.7 The Lord God formed man out of the dust of the earth Jehovah Elohim formed man
And if we look into the first of John ver 2 3. we read thus In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God the same was in the beginning with God all things were made by him and without him was not any thing made that was made There our maker for the making of all things is attributed to him is the Son the second person in the holy Trinity or the Word who as it followeth in that Chapter was made flesh Why then doth Elihu here ascribe his making to the Spirit And how are these Scriptures reconciled I answer By that received Maxime in Divinity The workes of the holy Trinity towards the creature are undevided So that while this Scripture ascribes the making of man to the Spirit or Third person in the Trinity it doth not at all crosse those which ascribe it to the first or second the Father or the Son The Spirit of God hath made me Hence note First Man as to his bodily making or the making of his body is the workmanship of God As we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus to good or holy workes Eph 2.10 so we are his workmanship created to common and naturall workes We have heard of that divine consultation or resolution rather Gen 1.26 Let us make man The Father made man and the Son made man and the holy Spirit made man The Father by the Son through the holy Spirit made man What a glorious what a mighty power is put forth for the production of such a poore creature as man is And this is true not only of the first man in his creation but of every man since the creation there is a concurrence of a divine power and workmanship in the setting up of man as man Psal 100.3 It is he that made us and not we our selves God doth not only make us holy men but he makes us men Hence David Psal 13 9-14 I am fearefully and wonderfully made He speaks there of the frame of his body though that be much more true in reference to the admirable frame of the new creature which is set up in the soule so indeed we are fearefully and wonderfully made Isa 27.11 This is a people of no understanding But did God ever make a people without naturall understanding Surely no but they were a people without spirituall understanding they did not understand what the mind and meaning of God was and what their owne duty was Such are a people of no understanding how wise soever they are in their owne eyes or in the eyes of the world what followeth Therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour That is God who made and formed them both in their naturall capacity as men as also in their civill and spirituall capacity as a Church and Nation or as a Nationall Church understanding it of the Jewes will not have mercy on them will not favour them We read the same Church at once looking to God as their maker and most earnestly moving and imploring his pity upon the same account Isa 64.8 9. But now O Lord thou art our father we are the clay and thou our potter and we all are the work of thy hand As if they had sayd Thou O Lord hast moulded us as thy creatures and fashioned us as thy Church when we were but a rude masse or heape without forme or comeliness therefore doe not marre thy owne worke doe not breake the vessels of thine owne making or as it followeth in the same Chapter Be not wroth very sore O Lord neither remember iniquity for ever behold we beseech thee we are all thy people Hence consider First That we owe not only our well-being but our very being unto God And therefore Secondly No man ought to looke upon himselfe as his owne So the Apostle argues 1 Cor 6.19 Know ye not that your body is the temple of the holy Ghost which is in you which ye have of God and ye are not your owne No man is his owne he is Gods who hath made him Saints and believers especially are not their own in that repsect as also because their bodies are the temple of the holy Ghost that is the holy Ghost hath sanctified them for himselfe for his peculiar service and for his habitation Now as the bodyes of Saints are the temple of the holy Ghost because he doth sanctifie them so they are the temple of the holy Ghost because he hath reared them up and built them That consideration should urge us to duty our bodies are temples built as well as temples sanctified by the holy Ghost And therefore we are not our owne at all nor in any respect and if we are not our owne at all but the Lords then we ought to be alwayes for the Lord. Hence Thirdly Hath the Spirit of God made us as Elihu saith then let the Spirit use us how sad is it that when the Spirit of God hath made our bodies and soules we should let the wicked spirit use either as he doth both the bodies and soules of carnall men to his base services The evill spirit did neither make your bodies nor your soules why should he have the command of either Therefore as your members have been weapons of unrighteousnesse to sin so let them be instruments of righteousnesse unto God Seeing the holy Spirit hath made us let not the evill spirit use so much as a little finger of us for he hath not made not only so much as a little finger of our hand but so much as the least haire of our heads as Christ saith we our selves cannot Math 5.36 white or blacke And therefore let not the evill spirit make use of one haire of our heads white or black as a flagge of pride and vanity or to be an occasion of sin to others He that maketh the house ought to have the possession and service of it either to dwell in it himselfe or to receive rent and profit from him that dwells in it The spirit having made us should not only have the rent and revenue but the full possession of us for ever That which is of God should be for God for him alwayes and only for him Secondly In that the making of man is attributed to the Spirit Observe The Spirit of God is God The holy Ghost is not only a power of God or a word gone out from God but the holy Ghost is God This is cleare from the efficiency of the holy Spirit The Spirit of God hath made me The work of creation is attributable to none but God That power which at first set up man in his creation continueth him to this day this power and great prerogative is given to the Spirit therefore the Spirit is God Psal 33.6 By the word of the Lord his substantiall Word or Son were the heavens made and all the host of them by the breath or
thy mouth for ever speak not thus to God If thou art as thou canst not deny a thing formed by God then say not why hast thou made me thus And as now thou strivest with God about that which thou canst not understand so at last though now thou dost not thou shalt understand that thou oughtest not to have striven with him about it And indeed if men have a mind to strive with God they may find as many occasions for it in the doctrine of his conditionall decrees of foreseene faith repentance and persevering obedience as in his absolute We shall never want matter of quarrelling with God till we have learned simply that is graciously to submit Secondly This truth should much more quiet our spirits and stop our strivings in reference to our temporall estate And that First As wrapt up in common with others Did we consider the soveraigne power of God in ordering the affairs of Nations and Churches we would glorifie him in a gracious silence however we see things goe with them The Scripture urgeth us often to this fixednesse of mind in the midst of all publick revolutions and changes upon this only account Heare David Psal 46.9 10. Come behold the works of the Lord What works ruining works what desolation he hath made in the earth God made strange work in the World at that time Those countryes which before were as the Garden of God became like a desolate Wildernesse who was able to beare this with patience Yet the Spirit of God saith in the next words it must be patiently borne when God lets men strive and warre with one another to a common confusion yet no man may strive with God about it and the reason given why no man may is only this which is indeed all the reason in the world He is God So it follows in the Psalme Be still and know that I am God As if the Lord had said not a word do not strive nor reply whatever you see hold your peace know that I being God I give no account of any of my matters Thus the Prophet cautions the whole world Zech. 2.13 Be silent O all flesh before the Lord doe not dispute the doings of God doe not murmure at them for he is raised up out of his holy habitation That is God is going to work as a man raised out of his bed is therefore doe not you trouble your selves nor rise up against him in your words or thoughts what work soever he makes Like counsell is given Psal 75.5 Lift not up your horne on high speak not with a stiffe neck for promotion cometh neither from the East nor from the West nor from the South But God is the Judge he putteth down one and setteth up another All great changes proceed from his judgment take heed of judging the sentence of the great Judge Remember That he whose name alone is Jehovah is the most high over all the earth Psal 83.18 Againe This is as true if we respect the private or personall estate of any man If God makes a man poor in estate or despised in the World if he make him sick or weak in body he must not say unquietly why doth God thus If he taketh away our Relations if he empty our families we must not strive with him When old Ely had received one of the saddest messages that ever was sent man It is the Lord said he let him doe what seemeth him good 1 Sam. 3.18 So David Psal 39.9 I was dumb I opened not my mouth because thou didst it Psal 62.1 Truly my soul waiteth patiently upon God The word is my soul is silent before God And Psal 42.5 How doth David chide his soul for making a noyse Why art thou disquieted O my soul hope thou in God But you will say May we not at all strive what ever God doth in the World or with us must we sit downe under it or rest satisfied in it and say nothing I answer First we may and ought to be very sensible of all the dealings of God But we must not be unquiet under any of them It is one thing to feele the smart and another thing to dispute the rod. Some are under a kind of Stoicall stupidity they doe not strive with God because they doe not mind what God doth they are not sensible Others are stout sturdy and proud spirited they care not for the crosse they slight and despise rebukes Thus or upon these grounds not to strive with God is as bad if not worse then that striving with him which this poynt disswades and disapproves We may yea we ought to take notice of every stroak we receive from God Secondly As we should be sensible of the hand of God at any time upon us so we may pray for the removing of his hand 'T is not a sinfull but a gracious act to strive with God by prayer for deliverance out of trouble Thirdly A man under the Rod may use means to get it off and free himselfe from it even while he is quiet under it So then the quietnesse of mind in our afflicted condition here intended and pressed is opposed only first to fretting and repining Secondly to vexing and tumultuating Thirdly to distracting cares Fourthly to desponding fears Fifthly to killing sorrows Sixthly to uncomposednesse of spirit for our callings Seventhly to hard thoughts of God Eighthly to the using of any unlawfull meanes to help or rescue our selves out of the hand of evill And that we may be preserved from all these strivings against God and unquietnesse of spirit under any of his saddest and darkest dispensations which will certainly run us upon some of if not all those eight most dangerous rocks last mentioned Let me lay down a few considerations why we should not strive with God in such a manner And prescribe some preservatives to keep us at the greatest distance from it First Consider to strive with God dishonours God and darkens his glory for hereby we call his wisdome and goodnesse yea his truth and faithfulnesse to us in question What can be done more dishonourable to God then this God resented it as a great dishonour that Moses and Aaron did not sanctifie him that is give glory to his name before the children of Israel Num 20.12 and therefore told them Ye shall not bring the children of Israel into the land which I have given them As if he had sayd Ye have not honoured me as ye ought in this thing and therefore I will not honour you in that But what is it that Moses and Aaron did not sanctifie God in it was saith the text in not believing And what is that at best but a striving with God as to the truth of his word and his faithfulnesse in fulfilling it Secondly Such striving with God hinders the exercise of grace and stops the worke of the new creature He that striveth with God by way of murmuring can never strive with God by praying and believing
either immediate from himselfe in those dreames and visions to the Prophets or mediate by the Prophets And though now God doth not speake to us immediately as he did to the Prophets before Christ came in the flesh and to the Apostles after he was come in the flesh yet All the Propheticall and Apostolicall writings are the speakings of God to us besides what he dayly speaketh to us answerable to what is written both inwardly by the workings of his Spirit and outwardly by the workes of his providence For he speaketh once c. Hence note In what way soever God reveales his minde unto man he speakes unto him Every manifestation of the will of God to us is a Sermon what man speaketh to us according to the word of God is to be received as the word of God For as God speaketh to us though not formally yet expressely in the holy Scriptures which are his word so he speaketh to us vertually though not expressely by his works And that First by his workes of creation by them God is continually opening and manifesting himselfe to man in his wisdome power and goodnesse He speaketh to us Secondly by his works of providence whether first they be works of mercy every mercy hath a voyce in it every blessing a speech or secondly whether they be works of judgement Micah 6.9 The Lords voyce cryeth unto the Citie and the man of wisdome shall see thy name heare ye the rod and who hath appointed it Sicknesses and losses the crosses and troubles that we meet with in the world cry aloud to us especially when they make us as they often doe cry aloud As the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handy worke day unto day uttereth speech and night unto night sheweth knowledge Psal 19.1 2. so those things that are done and acted night and day utter the mind and speak out the heart of God unto man For God speaketh once yea twice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in una pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in una vice The Hebrew is in once that is for one Turne or Time or by one meanes or way The word once hath a threefold signification in Scripture all which are applyable to the text in hand First Once is as much as surely certainly verily irrevocably Thus Psal 89.35 Once have I sworne by my holinesse that I will not lie unto David That is I have surely sworne certainly sworne irrevocably sworne my word yea my oath is out and it is immutable That which God in this sence once saith it is alwayes sayd or 't is sayd for ever how much more that which he swareth Thus the Apostle argueth Heb 6.17 18. God willing more abundantly or more then needed as to him and the truth of the thing in it self to shew unto the heires of promise the immutability of his counsel confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lye namely his promise and his oath we might have strong consolation c. In like notion we may expound that once which we finde Heb 9.27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die or to dye once and after that cometh the judgement Some referre once to dye as if the meaning were it is appointed unto men to dye once that is men must expect to dye a naturall death which happens but once and once at least equivalently will and must happen to all men Others referre the once to appointed in the sence of this present exposition It is appointed once that is God hath certainly and firmly appointed established and decreed this thing he hath ratified it in heaven that men must dye This statute is irrevocable The thing is appointed and there is no reversing or revoking of that appointment This is a good sence and sutable enough to the scope of Elihu God speaketh once that is what he speaketh is a sure and certain word an infallible word the word setled for ever in heaven Psal 119.89 his promise is not only sure but most sure As the Apostle speakes 2 Pet. 1.18 19. And this voyce which came from heaven we heard when we were with him in the holy Mount We have also a more sure the Comparative imports the Superlative a most sure word of prophecy whereunto ye doe well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a darke place untill the day dawne and the day-starre arise in your hearts As the whole propheticall so the whole historicall and doctrinall word of God is most sure being once spoken it is spoken for ever And written as with a pen of iron and the point of a Diamond and that upon a rocke which cannot be removed That which was vaine-gloriously and beyond the line of man sayd of the Law of the Medes and Persians Dan 6.8 is only true of the word of God it altereth not Secondly This once speaking Semel loquitur deus et secundo id ipsum non repetet Vulg Quia quod sufficienter factum est iterare superfluum est Aq notes the speaking of a thing so sufficiently or fully that there is enough sayd at once and so no more needs be sayd The vulgar translation takes up this sence God hath spoken once that is he hath spoken fully or sufficiently for mans instruction and admonition at once and therefore he translates the latter part of the verse thus And he doth not repeate it the second time That which is done at once sufficiently needs not be done a second time This is a truth There is a sufficiency and a fullnesse in the word of God once spoken there needs nothing to be added or as others expound this translation When once God speakes that is resolves and determines a thing he doth not as man who often repents of what he hath purposed bring it into a second consideration for he cannot erre and therefore he needs decree but once But though this be a truth yet I doe not conceive it to be the meaning of this place because it doth not well agree with what goes before and lesse with that which followeth at the 29th verse Loe all these things worketh God oftentimes or as our Margin hath it twice and thrice with man And therefore here Elihu rather intimates the variety of those wayes by which God reveales himselfe to man then the sufficiency of any one of them For though we grant any one of them sufficient yet God out of his abundant goodnesse is pleased to reveale himselfe more wayes then one and more times then once Thirdly This once may be taken exclusively so iâ— Scripture once is once and no more once and not againe or as we say once for all and so it is opposed to the repeating and acting over of the same thing Thus Abisha sayd to David 1 Sam 26.8 God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day now therefore lâ—â— me smite him I pray thee
