of Leviathan in opposition to Israel Herod and Pilate once no good friends laid down all their animosities and cleaved close together like the scales of Leviathan to crucifie Christ and so have evil men in all ages to hinder the progress of his kingdome It is said Revel 17.12 13. of the ten horns which are there expounded to be ten Kings these have one mind They who seldome agree in their own affairs agree all in assisting the beast as 't is there said These have one mind and shall give their power and strength unto the beast The Scripture takes notice of this their union not as a good thing but as a strange thing that ten Kings of different nations of different interests and dispositions should agree in giving their power and strength that is their civil power the power of their kingdoms to the beast that is to uphold his kingdom which is doubtless the kingdom of Antichrist How may this shame those who profess a love to and themselves subjects of the kingdom of Christ for their divisions Godly men should cleave together as the scales of the Leviathan which cannot be sundred in that which is good And are not their differences and divisions their distances and breaches to be lamented which are so very great and wide that not only the thin circumambient air but gross circumventing bodies may come between them So far are they oftentimes from cleaving together in duty to God and man like the scales of Leviathan that they hang together as we say like ropes of sand The Evangelist Luke speaks of a time Acts 4.32 When all believers were like the scales of Leviathan Then the multitude of them that believed that is all they that believed were of one heart and of one soul Here they were not only joyned like the scales of the Leviathan but they were joyned as if they were all but one scale Godly men should carry it towards one another as members of the same body and acted by the same spirit They who have relation to those seven ones mentioned Ephes 4.4 5 9. should labour to be one should be found endeavouring as 't is there said ver 3. To keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace Further by way of allusion The lusts of carnal men in general are like the scales of Leviathan sticking so close to them and one to another that the Spirit of God in the Ministery of his word finds no passage between till he makes one yea hardness of heart obstinacy and impenitency are expressed by this word Lam. 3.65 Give them O Lord saith he hardness of heart thy curse unto them Give them sorrow of heart so our translation renders it The Hebrew is Give them a shield upon their heart The word is the very same which is here translated scales the scales of Leviathan being as so many shields so strong and thick that nothing can enter It is sad when we have scales on our eyes It was said of Saul when in that vision he was stricken blind that before he received his sight scales fell from his eyes Ananias being sent to him said Acts 9.17 Brother Saul the Lord even Jesus that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest hath sent me that thou mightest receive thy sight and be filled with the holy Ghost and immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales c. All men naturally have scales on their eyes It is sad to have a scale on the eye any thing that doth hinder the sight of spiritual things but how sad is it to have scales on the heart also To all impenitent persons their lusts are as so many scales and shields upon their hearts and they have so many scales upon their hearts and those such hard ones that nothing but an Almighty power can make entrance or impression None are in so much danger as they that are fenced and armed with these scales It is best for man to open a naked breast to receive every stroke which the sword of the Spirit the Word of God makes upon him JOB Chap. 41. Vers 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25. 18. By his neesings a light doth shine and his eyes are like the eye-lids of the morning 19. Out of his mouth go burning lamps and sparks of fire leap out 20. Out of his nostrils goeth smoak as out of a seething pot or caldron 21. His breath kindleth coals and a flame goeth out of his mouth 22. In his neck remaineth strength and sorrow is turned into joy before him 23. The flakes of his flesh are joyned together they are firm in themselves they cannot be moved 24. His heart is as firm as a stone yea as hard as a piece of the nether mill-stone 25. When he raiseth up himself the mighty are afraid by reason of breakings they purifie themselves IN the former context the Lord spake of the covering or skin of the jaws and teeth of the face and scales of this Leviathan In this he proceeds yet further to draw out the description of this vast creature First By his strong neesings vers 18. Secondly By his shining eyes in the latter part of that 18th verse Thirdly By his flaming mouth vers 19. Fourthly By his smoaking nostrils vers 20. Fifthly By his fiery breath vers 21. Sixthly By his stiff neck vers 22. Seventhly By the firmnness of his flesh vers 23. Eighthly By the firmness and hardness of his heart vers 24. Ninthly By a twofold effect of all these even upon the mightiest of the sons of men when he appears to them or when they behold him in his motions First He makes them afraid vers 25. Secondly He causeth them to purifie themselves in the close of that verse In these particulars we have a prospect of the whole context I shall but lightly touch at the most of them and a little insist upon the last which we shall find most useful for instruction and admonition The four first verses hold out upon the matter the same thing Est frementis irascentisque oeti descriptio Bold namely the fierce and furious spirit of Leviathan discovered in his neesings eyes mouth nostrils breath all which are expressed by elegant metaphors alluding to or by comparisons made with light and fire with lamps and sparks with smoak and flame Vers 18. By his neesings a light doth shine The first thing described in the former context Sternutatio efficitur ex subtili vapore incluso in ventriculis cerebri conante natura vehementius expelre expurgare Galen l. 2. de sympt causis c. 2 3. Inter orandum bonum est signum sternutare Sernutamentum bonum est signum aegroto Dicta Rabbinorum Merc. was Leviathans terrible head the first in this is the power of his brain Naturalists teach us that neesing is caused by the thin and subtile vapours included in the ventricles of the brain which nature striving to expel and put forth causeth that which we
we may conceive the Lord at once speaking to and severely reprehending Job in the words which follow Verse 2. Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him Shall he or can he surely he shall not surely he cannot There are several readings of this former part of the verse I shall only name four and then come to the explication of the words as they lie in our Translation Raâ—bi David First The words are rendered thus Is it wisdom or learning to contend with the Almighty This reading puts the latter words first Is it wisdom or instruction or is that man well instructed or well in his wits who contends with the Almighty The sense of that reading is plain and the improvement of it might be very useful for indeed these two are utterly repugnant and contrariant Non est ille eruditus neque bene obsequens divinae disciplinae qui deo castiganti obstreâ—it litem intendit Vatabl. To contend with God and to be wise to contend with God and to shew our selves well taught That man hath not received instruction either by or about divine correction who mutters or quarrels at God correcting him For how wise soever he is in his own eyes he shews himself a very fool at least as to that point or attempt very foolish So then 't is a great truth which this reading holds forth Is it wisdom is it learning to contend with the Almighty Whosoever doth so erres in doing so and will at last both see and feel his errour by sad experiences Secondly thus Should he be instructed who contends with the Almighty This Translation may have a double interpretation First Surely that man deserves not to be instructed but corrected who contends with the Almighty he deserves not to be taught but to be punished Should he be taught that contends with the Almighty Doubtless onely as Gideon taught the men of Succoth Judg. 8.16 with briars and thorns of the wilderness that is with severest chastisements Secondly Should he be instructed that contends with the Almighty That is is a learner a competent match for God is one that needs instruction and teaching fit to take up the bucklers and enter the field of dispute with God He had need to be a Master not a Scholar a Teacher not a Learner that undertakes to deal wiâ—h God That man had need be skilled and well furnished he had nâ—ed be as â—e speak his Crafts-master and all little enough yea all too little who contends with the Almighty Thirdly The word which we render to instruct Numquid contendet cum omnipotente quem ille castigat Lavat signifies also to correct taking it so the Text is thus rendred Shall he contend with the Almighty whom he corrects or Shall a man corrected by or under the correcting hand of the Almighty contend with him Shall any give God words for his blows or expostulate the matter with him No man may with such a spirit say unto God What dost thou whatsoever he suffers nor may any man be displeased with what God doth whatsoever he is pleased to do either with himself or others Lastly which was hinted in the second Doth not contending with the Almighty deserve chastening Certainly it doth or Is not chastening due to contending that is to contenders with God Nonne contentioni cum deo castigatio upple debetur Doubtless it is He that will contend with God though but in words is worthy of no answer nor satisfaction but in blows Every one of these Translations hath a fairness in it as also with the Hebrew Text but I shall insist upon our own reading only and give you some few notes from that Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him There is a twofold contending First By force and strength of arm or strength of arms We cannot suppose the Lord speaking here of such a Contention There were a sort of robustious men Giants of old 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 called fighters with God and many profane Atheists have blasphemously set themselves against heaven as if they would pull God from his Throne Such as these are not the Contenders with God here intended Job was far from being a man of that spirit Secondly Qui offert se disputaturum cum eo Aqu. There is a contending with God by force of Argument or by reasonings This I conceive is here meant Job was often found in these contendings with God But shall any think to logick it with God to enter a dispute with God to argue with or reply upon him as the Apostle speaks Rom. 9.20 O man who art thou that repliest against God Arguing and replying are a kind of contending and this is of two sorts First With the Word of God declaring what God would have us do or what God would have us believe Thus many contend with God even as many as submit not to his Word This is a common quarrel whether the Word of God or mans will shall stand whether the Law of God or the lusts of men shall carry it and bear the sway The Apostle is express in it Rom. 8.7 8. The carnal mind is enmity against God and if so then it contendeth with God for enmity will be contending and what kind of contending is there meant appears in the next words it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be Every natural man till subdued and conquered by grace is contending with the Word of God he submits not to what God would have him do nor to what God would have him believe he will not form either his faith or his life as God would have him Infinite are the Contentions of man with God in this notion but neither is this the contending here aimed at and I would speak to no more than is directly to the scope of the Text. Therefore Secondly There is a contending with the works of God or with what God himself hath done or is doing Thus also there are many Contenders with God in the world and this is the Contention here spoken of a Contention about the works of God what God either hath done or is doing All the debate which Job had with God was about his dealings with him God had laid him low and stript him naked God had broken his estate and filled his body full of sores and pains God had wounded his spirit and filled his soul with gall and wormwood God had with-drawn hiimself or his comforts from him and his friends were against him or at best but miserable comforters were they all Now though he was a patient man yet under these pressures he often broke out into impatient speeches Thus Job contended with the Almighty Moreover the Lord answered Job and said shall he that contendeth with the Almighty about what he is doing Instruct him Shall he have the better of him and be able to teach him or put him in a better way than he is in Shall he
by contesting with God but by humbling our selves before him there 's no obtaining with God by contending with him much less by condemning him Vers 9. Hast thou an arm like God or canst thou thunder with a voice like him THe Lord at the 6th verse of this Chapter entered upon a vehement expostulation with Job to humble him and bring down his spirit and that Job might be thorowly humbled here the Lord in this 9th verse sheweth what a disparity there was between himself and Job as before in his righteousness Wilt thou condemn me that thou mayst be righteous art thou more righteous than I So here in his power Vers 9. Hast thou an arm like God canst thou thunder with a voice like him As if the Lord had said Let me see what thou canst do or whether thou canst do like God seeing thou carriest thy self so unlike a man That 's the scope and tendency of this 9th verse as of those that went immediately before The whole verse consists of two convincing questions The first in those words Hast thou an arm like God The second in these Canst thou thunder with a voice like him Hast thou an arm like God The arm properly taken is a noble and an eminent limb or member of mans body Nor hath any creature nor is any creature so much as said to have an arm but man And some may say seeing the arm is a bodily member how can God who hath no body be said to have an arm I answer 't is true God is a spirit without distinction of parts yet frequently in Scripture as humane passions so bodily parts are ascribed to God improperly or by a figure And because the arm is a strong and noble member of mans body that member by which man puts forth the greatness of his strength that member by which he doth and atchieves great things therefore the arm in Scripture signifies power and is the embleme of might and strength In this language the Lord threatned old Eli the High Priest 1 Sam. 2.31 Behold the days come that I will cut off thine arm and the arm of thy fathers house c. that is I will take away thy power and the power of thy family Thus Zech. 11.17 Wo to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock the sword shall be upon his arm that is his power shall be broken and he made useless as that man is whose arm is wounded And as the arm notes ministerial power so magistratical power whether abused or rightly used Job 35.9 They cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty and Chap. 38.15 The high arm shall be broken Now as the arm is put for the power of man so for the power of God Psal 98.1 O sing unto the Lord a new song for he hath done marvellous things his right hand and his holy arm hath gotten him the victory Read also Isa 59.16 and Isa 63.12 and here in the Text Hast thou an arm like God Is thy arm like Gods arm that is is thy power like Gods power Hence Note First God hath a mighty power He hath an arm There are three Scripture expressions which in a gradation hold forth the power of God First The finger of God Exod. 18.9 When the Magicians could not imitate Moses in the Plague of Lice then they said unto Pharaoh This is the finger of God that is the power of God is eminent in this miracle it exceeds our power we not only cannot do the like but nothing like it as we did before in semblance of those former miracles Thus Christ himself being blasphemed by some of the Jews who said He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of devils answered Lu. 11.20 If I by the finger of God cast out devils c. that is If I by the power of God or by the holy Spirit so another Gospel hath it Mat. 12.28 If I by the Spirit of God cast out divels c. Secondly The power of God is expressed by the hand which containeth all the fingers Isa 59.1 Behold the Lords hand is not shortened that it cannot save that is his power is not abated he hath a long hand still his power to save is as great as ever it was The same Prophet saith Chap. 9.17 The hand of the Lord is stretched out still that is his power is still at work to punish impenitent sinners How much and how long soever God hath punished sinners he can punish them longer and more if they continue longer in sin or sin more and more Thirdly We have here in this Text and in many others the arm of God that 's more than his hand signifying the fullness of his power Not that there are any real gradations in the power of God but there are gradations in the exerting and putting forth of his power Sometimes God putteth forth his power as it were by a finger only as Rehoboam said 1 Kings 12.10 My little finger shall be thicker than my Fathers loins that is the least that I will do in my government shall be more afflictive and burdensom to you if you call it a burden than the most that my Father Solomon did in his At another time God putteth forth his power by his hand you may see his whole hand that is fuller and clearer evidences of his power in what he doth or hath done that is in his works of providence whether in breaking down or building up And lastly he sheweth his arm his stretched-out arm that is the fullness of his power God hath power great power mighty power he hath an arm an out-stretched arm and this arm of God is spoken of in Scripture for a four-fold use First For the safe guarding of his people 't is a protecting arm The arm of God with us signifieth our safety The Prophet speaking of the dealings of God with his ancient people saith Isa 63.12 He led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm that is his protecting arm by which he saved that people from the wrath of Pharaoh in their first advance out of Egypt and from the wrath of all their enemies in all their encampings and marches to Canaan was very glorious This glorious arm of his is a defence upon all his glory Isa 4.5 that is upon his whole Church for there his truth holiness and holy worship which are his glory are held up and held out The Church of God is so much for the glory of God that 't is called his glory Secondly As the Lord hath a protecting arm from evil so an arm delivering and pulling out of evil The deliverance which God wrought for the Israelites in bringing them out of Egypt Exod. 6.16 Deut. 5.15 and Deut. 7.19 is said to be done by an out-stretched arm that is by his power visibly put forth and even to the utmost in the wonderful effects of it All the while God did not deliver Israel out of their bondage he might be said to
