that when once we have it we may rejoyce all our days Eccles 9.7 Go thy way eat thy bread with joy and drink thy wine with a merry heart for God now accepteth thy works Solomon doth not mean it of a sensitive joy only much less of any sensual joy but of a gracious and spiritual joy In this joy we may eat and drink when our work is accepted and our work is never accepted till our persons are Now if it be so great a priviledge to be accepted with the Lord how great a misery is it not to be accepted this inference floweth naturally from that great truth And how great a misery it is not to be accepted of God several Scriptures hold out The Prophet Amos 5.22 declareth no other judgment upon that people but this The Lord accepteth them not And the same declaration is made by several other Prophets Jerem. 14.10 12. Hos 8.13 Mal. 1.8 10. Acceptance is our greatest mercy and non-acceptance our greatest misery and that 's the reason why the understanding and faithful servants of God are so strict or as the world accounts it precise and scrupleous that they will not turn aside no not in those things which are called small matters and of which many think God will take no notice They desire to be accepted of God in every thing and because they know in some measure what is acceptable to him therefore they would do nothing no not the least thing which is unacceptable to him Prov. 10.32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable The lips are organs or instruments of speech not of knowledge the understanding knoweth the lips only speak Yet here Solomon ascribes the work of the understing to the lips and this he doth because there is or should be a great cognation between the understanding and the lips we should speak nothing but what we understand we should speak only what we know and according to our knowledge The lips of the righteous have such an intercourse with their understanding that their very lips may be said to know what is acceptable and therefore they speak what is acceptable It is said of David that he guided the people with the skilfulness saith our with the discretion saith another translation with the understanding of his hands saith the original Psal 78.72 The hand hath no more understanding skill or discretion seated in it than the lips yet because David consulted with his understanding in what he did with his hand it is said He guided them by the skilfulness or discretion or understanding of his hand Thus the lips of the righteous understand and know what is acceptable and they know that unless they have an aime to honour God in small matters yea in all matters they greatly dishonour him and so cannot be accepted with him at all The excellency of a gracious heart appears greatly when he maketh conscience of doing the least thing which he knows ye only fears will be unacceptable to God or wherein he may run the hazard of this priviledge his acceptation with him There are three things which shew why it is so great a priviledg to be accepted with God and why his servants are so careful not to do any thing that is unacceptable unto him First Because Once accepted with God and always accepted For though possibly a person accepted may have some frowns from God upon his uneven walkings or sinful actings yet his state of acceptation continues firm in the main The Lord doth not utterly cast off his favourites no nor any whom he taketh into his favour or a nearness with himself Secondly If we are once accepted with God he can make us accepted with men and that not only with good men Rom. 14.18 but even with bad men God can give us favour in the eyes of those men who have not an eye to see that we are in his favour Daniel who was so careful to keep up his acceptation with God That he purposed in his heart not to defile himself with the portion of the Kings meat Dan. 1.8 9. Of him it is said ver 9. God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the Prince of the Eunuches He a conscientious Jew had great acceptation with him who was an idolatrous Heathen Thirdly If once accepted of the Lord we need not be much troubled though we are reprobate to the world though the world reject and cast us off yea cast us out The Lords acceptation of us will bear or may bear up our spirits in the midst of the worlds reproaches repulses and rejections Again When the Lord saith Him will I accept Observe The Lord accepts some godly men more than others Jobs three friends were godly men questionless they were yet they had not that acceptation with God which Job had All that are godly have acceptation with God but they have not all alike acceptation Acts 10.35 In every Nation they that fear him and work righteousness are accepted with him Which we must not take meerly for a moral or legal righteousness but as in conjunction with an Evangelical righteousness Now let them be who they will that fear God and work righteousness they are accepted but all are not equally accepted him will I accept saith the Lord concerning Job with an Emphasis why was it so because Job was one of the most eminent persons for godliness yea the most eminent at that time upon the