Sure enough man hath a will not to come he hath not only an inabillity but an enmity and an opposition in his will against Christ he will not come to Christ that he may be saved but would take up his salvation somewhere else he would be his own Saviour or let any one save him rather then be saved by Christ all things considered especially this that he must deny himself and neither be found trusting to his own righteousnesse nor acting any unrighteousnesse if he desires to be saved by Christ And as there is a resistance in the will of man against the true dispensation of Gospell grace so against any other dispensation whereby God speaketh to him The unchanged will of man riseth up against the will of God manifested in his works as much as against his will manifested in his word Isa 26.11 Lord when thy hand is lifted up they will not see If his hand be lifted up in publick judgments they will not see it if in family or personall judgments and afflictions they will not see it but shut their eyes and hoodwink their own understandings Yea they are oftentimes so wilfully or rather so madly blind that they had rather say it is the hand of blind Fortune then the hand of the Allmighty and All-seeing God Now who is so blind as they that will not see Till this rebellion against the holy will of God with which the will of man is filled be cast out and subdued let him speake once yea twice let him speake by word or works by promises or by threatnings by good or evill yet man will not mark it Thus much in generall of Gods revealing himself to man In the next words we have the distinct wayes set downe by and in which he revealeth himself In a dreame c. JOB Chap. 33. Vers 15 16 17 18. In a dream in a vision of the night when deep sleep falleth upon men in slumberings upon the bed Then he openeth the ears of men and sealeth their instruction That he may withdraw man from his purpose and hide pride from man He keepeth back his soule from the pit and his life from perishing by the sword ELihu having said in the former verse that God speaketh once yea twice yet man perceiveth it not proceeds to give instance of those severall wayes by which God speaketh to man His first Instance is given v. 15. where he brings in God speaking to man in dreams and visions And as he shews us God speaking in dreams and visions so he sets downe his aymes or ends in doing so and they are three-fold First God aimes at mans instruction v. 16. Then he openeth the ears of men and sealeth their instruction The second aime of God in such dispensations is repentance and humiliation v. 17. That he may withdraw man from his purpose and hide pride from man The third and last end here exprest why God speaks by dreams and visions is mans salvation v. 18. He keepeth back his soule from the pit and his life from perishing by the sword These are the parts and specialties considerable in this context Vers 15. In a dream in a vision of the might c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pinguis grossus ex vaporibus crassis provenit somnus quem somnia consequunâ—ur The roote of the word rendred a dreame signifieth that which is thick grosse or fat and by a metaphor a dreame because dreams are naturally caused by gross and thick vapours arising from the stomack fuming up into the head Sleep is caused immediately by vapours and dreams are our work in sleep A dream is an Imagination which the minde frames and formes or which is formed and framed in the minde while we sleepe or A dream is the worke of the soule while the body is asleep Sleepe is the binding up of the outward sences hearing seeing feeling c. yet then the inward sences phantasie and memory are at liberty and free to worke The phantasie is very quick and nimble when the body lieth as a logge and stirres not The phantasie as we say builds Castles in the ayre and makes strange Chimera's in the braine by day much more by night In Dreams there is an image of things or persons represented to us When Pharoah dreamed he saw seven leane kine and seven thin ears as also seven fat kine and seven full ears of corne Jacob saw a ladder in his dreame reaching up to heaven and the Angels of God ascending and descending Joseph saw his brethrens sheaves doing obeysance to his sheafe he saw also the Sun and Moone and eleven Starrs doing obeysance to him Nebuchadnezzar dreaming saw an Image with the head of gold with shoulders and breast of silver with belly and thighs of brass and leggs of Iron c. These dreamers had images as clearely represented to their mindes as any thing can be to the most waking and wakefull eye of the body And though in many dreams there are no such formall similitudes presented to the mind but only a voyce heard speaking yet nothing can be declared to us in a dreame without forming in our mind some kind of likenesse When it is sayd that God came to Abimelech Gen 20. and to Laban Gen 31. and an Angel of the Lord to Joseph Math 1. speaking to them in dreames they had such things exhibited to and impressed upon them as gave the former two assurance that God spake to them and the third that he was spoken to by an Angel of God Further We may distinguish of dreames First some are meere naturall dreames and they arise foure wayes First from the temperature of the body Melancholly and flegmaticke persons have their speciall dreames and so have men of a sanguine and of a cholericke complection The first encline to dreame of sad the second of sottish the third of pleasant things and the last of wrathfull wranglings and contendings Secondly Naturall dreames are caused by the diet or food which we eate speciall meate inclining to speciall thoughts and imaginations Thirdly Meere naturall dreams flow from the buisiness or speciall worke wherein we have been ingaged in the day as Solomon speakes Eccles 5.3 a dreame cometh thorow the multitude of buisiness that is a man dreams at night of what he hath been doing in the day Fourthly Naturall dreames arise from vehement affections to or desires of what we want and would have Thus Isa 29.7 The hungry man dreams he eats and the thirsty man dreams he drinks For being pincht with hunger and parcht with thirst his appetite is not only strong but fierce and violent after meat and drinke These and such like are naturall dreams I call them so because the rise or reason of them is seated in nature and they are such as have no other cause but what is common and naturall to man Nature let alone or left under such outward accidents will produce such dreames Seconldy There are diabolicall dreams the devill knows
ears to receive the word and then sealeth instruction upon them The Apostle speaking of some persons converted who were the fruit of his ministry saith Ye are the seale of mine Apostleship 1 Cor 9.2 3. that is ye confirme and ratifie my ministry that it is of God and that God is in it Now as the conversion of sinners and the building up of Saints is the seale of our ministry so the sealing of instruction upon the soule is the conversion of sinners and the edification of Saints When a sinner is converted his instruction is sealed upon him and when a Saint is built up and edified and increaseth in the things of God then instruction is sealed upon him also And untill we thus profit by the word we have the word as I may say without a seale nothing fastens upon us Thus much of the first designe of God in sending dreams and visions in those times it was to open the ears of men and to seale their Instruction This being only a generall benefit aymed at by those meanes we have those which are more speciall set downe in the words which follow Vers 17. That he may withdraw man from his purpose and hide pride from man This 17th verse containes two of those blessed ends or designes of God in revealing himselfe to man by dreams and visions or by visions in a dream of which Elihu spake in the two former verses as then he takes an opportunity to open the ears of men and seale their Instruction to fasten and fix his word upon them to make it stick and stay by them so in all this his purpose is That he may withdraw man from his purpose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 auferre erit vel mutare in melius The word rendred to withdraw signifies to take off or put away to remove or change for the better Isa 1.16 Put away the evill of your doings that is doe no more evill or as the Lord speakes by another Prophet Jer 44.4 O doe not this abominable thing that I hate we render the word in the other sense Job 27.2 He hath removed my Judgement farre from me There is in man a kind of settledness and resolvedness upon his purpose he will on but saith Elihu the Lord withdrawes him he stretcheth forth his hand and pull's him back He withdraweth Man Adam the earthly man The proper name of the first man is the common name of all men Man is earthly by nature and so are all his naturall purposes To draw an earthly man from that which is earthly is no easie matter only the power of God can doe it He withdraweth man From his purpose The word which we render purpose properly signifies a worke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fecit and so it is translated not only elsewhere but here by severall Interpreters Mr. Broughton is expresse That the earthly man leave off to work and then by work he means an evill work as by purpose an evill purpose The word work set alone usually signifies an evill work as the word wife put alone is taken for a good wife Prov. 8.22 He that findeth a wife findeth good every one that findeth a wife doth not find good there are many bad wives only he that findeth a good wife findeth good Vt a mâ—vâ—aâ— homo opus scâ— suum et animuâ— malum Iun So on the contrary the word worke standing here alone implyeth a bad work And to withdraw man from his work or from his purpose is to withdraw him from his evill work or purpose The Septuagint gives it clearly so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept that he may withdraw man from unrighteousnesse And Mr. Broughton glossing his own translation saith that he leave off mans work and do the work of God Againe This terme work seemes opposed to the thought or concupiscence of the inner man he withdraweth man from his work that his hand may not effect what his heart hath contrived that the bitter root may not bring forth evill and bitter fruit Or if we follow our translation the sence will be the same He withdraweth man from his purpose that is he checks and stops the inward motions and workings of mans heart and so keeps him from bringing it to perfection by an outward evill work Jam. 1.15 Then when lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sin and sin when it is finished brings forth death God in great mercy takes man off from his purpose when he finds him upon an evill device or purpose he crusheth the Cockatrice's egge that it may not be hatched and destroyeth the conception of those Babylonish brats that they may never come to the birth Mic. 2.1 Woe to them that devise mischief on their beds when the morning is light they practice it because it is in the power of their hand The work begins at the heart there 't is plotted and contrived the heart is the work house of sin now the Lord withdraws man from his purpose and will not suffer the inward work to be accomplished by the outward work Further we may refer these words either to what is past or to what is to come some translate referring it to what is past that he may turn Vt avertat hominem ab iis quâ— fecit Vulg. or withdraw man from those things which he hath done that is from those evills to which he hath already set his hand this is done by giving man repentance which is our being humbled for and turning away from any evill already committed Our translation refers it to what is intended to be done for that 's a purpose So the meaning is God doth these things that he may keep man from doing that evill or mischief which he hath resolved upon or at least is forming and hammering in his thoughts Abimelech had an evill purpose for the matter though possibly the purpose of his heart was not evill for he said to God and God said he spake true in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this Gen. 20.5 6. he was I say about an evill purpose for the matter when he thought to take Abrams wife from him but the Lord came to him in a dream and withdrew him from the evill of his purpose Laban intended evill or hard dealing to Jacob but the Lord met him also in a dreame and withdrew him from his purpose saying Gen. 31.24 Take heed thou speak not to Jacob neither good nor bad that is hinder him not in his journey either by threathings or by promises Thus man is taken off or withdrawn from evill purposes by preventing grace and from evill workes by repenting grace I shall prosecute the words according to our reading only which imports that when man hath some evill purpose upon his heart the Lord visits him in dreames and visions of the night to withdraw him from that purpose Hence observe First Man is very forward and eager upon
corruption Man is called not only Adam noting the matter of which he was made earth red earth but he is called Enosh that is sorrowfull sighing groaning man he is a pined and a pining man He is also called Abel vanity a poor vain man which two latter Titles have befallen man since man fell from God Fourthly which may check the grosse Atheisme of many Observe Pain and sicknesse come not by chance nor are we to stay in nature for the cause of their coming They come not at all by chance nor doe they come altogether from naturall causes Nature hath somewhat to doe in their coming but somewhat else much more even so much more that in respect of that naturall considerations may be quite shut out and the whole cause ascribed to that But what is that surely nothing else but and nothing lesse then the will of God He is pleased to give commission to pains and sicknesses and then they come Elihu would teach Job what he owned before that God was the sender and orderer of all his afflictions as of the losses he had in his estate and children so of the pains and sicknesses which he felt in his body Moses tells the children of Israel not only that sword and captivity but the Pestilence Consumptions Feavers and burning Agues are sent by God himself Deut. 28.21 22. What are diseases but the Lords Messengers When he pleaseth he can trouble the temper and cause the humours of the body to corrupt He can make them contend with one another to the death let Physitians doe what they can to quiet and pacifie them Yea though some skillfull Physitians have kept their own bodies in so due a temper and to so exact a diet that they could not see which way a disease could take hold of them or have any advantage against them yet sicknesse hath come upon them like an armed man and carryed them away to the grave Further When Elihu saith of the sick man the multitude of his bones are chastened with strong paine Note No man is so strong but the Lord is able to bring him down by pain and sicknesse He that is strong as an Oake and hath as it were a body of brasse and sinews of iron yet the Lord can make him as weak as water The Lord hath strong pains for strong men and can quickly turne our strength into weaknesse Thus Hezekiah lamented in his sicknesse Isa 38.13 I reckoned till morning that as a Lion so will he break all my bones God can arme diseases with the strength of a Lion who not only teareth the flesh but breaketh the bones with his teeth David saith Psal 39.11 When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth surely every man is vanity The word there rendred beauty signifieth desire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Desiderabile bene sanum et bene curatum corpus denotat thou makest his desire or that which is most desireable in him to fade away we well translate beauty because beauty draweth the desires of man after it and is so much desired yea lusted after by man Now as when the Lord doth but touch the body he can make the beauty so also the strength of it to consume away as a moth Sixtly whereas it is said He is chastened with pain upon his bed We learne The Lord can make those things easelesse and restless to us which use to give us most ease and rest He that being up is weary weary with walking riding or labouring hopeth to find ease in his bed yet then doth pain deny him rest there and filleth him as Job complained Chap. 7.4 with tossings too and fro unto the dawning of the day The Lord can make the Stocks or a Rack easie to us and our beds as uneasie to us as the Stocks or a Rack usually are Lastly observe The purpose of God in chastening man with sickness is to teach and instruct him not vex and destroy him The Lord hath many designes upon man when he afflicts him about all which he instructs him by affliction He designes First To humble and breake the stoutness of mans spirit hence sicknesses and afflictions are called humiliations and the same word signifies both to be afflicted and humbled Secondly To make men taste how bitter a thing sin is This is thy wickâ—dness saith the Lord of his sore Judgements brought upon his people Israel Jer 4.18 Because it is bitter Ye would not taste the evill or bitterness of sin by instruction therefore I will teach you by affliction Thirdly To put sorrowfull sinfull man upon the search of his owne heart and the finding out of the errour of his wayes While men are strong and healthfull they seldome find leisure for that worke And therefore they are confined by sickness to their houses to their chambers yea to their beds that they may attend it and read over the whole book of their lives Lam 3.39 40. Wherefore doth the living man complain a man for the punishment of his sin Let us search and try our wayes and turne to the Lord. That 's mans worke upon his bed and 't is Gods aime in binding him to his bed that he may have liberty for that worke Fourthly Afflictions are design'd by God to bring man out of love with sin yea to stirre up a holy hatred and revenge in him against it as upon many other accounts so upon this because it rewardeth him so ill and he finds such unsavoury fruits of it A little digging will discover sin to be the roote of all those evill and bitter fruits which we at any time are fed with in this world Sin is the gall in our cup and the gravel in our bread and we are made to taste bitterness and finde trouble that we may both know and acknowledge it to be so Fifthly The purpose of God in afflicting us is to set us a praying to and seeking after him We seldome know our need of him till we feele it Hos 5.15 In their affliction they will seek me early affliction puts man upon supplication yet every man who is afflicted doth not presently seek God many in their affliction mind not God they seek to men not to God a crosse without a Christ never made any seek God but affliction through the workings of the Spirit of Christ is a meanes to bring the soule to God and we see the effect of it at the beginning of the next Chapter in the same Prophet Hos 6.1 Come let us return unto the Lord for he hath torn and he will heale us c. Sixthly God is pleased to exercise us with crosses for the exercise of our Graces or to set grace aworke Grace hath most businesse to doe when we are taken off from all worldly business and are layd upon our bed our sick-bed Some worke is not done so well any where else as there And many graces worke best when 't is worst
be seasonable if not when we see them dying and going to the grave yet some when they visit sick friends will not speak a word of either they fear it may hasten death to hear of it that speaking of the grave may put them into it then which I know no fear more foolish or more to be feared Yea some will forbid visiters to mention death when their Relations lye sick O doe not speak of death to my Husband saith the Wife c. But remember it if the sick are drawing near to the grave they that visit them should remember them of the grave both in prayer and in conference to speak of death cannot hurt the body but the not speaking of it may hurt the soul and hinder it from getting out of the snares both of spirituall and eternall death Yet godly prudence and great caution is to be used about it none should doe it bluntly nor suddenly but having by discreet insinuations first hinted to the sick man his danger of death we should then by faithfull counsells prepare him for it and by comfortable Scripture cordialls strengthen and arme his spirits against it Such savoury and well mannaged discourses of death may through the blessing of God be a savour of eternall life to the sick man and will not in the least prejudice his recovery from sickness when his soul draweth near to the grave Aâ—d his life to the destroyers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mortificantibus Mont The Hebrew is to those that kill or to lâ—fe destroyers There is a difference among Interpreters who are here intended by these Destroyers to whom the sick mans life draweth near or who are these life destroyers First some thus his life to the destroyers that is to his enemies that are ready to destroy him But that 's improper to the text which speaking of sickness cannot intend any destroying enemy but the last enemy which is to be destroyed death or the antecedents and usuall attendants of it sicknesses Ad Angelos morti praefectos non incommodè resertur sequentis versiculi ratione habita ubi Angeli vitam annunciantis unius de mille mentionem facit ut 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 intelligas mortis â—umcios Merc Secondly by the destroyers others understand Angells who are commission'd and sent of God to cut the thread of life and to take mortalls out of this world by mortall diseases and so the destroying Angell in this verse stands in opposition to that comforting Angell spoken of in the next verse if there be a messenger or an Angell c. That Angells have such a Ministry is clear 2 Sam. 24.16 Where David having chosen to fall into the hands of God an Angell is presently dispatcht to doe execution upon his people And when the Angell stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it the Lord repented him of the evill and said to the Angell that destroyed the people it is enough stay now thine hand c. That destroyer so he is called Exod. 12.23 who slew all the first borne of the Egyptians Gods last and greatest plague upon them his tenth plague is by most interpreted to be an Angell yea by some a good Angell because appointed and directed by God to spare his people the Jewes and to poure out his vengeance upon the Egyptians his and their enemies For most usually the wicked are plagued by good Angells and the good as Job in this book was are afflicted by evill Angells Howbeit that text say some Psal 78.49 