God or what fruit he should have in prayer Verse 27. Thou shalt make thy prayer to him and he shall heare thee and thou shalt pay thy Vowes In these words we have a further promise leading to a further duty as beforâ— the duty of returning to the Almighty had a promise annexed to it of lifting up the face to God or boldnesse in prayer So now the promise of being heard in prayer is followed with a duty The payment of vowes Thou shalt make thy prayer to him c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 multiplicavit propriè verba fortia fâ—dâ—t in Oratione The word notes the powring out of many prayers or of a multitude of words in prayer yet not of bare wâ—rds but of words cloathed with power strong prayers as well as many prayers For as the Gospel comes from God to us not in word onely but in power and in the holy Ghost and in much assurance 1 Thes 1.5 so prayer should goe from us to God not in word onely but in power and in the holy Ghost c. Thus saith Eliphaz Thou shalt make many and mighty prayers strong prayers prevailing conquering prayers so the word is used Gen. 25.21 Tâ—en Isack intreated the Lord for his wife because she was barren that is he made many prayers to God he made a businesse of praying that he might have a sonne though there was a sure promise made to Abraham that he should have a sonne and that in him and from him should come the promised seed yet Isack was long without a sonne and he leaves it not carelesly in the decree of God resolving Idly God hath said I shall have a sonne at least if not many sonnes why should I trouble my selfe in the thing No Isack had not so learned the minde of God he was better skill'd in Divinity then so to separate the meanes from the end or to conclude that wee need not pray for that which God hath purposed and promised He I say was better instructed then so and therefore though he doubtlesse did fully beleeve that God would fullfill the promise made to Abraham in giving him a sonne yet he entreated the Lord for his wife because she was barren and he intreated the Lord earnestly he made plenty abundance of prayers for it cannot be supposed but that he had prayed for that mercy long before for it was neere twenty yeares since his marriage to Rebeccah as appeares plainely by comparing the 20 verse of that Chapter with the 26 â—h the former telling us that he was forty yeares old when he marryed Rebeccah and the latter that he was threescore when Rebeccah bare Jacob and Esau So that I say we cannot suppose but so holy a man as Isack had been suing out the good of the promise before but when he perceived it sticking so long in the birth then his soule fell in travel about it then he was very fervent in prayer and would give the Lord no rest Then he entreated the Lord c. The same is sayd of Manoah Judges 13.8 Then Manoah intreated the Lord and said oh my Lord let the man of God which thou didst send come againe unto us and teach us what we should doe unto the childe that shall be borne he prayed then with much earnestnes or made prayers for direction in that thing The word is often used to signifie abundance Isa 35.2 It shall blossome abundantly Jere. 33.6 Behold I will bring in health and cure and I will cure them and will reveale unto them the abundance of peace and truth Not onely shall they have peace and truth but abundance of them So here thou shalt not onely pray but a spirit of prayer shall be powred out upon thee aboundantly Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him Hence note First Prayer is a dutie We owe prayer to God as his creatures or in regard of our naturall dependance upon him much more as new creatures or in regard of our spirituall dependance upon him Secondly Note It is our duty not onely to pray but to pray much or to pray with much fervency The emphasis of the Originall word here used leades us to this as well as many Scripture Authorities Cold asking invites a denyall 't is effectuall or working fervent prayer that prevailes much Jam. 5.16 Note thirdly Prayer is due onely to God Prayer is a part of holy worship and all such worship is proper to God alone Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him Saints and Angels worship God with us we must not worship eyther Saint or Angel with God no nor God by the helpe and mediation of Saints or Angels We know no mediator of intercession but he who is the mediator of redemption the Lord Jesur Christ Fourthly Taking in the consideration of the time as before in the former part Then shalt thou have thy delight in the Lord then shalt thou make thy prayer to him Observe That we are never in a fit frame for prayer till wee turne from every sin by repentance As the Lord will not heare us when we pray if we regard iniquity in our heart Psal 68.18 so neyther are we in a fitnes to speake to God in prayer if we regard any iniquity in our hearts Repenting and praying must be of the same length unlesse we repent continually we cannot pray continually because we sin continually The more holy we are the more free we are to pray Sinne clogs and checks the spirit in this great duty cast off that weight and then shalt thou make thy prayer to him And he shall heare thee To heare prayer is more then to take notice of the matter or words spoken to heare prayer is to grant what we pray for as our hearing the word of God is more then to take in the sound or sence of what is spoken it is to submit to and obey what is spoken Now as we heare no more of the word of God then we beleeve and practice so the Lord heareth no more of what we pray in a Scripture sence then what he granteth There are two expressions in Scripture which note this First To have regard to a person or to a prayer 1 Kings 8.28 29. when Solomon prayed at the dedication of the Temple the Lords hearing of prayer which he then beggd is thus described Have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant and to his supplication c. that thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day Respicere est audire So it is said of Abel Gen. 4.4 that the Lord had respect to his offering the Lord looked towards him and accepted of him to accept a prayer is to heare a prayer Secondly The hearing of prayer is described by the presence of God with those that pray Isa 58.9 Then shalt thou call and the Lord shall answer thou shalt cry and he shall say here I am This is a wonderfull condescension 't is even as when a Master calling to
Christ to subdue and conquer them they will be too hard for us and foyle us We are easily and presently foiled by pride by covetousnesse by wrath by envie all these passions and lusts will trample us under their feete in the dirt of all sinfullnesse and pollution both of flesh and spirit unlesse we receive power from on high to subdue and mortifie them Rom. 8.13 If ye through the Spirit mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live that is ye shall live comfortably holyly and eternally The deeds of the body that is sinfull deeds and the roote of them sinfull lusts count all weapons as Leviathan doth speares and swords but straw and stubble rather to be laughed at then feared except onely the weapons or power of the Spirit And when once we take our lusts to taske with the weapons of the Spirit they presently fall and dye before us The Spirit is the strength of God in us for the mortification of Corruption Fourthly We are strengthened or God puts strength into us for the resisting and conquering of the temptations of Satan we meet with many assaults from the devill and from the world who are confederate with our lusts These we must resist stedfast in the faith and that not onely in the faith as the faith imports soundnes of doctrine or divine truth but as The faith imports dependance upon Christ for strength and assistance Peter being a cheife a grandee in the traine of Christ or among the Disciples of Christ was Satans eye-sore and the fayrer marke for his fiery darts Satans fingers itcht to be doing with him he saith our Saviour desired to have him that he might sift him as wheat Luk. 22.31 that is to sift him throughly not to fetch out his chaffe from him but indeed to make him chaffe How was Peter upheld I have prayed for thee saith Christ that thy faith faile not that is I have prayed that God would put strength into thee that thy faith faile not if once faith faile we are overcome But is faith our strength No but faith goes to and takes hold of him who is our strength or who puts strength into us that we fall not in temptation But you will say Peter fell and he fell grievously his fall was great he denyed his Master 'T is true Peter fell but he did not fall away his faith did not faile that is it was not totally lost and therefore when Christ lookt upon him and by that looke renewed his strength he gat up againe even when he denied Christ there was a seed of faith remaining in him though like a tree in the winter his fruit was gone yea and his leaves too and he looked dead and withered yet there was sap in the roote his faith failed not whence was this he had an invisible supply of strength from God I have prayed saith Christ that thy faith faile not The prayer of Christ fayled not and therefore his faith did not Christ prayed that he might have strength by beleeving and though he had not so much faith as to preserve him standing yet he had so much faith as to raise him from his fall And what Christ prayed for Peter he prayed for all that should beleeve on his name that in all their resistings of and contendings with temptation their faith also may not fayle As faith is one principall piece of our spirituall armour whereby we overcome temptation so it fetches in that which is the whole of the whole Armour of God even the strength of God When the Apostle exhorts Saints Eph. 6.11 To put on the whole armour of God He premises another most needfull exhortation or exhorts them first v. 10. to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might implying that it is not any one piece no nor the whole armour of God abstractly or precisely taken which is our strength but that the God of this Armour is our strength in the spirituall combate Though our loynes were girt about with truth and we have on the breast-plate of righteousnesse though our feete were shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace and we have the shield of faith in our hand though we should take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God yet if thus arrayed it were possible for us to neglect or forget the God of the Word it were not possible for us to conquer the footmen lesser much lesse the horsemen Greater least of all The Charets of iron the greatest temptations of the Prince of darknes As no carnal weapon hath any thing at all to doe so no spirituall weapon can doe any thing at all in this warre without the strength of God or rather to conclude this poynt all these spirituall weapons and Armour are nothing else but the strength of God or the various puttings forth of the strength of God in weake man Fifthly and lastly God gives us strength to pray to and plead our cause before him he will not dazle us with his glory nor confound us with his Majesty when we come to plead with him but he will put strength into us In prayer we prevaile with God but the strength whereby we prevaile with God comes from God yea he doth not onely give us strength in prayer to act by but he acts that strength in prayer Rom. 8.26 Likewise the Spirit helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it selfe maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered Prayer is strong worke it calls forth the whole strength of the soul nor doth the soule in any thing shew its strength more then in prayer praying is wrestling and how can we wrestle without strength Even the king of Ninevy gave this direction at his fast Jon. 3.8 Let them cry mightily And our Lord Jesus Christ in the dayes of his flesh offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and teares Heb. 5.7 Now the Spirit is the strength of God in us for prayer he helpeth our infirmities and we are onely a bundle of infirmities without his helpe There is a threefold strength needfull in prayer and God by the Spirâ—t puts these three strengths into us First The Spirit helpes us with strength of argument to plead with God Secondly The Spirit helpes us with strength of faith in taking hold upon God Thirdly The Spirit helpes us with strength of patience in waiting upon God till we receive what we have prayed for Jacob by this threefold strength had power with God in prayer Hos 12.3 and it was the power or Spirit of God by which he had this threefold strength to prevaile with God Thus we are strengthened with might by the Spirit in the inner man Eph. 3.16 We are strong to doe and strong to suffer we are strong to mortifie corruptions and strong to conquer temptations we are strong to pray and strong to plead our
unable to resist or make his party good with him with much submission takes hold of his arme or weapon endeavouring by earnest suit to stay him from smiting And indeed to take hold of the strength of God is to take hold on his mercy The strength of God to save sinners lyes in his mercy and that mercy is in his Son who is his strength to save sinners if a sinner lay hold of this strength the mercy of God in his Son that he may make-peace with God if this be his designe he shall make peace there shall not be a treaty with God in Christ for peace in vaine if a sinner should take hold of the strength of his owne righteousnes performances if he should take hold of the strength of all the Angels in heaven he could not make peace with God nor would God agree with him upon those termes Such a soule must returne re infecta without his errand God is ready to be at peace with 〈◊〉 but we must have our peace in his way not in our owne Acquaint now thy selfe with him and be at peace And this peace whether in our selves or with God is no light or unprofitable thing as Eliphaz to provoke Job to pursue and seeke after it tells him in the last words of this verse Thereby good shall come unto thee Thereby whereby or by what what is it that shall procure or produce this good The answer is at hand Thy acquaintance with God thy being at peace will procure all good things for thee Acquaint thy selfe with him and be at peace be at peace in thy own spirit be quiet be at peace with God be reconciled every way good shall come unto thee Mr Broughton renders Prosperity shall come unto thee the sence is the same Others read in stead of good shall come unto thee thy comings in shall be good thou shalt have a good revenâ—â—â—ood income Proventus tuus erit bonus Drus whereas before evill came upon thee now thy coâ—â—â—gs in shall be good This also is of the same meaning with our translation I shall not need to stay upon the opening of the words there is no difficulty in them From their dependance in that he saith Acquaint thy selfe with him and be at peace so shall good come unto thee These words are brought in by way of inference upon the former whence Observe That when wee are estranged from God good is estranged from us God can stop the Influences of all our mercies from us he can lay an embargo upon all Creatures from bringing any good to us the