face of the whole earth as was shewed at the 2d verse of the first chapter Noah was a man highly accepted of the Lord above others and he was righteous above others Gen. 7.1 Thee saith God have I seen righteous before me in this generation Possibly there might be others righteous but there was no man so righteous as Noah and none so accepted as he And if it be enquired who amongst good men are most accepted or accepted beyond other good men I answer First They among good men are most accepted who live most by faith As without faith it is impossible to please God in any degree Heb. 11.6 so they that live most by faith please God most or in the highest degree and are most accepted by him Abraham who lived so much by faith that he was called the father of the faithful was so much accepted of God that he is called The friend of God Jam. 2.23 Secondly Among godly men they who are most upright in their walkings who walk with a single eye and with a right foot are most acceptable such a man was Job The character given him Chap. 1.1 was A man perfect and upright Thirdly They that walk most humbly are most acceptable unto God For 〈◊〉 God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble Jam. 4.6 so he sheweth grace that is favour or graceth and adorneth them with his favours When one said Mich. 6.6 Wherewith shall I come before the Lord c. The Prophet answered vers 8. He hath shewed thee O man what is
grounds and for right ends against another It is dangerous to stand in the way of their prayers who are accepted of God That man is more safe against whom a thousand are acting than he against whom any one godly man upon a just ground is praying The Lord hath done great things against evil men upon the prayers of the faithful as well as he hath done great things for good men at their prayer David by one ejaculatory petition spoyled the plot of Achitophel the Lord according to that short prayer turned his counsel into foolishness and so overturned the whole design laid against his servant David Thus far of the promise which the Lord gave Eliphaz and his two friends for their encouragement to go unto Job and entreat him to offer up a burnt-offering and to pray for them for him will I accept Now followeth a threat in case they did not Lest I deal with you according to your folly As if the Lord had said Do not slight this advice that I give you no nor forslow it make hast to make your address to Job I will accept him and I tell you I will not accept you alone therefore make hast and do as I have commanded else I shall deal with you according to your folly There is some difference in the reading of these words First Some read Lest I do or act folly to you But how can the Lord do or act folly towards any We may expound this translation by that Psal 18.26 where David saith of the Lord With the pure thou wilt shew thy self pure and with the froward or perverse thou wilt shew thy self froward or perverse But how doth the Lord shew himself froward with those that are froward there is no frowardness in the Lord he is alwayes in a composed and sedate frame infinitely beyond any passion or perturbation the meaning is only this The Lord will deal with men according to what they are the actings and effects of his providence shall be towards a froward man as if he were froward If a man deal perversely with God he will deal with him as if he were perverse and with the pure God will shew himself pure that is he will carry it purely towards them they shall receive good who are and do good Thus here go saith the Lord and do as I bid you Lest I deal folly to you In the Hebrew Language to do kindness with one is the same as to exercise or shew kindness to him That form of speech is used Gen. 20.13 Gen. 24.49 Gen. 40.14 And so to do folly with one is to shew or exercise folly to to him The Lord doth folly to them that do folly that is he makes them see by his wise doing how foolishly they have done Others express it thus Lest I deal foolishly with you or folly to you that is lest I do that which may be accounted foolishness in me You having appeared Advocates in my cause and pleaded for me 't is folly to pay any man with unkindness for the service he hath done us Well saith the Lord look to it I will not accept you but deal folly to you or foolishly with you in the sense of some men possibly but wisely in my own The Lord is alwayes to be admired in his wisdom holiness and in the serenity of his spirit yet in the opinion of the wise men of this world he may seem to deal foolishly or do folly Secondly The words may be rendred Lest I do that which may be disgraceful to you Thus the Chaldee paraphrase readeth Lest I put a disgrace or an affront upon you and make it appear to your shame that you have not carried it aright in this matter but have been shamefully out The word here used is several times used in Scripture to note the defiling or disgrace of a thing Nahum 3.6 I will cast abominable filth upon thee and I will make thee vile that is I will disgrace thee and as it followeth I will set thee for a gazing stock So Micah 7.6 when the Lord would shew the exceeding sinfulness of