leadeth us rather to beleeve that it was an evill Angell He cast upon them meaning the Egyptians the fiercenesse of his anger wrath indignation and trouble by sending evill Angells among them Yet possibly those Angells which destroyed the Egyptians are called evill Angells not because they were so in their nature but because they were Ministers of evill to that hard-hearted people Which way soever we take it there is a truth in it applicable to the Scripture here in hand And so some expound that of Solomon Prov. 17.11 An evill man seeketh only rebellion therefore a cruell Messenger shall be sent against him The text may be rendred a cruell Angell that is an Angell with a Message of wrath and destruction shall be sent unto him The Apostle 1 Cor. 10.10 speaking of those dreadfull judgments which God sent upon his people the Jewes in the Wildernesse such as we are like to find in these Gospell times if we provoke him for all those things are said to have happened unto them for Types or examples vers 11. And there he gives us warning neither murmure ye as some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer That is by the Pestilence or Plague as 't is expressed Numb 14.12 37. which the Apostle Paul calleth a destroyer because doubtless it was executed by some invisible destroyer or Angell The Devill whom John in the Revelation Chap. 9.11 calleth the Angell of the bottomlesse pit is there also set forth by this Title whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon The Devill is the Apollyon the Abaddon both which signifie a destroyer yea the Devill Heb. 2.14 is said to have the power of death as if he were set over that sad work and Lorded it over dying men yet let us know to our comfort the Devill hath not the power of death as a Lord or Judge but only as an Executioner thus the sick mans life may be said to draw nigh to the destroyer that is to the destroying Angell or to the messenger of death Thirdly we may take the destroyers not for persons sent to destroy but for diseases and sicknesses these are destroyers And thus it may be said of a sick man his life draweth nigh to the destroyers that is he is in the hand or under the power of such diseases as probably will destroy him That seems to be Mr. Broughtons understanding of the words Praestat generale est et ad omnia mortis signa et mortifera quicquid illud sit referre Merc who renders his soul draweth nigh to the grave and his life to killing maladies Whatsoever is a death-bringer whatever is deadly or mortall to man may be comprehended under this expression The Destroyers And so these words His life draweth nigh to the destroyer may signifie only thus much he is deadly or as we commonly expresse it mortally sick There 's no hopes of him he is past recovery the Physitians have given him over Heman Psal 88.3 4 5. speaks to this sence and near in this language of himself My soul is full of troubles my life draweth nigh unto the grave I am counted with them that goe down into the pit I am as a man that hath no strength Free among the dead like the slaine that lye in the grave whom thou remembrest no more Heman was alive yet with respect either to the anguish of his soul
or the pains of his body he looked upon himself as one free among the dead that is as a dead man his life drew near to the destroyers And hence Fourthly Others read the words not in an active sence as we Destroyers but in a passive His life draweth nigh to those who are destroyed or dead Dying men are so neere to that they may be reckoned as dead men That word of encouragement in the Prophet Isa 41.14 Which we render Feare not thou worme Jacob and ye men or as we put in the Margin Few men of Israel is rendred by some others Feare not thou worme Jacob and ye that are dead of Israel that is who are in your owne fearefull apprehensions or in the opinion of your proud and prepotent enemies as dead men or nigh unto death or as we may expound it by that of Paul concerning himselfe and his Fellow-Apostles with respect to the continuall hazzard of their lives 1 Cor 4.9 men as it were appoynted unto death yea as the learned in the Hebrew language tell us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 haec vox ex eo nata videter quod simus morti subjecti Ita et a Graecis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 et à latinù mortalu usurpatus Martyn the word translated in the Prophet men with the change but of one poynt and that only in the position of it signifieth properly dead men We find the word applyed specially to wicked worldly men Psal 17.14 who are there called the hand of God to afflict or take away the lives of Godly men and are sayd to have their portion in this life the word I say is applyed to them as implying that how much soever they rejoyce either in the present enjoyments of this naturall life or in the hopes of a long naturall life in this world yet they alwayes are within one poynt or pricke with a pen which is the shortest imaginable space of death In which sense also St Paul speaking of the different state of the body now in this life and after the resurrection from the dead saith 1 Cor 15.54 When this mortall shall have put on immortality that is when we who now live in dying bodyes or in bodyes bearing the markes or tokens of death and looking like dead men shall have put on the beautifull and glorious robes of immortality Then shall be brought to passe the saying that is written Death shall be swallowed up in victory Whereas now death which is ready enough to get the victory over healthy and strong men is so ready to get the victory over weake and sicke men that their life may very well be sayd according to this fourth and last interpretation to draw nigh to the destroyed or those that are already dead Thus if in stead of Death-Bringers or destroyers we read Destroyed or those that have been brought to death the meaning of Elihu in this passage is plaine and easie importing the sicke man so sicke that there is scarce a step or but a poynt between him and those who are actually dead But whether we take the word in this passive sence and translate The Destroyed or in the active as we and translate destroyers thereby understanding either Angels in speciall or diseases in Generall sent by God to destroy or take away the life of the sicke man which way soever of these I say we expound the word it yeilds a cleare sence as to the scope of the text and as to the truth of it upon the matter the very same His life draweth nigh to the destroyers Hence note First Diseases are destroyers Either they themselves destroy when they come or the destroyer comes with them Psal 90.3 Thou turnest man to destruction and sayest returne ye children of men 'T is a Psalme penned by Moses lamenting the frailety of mankinde He lived to see all Israel whom under his hand and conduct God brought out of Egypt dye â—â—cept that renowned two Caleb and Joshua And therefore he having seene the great destruction of that people for their murmurings and unbeliefe for their ten-fold provocations in the wilderness might say from his owne experience more then most men to that poynt of mans mortality And as God turned that people to destruction and sayd according to that irrevocable sentence Gen 3.19 Returne ye children of men to your originall and first materiall dust so he saith the same to men every day who as they are dust so we see them returning to their dust Every disease if so commission'd by God is death and every paine if he say it the period of our lives Againe Elihu is here speaking of a man whom the Lord is but trying teaching and instructing upon his sick bed yet he saith His soule is drawing neere to the grave and his life to the destroyers Hence observe Those afflictions which are but for instruction may looke like those which are for destruction When the Lord hath a purpose only to try a man he often acts towards him as if he would kill him If any shall say this is hard I answer A ruffe horse must have a ruffe rider Ruffe wood will not cleave without a beetle and wedges We put God to use extremities that he may bring us to a moderation Our spirits are often so ruffe and head-strong that they must be kept in with bit and bridle they are so tough and knotty that there 's no working no cleaving of them till the Lord sets his wedges to us and layes on with his beetle of heaviest and hardest afflictions In a word we even compell him to bring us to deaths-doore that he may teach us to live Now seeing paines and sicknesses of which Elihu speakes as the way and meanes by which God speakes to sinfull man are accompanied with such dreadfull symptomes and effects loathing and losse of appetite consumption of the flesh and the breaking of the very bones the soule drawing neere to the grave and life to the destroyers seeing I say there are such sad effects of sicknesse remember First Health is worth the praying to God for Secondly Health is worth the praising of God for and that considered either first as continued or secondly as restored 'T is a mercy not to be pained not to be sicke 't is a more sencible though not a greater mercy to be freed from paine and recovered out of sickness While we are kept free from paines and sicknesses how thankfull should we be and when we are freed from and brought out of the bonds of bodily paine and sicknesses how soule-sicke yea how dead are we if we are not thankfull Thirdly Seeing paines and sicknesses are such sad afflictions be wise and carefull for the preservation of your health doe not throw away your health upon a lust doe not expose your selves to lasting paines and pining sicknesses for the satisfying of a wanton sensuall appetite The health and strength of this frayle body are of more value
upon the matter even exhaust and undoe themselves by liberallity unto others and they who give most or have most to give cannot alwayes give It is said in this Book Chap. 37.11 By watering he wearieth the thick cloud that is God commandeth the cloud to give raine so long that it hath not a drop more to give but is quite spent Springs or fountaines are never wearied or spent with watering because their waters come as freely and as fast as they goe God is an everlasting spring of grace and goodness He is not wearyed nor emptyed by what he giveth out to or doth for the creature because all floweth from his naturall graciousnesse as from a fountaine Then he is gracious I would urge the second reference of that word then a little further It was shewed before that it might refer First to the extreamity of the sick man Secondly to the sick mans humiliation or the right disposure of his spirit to receive renewed acts of grace and favour from the Lord. Hence observe Secondly God usually dispenseth or giveth out acts of grace when we repent and turne from sin Si aegrotus ille monitis illius nuncij paruerit ac proinde resipuerit tum c. Pisc when we believe and lay hold upon the promise Then he is gracious It is said Isa 30.18 Therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious The Lord hath alwayes a gracious disposition a gracious nature he alwayes hath a store and a stocke a rich stocke and store of mercy by him but he doth not alwayes give it forth no he waits to be gracious that is he waits till we are in a fit frame till we are in a due temper to receive his grace And because as to the dispensings of grace God waits to be gracious therefore many retard and hinder their owne good they are not yet in a frame to receive their vessell is not yet seasoned to hold mercy The Lord waited to be gracious to David after his grievous fall and therefore he did not give Nathan a Commission to say Thy sin is done away till Davids heart was broken and had said 2 Sam 12.13 I have sinned against the Lord But when once that word fell from him then Nathan declared how gracious the Lord was to him As soone as David said I have sinned that 's an act of repentance presently Nathan said the Lord hath done away thy sin that 's an act of grace When did Ephraim heare a word of comfort from God The Prophet tells us Jer 31.18 19 20. I have heard Ephraim bemoaning himselfe that is mourning over and bewayling his sin saying thou hast chastised me and I was chastised as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoake We have him there also praying Turne me O Lord and I shall be turned c. Upon this how graciously how meltingly did the Lord speak Is Ephraim my deare son is he a pleasant child since I spake against him I doe earnestly remember him still or in remembring I remember him my bowells are troubled for him I will surely have mercy on him Now I will manifest my grace and acquaint him with my goodness The Lord was very gracious to Saul afterwards Paul he sent Ananias to him with a message of mercy as to restore the sight of his bodyly eyes so to assure him that he should be an instrument in the hand of Christ to open the eyes of many and a chosen vessel to beare his name before the Gentiles and Kings and the Children of Israel Acts 9.15 But when was this message delivered him the text tells us v. 11. For behold he prayeth the man is in the dust he is brought upon his knees his spirit is broken that word he prayeth comprehends the whole worke of a gracious soule as to his humiliation and returning to the Lord. In the parable of the prodigall Son his father is represented abundantly gracious to him but he did not signifie it he did not send the ring not the rich robe to him when he was abroad in a strange Country among harlots drinking and wasting his estate time and strength vainely we read of no acts of grace to him then but when being pinched with famine and hunger he came to himselfe and began to bethink himselfe of coming back to his fathers house and that he had brought himselfe by his own folly to beggery and want and husks when he was upon these termes or resolves to goe home to his father and cast himselfe at his feet as unworthy the name or priviledge of a Son then his father ran to meete him fell on his neck and kissed him then he put on the ring and cloathed him with the robe then he killed the fatted calfe and made a feast for him All which sceane of mercy doth but hold out this one word in the text Then he is gracious There are two sorts of gracious acts of God First some are acts of absolute grace or of preventing grace These are put forth upon and exercised towards the creature before there is any the lest preparation in the heart to draw them out or invite the bestowing of them Thus the grace of God in election is absolutely free there was no prevision of any qualification in man moving God to elect him And so that wonderfull act of grace in which election first descends and discovers it selfe effectuall vocation is absolutely free God calls a sinner when he is in the heat and hurry of his evill wayes pursuing his lusts in the height of his pride and in the hardness of his impenitent heart Now if when God first calleth a sinner there is nothing in him but sin What can move God to call him but free grace A third absolute act of grace is justification God doth not justifie a sinner for any thing that he finds or sees in us As to us 't is altogether free He justifieth the ungodly Rom 4.5 when that wretched infant was in its blood which expresseth a miserable uncleane poluted condition then was a time of love Ezek 16.8 then was God gracious What loveliness was there in that infant representing the best of men in that fallen naturall estate to draw out the love of God nothing at all yea she was altogether unlovely yet then saith God thy time was the time of love or then was the time of putting forth love in her conversion and vocâ—tion Then I sayd unto thee when thou wast in thy blood live And because the thing might seeme not only strange but even impossible that the heart of God should be towards such a wretched one for good the word is doubled yea I sayd unto theâ— when thou wast in thy blood live These acts of absolute free grace are the glory of the Covenant of grace for if the Covenant should hold out acts of Grace only upon our pre-dispositions when should we receive any act of grace The promise is not of this tenour I will pardon them when
enumerate the particular evill acts he had committed and was guilty of yet doubtlesse he had them as a burden upon his heart and was willing to unburden himselfe of them one by one in a hearty and heart-afflicting confession The publican Luke 18.13 stood a far off and durst not lift up his eyes to heaven but only sayd God be mercifull to me a sinner He struck at all his sins though he did not by name touch any one of them He that saith knowing what he saith I have sinned will not hide any one of his sins And he that indeed and truth confesseth any one will cover none of his sins Those sins may be pardoned which are not expressely confessed but if we conceale or hide any sin and will not bring it forth in confession we cannot in faith expect the pardon of it Againe Consider the time or season when the Lord looked for this confession It was a time of trouble and affliction of paine and sorrow the man was sick or but in a way of recovery out of his sickness Hence note Times of affliction are speciall times of confession and repentance Confession of sin must not be omitted especially not neglected in our most comfortable dayes much lesse in a day of trouble A sad and troubled state calls us aloud to a gracious sadness of heart to the search of our hearts and lives which are preparatory to repentance and Godly sorrow Usually in prosperity men will not be at leisure to search their hearts and take notice of their sins Therefore the Lord draweth them to confession by drawing them from the world by laying them upon their sick beds or by bringing them into straites And as when affliction is upon persons or families then is a speciall time to confesse personall and family sins so to confesse national sins is most seasonable when affliction hath seized upon kingdomes and nations The want and neglect of that publicke confession and sorrow in such a day is mightily aggravated and most severely threatned Isa 22.12 13 14. God looketh and loveth to heare every man saying and a whole nation as one man saying in a day of sorrow and trouble I have sinned and perverted that which was right From the latter words I have perverted that which was right or the Law Note First The law of God is the rule of righteousness a right rule All rightness and righteousness is comprehended in it and measured by it Secondly Learne Sin is a perverting of that which is right Every the least sin is so in some degree though here possibly sins are intended of any even of the highest degree The Apostle defining sin calleth it 1 John 3.4 A transgression of the Law and if so it must needs be a perverting of that which is right For what is or can be right if the rule of righteousness be not What the Apostle spake to Elymas Acts 13.10 Wilt thou not cease to pervert the right wayes of the Lord shewes the nature and effect of every sin and the more sinfull any sin is by so much the more doth it pervert that which is right Some sinners are sayd to make voyd the law of God to pervert it as if they would quite subvert and disanull it David remembers God of such and desires him to look to them betimes Psal 119.126 It is time for thee to work for they have made voyd thy law That is they have done their best or worst rather their utmost to make it voyd and of no force 'T is not in the power of all the powers of the world to vacat rescind or null one tittle of the law of God heaven and earth shall passe away before that yet many attempt it yea some doe that which will be found and interpreted a making voyd of the law of God who thinke themselves great zelotes for or very zealous of the law That will be the case of many especially of all will-worshippers Againe Consider though the person here spoken of had not only sinned but perverted that which was right that is sinned perversly yet upon confession the Lord deales graciously with him Hence Note The free grace of God extends to the pardon of the greatest sins even sins of perversness Where sin aboundeth Grace aboundeth much more Rom 5.20 whether the abounding of sin be taken in the number of it or in the weight of it that is in the greatness and aggravations of it Grace hath its sutable super-abounding Num 23.21 When Balaam would shew that the people of Israel were a people impenetrable by his curses he saith The Lord hath seen no iniquity in Jacob nor perversness in Israel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word there used is of a different root from this in the text but the sence is the same implying if the Lord had seen perversness in Israel it would have layd them open to a curse yet sins made up of perversness are within the compass of a pardon There is no sin excepted from pardon but that which at once refuseth and despiseth it the sin against the holy Ghost Math◠12.31 This should not incourage any to sin perversly only it is a comfort to those who have They who have sinned perversly or who have perversness mingled with their sin should not cast off the hope of pardon but woe to those who sin perversly that is against the light of their owne consciences upon hopes of pardon Such persons have no true hope they may have much presumption that they shall be pardoned They who having sinned perversly confesse it have good ground to pray for pardon but they who goe on sinning perversly have no ground while they doe so to hope for it This text speakes of a person confessing and bewayling that he hath sinned perversely not of a person purposing to sin so as appeares further in the last clause of the verse If any say I have sinned and perverted that which is right And it profiteth me not Here 's another poynt of confession we must not only confesse that we have sinned but the fruitlessness of sin or that sin profiteth not There are two rendrings and so two severall expositions of these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 potest esse verbum potest esse et nomen faemininum Vnde sensus est non accepi tantundem non reposita est mihi par paena pro peccato meo Coc Non dignè in me inquisivit pro his quae poccavi Sept The word signifieth most properly that which is equall And hence some give the sence thus which carrieth in it an eminent work of repentance I have sinned and perverted that which was right and have not that which is equall That is Though I am greatly afflicted and my sorrows lye heavie upon me yet they are not equall to my sinning or perverse dealings with the Lord. I have not received as I was worthy or according to my ill deservings The Septuagint speak thus God hath not made