there be store of treasure and rich Commodity in the place yet he can barre up all that no good can come unto us yea the Lord in such cases doth often lay a stop upon the spirit of prayer in his own people and when the heart is stopt that we cannot pray then usually good is stopt and kept back from coming to us Prayer is that which fetches in mercy and good things through the love of God in Jesus Christ Prayer may have a twofold stop First prayer may have a stop in the heart secondly Prayer which comes forth of the heart may have a stop in heaven the Lord doth even shut out-prayer sometimes and when prayer is shut out no good can get out to us Prayer is sent upon a message to heaven and if our messenger be shut out of doores and not admitted in what answer can we expect by his message And the Lord as he doth stop such from the receiving of further good so from the receiving of good by what they have already Wee may have that which in the nature of it is good and yet have no good by it God can stop the creature in our hands that it shall not at all give us any Comfort as well as he can stop any creature-comfort from comming into our hands Unlesse the Lord in one sence stop the creature it quickly leakes out all the Comfort which he hath put into it and proves to us indeed what sin hath made it a broken Cistern And unlesse the Lord open the creature the creature cannot give forth that good which it hath It will be to us as a Cisterne without a vent to passe out the water for our use There 's many a one who hath enough in his hand take it in any kinde but he enjoyes nothing of it because the Lord locks up the conduit or the cisterne and then how much good soever there is in it there 's none for him It is all one to us whether we have onely a broken Cisterne for our portion or a Cisterne alwayes lockt up for as the one lets all the water run out so the other holds all the water in we are as farre from good if our Cisterne hold all as if it held nothing at all It is then not onely our duty and our holines to acquaint our selves and be at peace with God but our wisdome and our interest For it is as he pleaseth alwayes and usually as we please him that eyther we have any thing that is good comming to us or that any good commeth to us by that which we have Secondly Note which is a Corallary from the former observation That the renewing of our Communion with God and making peace with him is followed with all manner of mercies and good things So shall good come unto thee There was never any man a looser by acquaintance with God Gods acquaintance is a gainfull acquaintance Our acquaintance with God should we consider it abstractly and separate from all benefit but his very acquaintance yet that is benefit enough God is the chiefest Good and therefore when we enjoy him we enjoy all Good The enjoyment of God himselfe is infinitely more then the enjoyment of all created good things that come from God Friends are sometimes in those heights of friendship and noblenes of spirit one to another that they count the enjoyment of one another to be more then all the benefits they can heape upon or reape by one another it is your good Company saith such a friend and your acquaintance that delights me more then all the good you can bestow upon mee And is not God much more so to us Thus I say acquaintance with God alone is all good but besides as the poynt leads us to consider God gives out good things from himselfe to all his holy acquaintants temporall or bodily good comes to us by his acquaintance and so also and that chiefly doth spirituall or soule good Acquaint thy selfe with God and the dewes of grace showers of the Spirit shall fall into thy bosome Acquaint thy selfe with God and spirituall Comfort shall flow in unto thee spirituall strength shall flow in unto thee thy soule shall be filled as with marrow and fatnes And as good shall come to thee in person so to thine to thy family and posterity good shall come And as God will cause good to
cause at the throane of Grace when God puts strength into us Job who had received great strength from God in all the former cases was assured that he should receive strength also in the last were he admitted to the seate of God Would he there plead against me with his great power No but he would put strength in me to plead with him And as he was thus assured that God would put strength into him to plead his cause so also liberty and freedome to doe it as appeares more fully in the next verse Verse 7th There the righteous might dispute with him so should I be delivered for ever from my Judge There where he meanes at the seate of God as if he had said Could I but once come to the throne or seate of God I should have free leave and liberty enough to open and argue to state and debate my case my long controverted and yet unresolved case with him He would not plead against me with his great power of Authority but he would give me the power of liberty to dispute and reason out that matter with him Severall passages in the former part of this Booke clearely hold out this sense Chap. 9.34 35. Let him take his rod away from me and let not his feare terrifie me then would I speake and not feare him but it is not so with me as yet God pleadeth against me with his great power Againe Chap. 13.21 22. Withdraw thy hand farre from me and let not thy dread make me afraid as if he had sayd Plead not against me with thy great power then call thou and I will answer or let me speake and answer thou me Those Texts already opened are of the fame generall scope and tendency with this underhand There that is All things being put into such a posture the righteous might dispute with him Some read the text in the first person There I being righteous might dispute with him Others thus I should be found righteous if I did dispute with him As if he had sayd I make no doubt of proving my selfe righteous or innocent in this controversie with my friends There I should not be found a false-hearted hypocrite God who knowes both my thoughts and my wayes would judge otherwise of me then men have done We reade the text indefinitely not restraining it to his person but as taking in any that are righteous The righteous that is any righteous man might dispute with him there his Court his tribunal is free and open for all that are upright or righteous In what sense the word righteous is used in this Booke hath been opened more then once In a word the righteous man is not he that is legally righteous but righteous in a redeemer or righteous as opposed to an hypocrite In both these senses we may take the word here The righteous may dispute with him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est apud alium ita argumentari ut petas responsio nem qua vicissim si quid erraveris redarguaris Merc. The word is properly applyed to scholasticke exercises where questions being put arguments are brought by the opponent which the respondent takes away and the Moderator states between them both This is the nature and manner of a strict dispute But in a large or vulgar sence every discoursing and reasoning about a doubtfull poynt is called disputing There the righteous may dispute with him Hence note God is free and ready to heare the pleadings and reasonings of those who are upright and righteous As the prayer of the upright is the delight of God so their modest and humble disputings are not displeasing to him A righteous man may plead with God freely but he must not plead with God proudly eyther crying up and boasting in his owne righteousnesse or laying the least imputation of unrighteousnesse upon the wayes of God in dealing with him The righteous dispute with God yet they know and keep their distance and while they doe so God is willing they should and welcomes them when they doe draw nigh to him disputing as wel as praying In opposition to which 't is sayd Psal 5.5 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight thou hatest all workers of iniquity The foolish that is the wicked man the hypocrite with his false-hearted and flattering tongue are an abomination to God The foolish man that the Psalmist meanes is not the man low in parts but unsound in spirit This foolish man shall not stand in the sight of God nor will God heare him eyther disputing or praying but reject him with his disputes and prayers Thou hatest all the workers of iniquity and to the wicked God saith what hast thou to doe to declare my statutes or that thou shouldest take my Covenant in thy mouth Psal 50.16 God will not endure it that wicked men should speake of him much lesse will he endure that a wicked man should dispute with him God will have nothing to doe in way of arguing and reasoning eyther with a person or with a people while he or they continue in their sinnes Isa 1.15 16. When ye spread forth your hands I will hide my eyes from you yea when ye make many prayers I will not heare your hands are full of blood that is eyther of bloody sinnes in speciall as murder and oppression or of sinnes in generall for every sin is blood and bloody every sin may be called blood and while the hands are full of blood in eyther sence God will not heare that is he will not graciously heare or accept so much as one of many prayers But are the wicked and their prayers and their disputings excluded for ever while they continue such or to doe such things they are and therefore in the next words the Lord by his Prophet gives them this counsel Wash ye make ye cleane put away the evill of your doings from before my eyes cease to doe evill learne to doe well seeke judgement releive the oppressed judge the fatherlesse plead for the widdow here 's a description of a righteous person righteous in his way upright with God and men and with such God will speake such may dispute with him as it follows v. 18. Come now and let us reason together We know saith the blind man after he was healed Joh. 9.31 that God heareth not sinners that is such as plead for or please themselves in any sin but if any man be a worshipper of God and doth his will him he heareth him he heareth praying and him he heareth disputing Whereas of the prayings of the wicked he saith they are but meere bablings and of their disputings they are but vaine fanglings If saith David Ps 66. 18. I regard iniquity in my heart God will not heare me God will not regard his prayers therefore not his disputes who regards iniquity but to the righteous and to such as repent of and turne from their unrighteousnesse the Lord saith Come let us reason together let us
or to bring some great evill upon them Amos 4.12 Therefore thus will I doe unto thee O Israel and because I will doe this unto thee prepare to meet thy God O Israel Wee may take those words prepare to meete thy God O Israel not so much for a challenge as for a direction But how shall Israel prepare to meete God Not with weapons of warre not with sword and speare these will make no defence against God No but with teares and prayers these are the armes and amunition of a Saint there 's no contending with God but onely by humbling our selves before him But you say prayer cannot turne God I answer prayer hath caused and may cause God to turne from his outward actings and dispensations onely it cannot turne God from any of his counsels or resolutions And because prayer hath so great a power upon God to turne him from his outward dispensations therefore he sometimes hath forbidden prayer when he was resolved not to turne from such threatned dispensations Jer. 14.11 Then sayd the Lord unto me pray not for this people for their good As if the Lord had sayd if any thing could prevaile with me thy prayer would But because I am fully purposed to visit their iniquities therefore I will not have thy prayers run waste As for them let them pray as long as they will as their prayers come onely from their necessities not from their hearts so they shall not come neere mine nor doe I care how long their prayers which are but pudle water run waste let them pray and spare not but let them be sure of this that though they pray I will not spare so it follows ver 12. When they fast I will not heare their cry and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation I will not accept them but I will consume them by the sword and by the famine and by the pestilence Their owne prayers had no power in them to turne God and he who had a power to stop God by prayer is himselfe stopt from prayer as in the place last quoted so once before Jer. 7.16 Therefore pray not for this people neither lift up cry nor prayer for them neither make intercession to me for I will not heare thee And as the Lord stopt Jeremie from prayer for them so he professeth that if they who in former ages had been most prevailing with him should now againe mannage their suite before him yet he would not be moved by it Jer. 15.1 Then said the Lord unto me though Moses and Samuel stood before me yet my minde could not be toward this people As if the Lord had sayd Though they should get my chiefe favorites to sollicit their cause and plead on their behalfe yet they should finde me in one minde and that even they could not turne me Jesus Christ never solicited any cause but he sped in it but the best of men may be earnest soliciters and not speed For though good men will not solicit a bad cause before God or pray against his revealed will yet they doe not alwayes hit his secret will And God who sayth to his people generally Ps 50.15 Call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee yet in some particular cases he will not deliver them though they call upon him Prayer is not onely an allowed but a commanded meanes and so the most probable meanes to obtaine deliverance yet that cannot alwayes obtaine or fetch it Yea God who often brings his people into trouble on purpose to provoke them to seeke his helpe yet sometimes will not helpe them though they seeke him And the reason is because he is in one minde and will not be turned from his purposes no not by prayer If once the Lord be resolved to destroy prayer cannot save Though Moses and Samuel stood before me yet saith the Lord my minde could not be toward this people cast them out of my sight and let them goe forth such as are for the sword to the sword c. But if prayer cannot turne God then you lay a temptation before us to turne away from prayer I answer first as was shewed before prayer may turne God in reference to his outward dispensations though it cannot turne him from any of his counsels and resolutions But then it may be enquired how shall I doe to direct my prayer For I know not what the purpose or resolution of God is I onely see what his dispensations are And if so I may pray against the minde or purpose of God I may aske for the removing or taking away of that which he is purposed shall continue and I may aske the gift of that which he is resolved not to bestow To this I answer First That though the minde of God to give us such a mercy or to withdraw such an affliction be a secret to us yet this is revealed that it is our dutie to pray about these things What God will give or doe for us when we pray is a secret but this is revealed that in all things we ought to pray That 's the Apostles rule Phil. 4.6 Be carefull in nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving make your requests knowne unto God Secondly Suppose the things we pray about whether for the having or removing of them be such as it is not the minde of God either to give or to remove Yet we may please God in praying for the attainement of those things which it is not his pleasure to give and in praying for the taking away oâ— those things which it is not his pleasure to remove We doe not offend God by asking that which he will not give if the thing be such as is in the generall nature of it according to his will The Lord takes it well at our hands that we pray and is well pleased to heare us pray when he is not pleased to heare that is to grant our prayers Thirdly Be not turned from prayer because prayer cannot turne God for it is a great argument that the minde or purpose of God and his decree is to give such a mercy or to remove such an evill if we have an heart to pray much for or about it For God who hath sayd I will be sought unto that I may doe it for them Ezek. 36. hath not sayd unto the seed of Jacob seeke ye me in vaine Isa 45.19 And when God stirres up his people to pray it is an argument he is ready to heare Thou wilt prepare their heart thou wilt cause thine eare to heare Psal 10.17 So that as God takes it well at our hands that we pray for many things which he hath no purpose to give us so it is a good ground of faith that he hath a purpose to doe such or such things for us when he puts it into our hearts to pray for them Lastly Let not any stumble at the dutie of prayer because of Gods unchangeablenes for
