thy mind This question implyeth a strong Negation certainly it should not Hence note 'T is beside the duty and above the line of man to desire that things should be according to his mind either with himselfe or with others There 's nothing more against the mind of God nor against our owne good then that all things should be according to our mind we may quickly undoe our selves and dishonour God by having our owne desires And that it is sinfull very sinfull to desire to have our owne desires may appeare by considering the spring or roote of such desires I shall shew a three-fold very evill roote from whence those desires spring First They spring from pride and an over-weening conceit of our selves and that upon a double account First from pride as to our deserts for if God doe such men good they are apt to think they have deserved more good then God hath done them and if God afflict them they are ready to say surely they have not deserved so much affliction We think we have deserved greater kindness then God exhibits and that we have not deserved to great a crosse as he inflicts Is not this a great piece of pride Againe These desires spring from pride in our own wisdome understanding as if we knew how to order matters more equally then God Is it not a huge piece of pride of luciferian pride to thinke that there might be a better measure of things then the mind of God is doth not such a man make himselfe wiser then God and more prudent then God doth not he suppose that he sees further into things then God when as alas we cannot see an houre before us but God hath the prospect of all things He seeth the end from the beginning and hath all in his eye from all Eternity When we thus make our selves wiser then God is not this a high poynt of pride Here 's the first evill roote of desiring to have things according to our mind pride or an opinion that we deserve better or could order things better Secondly These desires proceed as from pride so from discontent with the dealings of God and 't is pride that fills us with discontent he that would have things according to his minde must needs be dissatisfied when they are not Thirdly when they spring not from direct discontent yet they do from some degree of impatience There is not such a quietness of spirit or acquiescence as should be in the heart of man otherwise he would let things be according unto Gods minde and never be troubled when they are not according to his own Now consider what can spring from these three roots Pride Discontent and Impatience but very evil and bitter fruit therefore to desire to have things according to our mind is very sinful exceeding sinful Thirdly This question Should it be according to thy minde implyeth a sharp rebuke and a reproof upon Job as desiring a thing which was altogether against rule and reason Hence Note It is most unreasonable and absurd to desire that things should be ordered as we would have them and not as God would have them Is it not unreasonable in a family that things should be as the children would have them and not as the Father would have them Or that things should be done according to the minde of the servants and not according to the minde of the Master Do not the Magistrates and Governours of the world think it an unreasonable thing that Nations should be governed according to the minde of Subjects and not according to the minde of the Prince regulated according to the known Laws of the Nation Who doth not think it an unreasonable thing that a journey should be disposed according to the minde of the Horse and not according to the minde of the Rider Should the horse guide the Rider or the Rider his horse Is it not an unreasonable thing that a mans sense should guide his understanding when his understanding is given on purpose to guide his sense Is it not an unreasonable thing that passion should order reason when as reason should be the bridle of our passion Is it not an unreasonable thing that unlearned ignorant men should teach the knowing when the learned knowing are set up to teach the ignorant and is it not much more absurd and unreasonable for us to desire that things should be according to our minde either with our selves or others families or Nations and not according to the minde of God Should things be as the best as the wisest as the holyest men in the world would have them and not as God would have them it were more absurd and unreasonable then that things should go in a family according to the minde of the servants and children rather then according to the minde of the Master and Father yea it were more absurd then any of those fore-mentioned absurdities Should it be according to thy minde O Job how unreasonable a thing were that Fourthly From those words He will recompence it whether thou refuse or whether thou chuse Note God will not yeild to men nor be subject to their pleasure God will do what he pleaseth as I may say in spight of any mans teeth Things must pass in such a way as God hath appointed and sees meet to dispose of them and not as we would have them He will recompence God is resolute for the doing of his own will and men are usually over-resolute for the doing of theirs and indeed some are as it were wholly changed into will or rather wilfulness they will do this and they will do that they will have this and they will have that Men may quickly but God can never act too highly too strongly too confidently upon his own will the reason is because his will is an holy will and the rule of righteousness Only