jovialâ—y They die in a moment peaceably and without any bands in their death v. 13. This whole Discourse tending to one purpose I need not insist upon every word of it but shall reduce the whole to these Heads First This question Wherefore do the wicked live c being considered abstractly from the scope and as spoken to God might import Job's stumbling at this dispensation and his desire of solution about the causes of it as Jer. 12.1 Hab. 1.13 And the Answer to such a Question might be That God suffers them thus to prosper not because he loves them or minds their good in it or cannot reach them but because he would witness his long-suffering Rom. 2.4 would try the faith and patience and other graces of his Children would teach them to imitate him who is good to his very Enemies Mat. 5.44 45. and would suffer the wicked to discover themselves more and more and run upon snares c. But Job doth not here stumble at this lot v. 16. and he propounds the case not to God but only to his Friends to refute their Opinions As if he had said If that be true which ye assert concerning the ruine of wicked men How cometh it to pass that dayly experience lets us see so many wicked men prospering This being Job's scope in the Question it teacheth 1. Men once engaged in an Errour may be so blind and so be misled with prejudices and mistakes that they will not see clearest Refutations of it as they could not remark constant at least frequent Experiences witnessing against them Some men being once engaged think themselves so interessed as they will not see what may reclaim them and there are so many delusions and strong delusion and some are so given over to them that it is no wonder they cannot see the Truth 2. The more obvious and clear that light be against which men sin by their Errours their sin is the greater and the more inexcusable As when men sin not only against Divine Revelation in things which are above the reach of Reason or against sound Principles of Reason in things that may be proved thereby but even against sense and experience whereof Job makes use here to refute and aggravate the Errour of his Friends Thus men are said to become unreasonable or absurd 2 Thess 3.2 and natural brute Beasts 2 Pet. 2.12 And men are given up to such dispositions not only for the tryal and exercise of the Lovers of Truth who oppose them and cannot get them convinced by any means or arguments and to excite us to pity Adam's faln Posterity when left to themselves and to cause all men read their own dispositions and inclinations by nature in their way But that this may be a warning unto and if they persist a punishment of these who see not the evil of more refined and polished Errours Secondly The gale of the wickeds prosperity in their Persons Children Family and Wealth within and without doors v. 7 8 9 10. may teach this Truth That the doctrine of Zophar and his Companions is not true of all the wicked But many of them have a constant and full portion of prosperity A Truth which the Lord in this Book doth inculcate for guarding of the hearts of the godly who because they need rods to mortifie their corruptions and have many Enemies are exercised with another lot And it is a Truth which may hold out these Instructions 1. Prosperity is not of so much worth and excellency as many think nor is it the conduit whereby God conveys and communicates his special love to all to whom he gives it For if it were so it would not be dispensed as it is And it is because the godly think so much of it that they want it so much And God is more gracious to them than to it give to them when they are in such a frame as makes them ready to abuse it 2. Though dispensations both of prosperity and adversity be not dumb and say nothing nor should be useless Yet they alone and of themselves say nothing to clear the state of a mans soul before God nor can a man judge thereof by any such lot The highest gale of Prosperity here mentioned may consist with Gods hatred and all Job's Adversity may consist with love 3. The godly should not envy the wickeds prosperity as the Psalmist did Psal 73 3 c. but should rather pity them seeing they will get no more Nor should they quarrel much with the wicked about these things which are their only portion and not theirs 4. The godly should not be stumbled at adversity nor cast down with the want of prosperity If there were no more to be considered but the will of God who ordereth all these things it were enough But much more ought they to be satisfied when they consider That their portion is secured whatever befal them in the world That they are only separated a little sooner from the contentments of time for they will part with them at last as the wicked must also do That whatever their lot be they are supported and provided for and have food and rayment though possibly not to their carnal hearts desire That in their