with God If he will contend with him he cannot answer him one of a thousand Againe ver 20. If I justifie my selfe my mouth shall condemne me If I say I am perfect it shall also prove me perverse And while he affirmes the generall viciousnesse of nature he must needs imply his owne Chap. 15.14 What is man that he should be cleane and he which is borne of a woman that he should be righteous Behold he putteth no trust in his Saints yea the heavens are not cleane in his sight how much more abominable and filthy is man In this universall conclusion he includeth himselfe therefore Job was far from being righteous in his owne eyes in any proud opinion of his owne righteousnesse or freedome from any staine of sin So much for the opening of those words containing the reason why his friends ceased to answer Because he was righteous in his owne eyes It was the designe of these three men not only to convince Job that he was a sinner but to bring him upon his knees as a notorious sinner And yet all their allegations and arguments could not bring him to it My righteousnesse said he Chapt. 27.6 I hold fast I will not let it goe Now when they saw him thus resolved and stiffe in maintaining the goodnesse of his cause and the integrity of his spirit they quitted the businesse or as the text saith ceased to answer Hence note We cease to doe when we cannot attaine our end in doing Impossibilium nullus est conatus When we see it is in vaine to perswade we give over perswading Despayre of working our end puts an end to our working Industry is at a stand yea withdraweth when impossibilities appeare And though nothing be impossible unto God yet we find God himselfe giving over both speaking and smiting when he seeth he is like to doe no good by eyther Thus he expresseth his purpose Isa 1.5 when he had spent many rods of sore Judgements afflictions upon that people when he had stricken them till from the crowne of the head to the sole of the feete they were nothing but a continued wound and yet they received not correction he presently reasons thus Why should ye be stricken any more ye will revolt more and more As if he had said The end why I smote you was to amend you to bring you home to my selfe to cause you to turne back or returne from your evill wayes but I see I have lost my labour and spent not only my rods but my scorpions in vaine upon you therefore I will cease from this kind of work why should ye be stricken any more ye will revolt more and more And when God hath spoken long to a people who regard it not he ceaseth to speak any more but saith Why should ye be taught any more Let the Prophets tongue cleave to the roof of his mouth let him be dumb and silent as the word is Ezek. 3.26 Thou shalt be dumb and shalt not be a reprover why for they are a rebellious house After all thy speaking they continue rebelling therefore speak no more We read the like dreadfull prohibition Hos 4.4 Let no man strive nor reprove another let all wayes of reclaiming this people be laid aside For thy people are as they that strive with the Priest That is they are obdurate and desperately ingaged in wickednesse Hos 4.17 Ephraim is joyned to Idols he cleaveth and sticketh fast to them he will not be pulled from his owne inventions Let him alone Thus God saith to his Prophets and Ministers cease he saith to his Ordinances cease when sinners will not cease to sin and doe wickedly against the Lord. The same unprofitable and incorrigible people are threatned in the same manner by another Prophet Amos 8.9 It shall come to passe in that day saith the Lord God that I will cause the Sun to goe downe at noone And ver 11. I will send a famine in the Land not a famine of bread but of hearing the words of the Lord. God would stop the raining down of heavenly Manna and the people should not heare because they would not Such was the sentence of Christ against the Jewes Math. 23.37 O Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the Prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee how often would I have gathered thy children together as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings but ye would not What follows this refusall read and tremble ver 38. Behold your house is left unto you desolate for I say unto you ye shall not see me henceforth c. As if he had said because ye have been so unteachable therefore ye shall be taught no more It is sad when we give God occasion to give over either speaking to us or afflicting us God will not alwayes strive with the unwillingnesse much lesse with the wilfulnesse of man nor will men be alwayes doing that to men which they see doth them no good So these three men ceased c. Secondly Note hence When men are obstinate and will not be reclaimed it is good to give over Why should they who in any kind are absolutely resolved be further moved Acts 21.14 When Pauls friends saw he would not be perswaded they ceased they had used much perswasion to keepe him from going up to Jerusalem because of the sufferings that were prophesied should befall him there yet when he stood out in an holy obstinacy against them cloathed with a gracious spirit of courage to suffer for Christ When he would not be perswaded they ceased saying the will of the Lord be done As it was the height of Pauls holiness that he would not be perswaded he was obstinate for Gods cause or for the doing of a duty so it is the height of many mens wickednesse that they will not be perswaded they are obstinate against God or against the doing of their duty Such as are infected with the lust of contending will maintaine that opinion pertinaciously which they cannot maintaine truely As some strive for the love of victory rather then of truth so others strive because they love strife even more then victory and had rather contend then conquer because that puts an end to strife In such cases they doe best who doe no more And if Jobs case had been such if he had held up the discourse not for truth but for victory or because he would have the last word like a clamorous Sophister who hath alwayes somewhat to say though nothing to the purpose In that case I say Jobs friends had done wisely in ceasing to answer They indeed did well upon their owne supposition though as to the truth of Jobs condition they failed greatly Job was not a man of that spirit he that persists in holding and defending truth is not obstinate but constant Further as to the ground why they ceased according to their supposition Observe To be righteous in our owne eyes is hatefull both to God and
stile Psal 67.1 God be mercifull to us and bless us and cause his face to shine upon us that is give us tokens and pledges of his favour Secondly How see we the face of God Doth not God tell Moses No man can see my face and live How then can the face of God be seene I answer The face of God which was touched before as taken for the essence of God or for his essentiall glory cannot be seene That 's too transcendent a glory for man to behold What we see of God is but some ray or beaming out of light and glory from himselfe we cannot see himselfe The essentiall or personall glory of God is that face which cannot be seene but the declarative glory of God is a face of God which may be clearely seene by faith in the light of his word and workes And to see the face of God is nothing else but for a man to know in himselfe as the Apostles word is in somewhat a parallel case Heb 10.34 that God is gracious to him that is to have an assurance of his favour or a reflect act of faith about it The holy Spirit sheweth us what God is and what the things of God are 1 Cor 2.12 We have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God that we may know the things that are freely given to us of God that is that we mayâ—e enlightned with the knowledge of the grace goodness and favour of God to us discovered in the Gospel The Spirit sheweth us this blessed face of God and we see it by the actings of our faith all our visions of God in this life are visions of faith upon whose wings all our intellectuall powers soare aloft and are carried up to God Faith is not only a worke of the will in consent and application but a worke of the understanding by assent and knowledge Thus we see God as a Spirit is only to be seene with a spirituall eye The vision of God is intellectuall the vision of faith Videre faciem dei nihil aliud est quam sentire apud animum suum deum propitium Coc In Jubilo i. e. in quodam inexplicabili gaudio Aquin Thus the reconciled sinner finding God favourable to him he seeth his face with joy The word signifies joyfull acclamation or shouting for joy such as men use after great favours done them and benefits or rather bounties bestowed upon them There is a seeing of the face of God with terror so the wicked shall see God that is they shall have manifestations of Gods displeasure they shall be made