issues of divine wrath While these sad dispensations are sent out and meete with Saints they are the issues of divine love For though a godly man may provoke God to anger and finde by many evidences that God as to his actings is angry with him yet as to his person he alwayes loves him And therefore as a wicked mans Table is made his snare so he is assured that his snare shall be made to him a Table that his darkness shall worke light his evills good to him He is also assured that the Lord will dâ—liver him out of these snares and cut the coards of the wicked Psal 129.4 That hee will deliver him from feare from darknes and bring him up out of the abundance of waters which cover him as David speaks Psal 32.6 For this that is because thou art so gracious shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayst be found The Hebrew is in a finding time which according to our translation notes the season when God may be found as the Prophet speaks Isa 55.6 Yet it may be well expounded for the time when trouble finds that is takes hold of the godly man And so the word is used Psal 116.3 The paines of hell gat hold of me we put in the Margin found me In which sence the word is used also Psal 21.8 Thine hand shall finde out that is take hold of and apprehend all thine enemies thy right hand shall finde out those that hate thee Now in this finding time eyther when God may be found or when trouble finds a godly man he setting himselfe to pray hath this promise surely in the floods of great waters they that is the floods of great waters by which are meant great dangers shall not come nigh him that is the Godly man to hurt or drowne him Sometimes prayer keeps the flood off and alwayes prayer delivers the Godly man out of the flood Wicked men have no minde to come nigh God with their hearts and so some enterpret the latter part of this verse in the Psalme nor will God admitt them nigh unto himselfe in the floods of great waters And the floods of great waters shall not which is the scope of our reading come nigh the Godly man for his hurt when he drawes nigh to God in prayer with his heart Thus wee have seene the sinnes of Job drawne out into a Charge and the Judgement of Eliphaz upon it what the event the sequell or Issue of those sinnes was snares and feares and waters and darkness There is yet one thing further that I shall here take notice of from the constant course of Jobs friends in dealing with him Wee see that still they charge him with sinne and still insist upon it that all his afflictions miseries were the fruits of his sinne Job as hath appeared in opening severall passages of this Booke hath as often disproved their inference and denied that his sufferings were caused by his sinne at least not by any such way of sinning as they charged him with Labouring also much to enforme them that God hath many other reasons why he afflicts his people and that God might take libertie to afflict him though he were no such kinde of creature as they rendred him yet notwithstanding all hee could say eyther to purge himselfe or better conforme them they persevered in the same opinion both concerning his person and the cause of his afflictions Whence Note It is hard to convince those who are under a mistake whether about persons or doctrines Error is as binding upon the conscience and as strongly embraced by the affections as truth is For it binds and is embraced not in the name of an error but in the name of truth And men are therefore wedded to and in love with their owne conceptions because how monstrous and hard-favoured soever in themselves yet nothing is more beautifull in their eye then they No man fayth the Apostle ever hated his owne flesh but loved and cherished it The flesh of our minds such are all false principles and positions is more loved and cherished by us then the flesh of our bodies Besides when men have once taken up an opinion they thinke it a dishonour to lay it downe againe 'T is rare to finde a man that will yeeld up his Judgement though it be a misguided one or acknowledge that he is in an error though he begins to take some knowledge or at least some suspition of it A light intimation or onely the Appearance of a probability will amount to a proofe against eyther persons or doctrines which we like not but the clearest demonstrations will hardly raise a Jealousie against what we like Let Job say what he will in his owne case he cannot be beleeved by his friends and his friends will say againe what once they had sayd though it had been more then once before fully answered The present age hath given us sad experiences of this thing For as many have been unstable and tossed to and fro with every winde of false doctrine so others have been stubborne and unmoved from their errors though the strongest winds of truth have breathed yea blowne hard upon them And those prejudices which have with so much severity been taken up by brethren against brethren how doe they remaine in many minds as mountaines unmoved to this very day I know not which is worse unsetlednes in the truth and an easiness to let it goe or tenaciousnesse in an error and a hardnes to let it goe Nor doe I well know which is worse a readiness to take up hard thoughts of our brethren or an un-readines to lay them downe Were the lawes of love to man and zeale for God observed these extreames would alwayes be avoyded Pure zeale for God would fixe us in the truth and make us more easie to be brought off from our most applauded errors True love to man would cause us to examine every ground of suspicion against a brother twice before we doe indeed suspect him once And it would cause us to rejoyce in any appearance of his innocence whereby we might discharge our owne Spirits of all suspicions concerning him Our love as the Apostle prayes Phil. 1.9 ought to abound in knowledge and in all Judgement That is wee ought to love Judiciously as well as affectionately or sincerely So that true love will not over-looke the faults of another nor will it approve against light Yet true love is ready to entertaine any light offered that grounds of suspition may be removed and we restored to a right understanding of our brethren JOB CHAP. 22. Vers 12 13 14. Is not God in the height of heaven and beholds the height of the Starres how high they are And thou sayest How doth God know can he judge through the dark cloud Thick clouds are a covering to him that he seeth not and he walketh in the circuit of heaven IN the former part of this
to God As David saith Psal 25.1 Vnto thee O Lord doe I lift up my soule Equiparantia sunâ— caput vel oculos vel faciem vel animam ad deum levare Bold Eliphaz meanes not the lifting up of a heart-lesse face or head such as the hypocrite or formalist lifts up to God in worship nor the lifting up of a meere living head or face such as all men lift up to God according to the forme or frame of their natural constitution Fiduciam habebis recurrendi ad deum Aquin. but the courage and confidence of the soule and that a holy courage and confidence is here intended And there are not many who can thus lift up their face to God as is promised here to Job by way of priviledge And shalt lift up thy face to God To lift up the face is taken under a twofold notion in Scripture first Faciei elevatio orantis habitus est Pinec as a gesture or bodily position in prayer He that prayeth doth usually lift up his face to God and so to lift up the face to God is to pray unto God A corporal posture being put often in Scripture to signifie a spirituall duty Thus some understand it here Thou shalt lift up thy face to God that is thou shalt pray secondly which further complyes with the duty of prayer To lift up the face Vultum attollit qui sibi bene conscius est animoque fidenti Drus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. notes as was touched before confidence of spirit and boldnesse courage and assurance towards him before whom the face is lifted up whether God or man The Septuagint who rather paraphrase then translate this text give this sense fully Thou shalt be confident before the Lord or thou shalt act fiducially and boldly before him and behold heaven chearefully This lifting up the face is opposed to casting downe the face that is a phrase used in Scripture to signifie shame and fayling of spirit When courage is downe the countenance is down too as we say such a man hath a downe looke that is there is an appearance of guilt upon him The face is cast downe three wayes First by feare secondly by sorrow thirdly by shame Ezra 9.6 O my God I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face unto thee for our iniquities are increased over our heads So Luk. 18.13 the Publican durst not lift up his eyes to heaven and possibly there was a complication of all these three causes why he durst not feare sorrow shame he was so much terrified so much grieved so much ashamed of himselfe that he durst not lift up his eyes to heaven It was the speech of Abner to Asahel 2 Sam. 2.22 Turne thee aside from following me why should I smite thee to the ground how then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother that is if I slay thee I shall be afraid to looke him in the face nor can I have any confidence of his favour and it is well conceived that he spake thus for it is indeed a very unusuall thing for the Generall of an Army in the very heate of warre to looke after the favour of the Generall of the opposite Army but I say 't is conceived he spake thus as being convinced that he had undertaken a bad cause in upholding the house of Saul against David and therefore had misgivings that he might shortly fall into the hands of Joab Davids Generall and was therefore unwilling to provoke him by killing his brother This made him say How shall I hold up my face to thy brother Joab As if he had sayd I shall obstruct the way of my owne reconciliation to thy brother in case The turne of things in this warre cast me into his hands by killing thee Againe we may looke backe to Gen. 4.5 where it is reported of Caine That he was wrath and his countenance fell anger and sorrow and shame falling at once upon him because the Lord had respect to Abel and his offering but had no respect to him or his caused his countenance to fall which phrase stands in direct opposition to lifting up the face in all the three occasions of it For it implyeth first feare which is opposed to boldnes secondly sorrow or anger which are opposed to content and joy thirdly shame which is opposed both to freedome of approach and liberty of speech We have an expression which paralels much with this in that Prophecy of Christ Psal 110.7 Qâ—od legitur Exod. â—4 8 egâ—essos filios Israel in manu excelsâ— Chaldaâ—â—è dicitur capite discooperto i. e. palam confidentèr sine metu He shall drinke of the brooke in the way therefore shall he lift up his head that is he shall rise and appeare like a mighty Conquerour with boldnesse honour and triumph So Christ himselfe prophecying of the troubles which shall be in the latter dayes comforts the surviving Saints in this language When these things begin to come to passe then looke up and lift up your heads that is then take heart and boldnesse for the day of your redemption draweth nigh Luke 21.28 that is the day is at hand wherein you shall be freed from all feares and sorrowes Hence observe Holinesse hath boldnesse and freedome of spirit with God Then shalt thou lift up thy face unto God As soone as Adam sinned he hid himselfe from the presence of the Lord amongst the trees of the Garden Gen. 3.8 He ran into the thickets for shelter he durst not appeare or shew his face But when once we are reconciled to God and sinne is taken off when we are freed from the bonds of guilt then we have boldnesse reconciliation is accompanied with the spirit of adoption whereby we cry abba father we can then speake to God as a childe to his father the childe dares lift up his face to his father and speakes freely to him Where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty faith the Apostle 2 Cor. 3.17 and that a threefold liberty First a liberty from sinne secondly a liberty unto righteousnes or a freenes and readines of spirit to doe good thirdly where the spirit of the Lord is there is a liberty of speech or accesse with boldnesse in all our holy Addresses unto God As the Apostle clearely sheweth at the 12 â—h verse of the same Chapter Seing then that we have such hope we use great plainnesse or boldnesse of speech as wee put in the Margin of our Bibles to expresse the significancy of the Greeke word in the full compasse of it For as because we have such hope we ought to use great plainnesse of speech towards men in preaching and dispensing the Gospel to them so great boldnesse towards God in receiving the offers and promises of the Gospel for our selves Eliphaz having thus shewed what freedome Job truely repenting might have with God in prayer proceeds in the next verse to shew what successe with