those times he saith Trust ye not in a friend put ye not confidence in a guide keep the door of thy mouth from her that lyeth in thy bosom for the son dishonoureth the father it is this word the son disgraceth the father he dealeth with his father as if he were a Nabal a very fool When a son knoweth not his distance nor performeth his dury he dishonoureth his father The Prophet Jer. 14 21. speaks in a way of deprecation Do not abhor us for tâ—y name sake do not disgrace the throne of thy glory The Lord is â—ometimes so angry with his people that he even casteth dirt upon the throne of his glory that is upon his Church in and by which he should be glorified as upon his Throne The Lord disgraceth his Church the throne of his glory when his Church disgraceth him and dishonours his gloriâ—us name Deut. 32.15 Jesurun waxed fat and kicked that is Israel the Church was waxen fat the Lord fed Jesurun his Church to the full they had not a lean seâ—vice of it but what did Jâ—surun he forsook God wh ch made him and lightly esteemed the rock of his salvation The word which we translaâ—e he lightly esteemed is the word of the Text Now when Jesurun did lightly esteem or disgrace the Lord he soon after disgraced Jesurun his Church The throne of his glory This is a good sense of the words do as I diâ—ect lest I put a disgrace upon you Thus folly is put foâ— the punishment of folly as sin often for the penal effects and fruits of sin as 't is said 1 King 13.34 This thing â—ecame sin to the house of Jeroboam even to cut it off Our reading saith Lest I deal with you according to your folly that is according to your sin and the hard censures which you have given of my servant Job and as it followeth In that you have not sp ken of me the thing that is right These things have been your folly and 〈◊〉 do not speedily repair with your sacrifice to Job and get him to pray for you what you can do your selves will not makâ— amends for your folly nor mend this breach but I will deal with you according to your folly you shall taste of the fruit of your doings the reward of your hands or of your tongues shall be given to you That 's the general sence of our translation As if the Lord had said Lest I make you understand by your sad experiences by the punishments and chastisements laid upon you that you have done very foolishly and were greatly mistaken in your apprehensions of me and of my providences concerning Job Or thus ye have declared much folly in the management of this matter with my servant Job ye have offended against the common Laws of friendship and humanity insulting over a man in misery and your folly hath been
or rather as the Prophet there speaks will not behold it no not when it shines in the plainest demonstrations whether of wrath against wicked men or of love and mercy to the godly as clearly as the Sun at noon day Secondly As we should tremble at the majesty of the Lord so admire his excellency they that excel others especially they who excel all others in any kind are much admired The Lord is cloathed with excellency how then should we admire him and say Who is a God like unto thee This God is our God Thirdly Seeing the Lord is cloathed with glory we should glorifie him and that First in his essential glory Secondly in the glory of his acts and operations We should glorifie him for the greatness of his power especially for the greatness of his grace because the grace and mercy of God are his glory as the Apostle spake in that prayer Eph. 3.16 That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory that is of his grace and favour towards you to be strengthned with might by his Spirit in the inner man And as the grace and goodness of God is his glory so also is his holiness Exod. 15.11 Who is a God like unto thee glorious in holiness Let us glorifie God in and for all his glories in and for the glory of his power mercy grace and holiness Fourthly God is arrayed with beauty Beauty is a taking thing then how should our souls delight in the Lord We delight in things that are beautiful we love beauty how should this draw forth our love our affections to God! All the beauty of the world is but a blot 't is darkness and a stained thing in comparison of the Lords beauty the beauty of his holiness and therefore if we have a love to beauty let us love the Lord who is arrayed with beauty even with the perfection of beauty Lastly In general Seeing the Lord is deckt with majesty and excellency arrayed with glory and beauty let us continually ascribe all these to God What God is and hath shewed himself to be we should shew forth 1 Chron. 