ears of others hard words of threatning and hard words of reviling for these the Lord will judge the ungodly as well as for their ungodly deeds Now as there are hard words so soft words What are they Soft words are words of intreaty words of meekness words of love words of submission these are soft words Will Leviathan make supplications or Will he speak soft words Again soft words are often flattering words which are therefore compared by the Prophet Ezek. 13.18 To pillows sowed under the arm-holes Will Leviathan flatter himself into thy favour will he lie down like a Spaniel and fawn upon thee no he is too high-spirited to bow too stiff to stoop he will speak no soft words A soft answer saith Solomon Prov. 15.1 turneth away strife 'T is good when a question is put to us to give a soft answeâ— And if when we have hard words spoken to us we return hard answers they will quickly stir up strife Solomon hath a strange expression Prov. 15.15 A soft tongue breaketh the bones The tongue naturally is a soft fleshy spungy member of the body yet there is nothing hath more hardness I may say more bones in it than the tongue but 't is the soft tongue which breaketh the bones not the bones of the body but of the mind and the meaning is this If the spirit of a man be as stiff as the bones of his body against you yet if you speak soft words you may break him and bring him to your desire whereas if you be high and stiff if you give hard for hard it turns to an exasperation It were no great loss if they could speak no more than Leviathan who like Leviathan know not how to speak soft words And usually they who are freest to speak soft words of flattery are furthest from speaking soft words of love or charity of gentleness and true ingenuity 'T is good and our wisdom in two cases to speak soft words in truth even to those who are none of the best First To avoid hard dealing from those who have us in their power and they who are afraid of hard dealing will sure enough speak soft words whereas a man that cares not how hardly others deal with him cares not to speak soft words Secondly 'T is wisdom to speak soft words when we are in expectation or under hope of receiving benefit or good from any Loqui mollia inferioris est in the power of whose hand it is to do us good They have reason to give good words who would receive any good Thus some speak soft words to divert evil others speak soft words that they may obtain good As for Leviathan he is here represented in the pride of his heart as neither fearing any hurt you can do him nor desiring you should do him any good and therefore Will he speak soft words to thee no not he Hence observe The strong and mighty will not make supplications nor use entreaties They who think they have enough in themselves will not make supplication to God himself they will not entreat his favour nor speak soft words to him There are many such proud stout-hearted Leviathans in the likeness of men Jer. 10.25 Pour out thy wrath upon the families that call not upon thy name There are whole families that will not make supplications to God What are these a company of Leviathans that think they have enough of their own and live in a self-strength or in a self-sufficiency as if they were not beholding to God for any thing they have nor desired to have any thing of him The Lord speaks of a generation of men who shame the counsel of the poor because the Lord is his refuge Psal 14.6 that is because they in all their wants dangers and distresses had recourse to God by prayer as their only refuge Of what spirit those men were who shamed or were ashamed of this counsel and course of the poor he tells us at the 4th verse of that Psalm They eat up my people as they eat bread and call not upon God We thought they have enough of our own strength enough of our own we are Leviathans we need not be beholding to God It is an argument of a wicked stout high mind not to make supplications Prov. 18.23 The poor useth entreaties or the poor speaketh supplications They that are poor in outward things will speak very humbly to those above them and if we know our own spiritual poverty that we are weak empty creatures even nothing-creatures if we are poor in spirit we will be using many entreaties to get in with God and to move him to have mercy upon us None but humble ones and such as see their wants and dangers that they are hardly bestead in this world or are convinced that all the good and great things they have yea that the greatest things they can have in this world can stand them in no stead without God will speak soft words of supplication unto God Leviathan never thinks himself in danger or in want and therefore he scorns all the world and in this he is an emblem of all carnal worldly men And as Leviathan will make no supplications nor speak soft words so Vers 4. Will he make a Covenant with thee Some who think themselves too high to make supplications to others may yet possibly make a covenant with them But Will Leviathan make a covenant with thee he will not The word which we translate a Covenant signifies two things First to chuse because a Covenant is to be made by choice persons and upon choice tearms An scindet vel secabit Heb. foedus factum erat adhibita sectione vituli Secondly it signifies to eat because they were wont to feast when covenants were made The Hebrew is Will he strike or cut a covenant with thee The reason of that was because they were wont to divide a beast and pass between the parts of it at the making of a Covenant Jer. 34.18 They did cut the calf in twain and passed between the parts thereof Will Leviathan cut a Covenant with thee As he will not speak thee fair nor endeavour to soften thy heart towards him by speaking soft words to thee were he in thy power so he will never enter covenant with thee to become thy sure friend much less thy faithful servant as it followeth in the Text. Wilt thou take him for thy servant for ever Many are Covenant-servants for a time some for ever These four things follow in order First Some for fear make supplications Secondly They speak soft words Thirdly They makes covenant or promise Fourthly They offer their service to those in whose hand they are But Leviathan will do none of these from first to last Wilt thou take him for thy servant for ever If thou wilt he will not Suppose thou hadst taken Leviathan with a hook and hadst him fast in thy power with a cord will he be thy servant as long
things their being in the beginning hath hitherto preserved their being and will to the end And not only so but Thirdly all things are his in possession the Lord hath all in his hand In whose hand soever the things of the world are they are all in the Lords hand As Abraham said in his Treaty with the King of Sodom Gen. 14.22 I have lift up my hands to the most high God the possessor of heaven and of earth Psal 24.1 The earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof the world and they that dwell therein that is they are all at his dispose And again The world is mine and the fulness thereof saith the Lord himself Psal 50.12 and therefore if I were hungry that is if I needed any thing I would not tell thee that is complain to thee or go a begging to thee who art but a beggar I can help my self and take what and where I will There is a fourth title by which all things under heaven are the Lords even by Redemption The Lord hath restored the whole world to a kind of new life by the death of his Son Jesus Christ is the Saviour of all men especially of them which believe 1 Tim. 4.10 All have some benefit by redemption and so whatsoever is under the whole heaven the whole Systome of heaven and earth is the Lords by redemption though the specialty of redemption be theirs only and intended to them only who believe who as they have a peculiar portion a Benjamins Mess in the grace of redemption so the Lord calleth them his peculiars Exod. 19.5 Ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people for all the earth is mine And they are called the Lords portion Deut. 32.9 The Lords portion is his people Jacob is the lot of his inheritance Thus as all under the whole heaven is the Lords so all is his by a fourfold title by the titles of creation and sustentation and possession and redemption All things visible and invisible have been created are sustained and possessed by him as their great Lord and all things visible have been redeemed by him from present perishing and a world of them in this world that they should never perish but have everlasting life John 3.16 From this general Assertion That whatsoever is under the whole heaven is the Lords take these following Inferences First Then the Devil is a lyar a great lyar for Mat. 4. in his last assault against Christ he boasted that he would give him all the Kingdoms of the earth and the glory of them whereas the truth is he hath not a shoe latchet at his dispose While the Devil saith all is mine the truth is nothing is his but a lye of that he is the father As he hath not given a being to the least worm so he cannot dispose of the least worm he is not worth a straw for all is the Lords Secondly Hence we learn That there is a lying spirit in most of the children of men even in all them who look upon any thing they have as their own There is a sense in which we have a right to and a propriety in what we have and may call it ours but that spirit which moves in most of the children of men is a lying spirit when they say this and that is their own David Psal 12.4 brings in the wicked saying With our tongue will we prevail our lips are our own who is Lord over us What have not we who have so many Lordships the Lordship of our selves the Lordship of that little piece of our selves our lips But were not their lips their own not in the sense they spake it as if they were accountable to none for them for their next word was Who is Lord over us Thus most do they look upon their lips and all the members of their body as their own but what saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 6.20 Glorifie God in your body and in your spirit which are Gods And vers 19. Ye are not your own Your body is not your own but it is the Lords then much less are the things that you have your own your Land is not your own nor your cattel your own the beasts of the earth are not your own nor the fishes of the Sea your own nor is a hair of your head your own nor a pin upon your sleeve they are all the Lords Is it not then a lying spirit which possesseth very many among the children of men who look upon themselves and what they have as their own Their houses and lands are their own their gold and silver are their own who is Lord over them or theirs O let such remember that themselves their houses and lands their gold and silver are the Lords and that the Lord saith expressly The silver is mine and the gold is mine Hag. 2.8 Thirdly If all be the Lords then the Lord is able to supply the wants of all who wait upon him and to supply them plentifully The Lord supplieth the wants of all creatures The Lord keepeth a great house he feedeth all that he hath made he provideth food for Leviathan he satisfieth every living thing Psal 145 16. and Psal 115.16 The heaven even the heavens are the Lords but the earth hath he given to the children of men that is whatsoever of the earth the children of men that is men in common or mankind have the Lord hath given it to them and seing his own children have need of it surely he will not deny it them The Lord I say hath given the earth to the children of men and if the Lord hath bestowed the earth on men as men then much more hath he the earth to bestow upon his own children Christ in his Sermon upon the mount Mat. 6.32 assureth them of it Your heavenly father knoweth that ye have need of these things Food and cloathing is in your fathers hand your father is rich he is rich indeed and therefore he can supply your wants If children do but remember that their father hath such and such lands and houses they think they shall be well provided for how much more may a godly man say my father hath a great deal of land the whole earth is his and therefore I shall be provided for The Apostle improves this position twice 1 Cor. 10. First to makâ— use of our liberty in eating whatsoever is fold in the shambles asking no question for conscience sake for saith he the earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof vers 26. He makes use of it Secondly to perswade us not to abuse our liberty ver 28. But if any man say unto you this is offered in sacrifice unto idols eat not for his sake that shewed it do not offend him and for conscience sake do not offend thy self The earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof As if he had said why shouldst thou trouble thy self or others by eating such meat seing there is enough
Thess 5.11 Comfort your selves together and edifie one another And at the 14th vers Now we exhort you brethren warn them that are unruly comfort the feeble minded support the weak The weak in the latter words are the same with the feeble in the former and the support spoken of in the one is nothing else but the comfort spoken of in the other Comfort to a feeble mind is like a prop or a pillar to a feeble building the supporter of it And because it is so important a work to comfort feeble minds I shall briefly name some special cases wherein the mind of man is feeble and then hint what word of comfort is most proper for its support in each case First If the mind be infeebled by outward wants apply that comfortable Scripture Mat. 6.32 33. Your father knoweth that ye have need of those things which if received by faith will give the mind great support in that case Secondly In case of the loss or death of friends the Apostle hath put words into our mouths for the comforting of such 1 Thess 4.13 chiefly these two ways First By remembring that their friends are only asleep in Jesus or gone to sleep in the bosome of Jesus Secondly That they shall be raised again at the coming of Jesus Thirdly In case of suffering and persecution read comfort and support Mat. 5.11 12 13. 