Consider from the whole Man is never displeased with what God doth till he forgetteth what himself is Man forgets that he is a worm and no man he forgets that he is a creature he forgets himself to be dust and ashes else his spirit would not be wrought up to such a height to have things go according to his minde and not according to the minde and will of God And seeing God will have every thing go according to his minde and will know there 's no striving nor strugling with God if man will not bow to the will of God he shall be broken by the will of God if he will not submit to it he must fall by it There 's no avoiding one of these two for he will recompence Therefore let us yeild up our selves freely to God to be ruled by him and not set him the rule no nor so much as give him advice let us receive the Law and take advice from him God is our Commander but we must not be so much as his Councellors The Apostle speaking of the eternal purposes and decrees of God saith
we cannot but speak the things that we have seene and heard you may cut out our tongues if ye will take away the organs of speech ye may but otherwise we cannot but speak As it is said of Christ they could not resist the Spirit by which he spake so they were not able to resist the Spirir by which the Apostles spake Some have such Impulses from the Devill upon them that they cannot but speak boldly as well as wickedly and blasphemously it is strange to see what some both old and new Impostors have done their bellyes have been like bottles full of new wine they have even burst to vent their wicked opinions Esuris suit auditores quibus omne quod sentit effundat quibus qualâ— quantus sit innotescat Non curat te docere vel a te doceri quod nescit sed ut scire sciatur quod scit Bernard Bernard discoursing of such an Opinionist in his time saith He hungers and thirsts for Auditors into whose bosomes he might empty himselfe and powre out all his sentiments that he might appeare who and how great a man he was He careth not to teach thee what thou knowest not nor to be taught by thee what he doth not know but that himselfe may be knowne to know what he knoweth Now if there be such pressures upon the spirits of vaine men to be delivered of their false and ayery concepâ—ions How much more when a man hath strong impressions from the Spirit of God 't is discernable by the matter that comes out of the bottle whether it be the wine of Sodâ—me or of Sion is he unable to containe himselfe Such a man must speake not only to instruct and refresh others but as it followeth in the next verse to ease and refresh himselfe Vers 20. I will speak that I may be refreshed The Hebrew is That I may breath or I may have roome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 latus dilatatus recreatuâ— loquar mihi latum erit i. e. erit mihi dilatio recreatio Merc Per verba evaporata interiorem fervorem ab anxietate â—esiderij requiescam .. Aquin The word properly signifies that which is enlarged or widened when a vessell is full and you draw some of the liquor out of it then there is room So saith Elihu I will speak that I may be refreshed or have roome I will open my lips and answer To open the lips is a preparation to speaking Christ opened his mouth and spake speaking is begun with opening the mouth a man may open his lips for other ends then for speaking and a dumbe man opens his lips who cannot speake yet no man can speak without opening his lips and why did Elihu open his lips it was to refresh himselfe Hence note He that speaks his minde easeth his minde 'T is good to speak to refresh our selves but 't is much better to speak for the refreshing of others yea we should speak though to our own paine that we may refresh others and speak away their paine Isa 50.4 Thou hast given me the tongue of the learned to speak a word in season to him that is weary They are good words indeed which refresh both the speaker and the hearers But the designe of speaking is rather for the refreshing of hearers then of the speaker How vainly then doe they spend their breath in speaking who speak without any designe of good or of refreshing either to themselves or others who speak only to be applauded and taken notice of to be cryed up and commended for eloquent speakers These are sad designes of speaking better be a stammerer then such an Orator better be dumb and not able to speake then to speak for such ends with greatest ability Unlesse we speak that others may be informed converted comforted edified saved some way or other bettered we were as good hold our peace and say nothing The holy Apostle professed 1 Cor 14.19 I had rather speak five words with my understanding that I might teach others also then ten thousand words in an unknowne tongue To speak strange words in an unknowne tongue may gaine us a name among men But neither are any soules gained nor doth any soule gaine the worth of one farthing in spirituall knowledge by hearing thousands and ten thousands of words spoken in an unknowne tongue We should thinke all those words even as lost to us by which we have not at least intended the gaine and good of others But suppose while we sincerely intend the good of others in speaking they get no good by what is spoken yet it shall not be without good to us for as Elihu here hoped so may we to be refreshed by it for when a man hath discharged his duty to God and man in speaking his mind it cannot but be a great ease to his minde Elihu had a great duty upon him to moderate and set this businesse right between