to see him with shame and sorrow They shall say when they see him to the mountaines and rockes fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lambe They who never saw the face of God with joy shall see it with horror amazement Saints see it with joy they have unexpressible comfort and contentment in beholding God they shall rejoyce with shouting as in the yeare of Jubile when they sounded out their joyes with trumpets or made a joyfull noyse 'T is no ordinary but a triumphant joy with which the godly see the face of God Extraordinary sights affect with extraordinary joy Now the face of God being the highest and most glorious sight in the world it must needs affect the beholder with a glorious with a Jubilean joy He shall see his face with joy First It being sayd He shall see his face with joy upon his prayer and the humbling of himselfe before God Observe God hides or vayles his face till we humble our soules and seeke his face God will not be seene at all times no not by his owne people There are severall cases in which he turneth away his face in anger or drawes a curtaine as it were yea a cloud between himselfe and the soule And this he doth First and most usually to try his people how they can beare his withdrawings and to see whether or to what they will betake themselves when he takes himselfe so much from them that they cannot see him Secondly He doth it often to chasten and correct man for sin To be under the hidings of Gods face is the saddest effect of sin to a sencible or an awakened soule David made a grievous complaint because of this what ever the cause or occasion of it was Psal 13.1 The absence of God from him though possibly but for a short time was so tedious to him that he cryed out How long wilt thou forget me O Lord for ever How long wilt thou hide thy face from me Even Jesus Christ while he stood in the place of sinners bare the hiding of his fathers face as the summe of all those punishments which were due to and deserved by our sin This pressed him more then all bodyly sufferings and made him cry out while he hung upon the Crosse My God my God not why hast thou left me to be crucified but why hast thou forsaken me Math 27.46 Thirdly God hideth his face from some because the manifestations of it have not been received thankfully nor improved rightly We ought to give thankes for the light of the Sun shining in the ayre and also doe our worke in it Is it any wonder if God cloud and eclipse the light of his countenance towards those who neither prize it nor improve it If you would alwayes see the face of God then be ye alwayes seene at the worke and in the wayes of God Secondly Observe It is the sole priviledge of Gods Favourites or of those to whom he is favourable to see his face As no man can see that face of God his essentiall presence so none but Godly men shall see this face of God his comfortable or blessed-making presence Without holiness no man shall see the Lord Heb 12.14 There is a two-fold vision or sight of God and that negative assertion may be understood of either or of both There 's first a vision of God on earth thus we see his face as was shewed before in the actings of faith For though the Apostle opposeth these two faith and sight We walke by faith and not by sight 2 Cor 5.7 yet faith hath its sight we walke not by sight as the worldly men walk who doe as they see and make their eyes both the guide of their consciences and the in-bringers of their comforts we walke not by outward sight nor doe we make conclusions how to guide our conversations by what we see We walke by faith and that 's the sight which we have of God while we are here on earth which cannot possibly be without holiness faith being so great a part of our holiness and by drawing vertue from Christ dayly the maintainer of it all Secondly there is a sight of the face of God in glory And if none can enter into glory but holy men then no man without
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
incorruptible it hath naturally no seedes of dissolution in it because no contrariety no contrary qualities in it as all bodyes or corporeall substances have I know the Apostle saith 1 Tim 6.16 God only hath immortality it 's true he only hath it in himselfe independently originally but he derives and gives it as a talent to some creatures in a way of dependance upon himselfe Secondly Observe The soule brings in the life of the body The life of man What is the body without the soule but a lumpe of clay As soone as ever the soule departs life departs man dyeth and becomes a putrifying carkasse yet such is the folly of most men that all their care is for the life of the body which is at best a dying life they utterly neglect the soule which as it is the life of the body so it selfe never dyeth The soule is the Jewell the body is but the Cabinet the soule is the kernel the body is but the shell Will you be sollicitous about a Cabinet and a shell and slight the Jewel or throw away the kernel Will you take care of that which liveth the body and will you not take care of that which holds your life the soule Againe Note Life is the gift of God If the soule which is the cause of life in man be of God then the life of man is of God also The cause of the cause is the cause of the effect or thing caused But we need not argue it from Logick rules Scripture testimony being so aboundant in this thing Acts 17.25 He giveth to all life and breath and all things And v. 28. In him we live and move and have our being Spirituall and eternall life are the gift of God so also is naturall life And if so Then First Live to God Secondly Seeing God gives us life we should be willing to give our lives to God Yea Thirdly We should therefore be ready to give up or rather to lay downe our lives for God And as we should give up our lives to God when he calls for them by natural death so we should give up our lives for God when he calls us to beare witness to his name and truth by violent death I shall yet take notice of one thing further before I passe from this verse The Spirit of God hath made me and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life Some upon good grounds referre the first clause The Spirit of God hath made me to the creation both of soule and body and the second or latter clause the breath of the Almighty hath given me life to that quickning which we receive by the Spirit to the duties whereinto we are called in this life The breath of the Almighty hath given me life that is hath fitted and prepared me for the severall offices and services of life As if Elihu had sayd The Spirit of God hath not only made me a man but a man for worke yea the Spirit of God hath quickned me to the present worke and businesse I am come about Thus life imports not only spirituall life in the being of it but all the furniture ornaments and abilities of a spirituall life The Septuagint render this profession made by Elihu expressely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Spiratio omnipotentis est quae docet me Sept Haud me latet non a meipso sed a deo hunc prudentiae sensum me accepisse Nicet to this sence holding out a strong assurance which Elihu had that God had both called and prepared him for the service he was come about and engaged in The Spirit of God hath made me and the breath of the Almighty hath instructed me Another of the Greek Interpreters speaks as much I am not ignorant that of my selfe I am able to doe nothing but I have received this power from God As if Elihu had said The Spirit of the Almighty hath quickned me to this worke I am now upon and taught me what both to say and doe in thy case O Job Hence note God giveth not only the life of nature unto men but he fits them for all the duties and services of this life We indeed are scarcely to be reckoned among the living if we have no more but a naturall life what is it to be able to eate and drinke to heare and see and speake unlesse we have more then this we deserve not to be numbred or written among the living we are upon the matter but dead lumps and clods of clay It is the breath of the Almighty that quickens us and superadds ability to doe good that frames fashions and fits us for every good word and worke This is the life of man when a man is fitted for duty and service when he is furnished for imployment to stand God and his Brethren in some stead while he is in this world then he lives The motions impulses and influences the teachings and guidings of the Spirit of God are the life of our lives We can doe nothing of our selves till the Almighty bestows a new life upon us and as we can doe nothing at all in spiritualls till he gives us a new life so we can do nothing to purpose till the Spirit acts stirres up that life in us It is the Spirit who first bestows Secondly encreaseth Thirdly excites our spirituall life puts the new creature into motion