ye think God would yeeld to me if I should contend with him He multiplieth or He hath multiplied my wounds without cause that is His verbis evidenter exponit quae supra occultè dixerat si venerit adme non video Hoc enim ubique fere in dictis Jobi observanaum quod obscurè dicta per aliqua consequentia exponuntur Aquin. without giving me any account hitherto and do you think that now I shall have liberty to call him to an account or that he will give me one He wounds without cause is * Sine causa manifesta et ab homine afflâ—cto perceptibili Aquin. without cause manifested God hath not told me the reason of his chastenings And I doe not perceive the reason I know not why he contendeth with me And so he expounds what he spake at the 12th verse Loe he passeth by me and I see him not There are mysteries in providence Mans eye is not clear enough to see all that God doth before his eyes Job is his own Expositour This later expression gives us a comment upon the former And it is observable that both in this book and in the whole body of the Scripture easier texts may be found to interpret the harder and clear ones to enlighten those which are darker and more obscure The Word of God is not only a light and a rule to us but to it self Or He multiplieth my wounds without cause is Haec à Job dicta sunt quod intell gat se non tam flagellari quam probari as if Job had said I know the Lord deals not with me as with a guilty person nor doth he judge me as a malefactour mine is a probation not a punishment God doth only try me to see what is in my heart and how I can stand in an evil day He multiplieth my wounds without cause that is without the cause which you have so often objected against me namely that I am an hypocrite and wicked I know God looks upon me as a childe Animus in DeuÌ„ praeclare affectus sed tamen affectus doloribus Sanct. or a friend not as an enemy Therefore I have no cause to multiply words with God though God go on to multiply my wounds without cause To multiply wounds notes numerous and manifold afflictions many in number and many in kinde Iobs were deep deadly wounds and he had many of them he was all over wound body and soul were wounds he was smitten within and without as to multiply to pardon is to pardon abundantly Isa 55.7 So to multiply wounds or to multiply to wound is to wound abundantly Here a Question would be resolved How the justice of God may be acquitted in laying on and multiplying afflictions without cause I shall referre the Reader for further light about this point to the third verse of the second Chapter where those words are opened Thou movedst me against him to destroy him without cause yet take here three considerations more by way of answer to the doubt First Whatsoever the Lord wounds and takes from any man he wounds and takes his own He is Lord over all Our health and strength are his our riches are his The world is his and the fulnesse of it Psal 50. If he be hungry he needs not tell us he can goe to his own store It is no wrong to dispose what is our own wheresoever we finde it That rule is as true in revocations as distributions Friend I doe thee no wrong Mat. 20.15 Is it not lawfull for me to doe what I will with mine own Though there were no sinne in man yet there were no injustice in God because he takes nothing from us but what he gave us and hath full power to recall and take away Secondly Suppose man could say that what he had were his own that his riches were his own that health and strength of body were his own yet God may take them away and doe no wrong It is so among men Kings and States call out their Subjects to warre and in that warre their wounds are multiplied without any cause given by them They gave no occasion vvhy they should be appointed to such hazards of life and limb to such hardships of hunger and cold yet there is no injustice in this When God casts man into trouble he cals him out to his service he hath a vvarre some noble enterprize and design to send him upon To you it is given to suffer for his sake saith the Apostle Phil. 1.29 he puts it among the speciall priviledges vvhich some Saints are graced vvith not only above the vvorld but above many of the Saints To whom it is given and that 's a royall gift only to believe Now if in prosecuting this suffering task whether for Christ or from Christ a believer laies out his estate credit liberty or life he is so farre from being wronged that he is honoured Thousands are slain in publike imploiments who have given no cause to be so slain If according to the line of men this be no injustice much lesse is it injustice in God who is without line himself being the only line and rule to himself and to all besides himself Thirdly I may answer it thus Though the Lord multiply wounds without cause yet he doth it without wrong to the wounded because he wounds with an intent to heal and takes away with a purpose to give more as in the present case God made Iob an amends for all the wounds whether of his body or goods good name or spirit Now though it be a truth in respect of man that we may not break anothers head and say vve vvill give him a plaister or take away from a man his possession and say vve vvill give it him again yet God may Man must not be so bold vvith man because he hath no right to take away and vvound nor is he sure that he can restore and heal but it is no boldnesse but a due right in God to doe thus for he as Lord hath power to take away and ability to restore And he restores sometimes in temporals as to Iob but alwaies to his people in spirituals and eternals Hence the Apostle argueth 2 Cor. 4.17 Our light afflictions which are but for a moment work for us an eternall weight of glory Afflictions vvork glory for us not in a vvay of meriting glory but in a tendency to the receiving of glory and in preparations for it There is no wrong in those losses by which we are made gainers Those losses being sent that we may gain and the sender of the losse being able effectually to make us gainers He multiplieth my wounds without cause Hence observe First Afflictions are no argument that God doth not love us As the Lord hath a multitude of mercies in his heart so a multitude of afflictions in his hand and a multitude of afflictions may consist vvith a multitude of mercies At the same time