Job and his friends to take downe that height of spirit that was in Job and to allay that sharpnesse and bitternesse of spirit that was in his friends When we have in sincerity discharged our duty to all others and done that which our Consciences charge upon us how doth it quiet and refresh our minds and how many have been burdened and disquieted in their spirits for neglecting this duty They I say who neglecting to speake when it was incumbent upon them to speak and the cause of God required it have found it a burden upon them long after When Mordecai had acquainted Queene Ester with the sad condition of the Jewes whose destruction Haman had plotted and advised the messenger to charge her that she should goe in unto the King to make supplication unto him and to make request before him for her people Est 4.8 She returned him answer by the same messenger that she could not doe this without running the hazzard of her owne life v. 10 11. yet Mordecai replyed v. 14. If thou Altogether holdst thy peace let the danger be what it will at this time then shall their enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jewes from another place but thou and thy fathers house shall be destroyed and who knowes whether thou art come to the kingdome for such a time as this As if he had sayd It is thy duty to speake for thy people at such a time as this and therefore if thou doest not breake through all difficulties to speake thy silence will cost thee deare probably thou wilt loose thy owne life by it or if not then certainly thy conscience will trouble and vex thee for it as long as thou livest Many offend in speaking and we may in many cases offend both God and man yea our selves too when we see our opportunities lost by neglecting to speake JOB Chap. 32. Vers 21 22. Let me not I pray you accept any mans person neither let me give flattering titles unto man For I know not to give flattering titles in so
Spirit of his mouth that is Jehovah by his Eternall Son and Spirit made all things The heavens and their host are there expressed by a Synecdoche of the part for the whole creation or for all creatures both in heaven and in earth Againe Psal 104.30 Thou sendest forth thy Spirit they are created The Spirit of God creates every day what is it that continueth things in their created being but providence That 's a true axiome in Divinity Providence is creation continued Now the Spirit of God who created at first creates to this day Thou sendest forth thy Spirit they are created The work of creation was finished in the first six dayes of the world but the work of creation is renewed every day and so continued to the end of the world Successive providentiall creation as well as originall creation is ascribed to the Spirit The Scripture is full of arguments to prove that the holy Ghost is God Which because this fundamentall truth is blasphemously spoken against I shall a little touch upon First As the Spirit createth and makes the naturall man consisting of body and soule so he regenerateth which is a greater creation the whole into a spirituall man therefore he is God John 3.5 Except a man be borne againe of water and of the Spirit that is of the Spirit who is as water he cannot enter into the kingdome of God The holy Ghost is also call'd The sanctifier sanctification is regeneration in progress and motion regeneration is sanctification begun and sanctification is regeneration perfecting from day to day 2 Thes 2.13 We are bound to give thanks to God for you brethren beloved of the Lord because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and beliefe of the truth And the Apostle Peter writes to the Elect 1 Pet 1 2. according to the foreknowledge of God the father through sanctification of the Spirit Now who can doe these great things but God who can regenerate or give a new nature who can sanctifie or perfect that new nature but God alone Men and Angels must let these workes alone for ever or as we translate Psal 49.8 these acts cease for ever from men and Angels as much as the redemption of man from the grave or from hell from corruption or condemnation Secondly The Spirit is omniscient He knoweth all things 1 Cor 1.12 2 10.19 The Spirit knoweth all things yea the deep things of God He is not only acquainted with and privie to the surface and outside of things but he searcheth things to the bottom of them Nor doth he search only the deepe or bottome things of common men or of the chiefest of men Kings and Princes whose hearts are usually as much deeper then other mens as their persons and places are higher but the Spirit searcheth the deep things the bottome things of God the things of God that lye lowest and most out of sight the Spirit understandeth therefore the Spirit is God For as the Apostle argueth 1 Cor 2.11 No man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of a man that is in him even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God or he that is God if the spirit that is in man were not man or the intellectuall power in man it could never know the things of man and if the Spirit of God were not God he could never search and know the deep the deepest things of God Thirdly As the Spirit of God knoweth all things as he searcheth the deep things even all the secrets and mysteries of God so he teacheth all things even all those secrets and mysteries of God which 't is needful or useful for man to know The Spirit is a teacher and he teacheth effectually Joh 16.13 When the Spirit of truth is come he will guide you into