seldome doe at the first he calleth againe and againe twice or thrice or often-times that is as often as he seeth it good needfull or expedient to doe it And we may suppose that Elihu useth this number twice or thrice in allusion to the customes of men whether civil Magistrates or Churches who when they deale with others about any fault committed or offence given they doe not take them at the very first default but warne and admonish them twice or thrice or send them as the case may require severall Citations to appeare and either to acknowledge their guilt or acquit themselves of it These things worketh God twice or thrice Tiibus vicibus i. e. multoties sed utitur numero ternorio ut congruat humanae consuetudini per quam solent homines ter moneri vel citari Aquin And remember it is but twice or thrice which speech though it may be well rendred as we say oftentimes yet it is not very often once is no number twice is the least number and thrice is but a small number two or three witnesses are the least number of witnesses that can be admitted in any business That the Lord will doe this twice or thrice proves that he will doe it severall times men shall have meanes and frequent meanes but twice or thrice may not be very often much lesse alwayes there is a stint and a determinate number in the breast of God and that we might not expect to have his patience lengthned out alwayes to us 't is put into the smallest numbers All these things worketh God twice or thrice with man The word by which man is here expressed is no ordinary word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non quelibet viruÌ„ importat sed ut plurimum nobâ—lem illustrem vel aliqua ratione spectabilem Bold 't is that word by which signifieth the highest and greatest of men God deales thus not only with inferiour persons and mean men but with great men with men of note with men of power and strength let men be as strong and stout as they will God can tame them and bring them to his foote Further when he saith Lo all these things God worketh oftentimes with man This appellative man may be taken two wayes First Personally or individually that is he worketh thus oftentimes with the same man God is put to renew his actings more then once with one and the same man because he will not bow nor obey at first Secondly We may take this word man specially as implying severall men or men of all sorts as well as any one man of a sort That manner of speaking is frequent in the old Testament Job 1.4 And his sons went and feasted in their houses man his day q. d. unicunque hominum solet deus praedicta suae voluntatis judicia manifestare ut sit oratio distributiva Bold or every one his day So Jon 1.7 And they sayd every one to his fellow or man to his fellow so here God worketh these things oftentimes with man that is with severall men as seemeth good to him The speech is distributive For though we are not to understand it so largely as if God dealt thus with every particular man yet he deales thus with many men even with as many as himselfe pleaseth or hath purposed Lo All these things worketh God oftentimes with man Hence note Such is the goodness of God that though man is not wrought upon presently or at the first yet he will come a second or a third time to carry his worke through with him 'T is a mercy that God will speake once or use any means once with us 't is mercy that he will speake any one word in any one way to bring us off from sin 't is mercy that he will send one vision or one affliction to awaken us out of our security or one messenger to instruct us once in our duty but when the Lord is pleased to use severall meanes and those severall meanes severall times how doth the aboundant mercy and graciousness of God appeare in this And as the mercy of God in generall so the patience of God in speciall appeareth aboundantly in it The Lord waites to be gracious he waites the working of this or that means of a second and third meanes and he waites the working of them all over againe and againe or oftentimes here is patience with long-sufferance Secondly Observe God will perfect his worke and bring it to an issue with sinfull man God would not give over working to humble Job till he had fully humbled him And this made Job almost amazed at Gods dealing with him Chap 7.17 18 19. What is man that thou shouldest magnifie him and that thou shouldest set thy heart upon him And that thou shouldest visit him every morning and try him every moment Job seemed much troubled at this instancy of God with him and therefore expostulated in the next words How long wilt thou not depart from me nor let me alone till I swallow downe my spittle But for all his crying God would not depart from him nor let him alone for a morning no nor for a moment till he had finished his worke and accomplished his will both in him and upon him till he had brought his heart into a due frame and temper under his mighty hand If once or twice will not doe it he will doe it thrice The Lord is not weary either of working or waiting God is a rocke saith Moses Deut 32.4 and his worke is perfect and of all his workes that of grace is most perfect His visible providentiall works are perfect or shall be before he hath done with them or put his last hand to them but his invisible spirituall workes are most perfect as God worketh often to bring man out of the state of sin to grace so he will not cease working till grace be perfected he will worke till that worke is wrought to the height till the top-stone of it is set up or as the Apostle phraseth it Eph 4.13 Till we all come to a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ Though a man hath been once truly humbled yet God humbles him againe that he may be humbled gradually as well as truly to his own mind They that are humbled by affliction may need more afflictions to humble them The same meanes by which faith and repentance are wrought at first doe also encrease and strengthen faith and repentance Those meanes by which a man is at first purged are very proper for his further purging John 15.2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away and every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit As no man can be a true branch hypocrites and formalists are branches only in appearance and profession they were never truly purged now I say as no man can be a true branch till he is purged so God purgeth
soule or body he gives him a new life he brings him in one respect back from the grave and in another from hell As a sick man he is brought from the grave and as a sinner he is brought from hell Great deliverances are a kind of new creation And fresh blessings are to us as fresh beings Take these two inferences from it First How should they who have been under great outward afflictions praise the Lord when they are delivered They who having had the sentence of death in themselves should look upon themselves when restored as men raised from the dead And how should sinners praise the Lord when he hath reconciled them to himselfe and pardoned their sins In doing this for them he delivereth them from wrath from hell and from eternall death Let such praise the name of the Lord and say as in the text He hath delivered our soules from the pit Secondly Let such live unto God having received a new life from God They that have received a new temporall life from God ought to dedicate it unto God how much more they that have received new spirituall life They that have received it indeed cannot but dedicate it unto God This negative mercy calls aloud for all that we are or have to be given up to God but that positive mercy which followeth calleth yet lowder for it And to be enlightned with the light of the living Nomen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non sumitur pro quibuslibet hominibus hac vita fruentibus sed pro diviâ—ibus potentibuâ— vivere est vigere valere Sunt qui ad futuram vitaÌ„ referunt sed id sâ—nam quidem Allegoricè intelligi postquam ad literam de hac vita intellecteru Merc Take it for temporall spirituall or eternall life all these ends are accomplished in those mercifull workes of God to poore sinners some restraine the text to the light of this temporall life others enlarge it to the light of spirituall and eternall life We are enlightned with the light of the living When the comforts of this life are restored much more are they who are restored to the comforts of their spirituall life and so to the hope of eternall life By the living we are not to understand those who are barely on this side the grave and yet breath in the ayre or who have only a weake shadowed spirituall life which they scarce know of or perceive The living here are they that live comfortably and prosperously both as to soule and body Thus 't is sayd in that Prophecy of Christ Psal 72.13 He shall live and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba prayer also shall be made for him continually and dayly shall he be praised Christ lives to purpose he lives as a Prince in power and dignity yea he is the Prince of life It was more then a sensitive or rationall life which Davids faith was assured of when he sayd Psal 118.17 I shall not dye but live his meaning was I shall live honourably and triumphantly declaring with joy the workes of the Lord. Thus here To be enlightned with the light of the living is to enjoy a comfortable life or to live happily Hence note A troubled state is a dark state sickness and sorrow whether inward or outward are darkness They are darkned with the darkness of the dead whose life is wrapped up in anguish and sorrow Secondly Note The designe and purpose of God in all his ordinances and providences towards his people is for their good All that hath been sayd before emptieth it selfe into these sayings To keep back his soule from the pit and to be enlightned with the light of the living The Lord hath no eye in these workes to his owne gaine but mans good The Lord doth not willingly grieve nor afflict the children of men Lam 3.35 He taketh no pleasure in it abstractly considered nor doth he look for any profit by it Much lesse doth he it as it follows v. 36. meerely to crush under his feete all the prisoners of the earth All that he expects by it as to himselfe is to be glorified by all for himselfe is above all and therefore designeth himselfe in all yet the glory which God hath by man is only the manifestation of his glory not any addition to it The benefit which God aymes at in afflicting man returnes to man He would have man bettered by affliction and as soone as man is bettered by affliction every thing shall goe better with him and he shall be delivered from affliction Rom 8.28 All things worke together for the good of them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose And as all things worke together for the good of them who are the called according to his purpose so it is the purpose of God that all things should worke together for their good and that is not a successless purpose Indeed every rod upon the backs of the wicked hath a voyce in it to call them from the pit of death and destruction and to be enlightned with the light of the living but God makes this call effectuall to all his elect none of whom shall perish with the world So that a godly man should be so farre from judging himselfe dealt with as an enemy as Job in his extremity did when he is most sorely afflicted that indeed he may see the love and fatherly care of God in it All the providentiall dispensations of God worke to glorious ends Sometimes for the outward good of his people in this life alwayes for good as to their spirituall and eternall life Therefore lay aside hard thoughts of God whatsoever hard things he is a doing or you are suffering The wayes in which God leads us may possibly be very darke yet they run to this poynt to keep us from the pit of darkness and that we may be enlightned with the light of the living Thirdly Note Man would undoe himselfe both for here and for ever if God did not worke wonderfully for him and powerfully keep him from destruction All these things God worketh twice and thrice to keep our soules from the pit man left to himselfe would run head-long upon mischiefe in this world upon eternall misery in the world to come Nothing but the hand of God can hold man from ruining himselfe The heart of man is so set upon sin that he will rather loose his soule then leave his lust and will rather dye then that shall 'T is as easie to stay the motion of the Sun or to turne back the course of nature as to stay or turne back the naturall motion or course of the heart in sinning An almighty power must doe the latter as well as the former So that if the Lord did not put forth more then mercy even mercy clothed with power no man could be saved should God wish us never so well and tell us what good he hath layd up for us if we
we chuse it as wel as doe it that is unlesse our hearts close with it and pitch upon it Solomon Prov 1.29 chargeth the simple for not chusing what was good they did not chuse the feare of the Lord. By the feare of the Lord he meanes the true worship of the Lord or any worke of obedience by which we testifie a holy feare of him possibly they might doe the feare of the Lord possibly they worshipped the Lord they prayed to him and heard his word but they did not chuse the feare of the Lord they did not sit downe and judge that best or most necessary but tooke it up by accident or by custome or for company because they saw others doe it It will not turne to our account to be found doing good unlesse we chuse to our selves that which is good Our elections are more eyed by God then our actions and the setting of our hearts then the work of our hands Thirdly From the latter branch Let us know among our selves what is good Note First There 's nothing worth our knowing but that which is good Whatsoever hath a morall or a spirituall good in it is worthy to be knowne the truths the workes the wayes of God are the most desireable good things to be studied and knowne Psal 4.6 There are many will say who will shew us any good What 's their good Corne wine oyle gold silver houses lands c. these are their good and these are all their good but though a godly man knoweth that these are good things and blesseth God for any portion in them yet that which he call's his good and the good is of a higher nature We commonly call worldly things our goods but we mis-call them if we call them our good The Favour of God is our good grace is our good faith and love and hope and righteousnesse are good above all God himselfe is good and to know and enjoy him in Christ through the Spirit is our chiefest good here and will be all our good hereafter Let us know what is good From the Comparative sense of the words Let us know what is good that is if there be a better to be had let us know that Observe It is not enough for us to have the knowledge of good things but among good things the best are to be sought out to be knowne and attained to This was a speciall branch of the Apostles prayer for the Philippians Phil 1.10 That ye may approve the things that are excellent or the things that differ in excellency Some are contented to sit downe in the lowest forme of Christs Schoole if they have but any thing which they may call good or true right and sincere they looke no further any thing satisfieth them which will serve turne to keep them from perishing they have no holy aspirings nor godly covetous desires after the best things and the best of the best God is willing and hath promised to give us not only good things but the best things Psal 81.16 He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee 't is a mercy to have wheat but the finest of the wheat and honey out of the rock not ordinary honey but the best honey the purest honey are greater mercies We by our sins deserve that God should as the Prophet speakes Isa 30.20 give us the bread of adversity and the water of affliction that is either that he should give us adversity in stead of bread and affliction in stead of water or that he should feed us with the coursest bread with huskes and bran and give us bitter waters the waters of Marah to drinke yet he in mercy gives us pleasant bread and wel-tasted water yea were we better he would give us the best bread the finest of the wheat and our cup should be sweeter to us then the sweetest honey The reason why we have not of the best is because we are no better Yea God now gives us not only good things but the best of good things even himselfe his Son and Spirit who are best of all O how excellent is this loving kindness therefore let us not only look after good things but the best of good things to honour God and lift up his name to the highest in this world Let us labour to know and doe the best things and give God our best services and purest praises even the male of our flocke the first-borne the strength of our whole soules To these highest attainments Elihu perswades those wise and knowing men promising to joyne with them in that search Come let us beat out the business with diligence that we may at last chuse Judgement and know among our selves what is good what is best JOB Chap. 34. Vers 5 6 7 8 9. For Job hath said I am righteous and God hath taken away my Judgement Should I lie against my right my wound is incurable without transgression What man is like Job who drinketh up scorning like water Which goeth in company with the workers of iniquity and walketh with wicked men For he hath said It profiteth a man nothing that he should delight himselfe with God THe Preface hath been dispatcht the context of these five verses containes the whole charge or bill of complaint drawne up by Elihu against Job consisting of many particulars This charge is double The first part whereof is contained in the 5th and 6th verses the second in the 7th 8th and 9th verses In the first charge he alledgeth foure things against Job two in the 5th verse and two in the 6th The two things alledged against him in the 5th verse are First That Job insisted too much upon his owne righteousness Job hath said I am righteous Secondly That he reflected too boldly upon the righteousness of God yea that upon the matter he had accused God of unrighteousness or injustice God hath taken away my Judgement Vers 5. For Job hath said I am righteous That 's the first charge Job hath said Elihu gathers up and collects those passages of Jobs complaint which he found most faulty and layeth them as we say in his dish Job hath said we may well remember and he cannot deny it for he hath said it not once only but often not lightly but seriously and assertingly I am just or righteous that is I have sufficiently shewed my innocency and the equity of my cause but I am not permitted to declare and hold it forth in such a way as I would before my Judge yea the Lord proceedeth with me not in the ordinary way of Justice but being above law afflicts me at his pleasure though I am innocent This is the summe of what Job said as often as he hath sayd I am righteous The first particle which we render for imports Vocabulum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quia certitudinem et firmam asseverationem hic importat q.d. profecto equidem
