them honour in the eyes of all his servants There is another good So Satan while he setteth men a worke Sabeans Caldeans and others to doe mischiefe he doth a double mischiefe at once he doth mischiefe to Job or others whom he afflicts and he doth mischiefe to his instruments he makes these sin as he makes others suffer If he carry on the worke alone they suffer but others doe not partake in the guilt of the sin but now when he useth instruments to effect his wicked designes he makes one miserable and the other wicked This is one of Satans methods he will worke by meanes and do his businesse by the hands of men that he may at once doe a double mischiefe Thirdly In that these Sabeans and Caldeans are observed in Histories to be a people given much to robberies and spoile and these are the men whom Satan picks out for this businesse Observe That Satan suiteth his temptations to mans naturall temper and inclination Whensoever he tempteth he takes this advantage if he can discover or obtaine it He is wiser then to set saile against wind and tyde to row against the streame Therefore he labours all he can to find which way the streame of every mans affections runs and to what sins his relations his calling or his opportunities lay him most open and obnoxious accordingly hee layes his snares and spreads his net When he meets with a proud man him he tempteth with high thoughts When he meeteth with a covetous man him he tempteth to the love of the world he layes a golden bait of profit before his eyes The adulterous he leades to the Harlots house For howsoever it be true that every man hath in him a principle suiting to every sinne yet it is a truth too that every man is not equally active for or dispos'd unto every sin and every man hath not every particular sinne predominant in him now Satan when he seeth what is predominant in any man then he fashioneth and frameth a temptation sutable He perceived these Sabeans were given to rob and spoyle and he sheweth them a desirable booty And have slain thy servants with the edge of the sword This is a further aggravation of the affliction they did not onely fall upon Jobs cattell and tooke them away but they slew his servants A mans servants are nearer to him then his Cattell then his Oxen and his Asses servants are next unto our Children So that this was an heightning of Jobs sorrow not onely are your cattell gone but your servants are slaine and they are slaine saith he with the edge of the sword the word in the Hebrew is they are slain with the mouth of the sword We reade in Scripture sometimes of the face of the Sword and sometime of the mouth of the Sword As Isa 31.8 where wee translate they shall flee from the Sword the Hebrew is they shall flee from the face of the Sword The like Text you have Jer. 25.27 Now when the Scripture speakes of the face of the Sword it is meant of warre comming or warre preparing and approaching But the mouth of the Sword is warre inflicted warre acted This phrase the mouth of the Sword is used to shew that the Sword is a great devourer Deut. 32.42 I will make mine arrowes drunke with bloud and my Sword shall devoure flesh Warre hath a terrible face it hath a wide mouth and sharpe teeth They have slain thy servants with the edge of the Sword the mouth of the Sword hath devoured them At this day we have great cause to have our hearts deepely affected with this thing There hath been as it were the face of the Sword a great while looking towards us but now there is the very mouth of the Sword gaping at us yea tearing gnawing and devouring the flesh and bones of thousands amongst us Where the Sword comes it will devoure warre is a great judgement one of Gods sore judgements the sorest of all Gods outward judgements David chooseth the pestilence rather then the Sword the pestilence is a devourer but the Sword is a greater devourer And though the Prophet Jeremiah in his Lamentations makes famine a sorer judgement then the Sword Cap. 4.9 They that be slaine with the Sword are better then they that be slaine with hunger Yet the Sword is in this worse then famine because usually it is the cause of famine The Sword cuts off food the support of mans life as well as the life of man While the Sword is making it self fat it hath famine in the belly of it We need not goe to Jeremy or Josephus for the proofe of this in Jerusalems Babylonian or Roman desolations sad Germany bleeding Ireland are neare woefull witnesses and spectacles of it at this day The Sword hath open'd a way for famine to enter both and which of the two hath eaten most flesh is hard to determine Let us cry earnestly to God that the mouth of the Sword may be stopped or continued open only to devoure those who would devoure the man that is more righteous then they Let us pray that bloud may be spared or none but corrupt bloud spilt Spare thy people O Lord It is I confesse one of the saddest prognosticks in my observation against this Nation That God hitherto hath made little difference Our Sword hath not yet been taught from Heaven to distinguish of men Precious bloud hath been drawne and men whose very haires were all numbred that is highly priz'd by God have been numbred among the slaine It must satisfie us that the will of God is so The answer which David gave Joabs messenger is good setling councell now 2 Sam. 11.25 Let not this thing displease thee He speakes this after the fall of noble Vrijah for the sword not by accident but decree not casually but providentially devoureth so and such as the Hebrew elegance hath it one as well as another so we translate It is mercy we are not all consumed by this eater as in the Text yee may reade all the servants of Job were excepting one only one got out of the mouth of the sword it eat up all saving one and hee was saved that by the report of this destructive sword he might destroy Job himselfe And I onely am escaped to tell thee The word in the Originall is double Tantum ego solus ego only I I alone am escaped as if the man should have said between horrour and amazement much adoe I had to get away without loosing somewhat of my selfe I onely single single I got away and escaped The sword was very hungry when but one man of all Jobs servants escaped the teeth of it But how commeth it to passe that this one man escaped Certainely as I said before the hand of Satan was in this also For howsoever the Lord ordered and disposed all these things yet he let Satan worke in his circle in his compasse to contrive things as he pleased himselfe the