his servant he answereth here Sir here I am and that is as much as to say I am ready to your command I am ready to doe what you will have me here I am so saith that promise in the Prophet Thou shalt cry and the Lord shall say here I am that is Adesse est aâ—dire I am ready to doe what you aske I am even ready O unspeakeable Goodnes at your command as our translation of the 11 â—h verse of the 45th Chapter of Isayah speakes out in plaine termes or I am willing to doe what you will have me to doe All which is in effect and vertually contained in the word of the Text. He shall heare thee This teacheth us First That God is the hearer of prayer It is the Lords title O thou that hearest prayer unto thee shall all flesh come saith David Psal 65.2 God is not onely A hearer of prayer but he is The Hearer of prayer to heare prayer is his peculiar prerogative and priviledge as wel as his goodnes and mercy none in heaven or earth have a will to heare prayer as God doth nor have any a power to doe it No creatures eare is long enough to reach the complaints nor his stocke large enough to supply the wants of all his fellow creatures The crowne of this honour fits none but God himselfe He shall heare thee Secondly Note It is a great mercy a mercy comprehending all mercy to be heard in prayer He shall heare thee Man cannot desire a richer favour then to be heard of God To have audience in the Court of Princes and among the great men of the earth is a great favour What greater worldly priviledge can a man have then this that he hath the eare of those who are greatest in the world When a man saith I have the Princes eare I can be heard when I speake we thinke he hath spoken enough to make him a man How great a mercy is it then to have the eare of God to have ready audience in the Court of heaven that as soone as we call the Lord is ready to answer here I am what 's the matter what would you have it shall be done your request is granted And to shew that to be heard by God is the summe of all mercies or all our mercies wrapt up in one the Scripture testifies that not to be heard of God is the summe of all judgements or all judgements wrapt up in one When the Lord refuseth to heare or sayth he will not heare those that pray then wrath is comming upon them to the uttermost Thus the Lord threatned the Jewes Isa 1.15 When ye spread forth your hands I will hide my eyes from you yea when ye make many prayers I will not heare your hands are full of bloud As it is an argument of the greatest sinfullnesse of man against God not to pray Powre out thy fury upon the Heathen that know thee not and upon the families that call not on thy name Jere. 10.25 So it it an argument of the greatest wrath of God upon man not to be heard in prayer He that is not heard receives nothing and he that is heard receives all And this is the Saints priviledge by Jesus Christ their prayers are heard they have welcome audience at the throane of Grace continually And hence by way of Corallary from the former observation we learne that Holy prayers are fruitfull and gainefull prayers God hath not said to the seed of Jacob seeke ye me in vaine Hee that goeth forth and weepeth bearing pretious fruit this pretious fruit faith and prayer or the prayer of faith shall doubtlesse there 's no hazard nor peradventure in the case come againe rejoycing bringing his sheaves with him His showry seed-time shall be blessed with a fruitfull and plentifull harvest The wicked make many adventures many voyages by prayer such as it is heaven-wards yet come home without ladeing without any fraight at all Their prayers are all lost and turne to no profit and indeed theirs are not prayers but words or babling rather But holy prayer the prayer of the holy is prevailing At quibus cum que tandeÌ„ modis peccator oret verum etiam est nunquam exaudiri peccatorem ex dignitate suae personae aut meriti sed ex dei gratia misericordia Bold Those showers of prayers and teares which beleevers send up to heaven are like the raine as the Prophet speakes Isa 55.10 which commeth downe and the snow from heaven and returneth not thither but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater Even thus the word of prayer which goeth out of the mouthes or hearts rather of beleevers returnes not to them voyd but prospers in the thing whereto they send it As appeares yet more fully in the next words of this verse spoken by Eliphaz He shall heare thee What then And thou shalt pay thy Vowes That is God will give thee the mercies which thou didst pray for and thereby give thee occasion to pay the vowes which thou didst make to him in case he performed thy desire in prayer Eliphaz is not exhorting Job directly to pay vowes but he is assuring him that his prayer shall be heard and so fully answered that he shall see reason and have aboundant cause to pay them and to pay them both fully and chearefully Thou shalt pay thy Vowes The word signifies free votive promises made to God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 significat votivas promissiones deo factas quae obligant nec retractari nec solvi propria authoritate possunt Bold yet obligatory upon man for howsoever as the word implyeth there ought to be the greatest freedome and voluntarines in making a vow yet a vow being made there is an obligation a bond or tye upon him that made it to performe or pay it He that voweth binds himselfe but he cannot unbind or absolve himselfe from his vow nor can he retract or call in his lawfull vow Eliphaz I suppose here mentions the payment of Vowes because the godly in those times did often make Vowes When Jacob Gen. 28.20 fled from his brother Esau he in case of his safe returne vowed a vow saying If God will be with me and will keepe me in this way that I goe and will give me bread to eate and rayment to putt on so that I come to my fathers house againe in peace then shall the Lord be my God that is I will owne and honour him love and depend upon him more then ever And this stone which I have set up shall be Gods house and of all that thou shalt give me I shall surely give the tenth to thee Here 's the tenour and forme of the most ancient and famous vow that ever was made Likewise Hauna 1 Sam. 1.11 vowed a vow and said O Lord of hoasts if thou wilt indeed looke on the affliction of
owne hearts may vow more care and diligence in and about all these things And thus wee are to understand that of Jacob Gen. 28.21 vowing that the Lord should be his God as also that of David Psal 119.106 I have sworne and will performe it that I will keepe thy righteous judgements David kept them before but now he would be more strict then before in keeping them So then when we vow things already commanded or forbidden we must pitch and place our vow not upon the matter of the commandement but upon the manner and intensenes of our spirits in keeping it Fourthly Let not vowes about indifferent things be perpetuall All vowes about things expressed in the Law of God must be perpetuall because the things themselves are allwayes a duty For the affirmative precepts of the Law are at all times binding and the negative binde at all times But as for things which are not precisely under a Law As for example in the affirmative to pray so many times in a day to reade so many Chapters of the holy Scriptures in a day to heare so many Sermons in a weeke and in the negative not to drinke any wine or strong drinke not to weare silke or lace for or upon our Apparrel not to take such or such a recreation in it selfe lawfull I say in these cases let not vowes be perpetuall but limited to a season lest thereby wee entangle our owne soules and cast our selves into temptation while through a zeale not according to knowledge we use such meanes to avoyd it Make no vowes to binde your selves at all times in things which are not necessary at all times eyther to be done or not to be done From the whole verse Observe That the answer of prayer received from the Lord doth call us to pay and performe all the duties that we have promised or vowed to the Lord in prayer Though we doe not alwayes make strict and formal vowes when we pray yet every prayer hath somewhat of a vow in it so that having prayed at any time we may say The vowes of God are upon us for when we pray we promise and then especially we doe so when we pray under any pressure of trouble or when we have any extraordinary request to make then I say we engage our selves in a more solemne manner to serve and walke with God And so the returne or answer of such prayers ingageth us more strongly to duty For wheresoever the Lord soweth there he lookes to reape and where he hath sowed much he looks to reape much but then and there chiefly when we promise him fruits of duty for our receipts of favour and mercy Did we take notice of this we should not be found as we are so much in arreare to the Lord eyther for our private or publique mercies What promises have we made in the day of our distresse that we would be holy that we would strive against and mortifie our sinnes or the deeds of the body through the Spirit power of our Lord Jesus Christ Now let conscience speake have wee performed our promises have we paid our vowes we can hardly say that we have put up a prayer which hath not had an answer by blessings and successes God hath been to us a prayer-hearing God have we been to him a vow-paying people Who amongst us is now more active for God or more carefull to please him then before Who amongst us is more watchfull over his heart or more circumspect in his walkings then he was before Who is more carefull over his family that it may be holy or more zealous for the publicke that it may be reformed then he was before What manner of men should we be in all holy conversation and Godlines did we but pay those vowes and make good those engagements which have gone out of our lips and we have layd upon our selves before the Lord in the day of our trouble how just how pure how righteous a Nation should we be were we what we promised our utmost endeavours to be the Lord hath done much for us let us up and be doing for him let us make good what we have spoken to the Lord in vowing and promising seing the Lord hath performed what we have spoken to him in praying and calling upon his name God hath answered us at the first call yea sometimes before we called let us not put God to call a second and a third time much lesse often and often for the payment of our vowes For though the Lord in patience waite many dayes for the payment of vowes yet according to righteousnes we should not let him waite one day for it All these spirituall debt-bills are payable at sight or upon demand God shewes us our owne bills and bonds wherein we stand engaged to his Majesty every day and every day by some or other of his Atturneyes that is by some meanes or other he makes his demand therefore pay to day pay every day for we can never come wholy out of these debts to God or say we owe him nothing how much soever we have payd him And know that if when God hath heard us we be sloathfull in paying our vowes eyther God will heare us no more or wee shall heare of him and that as we say with both eares till he make our eares tingle and our hearts ake for not paying them Swift Judgements have often followed these slow payments And though they have not been swift in comming presently upon the neglect yet when they have come they have come swiftly upon the neglecters And as wee may alwayes say of the evills and Judgements which come upon any of the people of God as the Prophet in a like case doth to the people of Israel Jer. 4.18 Thy way and thy doinâ—s have procured these things unto thee this is thy wickednes So in most cases when evills and judgements fall upon and afflict the people of God we may say Your not doing what you have promised hath procured these things unto you This is your vow-breaking or your neglect of paying your vowes And how just is it that their troubles should not onely be renewed but even doubled and trebled yea seventimes more encreased upon them who slight and throw off those very duties which they tooke upon them in the day of their trouble in expectation to have their troubles removed Every mans mouth will be stopt when he suffers for not doing that good which the mouth of the Lord hath spoken how much more will his mouth be stopt and he have nothing to say for himselfe who suffers for not doing that good or for not forbearing that evill which his owne mouth hath spoken and solemnly charged upon himselfe as a duty in the presence of the Lord. They will have least to say for themselves who goe against or come not up to what themselves have sayd Then pay your vowes JOB CHAP. 22. Vers 28 29 30. Thou shalt also decree
a thing and it shall be established unto thee and the light shall shine upon thy wayes When men are cast downe then thou shalt say There is lifting up and he shall save the humble person He shall deliver the Island of the Innocent and it is delivered by the purenesse of thine hands IT hath appeared in opening the whole Context of which this is a part how Eliphaz presseth Job with promises assuring him that not onely good but great good should accrew to him by his returning to God and acquainting himselfe with the Allmighty And in the foregoing verse That great benefit was shewed The Lords hearing the prayer of such as doe so Thou shalt make thy prayer to him and he shall heare thee and thou shalt pay thy vowes Here Eliphaz gives in another excellent promise Thou shalt also c. that is moreover and beside what I have said I adde this Vers 28. Thou shalt also decree a thing and it shall be established unto thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 scidit abscidit secuit divisit Metaleptice secuit lites definivit decrevit Importat hoc verbum decretum cum quadam separatione unius rei ab alia Bold Thou shalt decree The word here translated to decree signifies properly to divide to cut asunder So it is used 1 Kings 3.25 when Solomon gave sentence between the two women that were harlots concerning the living Childe he sayth Divide the Childe my decree is that the Childe shall be divided Now hence by a Trope the word signifies also to decree to descide or to determine a matter because in all decrees about or determinations of a Controversie there is as it were a Cutting off the buisines a laying aside of one thing and a sticking to another When the whole matter is debated and weighed in Councell then the result and issue of all is drawne up and given out in a decree So that to decree is to divide or separate one thing from another resolving upon that which we conceive most just and reasonable Thou shalt decree a thing The Hebrew is Thou shalt decree a word Verbum pro re frequenter per Metonymiam adjuncti it is usuall in that language to put word for thing And when he saith Thou shalt decree a thing wee are not to understand it at large as if whatsoever were decreed should be established but the meaning is thou shalt decree that which is right and good in it selfe and good for thee For the decree being made by a godly man wee cannot suppose that he should decree any thing but that which is just and good and so the signification of the former word is well applyed to this Thou shalt decree that is thou having by deliberation and serious discussion considered what is right and having cut off all evill from thy sentence thou decreeing such a thing it shall be established unto thee There are yet two opinions concerning this decree as it is an exposition of the former promises Thou shalt be heard and Poterit esse pracedentis partis expositio Decernes offerre vota et deus illa rata efficiet vel rata semper fundes verba Piâ—ed thou shalt pay thy vowes that is what thou suest for by prayer on earth shall be decreed for thee in heaven That is thy prayer shall certainly be performed thy prayers shall not be lost no They shall be as the Statutes and decrees of heaven It is said of Eliah 1 Kings 17.1 