1 Pet. 4.12 13 14. Fourthly In case of bodily sickness or any chastenings from the hand of God we have a store or treasure of comforting words Heb. 12. from the 5. to the 14th verse Fifthly In case of desertion or Gods hiding his face take comfort from Isa 50.10 Isa 54.7 8. Sixthly When any are under the sence of divine wrath for sin they may take comfort by meditating all those Scriptures which hold out the free grace of God to sinners and the full satisfaction which Christ hath made for sin to the justice of God and so for deliverance from the wrath which is to come 1 Thess 1.10 These are the principal cases wherein we need a comforter and most of these if not all met in Jobs case He was poor and had lost all that was the first case his children were dead that was the second he was persecuted vexed and reproached that was a third he was sick and weak in body that was a fourth he was under grievous desertions that was a fifth he was also under the sence of wrath the arrows of the Almighty drunk up his spirits All these evils God brought upon him and some of them in the highest degree and though he were then got out of them all yet as was said before being got but a little way out of them he needed comfort and therefore his new-come old friends and acquaintance bemoaned and comforted him as a man newly come out of great affliction And we should be much in this duty of comforting others upon these considerations First Comfort upholds the soul when burdened or weakned from sinking Secondly Comfort quiets the soul when tost up and down as with a tempest comforts wisely and seasonably ministred will make a great calm Comfort is the repose and rest of the soul Thirdly Comfort quickens and revives the soul when dying away with sorrow comforts are cordials For which cause we faint not 2 Cor. 4.16 And what the cause was which kept them from fainting we may find both in the verse going before in those words All things are for your sakes vers 15. or in the verse following Our light affliction c. ver 17. Comforts either prevent and keep us from qualms and swoonings or bring us out of them again Give wine to him that is of a heavy heart let him drink and forget his sorrow Prov. 30.6 7. Give him this wine of comfort and it will renew his spirit more than wine Fourthly Comfort confirms and establisheth the soul when we are ready to let go our hold The Apostle sent Timotheus to establish and comfort the Thessalonians concerning their faith 1 Epist 3.2 that is to establish them in the faith both in the doctrine and grace of faith by comforting them Jobs friends might see cause of comforting him upon many considerations possibly upon most of these The Text saith only They comforted him Over all the evil which the Lord had brought upon him The plaister was as broad as the soar or they administred as many plaisters as there was soars They comforted him over all the evil c. This directs us to a great point of holy prudence in comforting the sorrowful even to comfort them in or about every thing which hath been an occasion of their sorrow When we are to stop the holes of a leaking vessel if we stop three or four and leave but one we indanger all the liquor in the vessel you were as good stop none at all as not stop all so it is in this case therefore see how wisely Jobs friends carried it They comforted him over all the evil Which the Lord had brought upon him And all that was the evil of suffering The Lord is the bringer of such evils upon all that suffer them even upon his dearest and most faithful servants those evils come from him who is only good and altogether good The Lord takes these evils to himself I create evil Isa 45.7 and faith the Prophet Amos 3.6 Shall there be evil in a City and the Lord hath not done it As the Lord owns these kind of evils so we honour God in acknowledging him the Author of them Our crosses are of God as well as our comforts our poverty as well as our riches our sickness as well as our health This point hath occurred more than once from other passages in this Book and therefore I shall adde no more now This was the third labour of love which the brethren of Job bestowed upon him They comforted him over all the evil which the the Lord had brought upon him Yet this was not all they did not only bestow a mouthful of good words upon him I speak not lightly of good words they are a weighty piece of charity Good words are much better as was toucht before than gold and silver and may be much more beneficial and useful to the receiver than thousands of gold and silver Yet I say Jobs friends did not only bestow a mouthful of good words upon him for the removal of his inward grief but they brought their handsful of good things to bestow upon him for the making up of his outward losses and this was the fourth act or office of love which they did him as it followeth Every man also gave him a piece of money and every one an ear-ring of gold Here was real kindness as well as verbal Though good words as was said be a great charity yet 't is no charity to give nothing but good words where more is needed unless this be our case that indeed we have nothing more to give The
c. The Hebrew Text doth not expresse this Adverb of time there 't is onely the Lord answered but we well supply it rendering then the Lord answered as if the Penman had said at that very nick instant or juncture of time the Lord came in the words were no sooner out of the mouth of Elihu he had no sooner concluded his speech with Job but the Lord began and answered Job and if the Lord had not just then interposed possibly Job might have replyed and a new heat might have risen to the encreasing of his troubles and the inflaming of all their Spirits as was hinted before therefore the Lord to stop all further proceedings or speech between them two began presently to speak himself Then the Lord answered Take this Observation from it The Lord will appear in the fittest season It was time for the Lord to appear lest this poor man should have been utterly swallowed up with sorrows and over-whelmed with his affliction or lest he should have been drawn out too long and too far in his bitter complainings and impatiency The Lord is a God of judgement blessed are they that wait for him Isa 30.18 He is a wise God and knows how to time every action he knowes when to appear when to shew himself As he himself will not contend for ever Isa 57.16 so neither will he let others contend overlong least the Spirit should sail before him and the soules which he hath made This is a comfortable truth with respect both to Nations and Persons both to the case of the Church of God in general and of every believer in particular The Apostle Peter having counselled the afflicted to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God 1 Pet. 5.6 addes this encouragement in the next words to do so that he may exalt you in due time though not in your time nor at your day the day when you would have him do it yet he will do it in time and in due time that is when it shall be most fit and best for you Thus he appeared to and for Job in the Text when the sorrowes of his heart were enlarged and when he had most need of such an appearance The Lord knows how at any time and when 't is the most proper time to relieve his servants Then The Lord answered Job The word here used is Jehovah and several of the Learned take notice that it is here used with a special significancy for in the discourses of Job and his friends throughout this Book other names of God are if not universally yet mostly used as Elshaddai Eloah c. In the first Chapter indeed where God is spoken of by the divine Historian or sacred Penman of this History he is named Jehovah as also in some other such like places but in the body of the dispute not so And two reasons may be given of it First The name Jehovah imports the Being of God and therefore God himself being about to speak of his giving a Being to the whole Creation and to several sorts of creatures he is most properly represented by his name Jehovah which as it implyeth that he is the First Being the Fountain of his own Being or that he is of himself so that he gives a Being to all things and that in him as the Apostle told the great Philosophers of Athens Acts 17. we live and move and have our being Secondly The Lord though he came in a Whirle-wind yet manifested himself in a clearer light to Job than ever he had done before Now as in the third of Exodus when the Lord sent Moses to the people of Israel to bring them up out of Egypt to Canaan which was a great work one of the greatest that was ever done in the world and in which the Lord made the most glorious discovery of his Power Justice and Mercy when God I say sent Moses upon this service he said unto him Exod. 6.2 3. I am the Lord I am Jehovah and I appeared unto Abraham unto Isaac and unto Jacob by the Name of God Almighty but by my name Jehovah was I not known to them God being about to make himself more known in the world than he had been to that day by his dreadful plagues upon Pharaoh and the miraculous deliverance of his people out of Egypt as he said chap. 9.16 And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up for to shew in thee my power and that my name may be declared in all the earth The Lord I say being about to doe these great things for the manifestation of his own greatness gave this charge to Moses at the sixth verse of the sixth chapter before mentioned Wherefore say unto the children of Israel I am Jehovah and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians c. Thus in this latter part of the book of Job the Lord being about to loosen the bonds of Jobs affliction and to ease him of his burden as also to declare and manifest himself more clearly to him than formerly as he confessed chap. 42.5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the eare but now mine eyes have seen thee he therefore assumed his great name Jehovah Then the Lord Answered Job c. But some may say Job had not spoken lately much lesse last Elihu spake out six whole Chapters since Job spake a word and though Elihu gave him the liberty yea almost provoked him to speak yet he laid his hand upon his mouth he spake not a word How then can it be said The Lord answered Job To avoid this difficulty Some render Then the Lord answered concerning or about Job And these turn the whole discourse of God in this and the next Chapter upon Elihu in favour of Job I shall touch upon that opinion and interpretation as was said afterwards but at present affirm that Job was the person to whom the Lord here directed his Answer and to take off this doubt how the Lord could be said to answer Job when Job had not spoken last but Elihu I answer as upon a like occasion it hath been elsewhere shewed in this book ch 3.2 that sometimes in Scripture a Speech begun is called an Answer where nothing had been spoken before to which that speech could be applied in way of answer Matth. 11.25 Matth. 17.4 The reason of this Hebraisme is because such as begin to speak do either answer the necessity of the matter or the desire of the hearers and so they give a real and vertual though not a formal Answer Yet there are two considerations in which we may apply the word Answer formally and strictly taken to Job First If we consider Job's wishes and requests Secondly If we consider Job's complaints and though the word be somewhat hard his murmurings The Lord may be said to answer Job as to his wish desire or request because Job had earnestly desired and requested more than once that God would take
without them but a foundation is of absolute necessity there cannot be continuing house without a foundation Fourthly The foundation is the support of the whole building that bears and upholds all the rest But some may say What are the foundations of the Earth I answer A foundation may be taken either properly or metaphorically formally or allusively The foundations of the Earth are not formal but metaphorical foundations 'T is a speech borrowed from men who must have a proper foundation for their buildings The Earth is not laid upon any formal but it hath a vertual foundation The Scripture saith sometimes that the Earth is founded upon the seas and established upon the floods Psal 24.2 yet in a proper sense the Sea is not the foundation of the Earth It 's said also Job 26.7 He hangeth the Earth upon nothing The whole bulk of Sea and Earth together are one Globe one Building formed and compacted together But the Earth may be said to have foundations and that God hath laid the foundations of it for this reason Because the Earth is set fast and firm it is like a house that hath foundations not only a foundation but foundations it stands most firm A house builded upon a rock Matth. 7.25 stands fast and immoveably in all weathers because built upon a sure foundation A house builded upon the sands falls it hath no sure foundation The Earth is made firm strong and sure as those houses or buildings that are raised upon rocks and is therefore said to have foundations Why is Heaven or the state of glory called a City having foundations Heb. 11.10 but because the state of glory or that glorious City is a firm state or as it is called in another place Chap. 13.14 a continuing City A City which shall it self continue for ever and whose Citizens without succession continue for ever Now though the Earth be but a moveable tent or weak cottage in comparison of Heaven or our heavenly state yet God in his infinite Wisdom and Power hath formed and established it so firmly for the habitation of man and all inferiour creatures upon its own center that the Lord may truly be said to have built it upon foundations or to have appointed foundations for it as 't is often expressed elsewhere Psal 102.25 Psal 104.5 Prov. 8.29 as well as here Where wast thou When I laid the foundations of the Earth The form of the words is considerable in opposition to that opinion of some of the Ancients Aquin. in loc who attributed the site of the Earth and of the other Elements not to any divine supernatural Power of the Maker but to the very Nature of the Earth or the necessity of the Matter according to which heavy things tend downward and light things rise high so according to that opinion the Earth being a heavy body falleth lowest or took its place of its self Now that this opinion may be consuted and shut out of doors the Lord compares his making of the World to the building of a house which is ordered according to the reason of the builder so that though it be a truth in Nature that heavy things fall lowest yet we are to ascribe all to the Wisdom of God the Disposer of them who hath done all things according to the pleasure of his own Will and that with such admirable contrivance that man is not able to comprehend it as the last words of the verse intimate Where wast thou when I laid the foundation of the Earth Declare if thou hast understanding But before I pass to those words in the latter part of the verse I shall gather up some observations from this former part of it Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the Earth c. Hence Note First The time of man upon Earth compared with the Eternity of God is nothing Where wast thou David Psal 39.4 prayed that God would teach him how frail he was as to the duration of his life and he adds in the next verse Mine age is nothing before thee The age of man is nothing before God if we consider it as to its beginning or if we consider it as to its ending When began the age of the most aged man Are not all men of yesterday God had an eternity of Being before man was upon the face of the earth And what 's the age of man as to its continuance As it began but yesterday that is a very little while ago or but the day past so it may end to morrow that is within a few dayes to come yea possibly before the next day or the morrow cometh Boast not of to morrow Prov. 27.1 both because thou knowest not what a day may bring forth nor whether as to thee a to morrow shall be brought forth Death sweeps men suddenly from the face of the earth only the Lord alwayes is and is alwayes the same All things change but God is not changed He is himself and his years fails not Then what 's mans age compared to God Note Secondly God is the first Being Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the Earth God alone was before all things yet he was not at all alone Anteomnia erat deus solus ipse sibi mundus locus tempus omnia Tertul. adversus Praxeam cap. 5. For as one of the Ancients saith He was to himself a world place and time and all things Thirdly God is an Eternal Being It 's possible for one to be first and not to be eternal One man may have a Being before another and not have a Being from eternity but God had an eternal Being before the world had a Being or man any Being in the world There are Things of three sorts First Such as have had a beginning and shall have an end and be no more Thus it is with all meer sensitive Creatures the Beasts of the Earth and Fowls of the Ayre they perish there 's an end of their being when they die or come to the end of their lives Secondly There are other things which have had a beginning yet shall have no end As Spirits Angels good or bad and the souls of men yea the bodies of men though they are subject to and are cut off by death yet they shall return again and having been sown in corruption shall be raised in incorruption and be clothed with immortality which is a piece of Eternity Thirdly There is a Being which is without beginning and without ending and that is Gods Being only or the Being of God who thus exprest himself to Moses I am and I am that I am Exod. 3.14 That word takes in all Time past present and to come yea past present and to come are all one in Gods Being Psal 90.1 Thou hast been our habitation from generation to generation That is We thy people have alwayes or in all revolutions of time dwelt or sheltered our selves in thee and then at the second