adversity they are called to bring up a good report of the riches of the grace and favour of God wherein all their wants are made up and not to mourn over these Idols whereof they are deprived but to let see that they can be crucified to the world as well as it is crucified to them That they are but fitted to move toward their Countrey being delivered from many impediments of a prosperous condition which clogged them And in a word That there is a blessedness even in adversity to them Psal 44.11 We will never attain the right use of our present lot nor are we fitted for any issue from adversity till we come to under value prosperity and to rejoyce in the love of Christ in the want of other things Rom. 8.35 39. And till we be more mindful and careful of the blessing of our sad conditions than of an issue of them For without this if we were delivered we would but run mad in seeking to satisfie our unsubdued and long starved lusts 5. When the godly look upon all these particulars of the wickeds prosperity in their persons children family wealth c. they may also on the contrary see how many doors God hath whereby to let in trouble upon them by afflicting them in any of these Whence may be gathered partly how frail man is and how God hath him at an advantage to make him miserable if he please by many means Falling upon him either in his Person or his Children or within or without doors Partly How many things the wicked need to patch up some shew of happiness to themselves seeing they will not delight in God Partly That the godly ought to remember what tryals in all or any of these enjoyments
he declares that not only when the Spirit or Angel passed by before him and first appeared ver 15. but even when it stood still he could not discern its shape and form wherein it appeared distinctly only some image or confused representation of it was before him ver 16. The reason whereof was partly the splendour and brightness wherein the spirit appeared partly his sudden surprizal and the astonishment of his spirit thereby This did insinuate 1. That Divine Truths were not then so clearly known and manifested but kept up in a mystery 2. That within time we are but little capable of more immediate manifestations of God which would dazzle our eyes and confound our judgements And therefore they are in great wisdom suspended till we come to know as we are known 3. That the Lord would hereby keep those who got those manifestations from doating on the Vision or external representations in it that so they might take heed to the message Hence we find Elijah wrapping his face in his Mantle when God spake to him 1 King 19.13 and Moses hiding his face Exod. 3.6 To intimate that though these extraordinary Sights and Visions served to assure them of the presence of God yet gazing thereupon was not the great benefit to be reaped by them but their great care was to hearken to what was said Which teacheth us That no glorious manifestation or operation of God will profit us if we neglect his voice in his Word Lastly He recounts how after all this God did communicate his mind to him by an audible voice ver 16. There was silence and I heard a voice after the tumultuous distempers of his mind were calmed and put to silence he heaâ—d the voice Or as some read it he heard a still calm voice So did he also speak to Elijah 1 Kings 19.12 and because of this it is said ver 12. that it came secretly to him And this way of uttering divine Revelations silently or in a calm voice was imitated by Satan in some of hâ—s Oracles Isa 8.19 29.4 Hence learn 1. Gods humbling dispensations toward his people will all come to a good issue and the close of all his dealing will still be sweet For after all his humbling and fear preparing him for the Vision and assuring him that God was present the voice cometh which bringeth the refreshful light 2. The composing of our spirits from the confusions and tumultuous disorders incident to them is a necessary antecedent to Gods revealing of his mind Foâ— when there was silence as our reading hath it I heard a voice 3. As for this way of the Lords speaking by a still or calm voicâ— as the Original will also bear albeâ—t we nâ—ed enquire after no reason why he mâ—kes use of it who doth all things after the counsel of his own will yet without wresting we may observe these in it 1. The Lord hereby did teach that these supernatural Truths were Mysteries not blazed abroad throughout the world but so to say whispered amâ—ng somâ— few Believers And as the Oracles of God were thus confinâ—d during all the time of the Old Testament Psal 147 19 20 Rom. 3.2 So in all ages thâ—y are but few to whom they are savingly revealed Matth. 11 25. 