from Heaven to consume them That is conceived by Expositors to be an especiall reason why the sheepe were consumed namely to cast Iob upon this apprehension that his very Sacrifices were rejected of God that he might conclude of himselfe as Solomon saith of the wicked that his Sacrifices were an abomination to the Lord and to shew that God would now have no more of his Sacrifices God himselfe made one Sacrifice of them all But Origen brings in Job excellently retorting this suggestion upon Satan I sacrificed now one and then another of my Sheepe to God but now blessed be God who hath accepted all my flocke as one Burnt-offering Againe The Sheepe were consumed by fire as to make Job conceive that his former services were rejected so to take him off and discourage him from offering any more such services to make him despaire of ever thriving in the way of those duties and conclude surely God is so angry now that all my services all my sacrifices will never appease him nor profit me therefore I were as good lay by these duties as performe them when I get no good This is a dangerous temptation if Satan by such prejudices against holy duties can cause us to lay them by the day is wonne for then the soule is left naked and unarm'd We have not then so much as a bulrush in our hands to smite him or a paper breast-plate to secure our selves If we give over praying and seeking we have no ground to expect Christ either assisting or protecting us That for the second affliction While he was yet speaking there came also another and said the Caldeans made out three Bands and fell upon the Camels and have carried them away c. This is the third affliction the taking away of the Camels the destroying of the servants that waited upon them There is not much to stay upon in this having before opened most of the passages of it in the 15th verse While he was yet speaking there came also another and said the Caldeans made out three Bands Caldeans sometime note a condition or a ranke of men such as were Diviners Soothsayers and Astrologers these are in Scripture called Caldeans As the Indians called such skilfull persons Gymnosophistes and the Persians called them their Magi and the Romans called them Augures so the Assyrians called them Caldeans When Nebuchadnezzar dreamed a dreame it is said that he sent for the Diviners and the Astrologers and the Caldeans and afterward the Caldeans take up all he said to the Caldeans and the Caldeans said to the King The Caldeans were put for all those that undertooke the art of divining and interpreting dreames But here by the Caldeans are to be understood not a condition of men but a Nation of men or the people inhabiting Chaldea frequently spoken of by the Prophets and described to the life by the Prophet Habakkuk chap. 1. where the Lord threatned to send the Caldeans against his people and then describes them That hastie and bitter Nation their Horses are swifter then the Leopard and more ravening then the evening Wolves Such a kind of people they were who were stirred up by Satan to take away the Camels of Job These are said to make out three Bands to spoile They were a people like the Sabeans delighting in warre and robbery so much the Etymologie of their Name Chasdim which is the word in the Originall implieth being derived from Sadad which signifieth to robbe and spoile These were a wicked generation yet these prevaile over the estate of Job victory doth not alwayes attend a just cause The way of the wicked often prospers and the way of these wicked Caldeans prospered so often that the Prophet Habakkuk complaines to God as one scandaliz'd at it Thou art of purer eyes then to behold evill and canst not looke on iniquity wherefore lookest thou upon them that deale treacherously and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous then he If ever wee should be brought upon a like case to argue it thus with God or as Jeremie did chap. 12.1 to plead with God about his judgements let us remember to establish our hearts before we open our mouthes with the Prophet Jeremies conclusion in that place Righteous art thou O Lord though the wicked devoure the man that is more righteous then he It is very rare that God makes one good man his rod to scourge another he usually makes the worst of men his rod his staffe his Sword to inflict either tryalls or judgements upon his people The durty Scullion scowres the silver vessell and makes it both cleane and bright for his masters use Verse 18. While he was yet speaking there came also another and said thy Sonnes and thy Daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest Brothers house Verse 19. And behold there came a great wind from the wildernesse and smote the foure corners of the house and it fell upon the young men and they are dead and I only am escaped alone to tell thee THis was as the fourth and