all truth for he shall not speak of himselfe that is he shall not teach you a private doctrine or that which is contrary to what ye have learned of me but whatsoever he shall heare that shall he speake and he will shew you things to come Which last words are A fourth argument that he is God As the Spirit teacheth so he foretelleth all things 1 Tim 4.1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressely that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devills The Spirit of God clearly foreseeth and infallibly foretelleth what shall be before it is therefore he is God The Lord by his holy Prophet Isa 41.23 challengeth all the false Idol gods of the Heathen to give that proofe of their Divinity Shew the things that are to come hereafter that we may know that ye are Gods As if he had sayd Doe that and we will yield the cause Men and Devills may guesse at but none can indeed shew things to come but God Fifthly The Spirit appoints to himselfe officers and ministers in the Church therefore he is God Acts 13.2 The holy Ghost said separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them Sixthly The holy Ghost furnisheth those Officers whom he calleth with power and gifts as he pleaseth that they may be fit for the work or ministery of the Gospel 1 Cor 12.8.11 To one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdome to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit c. But all these worketh that one and the selfe-same Spirit dividing to every man severally as he will Now who can give wisdome and knowledge who can give them prerogatively following in this distribution or division of gifts no rule nor giving any other reason of it but his owne will except God only Seventhly The holy Ghost is sinned against therefore he is God Some possibly may object and say This is not a convincing or demonstrative argument that the holy Ghost is God because he is sinned against For man may sin against man All second table sins are sins against our Neighbour and the Apostle tells the Corinthians 1 Ep 8.12 that while they used their lawfull liberty in eating with offence they sinned against the Brethren I answer Whosoever is properly sinned against is God because God is the Law-giver And though many actions of men are direct wrongs to man yet in every wrong done to man God also is wronged and in strict sence he only is sinned against by man For the reason why any action is a wrong to man is because it is against some Law of God And if to be sinned against in strict sence be proper to God only then the argument stands good that the Holy Spirit is God because he is sinned against especially if we consider that there is such an Emphasis put upon sinning against the holy Ghost in the holy Scripture more if possible then upon sinning against the Father or the Son Math 12.31 Wherefore I say unto you saith Christ All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto
he doth not thus put out his power We live and live comfortably we enjoy not only our lives but many mercies of this life and therefore surely God doth not deale rigorously much lesse unrighteously with man He that doth all men good beyond their deserts will not punish any man beyond his demerits He that doth not exercise his power alwayes where he might will not exercise it all where he ought not That 's the summe and scope of Elihu in the context under hand Vers 14. If he set his heart upon man To set the heart upon any thing or person is a Scripture expression often used noting more then barely to think upon or mind both or either It signifieth to have deep and serious thoughts to think with consideration and attention yea with some height and heat of affection And all this whether that thing which the heart and affections are set upon please or displease be comfortable or grievous for both love and hatred hope and feare are thoughtfull of and sollicitous about their severall objects Hence that caution Psal 62.10 If riches encrease set not your heart upon them we naturally love riches and therefore as naturally spend many thoughts both how to get and how to keepe them If a man have riches or an encrease of riches it is not unlawfull for him to thinke or them yet we should be as sparing of our thoughts that way as can be our thoughts and the bent of our soules should alwayes be upon God but that which the Psalmist forbids is the setling of our hearts As if he had sayd Let not your thoughts stay or dwell there Riches are themselves transient things therefore they should have but our transient thoughts Set not your hearts upon them for they may quickly be unsetled Samuel bespake Saul in the same language about a worldly concernment when he went out to seek his fathers Asses 1 Sam 9.20 Set not thy mind on them 'T is like Saul was over-burdened with this thought What 's become of or what shall I doe for my fathers Asses Be not sollicitous about them saith Samuel greater things are towards thee Abigail useth the same forme of speaking to David concerning Naball 1 Sam 25.23 Let not my Lord regard this man of Belial lay not to heart what Nabal hath sayd or done Thus Jonadab took off Davids feare that in one day he had been deprived of all his Sons 2 Sam 13.33 Now therefore let not my Lord the King take the thing to heart to think that all the Kings sons are dead for Amnon only is dead We are as apt to set our heart upon our losses as upon our enjoyments And to shew how little Pharoah regarded the heavy hand of God upon him it is sayd after Moses had turned all the