All our good thoughts and holy actings all our uprightnesse and sincerity all our strength and ability flow from the Spirit untill the holy Spirit workes in us we sit still and when the Spirit worketh we must not sit still I saith the Apostle Rom 15.18 will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me to make the Gentiles obedient by word and deed As if he had sayd My owne workes are not worth the naming I will not so much as mention any thing that Christ hath not wrought in me by the Spirit That was a mighty worke which he was enabled to doe to make the Gentiles obedient in word and deed Christ did not leave him to doe it in his owne power The breath of the Almighty enabled him and so he doth all those that are able and willing ready for and successefull in any such holy worke Let us therefore ascribe all to his working and quickening let us set down our severall Items of receit in our account-books confessing that we have nothing of our own This gift that grace that ability to doe to speake to suffer to act we have received from him Let the whole Inventory of our soules riches have Gods name written upon it and ascribed to his praise alone And if we thus uncloath our selves by giving God the glory of all we shall loose nothing by it for God will apparrell and furnish us deck and adorne us better every day The poorer we are in our selves the richer will he make us To be thus diminish't is the best way to
concerning the state of his Church to the end of the world revealed to him in severall visions I saith he Rev. 1.10 was in the spirit on the Lords day c. That 's is a famous promise which was first reported by the Prophet Joel Chap 2.28 and after repeated by the Apostle Peter Acts 2.17 I will poure out my Spirit upon all flesh c. and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams Thus it is every where clear in Scripture that dreames and visions were frequent both in the Old Testament times and in the beginning of the New But now in these last dayes as the Apostle saith Heb. 1.2 3. passing from those former wayes of Revelation described in the first verse God having spoken to us by his Son whom he hath appointed heir of all things by whom also he made the Worlds who is also the brightnesse of his glory and the expresse Image of his person God I say having spoken to us by his Son and we having now a clearer manifestation of the mind of God then the old fathers had the Son who once spake to us in person on earth still speaking to us in the Gospell every day therefore now for any to look after dreams and visions or visible apparitions for the revealing of the mind of God is to goe backward to the old state of the Jewish Church or to the infancy of the Gospell Church while the Canon or Rule of the Scripture as to all matters of faith and holy life was not fully finished and compleated And though we ought to be farre from limiting God yet he hath limited us from looking after any wisdome in the knowledge of his will above that which is written 1 Cor. 4.6 The Apostle also testifying by the Spirit of God that the Scripture is sufficient to make every man wise to salvation and the man of God perfect throughly furnished unto all good works that good work especially of helping others to salvation 1 Tim. 3.15.17 Ardentibus votu precatus sum ut daret mihi deus certuÌ„ sensum scripturae et pactum feci cum domino deo meo ne mihi visiones vel somnia mitteret Luth. loci com quartae clasâ—is Luther observing how many were deluded in his time by dreames and visions which they falsely attributed to God as the immediate Author of them earnestly prayed about two things First that God would give him a sound understanding of his mind revealed in the Scriptures Secondly that he would nor send him dreames or visions yea saith he I even contracted with God that he would not And doubtlesse he did this upon a double ground First to oppose the wild opinions and practices of those who had nothing to pretend for them but dreames and visions Secondly to advance the honour of the written word in its sufficiency not only without the help of any humane tradition but without any further divine revelation And therefore though God should please to speak to us now by dreames and visions yet that were only as the Apostle speaks about his adding of an oath to his promise Heb. 6.17 to shew that he is ex abundanti more abundantly willing to satisfie our weaknesse by such a condiscention then that there is a necessity of it with respect to any deficiency of the Scriptures fullnesse And hence it is that if men shall professe they have received any thing from God by dreams or visions concerning what is either to be beleeved or done the matter of those dreams must be examined and weighed at the ballance of the Scriptures and is no further to be credited then as 't is found agreeable thereunto It cannot be denyed but that men may make profitable use of their dreames at this day they may see much of themselves when their eyes are shut up by sleepe Evill men may see their lusts at worke in the night and find out what lust is most working and wakefull in them What is said in History of the ancient Persian Kings that they were seldome seen in the day but came to view in the night is true of a mans speciall sin or of that sin which reignes and Kings it in him What ugly apparitions of lust hath many a man in his nightly dreams especially of those filthy lusts which are most proper to the night Thus also good men have sometimes a clearer sight of their graces in the night by dreames then in the duties of the day What holy frames of heart what lively actings of grace what sweet and ravishing communion with God have many godly men found and felt in dreames That may at lest be somewhat of Davids meaning when he said Psal 16.17 My reines also instruct me in the night season Lastly Though we cannot make any certaine conclusions either what we are or what we are to doe from dreames yet from them they who are wise and watchfull may sometimes gather strong conjectures about both or either To make dreames the rule or warrant of what we doe is extreamly dangerous yet that we may have hints what to do in a dreame I nothing doubt nor can there be any danger in it while the matter hinted is consonant to the rule of the word both as that which is lawfull to be done and lawfull for us all circumstances considered to doe Otherwise whatsoever we may think our selves warned or warranted to doe by dreames is but a mock or trick put upon us by the Devill or a deceit of our own foolish selfish hearts Thus we have seene the first way of Gods speaking to men of old by dreames and visions of the night what work God is pleased to make with and in man by such speakings will appeare distinctly in the three following verses Vers 16. Then he openeth the ears of men and sealeth there instruction In this verse Elihu gives us the first of those gracious designes or purposes of God in sending dreams or visions of the night then he openeth the ears of men There is a twofold eare of man first externall that organ of hearing placed in the head Secondly internall that power of hearing seated in the heart God can uncover or open both There are but few who have their outward eare stopt we rarely meet with a deaf man But we every where meete with and speak to those who are internally deafe The Lord openeth this inward eare and he only is able to doe it God opened the heart or internall eare of Lydia to attend to the things which were spoken of Paul Acts 16.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sep. The Septuagint render this place of Job expressely so Then he openeth the mind of men Their translation comes close to the sence though not to the letter of the Originall Quidam hanc loquendi formulam natam esso putant ex hebraeorum consuetudine qui cum antiquis seculis prolixam alerent comam eaque aures operirent si quis