29.11 Thine O Lord saith David is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty for all that is in heaven and in earth is thine David ascribed all to God there as also Psal 145.10 All thy works praise thee O Lord and thy Saints shall bless thee they shall speak of the glory of thy Kingdom and talk of thy power to make known to the sons of men his mighty acts and the glorious majesty of his Kingdom thy Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations Thus Saints are to blazon the name of God and to make his praise glorious The Apostle Jude concludes his Epistle with this Doxology To the only wise God our Saviour that is Jesus Christ be glory and majesty and dominion and power now and ever Amen Further to remember the majesty and excellency of God may and should be First an incouragement to serve him Who would not serve a Prince who is decked with majesty and excellency who is arrayed with glory and beauty who would not serve such a King as this How ambitious are men to serve those who are deckt with worldly majesty and excellency shall not we have a holy ambition to serve the Lord who is thus decked and arrayed Secondly This may exceedingly hearten and embolden us against all the danger we may meet with in the Lords service If we encounter with hardships and hazards in Gods work let us remember he that is cloathed with majesty and excellency c. can protect us in his service and reward us for it we can lose nothing by him though we should lose all for him life and all Thirdly This should fill our souls with reverential thoughts of God continually Did we know the Lord in these divine discoveries of himself in his majesty and excellency in his glory and beauty how would our hearts be filled with high thoughts of him we would neither speak nor think of God but with a gracious awe upon our spirits Fourthly This should provoke us in all holy duties to do our best The Lord reproved the Jews Mal. 1.8 when they brought him a poor lean sacrifice Offer it now unto thy Governour will he be pleased with thee or accept thy person Shall we put off God who is full of majesty and excellency of glory and beauty with poor weak and sickly services such as our Governours men in high place power will not accept from our hands but turn back with disdain upon our hands The worship and service of God consists not in a bodily exercise nor in any outward beauty he is a spirit and must be worshipped in spirit and in truth that is in truth of heart and according to the truth of his word which the Apostle calls the simplicity that is in Christ 2 Cor. 11.3 The glory and beauty of God is spiritual and the beauty that he must be served with is above all the inward beauty of faith and love and holy fear in our hearts Fifthly If God be thus deckt with majesty c. This may assure us in praying to him and calling upon him that we shall not seek him in vain It is worth the while to attend such a God and pour out our hearts before him We may safely depend upon God for all seeing majesty and excellency are his The Lords prayer by which we are to form or unto which we should conform all our prayers concludes with this thine is the kingdom power and glory all is thine and therefore we have great encouragement to ask all of thee Men can give to those that ask them according to the extent of their power There is a confluence or comprehension of all power in the majesty excellency and glory of God and therefore he can give whatsoever we ask Now as that God is thus deckt and arrayed with majesty and excellency is implied in this Text so 't is also implied that he hath thus deckt himself while he saith to Job Deck thy self with majesty and excellency Hence observe Secondly The majesty and excellency the glory and beauty of God are all of and from himself He is the fountain as of his own being so of the majesty and excellency of the glory and beauty of his being he decks and arrays himself he is not decked by others Moralists say honour is not or resides not in him that is honoured but in him that honoureth yet here honour is seated in him that is honoured We honour God and give glory to him but we cannot add any honour to him all is originally in himself he is the beginning without beginning of his own majesty And as Gods majesty is his own so of his own putting on he borroweth nothing from the creature nor needs he any creature to deck him He is not what others will make
Spirit in it and therefore it must needs make great turns God turned the captivity of Job when he prayed Sixthly Jesus Christ presents such prayers the prayers of faith the prayers of repentance unto God his Father Christs intercession gives effect or gets answer to our supplications The Father hears the Son always John 11.42 and so he doth all them whose prayers are offered to him by the Son Revel 8.3 The angel came and stood at the altar having a golden censer and there was given unto him much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne The angel there spoken of is the angel or messenger of the Covenant prophesied of Mal. 3.1 that is Jesus Christ 't is he he alone who offers the incense of his own prayers with the prayers of all Saints upon the golden altar which is before the throne and being there represented doing so presently as it followeth ver 5. There were voices and thunders and lightenings signifying the wonderful effects of prayer till it should come after many turnings in the world or as I may say after a world of turnings to the Lords turning of Sions captivity as here of Jobs Seventhly Jesus Christ doth not only present the prayers of believers to God but also prayeth in them when saints pray he prayeth in them