saith he men are not my Judges God is my Judge It is a comfort to the Saints to remember that God is their Judge Job vvas not afraid of God in that relation no it was a rich consolation to think that God vvas his Judge He is a righteous Judge a mercifull Judge a pitifull Judge we need not be afraid to speak to him under that notion Iob saith not I vvill make supplications to my father vvhich is a sweet relation but vvhich is most dreadfull to vvicked men he considers God as a Judge The Saints are enabled by faith to look upon God as a Judge vvith assurances of mercy Lastly Observe The whole world stands guilty before God Rom. 3.19 Every mouth must be stopped Iob vvill only make supplication he had nothing else to doe or say We doe not present our supplications unto thee for our righteousnesse but for thy great mercy Dan. 9.8 We can get nothing from God by opening our mouths in any other stile or upon any other title then this of an humble acknowledgement of our unworthinesse the lower we goe in our own thoughts the higher we are in the thoughts of God and we finde the more acceptance with him by how much the lesse acceptance vve think vve deserve Nothing is gained from God either by disputing or by boasting All our victory is humility JOB Chap. 9. Vers 16 17 18. If I had called and he had answered me yet would I not believe that he had hearkned unto my voice For he breaketh me with a tempest and multiplieth my wounds without cause He will not suffer me to take my breath but filleth me with bitternesse THis holy man having abased himself in the sense of his own inability and unrighteousnesse before the Lord and disclaimed the least intendment of contending or disputing with him as vvas seen in the former context now confirms it by a further supposition in the 16 17 18. verses and so forward As if he had said Ye shall finde I am so farre from vvording it with God or standing upon mine own justification vvith him though I have pleaded mine integrity before you my friends that I here make this hypothesis or supposition If I had called and he had answered yet would I not believe that he had hearkned unto my voice There is much variety in making out the sense of these vvords 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. The Septuagint read it negatively If I had called and he had not answered me I would not believe c. Most of the Hebrew vvriters fall very foul upon Job and tax him harshly for this speech What Would he not believe that God hearkned unto him when he had answered him Is not this unbelief a plain deniall of providence Atrae loliginis succum hic aspergit Rab. Levi. Asserons JobuÌ„ nâ—gare provident tam sivecuram particularium Coc. Verba diffiâ—entis desperantis de divina misericordia Opinio Rab. Moyses R. Levi. apudi Merc. or at least of speciall providence I would not believe that he had hearkned unto my voice is in their sense as if he had said I thinke God takes no care or makes no account of particulars he looks not after this or that man what he speaks or for what he praies I can scarce believe that my condition is under the care of God or that he will take notice of me if I should call upon him or if I plead before him what shall I get by it Doe ye thinke he will descend to the relief of such a one as I am Why then doe ye move me to call upon him c. If I should pray and if he should answer me I can hardly be perswaded that he will pity me and do me good A second opinion casts him into the deeps of despair as if Job had altogether laid aside hope of receiving any favour by calling upon God or of comfort by putting his case to him Iudaicum commentum atque Jobi sanctitate indignissimum Pined But all these aspersions are unworthily cast upon Job a man full of humility and submission to the will of God his frequent praiers and applications of himselfe to God doe abundantly confute all such unsavoury conjectures But the Jewish Commentatours carry on their former strain being all along very rigid towards this holy man very apt to put the vvorst constructions upon doubtfull passages and sometimes ill ones upon those vvhich are plainly good More distinctly There is a difficulty about the Grammaticall meaning of one word in the text vvhich carries the sense two vvaies If I had called and he had answered me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Alij invocare alij provocare vertunt The Hebrew vvord vvhich vve translate call signifies sometimes to pray and sometimes to plead or challenge An act of invocation or an act of provocation it is rendered both waies here By most as we If I had called upon him that is if I had praied or made my sute unto him By some If I had sent in my plea as to begin a sute of law with him or my challenge as to enter the combate with him