evill purposes God himself must come to withdraw and fetch him off or otherwise he will be driving them on The heart of man naturally hath no other purposes but evill purposes and upon them it is set as I may say to purpose that is he will effect and bring them about if he can When Moses reproved Aaron concerning the golden Calfe which he had made at the instance and violent importunity of the people Aaron answered for himself Exod. 32.23 Let not the anger of my Lord wax hot thou knowest the people that they are set on mischiefe they are bent to it they have such a mind to it that there 's no turning them from it they will hear no reason nor take any denyall when the fit is on them There is a setting of the heart of man continually upon evill the wind blowes that way and no other way the wind sits alwayes in that bad corner till God turneth it There are two gracious acts of God spoken of in Scripture which doe exceedingly shew forth the sinfullnesse of man every act of grace doth in its measure aggravate the sinfullnesse of man and alwayes the higher grace acteth the more is the sinfullnesse of man discovered especially I say in this twofold act of grace The former whereof consists in drawing the latter in withdrawing there is a gracious act of God in drawing the sinfull sons and daughters of men to that which is good Man is drawne First into a state of grace or goodnesse by this he is made good He is drawn Secondly to acts of grace or goodnesse by this he doth good Of the former Christ speaks Joh. 6.44 No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him that is no man can beleeve for by faith we come to Christ except he receive power from on high God draweth the soul to Christ and that 's a powerfull act of divine drawing though not a compulsory act and as God must draw man into a state of grace which is our union with Christ by the Spirit in beleeving so he draweth him to the acting of his graces Of this latter the Church speaketh to Christ Cant. 1.4 Draw me and I will run after thee These gracious drawings shew that we are not only utterly unable but averse to the receiving grace and so becoming good while we are in a state of nature as also that we are very backward to doe that which is good even when we are in a state of grace Now as God acts very graciously in drawing man to good so Secondly in withdrawing him from evill from those evill purposes and evill practices to which all men are so easily yet so strongly carried The Prophet Jer. 2. 23 24. elegantly describes the exceeding forwardnesse of that people to evill while he compareth them to the swift Dromodary traversing her wayes and to the wild Asse in the Wildernesse that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure or the desire of her heart in her occasion who can turn her away As the wild Asse set upon her pleasure in her occasion when she hath a mind to it will not be turn'd away such is the heart of man That other Prophet Isa 5.18 telleth us of those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity and sin as it were with a cart rope that is they set themselves with all their might to doe mischief When men are thus vainly bent upon vanity 't is a mighty work of God to withdraw them from their work When what men are purposed to doe they are fastened to it as with cords and cart-ropes what but the power of the great God can withdraw them from it Whence note Secondly Vnlesse God did withdraw and fetch us off from sin we should run on in it continually When man is in an evill way he hath no mind to returne till God turneth him let come on 't what will he will venture 'T is only through grace that the heart either abstains or returns from evill David saith Psal 18.23 I have kept my self from mine iniquity David kept himself from his iniquity yet he was not his own keeper It was by the power of God that he kept himself from that sin to which he was most prone even from that sin to which his own corruptions and the Devills temptations were alwayes drawing him David had some speciall iniquity to which his heart was inclined more then any other and from that he kept himself being himself kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation Of our selves we can neither keep our selves from doing iniquity nor leave off doing that iniquity which we have once done How can man withhold himself from sin while sin hath so great a hold of him yea the Mastery over him Thirdly Note God is graciously pleased both to withdraw man from doing evill and to draw him to repentance when he hath done evill Between these two the grace of God is daily working in and towards man and it worketh for the effecting of both many wayes First by his word and that in a fourfold consideration First by the word of his command he every where in Scripture forbids man to doe any evill and bids him repent of every evill which he doth Secondly by the word of his threatnings they are as thunderbolts to deterre him Thirdly by the word of his promises they are divine alluremenrs sweetly yet effectually to entice him Fourthly by the word of his perswasions they are full of taking arguments to convince and win him Secondly God withdrawes man from sin and drawes him to repentance when he hath sinned by his works First by his works of Judgment they break him to these duties Secondly by his works of mercy they melt him into these duties Thirdly God withdraws man from sin and drawes him to repentance by his patience and long-suffering Rom. 2.4 Despisest thou the riches of his goodnesse and forbearance and long-suffering not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth them to repentance As if the Apostle had said O man if thou knowest not the meaning of Gods patience towards thee and that this is the meaning of it thou knowest nothing of the mind and meaning of God towards thee Fourthly The Lord withdraweth man from evill purposes by seasonable counsells David was going on in a very bad purpose 1 Sam. 25. and God stirred up Abigail to meete him and by good counsell to withdraw him from his purpose This David acknowledged vers 32 33. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel which sent thee this day to meet me As if he had said I was fully purposed to revenge my self upon Naball and had not surely left a man of his house alive by the morning light if thou hadst not met me therefore blessed be God who hath sent thee and blessed be thy advice and blessed be thou which hast kept me this day from coming to shed bloud and hast by thy good counsell withdrawne me from that evill
signifies Eminency or Excellency because men are usually proud of that wherein they are eminent and excell there lyes the temptation to pride And therefore as a man should turne away his eyes from a beautifull harlot lest she should ensnare him so God hides mans owne beauties eminencies and excellencies even his best workes from him lest he should be proud of them and so goe a whoring after them or as God did with the body of Moses he not only buryed him but hid him for 't is sayd Deut 34.6 No man knoweth of his sepulcher to this day and 't is well conceived that the reason why God hid his sepulcher was lest the people of Israel should be drawne aside to some undue or superstitious veneration of him So God hideth by some meanes or other that which is most eminent in us from us lest it should draw us aside to some undue estimation of it and so prove but matter or fewel for pride to kindle upon Thus the Lord hideth pride from us when he hideth that from us which considering our corruption may probably make us proud And the originall word here used to signifie the man from whom God hideth pride 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath a neere cognation to this notion about hiding pride it selfe Man is twice exprest in this verse yet not by the same word The first word notes man in the weaknesse of his constitution an earthly man This second notes man in the powerfulness of his condition a strong man a mighty man an eminent man a man with all his furniture in the fullness of his earthly glory and greatness when man hath much naturall power much civill power with the various additions and ornaments of both these powers upon him then man is in greatest danger to be proud then God hideth pride from man And who can hide pride from such a man but God alone Men commonly blow up such men with pride by great applauses and such men have mostly great thoughts and high apprehensions of themselves and are very forward to discover which is the greatest discovery of their weakness their owne pride God only hideth pride from man that is he makes it not to be as well as hinders i'ts appearing that which is hidden is as if it were not The word is used in that sense Job 3.10 Because he did not hide sorrow from mine eyes Sorrow is hidden from us when the matter of sorrow is so taken away that we sorrow not at all To hide pride is to take away the matter and occasion the incentives and motives of pride whatsoever is a nurse of pride or doth encourage the pride of our hearts that 's to hide pride from man Againe We may take this word pride in a large sense as Comprehending all sin He withdraweth man from his purpose and hideth pride that is sin of all sorts from man and doubtlesse there is pride of one kinde or other in every act of sin There is a heightening of the spirit against God some dissatisfaction with the mind and will of God and thence a setting up of our will against the will of God in every sinner especially in bold and wilfull sinners Such sinners would not let the will of God stand but desire that their own may This is pride This in some degree is mingled with every sin and pride leads to all sin therefore in Scripture sometimes an humble or meek man is oppos'd not only to a proud man in speciall but to a wicked man in