last so the greatest of all Satans assaults the most fierce and terrible charge that Job had all the day and Satan reserves this untill the evening till Job was spent and spiritlesse as he hoped I shall note this in generall from it That Satan usually keepes his greatest strength and most violent temptations unto the last When he thinkes we are at the weakest then he commeth with his strongest assaults If Satan had sent Job word of the death of his children first all the rest would have beene as nothing to him he would not have regarded the losse of his Cattell when he heard that all his children were crushed to death by the fall of the house As some one great evill falling upon us takes the heart off from having any sense or joy in a lesser good so one great evill swallowes up the sense and feeling of a lesser evill that great evill which fell upon the Wife of Phineas when she heard that the Arke of God was taken afflicted her so extreamely that she could not at all rejoyce in the birth of her sonne she had no sence of that Here was therefore the cunning of Satan lest Job should have lost the smart of the lesser afflictions least they should have beene all swallowed up in the greater he brings them out in order the least first the greatest is reserved for the last We observe in warre that when once the great Ordnance are discharged the Souldiers are not afraid of the Musket so when a great batterie is made by some thundering terrible judgement upon the soule or upon the body or estate of any man the noyse and feares of lesser evills are drown'd and abated Therefore Satan keepes his greatest shot to the last that the small might be heard and felt and that the last comming in greater strength might find the least strength to resist it
and solid reason The reprehension in these words Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh The reason of his reprehension in those which follow What shall we receive good at the hand of God and not evill To begin with the reprehension Thou speakest as one of the foolish women In the Hebrew Woman is not exprest it is only a Feminine as one of the foolish ones we translate it foolish woman That word commeth from Nabal which signifieth properly a thing fallen off like a dried leafe or blasted withered fruit without life without strength without sap and moysture exhausted and kill'd thorough excesse either of cold or heat and so by a Metaphor it noteth any one without the sap or juyce of wisedome goodnesse and honesty such a person we call a saplesse person Or it signifieth one that is vile and base and low one that hath a base withered low fallen spirit a spirit fallen below all noble or holy resolutions Nabal is such a foole as hath his judgement and understanding faded and corrupted in regard of any holy principles though he may be wise in regard of naturall principles Such the Prophet describes they are wise to doe evill but to do good they have no knowledge Jer. â— 22 Hence the Latin word Nebulo which signifies a Knave is by good Etymologists derived from the Hebrew Nabal because such are dull-heads in goodnesse and witty only in wickednesse Such was he 1 Sam. 25.25 Nabal is his name and folly is with him That proper name is the same with the Appellative here that 's the Masculine this the Feminine Thou speakest like a Nabalesse We find the word often used elsewhere to signifie wicked worthlesse and vile persons Psal 14.1 The foole hath said c. Deut. 32.6 21. at the 6th verse O foolish people and unwise doe ye thus requite the Lord And ver 21. They have provoked me to anger by those that are no gods and I will provoke them to jealousie by them which are not a people and move them to anger with a foolish nation by them which are not a people by a foolish nation A foolish people deserve not the name of a people Looke upon this word in the abstract folly is wickednesse and to worke folly is in the language of the Scripture as much as to worke wickednesse to worke the greatest wickednesse Hence it is sometimes translated villany Ier. 29.22 23. The Lord make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab whom the King of Babylon rosted in the fire because they have committed villany in Israel And throughout the Booke of Proverbs the foole and an ungodly man a wise-man and a godly man are Synonomaes words signifying the same thing Thus Job reproves his wife thou speakest as one of the foolish women like one of those who have no wisedome no goodnesse not any sense or sap of goodnesse in them But who were these foolish women at whom he aimes in this comparison that is not cleare some conceive he intends the women of Idumea Thou speakest as one of these heathen women these Idumeans I have heard indeed such language from them when things have gone amisse with them I have heard them cursing their Idols cursing their gods I have heard them raile at fate fall out and wrangle with fortune Thou speakest like one of them Thou takest thy patterne in this from the custome of the Heathen who use their gods coursely when they thinke they have but course usage from their gods If their gods be angry they will be angry with and revile their gods Thou speakest after the rate of these foolish women Thou diddest never heare such doctrine in my family or among those who feare and love the true and ever-living God Job you see is now somewhat warme in his speech Job had indured much and all his sufferings hitherto had not stirr'd any passion in him but that of sorrow as we saw in the latter end of the former Chapter Not an angry posture not an angry expression all along but now that God and the wayes of God are concerned Job can hold no longer this speech of his wife