waters that were in the river to blood Exod 7.23 And Pharoah turned and went into his house neither did set his heart to this also That is he slighted what God had done Let God speak and strike once and againe Apponere cor est vello decernere constituere q. d. Si ei suus animus suggererit Vatabl yea a third time yet hard-hearted men doe not lay it to heart nor set their heart upon it Thus here in the Affirmative it is sayd of God If he set his heart upon man that is if he doe but intend and mind this matter he can quickly bring it about even the perishing of all flesh If he set his heart upon man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Valet contra Si poneret concra eum cor suum i. e. si sibi proponeret hostiliter eum aggredi Pisc The text is rendered also If he set his heart against man The Hebrew particle signifieth not only upon but against Amos 7.16 Prophesie not against Israel c. And the generall sence of that reading may be given two wayes First If he set his heart against man to enquire strictly into his life and wayes if he should critically mark all his errours or faults and so resolve to proceed against him he might soon make an end of him as it followeth in the next verse As the strongest so the best and holyest of men are not able to stand before him Thus the words are an answer given by Elihu to that frequent request of Job that God would let him come near to judgement and hear his cause argued and debated before him even at his Bar but saith Elihu according to this sence If God set his heart against man if he doth but strictly enquire into his condition course and conversation it would be sad with him All men must perish Those two places in the Psalmes answer this interpretation fully Psal 130.3 If thou Lord shouldst mark iniquities O Lord who should stand That is No man shall We cannot stand in our righteousness before God how then shall we stand in our iniquities And therefore the second Text deprecates the Lord 's severe enquiry into our purest and most perfect services Psal 143.2 Enter not into judgement with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified Secondly If he set his heart against man that is If he have a general purpose to destroy and ruine him by his absolute Soveraignty he can easily do it what God hath a minde to do or only willeth it to be done he hath power enough to do it He can make any man miserable and not only strip him of the comforts of this life but of his life too And as he hath power enough if he would use it so he hath soveraign unquestionable authority enough to bear him out in the use of his power Now seeing God who is cloathed with this absolute power yet doth not exercise such a power but having given man a being continues to very many men a comfortable being in this world and doth not willingly grieve or afflict any of the children of men nor execute any vengeance upon them without their desert surely then God is righteous he will not do wickedly Thus we have the importance of the Translation If he set his heart against man We say which also beareth fairly enough the same sence If he set his heart upon man Si direxerit ad eum cor suum spiritum illius flatum ad so trahet Vulg. If he gathereth unto himself his Spirit and his breath Some render it thus If he set his heart upon or against man he will gather unto him his spirit and his breath and then as it followeth All flesh shall perish together We repeat the supposition according to the Hebrew Text If he set his heart upon man If he gather to himself his spirit and his breath then c. Take either reading the general sense is the same and in brief 't is this If God have a minde to it he can quickly thrust all men out of the world He that gave man his spirit and his breath can at pleasure recal both and then
turnest man to destruction and sayest Return ye children of men Here 's man turning and returning upon the saying of God man turneth to death he returneth to dust and shall at last return from the dust and all this when God saith he must Our life is a very frail thing and it is in the hand of God to continue or take it away to let us hold it or gather it home to himself Thirdly From the manner of speaking If he gather to himself his spirit and his breath Note When man dieth he is gathered to God When as Solomon allegorizeth the death of man Eccl. 12.6 7. The silver cord is loosed and the golden bowl broken c. Then shall the dust that is the body return to the earth as it was and the spirit shall return to God who gave it that is each part of man when he departeth this world shall go its proper way and return to that which is most congenial to it his body to the earth from whence it is his soul to God of whom it is God is a Spirit the creating Spirit and our created spirits are gathered to God when they are separated from the body yet remember there is a two-fold gathering or returning of the spirit to God First To abide and be blessed with him for ever thus the spirits of believers or saints only are gathered to God when they depart out of this world Secondly There is a gathering of the spirit to God to be judged and disposed of by him to receive a sentence of life or death from him And thus the spirit of every man or woman that dieth is gathered to God be they good or bad believers or unbelievers Heb. 9.27 It is appointed for men once to die but after this the judgement 'T is the Statute Law of God man must die and the sound of Judgement is at the heels of death That Text saith but after this the Judgement