what he decreed was done and what was his decree his decree was his prayer See how he speaks as if he had the command of heaven and earth as if he had carryed the keyes of the Clouds at his girdle As the Lord God of Israel liveth before whom I stand there shall not be dew nor raine these yeares but according to my word But what was this word of Elijah the Apostle James expounds that for us he telleth us what this word was when Eliah sayd it shall be according to my word Jam. 5.17 Elias was a man subject to the like passions as wee are and he prayed earnestly that it might not raine and it rained not on the earth for the space of three yeares and six months And he prayed againe and the heavens gave raine and the earth brought forth her frruit The Apostle explaines what the word of Elijah was even a Prayer-word he prayed and sought the Lord in that thing and his prayer was as certainly performed to him as if he had the whole power of decreeing what he would have Thus here thou shalt powre out a prayer and thy prayer shall be as a decree established with God So we read Gen. 32.24 in the report of Jacobs wrestling with the Angel that the word of Jacob was as a decree I will not let thee goe except thou blesse me I will have a blessing and it is said as a Prince hast thou power with God and with men and hast prevailed Jacob had what he would in prayer he decreed a thing and it was established to him The prayers of Saints are decrees with God and 't is but reason they should be so because their prayers answer the decrees of God or they pray for that which God hath decreed and indeed there is no Saint or Godly man would pray any other prayer or aske any thing of God but what God hath determined and decreed before to give As a Godly man would doe nothing but what God hath commanded so he would aske nothing but what God hath decreed This is a comfortable truth yet I rather conceive the sence of this place more generall and not tyed up to that of prayer and therefore Secondly Thou shalt decree a thing that is thou shalt take up a resolve or a purpose thou in thy wisdome and prudence shalt say in thy heart I will doe such a thing or I would bring such a thing to pass Ordinabis per tuam providentiam facturum aliquid quasi rem non futuram incertam sed quasi divina jam voluntate constitutam illam habebis Aquin. and it shall come to pass or be established For as many men mett together in Councell make Decrees so any man in himselfe may make a decree and we alwayes make decrees in our own minds before wee joyne in any decree with others first wee speake in our mindes then we speake out our mindes Thou shalt decree a thing that is thou shalt resolve to goe such a way or to doe such a thing and it shall be done Now this Case of decreeing must be understood with a Caution suppose the thing it selfe be just and lawfull as wee touched before yet a man must not make absolute decrees that 's the priviledge of God he onely can make peremptory decrees who hath all things in his power we must decree submissively to the will of God and say if the Lord will if the Lord please wee will doe such a thing The Apostle James 4.12
hand is the instrument of action and pure or cleane hands in Scripture are put for the purity or cleannes of our actions or conversation While our doings are holy our works righteous just and good it may be said our hands are pure And wee may referre this especially to prayer Thou shalt deliver the Island of the Innocent and it is delivered by the purenes of thine hands That is thou praying in the purity of thy hands or with pure hands shalt deliver the Island of the innocent or according to that other reading those that are not innocent And then purenes of hands or pure hands are put as a signe for the thing signified the gesture for that which is done in that gesture The lifting up of hands is a gesture in prayer and the lifting up of pure hands notes the purity of prayer 1 Tim. 2.8 I will that men pray every where lifting up holy or pure hands Now because 't is usuall in prayer to lift up the hands and in prayer no hands but morally pure or holy hands should be lifted up and so theirs are in Scripture sence whose lives are holy therefore wee may well conceive that when he saith it shall be deliver'd by the purenes of thy hands his meaning is this it shall be delivered by holy prayer or when thou prayest holyly it shall be delivered Thus Eliphaz doth not onely promise Job that himselfe in person should be lifted up and saved when others are cast downe but that he should be a meanes of saving and delivering others and those not some few or all his owne family but that the whole Nation or Island in General should escape and fare the better for him It shall be delivered by the purenes of thy hands Learne hence this Great and famous Truth That a Godly Person is a Common good He doth good not onely within his owne walles or to his owne personal relations but hee is a Common good a publique mercy a general Blessing whether wee Consider general Blessings either negatively or affirmatively that is eyther as delivering from evill or as bringing in of good every way the Godly man is a general blessing he shall deliver the Island of the Innocent yea those that are not Innocent the Lord will accept his prayer and heare his request for the deliverance of a place though there be many wicked ones in it Abraham Gen. 18.32 had that priviledge granted him that for his sake and at his suite the Lord would have spared the wicked the not Innocent those who were most abominably poluted if there had been but ten righteous persons there Sodom had been saved from burning at the suit of Abraham Much more will the Lord spare the Island of the Innocent that is where there are a great many Innocent ones at the prayer and request of an Abraham a man Eminent in faith and holines How often did Moses turne away the wrath of God when it was breaking forth against the people of Israel Psal 106.23 Hee said he would destroy them that is the Lord said it had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach to turne away his wrath lest he should destroy them The Lord had as it were made a decree that he would destroy that people but Moses comes and Interposeth for them and the Lord spared them We read Exod. 32.9 10. that how the Lord sayd to Moses I have seene this people and behold it is a stiffe-necked people Now therefore let mee alone that my wrath may waxe hot against them and that I may consume them and I will make of thee a great people But did Moses accept this offer of advancement upon the ruines of that people No he deprecates his owne honour as it follows ver 11 â—h And Moses besought the Lord his God and said Lord why doth thy wrath wax hot against this people c Then at the 14th ver The Lord repented of the evill which he thought to doe unto his people Thus Moses by the purenes of his hands holy prayer delivered a Nation that was not innocent from consumption in the flames of the Lords provoked Jelousie Againe Jere. 5.1 the Prophet is Commanded to run to and fro through the streetes of Jerusalem to see and know in the broad places thereof if he could finde a man if there were any that executed judgement that sought the truth and I will pardon saith the Lord. One man should deliver the City that was not Innocent by the purenes of his hands We see the Lord puts the whole issue upon this if thou canst finde a man But were there not multitudes and throngs of men in Jerusalem Why then was it proposed as a matter of difficulty to finde a man there Doubtlesse Jerusalem was a populous City and was filled with men but a man so qualified a man of Justice a man that sought the truth was hardly to be found there and therefore if thou canst finde such a man I will pardon it saith the Lord. How pardon it There is a twofold pardon first a pardon of the guilt of sinne secondly a pardon of the punishment of sin The Lord upon the finding out of such a man would not pardon the guilt of all that were there nor give them an everlasting pardon but pardoned they should be as to present punishment and ruine they should be pardoned or saved from destruction for that time if such a godly man could be found among them Godly men save the wicked three wayes First They save them when by their good Councell and Instruction they turne them from their sinnes and bring them to repentance this is a happy way of saving them And thus a godly man may save the wicked every godly Minister of the Gospel is sayd to save not himselfe onely but in this sence those that heare him because he offers and urgeth upon them the meanes of salvation 1 Tim. 4.16 Secondly As they may save them thus by being a meanes of their Conversion so they may save them by being a meanes of their Direction One godly man may save a whole Land by his directing Councell as well as he saveth many by his converting Counsell Of this Solomon speakes clearely Eccle. 9.14 15. There was a little Citie and few men in it and there came a great King against it c. Now there was found a poore wise man in it and he by his wisdome delivered the Citie That is He gave wise and wholesome Counsel which being followed proved an effectuall meanes for the deliverance of the Citie Thirdly A godly man may be a publique good to save and deliver others by his Prayers and Intercession by seeking the Lord that they may be deliver'd Haud tamen deus id semper facit neque est â—uod quisquam in hac re certaÌ„ ei legem imponat fallitur ergo Eliphaz si hoc perpetuum esse putavit Merc as the latter branch was opened hee saves them by the purenes
of his hands lifted up in prayer Yet wee must take this with a Caution For wee cannot affirme it universally that the righteous have alwayes this priviledge in the event to deliver the Island or Nation wherein they are But wee may say that this is a priviledge which Saints have often been honoured with and which none but Saints have been honoured with at any time to be the Saviours and Deliverers of a people among whom they dwell For wee know the Lord himselfe hath given expresse Exceptions to this rule Jer. 15.1 where hee tells the stubborne Jewes by his Prophet Though Moses and Samuel stood before mee yet my minde could not be toward this people Cast them out of my sight and let them goe forth and it shall come to passe if they say unto thee whither shall wee goe forth thou shalt tell them thus saith the Lord such as are for death to death such as are for the sword to the sword and such as are for famine to famine When he saith Though Moses and Samuel stood before wee Some may aske what to doe I answer wee are not to take it for a mute standing before the Lord but a standing before the Lord with earnest Prayers Intercessions and Supplications for the sparing of that people Now saith the Lord though Moses and Samuel who in their generations were eminent godly men and eminent favourites of God though these should stand before mee earnestly praying for this people yet my minde could not be toward them that is I would not spare them nor save them from death sword famine or captivity no not at their entreaty And wee have a like Instance Ezek. 14.14 Though these three men Noah Daniel and Job were in it there were but two named in Jeremy but here three though these three men Noah Daniel and Job were in it they should but deliver their owne soules by their righteousnes saith the Lord God They might have the priviledge mentioned by Eliphaz in the former verse When men were cast downe they might say there is a lifting up or there is preservation for us God will take care of us but God would not be perswaded no not by Noah Daniel and Job to save the rest So that there are cases wherein the Lord will not heare the Intercessions of the best of men for a sinfull people The Island of the wicked or of the not Innocent shall not be delivered no not by the purenes of their hands yet 't is an experienced truth that God hath spared a people for the sake of some Godly found among them yea the reason why the Lord doth not destroy the world which lies in wickednes is much in respect of them who walk in holines For were it not as Elisha told Jehoram to his face in reference to good king Jehosaphat 2 Kings 3.14 that God hath regard to their presence in the world God would not so much as looke towards the ungodly nor see them for good This honour have all the Saints and how great an honour is it to be a publique good to be a Saviour to an Island to a Nation Some indeed are of such narrow spirits that if they may save themselves and keepe their owne stakes they care not what becomes of the publique But as it is a great honour to be active for the saving and delivering of a Nation so it is a greater honour to have the safety and deliverance of a Nation attributed or given in to us by God himselfe though not at all by way of desert yet in a way of favour Paul was at Sea with no good company yet when all looked to be swallowed up An Angel of God appeared to him saying Feare not Paul Thou must be brought before Caesar and lo God hath given thee all them that sayle with thee Acts 27.23 24. That is for thy sake or because they are now in thy company they also shall escape the rage of this tempest They all owe their lives to thee henceforth as well as to mee for to thee have I given them The men of this world might hence take notice of their own folly who can hardly afford them a good word or roome to live in the world for whose sake it is that they live How often doe they wish and seeke their destruction for whose sake it is that themselves are not destroyed How often doe they accuse the Godly as the troublers of a Nation as the hinderers of publique good whereas they are indeed a common good The Chariots and horsemen The Protection and Defence the Salvation and Deliverance of those States and Nations where they are The breaches which wicked men make by sinning they make up by praying to turne away the Lords wrath that they be not consumed We read how the Lord Complaines that there was none found to make up the hedge to stand in the gapp when he was coming to destroy them Ezek. 22.30 And it is sayd of Moses Psal 106.23 that he stood before the Lord in the breach that he should not destroy the Israelites Which phrase of standing in the breach seemes to beare an alusion to an Army besieging a Citie who first plant their Canon and make a breach and then come to the storme Thus the Lord deales many times with a people he encampes against them and batters them he makes some breach upon them by troubles and divisions and then expects that some should stand in the breach and beseech him not to storme them with the whole Army of his Judgements And the Lord takes it well when any of the Valiant Ones when any of the Worthies of his Israel present themselves in the breach praying with utmost importunity that the Lord would withdraw those evills which threaten to come in at the breach like armed men and lay wast a Nation And forasmuch as men of pure hands or Godly men have this priviledge to be a common Good by being the deliverers of Nations from common evills and calamities I shall hint some few things from it more distinctly First We see wherein under God the strength and safety of Kingdomes and Common-wealths doth consist It is not so much in the wisdome of the Counseller or in the courage of the Souldier It is not so much in Armyes at Land or Navyes at Sea It is not so much in walled Cities and fortified Castles It is not so much in union at home or in leagues and confederacies abroad as it is in the purity of mens hands or in the holines of their lives Godlines is the Sampsons locke wherein the strength of a Nation lyes A Heathen could say that A people were never safe by the standing of their walles while themselves were falling in their virtues It is therefore if there were nothing better in it good policy to encourage piety and to â—ndeavour the encrease of a Holy Seed in any Nation For as the Prophet speakes Is 6.13 As a teile tree and as an oake