c. As it is taken for a challenge so the sense lies thus If I should stand upon terms with God and call him to an account to make good what he hath done And he had answered me that is if he had condescended to give me an account of his vvaies yet I would not believe that he had hearkned unto my voice that is that he had yeelded to me or acknowledged that he had done me wrong Shall I who am but dust and ashes prevail in my sute and get the day by pleading and contending vvith the great God of heaven and earth Take the word as it signifies invocation or calling by vvay of petition Psal 50.15 Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver thee And so two or three interpretations are offered Tam infirma est caro ut etiaÌ„ propositis divinis promissionibus nolit credere Isidor Clar. First Some in favour of Job conceive that he speaks this only through the infirmity of his flesh that it was sin within him that spake and not Job according to that of the Apostle Rom. 7. Not I but sinne that dwelleth in me So Job speaks as if he did not believe that God would hear him when he praid but whose voice was this Not Jobs but his sinnes the corruption the infirmitie of Job gave out such language not he As we may say in reference to an action I did it not but sinne that dwelleth in me so to a word I spake it not but sinne and corruption that dwelleth in me gave out such language Secondly I would not believe that God had hearkned to me Plerique Latini ad eas conditiones referunt quas oratio efficax requirit quarum defectus non exaudimur atque ea ratione sibi timere Jobum though he had answered me may referre
up alwaies at the same height in the same plight and degree There is a faith which believes that God doth answer before he answers and there is a faith that cannot believe God will answer when he hath answered Faith in strength prevents the answer of God As God in answering sometimes prevents our askings Isa 65.24 Before they call I will answer and while they are yet speaking I will hear So faith saith Before the Lord giveth I know I have it before the Lord doth this thing I see it is done Faith in it's strength realizes the mercies of God before they have a being and is an evidence to us of what we see not When mercies are but in their principles in their conception and birth or at most when they are but in their cradle and swadling-clouts faith speaks as gloriously of them as if they were fully acted and grown up before the eye Strong faith in God like God himself quickens the dead and calleth those things which be not as though they were Weake faith deadens the quick and calleth those things which are as if they were not The Israelites were no sooner over the red sea but they believed themselves in the land of Canaan Exod. 15.13 14 15. and in their Song tell the story of the submission and fears of the uncircumcised Nations round about which yet their after unbelief kept off fourty years There is a further understanding of the words which I shall clear in connexion with that which followeth I would not believe that he had hearkned to my voice For he breaketh me with a tempest as if the reason why he doubted his voice was not heard Etiamsi Deâ—â—o peccantem exaudierit minime credo cum malorum niâ—bo me obiuat lay in this because of those continuall breakings which were upon him I would not believe that he had hearkened to my voice for he breaketh me with a tempest and multiplieth my wounds without a cause As if Job had said the dealings of God are such towards me that I know not how to make it out that I am heard For though the Lord in some things carries it so graciously toward me that I have great assurance I am heard yet many things appear reporting that I am not heard Afflictions continued are no evidence that praier is not heard yet usually it is very inevident to an afflicted person that his praier is heard I shall now examine the 16 and 17. verse as holding a reason why Jobs faith was thus weakned Verse 17. For he breaketh me with a tempest and multiplieth my wounds without cause Jobs sorrows put him to his rhetorick still 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Turbo He breaketh me with a tempest An expression raising his afflictions to the height yet not beyond the reality of them He breaketh me with a tempest The word we translate break signifies an utter contusion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the totall ruining of a thing or person Contudit contrivit obminuit the dashing of either to pieces The word is used reciprocally of Christ and the devil in that great and first promise of Christ The seed of the woman Gen. 13.16 It shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel Christ having infinite power utterly destroied the serpents power he spoil'd and ruin'd him for ever the Apostle phrases it so Coloss 2.15 He spoiled principalities and powers he took away the prey or booty of souls which they had got and led them disarm'd like prisoners of warre And the devil did what he could to ruine and spoil Christ to break Christ to pieces Thus Christ and Satan strove and contended one with another And the word Shuph hath an elegant neernesse in sound to our English We call that noise which is made by the ruder motion of the feet shufling and when men contend much we hear the shufling of their feet Job was striving and shufling with God in praier and God was striving and shufling with Job in storms and tempests He breaketh me with a tempest The word signifies not only storms and tempests but likewise