generall Psal 147.6 The Lord lifteth up the meek he casteth the wicked down to the ground Where the wicked man in the latter part of the verse stands in opposition to the meek or humble man in the former part of it Nor can it be denyed but that as pride is in it selfe a very great wickedness so it gives a propension and fitnesse for the doing of all manner of wickednesse And thus take it in the largest sense 't is a truth that God hideth pride that is every sin from man otherwise he would soone shew forth any sin as much as pride But I rather keep to that strictnesse of Interpretation here as pride is oppos'd to humilitie which is not only a choyce grace but the ornament of all those graces which are hidden in the heart and held out in the life of a gracious man And thus the Lord by exercising man with dreams and visions in his affliction doth first stop and check the very purposes of evill that they come not to act and when man hath brought to passe or acted any good purpose he keeps him from ostentation He hideth pride from man It being the Lords designe to hide pride from man by those fore-named dispensations Observe First Man is naturally much disposed and very prone to pride Those things which Children are apt to abuse or hurt themselves with their parents hide from them They will hide edge-tooles from them lest they get a wound by medling with them They will hide fruit from them lest by eating overmuch they get a surfet Thus the Lord our tender father often hides all the means and occasions of pride from the eyes of his children because they are so ready to boast and lift up themselves in pride Man as was shewed at the 13th verse of the former Chapter is a proud piece of flesh and hath much proud flesh in him The Prophet saith Ezek 7.10 Pride hath budded pride hath a roote and it brings forth fruit There is a two-fold pride or pride of two sorts First secret unseene pride or pride of heart Secondly open visible pride or pride of life In allusion to the Prophets metaphor we may say there is pride in the bud and pride in the roote pride buddeth outwardly First At the tongue men speak proud words they speak boastingly and vaine-gloriously Psal 75.5 Speak not with a stiff neck that is speak not proudly Pride budded at the tongue of Nebuchadnezzar Dan 4.30 when he walked in his Pallace and said Is not this great Babell that I have built for the house of the kingdome by the might of my power and for the honour of my Majesty Here was pride budding at the tongue Secondly Pride buddeth also at the eye in scornfull lofty looks David profest that his heart was not haughty nor his eyes lofty Psal 131.1 The haughtiness of many mens hearts may be seene at those windowes of the body the eyes in lofty looks These are threatned with a downfall Psal 18.27 The Lord will bring downe high lookes that is proud men who looke highly And againe Isa 2.11 The lofty lookes of man shall be humbled and the haughtiness of man shall be bowed downe Once more saith the Lord Isa 10.13 I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the King of Asyria and the glory of his high lookes There we have pride in the roote a stout heart and pride in the fruit high lookes Isa 3.11 The shew
his prosperity I shall never be moved Babylon glorified her selfe having sayd in her heart I sit a Queene and am no widdow and shall see no sorrow Revel 18.7 Secondly In that God is here sayd to hide pride from man Observe Pride is a very vile and most odious sin If God hide it from mans eyes then surely God himselfe is of purer eyes then to behold it and be pleased Psal 138.6 The Lord knoweth the proud afar off He that meets a spectacle or person which he cannot endure to look upon avoydes it or turnes from it while he is yet afar off whereas if the object be delightfull he draweth neer and comes as close as he can when therefore 't is sayd the Lord knoweth a proud man afar off it shews his disdaine of him He will scarce touch him with a paire of tongs as we say he cannot abide to come neere him He knows well enough how vile he is even at the greatest distance Pride is the first of those seven things which are an abomination to the Lord Prov 6.17 And how abominable a thing pride is may appeare further by these six Considerations First The folly and Irrationallity of pride renders it odious to God nothing is more odious to a wise man then folly how odious then is pride to the most wise God! When Paul did any thing which had but a shew of pride in it though he did it only upon Constraint yet he calls himselfe foole for doing it 2 Cor 12.11 I am become a foole in glorying ye have compelled me Doth not this intimate that in Pauls opinion all proud selfe-gloriers and boasters are fooles that is such as act below common sense or reason In the Hebrew language the same word that signifies boasting and pride signifies folly and foolishnesse The empty vessell yeilds the greatest sound and they that make so great a noise of themselves are usually nothing else but a Great noyse themselves at least they unavoydably rayse suspition of themselves that they are but empty vessells or shallow rivers This was Solomons conclusion Pro 25.27 For men to search their owne glory is no glory that is a man obscures himselfe by selfe-glorying How foolish how irrationall a thing is it for any man to glory proudly when as by doing so he obscures that which is the chiefest glory of man as man his reason and seemes to put himselfe to the question whether he be a reasonable creature yea or no. Secondly Pride is more abominable because it is not only the folly of man but a robbery of God nothing robs God of his honour so much as pride It is said of Jesus Christ Phil 2.6 He thought it no robbery to be equall with God He did not wrong God in making himselfe his equall himselfe being God But if men will match themselves with God or are lifted up in their spirits as proud men are beyond the line of man this is a robbery of God Whatsoever we take to our selves more then is due we take from God yea we steale from God They who forget God the author and fountaine of all they have and take glory to themselves commit the worst kind of robbery and are the most dangerous Theeves Isa 42.8 My glory will I not give to another therefore if any take glory to themselves as I say againe all proud men doe 't is stealing and 't is not only as I may say picking of his pocket but the breaking open of his Treasury of his Cabinet to carry away the chief Jewel of his Crowne so is his glory Rom 11.36 All is from him therefore all must be to him all is from the father of light therefore what light what gifts what strength soever we have it must returne to him in prayses and in the glorifying of his name we may not deck or adorne our own name with it nor put our name upon it How much soever we have we have received it is from the Lord therefore 't is extreamly sinfull and sacrilegious to take or keepe it to our selves And as whatsoever good we have we have it of God so whatsoever good we have done we have had light and strength from God to doe it naturall yea spirituall strength not only the first power of acting but all subsequent actings of that power are from God therefore to have secret liftings up of spirit in our owne actings is to rob God Psal 51.15 Open thou my lips and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise sayd David As if he had sayd Lord if thou wilt open my lips and help me to speak as I ought I will not shew forth my owne praise nor boast of what I have either spoken or done but I will shew forth thy praise because the opening of the lips is from thee Thirdly It is an abomination to be proud for whatsoever any man hath done or how good soever any man is he is no better then he should be and hath done no more then was his duty to doe he hath done but his duty to God and his duty to man when he hath done his best he hath done no more every man is bound to doe the good that he doth how much soever it be that he doth therefore it is both an ignoble and an abominable thing for any man to boast of what he hath done Fourthly Is it abominable to boast of what we have done seeing how much soever we have done it will appeare upon a right and due account that we have done lesse then we ought and are much short of our duty Luke 17.10 When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you say we are unprofitable servants and have done but that which was our duty to doe We can doe nothing but what is our duty but all we doe is not the one halfe of our whole duty and shall we glory as if we had obliged God by doing more then all Fifthly It is an odious thing for any man to be proud of what he hath done for God might have done it by another if he pleased No man is necessary to God as if his worke could not be done unlesse such a one doe it He hath choyce of instruments and is able to fit those for his businesse who are most unfit of themselves It is matter of thankfulnesse that God will call and use us to doe him any service and enable us to doe it God could have put his talent into another mans hand the riches the power the wisdome the learning the parts which thou actest by he could have put it into other hands he can make the dumb to speak as well as the greatest speaker He can make an Ideot a Dunce knowing and learned as well as the most knowing among the learned Therefore the learned the eloquent have no reason to be proud but much to be thankfull He can make the weakest to doe as much as the strongest therefore the strongest have no reason to be