for he and they are mystically one And as Christ is in believers the hope of glory Col. 1.27 so he is in them the help of duty and so much their help that without him they can do nothing John 15.5 Now a believers prayer being in this sense Christs prayer it cannot but do great things Lastly As Jesus Christ presents the prayers of believers to the Father and prayeth in them or helps them to pray by the blessed and holy Spirit sent down according to his gracious promise into their hearts so he himself prayeth for them when they are not actually praying for themselves For saith the Apostle Heb. 7.25 He ever liveth to make intercession for them The best believers do not always make supplications for themselves but Christ is always making as well as he ever lives to make intercession for them The Apostle speaking of Christs intercession useth the word in the present tense or time which denoteth a continued act Rom. 8.34 Who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us The sacrifice of Christ though but once offered is an everlasting sacrifice and this other part of his priestly-office his intercession is everlasting as being often yea always or everlastingly offered The way or manner of Christs making everlasting intercession for us is a great secret it may suffice us to know and believe that he doth it Now it is chiefly from this everlasting intercession of Christ that both the persons of the elect partake of the benefits of his sacrifice and that their prayers are answered for the obtaining of any good as also for the removal of any evil as here Jobs was for the turning of his captivity Thus I have given a brief accompt of this inference that if prayer prevails to turn the captivity of others then much more our own Prayer hath had a great hand in all the good turns that ever the Lord made for his Church And when the Lord shall fully turn the captivity of Sion his Church he will pour out a mighty spirit of prayer upon all the sons of Sion The Prophet fore-shewed the return of the captivity of the Jews out of Babilon Jerem. 29.10 After seventy years be accomplished at Babilon I will visit you and perform my good word towards you in causing you to return to this place for I know the thoughts that I think towards you saith the Lord thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end But what should the frame of their hearts be at that day the 12th verse tells us And ye shall go and pray unto me and I will hearken These words may bear a two-fold sense First The sense of a command Then shall ye call upon me and then shall ye go and pray That is your duty in that day Secondly I conceive they may also bear the sense of a promise then shall your hearts be inlarged then I will pour out a spirit of prayer upon you And ye shall go and pray unto me and I will hearken We may conclude the approach of mercy when we discern the spirits of men up in and warm at this duty Many enquire about the time when the captivity of Sion shall fully end we may find an answer to that question best by the inlargement of our own hearts in prayer David speaking of that said Psal 102.17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute the meanest and lowest shrubs in grace as the word there used imports and not despise that is he will highly esteem and therefore answer their prayer How much more the prayer of the tall cedars in grace or of the strong wrestlers when they call upon him and cry unto him with all their might day and night The Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends Nor was it a bare turn As Job did not offer a lean sacrifice to God in prayer but the strength of his soul went out in it so the Lord in giving him an answer did not give him a lean or slight return but as it followeth Also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before The Hebrew is The Lord added to Job to the double Some translate too barely The Lord made an accession or an addition but that doth not reach the sense intended For a little more than he had before had been an addition to what he had before but double is more than a little or the common notion of an addition the Lord gave him twice as much or double to that great estate which he had before This doubling of his estate may be taken two ways First Strictly as four is twice two and eight twice four See the wild conceits of the Jewish Rabbins about the doubling of Jobs estate in Mercer upon the place In that strict sence it may be taken here as to his personal estate but as to persons it will not hold the number of his children was the same as before If we compare this chapter with the first chapter ver 3. we find his estate doubled in strict sence Whereas Job had then seven thousand sheep now saith this chapter ver 12. he had fourteen thousand sheep and whereas before he had three thousand camels now he had six thousand camels and whereas before he had five hundred yoke of oxen now he had a thousand yoke of oxen and lastly whereas before he had five hundred she asses now he had a thousand she asses Here was double in the letter In duplum i. e. in plurimum Quam plurimum numerus finitus pro infinito