cast dishonour upon both and now passion begins to stir hee cannot forbeare her though his wife Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh Observe That Passion becometh us in the cause of God Our Lord Christ teaching his Disciples the true meaning of the Law tells them Mat. 5.22 He that is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgement but he that is not angry when there is cause especially when there is such a cause as this he likewise is in danger of the Judgement Secondly Job is not only angry with her but he reproves her Thou speakest as one of the foolish women It is lawfull sometimes to expresse holy anger and passion by sharpe reproofes Christ who was meeknesse and humility it selfe yet when he hath to deale with Pharisees he can call them a generation of vipers painted Sepulchers blind guides an adulterous generation children of the Devill Anger can hardly be silent and that anger is admirable which speakes and sinnes not He that knowes not how to be angry knowes not how to love And he that knowes not how to reprove with love knowes not how to be angry You may discerne love in Job mingling with and moderating his reproof Job rebukes his wife but it is with the spirit of meeknesse First He doth not speake positively or down-right Thou art a foole but comparatively Thou speakest as one of the foolish women use to speake That seemes one mitigation or allay of this reproofe yet I confesse such speaking by way of similitude hath often in it the force and intent of a direct assertion Another thing observeable for the meeknesse of Job is this He doth not fall out with the whole Sex and say ye women are foolish and ignorant and impatient But thou speakest as one of the foolish women He doth not charge the whole Sex he knew there were wise women as well as foolish such Solomon describes Pro. 31.26 She openeth her mouth with wisedome and we know Abigail the wife was wise and her husband was Naball a foole Iob doth not lay it upon women in generall he falleth not out with all because he knew there were some foolish ones and because he saw his wife in that act imitating those foolish ones There is a third thing mitigating the sharpnesse of the reproof Iob doth not fall out with or disgust the ordinance of God because his wife spake thus he saith not who would marry to be yoak't with such a one as you It is enough to make one forsweare marriage to have or heare of such a wife better be in any condition then in a married condition How often doe husbands discover this folly if their wives displease them presently the ordinance of God displeaseth them who would be married It is very sad when mans
AN EXPOSITION WITH PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS Vpon the three first CHAPTERS of the Booke of IOB Delivered in XXI Lectures at MAGNUS neare the Bridge London By JOSEPH CARYL Preacher to the Honourable Society of Lincolnes-Inne JAMES 5. ver 10 11. Take my bretheren the Prophets who have spoken in the Name of the Lord for an example of suffering affliction and of patience Behold we count them happy which endure Yee have heard of the patience of Job and have seene the end of the Lord that the Lord is very pitifull and of tender mercy LONDON Printed by G. Miller for Henry Overton in Popes-head-Alley and Luke Fawne and Iohn Rothwell in Pauls Church-yard M.DC.XLIII IT is this eleventh Day of May 1643. Ordered by the Committee of the House of Commons in Parliament concerning Printing that this Book intituled An Exposition upon the three first Chapters of IOB be printed for Henry Overton Luke Fawne Iohn Rothwell IOHN WHITE TO THE CHRISTIAN READER To those especially of this City who have bin the Movers and Promoters of this work THis Book of JOB beares the Image of these times and presents us with a resemblance of the past present and much hoped for future condition of this Nation As the personall prosperity of Job so his troubles looke like our Nationall troubles and why may not the parallel be made up by a likenesse in our Restauration Job was the most flourishing the greatest man of all the men of the East We are the greatest and lately were the most flourishing Nation of all the Nations of the North. Our Oxen like his were strong to labour our Sheep brought forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets our garners were full affording all manner of store our sonnes like his as plants growne up in their youth our daughters as corner stones polished after the similitude of a palace There was no breaking-in nor going out no complaining in reference to outward wants in our streets We washed our steps with butter and the rock powred us out rivers of oyl The Candle of God shined upon our Heads and the secret of God was upon our Tabernacles Our roots were spread out by the waters and the dew of blessings lay all night upon our branches Unto us the Nations gave ear and waited kept silence at our counsel After our words they spake not again and our speech dropped upon them If we laughed on them they believed it not our glory was fresh in us and the light of our countenance they cast not down we chose out their way and sate chief and dwelt as a King in the army as one that comforteth the Mourners Surely a happy people were we being in such a case yea most happy were we having the Lord many ways declaring himselfe for our God And had we as these mercies did oblige us fill'd up or labour'd to fill up th' other part the better part of Jobs character Had we beene a People perfect and upright fearing God and eschewing evill We might according to the promis'd and often experienc'd tenour of Gods dealing with his people have continued and encreased in all that