whose substance is in them when they cast their leaves so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof Secondly In this we see the honour which God puts upon Godly men What can be greater then this to be really though perhaps farre from being accounted so the Deliverers and Saviours of their Country What an honour was it to Abraham when God told a King that he was beholding to Abraham for his life or that favour must be granted to him at the suite and as it were sent him by the hand of Abraham Gen. 20.7 Hee shall pray for thee and thou shalt live An honour much like this God put upon Job also at the latter end of this Booke Chap. 42.8 My servant Job shall pray for you for him will I accept lest I deale with you after your folly Such Honour in some degree have all the Saints Thirdly Let men honour those whom God honours thus and let the Princes and Powers of the world be glad when they heare that they have many such in their Dominions When such are subject to them as rule with God It is sayd of Zerxes the Greatest Monarch in the world in his time that when Themistocles came over to him who was a man eminent for wisdome and Eloquence that being over-joyed at such a treasure he cryed out in his sleepe I have got Themistocles the Athenian Spirituall wisdome renders men a Greater treasure to States then moral wisdome can Surely then they who are spiritually wise deserve to be rejoyced in I am sure it is not safe to let them be discouraged by whom our safety is established much lesse is it safe to let them fall by whom in their capacity kingdomes stand least of all is it safe to cast them downe who by the rule of divine politicks are State-upholders Therefore let me say this to all the powers of this world doe not destroy those who have the priviledge to be Saviours and deliverers Yea Take heed of deading and straitning their spirits in prayer for you above all take heed of turning their prayers against you Doe not provoke your owne Horsemen to fight against you and your owne Chariot-wheeles to run over you As these are the best friends to a Nation so the worst enemies Better have many outwardly opposing you then one upon just ground secretly praying or but complaining to God against you They who have no power at all in their hands no not so much as to helpe or save themselves may yet destroy many by the purenes of their hands that is they holding up pure hands in prayer may bring downe destruction upon many who are wicked and the adversaries of Christ because their adversaries But that which they mostly doe and that which they worst of all desire to doe is That Lands and Islands may be delivered by the purenes of their hands To shut up this poynt and Chapter we see that as the Saints are killed all the day long by the wicked world for the Lords sake Rom. 8.36 that is because they owne the Lord and his wayes so the wicked of the world are spared even all the day long or as often as they are spared by the Lord for the sake of the Saints that is because the Lord ownes and approves them and their wayes and doth therefore give peace to the world that so in their peace they also may have peace JOB CHAP. 23. Vers 1 2. Then Job answered and said Even to day is my complaint bitter my stroake is heavier then my groaning IN the former Chapter we had the third last charge of Eliphaz against Job in this and that which followeth Job makes his reply and defends himselfe against what Eliphaz had objected and charged upon him There are two opinions concerning the tendency of this reply First Some interpret it in favour of Job as if he onely summoned his friends to the tribunall of God being confident of a good issue there Secondly Others enterpret it as a presumptuous suggestion against God himselfe and the strictnesse of his proceedings with him which they endeavour to prove upon as they conceive these foure grounds of his complaint First Because he complained that his afflictions were beyond all his complaints and that what he had sayd was but little to what he felt or to the greatnesse of his sorrow ver 1 2. Eveâ—â—o day is my complaint bitter my stroake is heavier then my groaning These words are conceived to cary in them at least an intimation that Job thought himselfe too hardly dealt with or that there was no just cause why he should be prosecuted and proceeded against with so much severity by the continued and renewed stroakes of God upon him And indeed it cannot be denyed That he whosoever he is is justly judged as over-bold with God who judgeth any of the dealings of God with himselfe or with any other man over-severe But wee shall finde that though Job complained often that his sorrows as to him were exceeding great yet he never complained that as to God they were unjust Secondly Say they because he complained that he could not get admittance unto God nor audience with him which was a further aggravation of his sorrow This he prosecutes from the third verse to the end of the ninth O that I knew where I might finde him that I might come even to his seate I would order my cause before him and fill my mouth with arguments I would know the words which he would answer me c. As if according to the scope of this exposition he had sayd I have waited long under my pressures and burdens with my petition in my hand yea I have tendered up my petition but as yet I can get no answer Alas I am greatly afflicted yet so farre from being releeved That I cannot be heard I would therefore gett neare God to spread and order my cause before him To be heard and to be releeved are often in Scripture sence the same thing and alwayes not to be heard signifies as much as not to be releeved Till the Lord gives us his eare he never gives us his hand therefore Job must needs think himselfe farre from being helped while he thought that he was not heard Thirdly Because he complained that the Lord did thus afflict and try him when he already knew what he was and what he would be after his tryall by the sorest afflictions when he knew that he was innocent that he would continue hold out in his innocency to the end That he would not be weary of well-doing though under the worst of sufferings Ver. 10 11 12. He knoweth the way that I take c. As if he had sayd The Lords needs not doe this to try me for he knoweth well enough who I am and the way that I goe he knoweth both the frame of my heart and the course of my life he knoweth how it is with me now and that I shall be found such 〈◊〉 I
have often professed my selfe to be when he hath kept me to the utmost of his purpose in this fiery furnace of affliction When he hath tryed me I shall come forth as gold that is when all 's done he knows that I shall hereafter approve my selfe upright in heart and that through his grace already bestowed upon me I have hetherto kept his way and not declined nor gon back ftom the commandements of his lips yea that I have esteemed the words of his mouth more then my necessary food Thus Job is conceived complaining upon this account that he should be so extreamely afflicted though the Lord knew his way and that he was both a lover of his Word and a keeper of his Commandements and that he would persevere with joy in keeping them to the end though he should not see the expected and desiered end of those sorrows Fourthly Because he is conceived complaining that he found the Lord altogether inexorable so that no impression could be made upon him by any thing he could say or doe to take him off from his severity towards him Ver. 13 14. He is of one minde who can turne him there is no dealing with God and what his soule desireth even that he doth let it fall where and on whom it will he will doe it for he performeth the thing that is appoynted for me From all which Job inferreth that he had cause enough to complaine much more that he did not complaine without cause Ver. 15 16 17. Therefore am I troubled at his presence when I consider I am afraid of him for God makes my heart soft and the Allmighty troubleth me because I was not cut off before the darknesse neither hath he covered the darknesse from my face Thus you have the parts and scope of the whole Chapter as 't is supposed to be an over-bold complaint in reference to the dealings of the Lord with him From all which 't is concluded Saepe antea statuerat Job se amicorum exacerbantibus sermonibus â—efessum nolle amplius cum ijs disserere sed potius cum deo aequissimo judice Nunc hoc suum proposituÌ„ ad implere tentans ad deum sermonem dirigit vel ad seipsum i. e. secum ipse ratiocinatur Bold that though the Chapter begins with Then Job answered and said yet that Job doth not answer Eliphaz nor apply himselfe to what he had said but that being wearied with his often repeating and renewing the same arguments against him he doth upon the matter leave him and his friends and all discourse with them turning himselfe to God and powring his sorrows into his bosome as if the answer were directed to God and not at all to Eliphaz But I rather apprehend according to the former interpretation of this reply that Job doth here plainly hold forth an answer to what Eliphaz had objected or layd to his charge and that being still so hotly opposed he doth first defend his owne integrity in this Chapter and that secondly in the next he overthroweth the ground or foundation upon which his friends built their generall opposition affirming that there is neither any certaine time nor way in which the Lord doth punish wicked men in this world and that therefore no argument can be framed or judgement given of any mans condition by his present state or the external dispensations of God towards him Taking this sence we may reduce the whole Chapter to these two parts First A preface secondly the pleading it selfe The preface is layd downe in the second verse Even to day is my complaint bitter my stroake is heavier then my groaning the pleading follows in the subsequent parts of the Chapter the summe of which may be collected into this formal Argumentation Yee doe falsely accuse him of wickednesse and hypocrisie who is ready to plead his cause and doth earnestly desire that he may doe it before the throane of God But I am ready and doe earnestly desire to plead my cause before the throane of God Therefore yee falsely accuse mee of wickednes and hypocrisie The assumption only of this Syllogisme is handled in this Chapter from the second verse to the end in which it appeares that Job was ready not onely to dispute the poynt in controversie with his friends but was most willing that the Lord should have the hearing of it for so he sayth O that I knew where I might finde him that I might come even to his seate I would order my cause before him and fill my mouth with arguments That is I would produce such arguments for my selfe and against my opposers as would render my cause just and innocent before God how guilty soever I am found and represented in the opinion of men Thus farre concerning the general state of this Chapter I shall next proceed to explicate the parts and particulars of it Vers 1. Then Job answered and said These words have occurr'd often before I shall not stay upon them But what said he and how did he answer Vers 2. Even to day is my complaint bitter my stroake is heavier then my groaning Thus Job begins This is at once his prologue to what he had to say and his Apology for what he had passionately sayd already Even to day or even this day The word day is taken eyther more largely for the time neere at hand or strictly for the present time Psal 95.8 To day if ye will heare his voyce harden not your hearts That is Heare his voyce this instant day and harden not your hearts one day longer Againe Deut. 4.8 What Nation is there so great that hath statutes and judgements so righteous as all this law that I have set before you this day or at this present time Jacob saith to Esau Gen. 25.31 Sell me this day thy birth-right that is let me have it now let us strike up the bargaine this houre or before we part Thus here To day c. As if Job had said O friend Eliphaz I perceive that after all those dayes of disputation which have passed between us this day is like to be spent and run out in as harsh censures on your part and in as bitter complaints on my part as any of the former Even this day is my complaint bitter The word rendered complaint is translated also sometimes prayer and sometimes meditation Gen. 24.69 Isack went out into the field to meditate we put in the Margin to pray Hannah useth the same word 1 Sam. 1.16 Account not thy handmaide for a daughter of Beliall for out of the abundance of my complaint we put in the Margin Meditation and griefe have I spoken hitherto Many complaine who pray not some pray who complaine not and others meditate who doe neyther complaine nor pray yet usually we meditate that we may consider what to pray about in prayer powre out our complaints both about those sins and wants and mercies which have fallen under our meditation Even to day is