of thy workmanship have cause to do it more than and above all they cannot but be speaking and talking of thy Kingdome and Power which are very glorious Upon which account the tongue of Man especially the tongue of a Godly Man is called his glory I will sing and give praisâ— said David Psal 108.1 even with my glory What is that his tongue the chief bodily instrument of divine praises The Stars in their courses once fought against the enemies of God Judg. 5.20 and they alwayes in their places sing the praises of God Let it not be said that Saints are silent So much of these words as the Stars are taken properly There are some as I said before who take these Stars metaphorically or figuratively for the Angels and then their singing is proper and there are two reasons given why by the stars in this place we should understand the Angels First If we consider the truth or course of the History because the Earth being created the first day the Stars were not in being till the fourth day unless we comprehend them as was said before as to their matter and reallity under those words of Moses In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth but as to their appearance and formality so they were not till the fourth day and if so how could they sing the praises of God at the laying of the foundations of the Earth A second reason is given from this Chapter because God speaks of the Stars afterwards vers 31 32. Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades the seven Stars so called or loose the bands of Orion c. Here the Lord treats with Job about the Stars in proper sense therefore probably the Morning Stars here mentioned are not to be taken properly but tropically for the Angels And the Angels may very well be called Stars or Morning Stars by a Metaphor because of their spiritual beauty and excellency in which they out-shine all the Morning Sâ—ars yea that special Morning Star commonly known by the Name of Lucifer or Light-bringer Though the Angels have not a visible bodily beauty yet they have a better beauty than any body 'T is said of Stephen Acts 6.15 when he stood before the Council They beheld his face as it had been the face of an Angel Angels being Spirits have no visible faces but because Angels are in their nature and qualities beautiful creatures therefore Stephen having an extraordinary beauty stampt upon him is said to have the face of an Angel And as beautiful persons may be said to look like or resemble Angels so Angels may be said to look like or resemble Stars The Church for the lustre of her graces is said to look forth as the Morning fair as the Moon clear as the Sun Cant. 6.10 and so may the Angels as the Stars The Apostle saith of those false Apostles who would needs be accounted Stars faithful Ministers of Christ in the Firmament of the Church they are transformed into Angels of light 2 Cor. 11.14 that is they would appear like Angels of light The holy Angels are Angels of light The seven Stars are the seven Angels saith Christ expounding the Vision to John Revel 1.20 This shews that Angels and Stars have a ve y great similitude so that as there in one sense so here in another the Stars may signifie the Angels And the Angels may very well be called Morning Stars because they were the first of living Creâ—tures their Creation being supposed to be though Moses expresseth nothing of it comprehended within that of the Heavens In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth the Heaven and the heavenly Inhabitants the Angels The evil Angel the Devil that fallen Angel is also called a Morning Star That Title Lucifer Son of the Morning which the Prophet bestows on the Assyrian Isa 14.12 for his pomp and pride properly belongs to the Devil the Arch-Devil a fallen Angel or the Primier of the fallen Angels yea Jesus Christ himself is called the Day-Star 2 Pet. 1.19 and under another far different expression the Morning Star Rev. 2.28 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he saith of himself Rev. 22.16 I am the bright and Morning Star Thus Christ who is the Angel of the Covenant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lord of Angels the Creator of Angels is called the Morning Star All these Scriptures bear testimony that it is not strange to expound Stars by Angels And therefore when the Lord saith The Stars sang together according to this interpretation upon which yet I shall not insist but leave the Reader to his own opinion it is but the same with that which followes in the close of the verse to which I now proceed And all the Sons of God shouted for joy Acies Angelorum Chald. Angeli mei Sept. The Chaldee Paraphrase is express that the Sons of God are the Angels rendring The Armies of Angels shouted for joy And the Septuagint are as clear for it saying When all my Angels sung for joy both leave out our Translation the Sons of God and put that which is the Exposition into the Text the Angels of God That the Angels are called Sons of God hath been shewed before chap. 1.6 There was a day when the Sons of God came together that is the Angels and Satan the evil Angel came also among them The Devil or evil spirit thrust himself into the assembly of the good Spirits or holy Angels who are the Sons of God If any ask how the Angels are the Sons of God I answer First Negatively They are not the Sons of God as Jesus Christ is Angels became the Sons of God in time Jesus Christ is the Son of God from Eternity The Apostle Heb. 1.5 puts the question To which of the Angels said he at any time thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee The Angels are the created Sons of God Jesus Christ onely is his onely begotten Son Angels are the Sons of God by meeâ— gâ—ace and favour the Lord accounting them as Sons accepting them as Sons using and respecting them as Sons as he doth also all true believers who likewise are the Sons of God But Jesus Christ alone is the Son of God by Naâ—ure or by an eternal generation and was so declared in the fulness of time both by his Incarnation and Resurrection which many conceive to be the Apostles intendment in those words This day have I begotten thee taken out of the second Psalm and quoted Acts 13.33 as also Heb. 1.5 Secondly In the Negative The Angels are not the Sons of God by Regeneration nor by Adoption Thus Believers only are the Sons of God John 1.12 To as many as received him to them gave he power to become the Sons of God even to as many as believed on his Name Believers are the Sons of God regenerated and adopted Angels are not so The holy Angels needed not Regeneration nor as they were created
our thoughts to the praise of God to sing and shout his praises Did the Stars take them properly and did the Sons of God the Angels rejoyce when the work first began and is not the work to be rejoyced in now 't is finished Though sin hath sullied the work yet the glory of God is still transparent in it the power goodness and wisdom of God are gloriously seen in the things that are made Rom. 1.20 not onely were they seen but they are â—een to this day The creatures are still a glass wherein we may â—â—hold the invisible things of God even his eternal Power and God-head so that they who glorifie him not in and for those works will be found and left without excuse They are a book a volume consisting of as many leaves and lines as there are distinct sorts of creatures wherein we may read the great God plainly described to us and if so let us remember our fault this day Is it not our sin and shame that we are so little in admiring God for this work which set all the Angels in heaven a singing a shouting a wondring There are several things in the Works of Creation which well considered will soon provoke us to singing and to shouting First The multitude of Creatures Secondly The various kinds of Creatures Thirdly The beauty and excellency that is in the Creatures Fourthly The profit and the usefulness of the Creatures These laid together should draw out our praises and cause us to exalt the power wisdom and goodness of God manifested in and by his Creatures Lastly Consider what was iâ— that caused the Angels to â—hout for jâ—y when they saw this woâ—k of God begun Surely it was the appearance or manifestation of God shining brightly in the Work of Creation Hence Observe The discoveries of the power wisdom and goodness of God should stir up and engage every man and cannot but effectually stir up and engage those who are wise and good to rejoyce in God Somewhat of God is stamped or there are certain lines of his transcendent perfections drawn upon every Creature here a line of wisdom and there a line of power here a line of goodness and there a line of mercy the sight of these should cause us to shout for joy especially that this God the Creator of the ends of the Earth is our God for ever and ever and will be our guide even unto death How many lines have we of God in the World which we have not read much less studied and commented upon In how many things is God visible and yet we see him not nor acknowledge him as we ought Take onely these two things by way of inference from the whole First To be of a praising of a rejoycing spirit iâ—â—o be of an excellent spirit of an angelical spirit Let us imitate â—he Angels in praising God The Angels are called the Sons of God because they imitate him let us imitate the Angels in praising God so shall we approve our selves the Sons of God too Secondly Consider The Angels rejoyced at the laying of the foundations of the Earth The Earth was made for man Heaven was the Angels habitation they were well provided for if there had never been an Earth they had been provided for yet they shouted for joy when God laid the foundations of the Earth for the use of man and beast Hence take this Inference It shews a good spirit to rejoyce at the good of others or to be pleased with that which is beneficial to others though it be no benefit to us This argues an excellent spirit an angelical spirit Some if they are well housed and provided for care not whether others are housed and provided for or no nor can they rejoyce at the good of others but as their own good is concern'd In glory we shall be like to the Angels our very bodies shall be like to the Angels living without food without sleep without marriage in Heaven we shall neither marry nor be given in marriage but shall be like the Angels O let us strive to be like the Angels in our minds now as we hope to have our bodies like the Angels hereafter even clothed as the Schoolmen call them with angelical endowments Unless our spirits are like the Angels here unless we have hearts like the hearts of Angels in this World we shall never have bodies like them hereafter or in the World to come JOB Chap. 38. Vers 8 9 10 11. 8. Or who shut up the Sea with doors when it brake forth as if it had issued out of the womb 9. When I made the Cloud the garment thereof and thick darkness a swadling band for it 10. And brake up for it my decreed place and set bars and doors 11. And said Hitherto shalt thou come but no further and here shall thy proud waves be stayed THe Lord having questioned Job about the Fabrick of the Earth and shewed the triumph and acclamations of Angels at it in the former Context He next leads him to the waters or carrieth him to the Sea there to consider his Works of wonder As Moses in the beginning of Genesis having summarily and in general spoken of the Creation of Heaven and Earth descendeth to particulars so here we have the Lord passing from one part of the Creation to another from the Creation of the Earth to that other great part of the Creation the Waters or the Sea Vers 8. Who shut up the Sea with doors c. In these words we have First The Creation of the Sea Secondly Its Constitution both set forth by most elegant Metaphors The Creation or Production of the Sea is shadowed by allusion to an Infant breaking forth out of the womb Vers 8. The Constitution or settlement of the Sea is carried on in suitable Metaphors to the end of the eleventh Verse Vers 8. Or who hath shut up the Sea with doors when it brake forth c. We have here First The Birth or Nativity of the Sea Secondly What God did with the Sea when it was born and issued out of the womb Then God shut it in with doors and prepared garments and swadling bands for it then he restrained the rage force and fury of it and held it as his prisoner or captive in bonds As soon as an Infant is born it is bound up and swadled and as soon as the Sea as I may say was born or come into the World God took order with it and to keep it in order he provided doors to shut it in and garments to bind it up with What the Scripture speaks of Gods coercing the Sea may be reduced to two heads First To that restraint which he laid upon the Sea presently upon its Creation some say the first others the third day of the Creation according to that Gen. 1.9 God said Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together into one place and let the dry land appear and it was so Thus the
garment for the sea Clouds are water condensed and they dissolve into water and here the Lord having separated the sea from the earth made the cloud which is a kind of sea a sea in the air as a garment to cover and keep it warm And because a new-born child lest the limbs should not grow right hath not the liberty of its arms and feet for a time but is wrapt up with a swadling band therefore in pursuance of the Allegory the Text speaks of a swadling band prepared for the sea as soon as it was born But what was the swadling-band of the sea As the matter of its garment is a cloud so its swadling-band is thick darkness that is say some very dark clouds making this latter part of the verse but a repetition of the former because clouds are dark in themselves they are often expressed by darkness they are called black clouds and dark clouds yea sometimes clouds are called darkness So that the cloud and the thick darkness may be the same onely it is here exprest in different terms to shew the exactness of the Lords proceeding and the accurateness of his providing for the due ordering of the unruly child the sea And that the sea had at first such a swadling-band we find Gen. 1.2 Darkness was upon the face of the deep Hence First From the purpose of the Spirit of God as we may well conceive in representing the sea in such a dress a child in swadling-bands Note God can as easily rule and bind the sea a vast bulky body as a mother or a nurse can bind a little infant in swadling-bands And surely the Spirit of God would have us to take notice that though the sea be indeed such a giant such a monster as will make a heart of oak shake or a heart of brass melt yet what is it to God but an infant he can bind it and lay it to sleep even as a little child And if the great sea be in the hand of God as a little child what is great to God! and how great is God! What is strong to God! and how strong is God! What or who is too great or too strong for God to deal with Cannot God who hath swadled the turbulent sea provide swadling-bands to wrap up the stoutest and most turbulent spirits of this world Job â—pâ—aking of himself wondered that God should deal so with him chap. 7.12 Am I a Sea or a Whale that thou settest a watch over me The sea is a boisterous creature and had need be watched Am I a Sea or a Whale said Job Though a man be as a sea or a whale God can watch him and bind him from doing mischief Therefore fear not any power of the creature though a great sea while your behaviour is good but fear the Lord who binds the sea to its good behaviour Nations are before him but as the drop of a bucket Isa 40.15 A Nation confidered in it self is a mighty sea much more The Nations which indefinite is universal taking in all Nations yet they are all but as the drop of a bucket and how easily can we dispose of the drop of a bucket Even so easily can God dispose of those who are as the sea in opinion and appearance Secondly Consider what the Lord makes the swadling-band of the sea some strong thing no doubt the Text tells us it is but a dark cloud or a mist arising from the sea these are the bands with which God binds this mighty giant the sea Hence Observe The Lord can make weak and improbable means to do and effect the greatest things One would think we should have heard of some other matter even of adamantine chains to bind the Sea with but we see mists and fogs and clouds shall do it if God will Mists are but vapours gathered up and thickened a little in the air Is it not a wonder that they should get the upper hand of and bind the sea so that as soon as a mist riseth in the air by and by the sea is still There is indeed a natural reason why as calms are seldome without mists so mists can never be without calms because mists cannot endure nor live in the wind much less in a storm but must presently be dispersed or blown away by it yet 't is much that a mist or a fog or a cloud in the air should have a binding force upon the sea This was the Lords work to keep the sea quiet in its place And having considered this we are called to consider another Work of God whereby he keeps the sea from roving out of its place in the two verses following Vers 10. And brake up for it my decreed place and set bars and doors c. Here the Lord speaks of the second state of the sea according to one reading though according to ours of the first When the Lord had said Let the waters be gathered together into one place he prepared a place to receive the waters as when a man would have a place to hold water he digs or makes an earthen vessel or receptacle for it So when the waters issued out of the earth in their nativity the Lord gathered them together into a sea and prepared a stupendious pit or as some follow the allusion here of a new-born infant wrapt in swadling-bands he provided a great bed or cradle to put it into That vast concave into which the waters are put is somewhat like a cradle those channels I say which God made for the sea are as the cradle wherein it is laid The banks and shores are those bars and doors with which the infant is kept in his cradle What can be spoken more significantly than these similitudes to express the greatness of God who keeps in the sea by his power and leads it forth gently into several creeks and bosoms for the safety of Navigaâ—iâ—n and represseth its fury and violence by the sands and shores Thus saith the Lord I brake up for it my decreed place a hollow place for the holding of the sea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et fregi i. e. decidi vâ—l decreviâ—i per illâ— stâ—tutiâ—â—â—eum q. d. de iâ—â—â— decretum meum coâ—stitui cum ei limiâ—es sunt à me praefiniti Merc. Vocabulum terrâ— recte hic suppleri tum ipsa historiae veritas tum pâ—opria fignitiâ—atio vâ—rbi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 evincit Itaque alii nâ—n recte cum vâ—rbo illo â—â—â—â—runt vâ—â—m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Hebrâ—â—o defâ—â—it prepositio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pisc Cum difregi pro eo sâ—â— terraâ—â— decreto meo i. e. Alveos velut â—unas exaravi circummuâ—iâ—i Jun. Some translate And established my decree upon it for the word place is not expressed in the Text there it is only and brake up my decree but it is more clear to the general sense of the Text and to the particular sense of the