of such as make excuses to shift themselves off from acts of charity they will say we know not whether it be so with him or no possibly he may not be in such want as he pretendeth Take heed of these cloaks of covetousnesse and pitifull pleas to save your purses from shewing pity to the poor for saith Solomon Will not God search it out and render to every man according to his worke The holy Scripture abounds in this poynt Read Jer. 32.19 Ezek. 33.10 Rom. 2.6 2 Cor. 5.10 1 Pet. 1.17 Rev. 22.12 But some may say how doth God render to every man his work Is it not said He justifieth the ungodly Rom. 4.5 Are the works of an ungodly man rendred to him when he is justified I answer it is one thing what God will do through free grace and another what he will deale out in strictnesse of Justice The Apostle speaks in that place of the free grace of God to sinners not of his Justice against sinners Secondly though God justifieth the ungodly yet he never justifieth ungodlinesse or though he justifieth a man who hath done many evill works yea all whose works are evill yet he never justifieth nor rewardeth the work of an evill man Thirdly God acts according to justice and righteousness where he justifieth the ungodly he doth not shew favour to the ungodly in his own wrong Acts of grace from God are not opposite to his Justice much lesse doe they contradict or overthrow it He doth not justifie an ungodly man in himselfe or meerly considered in his ungodlinesse but he justifieth him in the righteousness of another even of Jesus Christ who hath given full satisfaction to the Justice of God with respect to the ungodly whom he justifieth Lastly we may say that God renders the work of an ungodly man to him when he justifieth him for though then he hath not done nor ever can doe any works which deserve the justification of his person yet God doth render to him according to that present work of faith in closing with the promise and the work of Christs righteousnesse therein tendered to him and applyed by him for his justification Further that other Scripture seems to lye in the way of this observation Psal 103.10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins or rewarded us according to our iniquities How then doth God render every man his work I answer as before Acts of mercy do not cross acts of justice When the Lord doth not deal with any man according to his sins it is because he hath freely pardoned his sins and he doth not reward a man according to his iniquity because his iniquities are done away thus he deals with all his own people who are received to favour through Jesus Christ but no wicked man no impenitent person in the world shall have cause to say that God hath not dealt with him according to his sin or hath not rewarded him according to his iniquity There may be some present stops of Justice through the patience of God to wicked men their works are not alwayes presently rendered into their bosomes but they shall God will render to every man according to his work one way or other one time or other The full rendering to all men according to their works will be at the great day in this world the godly doe not somtimes receive according to their good works nor doe the wicked according to their evill works Good men are often rewarded with shame and reproach with want and poverty with banishment and imprisonment with tortures and with death in this present world but the Lord will have a time to render to them according to their workes though at no time for their works so look upon wicked men and their workes they goe often unpunished at the present yea many of them prosper greatly as I have had occasion to shew more then once in opening this Book they have their good things many good things in this life but the time will come when God will render to the wicked their work and they shall be forced to say that he hath caused them to find according to their wayes Take two or three inferences from this generall truth If God will render the work of a man to him Then First Godly men have great encouragement to doe good yea to abound in doing good workes That 's the Apostles argument 1 Cor 15.58 Be ye stedfast and unmoveable in the worke of the Lord forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vaine in the Lord that is the Lord will render to every man his labour Hence also that of Solomon Eccl 11.1 Cast thy bread upon the waters for thou shalt find it after many dayes Charities done in faith as an holy offering to God produce a sure encrease To give with a right heart to the poore is the best way of growing rich For God will render to man according to that work And as it may incourage to doe good so to doe it against all discouragements We must not only doe good when the Sun shines when it is faire weather with us and all men applaud us but though men frowne and scorne though which Solomon reports as one of the great vanities of this world Eccl 4.4 For a right worke a man be envied of his neighbour let us not hold our hand from doing good though we are opposed and checkt though we are traduced and slandred though we are mis-interpreted and have the foulest glosses put upon our fairest workes though men call our zeale madness and our circumspect walking hypocrisie yea though we are persecuted and suffer the worst of evills though men cast stones at us as they did at Christ for his good workes yet let us not be deterred from doing good For howsoever men deale with us or what rendrings soever we find from the world yet God will render to us both according to the rightnesse of our worke done and according to the uprightnesse of our hearts in doing it Let this provoke us not only to doe the Lords worke but to doe it with much patience and perseverance for in due time we shall reape if we faint not where there hath been sowing there will be reaping and where the seed time hath been with teares the harvest or reaping time shall be with joy Secondly This is a dreadfull doctrine to evill workers Some as the Apostle calls the Cretians out of their owne Prophet are evill beasts slow bellyes and as they are slothfull or slow bellyes at doing good so they are very free and forward very quicke lively and nimble beasts in doing evill O how should evill workers tremble at this Scripture To every man will God render according to his worke as a cup of cold water given to a disciple in the name of a disciple shall not be lost but have a reward and the giver fully payd for it Math 10.42 so not any the least evill worke impenitently continued
in shall be unpunished Further God will not render to man according to the opinion he hath of himselfe A bad man and the worst of his workes may be good in his owne conceit He may flatter himselfe in his owne eyes untill his iniquity be found to be hatefull Psal 36.2 But God will render unto man according to what his workes are in truth Secondly God will not render to man according to the thoughts which others have of him and of his work some are high in the opinion not only of the world but of some Good men they have a name to be alive while they are dead and their workes dead workes but God will render to man according to that cleare certaine and infallible knowledge which himselfe by whom actions are weighed 1 Sam 2.3 hath of them Thirdly God will not render to man according to his good meanings when his workes are evill many will confesse they have done amisse but they had good intendments in it A right end will not excuse us if our way be wrong There is no pleading of meanings against commandements nor will sincerity of intentions cover the deformity and irregularity of actions The Apostle pronounceth a fearefull doome against those who sayd Rom 3.8 Let us doe evill that good may come whose damnation is just Fourthly As God will not render according to a mans good ends if his worke be evill so remember God will not render to man according to his good workes if his ends are bad Therefore consider your end when you enter your way and begin your worke Pro 21.27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord how much more when he bringeth it with an evill mind that is when he hath some bad end in doing it A wicked mans sacrifice is an abomination to the Lord at the best but much more when he hath base designes in his sacrifices or holy services Herod sayd to the wise men Math 3.8 Goe and search diligently for the young child and when ye have found him bring me word againe that I may come and worship him also It was a good worke to enquire after Christ and worship him but his end was to destroy him Jezebel pretended a holy fast but her end was to feast her selfe with revenge upon innocent Naboth The best workes of hypocrites will have an ill returne because they doe them with an evill mind There are three sorts of good workes which will never turne to a good account First Those good works which are done but for a season temporary good workes or the good workes of temporary professors such as are described Math 13.5 7. by the 2d and 3d grounds who bring forth for a while but afterwards fall away such good workes I say shall not have a good reward If your goodness be as the morning cloud and as the early dew it passeth away it will doe you no good He that endureth to the end shall be saved and none but he Math 10.22 Christ exhorts the Church Rev 3.11 Hold that fast which thou hast that no man take thy crowne They loose the good workes they have done who hold not out in doing them It will not advantage us to begin in the Spirit if we end in the flesh Secondly Those good works which are trusted to or boasted of will never make a good returne Though a man should continue doing good all the dayes of his life yet if he buildeth his hope upon it his hope shall be cut off and his trust that is what he trusteth to shall be a spiders web that is weake like that because like that woven out of his owne bowels he shall leane upon his house but it shall not stand he shall hold it fast but it shall not endure Job 8.14 15. you and your workes will perish together if you depend upon your workes Good workes trusted to are as dangerous to the soule as evill workes persevered in Thirdly Those good workes which are done for base ends to serve men or to compasse a worldly interest shall have no reward from God but that which shall be upon every soule that sinneth and repenteth not anguish and tribulation JOB Chap. 34. Vers 12 13. Yea surely God will not doe wickedly neither will the Almighty pervert Judgement Who hath given him a charge over the earth or who hath disposed the whole world ELihu proceedeth in the proofe of this poynt the vindication of the righteousnesse of God with a strong asseveration Vers 12. Yea surely There is a mighty force of affirmation in the originall words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Irgons est in origi-nali assertionu vis we may parallel them with those assertive speeches frequently used by our Saviour Jesus Christ in the Gospel Amen Amen Verily verily I say unto you Yea surely is as much as verily verily as if Elihu had sayd There is no question to be made of what I affirme that God is righteous or will not doe wickedly as the Apostle writ to Timothy about the great mystery of the Gospel God manifested in the flesh 1 Tim 3.16 without controversie great or as the word imports confessedly on all hands great is the mystery of Godlinesse so here Elihu might speak to Job This is a truth beyond dispute or controversie an unquestionable truth and such a truth that if once confessed will quickly determine all the Questions which are depending between you and me There are some Master-truths ruling truths such a one is this in the text Yea surely or undoubtedly God will not doe wickedly Hence note It becomes us to grow up into highest confidences about the truths of God especially about the truth and Justice of God We should not be as meteors hanging in the ayre speaking with hesitation possibly it is so peradventure it is true but as the Apostle directs the Collossians Chap. 2.3 We must labour to grow up unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding as there is a full assurance of faith in believing of hope in waiting or expecting so also of understanding in apprehending the things of God We should be in a sense Masters of truth and then we are so indeed when truth hath fully mastered us and prevailed upon both our judgement and affections and we are led captive by light to the love and obedience of it We have cause to bewayle those much more have they cause to bewayle themselves who are but Scepticks or Questionests in Religion never coming to a poynt nor able after a due making up of their thoughts to say Thus it is and by this we will abide as Elihu did in the then present case delivering himselfe confidently yea surely or verily verily God will not doe wickedly To cleare the meaning in this Negative assertion we must take in the highest affirmatives of the holinesse and Justice of the righteousnesse truth and faithfulnesse of God For it sounds like a flat and low commendation of God to say
charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem which is in Judah who is there among you of all his people The Lord his God be with him and let him goe up God hath charged me saith Cyrus or he hath made that my businesse a businesse incumbent upon me to build him a house in Jerusalem that is to further the worke to give the Jewes leave to build the Temple of Jerusalem God hath charged me with this great trust and I am willing to answer it The same thing is recorded almost in the same words Ezra 1.2 Thus saith Cyrus King of Persia the Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he hath Charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah God giveth Princes their Charge supreame soveraigne Princes yea he giveth inferiour Princes and Magistrates their Charge but saith Elihu Who hath given him a Charge Certainly no man There is yet a twofold reading of this former part of the verse both considerable First Thus Who for him hath visited the earth As if it had been sayd Hath God set any to visit or to look to the earth for him as if himselfe stood by and did nothing God useth the power of man he sets up Magistrates to worke for him but he never puts the worke out of his owne hand nor doth he need any hand to helpe him in that worke though he useth many and though he saith By me yea for me Kings reigne yet we may say with Elihu in the notion now exprest Who for him hath visited the earth that 's a good reading Secondly Who over him doth visit the earth Is God any mans Vicegerent is he a Lord Deputy or a Viceroy No there is no man visits the earth over him for as we render clearely Who hath given him a Charge over the earth As if he had sayd If God be an unjust Judge is there any superiour Judge to whom we may appeale for remedy or redresse of our injuries Who over him visiteth or who hath given him a charge over the earth That is over the inhabitants of the earth or over the affayres of the earth The Earth by a Synecdoche of the Continent for the matter contained is here put for all persons and transactions over the face of the whole earth Who hath layd that great Charge the disposall of all things and people in the earth upon God surely no man on earth no Angel in heaven nor all of them put together How should God derive a governing power from them who derive their very power of being from him He governes in his owne right not by commission or deputation We have the same poynt affirmed at the 36th Chapter of this Booke v. 23d Who hath enjoyned him his way God knoweth and taketh his owne way no man sheweth much lesse commandeth him his way Who hath given him a Charge over the earth Or who hath disposed the whole world This Question as the former containes a Negation no Creature none besides God hath disposed of the whole world or of all of the world Mr Broughton renders Who hath setled all the dwelt land The word which we translate disposed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 posuit arto cura et ordine quod est disposuit signifies to place with a kind of art exactly orderly carefully Who hath thus disposed the whole world There is a double disposition of the world First In Creation who hath disposed joynted and put the whole world in frame who hath marshall'd the severall parts of the world as they now stand like the Host of God The world as created is expressed in the Greek by beauty and order before God perfected the creation all was a confused heape without forme and voyd But that rude indigested matter was drawne forth in the severall works of that six-dayes Creation into a most beautifull forme and order Thus God once disposed all the world by Creation Secondly God dayly disposeth the world by providence And that 's the disposure which this text especially speakes of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 orbù habitabilis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vocant i. e. hâ—mines degentes in orbe habitabili Pisc Who hath disposed in a providentiall way the whole world The word rendred world properly signifies the habitable world we find it opposed to the wildernesse or desert Isa 14.17 where few or none inhabite That word is very significantly used here for the world because the habitable part of the world or where men inhabite are the stages on which the providences of God appear and act most eminently convincingly Who hath disposed of the habitable world which the Greekes call The house of abiding Mr Broughton The dwelt land that is the land wherein men dwell Againe As the earth before is put for the inhabitants and occurrences of the earth so whatsoever passeth or is brought to passe in the world is here called the world Who hath disposed the whole world He that made the whole world disposeth of the whole world providence followeth Creation But some may say Is this a good Argument to prove that God is just because he hath the supreame power over all the world Will it follow that he administreth all things rightly because he hath a right to administer all things There seemes but little of Argument in this may some say many have a great deale of power who abuse it and they that have most power usually abuse it most and make it but a servant to their lusts and passions therefore how is it a proofe that the Lord is righteous and will doe no iniquity because he hath the power of all things in his hand or is Lord over all I answer This is a strong argument and as I remember a good Author calls it a peremptory argument which can have no deniall The Lord is righteous because he is Lord over all he is not King of some corner of the World he is not King of the whole World by election or vote of the World he is not chosen at all much lesse as many have been by evill means and wicked combinations God is the supreame governer of all the world by naturall right not choyce yet not as some Princes are by naturall right of succession inheriting after a mortall father but by the naturall right of creation himself being the father of that world over which he is a governour The Originall of Gods power is stated in himself The eternall being of God and his supreame authority are inseparable Yea God is not only thus supreame in administring Justice but he is the summe or fullnesse of Law and Justice and therefore cannot pervert it He whose power and goodnesse gave the world its being how should he act any thing which is not good in the exercise of his power over the World Jnjustice is the breach of a Law but how can God break a Law who is the source and fountaine of all