happinesse unto this day But We herein unlike to Job and like a foolish Nation and unwise have ill-requited the Lord yea we have requited the Lord with evill for and in the midst of all this Goodnesse Our Provocations have bin many and our Backe-slidings have bin multiplied Our sinnes have put a Sword into the Hand of God And God in Justice hath put a Sword into the Hands of unjust men men skilfull to destroy He hath made Babylonians the rod of his anger and the staffe of his Indignation against us He hath given Commission to Caldeans and Sabeans who rob and spoyle us Our young men are slaine by the edge of the Sword and the stinke of our Campes comes up into our Nostrils How many sad Messengers have hastened unto us as unto Job with the Reports of Cities surrendered and plundered of Townes fired and pillaged of Villages and Countries laid waste and almost desolate Now seeing all this is come upon us is it not time for us with Job to rent our Garments yea our hearts with godly sorrow and falling upon the ground worship God and say The Lord hath freely given and the Lord hath justly taken Blessed be the Name of the Lord. Our sinnes have brought these sorrowes let not our sorrowes bring in more sin by causing us to murmur against or charge God foolishly God never sends such troubles upon a Nation he doth sometimes upon a Person and did upon Job without cause that is without respecting sinne as a cause Job might say in one sense My Uprightnesse and my Integritie have procured these things unto me But wee must say our way and our doings have procured these things unto us This is our wickednes Yet though all this evill hath been done by us though all these evils are come upon us yet there is hope in our Israel concerning this thing yea I beleeve there is mercie in and from all these evils to us and all the Israel of our God Onely what Integrity we have let us still hold it stedfastly what evils are and what evils almost are not amongst us let us reforme them speedily Without this at least without hearty desires and faithfull endeavours after this wee may presume but we cannot beleeve or hope our Deliverance I grant that whensoever God restores us he must restore us freely and must both make us good and doe us good for his owne Name sake in Jesus Christ For as he hath punished us lesse then our sinnes deserve so whensoever or in what degree soever he restores us it will bee more then any or all our repentings and reformings can deserve yet he commands us to repent and reforme that we may be restored God never delivered any people for their Repentance and rarely any if any without Repentance Yea I may say it plainely that he never delivered any in Mercie without Repentance for either he gave them Repentance before they were delivered or Repentance which is farre the greater blessing of the two with the Deliverance Better have our troubles continue then our sinnes continue To have Peace returne and our hearts unturn'd were infinitely worse then warre And as Repentance is better then Peace so it will be an argument that we shall have Peace May wee not well conclude that God is upon the giving-hand when he gives a new heart And that hee hath somewhat else to give when he hath given a love unto and a longing after his Truth When God feeds us with and we have a right taste of this Manna in our Wildernesse wee may rest assured that God hath humbled us all this while and all the while his Wisdome shall see fit to humble us yet will be only to proove us that he may doe us good at our latter end and make this Nation at least like Job in the end which he will
Solomons advice Eccles 7.14 In the day of prosperity be joyfull but in the day of adversitie consider What shall we consider Consider this and marke it well that as the day of prosperity was from God so the day of adversitie is from God likewise for it followes God also hath set the one over against the other Therefore seeing God hath set one over against the other thou must take the one well as well as the other at least thou must beare the latter as patiently as thou did'st receive the former joyfully They who have shared with others in gaines thinke it but equall to share with them in losses they set the one over against the other And so must we in respect of Gods dispensations towards us If we set our present wants over against our former fullnesse our present sorrowes over against our former comforts our present sicknesse over against our former health our present warre over against our former peace If we thus set the one over against the other our accounts will be ballanc'd yea our former receipts of good will be far greater and out-ballance our present sufferings of evill Especially if we remember that we never deserved the least part of the good we have received but we have deserved more then all the evill that we suffer Wee may say as Ezra did Chap. 9.13 Thou our God hast punished us lesse then our iniquities and we may say as Jacob Gen. 32.10 Lord we are not worthy the least of all thy mercies This argument may be of great use to us of this Nation in these times of darkenesse and feare What shall not we receive evill from the hand of God who have received so much good we have received many yeares of peace from God foure-score yeares of peace shall we receive so many yeares of peace from the hands of God and shall we take it ill if we receive some yeares of warre We have received many yeares of plenty shall we take it ill if we should have some yeares of scarcitie We have had the Gospell many yeares every one sitting under his Vine and under his Fig-tree what if now we hold the Gospell standing upon our guard or marching in the field what