generation lying upon his death-bed a friend asked him whether the light shining into the room did not offend him he answâ—red Hic sat lucis Oecolampadius putting his hand upon his heart Here I have light enough The heart of a godly man is the house of spiritual light there he hath and holds the light of divine knowledge about the things of the Gospel and the light of divine comfort arising from that knowledge It is also reported of Mr. Deering our Countrey-man that in his last sickness and towards his end being set upright in his bed for his ease a friend requested him that he would speak something for the edification and comfort of those about him Whereupon the Sun shining in his face he took occasion to speak thus There is but one Sun in the world and there is but one Sun of righteousness which graciously shineth upon me speaking further he concluded thus I bless God I have so much light of joy and comfort in my soul that were it put to my wish or choice I had rather a thousand times die than live As the hearts of these worthies were the dwelling place of light so is the heart of every godly person in his measure and degree the light of knowledge and of joy abide there The Apostle saith 2 Cor. 4.6 God who commanded light to shine out of darkness hath shined into our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ And where that shine of God gives the light of knowledge the light of comfort cannot be withheld unless it be for a season that the soul may rejoyce the more in the end and at last without end For Lastly There is an eternal light the light of Glory and that hath a certain dwelling place that light dwelleth alwayes in heaven and the Saints at rest in heaven dwell alwayes in that light Eternal glory is called the inheritance of the saints in light Col. 1.12 Again Spiritual darkness hath its place and we should labour to know the place of that darkness to avoid it Ignorance is spiritual darkness and that dwells in the heart of every man by nature All that continue in that sad condition have their understanding darkened through the ignorance that is in them Eph. 4.18 and they who now are in the light were once in the dark yea they were darkness Eph. 5.8 Let it also be remembred in whomsoever this darkness of sin and ignorance abides they must abide under the darkness of wrath and judgement for ever The place where that darkness dwells is hell and there outer darkness as 't is often called in the Gospel dwells even such darkness as wherein the damned are not onely out of the possession of the least ray or glimmering of light but without any hope or expectation of it Hell is quite beyond the bound or boundaries of light there 's darkness and thick darkness nothing but darkness Thus we see light and darkness have their places natural light and darkness have theirs and so have spiritual and eternal light and darkness Secondly From the scope of these two verses Observe It is God who disposeth and ordereth light and darkness The question was put to Job whether he had disposed of them but he could not assume to himself that he had taken or laid the light to the bound thereof or knew the paths to the house thereof Light and darkness are at the dispose and under the command of God alone And as the work or power of God is wonderful in the dispose of natural light and darkness so 't is much more wonness in the dispose of civil spiritual and eternal light and darkderful these the Lord taketh to their bound and knoweth the paths to their house I form light and create darkness saith the Lord Isa 45.7 What light and darkness doth the Lord there speak of Surely of civil light and darkness as the next words import I make peace and create evil I make and create them I also direct and appoint them whither to go whether to a Nation or to a man only whether to this or that man or Nation Darkness is of me as truly as light And that not only civil but spiritual and eternal light and darkness are at Gods dispose is as evident from the Scriptures of truth Some lands may be called lands of light like Goshen others like Egypt under that three days plague may be called lands of darkness Of such lands that complaint is made Psal 74.20 The dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty All places of the earth full of ignorance not knowing God of atheisme not acknowledging God of idolatry worshipping false gods or the true God â—alsly may be called lands of darkness or the dark places of the earth Now as the Lord maketh one land a place of spiritual light so he leaveth another to be a place of darkness And he often maketh changes from darkness to light that 's mercy and from light to darkness that 's wrath in the same lands Some lands which had sate in darkness for ages and generations the Lord hath visited with Gospel light and some lands which for ages and generations had that light are now laid in darkness How sad a witness of this are the anciently famous seats of the Asian and African Churches now under Mahometan power And further as the Lord disposeth that outward spiritual light and darkness giving the knowledge of the Gospel to or taking it away from Nations as he pleaseth so he dispoâ—eth inward light or darkness to every soul Some gracious souls walk in the light of Gods countenance and under the sweet shinings of his face every day others who also as the Prophet speaks Isa 50.10 Fear the Lord and obey the voice of his servants walk in darkness and see no light Now whence cometh this difference Is it not of the Lord who hath the command of our joys and of our sorrows and who appoints this kind of light and darkness their several and special places according to the soveraignty of his own Will From all that hath been said we may draw down this conclusion which the Lord did chiefly aim at in dealing with Job That we are to own and acknowledge the hand of God in every condition be it light or be it darkness be it joy or be it sorrow 't is all of God There is nothing which concerns either the comfort or trouble of man but comes forth from God and is ordered by him like as in all ages and revolutions of time light and darkness have held their course and kept their place according to his institution and direction Job was in darkness both as to his outward and inward estate his body was pained his soul was grieved anguish â—â—llâ—d 〈◊〉 spirit and God would have him see know and acknowledge his hand in all As if he had said Thou canst no more dispose the peace
I may say fed and fattened from heaven All Vegetatives grass herbs plants flowers trees all Sensitives beasts of the earth fowls of the air yea and rational creatures too all men who breath in the air and walk upon the earth are refreshed and fed by the influences of heaven by the clouds and stars Further the Stars send down their influences not only upon living creatures in their three ranks but even upon inanimate creatures the minerals the stones that lye deep under the earth the precious gems with those of a courser grain receive much from the influences of the Stars So then all earthly bodies receive and derive their vigor and beauty from the heavenly the Sun and Moon have the greatest power and there is a very great power in the Stars and Constellations in the Pleiades Orion and Arcturus for the production of great effects Secondly In that 't is said Canst thou bind or stop the Influences of Pleiades Observe It is not in the power of man of any man to hinder or stay the virtue of the stars from falling down upon the earth What God will do by the creature no man can undo If God set those heavenly bodies at liberty and bids them send down their influences man cannot lock them up nor imprison their powers nor bind them from working And hence we may inferr First if none can bind the influences nor stay the comfortable virtue of the stars when God is pleased to let them out then much less can any bind or hinder the influences of the Spirit When God is pleased to send his Spirit to work upon the heart of man who can lett him There is a threefold influence or work of the spirit of God upon the soul of man First To enlighten or to give the light of the knowledge of his own glory in the face of Jesus Christ Who can hinder God when he purposeth thus to instruct and teach the ignorant and make them wise unto Salvation wiser than their teachers who can hinder it Secondly To convert to work faith and repentance together with love humility c. These graces are destilled and drop down from the Spirit of God upon the soul and who can hinder the Spirit from working them in the most hardened and unbelieving souls in the most vain proud and presumptuous soul the barren'st wilderness dryest heath such are persons unconverted are made fruitful by the influences of the Spirit Thirdly To refresh and comfort There are unspeakable influences of joy destilled from the spirit upon believers and when God will let them down from heaven who can lett them what can let them All the troubles and sorrows all the pains and tortures that men can invent or inflict upon a believer cannot bind these influences of the Spirit nor hinder joy in believing The greatest evils of this life can neither shut up nor shut out that comfort which the Spirit speaketh The most churlish winds that can blow from the coldest quarters of the world cannot chill much less kill or blast those fruits of the Spirit Love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness saith meekness temperance mentioned by the Apostle Gal. 5.22 23. The soul grows green like a Garden or Pasture in the Spring the soul bud's blossom's and brings forth these blessed fruits abundantly when fed with these dainties and delicacies of the Spirit Those great floods of trouble and persecution which the Serpent any where or at any time casts out of his mouth cannot prevail against the least drop of Consolation wrought in the heart by the Spirits influence Paul and Silas were bound in Prison but there their persecutors could not bind the sweet influences of the Spirit from comforting them nor daunt them by any terror from triumphing in Christ they could sing in Prison yea they sung at Midnight Secondly We may Inferr If God hath placed the Stars in heaven to drop down sweet influences upon us then at every sight of the Stars our hearts should be raised up in the admiring thoughts of the wisdom goodness and power of God We usually look upon the Stars as if they were only so many lights bespangling the Canopy of heaven and sparkling as so many fires in the firmament but we seldom consider their virtues their influences or the wonderful effects which they produce How few are there who behold the heavens with Davids eyes Psal 8.3 4. When I said he consider thy heavens the work of thy fingers the Moon and the Stars which thou hast made What is man that thou are mindful of him God is mindful of man not only to give him light by the Moon and Stars by the benefit whereof he sees other things but God gives many unseen benefits by the Moon and Stars The influences of the Stars are as beneficial to us Qui negat esse Deum spectet modo fidero câ—li Sidorâ— qui spectat non negat esse Deum and as great a treasure as their light We indeed have great cause as we are commanded Psal 136.7 8 9. to pay the tribute of thanks to God for setting up the Sun Moon and Stars in the heavens to give us light O give thanks to him that made great lights the Sun to rule by day the Moon and Stars to rule by night Yet we must not confine our thankfulness to God for them only as they give us light for they give us heat as well as light and wonder working influences as well as either Moses their civil Father blessing the twelve Tribes as Jacob their natural Father did before his departure out of the world thus bespake the blessing upon Joseph Deut. 33.13 14 15. Blessed of the Lord be his land for the precious things of heaven for the dew and also for the deep that coucheth beneath and for the precious fruits brought forth by the Sun and for the precious things put forth by the Moon and for the chief things of the ancient mountains and for the precious things of the lasting hills and for the precious things of the earth and the fulness thereof c. Here we have two sorts of precious things First The precious things of heaven Secondly The precious things of the earth of the hills and mountains The former precious things are the cause the latter the effect The precious things of heaven are the influences of the Sun and Moon under which we are to comprehend the influences of the Stars these cause or produce the precious things of the earth that is Grass Hearbs with all sorts of Vegetables growing upon the surface of the earth they produce also the precious things of the ancient mountains and of the lasting hills that is gems or precious stones gold and silver together with all sorts of inferiour minerals Now if the Stars by their influences yield us all these precious things have we not much cause to admire both the power of God who hath implanted those vertues and opperations in them as also his
Gen. 3.17 18 19. Cursed is the ground for thy sake in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return unto the ground Our ordinary bread is not easily come by remember the Husband-mans labour Hence the Apostle when he would shew what pains God taketh either immediately by the work of his Spirit or mediately by the labour of his Ministers to convert and build up souls in the faith he tells us 1 Cor. 3.9 That we are Gods husbandry and Gods building As if he had said great pains hath been or must be bestowed upon you that your souls may be saved and that ye may bring forth fruits of righteousness unto eternal life The Lord hath his spiritual Plow-men his Labourers his Oxen by these the faithful and industrious Ministers of the Gospel are emblem'd and set forth in the holy Scriptures 1 Cor. 9.10 Rev. 4.7 Note Secondly There is no Sowing without Plowing You must stir up and break the ground before you cast the seed into it 't is not else fit to receive the seed and improve it for a harvest The Scripture speaks first of Plowing then of Sowing Isa 28.24 c. The Plow-man opens the earth and breaks the clods before he casts in his seed the cumin the fitches and the principal wheat He doth not Plow for Plowing sake but for Sowing and when he hath Plowed he leaveth not his work till he hath Sowed what he Plowed This method doth the Lord use in his spiritual husbandry the Plow of repentance must break up the Fallow ground of the heart and the Harrow must smooth the face of the soul before it be fit to bring forth The Spirit makes frequent use of these Metaphors Jer. 4.6 Plow up the Fallow ground of your hearts read also Hosea 10.12 Further Harrowing comes after Plowing and either before or immediatly after sowing there is some variety as to husbandry in this point that the seed sown may be preserved from being devoured by the Fowls of the air it must unless sowed under Furrows be Harrowed Harrowing helps the seed to spring more freely and grow more thrivingly And thus it is also in spiritual husbandry When the seed of the Word is Sown the heart must be Harrowed else the Seed will miscarry In that Parable of the Sower Mat. 13. some seed fell upon the high-way which was neither Plowed nor Harrowed This High-way ground signifieth those careless hearers who receive the Word in a formality only the Fowls of the air evil spirits quickly picked up that because it was not covered by Harrowing Now there are two Harrows by which the Seed of the Word cast into the Vallies and Furrows of our Hearts is covered and secured that it may bring forth fruit to perfection these are meditation and prayer By meditation we hide the word in our hearts and by prayer we obtain a blessing upon it from God both for the securing of it and our fruit-bearing according to it There are two resemblances in Scripture setting forth the use of meditation and prayer about the word received The one is chewing of the cud the other is Harrowing Clean beasts under the Law chewed the cud and wise men both under Law and Gospel Harrow their land a godly man doth both in a spiritual way while he meditates in the Word and prays for a blessing upon it Thus husbandry for our daily bread teacheth us what course the Lord expects we should take for our souls that we may bring forth fruit and answer the end of receiving his Word The Unicorn will not be brought to either of these parts of the Husband-mans labour and his refusal is aggravated in the next Verse by the ability which he hath for both Vers 11. Wilt thou trust in him because his strength is great or wilt thou leave thy labour unto him The Vnicorn hath strength sufficient he is a beast stronger say Naturalists than either the Ox or the Horse but Wilt thou trust him because his strength is great The word notes trusting with much confidence and rest of the mind as 't is said Isa 12.2 I will trust and not be afraid Confidence upon a good ground leads us into a full as well as a good security I will trust and not be afraid for the Lord Jehovah is my strength saith the believing soul in that place But saith the Lord here to Job Wilt thou trust this strong beast without fear or jealousie Wilt thou trust him Because his strength is great The strength or force of his body is great very great but the force or stubbornness of his will that is his wilfulness is far greater 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Propriè significat vigorem illum corporis animalis qui consisit in humido radicali even so great that it will not suffer him to lay out the strength of his body for the service of man We find strength often attributed to the Unicorn in Scripture Numb 23.22 He that is God or Israel through the presence of God with him as was shewed before hath as it were the strength of an Vnicorn 'T is not said he hath as it were the strength of an Horse or of an Ox which are very strong creatures but of an Vnicorn thereby implying that the Unicorn is a creature of such great strength that he knew not where to find a stronger The Unicorn hath strength enough for his work but he hath no mind to his work and therefore wilt thou trust him because his strength is great Hence note First Great strength is required for great work There are some works that are done not so much by strength as by art or as it were by slight of hand such a work a feeble weak man may do but there are other works which require great strength all the wit and skill and learning cunning of men cannot do them unless they have a sutable that is a great portion of strength for the doing of them David Psal 144.14 describing the temporal felicity of his people makes this request for them That our Oxen be strong to labour The labour of the Ox is great and therefore he needs great strength to do his work and go through with his labour Note Secondly They who have great strength may do great works Great strength is a great advantage for service If the Unicorn would imploy and put out his strength he might do much Strength of body is a talent much may be done by that strength of mind is an excellent talent much more very much more may be done by that But when a man hath much strength of body and mind together what may not he do Let those who have much strength consider how they use it For a man to have the strength of an Unicorn much bodily strength and make no use of it is to become more beastly than the Unicorn A strong man rejoyceth to run