heed we be not found disobeying Secondly Seeing God hath the Charge of all the earth we should as readily submit to his dispensations works and dealings as to his commands The Jewes of old complained Ezek 18.29 The way of the Lord is not equall They did even tell him to his face his wayes were not equall and therefore they would not submit The Church in captivity spake well Lam 3.28 Out of the mouth of the most high proceedeth not evill and good that is whatsoever the Lord hath pronounced to doe or hath done concerning us is morally good and not evill though it be penally evill and not good Eli spake wel also to this poynt 1 Sam 3.18 It is the Lord let him doe what seemes good in his owne eyes yet the thing which God was about to doe was such v. 11. as at which both the eares of every one that heard it should tingle To have the heart quiet while the eares tingle is pure submission And any unquietness or murmurings at the dealings of God whether respecting our persons or our familyes Churches or Nations are in some degree rebellions against the soveraigne power of God Thirdly If the Lord be supreame and have the charge over all the earth then let us set him up as supreame in all things let his ends be above our ends let us designe God in all we doe He who is over all ought to be honoured by all All our actions as so many lines ought to center in his honour who is the Center of power Of him and through him and to him are all things saith the Apostle Rom 11.36 Because all things are of him creating them and through him governing them therefore all things should be to him that is all persons should in all things they doe yea in all things that are done ayme at and designe his glory as the Apostle expressely concludeth the verse before cited To whom be glory for ever Thirdly Whereas it is sayd Who hath given him a Charge over the earth or who hath disposed not a part or parcell or canton or corner of but the whole world Observe The power of God is an universall power It is extended throughout the world to every patch and inch of it What David saith of the Sun Psal 19.6 His going forth is from the end of heaven and his circuit unto the ends of it and there is nothing hid from the heate thereof The same may we say of the circuit of Gods power there is nothing hid from nor set beyond it There is a four-fold universality of the power of God First In regard of persons Psal 97.9 Thou Lord art high above all the earth thou art exalted farre above all Gods that is above the Kings and powers of the earth whom the Scripture calleth Gods If God hath a power over the Kings of the earth then surely over the people of the earth yea God is not only exalted and farre exalted above this or that God or King but above them all This is a supremacy with utmost universality Secondly His power is universall as to places and nations some places claime priviledge and are exempt from the jurisdiction of Princes if obnoxious persons get thither they are free from the course of the Law There were Cities of refuge among the Jewes and Sanctuaries in the dayes of old among us where evill-doers could not be toucht But the power of the Lord reacheth all places even to the hornes of the Altar Psal 83.18 Thou whose name alone is Jehovah art most high over all the earth Thirdly His power is universall as in all places so over all things it extends to the starrs of heaven and to the fowles of the ayre to the beasts of the earth and to the fishes of the Sea to whatsoever moves in this world they are all at the command of God if he doth but speake they run and execute his will Fourthly His power is universall in reference to time 't is never out nor shall ever end he is King immortall and King eternall his Kingdome is an everlasting Kingdome The power of God is an universall power in all these considerations His power of Governing is of the same extent as his power of creating was that which he created at once he governes alwayes He did not set up the fabrick of this world and then leave it to it selfe but he preserveth and ordereth all things in it The wel-being the orderly being of the creature is as much of God as the being of it Some say God made the world at first and set all the wheeles of it a-going but now things goe on by chance by fortune or by accident at least particular events are not under his government but come to passe as the wisdome or folly of men is most active in the production of them I answer to set up blind fortune and chance yea or the wit and policy of man as governing the world is to set up other Gods in the world if chance and fortune or the wit of man governe any part of the world then they had a part in making the world If you divide one power you divide the other For those invisible things of God his eternal power and God-head are as much or as evidently seene in the things which are done as in the things which are made 'T is true indeed God useth many hands in governing ordering and disposing the things of this world The Princes of this world are eminently his hand but God doth not use any power in governing this world Non eget alienis adjutorijs ad regendum mundum qui non eguit ad fatiendum Greg Lib 24. Moral ca. 26. to diminish his owne nor doth he withdraw his owne power what power soever he useth 't is his power that acts effectually and gives successe in the acting of all power It was sayd to that King who prided himselfe in what he had done in the world Shall the Axe boast it selfe against him that heweth therewith or shall the saw magnifie it selfe against him that shaketh it Isa 10.15 As if the Lord had sayd to that proud Assyrian Prince Dost thou looke upon thy selfe as if thou didst all and governedst all thou art no more in the governing the world though the chiefe earthly Governour of all the world then an Axe is in the hand of him that useth it And though the artificer cannot doe his worke without an Axe though he cannot divide his Timber without a saw yet I the Lord am able to doe my worke without thee At best and most men are but instruments in the hand of God and he serves his owne turne by men not to signifie that he cannot worke without them nor that his worke is done either with more ease to himselfe or more successe as to it selfe by their helpe he is not so weake as to need helpe nor is at all strengthned by the helpe he useth but only to shew that as he
of the night as the words may be rendred that 's a great aggravation of the judgement The night is a time of rest and midnight is the time of deepest rest so that for the people to be in a tumult or troubled at midnight is to be overtaken with matter of fear when fear seemed furthest off or when they suspected nothing to make them afraid David saith of some Psal 3.5 There were they in great fear where no fear was To fear at midnight is to fear when usually no fear is that is when people are at rest in their beds And so to say the people shall be troubled at midnight signifieth either First the coming of trouble upon a secure people Cum maximè securi upon a people who thought themselves and while they thought themselves not only out of the noise but reach of danger Or secondly It may signifie the coming of trouble upon a people altogether unfit to help themselves when a man is asleep he cannot give counsel how to prevent danger and while he is in his bed he is in no posture to oppose it All this may well be included in what Elihu saith The people shall be troubled at midnight Hence Note First There are National troubles as well as personal God can scare not only a family or this and that particular man but a whole people at once he cannot only make a childe or a woman but a multitude yea an Army of mighty men tremble like a childe and faint as the weakest woman A people are many yet every man shall be as if he were alone or but one in the midst of innumerable dangers and of a thousand deaths Moses in his Song foresaw the dread of Nations upon the report of the Lord 's miraculous conduct of Israel through the red Sea Exod. 15.14 15 16. The people shall hear and be afraid sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina all the inhabitants of Canaan shal melt away And when Christ speaks of those dreadful Prognosticks of his coming he not only saith There shall be signes in the Sun and in the Moon and in the Stars but upon the Earth distress of Nations with perplexity Luke 21.25 Secondly Observe Both personal and publick troubles are at the command of God as both publick and personal peace are A people as well as a person may and shall be troubled even at the midnight of their greatest security if God give the word I make peace saith the Lord Isa 45.7 and create evill that is the evill of trouble There will be occasion afterward to speak further of this poynt from those words v. 29. When he giveth quietness who can give trouble and when he hideth his face who can behold him Whether it be done against a nation or against a man only trouble of all sorts is at the command of God if he saith to such or such a mischiefe goe to a nation it will goe if he bid the sword trouble them if he bid pestilence trouble them if he bid famine trouble them if he bid their owne divisions trouble them the people shall be troubled yea they shall be troubled at midnight Whence note Thirdly Trouble takes or seazeth upon many when they least expect it God can send trouble when no man thinkes of it At midnight every one is in bed all are for rest and quiet The Lord usually executes his judgements upon the unwary world upon a secure people Exod 12.29 At midnight the Lord smote all the sirstborne in the land of Egypt c. And Pharoah rose up in the night he and all his servants and all the Egyptians and there was a great cry in Egypt We read also 2 Kings 19.35 In that night the Angel of the Lord went out and smote in the campe of the Assyrians an hundred four-score and sive thousand It was not a day-battel but a night-battel When they were all gone into their tents and were at rest when the Army was secure In that night did the Lord fight them by an Angel and made a mighty slaughter among them Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans was slaine in the night Dan 5.30 even in that night wherein he made a feast to a thousand of his Lords and dranke wine before the thousand v. 1. In that night not only of his security but of his jollity and sensuality when he had even drowned himselfe and his great Lords with wine and belly-cheare in that very night the City was broken up and Belshazzar slaine History tells us what dreadfull work was made upon the Babylonians that night The great Judgement day is so described Jesus Christ will at last trouble the world at midnight The Day of the Lord so cometh saith the Apostle 1 Thes 5.2 as a thiefe in the night when they shall say peace and safety then sudden destruction cometh upon them c Christ himselfe shadowing his coming under the parable of the ten Virgins who all slumbred and slept tells us Math 25.6 At midnight there was a cry made Behold the Bridegroome conteth goe ye out to meete him Though some were in a better condition then others some wise some foolish yet all slept and it was a kind of midnight to them all Christ will come and the people shall be troubled at midnight and then there will be a dreadfull Cry among the secure drowsie world Therefore the Counsell of Christ is most proper Math 13.35 Watch because ye know not at what houre your Master may come whether at even or at midnight or at Cock-trowing or in the morning It is hard to be put to it at midnight 't is sad to be in a sleepy or slumbring condition when evill comes The Gospel sheweth us how much that man was troubled when his neighbour came to borrow bread of him at midnight Luke 11.5.7 Trouble me not my children are with me in bed I cannot rise and give thee If it be matter of trouble to be called out of our bed to doe a courtesie for a friend at midnight O what will it be to be called up to Judgement or to be surprized with any Judgement at midnight Therefore prepare and be ready for all changes At midnight the people shall be troubled And passe away These words are a third part of the description of the Judgement of God upon a people they shall die they shall be troubled they shall passe away that is some of them shall die all shall be troubled others shall passe away There is a three-fold notion of passing away First Some expound it thus They shall be carried captive out of their own Country This with the former two make up a perfect Judgement upon any people Some shall die or be slaine all shall be troubled and vext they shall be at their wits end and the rest shall be carried away captive Secondly They shall pass away that is they shall pass into their graves the forme of speech here used may well beare that
mighty God Isa 9.6 called himselfe a worme and no man in his humiliations for the redemption of lost man Psal 22.6 What are the mightiest men but wormes to God who is so mighty that if he say the word wormes become their Masters The mighty Giants are before God but pigmy's punyes or children The Prophet gives a good warning Jer 9.23 Let not the mighty man glory in his might Let him not glory in the might of his arme Let him not glory in the might of his armes or Armies though man have an Army of mighty men about him yet let him not glory in them no nor in the might of his power or authority If any man useth his might against God what is his might unto God Psal 58.1 Why boastest thou O mighty man that thou canst doe mischiefe If a man be mighty and have a mind to doe mischiefe with his might especially if he boasteth in his might because he can doe mischiefe with it he is not only sinfull but weake and foolish There is no greater morall weakness then to boast either of naturall martiall or civill strength Could any of the mighty men of this world stand before the might of God they had somewhat to boast of Read the word of the Lord against the mighty Isa 2.10 Behold the Kings and Captaines of the earth trembling before the presence of the Lambe Rev 6.15 and then judge how weake the strongest are before the Lord All ages are full of teaching examples that there is no might to his who is Almighty Secondly Note What ever God will doe he can easily doe it He can effect it with a looke with a cast of his eye he can doe it with a breath of his mouth he can doe it with a word It is said Exod 14.24 God looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and through the cloud and troubled the host of the Egyptians and tooke off their Chariot wheeles that they drave them heavily To looke upon them was an easie thing God did not give them a stroake with his hand but only a looke with his eye and that overthrew them Thirdly Note God can do the greatest things alone He can subdue the mighty though none come forth to his help against the mighty they are cursed who do not help the Lord against the mighty when they set their might against the Lord Judg. 5.23 Curse ye Mero◠saith the angel of the Lord curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof because they came not forth to the help of the Lord to the help of the Lord against the mighty But though it be the sin of man not to help the Lord against the mighty yet the withdrawing of their help doth not hinder the Lord in his purpose against the mighty For He taketh away the mighty without hands Though men stir not though angels should not stir to his help yet his own arm can bring either salvation or destruction It is said of the Lord Isa 44.24 He stretched out the heavens alone there was none to help him to unfold that vast canopy of heaven he stretcht out the heavens alone As in the Creation he made all alone so in Providence he can act and effect all alone It is a great glory to God that he hath many instruments to help him many tongues to speak for him many hands to work for him but it is a greater glory to God that he needs none to help him none to speak or work for him In this the glory of the Lord infinitely outshines the glory of all the mighty Kings and Princes of the earth They have done and can do mighty things but not without hands and therefore they have the hands of thousands at command for them 't is not their place to put their hand to the work 't is enough that they give commands and orders 't is the duty of others to execute all their righteous commands and fulfil their orders But the Lord hath not only a commanding power but an executing power too in himself though no hand move yet his affairs stand not still God and all creatures put together are no more then God alone without any creature Many are useful but none are necessary unto God Take two inferences from it First This is matter of terror to wicked men though they see no hand in the world against them much less any able to match them least of all to check them yea though they see all hands for them yet this is no security to them this is no assurance of one hours safety seeing the Lord taketh away the mighty without hand and he usually doth it when they see not which way any hand can reach them It is the conclusion of one of the Ancients upon this place in reference to a mighty oppressour He is invisibly pull'd down Invisibilitèr rapitur qui visibiliter rapiebat Gregor who did visibly pull down He ruined others with hands but himself shall be ruin'd without hand he saw him whom he took away but he shall not see him who takes him away Let them who live without fear of any hand remember the Apostles admonition Heb. 10.31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hand of the living God who takes away the mighty without hand Secondly This is matter of wonderful comfort to all that fear God and trust upon him whether Princes or people whether mighty men or mean men What though ye see no hand for you yet 't is enough if he be for you who saves you without hand The protecting and saving power of God is as great and as effectual as his destroying power is yea he oftner saves without hand then he destroyes without hand As the Kings of the earth so the great King of heaven and earth loves to deal his favours and bestow his rewards immediately with his own hand but usually afflicts and punisheth by the hands of others That 's a most pregnant Scripture to this purpose Hos 1.7 where the Lord promiseth to save Judah But Judah might say I am in a very low condition and no help appears Therefore he addeth I will save them by the Lord their God and will not save them by Bowe nor by Sword nor by Battel nor by Horses nor Horsemen Judah shall be saved though there be no hand to save them I will save them saith the Lord by the Lord their God I will do it immediately And the Lord doth not only say in the affirmative he will save them without hand but he saith also in the Negative that he will not save them with hands But I will not save them by Bowe nor Sword nor Battel nor Horses nor Horsemen there shall be no appearance of these helps I have heretofore destroyed you by Sword and Bowe by Horses and Horsemen but I will have all the honour and thanks of your salvation to my self Though the Lords people have neither horses nor horsemen though they are as
man Thus if we take the wayes in that distinction of internal and external the eyes of God are upon them Secondly Take the wayes of man as differenced in their kinds as they are either good or evil the eyes of the Lord are upon both They are saith Solomon Prov. 15.3 in every place beholding the evil and the good that is the evil wayes and the good wayes of men But saith not the Prophet Habbak 1.14 Thou art of purer eyes then to behold evil Which may seem at first reading to imply that God doth not behold the evil wayes or actings of men I answer if we distinguish the word behold we shall soon reconcile these Scriptures To behold is either to discerne what is before us or to behold is to approve what is before us There is a seeing of knowledge and there is a seeing of contentment now when the Prophet saith the Lord is of purer eyes then to behold evil his meaning is he doth not he cannot behold evil with contentment or approbation otherwise the Lord beholds evil even all the evil in the world both good and evil are before him who is himself only and altogether good His eyes are upon the ways of Man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not only upon the wayes of this or that man but of every man let man be what he will for a man let him be a great man or a mean man let him be a rich man or a poor man let him be a wise man or a fool let him be an ignorant or a knowing man let him be a holy or a prophane man let him be a subtle or a simple man his eyes are upon him Those things which difference men among themselves make no difference at all among them as to the eye of God His eyes are upon the wayes of whomsoever you can câ—ll man And he seeth all his goings This latter clause of the verse is of the same sence with the former therefore I shall not stay upon the opening of it The Scripture often useth Synonoma's and repeats the same thing in other terms to shew the truth and certainty of it and surely the Spirit gives a double stroke here to strike this truth home into our hearts and fasten it in our mindes He beholdeth the wayes and he seeth alâ— the goings of man The word translated seeing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth a very curious or critical sight as was opened before Again these latter words say he seeth All his goings Where we have the universal particle exprest which was only understood in the forme And though these two words wayes and goings may be expounded for the same thing yet in this conjunction we may distinguish them by understanding the word wayes for the constant course of a man's life and the word goings for his particular and renewed motions in those wayes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 incedore cum pompa propriè deambulare The Original word rendred goings signifies somtimes going with much caution yea with a kinde of state or pomp yet frequently any ordinary going Now when Elihu asserts The Lord seeth all his goings we may sum up the matter under these five considerations He seeth First Where he goeth what his path is Secondly He seeth whether he is going what he makes the end of his journey or travel Thirdly when he goeth or sets out what time he takes for every undertaking Fourthly how far he goeth the Lord takes notice of everystep what progress he makes in any business good or bad Fifthly he seeth in what manner he goeth with what heart with what mind or frame of soule he goeth Thus distinct and exact is the Lord in beholding the wayes and in seeing all the goings of man Hence note First Surely the Lord is a God of knowledge If we could conceive a man to have his eyes in all places and upon all persons an eye upon all hearts and an eye in all hearts as wel as an eye upon all hands you would say this man must needs be a knowing man especially if he have such an eye as the eye of God is a discerning eye a distinguishing eye a trying eye an eye which seeth to the bottome of whatsoever it seeth Hannah sayd this in her song 1 Sam. 2.3 Speak not so proudly let not arrogancy come out of your lips for the Lord is a God of knowledge and by him actions are weighed 'T is not a slight superficial knowledge which God hath of things or persons by him actions are weighed and so are the Actors God puts all into an even ballance and he will weigh both persons and actions to a graine yea every word and thought shall goe into the ballance It was said to that great Monarch Belteshazer by a hand-writing upon the wall Thou art weighed in the ballances The Lord weighed that great King he weighed all his power and the exercise of it and he that weigheth Kings will not leave the meanest subject unweighed by him actions are weighed We many times passe over our actions without consideration and never take the weight of them at least we never weigh them in the Sanctuary ballance If they will beare weight in the ballance of the world we presume they will in Gods ballance also But as the Lord is a God of knowledge otherwise then man is so by him actions are weighed otherwise then by man It is said of Idolls Psal 115.15 They have eyes and see not but we may say of the Lord Jehovah the true God the living God he hath properly no eyes yet he seeth and his faculty of seeing is infinitely above that which himselfe hath planted in man The Atheist while he is about the worst work in the world the breaking in pieces of the people of God and afflicting his heritage while he is slaying the widow and the stranger and murdering the fatherlesse while he is I say at such kind of worke as this he saith Psal 94.7 The Lord shall not see neither shall the God of Jacob regard it But what saith the Psalmist to him and such as he v. 8 9. Vnderstand ye brutish among the people he that formed the eye shall not he see Those words of the Prophet to King Asa 2 Chron 16.9 The eyes of the Lord run too and fro through the whole earth are an allusion to a man who having a desire to know much or to see all in the world runs up and down travels from place to place from Country to Country for information The Lord would have us know that he knoweth every thing as exactly as they who run from place to place to see what 's done in every place It is prophecyed of the latter times Dan 12.4 Many shall run too and fro and knowledge shall be increased that is many shall be so graciously greedy of knowledge that they will refuse no labour nor travel to attaine it They will run too and fro to inquire and search for it they