The general day of judgement shall not be till the resurrection of man from the dead But there is a personal judgement or a determining of every mans state when he dieth and for that end every mans spirit is gathered to God to receive his sentence The spirits of wicked men are gathered to him and condemned the spirits of the righteous are gathered to him and acquitted We are come saith the Apostle Heb. 12.23 to God the Judge of all and to the spirits of just men made perfect David knew he must be gathered to God but he earnestly deprecated such a gathering as most shall have Psal 26.9 Gather not my soul with sinners nor my life with bloody men It is this word when sinners die they are gathered but David would not be gathered as they are gathered They are gathered to God but it is that they may be for ever separated from him they are gathered to a day of vengeance and wrath Therefore David prayed Gather not my soul with sinners Death is called a gathering in a threefold reference First A gathering to our people Thus it is said of Aaron Num. 20.24 Aaron shall be gathered unto his people for he shall not enter into the land c. Death separates the people of God from their people that is from those that are like them on earth but it will be a means of bringing them into the society of their people or fellow believers who are gone before them into heaven Secondly Death is called a gathering to our Fathers 2 Chron. 34 28. Behold I will gather thee to thy Fathers and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace There 's a gathering to a more special company and that with other like Scriptures are an argument that we shall know our relations in heaven For to be gathered to our Fathers spoken of in the first part of the verse is more then to be gathered to the grave spoken of in the latter and by our fathers we are to understand more of our fathers then the grave hath in its keeping which is but their bodies even their souls which are kept in heaven Thirdly According to the phrase of this Text death is called a gathering to God If he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath Whence Note Fourthly The spirit or soul of man hath its original from God It is of him to whom it returneth The soul or spirit of man is of God in a more special way then his body is for though God giveth both yet the Scripture in the place before named speaks of the soul as the gift of God but passeth by the body Eccles 12.7 The dust shall return to the earth as it was and the spirit shall return to God who gave it 'T is God not man alone who hath given us these bodies but 't is not man but God alone who hath given us these spirits therefore men are called the fathers of our flesh that is of the body in way of distinction from God who is the father of spirits Heb. 12.9 We have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us and we gave them reverence shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live that is shall we not rather be subject to God then to man Father of spirits is an Attribute or Title too high and honourable for any but God One of the Ancients in his gracious breathing after God brake out into this holy Passion My soul O God came from thee and my heart is unquiet or restless until it return to thee again God is our center and our rest He gathereth to himself mans spirit and when he doth so what then what 's the issue of it Elihu tells us what in the next verse Vers 15. All flesh shall perish together and man shall turn again to his dust As if he had said As soon as ever the spirit is gathered the flesh is consumed or as we render perisheth All flesh may be taken in the largest sence not only for all men that live but for all living creatures Thus largely Moses extendeth it Gen. 6.17 Behold saith the Lord I will bring a flood of water to destroy all flesh that is all the Beasts of the earth and Fowls of the ayre together with Mankinde except a few of each in the Ark so Psal 136.25 Who giveth food to all flesh that is to man and beast for his mercy endureth for ever Yet some understand this first part more narrowly for all flesh except man because he addeth in the latter part of the verse and man shall return again to his dust But I conceive we are to take all flesh here for all men and only for men it being usual in Scripture to put the same thing twice under different expressions So then All flesh that is every man be he who he will shall perish Thus as all flesh is restrained to man so it extendeth over all men yea over all things of man Isa 40.6 All flesh is grass and all the
sense for death is a passing away a passing out of this world Psal 37.36 Transire intelligo non pro migrare aliò sed pro abire in sepulchrum Merc Loe he passed away and was gone that is he died And that which is as death to the heavens and the earth their great change when ever it shall be is called a passing away Math 5.18 Till heaven and earth passe away one jot or one tittle shall in no wise passe away from the Law till all be fullfilled that is the Law shall stand in force as long as the world stands Thus to passe away is to die But I conceive we are to expound this third branch of the Judgement distinctly from the former two and therefore for as much as we have death in the first words it will not be proper to take in death here againe or to expound passing away by dying The third notion of they shall passe away is they shall run or flee for it they know not whether they shall flee for their lives from the danger impending over