2. The Lord hereby did press attention on these to whom he revealed his mind as was marked on v. 12. while he spake not so loud as might reach them whether they attended or not but in a still voice which might excite them seriously to hearken 3. Hereby also the Lord declared that he will not be a terrour to such as delight to converse with him in his Word For to such he would not appear in Wind Earth-quakes or Fire 1 King 19. though those were necessary for preparation but in a still sweet voice which needed not affright them 4. Hereby also may be pointed out That however men ought to speak the Truths of God so audibly as they may be heard and with that zeal and fervency that becometh yet it is not the clamorous voyce that makes the word effectual but the weight and importance of the matter seriously pressed home by the Spirit of God For even by this still voice God communicated his will and made it to be obeyed in the world See Eccl. 9.17 Vers 17. Shall mortal man be more just then God shall a man be more pure then his maker Followeth the Revelation it self or the Doctrine which God revealed to him by this still voice consisting of an Assertion or Challenge v. 17. and a confirmation thereof ver 18 21. In the Explication whereof we need not insist to remark any false Principles or mistakes such as we find in Eliphaz's former Arguments For as we said before this is a divine Oracle sent by God to clear this case and according to which God himself deals with Job at last Only Eliphaz mistaking it doth press it upon Job as an argument and proof of his wickedness in which sense Job rejects it with the rest of his doctrine till God cometh to calm his passion and tell him more fully his fault and then he takes with all that is here asserted by way of reproof of his miscarriage Hence in the entry we may Observe 1. It may please God to suffer Saints to meet with no smaller tentations then if God in his Word or speaking from Heaven were condemning them For here Eliphaz chargeth Job as a man condemned by God in this Vision And this is no small tryal if we consider either that Gods sentence in his Word is unrepealable not to be rescinded nor contradicted by our dreams and delusions or the tenderness of Saints whose property it is to tremble at the Word of God 2. A chief cause of raysing groundless tentations and fears from the Word is when men do not distinguish betwixt the standing state of their person and their present condition or carriage Seeing they may be faulty in this last when their state of Reconciliation stands firm And therefore when faults are reproved men ought not to conclude that their persons are condemned which doth hinder repentance and amendment of faults by crushing discouragement For herein did Eliphaz wrest this Vision and render it a tentation and tryal to Jobs faith that he mis-applyed this reproof of his fault to the condemning of his state and person 3. It is a commendable exercise of faith when Saints have made sure their peace with God through Jesus Christ as not to hearken though even a voice from heaven should seem to contradict the Word on which they have builded 2 Pet. 1.18 19. Gal. 1.8 9. So not to hearken to every sentence of Scripture which may seem to brangle that confidence which they have founded upon Christ as he is revealed in the Covenant and general current of the Scriptures As knowing That Satan can wrest Scriptures as he did in tempting Christ Matth. 4. That he can abuse our weakness in a time of tryal
a sad ingredient in his Cup that the days when God preserved him are gone and he is left a naked man without protection from trouble Thus also are Saints troubles heightned upon them when they compare their priviledges by Covenant with their present lot and allowance Ps 89.30 31 32 33 c. with v. 38 39 c. This puts us to try what it is that affects us most in our troubles whether it be the trouble it self or the want of a token for good and wonted proofes of God's care and love in it Only whatever affect us let us not upon any pretence loose the rains to our passion But let us seek after some other proof of God's love when we want that proof of preservation from trouble let us admire his wonderfull preserving of us under trouble 2 Cor. 4.8 9. and 6.9 10. When he doth not preserve us from trouble let us seek preservation from the evil of trouble Joh. 17.15 though we be not exempted from the trouble it self and whatever befall us let us seek to be kept unto salvation though God should make use even of trouble to hemme us in from wandering out of the way that leads to it 1 Pet. 1.5 6. From v. 3. Learn 1. The light of divine direction is very refreshfull to a childe of God as Job here intimates that it was a desirable mercy to have this candle shining upon him This he compares as also the consolations of God to a candle or lamp not because it is a dimme light as these are being compared with the bright Sun But in reference to our dark condition till this light come and enlighten our darkness as 2 Pet. 1.19 See Ps 43.3 We should beware of sleighting his mercy when