Chaldaeus legit usque ad filum lineuâ— vel adfila piâ—orum subtiliter disputat mecum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Filum significat A little hair or twined threed So the Chaldee Paraphrast translates it here He disputes or contends with me to a hair or to a threed making the sense out thus I will not believe that God hath answered me why He standeth with me upon the smallest matters he disputes with me to a hair and debates every thing to a threed As Abraham said to the King of Sodome Gen. 14.23 I will not take any thing that is thine from a threed even to a shoe-latchet that is I will not make the smallest gain by thee So to dispute to a hair or to a threed notes contending upon or about the smallest differences But generally the word is render'd a Tempest and thus God is often described contending with man Nah. 1.3 His way is in the whirlwinde and in the storm and the clouds are the dust of his feet that is He sends storms and whirlwindes by these he afflicts the children of men and as an army of horsmen raises clouds of dust from the earth with their feet so the Lord raises the dust of clouds with his Behold a whirlwinde or a tempest of the Lord is gone forth in fury even a grievous whirlwinde it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked Jer. 23.19 To break with a tempest or with a whirlwinde implies two things 1. A sudden and an unexpected affliction Tempests are never welcome and but seldom looked for When the sea is so calm and smooth that you may throw a die upon it a storm ariseth in a moment and the vessell in danger of a wreck 2. It noteth the fiercenesse and violence of an affliction Tempests are the most violent motions they come with power A tempest is irresistible Who can stand before it Who can contend with storms and windes When the Lord made totall conquests of his enemies he contended in the letter by storms and tempests As in the 10th of Joshua and in the first of Samuel Chap. 7.10 When the Philistines drew neer to battell against Israel the Lord thundered with a great thunder that day upon the Philistines and discomfited them The story is famous of a legion of Christian souldiers called the thundering legion because by praier they obtained a refreshing rain for the army in which they were commanded and a terrible storm of thunder and lightning c. upon the enemy The word is used figuratively in warre when besiegers comming to a Town or Fort are resolved to carry it presently what ever it cost them they are said to storm the place or to get it by storm The Prophet alludes to this Isa 25.4 When the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall that is when their rage shall
will lay aside my heavinesse I will comfort my self It is a hard thing to comfort others Luther said It is as easie a work to raise the dead as to comfort the conscience but it is harder for a man to comfort himself Eliphaz gave testimony to Job in the fourth Chapter vers 3 4. that he had upholden him that was falling and had strengthned the feeble knees But now it is come upon thee and thou faintest it toucheth thee and thou art troubled Thou who hast holpen others canst not help thy self Yet here Job was upon a resolve to comfort himself I answer Though it be a truth that no man is able to comfort himself no more then he can convert himself and that a man is no more able to change his heart from sorrow to joy then he is able to change his heart from sin to grace yet a man may attempt or assay he may use means to comfort himself When Job saith I will comfort my self the meaning is I will doe the utmost I can I will not be behinde in my endeavours I will take the best course and improve all opportunities to get out of these dumps whosoever will prescribe me a way or direct me to a remedy of these sorrows I will submit to it I will comfort my self From whence note That What a man really endeavoureth to doe that he may be said to doe I will comfort my self Why Because though he were not able to attain such an end Joy and comfort lieth beyond the line of the creature yet he reached at it he attempted and assaied all means to comfort himself Thus the salvation of a man is ascribed to himself A man is said to save himself though salvation belongeth to the Lord even temporall salvation but especially eternall salvation yet a man may be said to save himself As the Apostle 1 Epist 4.16 exhorts Timothy to walk by a holy rule to settle himself in his studies to read the Scriptures and to meditate in them to be faithfull in dispensing of the Gospel assuring him If thou dost these things thou shalt both save thy self and them that hear thee Save thy self No man can be his own Saviour he may be as well his own Creatour Timothy was thus encouraged because in so doing he did all that a man ought who expects salvation That was the way to though not the cause of salvation Salvation is all Christs yet he who doth his best to save himself may be said to save himself Thus also a man comforts himself converts himself instructs himself when he putteth himself out to the utmost of gifts graces and opportunities to doe or attain duties and blessings No man saith the Prophet doth stir himself up to take hold of the Lord. The word in the Prophet signifies to awake or to watch no man wakes or watches his opportunity to take hold of the Lord. It notes also that action of old birds who flutter with their wings and beat up their young ones to urge and provoke them to use their wings and flie abroad Thus he complained because the lazy dull-hearted