if we hold it a while sitting in Tents and standing under our displayed banners Fourthly Forasmuch as the same word is applied here to expresse the act of the mind in reference both to good and evill Observe That outward evills are to be received in the same manner and with the same mind that good things are received with Yet a caution is to be given in with this There are two sorts of outward evils or sufferings Sinne is the cause of some sufferings and grace is the cause of other sufferings either grace acted or grace to be tryed Now we are not to receive the evill of suffering whereof sin is the cause with the same mind as we doe good joy and cheerefulnesse doth not become such evills But when our sufferings are caused by grace either of those wayes then it becomes us to rejoyce The Apostle saith more Rom. 5.3 We glory in tribulation And againe 2 Cor. 6.10 as sorrowfull yet alway rejoycing The sorrow of godly men is like the joy of the wicked only in appearance Paul had only a shadow of sorrow as sorrowfull but his joy was substantiall and continuall alwayes rejoycing though his outward estate cast up amounted but to this poore and having nothing The reason is because God is the same in all variety of our estates God loves as well when we are poore as when we are rich yea as well when himselfe smites as when he heales He is as good to us when we receive evill as when we receive good therefore if God be the same surely we ought to be the same too and take it as kindly at his hands when we are impoverisht as when we are inricht when we are sick as when we are in health when we are in prison as when we are free Shall present evills make us either insensible of or unthankfull for past mercies Shall present troubles be as a grave wherein to bury the memory of all our former comforts shall as it was in Pharaohs dreame the leane kine and the blasted eares of corne eate up and devoure the fat kine and the full eares The Heathen Philosopher censures him for a foole who thinks there is no benefit in benefits nor blessing in blessings except they be present And he brands him as unthankfull who accounts the end of a mercy an injury or thinks he is wrong'd when free gifts are not continued If a Heathen saw so much obligation in the past benefits of a man Christians should see it much more in the past mercies and blessings of their God Wherefore to conclude this point with the counsell of the Ancient Remember the heapes of good things received weigh the good and the evill together Thou shalt never find any mans life at all times alike It is the priviledge of God alone to be without changes but if thou grievest at what is present take comfort in what is past Now thou mournest but heretofore thou didst rejoyce now thou art in want but thou hast had aboundance We have a saying It is a miserable thing to have been happy But a godly man is happy in the mid'st of all his misery he may say with undaunted Luther Let him be miserable that can be miserable I cannot He that hath not a God to loose nor a soule to loose cannot be miserable whatsoever he looses while Christ is safe a beleever hath no reason to be unsatisfied Thus we have discus'd Jobs answer and have found it full of wisedome and of holinesse like those words of the Wise which the Preacher saith Eccles 12.11 are as goads and as nailes fastned by the Masters of Assemblies Jobs words were as goads by the sharpnesse of reproofe to awake and quicken lazie drones they were as nailes by the piercing efficacy and strength of reason to confirme and fasten wavering minds We have the word and warrant of God for this in that high Elogium or commendation given him at the conclusion of all In all this did not Job sinne with his lips Job reprooves his wife for speaking so and he refutes what she had spoken in both he hits the right Now In all this did not Job sinne with his lips This is the same testimony for the matter and almost the same in words with that given of Jobs victory in the close of the first dayes battell and having explicated them in that place I shall but briefely touch them here In all this did not Job sin with his lips We see in generall the holy Ghost gives the victory to Job Satan is foiled his plot failes the weapons of his war-fare are all broken and successelesse all his fiery darts are either quench't or beaten back upon himselfe Job stands like a mighty rock or like a house built
other thing for him how hard soever He knew he could never be in such straights but the power of God could deliver him when he once remembred that it was God who tooke him out of his mothers womb For in the words immediately fore-going he bringeth in his enemies laughing at yea reproaching him and saying He trusted in God that he would deliver him let him deliver him seeing he delighted in him They jeere him with his God let him deliver him David answers What doe ye think God cannot deliver me Lord saith he thou art he that tookest me out of my mothers wombe Can I ever be in such straights as I was then can I ever be in a more helplesse condition Can I ever be in more need of an Almighty helpe then when I was strugling to get into the world There is more of the power of God put forth in bringing a poore infant into the world then in bringing him out of any trouble or straight he can fall into in his travels through the world And hence the great deliverances of a people from danger and their reformations from errour are called a birth as King Hezekiah speakes in his message to Isaiah 2 King 19.4 The children are come to the birth and there is no strength to bring forth As if he had said great things are now attempted but nothing can be perfected great troubles