we have it and should learn to be thankfull for it if we know the minde of God concerning our duty whatever we want beside 2. This mercy of divine direction is yet sweeter when it is joyned with consolation and the sense of Gods favour For that is also imported in the shineing of this candle Not that it is alwayes to be expected that these two will go together For they may have their duty pointed out who walk in darkness and have no light of comfort Isaiah 50.10 Nor are we to respect or undervalue the one because we want the other But it should suffice us to know that there is such a sweet cordial as enlightening and reviving consolations in Gods hand to dispence it as he will and that these two are thus joyned and comprehended in one expression partly because if the light of his direction be followed it may assure us that we have ground and matter of comfort however we be deprived or deprive our selvs of our allowance and that it will end in the light of comfort at last and will not prove like these sparks of our own kindling which will make us lye down at last in sorrow Is 50.11 partly if the light of comfort and encouragement in God be entertained it will elevate our Spirits to take up the light of direction more easily in dark cases whereas discouragement doth darken and fill with confusion And therefore David in his distressed condition began at encouragement in God and then consulted about his duty 1 Sam. 30.6 7. 3. Gâ—ds mercies ought to be observed and prized not onely in their kinde but in their measures Therefore be observes that this candle shined upon above or over his head to give him a fuâ—l and clear light it is true a day of small things is not to be despised Zâ—ch 4.10 Lam 3.22 And it is the duty of Saints to be very humble and low in their own eyes and vâ—â—y seâ—sible of their ill deservings that thereby they may be helped to prize every mercy Gen. 10.19 32.10 Ezr. 9.13 Yet eminent and singular mercies ought especially to be observed and esteemed Lesser comforts and dark directions ought to be acknowledged yet when our way is very clear and our comfort very full our guilt will be greater if such a mercy be not acknowledged and improved For to whom much is given much will be required of them Luke 12.48 4. Where God lets forth most proofs of his favour he may yet suffer some darke and exercising cases to continue whether of tentations to sin that they may be avoided or of dangers desertions and difficult cases which may afford needfull exercise and work For Job notwithstanding the shining of this candle had some darkness to walk through yea it was by means of these dark steps that he came to discern the mercy of having this candle We must not quarrel our conditions because of some mixtures in them For we must be fitted for enjoying much of God by much work and exercise and our best condition must have some mixture to ballance it 5. As it is the duty of Godly men and their property in so far as they are renewed in all cases to seek their light of direction comfort and issues from God For it must be his candle that shineth otherwise they are not satisfied So particularly in dark cases their Integrity is tried by the light of direction and comfort to which they look under them For it was by his light that Job walked through darkness This is indeed a searching tryal when troubles and difficulties are pressing and God is hiding his face and hedging up our way when other issues and comforts seem to be near at hand Yet Piety will teach men to undervalue all these and to wait still upon God Is 8.17 6. It is an acceptable service to God that men do not lye down and give over all activity when their case is dark and dâ—fficult but that they get up and be doing For Job essayed to walk through darkness when it came in his way See 1 Sam. 30.6 7. Discouragement is a great enemy to Duty and though men may pretend the conscience of sin in their fainting yet it hinders any effectual course for the removal thereof See Ezra 10.2 3 4. 7. When God gives directions to be followed and communicates his comforts in following thereof Saints will have little to do with their dark cases But the light of direction and comfort will quickly resolve into the lightsome estate of issue and deliverance For saith Job by his light I walked through darkness He walked through to a speedy issue and in the mean time it was an issue that he was supported in his walk by Gods directions and consolations So that much of God is sufficient for any dâ—fficulty wherewith we can encounter and when we finde mercy to know the way of our duty in dark cases and can cast our selves upon God and encourage and comfort our selves in him we may walk on chearfully and not look sad as was the practice of Hannah 1 Sam. 1.18 8. To have much to do and much of God and of furniture from him wherewith to do it is a most desirable and sweet life in