or the pains of his body he looked upon himself as one free among the dead that is as a dead man his life drew near to the destroyers And hence Fourthly Others read the words not in an active sence as we Destroyers but in a passive His life draweth nigh to those who are destroyed or dead Dying men are so neere to that they may be reckoned as dead men That word of encouragement in the Prophet Isa 41.14 Which we render Feare not thou worme Jacob and ye men or as we put in the Margin Few men of Israel is rendred by some others Feare not thou worme Jacob and ye that are dead of Israel that is who are in your owne fearefull apprehensions or in the opinion of your proud and prepotent enemies as dead men or nigh unto death or as we may expound it by that of Paul concerning himselfe and his Fellow-Apostles with respect to the continuall hazzard of their lives 1 Cor 4.9 men as it were appoynted unto death yea as the learned in the Hebrew language tell us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 haec vox ex eo nata videter quod simus morti subjecti Ita et a Graecis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 et à latinù mortalu usurpatus Martyn the word translated in the Prophet men with the change but of one poynt and that only in the position of it signifieth properly dead men We find the word applyed specially to wicked worldly men Psal 17.14 who are there called the hand of God to afflict or take away the lives of Godly men and are sayd to have their portion in this life the word I say is applyed to them as implying that how much soever they rejoyce either in the present enjoyments of this naturall life or in the hopes of a long naturall life in this world yet they alwayes are within one poynt or pricke with a pen which is the shortest imaginable space of death In which sense also St Paul speaking of the different state of the body now in this life and after the resurrection from the dead saith 1 Cor 15.54 When this mortall shall have put on immortality that is when we who now live in dying bodyes or in bodyes bearing the markes or tokens of death and looking like dead men shall have put on the beautifull and glorious robes of immortality Then shall be brought to passe the saying that is written Death shall be swallowed up in victory Whereas now death which is ready enough to get the victory over healthy and strong men is so ready to get the victory over weake and sicke men that their life may very well be sayd according to this fourth and last interpretation to draw nigh to the destroyed or those that are already dead Thus if in stead of Death-Bringers or destroyers we read Destroyed or those that have been brought to death the meaning of Elihu in this passage is plaine and easie importing the sicke man so sicke that there is scarce a step or but a poynt between him and those who are actually dead But whether we take the word in this passive sence and translate The Destroyed or in the active as we and translate destroyers thereby understanding either Angels in speciall or diseases in Generall sent by God to destroy or take away the life of the sicke man which way soever of these I say we expound the word it yeilds a cleare sence as to the scope of the text and as to the truth of it upon the matter the very same His life draweth nigh to the destroyers Hence note First Diseases are destroyers Either they themselves destroy when they come or the destroyer comes with them Psal 90.3 Thou turnest man to destruction and sayest returne ye children of men 'T is a Psalme penned by Moses lamenting the frailety of mankinde He lived to see all Israel whom under his hand and conduct God brought out of Egypt dye â—â—cept that renowned two Caleb and Joshua And therefore he having seene the great destruction of that people for their murmurings and unbeliefe for their ten-fold provocations in the wilderness might say from his owne experience more then most men to that poynt of mans mortality And as God turned that people to destruction and sayd according to that irrevocable sentence Gen 3.19 Returne ye children of men to your originall and first materiall dust so he saith the same to men every day who as they are dust so we see them returning to their dust Every disease if so commission'd by God is death and every paine if he say it the period of our lives Againe Elihu is here speaking of a man whom the Lord is but trying teaching and instructing upon his sick bed yet he saith His soule is drawing neere to the grave and his life to the destroyers Hence observe Those afflictions which are but for instruction may looke like those which are for destruction When the Lord hath a purpose only to try a man he often acts towards him as if he would kill him If any shall say this is hard I answer A ruffe horse must have a ruffe rider Ruffe wood will not cleave without a beetle and wedges We put God to use extremities that he may bring us to a moderation Our spirits are often so ruffe and head-strong that they must be kept in with bit and bridle they are so tough and knotty that there 's no working no cleaving of them till the Lord sets his wedges to us and layes on with his beetle of heaviest and hardest afflictions In a word we even compell him to bring us to deaths-doore that he may teach us to live Now seeing paines and sicknesses of which Elihu speakes as the way and meanes by which God speakes to sinfull man are accompanied with such dreadfull symptomes and effects loathing and losse of appetite consumption of the flesh and the breaking of the very bones the soule drawing neere to the grave and life to the destroyers seeing I say there are such sad effects of sicknesse remember First Health is worth the praying to God for Secondly Health is worth the praising of God for and that considered either first as continued or secondly as restored 'T is a mercy not to be pained not to be sicke 't is a more sencible though not a greater mercy to be freed from paine and recovered out of sickness While we are kept free from paines and sicknesses how thankfull should we be and when we are freed from and brought out of the bonds of bodily paine and sicknesses how soule-sicke yea how dead are we if we are not thankfull Thirdly Seeing paines and sicknesses are such sad afflictions be wise and carefull for the preservation of your health doe not throw away your health upon a lust doe not expose your selves to lasting paines and pining sicknesses for the satisfying of a wanton sensuall appetite The health and strength of this frayle body are of more value
upon the matter even exhaust and undoe themselves by liberallity unto others and they who give most or have most to give cannot alwayes give It is said in this Book Chap. 37.11 By watering he wearieth the thick cloud that is God commandeth the cloud to give raine so long that it hath not a drop more to give but is quite spent Springs or fountaines are never wearied or spent with watering because their waters come as freely and as fast as they goe God is an everlasting spring of grace and goodness He is not wearyed nor emptyed by what he giveth out to or doth for the creature because all floweth from his naturall graciousnesse as from a fountaine Then he is gracious I would urge the second reference of that word then a little further It was shewed before that it might refer First to the extreamity of the sick man Secondly to the sick mans humiliation or the right disposure of his spirit to receive renewed acts of grace and favour from the Lord. Hence observe Secondly God usually dispenseth or giveth out acts of grace when we repent and turne from sin Si aegrotus ille monitis illius nuncij paruerit ac proinde resipuerit tum c. Pisc when we believe and lay hold upon the promise Then he is gracious It is said Isa 30.18 Therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious The Lord hath alwayes a gracious disposition a gracious nature he alwayes hath a store and a stocke a rich stocke and store of mercy by him but he doth not alwayes give it forth no he waits to be gracious that is he waits till we are in a fit frame till we are in a due temper to receive his grace And because as to the dispensings of grace God waits