are discovered but we cannot be delivered by any humane power or policy Therefore lift up a prayer for the remnant that is left Every new deliverance and reformation of a Church is a new-birth of that Church Who hath heard such a thing who hath seene such things shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day or shall a Nation be borne at once for assoone as Zion travailed shee brought forth her children That is Sions mercies were speedily and suddainely obtained She uses to have long travaile and many throes but now the mighty power of God opened the doore of the wombe a doore of hope and Sion was easily delivered of a man-child A glorious mercy Isai 66.8 You see how the holy Ghost paralels the working of great things for the Church to the travaile of a woman whose infant sticks in the birth if God suspend his helpe but if he open the doore by a hand of gracious providence she brings forth Even before she travailes as the same Prophet speakes and before she is in paine she is delivered I have adventured to lengthen out this notion somewhat further then that hint in the Text doth well beare only because we being a people now in strong travaile and wanting strength to bring forth may be directed to consider whose hand holds the key which opens the wombe of Nations as well as persons and at the turning of whose hand we shall quickly be delivered and being delivered we shall quickly forget all our paines and pangs for joy that a man-child such a masculine blessing is borne into the world But the Text goes on still in teares As followes Nor hid sorrow from mine eyes The word which we translate sorrow signifies more properly labour and wearinesse or the wearinesse that doth arise from labour and so from thence it is translated to signifie any kind of sorrow or trouble Because it hid not sorrow from mine eyes By the hiding of sorrow from his eyes he noteth only thus much that he should have been delivered from the sense and experience of sorrow He had mist those evills which he met with since his coming into the world if those doores being shut had shut him out of the world When sorrow is hid from our eyes then all evill is removed as in that speech Isai 65.16 Because the former troubles are forgotten because they are hidden from mine eyes that is as if he had said we feare no trouble no danger no evill hangs over out heads now the former evills are forgotten they are hidden from mine eyes As we use to say of great dangers that they are imminent dangers they hang over our heads or hang before our eyes because they lye so neere and are in such a readinesse to oppresse and fall upon us Now when Job subjoyneth sorrow to his birth as if assoone as ever the doores were open for him to step into the world the first object he met with was trouble and he was saluted by sorrow as soone as ever he saw the light Observe That man is borne to sorrow He sees sorrow the first thing he sees Sorrow is his first acquaintance The connection is very close Because it shut not up the doores of the wombe nor hid sorrow from mine eyes Eliphaz tells us chap. 5.7 That man is borne unto trouble as the sparkes flie upward He is born to it the expression implies that trouble sorrow take hold of us or we enter upon and take hold of trouble assoone as ever we enter upon the world we are borne to them trouble and sorrow are a mans inheritance as an heyre is borne to his land or estate Man hath a right to those troubles they are his birth-right and all his birth-right by nature and assoone as ever he is borne he takes possession of sorrow or sorrow possesses him Many a man is borne to riches and a great estate but he stayeth a great while for the possession of them man is borne to trouble and he enters upon that assoone as ever he enters the world sorrow is not his inheritance in reversion but in possession Even as the sparkes flie upward that explaines it to be so as the sonnes of the Coale so the Hebrew that is sparkes assoone as ever they are borne out of the coale flie upward and are presently ascending so is man tending unto trouble Few and evill have the dayes of the yeeres of my life beene saith Jacob Gen. 47.9 How few soever they have been they have been evill if his life had been but one day that had been an evill day If his life had not been lengthened to the least number of days yet his evills had multiplied to a number in few houres we have many sorrowes Some make the infants teares a presage of these sorrowes as if he wept to thinke upon what a shore of trouble he is landed Or rather into what a Sea of stormes he is lanching when he comes into the world such stormes as he shall never be fully quit of till he is harboured in his grave Wherefore as the Angell said unto the woman Luk. 24.5 Why seeke yee the living among the dead So I may say to you why seeke ye peace in a land of trouble and joy in a land of sorrow These are reserved for us in our countrey which is above expect them not here for this is not your rest Secondly We may note from this expression Nor hid sorrow from mine eyes That the sight of the eye wounds the heart He doth not say and hid trouble from my soule or trouble