them As some shall die and all be troubled so not a few shall endeavour to save their lives by flight Christ in the Gospel foretold the great troubles and afflictions which should come upon Jerusalem and in them there was a sad concurrence or meeting of these three Judgments in the text For when after forty yeares the Romans invaded and ruin'd their City many dyed were destroyed by sword and famine all the people were troubled Oh in what a hurry were they to see the Romane Eagle displayed before their Gates and then they passed away that is as many as could withdrew and got out of the danger It is reported in history that before the Seidge of that City a voyce was heard in Jerusalem saying Migremus hinc let us passe from hence they who believed that warning departed soone after And as some passed away before the Judgement came so when it was come many were striving to be gone or to passe away Therefore Christ admonished them Math 24.20 Pray that your flight be not in the winter nor on the Sabath day I conceive we are to understand this text distinctly of such a passing away In a moment shall they die and the people shall be troubled at midnight and passe away they shall doe what they can to secure themselves by out-running the danger Note from it First God hath variety of meanes to humble a sinfull people Into how many wayes doe the Judgements of God divide themselves severall persons beare severall parts here is death to many trouble to all flight to some That in the Prophet answers it fully Jer 15.1 where the Lord protesting that nothing no not the intercession of Moses and Samuel should take him off from his resolve against that people saith Such as are for death to death and such as are for the sword to the sword and such as are for the famine to the famine and such as are for the captivity to the captivity There 's pestilence and sword and famine and captivity ready at the call of God to take away a provoking people Secondly Note To passe away or to be put to our flight is a grievous Judgement To flee from the face of the pursuer to run for our lives who knows the trouble and terror of it but they that have been in it what a mercy is it that our dwellings are continued to us that we abide in our places that we neither die in a moment are not surpriz'd by midnight-feares but rest quietly in our beds though feares at midnight have been ready to surprize us What a mercy is it that we are not passing away running fleeing into the wildernesse as the poore Churches of God have done in severall ages So much of Judgement upon the people in that three-fold notion of it We have here also Judgement upon Princes And the mighty shall be taken away without hand Not only the many but the mighty shall feele the Judgements of God For as 't is sayd in the former verse He accepteth not the persons of Princes nor regardeth the rich more then the poore The mighty and the meanest of men are alike to God when they are alike in sinning against God If they doe evill alike they shall suffer evill alike God accepteth no mans person The mighty shall be taken away 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fortis robustus excellens fortitudine pluraliter Abirim in genere forte significat The word rendred mighty taken plurally is used in Scripture to denote not only mighty men but any creature that excells in might And therefore according to the exigence of the place it signifies sometimes Angells who being spirits exceed all flesh in might The people of Israel in the wilderness did eat Angells food Psal 78.5 the food of the Abirims of the mighty or strong ones And as it is applyed to Angells who exceed the strongest men in strength so it is applyed to any sort of strong beasts to the horse Jer 47.3 to Bulls Isa 34.7 Jer 50.11 Psal 22.13 Psal 68.31 Thus the word riseth above man to Angells and falls below man to the beasts of the earth here 't is applyable only to strong and mighty men of whom yet there are three sorts First Some are men of a mighty arme Secondly Others are mighty in Armes Thirdly There are men mighty in Authority The first of these is a natural mighty man he hath a mighty arme a strong body or he excells in bodily strength The second is a marshall mighty man a souldier a man of warre The third is the Magistratical mighty man he is cloathed with power both to punish and reward Possibly he may have no bodily might yea possibly he is no souldier yet a man of such power he is that he commands whole Nations Now take the word Mighty in any of these three senses and it is a truth the mighty shall be taken away the mighty in strength of the Arme the mighty in strength of Armyes the mighty in power and dignity are by the hand of the Almighty God taken away They shall take them away saith the Hebrew text that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 et amovent potentem impersonaliter Pisc say some according to the first translation mentioned the people shall violently take away the mighty But by an usuall Hebraisme we may read it Impersonally the mighty shall be taken away concealing or leaving it to be understood by whom Like that speech to the rich man Luke 12.25 This night doe they require thy soule of thee so we put in the Margin that is as the text hath it this night thy soule shall be required of thee they shall take thy soule that is it shall be taken away so here they shall take away the mighty that is the mighty shall be taken away or removed We may take notice of a two-fold remove or taking away First There is a