to be gracious therefore many retard and hinder their owne good they are not yet in a frame to receive their vessell is not yet seasoned to hold mercy The Lord waited to be gracious to David after his grievous fall and therefore he did not give Nathan a Commission to say Thy sin is done away till Davids heart was broken and had said 2 Sam 12.13 I have sinned against the Lord But when once that word fell from him then Nathan declared how gracious the Lord was to him As soone as David said I have sinned that 's an act of repentance presently Nathan said the Lord hath done away thy sin that 's an act of grace When did Ephraim heare a word of comfort from God The Prophet tells us Jer 31.18 19 20. I have heard Ephraim bemoaning himselfe that is mourning over and bewayling his sin saying thou hast chastised me and I was chastised as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoake We have him there also praying Turne me O Lord and I shall be turned c. Upon this how graciously how meltingly did the Lord speak Is Ephraim my deare son is he a pleasant child since I spake against him I doe earnestly remember him still or in remembring I remember him my bowells are troubled for him I will surely have mercy on him Now I will manifest my grace and acquaint him with my goodness The Lord was very gracious to Saul afterwards Paul he sent Ananias to him with a message of mercy as to restore the sight of his bodyly eyes so to assure him that he should be an instrument in the hand of Christ to open the eyes of many and a chosen vessel to beare his name before the Gentiles and Kings and the Children of Israel Acts 9.15 But when was this message delivered him the text tells us v. 11. For behold he prayeth the man is in the dust he is brought upon his knees his spirit is broken that word he prayeth comprehends the whole worke of a gracious soule as to his humiliation and returning to the Lord. In the parable of the prodigall Son his father is represented abundantly gracious to him but he did not signifie it he did not send the ring not the rich robe to him when he was abroad in a strange Country among harlots drinking and wasting his estate time and strength vainely we read of no acts of grace to him then but when being pinched with famine and hunger he came to himselfe and began to bethink himselfe of coming back to his fathers house and that he had brought himselfe by his own folly to beggery and want and husks when he was upon these termes or resolves to goe home to his father and cast himselfe at his feet as unworthy the name or priviledge of a Son then his father ran to meete him fell on his neck and kissed him then he put on the ring and cloathed him with the robe then he killed the fatted calfe and made a feast for him All which sceane of mercy doth but hold out this one word in the text Then he is gracious There are two sorts of gracious acts of God First some are acts of absolute grace or of preventing grace These are put forth upon and exercised towards the creature before there is any the lest preparation in the heart to draw them out or invite the bestowing of them Thus the grace of God in election is absolutely free there was no prevision of any qualification in man moving God to elect him And so that wonderfull act of grace in which election first descends and discovers it selfe effectuall vocation is absolutely free God calls a sinner when he is in the heat and hurry of his evill wayes pursuing his lusts in the height of his pride and in the hardness of his impenitent heart Now if when God first calleth a sinner there is nothing in him but sin What can move God to call him but free grace A third absolute act of grace is justification God doth not justifie a sinner for any thing that he finds or sees in us As to us 't is altogether free He justifieth the ungodly Rom 4.5 when that wretched infant was in its blood which expresseth a miserable uncleane poluted condition then was a time of love Ezek 16.8 then was God gracious What loveliness was there in that infant representing the best of men in that fallen naturall estate to draw out the love of God nothing at all yea she was altogether unlovely yet then saith God thy time was the time of love or then was the time of putting forth love in her conversion and vocâ—tion Then I sayd unto thee when thou wast in thy blood live And because the thing might seeme not only strange but even impossible that the heart of God should be towards such a wretched one for good the word is doubled yea I sayd unto theâ— when thou wast in thy blood live These acts of absolute free grace are the glory of the Covenant of grace for if the Covenant should hold out acts of Grace only upon our pre-dispositions when should we receive any act of grace The promise is not of this tenour I will pardon them when
what is good what is right is a gracious work of a renewed will as Gods Election of us from Eternity so our Election of God and the things of God at any time is a very gracious worke This affirmative act To chuse to us judgement seemes to imply a negative the rejecting or laying aside of whatsoever is contrary to or a hindrance of Judgement that is the laying aside First of all animosities or undue heates of spirit Secondly of all prejudices and undue prepossessions Thirdly of all groundlesse suspitions and jealousies of the person we have to deale with we can never chuse judgement till we are cleare of all these The original word rendred to chuse signifies in the noune a young man a man in the flower of his age in the best of his life when his breasts as Job spake at the twentieth Chapter are full of milke and his bones of marrow and the reason is given because our younger time is our chusing time as to our way in this world it should be so much more for heaven or the things of another world Remember now thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth saith Solomon Eccl 12.1 Some render those words expressely In the dayes of thy elections or chusings As if he had sayd Remember to chuse God in thy chusing dayes when thou chusest thy calling in which to live when thou chusest a wife In diebus electionum tuarum Mont with whom to spend thy life then be sure and remember above all things to chuse God When Moses was a young man he was famous for this Choice Heb 11.25 26. He chose the reproach of Christ rather then the riches of Egypt when he had all the riches and honours of Egypt presented to him and courting him on the one side and the reproach of Christ affliction poverty disgrace threatning him on the other side he chose these rather who would thinke that man wise who should chuse the reproach of Christ in appearance nothing but dirt and dross before the riches of Egypt yet Moses never shewed his wisdome and learning so much in all the learning of the Egyptians as he did in that Choice Let us chuse Judgement Judgement may be taken two wayes First Judicium est causae inquisitio Judicium pro aequo Merc. for the act of enquiry let us discourse and debate this matter to find out what is just Judgement is the result or sentence given upon hearing and debate And most properly a right sentence is Judgement and that by Judgement Elihu meanes a right sentence appeares clearely from the next words And let us know among our selves what is good Communis hic sit nobis propositus scopus ut accurata judicij lance quae hactenus in hac causa dicta sunt probemus quod optimum est approbemus Scult Let us know that is let us so try by the ear what shall be spoken that we may come to a right knowledge to a right gust or tast of what is good There is a two-fold knowledge First of simple intelligence when we know any thing as it is precisely in its owne nature true or false good or evill Secondly of approbation when we conclude what we know to be true or good We may take in both here especially the latter It being doubtlesse the desire of Elihu to find truth and goodness if it were to be found on Jobs side And when he saith That we may know what is good we may understand it either Comparatively or Positively that we may know what is good is first that we may know good from evill Secondly that we may know among good things what is better yea what is best let us not only distinguish between good and bad but between good and better better and best The reason of man is able to put a difference not only between wheat and tares but if you bring him severall samples of wheat or other graine he is able to judge which is the better which is best a knowing man will judge to two pence in a bushell which is best so in all other commodities we not only judge between that which is good and that which is stark nought but when we have many parcels and particulars of any kinde before us good and usefull we judge which is the best which the principall Thus in spiritualls we are not only to judge of things so farre as