Jews did not raise up and waken their hearts to doe what they could though to doe it was more then they could Secondly Observe That a man in affliction may help on his comforts or his sorrows I will comfort my self I will leave off my heavinesse Some adde to their afflictions and are active to aggravate and encrease them they make their night darker and obscure the light of counsell that is brought unto them they joyn with Satan their enemy and by the black melancholy vapours of their own hearts stifle the consolations that are administred them by faithfull friends Like Rachel Jer. 31. they refuse to be comforted when reviving Cordials are offered they spill them upon the ground and will not take in a drop they are so farre from comforting themselves that they will not receive comfort from others The Prophet seems to be resolved upon the point he would go on in sorrows Look away from me I will weep bitterly labour not to comfort me Isa 22.4 As sometimes a man under great affliction bespeaks comfort from others O I am in a sad case come comfort me shew me how I may get ease from these sorrows Many beg praiers and send bils of their afflictions desiring to have them spread before the Lord in the Congregation that some comfort may be dropt from heaven into their diseased bodies or wounded spirits Others sleight praiers and care not to be comforted as if it were an ease to them to mourn and a refreshing to be in heavinesse There is a two-fold ground upon which comforts are thus put off 1. Some put off their comforts upon fullennesse of spirit black and dark spirits love to bathe themselves in sorrow Sorrow is the bath of drooping spirits and it is Satans bath too Melancholly is commonly called The devils bath he takes delight to wash in the streams of our unnecessary tears Sorrow for sinne puts the devil to the greatest sorrow Godly grief is a grief to Satan but he delighteth in our worldly sorrows as the devil may be delighted if he have delight in any thing this is one thing he delights in our forbidden sorrows Some sorrows are as much forbidden as any pleasures The devil is as much pleased with our unlawfull sorrows as he is with our unlawfull pleasures And he labours as much to make us pleased with them 2. Others help on their own sorrows and lessen their comforts through forgetfulnesse or ignorance they as the Apostle chides the Hebrews Chap. 12.5 have forgotten the exhortation which speaks unto them as unto children Now as wicked men rejoyce because they forget or know not their ill condition So godly men are sad when they forget or know not how good their condition is Yet Job supposes the review of his good estate would neither check his sorrows nor establish his peace If I say I will forget my complaint I will comfort my self I am afraid of all my sorrows Thirdly Observe Man is not able to comfort himself we can make our selves crosses but we cannot make our selves comforts A man may say as Job did Chap. 7.13 to his bed comfort me or to his riches comfort me or to his wine and good chear comfort me or to his friends comfort me He may say to all outward acts of pleasure to merry company and musick eomfort me Yea a Saint may say to his graces and holinesse comfort me and yet none of these can comfort him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or they comfort him in vain Timuit expavit prae metu se abstrahere timorem denâ—tat imminentis calamitatis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Significat dolore affiâ—ere interdum figurare Qui materiam aliquam ut lucum vel ceram figurat manibus digitis is illam premendo quasi dolore afficit Bold Est elegans metaphora verba alicujus figurare nam
together in judgement Neither is there any Daies-man betwixt us that might lay his hand upon us both JOB doth two things in the close of this Chapter First He again renounceth all thought or intendment of answering God by any worthinesse or goodnesse in himself A point he had often touched before it being the grand objection which his friends brought against him as if his spirit were heightned up to the presumption of a triall or contest with God himself 'T is a duty to clear our selves most where and in what we are most suspected This he doth in the 32. and 33. verses He is not a man as I am that I should answer him and we should come together in judgement Neither is there any Daies-man betwixt us that might lay his hand upon us both In which words Job offers two things to assure them that he was farre enough from such an engaging with God First From the disparity of their condition vers 32. He is not a man as I am God is not like me I am no match for God and I will not be so fool-hardy as to contend with one who is infinitely above me Secondly Lest any should thinke that though himself hand to hand as we speak would not venture upon God yet he might possibly get some friend or second to interpose and umpire it between them or to determine whether Gods dealings with him were just and equall or no And so though not alone yet by a friend or a third party to them both he would try out the matter No saith Job in the 33. verse Not so neither as I alone will not undertake him so neither is there any Daies-man betwixt us that might lay his hand upon us both In the two last verses Job makes a petition to the Lord desiring a favourable condescension that he would be pleased to abate of the present height and extremity of his pain and then he hoped yet that he might answer him though he would not contend with him answer him in reference