made Jeremie enquire Why doth the way of the wicked prosper As if he had said If I could see the reason of it it would satisfie me but while thou keepest me in the darke and I can give no account to my owne soule or those that aske me of this thy dispensation to wicked men this is the burthen of my soule It is usually said They are happy who know the causes of things And in regard of the diseases of the body we say that a disease is halfe cured when the cause of it is discovered But when a Physition is in the darke and cannot find out the cause of a disease he must needs be in the darke for the remedy of it So it is also with a man in regard of any affliction when he cannot find out the cause he knoweth not what to pitch upon as a remedy When Rebekah Gen. 25.22 had twins in her wombe and they strugled together within her she was much troubled and nothing would satisfie her untill she went to God to know the reason of the thing Lord saith she why am I thus And when God had told her that two Nations were in her wombe and that two manner of people should be separated from her bowels she made no more complaints So when there are such strivings such struglings and contrary motions of trouble in us or about us the soule goes to God and enquires why is it thus Lord I am more troubled with the ignorance of my troubles then with the weight or smart of them Thirdly Take the words as respecting the issue or deliverance from trouble and they affoord us this observation That It is a great addition to an affliction not to see or discerne a way to escape or get out of affliction To be in an affliction out of which there appeares no passage unlesse the soule be mightily supported by the hand and power of Christ brings within a step of despaire The Apostle speakes as much when he saith 1 Cor. 10.13 There is no temptation hath taken hold of you but that which is common to man and then it followes but God is faithfull who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to beare it As if he should say If God did not indeed discover or make out to you some way of escaping I must needs say you were never able to beare it but saith he God will make a way for you to escape that ye may be able to beare it Meaning that the opening of this way would revive their spirits and then they would be able through the strength of Christ to beare it If so then how shall the soule beare an affliction when God instead of making a way to escape doth as it were make a hedge to stop all escape Therefore when the Lord would support his people in their troubles he promised that they should have a doore of hope opened to them I will give her the valley of Achor for a doore of hope Hos 2.15 He would give her some appearance some glimpses and openings of deliverance in and from their present dangers It is threatned Deut. 28.25 thou shalt come out one way against thine enemies and flie seven wayes before them they should flie many wayes but they should escape no way Thou shalt come out one one way and flie seven wayes that is thou shalt try this and that and every way to escape but thou shalt find a hedge at every wayes end to stop and hinder thy escape We use to say of a man in a distressed condition He is in a wood or in a wildernesse And when God entangles men in their own devises it is said He powreth contempt upon Princes and causeth them to wander in the wildernesse where there is no way Psalm 107.40 So Pharaoh said of the children of Israel they are entangled in the land the wildernesse hath shut them in Exod. 14.3 And when a people are as the children of Israel were having a a Sea before them an army behind them and Mountaines on either hand Then they may say as Job did their way is hid and God hath hedged them in For my sighing cometh before I eate and my roarings are powred out like water Here Job takes up the former proposition and applies it particularly to his own person Before he said only in the generall why is light given to him that is in misery and why is light given to a man whose way is hid and whom God hath hedged in Now he saith in effect it is thus with me I am a man in misery and I am a man whose way God hath hid and hedged in wherefore then is my life continued And he proves that he was in such a condition by the effects of it sighes and roarings So that this verse holds forth two things about Jobs sorrow First The continuance of it in those words My sighing comes before I eate Secondly The extremity of it in those My roarings are powred out c. The argument may be thus framed That man is in extreame and continuall misery who doth not so much breath as sigh who when he would speake is forced to roare But thus it is with me my sighing cometh before I eate and my roarings are powred out like water therefore my misery is extreame and continuall My sighing cometh before I eate In the Hebrew it is word for word thus before the face of my bread my sighings come Which Hebraisme before the face of my bread hath a great emphasis in it It notes the continuance of his sorrowes without any intermission When a thing is said to be before the face of another it notes an equall continuance with that before the face of which it is said to be As in the negative Exod. 20.3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me so we translate it the Hebrew is Thou shalt have no other gods before my face that is so long as I continue to be thy God thou shalt have no other god but I shall be thy God to all eternity therefore thou shalt have no other gods but me for ever So in the affirmative Psalm 72.5 where under the type of Solomons Kingdome the continuance of the Kingdome of Christ is prophecied the Holy Ghost saith It shall continue so long as the Sunne and Moone endureth the Hebrew is it shall continue before the face of the Sunne and of the Moone that is there shall be an equall duration of the Kingdome of Christ and of those lights of Heaven the Sun and the Moone The Kingdome of Christ shall last as long as the world shall last So then according to this sense before the face of my bread my sighings come is as if he had said looke how long I have my bread before me looke how much time I spend in eating so much time I spend in sighing my