to know good from evill which yet is a very good piece of knowledge for many put darkness for light and light for darkness bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter as the Prophet complained Isa 5.20 that is they huddle all things together in a Chaos of confusion but it should be our care to know good from good yea to know what excells among things that are excellent 'T is well when we know truth from falshood but we should labour to know which among truths is the most precious truth Paul having spoken of what was good yea of the best gifts saith Yet I will shew you a more excellent way 1 Cor 12.31 As if he had sayd sayd This is a good way you are in the exercise of the best gifts but here 's a more excellent way the exercise of grace Thus here I take good not so much Positively as Comparatively Let us know what is good that is what is best and what is best of all Let us chuse to our selves Judgement and know among our selves that which is good First In that he saith Let us chuse to our selves Judgement Observe We must consider deliberately and maturely before we pass Judgement Judgement is a choice thing and must be made upon choyce it is not to be snatched up hastily but duely chosen They that are upon the choyce either of things or persons should be much in Consideration How uncomely besides unrighteous is it to judge men or matters rashly to be hurried on to election with passion or to judge upon heare-sayes and Conjectures This is not to chuse Judgement but to snatch it up to chuse Judgement is to doe it with mature deliberation there must be much weighing else properly no judging rash judgement is usually wrong judgement and that layeth us open to another judgement Judge not that ye be not judged is Christs warning Math 7.1 that is doe not judge hastily or harshly doe not judge rashly nor rigidly much lesse falsely for if you do you shall be judged righteouâ—â—y indeed as to your case but not comfortably as to your condition They who will not chuse Judgement doe in the issue chuse Judgement that is not using deliberation in Judgement they draw deservedly upon themselves a judgement of condemnation Secondly Taking it more generally Let us chuse to our selves Judgement or that which is right Note It is not enough for us to doe Judgement or that which is right but we must chuse it 'T is a worke of no acceptation with God to doe that which is just unlesse
we consider the different interests which have been abetted and hotly pursued by too many in this nation is it not marveilous in our eyes that our peace is continued divided interests make greatest distances open those breaches through which trouble usually enters upon a nation When a people are of one mind of one heart and way trouble can scarce find any way to come in among them But only God who peremptorily gives quietnesse can give quietnesse to and prevent the trouble of a people who are divided in opinions affections and Interests As therefore it is the most desireable mercy that a people may be all united as one man in one mind heart and way according to the mind heart and way of God so it is a most admirable mercy to see their peace continued while any considerable part among them are dis-united in any of especially if in all these Fourthly Consider that since the time of our peace we have had many changes we have been emptied from vessel to vessel from hand to hand from government to government and from governour to governour and is it not matter of astonishment as wel as of thanks-giving that yet we have quietness how many have waited and hoped yea desired and longed for our day of trouble by these changes revolutions and vicissitudes but yet we have peace Must we not then conclude If God giveth quietnesse none can make trouble neither our sins nor our divisions nor our animosities nor our changes shall put it into any mans power though they put an advantage into many mens hands to make trouble where the Lord our God is graciously freely pleased to give us quietness Yet let us be in a holy feare lest we at last provoke God and sin away our quietness and make trouble for our selves The condition of a people who doe so is very wofull for surely as it followeth in the text If he hideth his face who then can behold him This latter part of the verse is applicable to a nation as well as the former and therefore before I come to speake of either with respect to a single person or a man only Observe God sometimes hideth his face from whole nations even from those nations that have the outward profession of his name As there are national mercies so national calamities as his people in common may have the shinings of Gods face upon them so the hidings of his face from them Did not God hide his face from the people of Israel his peculiar people when they were though a professing people yet a very sinfull provoking people Isa 59.2 Is it not sayd Jer 7.12.14 15. Goe ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh where I set my name at the first and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel God would not alwayes owne that place which he signally called his owne and had set his name there and that at first which was a great endearement of it to him but when they sinned much against him he would not so much as give them a looke of favour no nor of pitty till they turned from their wickednesse yea he made his severe proceeding with them a president to his people in another Generation as it followeth in the same place Therefore will I doe unto this house which is called by my name wherein ye trust and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers as I have done to Shiloh And I will cast you out of my sight as I have cast out all your brethren even the whole seede of Ephraim There 's a nation cast out of the sight of God To be cast out of Gods sight is more if more can be then Gods hiding his face from a people The Church complained bitterly of this latter Ps 44.24 Wherefore hidest thou thy face and forgettest our affliction and our oppression We use to say Out of sight out of minde and when God leaves a nation under affliction as if he did not minde them nor cared what became of them then the Scripture saith he hideth his face from them or casteth them out of his sight I shall only adde three things about this hiding of the face of God from a nation First This hiding of his face is not a sudden act of God he doth not presently nor easily hide his face from a people He tells them often he will doe it before he doth it once The Lord warned the old world long before he brought the flood Gen 6.3 And the Lord sayd my spirit shall not alwayes strive with man for that he also is flesh yet his dayes wherein I will spare him and wait for his repentance shall be an hundred and twenty yeares Of this patience the Apostle spake telling us 1 Pet 3.19 20. That Christ by the Spirit which quickned him went and preached to the spâ—rits in prison not in prison when he preached to them but in prison ever since for not obeying what he preached as the text saith which sometime were disobedient when once the long suffering of God waited in the dayes of Noah while the Arke was a preparing wherein few that is eight soules were saved by water God did not presently hide his face from that debauched Generation who had corrupted all their wayes but gave them long warning even an hundred and twenty years And how often did God give warning before he withdrew or hid his face from the people of Israel his special people He sent his Prophets rising early and sending them saying Oh do not this abominable thing that I hate Jer. 44.4 And in another place O Jerusalem be instructed lest my soul depart or be disjoynted from thee Jer. 6.8 as if he had said I am loth to depart yea I will not depart if thou wilt but now at length hearken to my voice and receive instruction Secondly As God is long before he begins to hide his face from a Nation so he doth it not all at once but gradually or by several steps we read Ezek. 9.3 how the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the Cherub whereupon he was to the threshold of the house Then chap. 10.18 The glory of the Lord departed from off the threshold of the house and stood over the Cherubims And then chap. 11.23 The glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the City and stood upon the Mountain which is on the East side of the City When the Lord was departing from them he did it by degrees he withdrew and hid himself by little and little as in the Eclipse of the Sun whether partial or total we observe the light gradually shut in and hidden from us Thirdly As God is long before he hideth his face and long in hiding it from a Nation so which makes it dreadful his face being once hid continueth long hid from Nations He doth not return presently to them as he often doth to particular persons