to his own integrity about which his friends had charged and wounded him though not in reference to his own righteousnesse about which the Lord might charge and condemn him Let him take his rod away from me and let not his fear terrifie me then would I speak and not fear him but it is not so with me He concludes with the difference of his state from what he desired of God it might be And he begins with the difference of his person from what God himself is It is not with me as I could wish and God is not such an one nor can be as I am and must be Verse 32. For he is not a man as I am c. He doth not say God is not such a man as I am but God is not a man as I am One man may say unto another man Thou art not such a man as I am Every different degree or endowment among men may bear a man out in saying so and pride will prompt a man to say so when he is not in degree better but in kinde worse then other men Such was the language of the Pharisee Luk. 18.11 God I thank thee I am not as other men are extortioners unjust adulterers or even as this Publican yet no man can say to another man Thou art not a man as I am But seeing God is not a man at all what is there in this assertion of Job He is not a man as I am The words import a double difference First A difference in qualification Secondly In nature here Job chiefly intends the difference of quality which yet in God is his nature that he was not wise Non tam essentiae ad essentiaÌ„ quam qualitatis ad qualitatem i. e. suae ad divinam puritatem collatio fit denotatur Bold and just and holy and pure as God Moses in his song Exod. 15.3 after the overthrow of the Egyptians in the red sea speaks thus The Lord is a man of warre that phrase intends not a humane nature to God when he saith God is a man of warre he meaneth only this God is a great warriour We call a Ship of warre A man of warre As a man of words signifies an eloquent man though with some only a talkative man So a man of warre signifies a famous warriour or one trained up for warre in which sense Saul saith of Goliah that he had been a man of warre from his youth 1 Sam. 17.33 God is a great warriour the most potent Commander The Generalissimo of all the Armies in heaven and earth The Lord of hosts is his Name He is a man of war though he is not a man Further when Job saith He is not a man as I am he gives us the reason of all he had said before Ratio est omnium superiorum et si justus sim cum Deo tamen contendens pro soâ—te habeor quia non est par utriusque nostrum conditio Merc. especially of what he had said immediately before Though I wash my self with snow-water and make my hands never so clean yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch For he is not a man as I am that is though I by washing my self should thinke I were all white and not a spot to be seen upon me as hypocrites by covering themselves thinke they are all hid and not a sinne to be found about them yet he would throw me into the ditch again as like to like dirt to dirt for he is not a man as I am he hath other eyes and thoughts and waies then creatures have Secondly As they contain a reason why the Lord would judge him impure though he should wash himself with snow-water so also why the Lord would afflict him though he should wash himself with snow-water He is not a man as I am As if he had said Should I see a man without spot or speck without blame or fault yet full of wounds and stripes full of troubles and sorrows Should I see him afflicted of whom I could not say he had sinned it were beyond my reason But though I cannot yet the Lord can see reason to afflict a man in whom I see no iniquity He knows why and wherefore he may and doth cast them into the fire in whom I can see no drosse He is not a man as I am God exceeds man in his actings as much as he doth in his nature as he is what man is not so he can doe what man cannot Every thing is in working as it is in being God alwaies works like himself and infinitely above man As to the present businesse he works above man chiefly in two things First Man cannot justly commence a sute against or contend with another man except he be able to charge him with some wrong that he hath done him or lay some crime to his charge Secondly A humane Judge cannot condemn or cast a man unlesse he first
point at the sixteenth Chapter of this book and the eighth verse which may be a Commentary upon this Thou hast filled me with wrinckles which is a witnesse against me and my leannesse rising up in me beareth witnes to my face Afflictions bring in evidence and testifie many waies They sometimes witnesse for us evidencing our graces our faith patience sincerity and submission to the hand of God they are witnesses also of our adoption or spirituall sonship Heb. 12.8 If you be without chastisement whereof all are partakers then are ye bastards and not sons It is no good sign to be free from sufferings Hear ye the rod saith the Prophet Micah as we ought to hear it calling us from sin so we may hear it calling us sons Chastenings speak our priviledges as well as our duties They often witnesse against us First That sin is seated in us and hath been acted by us If we had no sin vve should know no sorrow Though some afflictions are not sent out directly against sin yet every affliction is both a consequent and a testimony of remaining sin The bundle of rods at our backs saith there is folly and sin bound up in our hearts and vvhen once we are purged from all sin vve shall hear no more of any affliction of any rod. We shall be past