yea all that hath been contrived in his heart Thirdly He is most just and will not be taken off from doing less neither can he be provoked to do more then is right to any man Fourthly How should man fear to enter into judgement with God seeing his judgments are past finding out they are as the Scripture saith a great deep we are not able to fathome them therefore wo unto those that complain of or murmure against them we should alwayes pray with David Psal 143.2 Lord enter not into judgement with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified and we should alwayes be afraid to enter into judgement with God for he will not only justifie but magnifie himself and his works in the sight of all men living We should be so far from entring into judgement with God which many do when they think they do it not that we should continually beg him not to enter into judgement with us for we are not only unable to stand before him but must certainly be broken before him as it followeth Vers 24. He shall break in pieces mighty men without number and set others in their stead As Job had often complained of his own troubles so he had somtimes of the prosperity of wicked men or that God suffered them who were not worthy to live yet to live in pomp power and pleasure Thus he expostulated the matter chap. 21.7 Wherefore do the wicked live become old yea are mighty in power c. We may conceive Elihu removing that stumbling stone and answering him in these words while he telleth us what work the Lord often maketh in the world in those his lesser and particular dayes of judgement among the mighty of the world He not only striketh and woundeth troubleth and vexeth them but breaketh them yea breaketh them in pieces 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est ictibus subigere mollire The words are a comparison between the mighty a potters vessel of whom David saith Psal 2.9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron thou shalt not only give them a knock or a crack but dash them in pieces as a potters vessel and he can break them so small that there shall not be found in the bursting of them as the Prophet speaks Isa 30.14 a shâ—rd to take fire from the hearth or to take water withal out of the pit Thus the Lord shall break in pieces not the poor and weak and mean but Mâ—ghty men Or as some render He shall break in pieces many men Hieronymus interpretatur multos the Hebrew word refers to both quantities to great in bigness and great in number but because we have their innumerableness mentioned distinctly in the next clause 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad utramque quantitatem refertur sed malo fortes Merc. it is best to render the word by greatness in power or might here For least any should think God could break only a few mighty men therefore it is said he shall break in pieces mighty men in all the notions of might the mighty in corporal strength the mighty in civil strength power or authority yea martial mighty men if they stand in his way and hinder his work Without number All these God breaketh in pieces like a Potters vessel as if they were but a swarm of flies and sweeps them away in a moment As if he had said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ita ut numerus eorum investigari non possit Pisc Certo numero contineri non possunt quos propter peccata Dei justitia conteret Aqui. God will give innumerable examples of his infinite power and unbyass'd justice in destroying the wicked he hath and will destroy so many of them that no man knoweth how many he hath destroyed or will destroy There is another reading of the words Our Translators put it in the margin of our Bibles He shall break in pieces mighty men without searching out which may have a two-fold interpretation First He shall break them in pieces and no man ought to search or enquire into his doings or say unto him as that mighty Monarch confessed Dan. 4.35 What doest thou And thus it answers what was said in the former verse They shall not enter into judgement with God Some have a priviledge at Sea to pass without searching no man must enquire what they carry or what their lading is surely when the Lord breaketh mighty men no man may search into his doings or enquire into his actions further then for his own instruction and admonition that he may answer the purpose of God in them and give him glory Secondly He will break them in pieces without searching that is Deus cui omnia nota sunt non opus habet in facta hominum inquirere Drus without any formal examination or usual wayes of Process at least without any known to us The Lord needs not to stand searching as men do to finde out matters against the mighty to frame articles or to bring in his Bill of Attainder against them God needeth not search to know because he knoweth all things without searching and therefore may justly break men in pieces without this kinde of searching or He will break them in pieces without inquisition that is without shewing cause why God doth not alwayes publish the reasons of his proceedings his judgements are often secret though never unjust We render well He will break in pieces mighty men Without number That is how many soever they are or though they are innumerable yet he will break them in pieces as one man Thus the word is used chap. 5.9 chap. 9.11 In both which places the Reader may finde the extent and emphasis of this expression without number further explained only consider that these mighty men without number may be taken two wayes First Collectively as combined by leagues or as marshall'd by orders into an Host as if he had said though an Army of them be gathered together even a numberles Army yet the Lord can break them in pieces Isa 8.9 Associate your selves and ye shall be broken in pieces gird your selves and ye shall be broken in pieces Secondly We may take these mighty men singly or personally Thus the Lord breaketh in pieces mighty men without number one after another one at this time and another at that time how many of them soever arise up one after another to oppose him to oppress his people or to do wickedly they shall surely be broken Mr Broughton renders to this sence He bruiseth mighty men without end he doth not break them without end as having no end in breaking them but as without end notes his breaking them endlesly or for ever If men will sin without end he can break them without end he can renew destruction as fast as they renew transgression Hence Observe First God can easily ruine the mightiest men of the world He can break them
they that are really wicked shall be dealt with as wicked men though they make a high profession of godliness in the Church even them will God strike also as wicked men Christ speakes of some Math 7.22 who made a lâ—â—d profession of religion with whom yet he dealt as with wicked men Depart from me saith he I know ye not ye workers of iniquity Though God doth not deal alike with all wicked men yet he deales with them all like wicked men There is not one wicked man in the world but he shall be dealt with according to his kind that is as a wicked man and shall have that for his portion which is the portion of their Cup who are wicked As the Godly so the wicked whether prophane or false and hypocriticall shall be esteemed and handled by God like themselves or as they are Secondly From the first word as it is taken causally upon which many insist Note The reason why wicked men â—ne stricken is because they are wicked Were not men wicked they should never feele such stroakes from the hand or rather iron rod of God If any smart and are ruin'd they may thank themselves for it that is their sins for it their sufferings are the fruits of their sin The Prophet told the sinfull Jewes so Jer 4.18 they had an affliction upon them which did reach even to the heart God made their hearts ake he struck them to the heart but why did he so the answer is Thy sin and thy doings have procured those things to thee c. He striketh them as wicked men In the open sight of others Locus videntium locus patens frequens celebris omnium oculis expositus Par Importat visionem paradigmaticam et exemplarem Merc These words are a further description of the manner how God strikes the wicked he doth it openly or as we put in the margin In the place of beholders that is in such a place and in such a manner that all may behold it we say He strikes them in the open sight of others that is he punisheth them in an exemplary way or that they may be an example of warning unto others For The place of seers or of beholders is some open and eminent place oppos'd to a Corner as Paul sayd pleading his cause before king Agrippa Acts 26.26 This thing was not done in a Corner no it was done as upon the house-top even in the place of beholders The Lord will not have to doe with wicked men only in a Corner He will have witnesses of his doings with them There shall be enow to take notice how he handles them therefore he often takes open vengeance on them in the frequent assembly and concourse of many beholders both approving and reverencing yea adoring the impartiall equity of the supreame Judge and his care of humane affaires So then the words are an allusion to the execution of Common malefactors who dye by the Judgement of the Magistrate such being condemned and sentenced by the Judge are not put to death in the prison or in a hole but are taken out and carried to some noted place of execution or a Scaffold is purposely erected where a multitude of spectators are admitted to come and behold the Tragedy When our Lord Jesus Christ who to deliver us from our transgressions was numbred with transgressors when he I say was crucified The Evangelist saith Luke 23.35 The people stood beholding and the Rulers also with them derided him Christ himselfe was strucken as a wicked man in the place of Beholders And so have many thousands of his faithfull witnesses The wicked deale with them often as the Lord dealeth sometimes with wicked men they are brought forth from prison to death and executed in the open sight of others All things in this world come alike to all no man knoweth love or hatred by all that is before them Eccl 9.1 2. The Apostle Paul speaking of himselfe and his fellow-Apostles to shew the publick disgrace which they were put to saith We are made a spectacle to the world to Angels and to men 1 Cor 4 9. The Greeke is we are a Theater to the world c. As if he had sayd all see how we are used And as bloody persecuters make the faithfull servants of Christ a spectacle so Christ will at last make wicked men a spectacle to the world to Angels and to men Thus it is prophecied Isa 66.24 that all flesh who come to worship before the Lord shall goe forth and looke upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against him c. They shall be stricken in the place of Beholders or Seers Some expound that word Seers Videre saepe significat cum voluptate aliquid spectare Scult as implying more then ordinary seers or more then barely such as see what is done namely such as are delighted and pleased with what is done yet not as it is a suffering of paine by man but as it is an act of Justice from God Hence note God oftentimes doth Justice upon sinners openly The Judgements of God are of two sorts Some are secret others are manifest he can doe execution upon men when none see it nay he doth the severest executions upon some men when they themselves doe not see it that 's the sting and severity of the Judgement that they have not so much as any sence of the wrath of God when the full vialls of his wrath are powring out upon them But many of the Judgements of God are open As he striketh some so secretly that none can see it so others so visibly that all may see it Thus the Lord commanded Moses Numb 25.4 when Israel had joyned themselves unto Baal-peor Take all the heads of the people and hang them up before the Lord against the Sun By the heads of the people we may understand either the capitall offenders those who were most active and ready in that wickednesse or their principall Rulers who in stead of stopping them from or punishing them for those offences gave way to them or at least wincked at them These must be hanged against the Sun that is as Elihu speakes here in the open sight of others or in the place of seers Thus they were made an example of caution that all might see and feare and doe no more presumptuously Read the like executions of divine Judgement threatned 2 Sam 12.11 12. Isa 26.11 John in the Revelation Chap 15.4 prophecyeth of the Saints triumphing at the fall of Babylon and singing the song of Moses and the song of the Lambe saying Great and marvellous are thy workes c. for thy Judgements are made manifest God hath now stricken Babylon his great enemy in the open sight of others his Judgements were right before they are alwayes right but till then not manifest David saith Psal 9.16 The Lord is knowne by the Judgement which he executeth now if the Lord be knowne by the Judgement which
worldly wise men they were the mighty the great men of the world and they are commonly very considering men as well as very considerable men they are knowing men as well as men much known they are men of counsel and sit in councel to debate difficult matters and of greatest outward concernment these things they could consider exactly and weigh them to a grain but they would not consider any of God's wayes Hence Note There is nothing so little regarded by ungodly men as the wayes of God are Though they have wisdome and ability to understand and consider earthly things yet they will bestow none of it upon the things of heaven Christ rebuked Martha when he saw her so busie about worldly business Luke 10.41 Martha Martha thou art careful and troubled about many things one thing is needful Martha had some care about the one thing needful but because not so much as she should Christ gave her a gracious check and reproof for it How much more may Christ come and rebuke the men of the world ye are careful about many things ye are wife considering men about your profits and preferments those ye can think of all night long but there is one thing needful my wayes my word my commandments are to be considered what account can ye give of or concerning them Farther this non-consideration of the wayes of God is brought as a charge as a high charge against those mighty men not only were they bad men who did not consider the wayes of God but this was a part yea I may say the whole of their badness that they did not consider the wayes of God Hence Note Not to consider the wayes of God is in it self a very great sin The omission or non-performance of what is good is as sinful as the commission or doing of that which is evil Not to do good is to do evil especially when it is the not doing of such a good duty as opens a way to the doing of all evil Should we suppose a man not chargeable with the breaking of any commandment of God yet if we could charge him that he did not consider the commandments of God this were the breaking of all the commandments For as they are all to be considered that we may keep them so if we consider them not we cannot keep them 'T is the description of a godly man Psal 1.2 His delight is in the Law of the Lord and in his Law doth he meditate day and night Meditation is nothing else but consideration A godly man meditates or considers day and night what the Law or Word of God is not that he thinks of nothing else but the Law of God day and night for then he must throw off his Calling but the meaning is this he is very sedulous and watchful of all opportunities both night and day to get and keep his heart up in holy meditation and why is he so much in holy meditation 'T is surely that he may be much yea alwayes in holy action and when it may be said of a man that his meditation is not in the Law of God neither day nor night or that he never considers the wayes of God this is an undeniable evidence that he neither keeps in the way or observes any one line or letter of the Law at any time It is our sin and that no small one not to consider our own wayes how much more is it sinful not to consider the wayes of God! To consider our own wayes is a great part of our work If we consider not our own wayes they will soon be crooked wayes The Prophet adviseth the Jewes Hag. 1.5 Consider your wayes the Text is Set your heart upon your wayes that is ponder your wayes as if he had said the reason why your feet are so often in bad wayes is because your hearts are so seldome upon your wayes Now if not to consider our own wayes be so sinful and subjects us to every sin then much more is it sinful not to consider the wayes the word and truths of God and much more doth the neglect of this lead or lay us open and obnoxious to every sin This neglect is not only a special sin in it self and an effect of sin but the general cause of all other sins What sin is not or may not be found in the wayes of those men who consider not the wayes of God Lastly Observe Sin makes men stupid and transforms them into fools He that is not a considering man is a weak and a foolish man every wise man is a considering man and the more a man is versed in consideration the more wise he is and the wiser he grows The wicked man is often called a fool in Scripture and he deserves no better a title when he is called so he is both served and called in his kinde Psal 14.1 The fool hath said in his heart there is no God The thoughts of the heart are the sayings of the heart and sin hath made a wicked man so much a fool that as he knowes not how to say any thing of God which is honourable with his tongue so all that his heart can say that is think of God is that God is not which as it is the highest blasphemy so the deepest piece of folly and irrationallity that ever was hatcht in the heart of man Sin makes dull-heads it stupifies the soul sinners consider not that at any time which is their interest as much as their duty to consider of at all times the wayes of God as taken for the wayes wherein man ought to walk towards God Again If we take the wayes of God in the second notion for the wayes wherein himself walks towards man usually called his works or the wayes of his providence Note It is the mark of an ungodly man not to consider the works and providences of God how God walketh towards him or what he doth in the world Isa 1.3 I have nourished and brought up children that is I have done for my people as a father for his children but what follows My people doth not know Israel doth not consider They consider not what I have done for them as well as not what I have spoken to them they consider not how I have nourished and brought them up as well us not how I have instructed and given them counsel and from this neglect God infers vers 4. Ah sinful Nation a people laden with iniquity a seed of evil doers c. they quickly proceed to the doing of all evil against God who consider not of the good which God doth or hath done to them Read this sin the not considering of the works of God with the sinfulness of all the works of those unconsidering men Psal 28.4 5. Isa 5.11 12. The Scripture makes frequent mention how extreamly ill the Lord takes it at the hands of men when his works are not considered by them when they regard not the operation