of the way by the perswasion of others A subtle head and a smooth oyly tongue may worke them off from their owne resolutions It hath been a question disputed among moral Philosophers Whether a wise man may be an uncertaine or a various man And they resolve it Negatively Wisdome is as balast which keeps the minde from floating And it hath been sayd of a wise man among the Heathen that the Sun might as soone be thrust out of his line as he from the line of Justice yet let no man glory in man no not in wise men The wisest and most constant among men may doe unwisely and prove unconstant The most resolved among the children of men may be wrought upon and brought over to what they purposed not But this is the glory of God that as he is in one minde so none can turn him or make him in two None can turne him out of the way eyther of his intended Judgements or promised mercies what he hath a minde to doe he will not be put by the doing it We may affirme three things concerning the workes of God or concerning God in his workings First The workes of God are so full of mystery that none can fully comprehend them there is much in his ordinary workes beyond man and his extraordinary workes are all beyond man We by reason of our indiligence see but little of any of his workes and some of his workes are such as we can see but a little way into them with all our diligence Secondly The workes of God are so full of righteousnesse that no man can justly reprove or finde fault with them They who come with the most curious critical eyes to examine the workes of God shall not finde any flaw or defect in them There have been many who through their presumptuous folly have found fault with the workes of God but there was never any who with his most refined wit could finde a fault in them The Jewes of old complained of and quarrel'd at the wayes of God as unequall Ezek. 18.25 but when it came to tryall they could prove nothing but the inequality of their owne Thirdly The workes of God are so full of power that none can put a stop to or hinder the accomplishment of them These are three excellent perfections of the workes of God And the last is that which is here under hand Hezekiah though a great King was not able to bring a worke about which he had a minde to The rescue of Jerusalem out of the hand of the Assyrians and therefore he sends this pitifull cry to the Prophet Isaiah 2 King 19.3 The children are come to the birth that is the busines is ripe for execution and there is no strength to bring forth The workes of the strongest men may sticke in the birth for want of strength to bring them forth But the workes of God never sticke in the birth upon that or any other account He is in one minde and who can turne him There are foure wayes by which men are usually turned off from or stopped in their workes but by none of them will God be turned when he hath a minde to worke First Men are often stopt by outward power they doe not eyther that good or that evill which they would because they cannot and their cannot possibly doth not lie in this that they have not a power in themselves proportionable to the worke or because they have medled with a matter too great for them and for which they are no match but they therefore onely cannot doe what they would because they are hindered from doing it A man may have ability to master the worke he is about to doe yet not to master the impediments that stand in the way of it But all the power of the creature cannot hinder God If he will worke none can let him Isa 43.13 The power of men is weaknesse unto God And that which lookes like weaknesse in God is stronger then the united strength of all men 1 Cor. 1.25 The foolishnes of God is wiser then men and the weaknesse of God is stronger then men Secondly Men are or may be turned by counsel or advice and some who could not be stopt by power have yet been stopt by perswasion An eloquent tongue hath prevailed where a violent hand could not We read how Abigail prevailed upon David a mightie warrier and mightily resolved to destroy Nabal and all his house 1 Sam. 25.22 So and more also doe God unto the enemies of David if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall David spake not onely peremptorily but with a kinde of adjuration And he was upon his march with foure hundred armed men at his heeles to put his purpose into Execution Yet a discreet woman goes out to meet and turne him from his course and turne him she did she did it effectually But what could Abigail a woman doe to prevaile with David and his Souldiers What she did she did by perswasion she layed arguments before him and managed them with so much pathetical rhetoricke and clearnes that he could not withstand her ver 32.33 And David said unto Abigail Blessed be the Lord God of Israel which sent thee this day to meete me and blessed be thy advice and blessed be thou which hast kept me this day from coming to shed bloud and to avenge my selfe with mine owne hand Thus men may be turned from what they have resolved especially when they doe not well deliberate before they resolve But God cannot be turned by any counsel or advice seing whatsoever he purposeth to doe he doth it upon the unerring advice and counsel of his owne will Those passions of anger and jealousie in which as he is set forth to us in Scripture God is sayd to act are yet the issues of infinite deliberation He that doth all things by the best counsel can never be turned by any Thirdly Men are often turned by petition when they will not by argument and you may entreate them to desist from what they were about to doe though you cannot advise them out of it And we know that of all things prayer is the most prevailing with God Nothing hath ever turned God so much as prayer hath and yet prayer it selfe in the sence here intended cannot turne God We must not thinke that we change God by our prayers though when we pray God often makes a gratious change for us Whatsoever his minde is to doe he doth it yea though prayer stand in his way Wee may say that the greatest providentiall changes that were ever made in the world God hath made them upon the prayers of his people yet he never changed his owne minde in the least at the prayer of his people The Lord calls his people earnestly to call upon him so and meeting him by prayer to stop him when he is preparing to doe some great thing against them
wee pray not to change the minde of God but to fullfill it wee pray for the fullfilling of his decrees not for the altering of them for the fullfilling of his counsels not the voyding of them And because God is in one minde and none can turne him we have the more incouragement to pray For all the good things that are in the minde counsel and purpose of God to doe for us and bestow upon us are borne and brought into the world usually by the hand of prayer Prayer is as it were the midwife to bring our blessings to the birth Therefore though prayer cannot turne God yet we have no reason to turne from prayer There is yet a fourth thing which may stop men but cannot stop God And that is nearnes of relation Men are often turned out of the way when a neare relation stands in their way They purposed to doe this or that but that such a friend or such a kinsman hath turned them from their purpose 'T is rare to finde such a spirit as the Lord by Moses observed and highly commended in the Tribe of Levi Deut. 33.9 Who said unto his father and to his mother I have not seene him neyther did he acknowledge his Brethren nor knew his owne children That is hee was not turned by the nearest relations from executing that terrible sentence of the Lord upon the children of Israel his Brethren after they had made the Golden Calfe of which you may read at large Exod. 32.26 27 28 29. It is truely sayd That relations have little entity in them but they have the greatest efficacy in them And their efficacy hath never appeared more in any thing then in this The turning of man from his purpose or his duty But relations have no efficacy in them to stop or turne the Lord from his purposes Isa 27.11 It is a people that have no understanding therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them he that formed them will shew them no favour As if the Prophet had sayd When the Lord threatens to bring evill upon you possibly ye will say we are the worke of thy hands he hath made us surely then he will not destroy us We finde that argument pleaded Isa 64.8 But now O Lord thou art our father we are the clay and thou our potter and we all are the worke of thy hand Be not wroth very sore O Lord c. To plead our relation to God by Christ is the strongest plea in prayer and to plead any relation to God hath a great strength in it Yet while some urge these they signifie nothing and have no force at all They who are like that people in the Prophet a people of no understanding spirituall idiots such as have no knowledge to doe good or no practicall understanding in the things of God such I say may urge their relation and get nothing by it He that made them will not have mercy on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour The Lord professeth strongly against any power which a relation shall have upon him to turne him or take off the processe of his Judgement under high provocations from the highest of men Jer. 22.24 As I live saith the Lord though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim King of Judah were the signet upon my right hand yet would I pluck thee thence and give thee into the hand of them that seeke thy life c. To be as the signet upon the right hand notes the most intimate neerenes of relation yet the Lord breakes thorough this and will not be turned away by it from the severest actings of his owne purposes Thus it hath appeared that as the Lord is unchangeable in himselfe so nothing can change him He is in one minde who can turne him And what his soule desireth eâ—â—â— that he doth Hence observe That God doth whatsoever he will or whatsoever he desires to doe There is no bound to the power of God but his owne will When the Heathen asked in scorne Where is your God The Psalmist tells them plainely both where he was and what he had been doing Psal 115.3 But our God is in the heavens he hath done whatsoever he pleased The doings of God know no bounds but his owne pleasure He hath done whatsoever he pleased He will not indure to have any articles put upon him nor any circles or limit-lines drawne about him The power of God is regulated and determined by nothing but his will A great Prince once sayd That he had indeed a circle about his head meaning his Crowne but he would not beare it to have a circle about his feete he must goe which way himselfe pleased and doe whatsoever his soule desired Yet there are circles drawne about all the powers of the world only God hath none His government is purely arbitrary Nor is it fit that the government of any but his should be so 'T is neither fit nor safe that any should governe arbitrarily or purely at will but he whose will is altogether pure but he whose will is so farre from needing a rule that it is one yea the onely unerring One. Ezek. 24.14 I the Lord have spoken it it shall come to passe and I will doe it I will not goe backe neither will I spare neither will I repent according to thy wayes and according to thy doings shall they judge thee saith the Lord God As if the Lord had said It is my will to have it thus and therefore it shall be thus That which is most sinfull in man is most holy in God to act according to his owne will Mans will is to crooked a rule for others to guide their actions by or for himselfe to guide his actions by He that saith I will doe this or that because I will doth nothing as he ought There should be much willingnes but none of our owne will in what we doe But as Gods will should be both the rule and reason of our actings so it alwayes is of his owne There is as I may say an holy wilfulnes in God He will have what he will and he will doe what he will God will not doe many things which he can but he can doe whatsoever he will and whatsoever he will doe he is just and righteous in doing it And this is the glory of God to have such a power and such a will And there being such a power in God with such a will we need not feare his power We leave men to their will as little as we can whom we trust with much power When men in power have nothing but their will to guide them wee presently feare oppression and tyranny and that we shall be farre from leading peaceable and quiet lives under them in all godlines and honesty which is the most desireable and blessed fruit of Magistracy Nor is this a pannicke or groundlesse feare seing the will of man is corrupt and sinfull selfeish and revengefull
sayth when he is in a right frame in reference to the wayes of holynes Psal 108.1 O God my heart is prepared or fixed A godly man doth not good upon a sudden or by chance as we say but he sets himselfe to it his heart is fixed or prepared and his face is set heaven-ward or for heavenly duties So Daniel spake of himselfe Dan. 9.3 I set my face unto the Lord God to seeke by prayer and supplications and as a godly man is in the wayes of God so the wayes of God are in him Thus David describes him Psal 84.5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee in whose heart are the wayes of them that is the wayes which Godly men walke in and they are the wayes of God Now as this is the true state of godlinesse when the heart is in it and prepared for it so the true state of wickednesse is when a mans heart is in it and prepared for it This is the proper character of a wicked man The eye of the Adulterer waiteth for the twilight Every word hath weight in it the twilight is the Adulterers season It is not sayd he waites for the night or for the day but he waiteth for the twilight which is neither day nor night but between both We have such a description of time in reference to the mixt and uncertaine state of things Zach. 14.6 7. And it shall come to passe in that day that the light shall not be cleare nor darke But it shall be one day which shall be knowne to the Lord not day nor night Such a thing is Twilight it is neyther cleare nor darke neyther day nor night but between both There is a twofold twilight first the morning twilight and secondly Diluculum Crepusculū the evening twilight the morning twilight begins when the night ends the evening twilight begins when the day ends The Latines have two distinct words to expresse these distinct twilights by but our language is not so well stored and therefore we must distinguish them by the matter spoken of or the scope of the speaker Thus here when 't is sayd in the text he waiteth for the twilight we are to understand it of the evening twilight not for the morning twilight and the reason is because the morning twilight is not for the adulterers turne or purpose for then the light prevailes upon the darkness but it is the evening twilight for then darkness prevailes upon the light And that this is the Adulterers twilight is cleare Prov. 7. v. 6 7 8 9. Nox et tenebrae administrae sunt impijs suarum libidinum Ipsa nox alioquin caeca infandarum tamen libidinū oculatus testis est At the window of my house saith Solomon I looked through the casement and behold among the simple ones I discerned among the youths a man voyd of understanding passing by the way to her house and he went neere her corner in the twilight in the evening or in the evening of the day in the blacke and darke night And behold there met him a woman with the attire of a harlot c. His eye waited for the twilight and in the twilight he was taken Hence note The doing of evill hath its proper seasons as well as the doing of good Though sin be never in season yet it hath some times which are more seasonable for it to sin is never in season as to the lawfullnesse of committing it but sin hath its seasons as to the conveniency of committing it The Adulterer takes his season he waiteth for the twilight Whence note secondly Evill men are very carefull to hit their seasons for the doing of evill It were desireable that the godly were as carefull to hit their seasons and take their times as the ungodly are To every thing saith the Preacher Eccl 3.1 there is a season and a time for every purpose under the Sunne And because it is so saith the same Preacher Eccl 8.6 The misery of man is great upon him But why doth this make the misery of man great upon him I answer The reason of this misery upon man is not because there is a season but because eyther of his ignorance or negligence to find it There are a thousand wayes to misse a season and but one to hit it And were there as many wayes to hit as to misse it were a thousand to one but man would misse rather then hit and therefore the misery of man is great upon him Because if once he misse his season it cannot be recovered and then he must needs be miserable Good men are miserable as to some cases because they are often so carelesse to hit their season of doing good and doe so often misse it notwithstanding all their care Wicked men are for ever miserable because they are so carefull not to misse their season of doing evill and doe so often hit it The eye of the Adulterer waiteth for the twilight and he seldome as to his own end waites in vaine But why is he so greedy for the twilight The next words say why where he brought in Saying no eye shall see me Where sayth he this he sayth it in his heart this is his discourse in his owne breast and to whom sayth he this he sayth it to himselfe there is a dialogue between the Adulterer and his owne heart and thus he concludes I will waite for the twilight and then no eye shall see me And when he sayth no eye shall see me his meaning is There is not any eye that shall see me Thus he playes the foole at All 's hid Yet further this no eye may have a threefold reference First No eye of common men shall see me I will doe this in secret I will have such a cover of darknesse over me that my neighbours and friends shall not be able to take any notice of mee Secondly No eye may referre to men in chiefe that is Verba quae sequuntur exigunt ut ista de Magistratus justitiaeque ministris intelligantur Bold Quisquis aut officio aut quovis alio modo super alios inspicit actusque eorum observat vocatur oculus no eye of the Magistrate nor of any Minister of Justice shall see me Magistrates are the eyes of a Nation they should overlooke all places eyther by themselves or their Officers to observe what is done As the adulterers eye watcheth so there should be an eye of Justice watching to catch Adulterers Some interpret this Text especially of the adulterers hope or selfe-perswasion that he shall escape the eye or knowledge of the Magistrate who is appointed to oversee the manners of that people over whom he is placed and to be a terror yea a Minister of vengeance to them that doe evill for he beareth not the sword in vaine Rom. 13.3 4. Magistrates should so much marke and eye the state of a people that they are called eyes in Scripture Isa 29.10 For the Lord