suffering as soon as vve are past sinning Secondly They are vvitnesses in speciall of that great sin the pride of our hearts and lives If there were not swellings and impostumations of pride in our spirits vve should not feel such lancings Paul himself acknowledges that they vvere growing upon him if God had not taken a severe course to keep them down Lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of revelations there was given to me a thorn in the flesh the messenger of Satan to buffet me 2 Cor. 12.7 Hence afflictions are called humiliations both because an afflicted person is humbled or laid low by the hand of God as also because afflictions are sent to humble and lay us low in our selves Now if one speciall businesse vvhich affliction hath vvith us be to humble us then doubtlesse affliction vvitnesseth that there is pride in us That vvhich is sent to remove an evil shews the presence of it Thirdly They are vvitnesses by bringing to our remembrance the acting of forgotten sins Affliction is a help to memory That vvhich vve forget we have done or spoken vvitnesses coming in make us remember so also do our troubles When the brethren of Joseph had been put in ward three daies and heard him demand one of them to be left as an hostage in prison till they brought Benjamin This distresse caused them to say We are verily guilty concerning our brother in that we saw the anguish of his soul when he besought us and we would not hear therefore is this distresse come upon us Gen. 42.21 The guilt of that sin was about twenty years old but they felt not the smart of it till themselves smarted for it their imprisonment set their memories at liberty and vvhen they saw themselves in danger to become bond-men to the Aegyptians they had vvitnesse enough of their selling Joseph for a captive to the Ishmaelites Fourthly Afflictions vvitnesse obstinacy and resolvednesse in the waies of sin or that afflicted persons or Nations turn not for sinne Every vvound vvill open it's mouth as a vvitnesse and every stroak will bring an evidence against the impenitent The troubles which God brought upon Ahaz witnessed emphatically 2 Chron. 28.22 This is that King Ahaz who in the time of his distresse did trespasse yet more against the Lord. If we are not bettered by our distresses our distresses testifie that we are naught how much more when we are worse in our distresse As all good things which we have received so all evils which we have suffered will rise up in judgement against those who still continue evil Fifthly Afflictions witnesse two things concerning God First That he hath an eye upon us and care of us He will not let us want any thing that is needfull for us no not affliction Due chastisement given a childe is an argument that his father loveth him and looks to him Secondly They are witnesses of Gods fatherly displeasure Some say God cannot be displeased with his children because his love is everlasting But will any man say A father doth not love his childe because he corrects him yet a father never correcteth his childe but when he is displeased with him Parents may not strike unprovoked and 't is rare that God doth so A man may be much displeased with and much love the same person at the same time and 't is very usuall for God to do so Afflictions never testifie any the least hatred of God against his people but they often testifie some and sometimes great displeasure against his people Lastly Afflictions upon the godly are reckoned very sufficient and credible witnesses by the world that either they are not godly or that surely some great ungodlinesse hath been acted by them How many precious men have been cast upon this evidence for traitors and rebels against God Iobs friends took this for proof enough that he was wicked They could not be perswaded he was good because he endured so many evils As the high Priest cried out against Christ what further need have we of witnesses behold now ye have heard his blasphemy so said Iobs friends concerning him What need have vve of further vvitnesse Behold vve have seen his misery What do these losses in his estate and ruines upon his family What do these sores upon his body and sorrows in his soul but publish unto us what he hath kept close and concealed the profanenesse of his spirit and the hypocrisie of his former profession Iob perceiving his friends making use all along of this proof as of their chiefest and strongest medium might well complain to God upon the renewall of every daies affliction Thou renewest thy witnesses against me And encreasest thine indignation upon me or Thy indignation encreaseth upon me In the beginning of the verse his own afflictions did encrease but here the indignation of God Indignation is more grievous then affliction and the indignation of God is the most grievous indignation The word signifies wrath displeasure fierce fiery wrath hot 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 consuming displeasure Increasest There is a double increase here noted First Extensive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Secondly Intensive an increase both in multitude and magnitude As if he had said I have more troubles in number and more in weight Indignation is here put for the effects of indignation neither the wrath nor the love of God do ever encrease in him but in their exertions or in the putting of them forth towards us Observe from it First That a godly man may conceive himself under the indignation of God The Church stoops to it Mich. 7.9 I will bear the indignation of