gives them this character 2 Sam. 1.23 They were stronger than Lions and swifter than Eagles that is they were exceeding swift Our adversaries were swifter than the Eagles said the poor captivated Church when the Assyrian came in against them Lam. 4.19 Read also Deut. 28.49 Hos 8.1 Hab. 1.8 Cicero the Orator in his second book of Divination tells us that when one who was to run a race reported to an Interpreter Vicisti ista enim ave volat nulla vehementior Cicer. l. 2. de divin that he dreamed he was turned into an Eagle the Interpreter presently answered Then you shall overcome or get the mastery For the Eagle is the strongest and swiftest of all flying fowls Secondly The Eagle exceeds all as in swiftness so in the uprightness of her flying She flies right up that 's it which the Text takes notice of She mounteth up she mounts up like an arrow out of a bow Non obliquo tramite ut caeterae aves vel per gyrum ut accipiter sed recto sursum fertur Aelian lib. 14 c. 10. Aquila derem volatu superat sublimius evadit Oppian Aquila in nuhibus whereas other fowls when they flie high they do it obliquely or side-long by gyration or fetching a compass but the Eagle asceâ—ds directly not as I may say by winding stairs but in a right line Thirdly As the swiftness and uprightness of the Eagles motion so the highness of it is wonderful The Eagle mounts till she is quite out of sight no bodily creature can reach the Eagles altitude One of the Ancients saith The Eagle soars above the air he means I suppose the lower region of the air as if she would visit the starry heavens And hence it is said proverbially of any thing which we cannot easily reach or come at 'T is an Eagle in the clouds Her common attribute or epithete is The high-flying Eagle If it be questioned why doth the Eagle mount up so high these two reasons may be given of it First That she may come down or stoop with greater force upon her prey and that makes the Eagle so formidable to all the fowls of the air Aquila 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à â—oetis dictus And hence the Poets call her a Thunder bringer because she mounts up on purpose to that amazing height that she may come down upon her prey more forcibly even like a thunder-bolt And thus proud men desire to get on high that they may more easily make a prey of and crush as the Eagle doth those that are below them Secondly The Eagle mounts thus high to please her self 't is sutable to her spirit Every one would be in action as he is in disposition The Eagle hath a high spirit and she must flie high and at high things The Eagle will not catch flies she scorns that game Doth the Eagle mount up At thy command The Hebrew is At thy mouth so the word is rendred in several other Scriptures Numb 13.3 And Moses by the commandement of the Lord sent them from the wilderness of Paran that is he sent the men that were to search the Land The Hebrew is Moses by the mouth of the Lord sent them to search the Land Again 2 Kings 24.3 Surely at the commandement of the Lord came this upon Judah to remove them out of his sight for the sins of Manasseth As if it had been said When the enemy made inrodes upon the children of Israel and Judah how came this to pass surely at the command of the Lord or at the mouth of the Lord came this upon Judah It is the word in the Text Doth the Eagle mount up at thy command or at thy mouth One would think that it is not only the Eagles nature to mount up there is somewhat in that but that 's not all it is at the Lords mouth at his command and that we are specially to take notice of here What means this discourse about the Hawk and Eagle but to make us mount up our hearts to God and acknowledge him in the motion of every creature It is at Gods mouth that the Eagle mounts up but what 's the command that the Eagle receives from God Doth not the Eagle mount up by a natural instinct or according to the Law of nature planted in her I answer she doth Yet because that natural instinct of the Eagle is of God therefore we are to look upon the Eagle mounting up as by a special order and command of God And thus we are to understand the motion of all the creatures Facit hoc aquila naturali instinctu Omnis autem naturalis cursus rerum est quaedam motio creaturae ad praeceptum Dei Aquin. Dedistinè hanc naturam aquilae ut attollat se in altum Vatabl. as consequential of a command given out by God Psal 148.8 Fire and hail snow and vapour stormy wind fulfilling his word or his command Though there be a natural cause of the creatures motion of the motion of the wind of the vapour of the snow and hail yet we must not stop at the natural causes and look no farther neither rain nor snow fall nor winds blow but at the command of the Lord Not doth the Eagle mount up at the bidding or teaching of man but at the command of God acting her natural instinct in doing so Doth the Eagle mount up at thy command Hence Note The special motions of the creature are of God Mans mouth or command cannot make any creature stir foot or wing Who can make the Eagle mount the wind blow or the rain fall besides God Secondly As to the manner of this motion it s a mounting motion Note The motion of the creature upward hath much of the command of God in it Some have I know mounting motions at the command of the Devil the Lord hath the command of them though they are not commanded by him that is the proud imaginations the lofty thoughts of man these mounting motions are not at the command but against the command of the Lord the Lord suffers them but they are from Satan he puffs men up he blows them up with pride But both the natural mounâ—ings of the sensitives creatures and the gracious mountings of the new creature on high are by the command of God True believers have lowest or lowliest spirits yet highest and noblest aimes not grovelling on nor bowing to the earth but like an Eagle mounting up on high As this high flight of the soul is highly pleasing unto God so 't is made by his strength and at his command A believer flies high First In the contemplation of divine things What towering thoughts hath he concerning God and the concernments of salvation by Jesus Christ he is not mingling his soul with the dust nor mudding it upon the dunghils of this world As his conversation or trade is for things above so his mind and meditation is upon them Secondly As he flies high
faint Note When God intends and purposeth to humble his people most he would not have them despair in the least When God layes them in the dust he would not have them sink in despair but be of good cheer God loves to see his people humbled but he doth not love to see them dejected As God would have us sensible so comfortable Comfort ye comfort ye my people said the Lord Isa 40.1 when he saw they were ready to sink he commanded comfort to be spoken to them He gives Cordials and Restoratives when he is speaking out of a whirlwind and therefore he said to Job Gird up thy loyns like a man But however the Lord is either counselling or comforting Job in these words he checks and reproves him in the next Verse 8. Wilt thou also disanul my Judgement wilt thou condemn me that thou mayest be righteous These are words of reproof and a very great reproof they are Here the Lord begins to chide and expostulate with Job Wilt thou 'T is a quick kind of speech Irritum facere est simplex verbum contrarium verbo confirmandi aut natum firmumque aliquid faciendi such Questions have much spirit and life in them How now Job Wilt thou disanul my Judgement But what is meant by disanulling what by the Judgement that God saith Job was about to disanul To disanul is to make void to frustrate to break a thing so as it shall not stand in any stead or be of any force it is applied to the breaking of an Oath to the breaking of a Covenant and to the disappointment of counsels and purposes Read Num. 30.14 15. 1 Kings 15.19 Jer. 35.20 Psal 33.10 11. Isa 8.10 Thus saith the Lord Wilt thou disanul or make void my Judgement 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ne repellas judicium meum Sept. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Numquid repelles judicium meum Symach The Septuagint render it as a Negative Command Do not thou repel or resist my Judgement An ancient Greek Translator renders it as we by way of Question What wilt thou repel or oppose my Judgement The word is applied to great sinnings Ezra 9.13 And after all this that is come upon us c. seeing our God hath given us such deliverance as this should we again break thy Commandements c. But did Ezra think that after that they should no more break the Commandements Taking a breach of the Commandements barely for sinning he could not expresse it so therefore by breaking the Commandements he means disanulling the Commandements What is that 'T is so to break the Commandements as if we would rescind and repeal them There is such a kind of sinning as if men would not onely sin against the Law but sin the Law away or out of doors as if men would sin the Bible out of the world that 's the meaning of the word there If we shall again break thy Commandements for it followeth and joyn in affinity with the people of these abominations 'T is not breaking the Commandements by any sin but to sin so as if we would make them all void and reverse the statutes of heaven Thus the word is used by David Psal 119.126 An etiam mutabis judicium meum Targ. which doth much clear the sense of this Text Lord it is time for thee to work Why for they have made void thy law 'T is the same word here in Job They have disanulled thy law 'T is high time for God to awake to bestir himself and look to men when they come to this height of sinning to make void and disanul his Law by setting up their own lusts Some would even enact their own lusts and throw down the Law of God That 's the significancy of the word here used saith God to Job Wilt thou disanul my Judgement Wilt thou make it void or break the course of it Wilt thou change it and put or introduce somewhat of thine own in the room and place of it as some glosse the words Wilt thou disanul My judgement Judgement I conceive in this place is taken for that course of administration which God uses in the World whether with particular persons or with Nations As if the Lord had said Thinkest thou thy self not only able to comprehend the reason of all my administrations towards thy self or others but wilt thou also presume to subject them to thy will and wisdom as if thou couldst administer them with more equality and righteousness or to better purpose than I have done The course or way of Gods dispensation is Gods Judgement and 't is called his Judgement First Because it proceeds upon the highest reason upon the clearest acting of Judgement and understanding and in that sense 't is alwayes Judgement For God is a God of Judgement Isa 30.18 That is of the highest reason and understanding in all matters that he doth Secondly 'T is called Judgement because oftentimes these administrations are as a sentence pronounced and given out by God whether against particular persons or Kingdomes and so have Judgement in them that is wrath and punishment Judgement is often put for punishment In this sense we are to understand it here Wilt thou disanul my Judgement particularly with thy self I have taken this course with thee I have brought all these afflictions upon thee I have broken thy estate I have broken thy body I have broken thy spirit this is the course I have taken with thee wilt thou disanul this course that I have taken with thee surely thou shouldest not I know thou canst not So then the Lord expostulates thus with Job as if he would have crossed all his proceedings and dealings with him or would have rescinded as it were the sentence and decree of God concerning him Wouldest thou have me to change either the matter manner or measure of thy chastnings No my will not thine shall be the rule of them Wilt thou disanul my Judgement Now from this sense of the words Note First It is impossible to reverse rescind or disanul the Judgement of God The Lord speaks to Job as attempting a thing beyond himself or beyond his power What saith the Lord wilt thou disanul my judgement surely thou wilt not venture at that thou wilt not offer that 't is more than thou or any man can do The Lords judgement or the way which he will take with any man no man can supersede or stop no man can hinder him in it What the Lord determines what he gives forth it shall stand Balaam could say Numb 23.20 The Lord hath blessed and I cannot reverse it The judgement of the Lord at that time towards Israel was a Judgement or Sentence of favour and mercy therefore saith Balaam The Lord hath blessed and I cannot reverse it And if the Lord gives out a Sentence of affliction or commands a crosse upon any man who shall reverse it Psal 33.10 The Counsel of the Lord shall stand and the thoughts of
pride of the Assyrian put him upon other sins upon oppression especially he could not keep at home nor be contented with his own Dominion thâ—ugh a very large and vast one he must go abroad and invade other mens Territories his pride sent him to do mischief and he enlarged his desire as hell Proud men must oppress and wrong others to bring in fewel for their own lusts Pride calls in aid from many sins to serve its turn Lastly If Pride provokes God if he looketh upon every one that is proud to abase him and bring him low then how should we labour to be humble ones that the Lord may look upon us with a favourable eye and so he doth upon all them that walk humbly with him As God resisteth the proud so he giveth grace to the humble that is favour The humble shall have his favour and the proud his frowns As to do justly and to love mercy is the sum of all duty to man so to walk humbly is the sum of all duty to God Mic. 6.8 They who walk humbly walk not onely holily but safely They who are low in their own eyes are under the special protection of the high God The Lord having called upon Job to shew the effect of his wrath against one sort of bad men the proud calleth upon him in the next words to shew the effects of his wrath upon all sorts of bad men comprehended under this general word The wicked And tread down the wicked in their place The Lord bids Job do this if he could indeed he could not that he might shew himself a competent match for God As if the Lord had said I tread down the wicked in their places do thou so too if thou canst God had said before Abase every one that is proud and bring him low now he saith Tread down the wicked Tread them down As mire in the street We tread upon vile and contemptible things To tread upon any tâ—ing a person especially notes utter contempt of him and abâ—olute conquest over him and therefore Josh 10.24 to shew the compleat victory which the Lords people had goâ— over the Kings of Canaan Joshua called for all the men of Israel and said unto the Captains of the men of war which went with him Come near put your feet upon the necks of these Kings and they came near and put their feet upon the necks of them And that 's it which the Apostle gives in way of promise as an assurance of our conquest over the evil spirit the devil Rom. 16.20 God shall bruise we put in the Margin tread the Greek word signiâ—ies to bruise by treading God shall tread Satan under your feet shortly that is God will give you a full and a final victory over the devil We have a like expression or promise Psal 91.13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet God will give his people power not onely over hurtful beasts but over men which are hurtful as those beasts and over Satan who is eminently shadowed by the Lion the Adder the young Lion and the