make trouble Hence observe First The quietness or peace of nations is the peculiar gift of God Whosoever hath or enjoyeth quietness 't is Gods work but most eminently when nations enjoy it Of nationall quietness the Lord spake by his Prophet Isa 45.7 I forme the light c. I make peace I the Lord doe all these things As naturall so civill light is of Gods forming as spirituall so temporall peace is of Gods making And the Church was confident he would be their peace-maker Isa 26.12 Lord thou wilt ordaine peace for us Some read it as a prayer Lord doe thou ordaine or command peace for us we as a profession of their faith and hopefull if not full assurance that the Lord would ordaine peace for them The Lord gives out an order or makes an ordinance in heaven when he pleaseth for the peace both of Churches and nations here on earth And the Church there had this good ground of their assurance that he would doe it even their former experiences of his great power and goodness in doing much for them as it followeth for thou hast wrought all our workes for us As if they had sayd Lord those gracious preservations which thou hast heretofore given us in trouble and deliverances out of trouble strengthen our faith both in praying that thou wouldest and in believing that thou wilt now at this pinch ordaine peace for us To doe so is a mighty and a mercifull worke of God and we may consider it two wayes First As the giving of quietnesse to a nation is the restoring of peace or the setling of them in a quiet state after they have been torne and troubled with warres and tossed with continuall tempests of trouble possibly for many yeares together To bring peace out of warre and quietness out of unsetledness is a worke worthy of God Psal 46.9 He maketh warres to cease to the ends of the earth that is all the world over The end or ceasing of warre is quietness And to assure us that the Lord can make an end of warres the Psalmist in that place sheweth us the Lord spoyling all the implements or instruments of warre He breaketh the bow and cuts the speare asunder he burneth the chariots in the fire Here are three great instruments of warre the bow the speare the chariot all which are sometimes comprehended under that one word the sword which is the most knowne and universal instrument of warre Now when neither sword nor bow nor speare nor chariot are to be had we need not feare warre And therefore that great promise of peace runs in this tenour Mic 4.2 They shall beat their swords into plow-shears and their speares into pruning hooks then presently followeth nation shall not lift up a sword against nation neither shall they learne warre any more There must needs be peace when the art of warre is layd by as uselesse and shall be learned no more That will be a blessed time indeed when the art military shall be out of date and being it selfe the greatest interrupter of learning shall be learned no more When Souldiers shall turne Husbandmen and Vine-dressers beating their swords into plow-shears and their speares into pruning hooks then we shall have peace and put away the remotest feares of warre When a man casteth away his sword we may very well conclude he intends to be quiet Thus the Lord gives quietnesse to nations which have been engaged in warre by causing warres to cease Secondly He gives quietnesse to nations by continuing their peace when warres are ceased for unlesse the Lord give a check to the lusts and passions to the wrath and rage of men plow-shears are quickly turned into swords and pruning hookes into speares To preserve peace is the Lords worke as much as to give peace It requires the same or as great a power to keepe our peace as to make it Non minor est virtus quam quaerere parta â—ueri to keepe it out of the hand of the sword as to get it out of the hand of the sword When the king of Assyria threatned Jerusalem with a siege the Lord preserved their peace and sent Hezekiah word Isa 37.33 He shall not come into this City nor shoote an arrow there nor come before it with shields nor cast a banke against it for I will defend this City to save it The continuance of peace and quietnesse is a continuall giving of it Warres returne after peace as clouds returne after raine unlesse the Lord prevent and forbid them And have not we of this nation reason to acknowledge this double mercy First Was not the end of our late unnaturall warres the gift of God was it not he that made our troubles to cease from one end of the nation to the other yea throughout the three nations If the Lord had not given the sword a check or counter-mand if the Lord had not called in the commission which he once gave the sword it had been devouring flesh and drinking blood to this very day We read as it were a dialogue between the Prophet and himselfe concerning the sword Jer 47.6 7. O thou sword of the Lord sayd the Prophet being grieved for the slaughter and desolation which the sword had made even in a strange land how long will it be ere thou be quiet put up thy selfe into thy scabbard rest and be still Himselfe answers himselfe how can it be quiet seeing the Lord hath given it a charge against Ashkelon and against the Sea-shore there hath he appointed it I spake to the sword of quietnesse saith the Prophet But alas how can it be quiet how can that sheath it selfe in its scabbard and not in the bowels of men seeing the Lord hath given it a charge against Ashkelon As if he had sayd I see no entreaties can perswade the sword to rest and quietness till it hath fully executed the command of God and done his work though it be very bloody work even the making of it selfe drunke with blood The Lord can make the sword quiet it will hearken to no voyce but his if the Lord give a charge for the sword to returne into the sheath then it will and if not it will not The sword raged in these nations till the Lords work and will was done and then that had done And as we have reason to acknowledge that the Lord hath commanded the sword back into its sheath and given us peace out of warre so Secondly That he hath continued our peace since the warre When he giveth quietnesse who then can make trouble Note If God will give those nations quietnesse where it was not or continue it where it is there is no power on earth can stop or interrupt it Who can make trouble where he ordaineth peace Balaam was forced to this confession when he would have troubled the people of Israel and went from mountaine to mountaine to seek divination I cannot curse whom the Lord hath blessed why not said
run into by any sin committed against man God only is the Creditor All that men can doe is but to forgive the trespasse against themselves so farre as man is wronged he may yea he ought to forgive as Christ teacheth us to pray Math 6.12 Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors All that we can forgive is only the trespass done to our selves and so forbeare personal and private revenge We cannot forgive the offence against God For when Christ saith John 21.20 Whosoever sins ye remit they are remitted that remission is but the declaring of a pardon it is not the bestowing of a pardon or it is only a ministerial forgivenesse not an authoritative forgivenesse so to forgive is Gods Royalty He saith I forgive Secondly To God who saith I forgive c. Forgive what forgive whom Here 's neither what nor whom neither things nor persons named God barely saith I forgive Hence observe The pardoning mercy of God is boundlesse and unlimited Here 's no sin named therefore all are included no sinner specified therefore all are intended I forgive I pardon the pardoning mercy of God knows no limits it is not limitted First to any sort of sins or sinners Secondly it is not limited to any degree of sins or sinners let sins or sinners be of what sort they will let sins or sinners be of what degree they will they are within the compasse of Gods pardoning mercy And as this text intimates that the pardoning mercy of God is boundlesse because it expresseth no bounds So other Scriptures tell us expresly that it is boundlesse extending it selfe to all sorts and degrees of sins and sinners Math 12.31 Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven That a sin is great that it is extremely aggravated is no barre at all to the pardoning mercy of God he can as easily pardon great sins as little sins even sins that are as Crimson and scarlet as well as those of the lightest tincture The die or colour of some cloaths or stuffs is so fading that as we say the next wind will blow it off or cause it to dye away but scarlet and crimson in graine never change their colour yet the pardoning grace of God causeth crimson and scarlet sin to change colour and makes them as white as the naturall wool or snow that is takes them quite and cleane away Yea the greatnesse of sin is so far from being a stop to pardon that it is used asan argument to move God to pardon David prayeth Psal 25.11 For thy names sake O Lord pardon mine iniquity why doth he say because it is little or only a small sin a sin committed rashly unadvisedly or but once no he useth none of these excusatory pleas for pardon but saith pardon my sin for it is great Moses was not afraid to speake for pardon upon this ground also Exod 32.31 Lord saith he this people have committed a great sin and have made them gods of gold yet now if thou wilt forgive their sin c. There 's a great deale of divine Rhetorique in that speech Moses was not doubtfull whether God would forgive them their sin because it was great but he urged the Lord to forgive their sin because it was great Where sin aboundeth Grace doth much more abound Rom 5.20 and therefore God is said to pardon abundantly or to multiply to pardon Isa 55.7 and whom doth he promise to pardon there even the man of iniquity so that Scripture hath it Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man or the man of iniquity his thoughts c. If you who have sinned abundantly repent I will pardon abundantly The heart of God in pardoning sin is infinitely larger then the heart of man can be in committing sin and as the least sin needs pardon so the greatest may have it nothing hinders the pardon of sin but the sinners not coming for it or his not asking it The sin against the holy Ghost cannot be forgiven but the reason is because such as commit that sin utterly reject the grace of God and tread the blood of the Covenant under their feet as an unholy thing Thirdly The text speakes in the present tense God saith not I will pardon or possibly I may pardon but sheweth what he both actually doth and what he alwayes doth To God who saith I pardon Hence note God pardoneth presently he pardoneth continually I pardon is a present it is a continued act To pardon is Gods work to day and Gods work to morrow As every soule may say of himselfe Lord I sin not only I have sinned or I shall sin hereafter but I sin so saith God I pardon as men stand alwayes in need of pardon so God stands alwayes prepared to pardon He is Psal 86.5 plenteous in mercy ready to forgive The heart of God is never out of frame for that woâ—ke never indisposed to it David found him so Psal 32.5 I said I will confesse mine iniquity he did not say I have confessed mine iniquity he was not come to a formall Confession onely he had it upon his heart to humble himselfe before God and confesse his sin yet it follows and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin While there was but a holy resolve upon his heart to confesse his sin the pardon of it was given him The holy history of his sin and of Gods mercy assureth us that the word was no sooner out of his mouth 2 Sam 12.13 I have sinned but instantly Nathan said The Lord hath put away thy sin Though God doth not pardon of course yet he is in a continuall course of pardon therefore Moses prayed Numb 14.19 That God would pardon the people according to the greatness of his mercy and as he had forgiven them from Egypt untill then As if he had sayd Lord thou hast been pardoning all along from the very first step we took out of Egypt to this day thou hast exercised abundance of patience long-suffering and mercy in pardoning this people now Lord pardon us as thou hast done from Egypt to this day doe not stop thy acts of Grace The very first act of pardon stands for ever he that is once pardon'd is alwayes pardon'd yet there are dayly renewings of pardon and fresh acts of it every day Fourthly The word render'd to pardon signifies to take away as to beare a burden upon our selves according to the former translation so to beare or lift it off from another Hence Note Pardon is the taking away or the bearing of sin off from us An unpardoned soul hath a burden of sin upon him ready to break his back yea enough to break his heart were he sensible of it the Lord by pardon takes this burden off from him David speaks of his sins under this notion of a burden Psal 38.4 My sins are gone over my head they are a burden too heavie for me to bear Yea sin is a burden too heavie for the strongest Angel in
cannot 736. Two reasons why not 736 737. A wonder that the peace of our Nation is continued foure considerations why 738 739. Peace of particular persons twofold from God 748. Peace personal of believers how it comes from the Father Son and Spirit 749. The peace of believers how an insuparable peace 750. Two demonstrations of it 752. Peace of believers in what sense perfect 753 How we are tenants at will for our peace with respect to God 756. Peace holding our peace or silence what it may signifie 478. A twofold holding of our peace 479. In three cases especially we should hold our peace 480. It is a great poynt of prudence to know when to hold our peace 481 People troubled and in a tumult described 642 643 Perfection three reasons why God calls us to it though we cannot attaine it in this life 514 Perishing twofold 596 Perseverance is our best or our worst 828 Phantasie the power of it in sleepe 281 Pit and deliverance from it what 457 Princes what they ought to be 624 Promises of God alwayes performed 676 Provocation doth not excuse yet somewhat abate a sin committed 206 Pharisaei Shechemitae why so called 766 Phocas the prayer of a good man about him how answered 785 Poore men of two sorts 631. Poore men are as much the worke of God as the rich 633. It is the Lord who makes men poore or rich 634 The fall of a poore man oppressed makes a loud cry 721. What cryes of poore men are not heard by God 722. 'T is dangerous medling with Gods poore 723 Pope his great cheate put upon the world 67 Power men in power caution'd 584 585 Princes and people their sins produce mutuall ill effects towards one another 784 Pronounes how the sweetness of the Gospel lyeth in them 849 Prayer good things must be asked of God 57. Endeavour must be joyned with prayer 58. There are but two restrictions upon the grant of whatsoever we pray for 148. Prayer how a battaile fought in heaven 178 Strong prayer 422. Sickness is a speciall season for prayer 423. God only the object of prayer 424. We must aske mercy if we would have it 424. The Lord is ready to heare and give when we pray 425. Till the person is accepted his prayer is not 428. Length of prayer not disapproved by Christ if other things be right 763. We must pray for the removing of our affliction while we beare it chearefully 794 Pride man naturally proud 83. God hideth pride from man two wayes 304. Pride why put for all sin 305 Man very prone to pride 306 Pride shews it selfe three wayes 306 Eleven things named of which men are proud 307 308. Five conceits as so many rootes of pride discovered 311 312. Pride is a vile and odious sin shewed upon six considerations 313 314. Great wise and rich men most subject to pride 316 Pride the greatest sin for foure reasons 316. God by various meanes gives check to pride 317. Foure pride-subduing considerations 318 Seven meanes to cure man of pride 320 321 Protection from sin the best protection 200 Proud men scornfull and contentious 537 Property our property to any thing makes us love it the more 849 Providence a continued creation 165 Not to consider the workes of providence is the marke of an ungodly man 715 Punishment of sin in this life is not equall to sin 452. Humbled sinners confesse their greatest punishments lesse then their sin 453. The justice of God in his punishments shewed seven wayes 617. Wicked shall not be unpunished 663. No man ever punished by God beyond desert 676 677 678 Purposes of evill man is very forward to them 298. Vntill God withdraw him he will goe on in them 300 Five wayes by which God withdraweth men from evill purposes 301 It is a great mercy to be hindred in evill purposes 302 Q Questions which are unprofitable 44 Quietness of the dead and living what 725. Quietness opposed to warre Vide Peace 732 R Ransome who and what our ransome is 405 406. The deliverance of sinners by a ransome is the invention of God 407. God is to be highly honoured for this invention 409. That we are ransomed should mind us of five things 413 Reason we ought to heare reason whosoever speakes it 71 Rebellion when a sin may be called rebellion 857 Redemption the benefit of it set forth two wayes 459 Repentance a truely penitent person is resolute against sin 826. Continuance in any knowne sin is inconsistent with true repentance 827 Reproofe there must be proofe before there can be reproofe 79. Negative reproofes more easie then affirmative 229. Reproofe to be tempered with meeknesse 230. Reproofes should be given with plainness 230. Reproofe to be taken with humble silence 549. A good man will take reproofe with patience 846 Resurrection shadowes of it 420 Revenge the highest acts of revenge from God are but the awards of justice 92 Rewarding if the Lord should not reward those that serve him he were unrighteous 556. Righteous shall not be unrewarded 663 Rewards both good and evill such as men are and according to what they doe 438. What God renders to man according to his worke is called a reward in a fourefold respect 560 Rich and poore men of two sorts 631 What rich men are not what are regarded by God more then the poore 632. How men make themselves and how God makes them rich 634 Right what it is 448. What it is to pervert right 448 Righteous there are three sorts of righteous persons 4. How a man in a good sence may be righteous in his owne eyes 5. How being righteous in our owne eyes is hatefull both to God and good men 8. A justified person is righteous 440 Righteousness how it delivers from death 403. Righteousness twofold 437. Why the same word in the Hebrew is used to signifie Almes and righteousness 437. Righteousness how it cannot be lost 439 440. Severall sorts of righteousness 514 Most dangerous to be proud of or trust to our owne righteousness 516 Running with God and in the wayes of his commandements what it implyeth 544 S Scorners are the worst sort of men 536 Scorning two wayes taken 534 Seales a threefold use of sealing 294 Sealing of instruction what it is 294 295 Senators why so called 37 Season to be observed for speaking 106 Such speake to most advantage 108 Season to hit a right season of speaking very advantageous 36. Season the danger of neglecting it 268 269 Selfe-love a bad glasse for any man to see himselfe in 311 Service of God to account it unprofitable how sinfull 546 Shadow of death what it signifieth in Scripture 667 Shew-bread why so called 435 Sick persons should be wisely minded of death 361. They should pray and desire prayers 423. A sick man being recovered should report the goodness of God to him 445 Sicknes three expressions gradually setting it forth 336. Sickness comes not by chance nor only from naturall causes 341.