man chafed and enraged as a man full of wrath and fury but as a man most tenderly affected and full of pity for a bruised reade shall he not breake and smoaking flax shall he not quench a bruised read and smoaking flax are emblems of the weake of the arme without strength of those who are without wisdome Christ will not deale roughly with those he will not breake the bruised read nor quench the smoaking flax that is such as are broken with the sence of sin such as are weake in faith such as are so much over-powred by corruption that they doe rather smoake and make an ill-sented smother then burne or shine in a gracious profession such as are thus low and meane in spiritualls Christ will not breake with his power nor quench with his rebukes till he send forth judgement to victory that is till he hath perfected their conversion and hightned their graces to the full and caused the better part in them to prevaile over the worse as the house of David did over the house of Saul till it arive at a blessed victory And againe Isa 61.2 The spirit of the Lord God is upon me for whâ—t because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meeke he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted to proclaime liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound Here is helping those that have no power and saving the arme that hath no strength Thus Christ handles those who through temptation affliction or any trouble are brought low For the neglect of this duty the Lord reproves the Shepheards Ezek. 34.2 3 4. Son of man prophesie against the Shepheards of Israel prophecy and say unto them thus saith the Lord God unto the Shepheards Woe be to the Shepheards of Israel that doe feed themselves should not the Shepheards feed the flockes That is should they not be more intent upon the feeding of their flocke with spiritualls then upon the feeding of themselves with temporalls should they not labour more to feed the peoples soules then their owne bellyes surely they ought But what did the Shepheards of Israel The next words shew us both what they did and what they did not Ye eate the fat and ye cloath you with the wool ye kill them that are fed These things they were forward enough to doe But see what they did not ye feed not the flock That 's a general neglect of duty then followeth their neglect of particular duties The diseased have ye not strengthened neyther have ye healed that which is sicke neyther have ye bound up that which was broken neyther have ye brought againe that which was driven away by force of Satans temptation neyther have ye sought that which was lost through selfe-folly and corruption Here is a large enditement against the Shepheards All which may be summed up in Jobs language to Bildad They did not helpe those who had no power they did not save the arme without strength nor counsel those who had no wisdome See againe how the Prophet describes the compassionatenesse of God to his people in an afflicted condition Isa 27.8 In measure that is moderately when it shooteth forth thou wilt debate with it he stayeth his rough winde in the day of the East winde that is when affliction like an East winde blowes feircely upon his from the world then he stayeth his rough winde he will not bring his rough winde out of his treasures to joyn with the East-winde God will deale gently with his when they are hardly dealt with by men And thus it is our duty when it is a day of the East winde a day of trouble and temptation upon any soule to stay the rough winde to breath gently to give refreshment and ease to the weary soule How hast thou helped him that hath no power how savest thou the arme that hath no strength Secondly Observe The manner how we performe any duty is to be attended as well as the matter Bildads businesse was to comfort the sorrowfull to strengthen the infirme how did he performe this his strengthening was a weakning his helping was a grieving of Job already weake and grieved and the reason was because he failed in the manner or mannaging of this worke we must be carefull as to doe good for the matter so to doe it effectually which cannot be unlesse it be done rightly Some goe with an honest purpose to helpe who yet administer no helpe at all to every such helper it may be sayd with rebuke How hast thou helped him that is without power how unhandsomely hast thou done it what worke hast thou made of it Thou hast but entangled the poore soule worse then before This runs through all duties We may say to some How have you prayed and called upon God They onely speake a few words present a few petitions but without a heart without faith without a sense of the presence of God or of their owne wants how have such prayed call ye this prayer we may say to others how have you heard the word of God is this to heare what to reâ—eive the sound or the sense of the word and never to minde it more never to digest nor turne what is heard into practice is this hearing We may say to others how have you fâ—sted and humbled your soules before God Is this a fast that God hath chosen a day for a man to hang downe his head like a bullrush Is this fasting to God even to God No This is but a mock-fast a No-fast God hates such formality in praying hearing fasting with a perfect hatred A body exercised and a soule sitting still is not worship God is a spirit and will be worshipped in spirit and in truth In the truth or according to the rule of his owne word as also in the truth or according to the sincerity of our owne hearts unlesse we worship God in this twofold truth we worship him not at all as he will be worshipped how much soever we seeme to have a will to worship him As Job here puts a question mixt with admiration and indignation to his helper How hast thou helped him that hath no power How ilfavordly how bunglingly hast thou done it So the Lord will put such a question to many of his worshippers How have ye worshipped him that hath all power how slightly how formally how hypocritically have ye done it Therefore in all duties looke to the manner as well as to the matter and labour to doe them well as well as to doe them To neglect the doing of a duty or the doing of it negligently are alike offensive unto God and he will say to the latter with as much displeasure How hast thou done what I commanded as he will to the latter Why hast thou not done what I commanded yea Thirdly Observe That which is not done as it ought is to be judged as if not done That which we strive not
M Magistrates that are bad most ready to favour such as are so 73. Why evill Magistrates are compared to Oakes 74. Evill Magistrates favour the great 75. They should take speciall care of the widdow and the fatherles 86. They are the eyes of the people 587. They are the pillars of the earth 789 Majesty of God dreadfull to his owne people 454 Man can no way be profitable unto God Objections answered 7 8. Man is a very poore thing 712. Man compared to the meanest things 713. To a worme 714 Manner how duty is to be performed as considerable as the duty it selfe 725 That which is not done in a right manner is not done at all 726 Maschil the title of several Psalmes what it importeth 15 Meanes God can doe the greatest things without any visible meanes 759 Meditation what it is 220 Mercy of God in what sence sin may be sayd to overcome it 44 Merit The best of men cannot oblidge God or merit any thing at his hand 4 Mind of man hath a formative faculty in it 131 Mis-interpretation Two sorts of words and actions most lyable to misinterpretation 306 Moone in what sence it shineth not 708 710 Mouth of God how we may be sayd to receave the Law from it 222 223 To receave the Law from the mouth of God stands in a double opposition 224 Murder committed upon two grovnds 563. The greatnes of the sin of murder shewed two wayes by Scripture 567. Nine other considerations shewing the greatnes of the sin of murder 568 569 Murmuring against the rod or severest dealings of God is rebellion 207. Mutability of man in bis natural and civil strength 779 780 N Naked who in a Scripture sence 58 Nature uncleanenes of nature runs through all men 705. Sinfullnes of nature consisteth cheifely in two things 707 Necessary food what 409 410 Necessity cannot excuse sinfull actions 57 Need makes a little mercy seeme great 65 Negative commandements and threatnings of God alwayes imply the affirmative and so usually doe the Negative practices of men 635 Nimrod whence so called 550 Northerne part of the world why called the place where God worketh 362. God workes more in the Northerne parts of the world then in the Southerne 363. The Gospel hath been more clearly taugbt in the Northerne then in the Southerne parts of the world 364 O Occasions or acts leading to sin are to be avoyded as wel as the sin it selfe 4â—0 Omnipotency of God It is as easie with him to doe a thing as to desire to doe it 400 Omnipresence of God 108. Two deductions from the omnipresence of God 113. God is every where yet some where especially to be found 325 Omniscience of God to deny that is to deny his being 120. Sinners fancy to themselves that God seeth them not in all their wayes 129. That God is omniscient cleared 131. Queries about it answered 133 Onenes of God both in his nature and mind 419 Ophir the place of Gold queried where it is 243 Opportunity a wicked man watcheth it to doe evill 573 Oppression of the poore the most sinfull act of oppression 60. 501. The promotion of the wicked proves the oppression of the righteous 506. Poore most subject to oppression 506. Oppression falls often upon the innocent under pretence of some wickednes 523. Oppression is a crying sin makes the oppressed cry 541 P Pardon of sin the infinite freenes of God in it and the unlikenes of his thoughts to mans about it 127 128. Pardon twofold 292 Peace Gâ—d ready to be at peace with us when we apply to him 215. Peacâ—making is the worke of God 686 Peace stands in a fivefold opposition 687. Where God is most eminently there is most peace 689 Perfection of our wayes what 20 Person The state of every person to be considered to whom we speak 731 Persecution and persecuters bounded by God 777 Perseverance the duty and honour of a godly man 393. Not to persevere in a good way the mark of evill men 562. Perswasion more then a moral perswasion in conversion of a sinner to God 638. The power of perswasion 433 Phylacteries among the Jewes what they were and their use 228 Pillars of heaven what 781 Plato one of his cheife lessons to his Schollars 118 Pleasing of men how we may how we must not please men 733 Pleasure all the pleasure which God taketh is in himselfe or in the fullfilling of his owne good pleasure in Christ 26 Pledge taking a pledge when sinfull shewed in two things 50. 498 Poore a poore man oppressed or oppressing how grievous 60. Want of compassion to the poore the marke of a wicked man 66. The poore have a right in what rich men have 68. Not to doe good to the poore is sinfull as well as to them injury 70. Honest poore lesse regarded by wicked men then their beasts 74. Poore most oppressed 84. Some will oppresse the poore to enrich themselves 499 The sinfullnes of taking from the poore shewed in two things 501 Power when evill men are in power all good men are in danger 643. Power supreame proper to God 677. Three arguments of the power of God 759. Power The more power we have to prevent evill the greater is our sin if we doe not 77. Power of God twofold 338. The greatness of the power of God shewin foure things 339 340. The power of God is no way terrible to a godly man 342. Power twofold 639. The rule by which wicked men act is their power 640 Prayer may have a twofold stop 217. We must pray much for that whereof we have a sure promise that God will doe it 263. Prayer due to God onely 264. We are never in a fit frame to pray till we turne from sin 264. To heare prayer what 265. God is the hearer of prayer 265. It is a mercy including all mercy to be heard in prayer 266. Prayer profitable 266. Prayer is a lifting up both in the act and effect 285. Prayer of the righteous shall not prevaile in some cases 293. Prayer is strong worke a threefold strength needfull in prayer 350. God most willing to heare the prayers and pleadings of the righteous 352. God is not changed by our prayers 433. God will not sometimes be at all entreated by prayer 434 435. Case answered how we can pray in faith seing God is not altered from any thing he intended by prayer 346 Presence of God most desired by the godly 318. God can quickly make his presence terrible and grievous to us 452 Presumption a threfold presumption of wicked men 165 166. Other presumptions of evil men 588 589 Pride seene in the eye 654. Pride causeth contention 800. Profit man cannot profit God 10. Eight Conclusions made from that principle that man cannot profit God 11 12 13 In what sence a man may live and act to bis owne profit 16 Propriety in lands and goods given by God 487. Objections against it answered 487 488 Prosperity and