Dragon in that evil spirit all these evil beasts are trodden under feet that is subdued and conquered When David would shew how he in case he were faulty was willing to be made a very slave to his enemies he phrases it thus Psal 7.5 Let the enemy persecute my soul and take it yea let him tread down my life upon the earth and lay mine honour in the dust that is let him have full power over me let me be at his mercy though he be mercilesse Once more saith the Church Psal 44.5 Through thee will we push down our enemies through thy name will we tread them down that rise up against us Thus the Lord bespake Job Come saith he Let me see you tread down the wicked get an absolute conquest over them that they may rise up no more in this world to do wickedly Tread down The wicked The word wicked is often taken largely so every man in a sinful state may be called a wicked man every person unconverted or unregenerate every person that hath not true grace is wicked There is no middle estate among men between good and bad converted and unconverted yet here the wicked are not to be taken onely in a large sense for sinners in common but strictly First For the proud before spoken of There the Lord said abase the proud here he saith Tread down the wicked that is the wicked who are proud To be wicked and to be proud are the same For as most wicked men are proud so all proud men are wicked for pride it self is a great wickednesse and it is pride that causeth most men to do wickedly even to rebel against God and his righteous laws to rise up against his wayes and truths When we have said of a man he is proud if we have not said all evil we have said one of the worst evils of him and that which layes him open as to suffer the worst penal evils so to do the worst sinful evils Secondly If we take the words distinctly as we may then by the wicked are meant grosse and flagitious sinners notorious sinners for though as I said before any one that hath not grace may be called wicked yet properly and in Scripture sense wicked ones are notorious presumptuous and flagitious sinners such as sin with a high hand and with a stiffe neck Thirdly By the wicked we may especially understand oppressors who are troublesome and vexatious to others As some are wicked in taking their own pleasure and in satisfying their vain desires so many are wicked in vexing afflicting and oppressing others The Hebrew word for a wicked man signifies such a one as is both unquiet himself and will not suffer others to be quiet In any of or in all these three notions we may expound the word wicked here the wicked are proud ones or notorious evil ones or oppressors of others Tread down the wicked In their place The Hebrew is Vnder them The word also signifieth as we render a proper place and that 's considerable Tread them down in their place The Lord doth not say in thy place but in their place which may note these two things First Wheresoever thou findest them tread them down Secondly In their place that is where they flourish most where they are best rooted or most strongly secured where they have the greatest advantages and strengths to save them harmlesse That is specially a mans place Non est difficile superbum hominem petentem in alieno loco superare quia in eo minus habet potentiae Sanct. where he seateth and hopes to settle himself Now saith God Tread them down in their place I do so I destroy the wicked when and where they think themselves safest where they think no hand can touch them nor arm reach them there my foot shall tread
for his turn And the same saith another learned interpreter Armavit illum Deus manu seu proboscide quasi gladio validi simo Jun. Pisc following this Translation God hath armed him with a Trunk as with a strong and a mighty sword There is a truth in this Translation and interpretation and it hath the suffrage of many worthy men for it as the principal if not the sole meaning of these words God who made Behemoth hath also made him a Sword to defend himself with that his vast body should not be liable to every danger and affront Take one Note from this reading As God hath given the Creatures a being so means to protect and preserve themselves in their Being He that made him hath given him a Sword he hath not left him naked or unarmed Many creatures I mean of the irrational creatures have natural weapons horns hoofs teeth and claws to defend themselves with and offend those with that trouble them Others have only defensive Arms as it were for safety against annoyance shells and thick skins Many have neither offensive nor defensive armes who yet by their natural swiftnesse shift for themselvs by flight and out-â—un their dangers There for is no creature but hath some way or other for its defence As man the chief creature God hath given him Reason to provide all sorts of lawful means for his preservation and defence Take it also spiritually God having made any man a New creature gives him a Sword and means of defence to preserve himself in his spiritual being Every godly man hath spiritual weapons the whole armour of God for his defence against the Devil his spiritual enemy The Apostle leads us into Gods Armory and shews us what weapons God hath made for the spiritual man or for the preservation of man in his spiritual state and being Eph. 6.13 14 c. The Girdle of Truth the Breast-plate of righteousness Feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace The Shield of Faith to quench the fiery darts of the Devil The Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God Thus God hath armed the New-Creature with a Sword he that made him hath made him weapons of defence and offence to save his soul from the wounds of temptation and to resist yea overcome the Tempter Thus as the Lord who made Behemoth hath made him a Sword so he hath provided weapons or means of defence for all other creatures for man especially and most specially for man in his spiritual condition that his immortal soul may be safe whatever becomes of his frail flesh or mortal body So much of and from that first Translation He that made him made his Sword to be near him Yet before I come to explain our own Translation I shall here again mind the Reader what learned Bochartus understands by the Hebrew word rendred Sword in reference to the Hippopotame He that made him saith he hath given him Harpen a sickle or crooked Sword Our Dictionaries render the word Harpe a Wood-knife as also a Sythe This crooked Sword or Sickle denotes saith he the long sharp and somwhat bowed teeth of the Hippopotame with which he doth as it were reap or cut down coâ—n and grasse when he comes on Land to feed as several Greek Poets by him named describe the manner of the Hippotame's feeding which must be granted complyeth well with the words in the next verse where 't is said of Behemoth The Mountains bring him forth food Yet I see no reason but that those great teeth of the Elephant which surely are no hurtlesse weapons as also his Promuscis or Trunk though commonly called his hand may be compared to and expressed by a Sword if that be true which good Authors say he doth with them The Second reading of the Text which Bochartus saith a very learned Interpreter perceiving the inconvenience of the former as to the Elephant took up is also ours He that made him can make his Sword to approach unto him His Sword That is his own Sword Gods Sword God hath a Sword and he can make his Sword approach Behemoth that is As strong as Behemoth is God that made him and gave him his strength can subdue him can pierce his skin though very hard and wound him to the very heart he can break his bones though they are like strong pieces of brass and bars of iron Quasi à Solo Deo sit occidendus Drus So then the meaning of the words according to our translation is plainly this As if the Lord had said Though Behemoth be very vast and big strong and torrible yet I can quickly bring him down Hanc expositionem respuere videtur verbum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 accedere faciet applicabit quo nulla notatur hostilitas sed potius amica conjunctio Pisc and vanquish him Some oppose this translation and exposition because the Hebrew word which we render to approach is not applicable say they to an hostile approach but rather to an amicable and friendly approach Now to come upon one with a Sword is an hostile approach 't is to come as an enemy which say they that word will not well bear But I conceive this to be a mistake for in Scripture once if not oftner the word is used to denote an hostile approach or an assault 1 Sam. 17.40 where David encountring Goliah 't is said He took his staffe in his hand and chose five smooth stones out of the brook and put them in a shepherds bag which he had even in a scrip and his sling was in his hand and he drew near or approached to the Philistim Now how did David approach the Philistim Surely not to salute him as a friend but ro destroy him as an enemy as in the issue he did Though the word commonly signifieth a friendly approach yet the Scripture applyeth it also to an enemy-like or violent approach and therefore that objection is of no force to invalidate our Translation or the Interpretation given of it He that made him can make his Sword approach unto him But what is this Sword that God makes to approach unto Behemoth I answer This Sword is any thing whereby God is pleas'd to subdue or destroy Behemoth or the Elephant whatever instrument God will use that 's his Sword or whether God will use any other creature to kill the Elephant that creature is his Sword 'T is said that the Rhinoceros his sworn enemy if I may so speak gets his sharpned horn under his belly and paunches him 'T is said also that the Dragon loving to suck or drink his blood kills him Now whether the Elephant fall by these beasts and serpents or be slain in battle and war by men he may be said to fall by the sword of God or that God makes his sword approach unto him The sword of God is the power of God put forth by this or that or any means
John stood upon the sand of the sea and saw a beast rise up out of the sea having seven heads and ten horns What was this beast Master Mead saith that by this beast and his seven heads and ten horns we are to understand the Pope with the companies or associations of all those Princes that put themselves under his power all these were figured saith he by that beast rising up out of the sea At the 11th verse of the same Chapter Saint John saith I beheld another beast coming out of the earth and he had two horns like a lamb and he spake like a dragon Apocalyptical Interpreters have various opâ—nions about this second beast but whoever or whatever this or the former beast is to be sure they are some body the spirit of God represents them as terrible Behemoths and the Church hath no help nor comfort against them but that in the Text He that made them can make his sword approach unto them The Prophet Isaiah Chap. 27.1 speaks of the Lords sword and of the use he will put it to In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish Leviathan the piercing Serpent even Leviathan the crooked Serpent and he shall slay the Dragon that is in the Sea that is overcome the devil and all his instruments who oppose and would destroy his Vineyard of Red wine that is his Church Thus we see how the Lord in all ages past hath and how we are assured concerning the Ages to come that he will make that good concerning mystical Behemoths which here he speaks concerning the natural Behemoth He that made him can make his sword approach unto him The Lord having thus far described Behemoth by several parts of his body and by his great strength or power proceeds to describe him further by the manner of his life or by his meat drink and lodging in the latter part of this context to the end of the Chapter Vers 20. Surely the Mountains bring him forth food where all the beasts of the field do play In these words we have the provision which God hath appointed for Behemoth and where Though he be a very great beast and therefore needs much food 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quicquid terra prosert ut sunt herbae arbores yet the Lord hath store enough for him and hath set him where he may feed his fill The Mountains bring him forth grass that is all sorts of herbage and green things And though this part of the description of Behemoth may serve the Hippopotame who as Bochartus saith feeds upon the Hills and Mountains such as they are which lye near the River Nilus as other Amphibions do the Morse especially in other parts of the world yet no man can deny but it doth as well that I say not much better agree to the Elephant that the Mountains bring him forth food The words are plain and need no explication Note two things from them First God provideth food for all creatures even for Behemoth He provides them food from the greatest to the least they are all at Gods finding And doth God take care for Behemoths for Elephants or as some determine it Hippopotames River-Horses and Sea-monsters Surely then as David spake Psal 111.4 He will give meat to them that fear him he will ever be mindful of his Covenant This Inference hath been made from other passages in the former Chapter I only remind the Reader of it here The Lord who provideth mountains of grass or grass upon the mountains for Behemoth hath mountains of provision for all his faithful servants Secondly Note God provides proportionable food for all hiâ— creatures Behemoth is a vast creature therefore God hath whole mountains for him to graze upon he is not shut up in a little pytle or narrow field he hath large mountains for his storeâ— and will not the Lord give proportionable supplies to his people according to all their needs If our needs be great his store is greater The world is mine saith God Psal 50.12 and the fulness of it He that is the fulness of all things and hath in his power and at his dispose the fulness of all the world will not let them of whom the world is not worthy want any thing that is good and expedient for them The mountains and valleys too yea deserts and hard rocks shall bring them forth food God will turn stones into bread and rocks into water rather than they shall want As David said Psal 34.10 The young Lions so I may say the Elephants do lack and suffer hunger but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing that is Lions and Elephants shall rather want than they Surely the mountains bring him forth food Where all the beasts of the field play This argues the milde nature and gentleness of Behemoth the Elephant as was shewed at the 15th verse he lives upon grass not upon flesh as Lions and Bears he lives upon grass and therefore all the beasts of the field play where the Elephant feeds for they know he will not eat nor feed upon them he eats only grass Natural Historians tell us that the beasts seem to rejoyce when they see the Elephant because they know he will not hurt them not only do they feed with him to satisfie hunger but play and sport for delight Hence Note First God can restrain the strongest and most dangerous creatures from hurting the weakest Mitissimus est Elephas neque illius congressum exhorrent caetera animalia sed laeta in iisdem pascuis versantur Plin. l. 69. c. 9. The beasts would have little heart to play where the Elephant feeds were he as fierce and cruel as he is great and strong Thus the Lord orders the spirits of powerful men or of men in great power into such meekness and gentleness that even the meanest live quietly and peaceably by them without fear of hurt as was toucht before The Church is set forth playing as it were not only where the Elephant a gentle beast feeds but where wilde and ravenous beasts feed Isa 11.6 7 8 9. The wolfe shall dwell with the Lamb the Leopard shall lie down with the Kid the Calf and the young Lion and the Fatling shall lie down together and a little child shall lead them that is the Wolfe shall not hurt the Lamb the Leopard shall not trouble the Kid yea saith that illustrious Prophecy vers 8. The sucking child shall play on the hole of the Asp the weaned child shall put his hand on the Cockatrice den they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea The care of God over his Church and servants appears two wayes First In hiding them from such as would do them hurt As it is said Jer. 36.26 when Baruch and Jeremiah had done
great things and we should use means proportionable for the doing of every thing You cannot batter down a stone wall or a strong tower with paper-shot nor with a pot-gun no you must plant cannon for that service Again when this Scripture saith Canst thou draw out Leviathan The emphasis as was shewed before in opening the words lieth in the word thou As if the Lord had said thou canst not but I can Hence note The Lord is able to do the greatest things by smallest means Leviathan to God is but as any little fish to us which is taken with a hook and line To take up Leviathan to do the greatest thing is as easie to God as the least to man As the power of God supplyeth all the weakness of the creature to do any thing so it surpasseth all that strength and greatness of the creature which may seem to hinder him from doing any thing with it or upon it He saith the Apostle Phil. 3.21 shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body how shall he do this according to the working of his mighty power whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself The Lord can doubtless subdue Leviathan to himself by the working of that mighty power which subdueth all things to himself And it is much more easie for Christ to subdue any Leviathan than to change our vile body into the likeness of his own glorious body For as Jesus Christ was once declared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection that is his own resurrection from the dead so he will again declare himself to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of power by our resurrection from the dead He that can draw our dust out of the grave with a word can soon draw Leviathan out of the deepest gulf in the Sea by his hook and cord This may comfort those and strengthen their faith who at any time see Leviathans ready to swallow them up as the Whale did Jonah As the Lord prepared that great fish to swallow up Jonah Jonah 1.17 so he commanded that great fish to deliver him back safe again or as that Scripture saith Chap. 2.10 He spake to the fish and he vomited out Jonah upon the dry land Both were acts of great power and teach us that the Lord hath a soveraign commanding power over all even the greatest creatures The Lord hath a hook for Leviathan He had hooks for Pharaoh The great Dragon in the midst of his Rivers Ezek. 29.3 4. And of him the Lord commanded the same Prophet to speak in a like notion Ezek. 32.2 Son of man take up a lamentation for Pharaoh and say to him thou art like a young Lion of the Nations and thou art as a Whale in the Seas and thou camest forth with thy Rivers and troubledst the waters with thy feet and fouledst their Rivers therefore I will spread out my net over thee and they shall bring thee up in my net I have a net for thee saith this Chapter I have hooks for thee saith that other The Prophet Isaiah to engage the Lord to do some great thing for his Church minded him of what he had formerly and anciently done for Israel Isa 51.9 Awake awake put on strength O arm of the Lord awake as in the ancient dayes as in the generations of old art thou not it that hath cut Rahab and wounded the Dragon This Rahab was Egypt and the Dragon was Pharoah as Interpreters generally agree The Psalmist reports the dealings of God with Pharoah and Egypt in language nearer that of the Text Psal 74.13 14. Thou breakest the heads of the Dragons in the waters thou breakest the heads of Leviathan in pieces and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness that is the remembrance of that mercy and of the mighty power of God in destroying Pharoah and his Egyptian Host who pursued them after their departure from Egypt to the red Sea was to be food for their faith in all the dangers and hardships which they were like to meet with in their travels through the howling wilderness to the Land of promise Take one Scripture-instance more 2 Kin. 19.28 Sennacherib was a Leviathan he came up against Hezekiah to destroy him and his people which provoked the Lord to speak thus of him Because thy rage against me is come into my ears therefore I will put my hook into thy nose and my bridle in thy lips and turn thee back by the way thou camest Thus far of the first thing in the description of Leviathan his greatness The second part of his description sheweth the stoutness and stubbornness of his spirit he will not comply he will not yield he will not any way submit This is laid down in the 3d 4th and 5th verses Vers 3. Will he make many supplications to thee The word in the Hebrew properly signifies deprecation Precamur bona deprecamur tantum mala which is prayer for the turning away of evil when evil is near then we deprecate it Will he do this not he He will not petition thee he scorns to petition thee or to cry for quarter But it may be said can fishes pray or make supplications to do so is at least the work of rational creatures I answer Per Prosopopoeian tribuit ei orationem these words are to be understood by that figure Prosopopoeia frequently used in Scripture when acts of Reason are attributed to irrational yea to senseless and lifeless creatures The very hills and valleys the Seas and waters praise God by a figure and here by a like figure Leviathan will not make supplications unto man which shews the stoutness of his spirit As some prisoners taken in war scorn to ask their lives so if Leviathan were taken with a hook he would make no supplications nor beg your favour so stout is he his heart is too great his stomack too big for any kind of submission Will he make many supplications unto thee no he will make none at all This is further expressed in the latter part of the verse Will he speak soft words to thee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mollibus vel blandis vâ—rbis aut sermonibus Pisc Mr. Broughton renders or Will he speak to thee tenderly Will he flatter or humour thee that he may get loose or be freed from thee When the Gibeonites Josh 9.9 were afraid they should be taken and destroyed they came and begged peace they spake soft words There are words of two sorts Some are very hard words and hard words wound like hard blows And though no blows are given The Lord will come to execute judgement upon the ungodly for all their hard speeches Jude vers 15. Many speak words as hard as stones they throw hard words at the heads and about the
Sea Psal 104.26 There go the Ships there is that Leviathan whom thou hast made to play therein He is made for play not for work but where doth he play Leviathan will play in the Sea but he will not play at Land Wilt thou play with him as with a bird Wilt thou bind him for thy maidens Or for thy maid-servants or for thy litle maiden daughters Young maidens or girles delight in birds and if they get one tyed by a string they play with it Thus we see Leviathan will have no dealing with us neither in earnest nor in jest neither at work nor play he will neither serve us nor sport with us Wilt thou play with him c. Some creatures are made for play for sport others for work and service yet here is one and there are more of that temper so fierce so stout that he will be brought to neither he will not serve you as 't is said in the former verse he will not play with you nor dare you play with him In this latter verse Leviathan is somewhat like that untoward and froward generation of whom Christ spake Mat. 11.16 To whom shall I liken this generation they are like to children fitting in the market-place and calling unto their fellows saying we have piped unto you ye have not danced we have mourned unto you and ye have not lamented So we may say of this Leviathan if you mourn to him he will not lament if you pipe to him he will not dance A proud untractable spirit will not comply nor bow either way he will neither weep nor rejoyce with you fast nor feast with you work nor play with you Thus we have had the description of Leviathan First by the greatness of his body vers 1 2. Secondly by the stoutness of his spirit vers 3 4 5. The five verses following shew the great difficulty or extream danger of taking or of catching him which is the third part of his description Vers 6. Shall the companions make a banquet of him shall they part him among the merchants c. Fishermen use to go out in companies and having sped well in fishing they first eat part themselves and make merry as at a banquet the remainder they send to market or sell to Merchants for profit They shall do neither with Leviathan for they cannot take him 'T is a vain thing to talk of dividing the Bears skin before we have taken the Bear Shall the companions make a banquet of him That is either First Shall they eat him shall he be the matter of the banquet the chief dish at the feast Or Secondly Shall they rejoyce and make merry because they have catcht Leviathan and gotten such a prize Understanding the words in this latter sense Leviathan being caught is the occasion not the matter of the banquet As if it had been said Fisher-men or their societies shall never have cause to rejoyce and triumph at the captivity of Leviathan nor say they have gotten him into their hands or custody to lade their vessels and fill their ware-houses to vend him out again and fill their purses as it followeth in this verse Shall they part him among the Merchants The word rendred Merchants Causnaeorum nomen in Scriptura passio◠pro Mercatoribus usurpatur quòd ea gens negatiationi mercimoniis addicta fuerit ob maris viciniam Merc. is according to the Hebrew Canaanites Merchants were so called because there was much Merchandise used by and among the Canaanites their country lying near the Sea Shall thy companions make a banquet of him c. Hence note First That which is got by hard and perilous labour makes the labourers merry when they have got it The Text seems to say If they could but get Leviathan into their hands what feasting would there be or there would be great feasting He that by diligent search finds that blessed treasure in the field of which Christ spake in the Parable Mat. 13.44 he I say for joy of it sells all that he hath and buyeth that field And as they who have found Christ that treasure have cause to rejoyce with great joy So when any good is found or gained by hard labour 't is matter of joy But is banqueting and feasting all that Fisher-men aime at when they labour and venture so hard to catch Leviathan surely no they aime at profit more than at pleasure it is to sell off what they get to the Merchants Hence note Profit puts men upon hard and perilous labours What almost will not men do whither will they not venture for profit gain sweetens labour and the hope of a market the hardness of the undertaking Shall they part him among the Merchants Hence we may note Merchandise is of very antient use Merchants have been of old buying and selling conveighing by Land transporting by sea the commodities of one country to another as it turns to the riches so to the honour and manifold advantages of mankind Only let Merchants be wise to trade heaven-ward as well as earth-ward and be careful they make not shipwrack of a good conscience while their ships and goods escape it Let them often remember the Apostles admonition 1 Cor. 7.29 30. The time is short let them that buy be as if they possessed not and they that use this world as not abusing it for the fashion of this world passeth away Be not unwise Merchants such as mind not the true treasure the right pearl of price The Lord having in this sixth verse intimated how hard a task and how hazardous it is to take Leviathan speaks it expressly in the next Vers 7. Canst thou fill his skin with barbed Irons or his head with fish-spears Barbed irons and fish-spears are instruments in use at this day for the taking of Whales and such like Sea-monsters Now saith the Lord though thou canst not draw up Leviathan with hook and line yet possibly thou thinkest he may be conquered with barbed Irons and spears The word here rendred barbed Irons signifies thorns because such irons are sharp like thornes The skin of a well-grown Whale is extream tough and not easily penetrated so that the Lord might well say Canst thou fill his skin with barbed Irons or his head with fish-spears Yet I conceive these questions do not import an utter impossibility but the extream difficulty of taking the Leviathan what animal soever it is The learned Bochartus takes these words as much favouring his opinion for the Crocodile For saith he they who write about the manner of catching the Whale testifie that he is overcome with showers of barbed Irons cast or poured upon him by the Sea-men that compasse him about but as for the Crocodile his skin is altogether impenitrable But I shall defer any further discourse about this point which is the chief proof against the Whale till I come to the 15th verse and those which follow in a description of the scales of Leviathan And
had received the Lord Jesus Christ There are two things which we should be very much in remembering First Our duty Eccles 12.1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth Secondly Our danger or take both together what danger duty may engage us in else when danger comes we shall soon forsake our duty Many take up a profession of Christ who never thought of the danger of the tryals afflictions and temptations which might befall them for his sake they remembred not the battle and so have either presently been overcome and fallen in it or have unworthily forsaken their colours and run from it Secondly Note It is best not to do or forbear to do that which we cannot but see if we have our eyes in our heads will be dangerous to us in the doing We are not always to forbear the doing of those things that will be dangerous to our outward man for so the best things may be but those things that will be dangerous to our bodies and souls too we must always for bear to do in all such cases it is our duty to remember the battle and do no more Will any wise man engage in danger which can produce no profit There are some things which we are to do and do again though our danger be never so great yea though we lose our lives in doing them But there are many things we may not do if we fore-see danger The Apostle Paul Acts 27.9 10. being at sea said I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage not only to the lading of the ship but to our lives also therefore he tells them ver 21. Sirs ye should have harkened to me and not have loosed from Crete and to have gained this harm and loss that had been their wisdom when they were warned of the danger not to have gone on When there is danger to our bodies only and we see no benefit that may countervail the danger 't is folly to proceed I may urge this point specially in case of sin Take heed of doing any thing that is evil remember the battle that sin will bring you to Sin will bring you to a terrible battle to such a battle as no man can stand in or escape Sin brings to a battle infinitely more dangerous than that with Leviathan Sin provokes God to battle and when God is angry we may more safely contend with ten thousand Leviathans than with him When you are tempted to put your hand to sin O remember the battle remember the battle Thou possibly wilt have a sore battle in thy own conscience and that 's a dreadful Leviathan but that 's not all remember the battle with God who is greater than conscience you must come to judgment remember the battle of that day or that day of Battle with impenitent and hardned sinners and sin no more give it over as you love your lives as you love your precious souls and the everlasting peace or welfare of them You cannot sin without a great deal of danger even the danger of eternal wrath and death Thus I have touched at some things from this third part of the description of Leviathan He hath hitherto been set before us First In the huge bulk and bigness of his body Secondly In the stoutness of his spirit he will neither make supplications nor enter covenant he will neither serve you nor sport with you both which Behemoth the Elephant will do Thirdly In the difficulty and danger of taking him So much danger is in it that if you lay your hand on him it were best to remember the battle and do no more Yet the Lord speaks more concerning the danger of medling with Leviathan in the ninth verse throughout and in the former part of the tenth Vers 9. Behold the hope of him is in vain As if the Lord had said if none of these means can take Leviathan then the hope of him that goes about to take him is lost and frustrate if by these means he cannot be taken then there is no means to take him for he cannot be taken by any means The hope Of him That is of him that goes about to catch Leviathan In order of speech it should have been said thy hope will bâ— in vain Dicendum sucrat spes tua sed in genere dicere voli erit c. Merc. for God was speaking before to Job yet he doth not say thy hope but the hope of him that is the hope of any man will be in vain as if he had said not only shalt thou labour in vain to graple with this sea-monster Leviathan but all men else whosoever they are that attempt or go about to take him The hope of him is In vain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mantitas reipsa vel verbis The Hebrew is the hope of him lyeth It is usual both in the Hebrew and Latine tongue when our hopes and endeavours fail or are frustrate to say they lye or deceive us and the reason is because such a man promised himself great things and had confident expectations without success Thus 't is said Hab. 3.17 Although the labour of the Olive shall fail we put in the Margin lye The Husband-man having bestowed much labour upon the Olive and looking for much fruit may be deceived and so all that labour bestowed in dressing and looking to the Olive-tree failing and being lost the labour of the Olive or the pains taken about the Olive-tree is said to lye The hope of him shall be in vain or lye Our hope is said to be in vain three ways First When we hope for much and get but little according â—o that of the Prophet convincing the Jews of their neglect in building the Temple Hag. 1.9 Ye looked for much and behold it came to little ye hoped for a plentiful harvest ye thought to have had a great crop but it went very close together ye looked for cart-loads but had scarcely handfuls So some expound or give the meaning of that Prophesie Isa 49. 4th and 6th compared It is a Prophesie of Christ at the 4th verse Christ saith I have laboured in vain I have spent my strength for nought and in vain Why did Christ say he had laboured in vain He tells us the reason at the 6th verse And he said that is the Lord said to him It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the Tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles that thou mayst be my salvation unto the end of the earth Christ looked upon his labour as labour in vain if he had died to redeem the Jews only and therefore saith God I will give thee for a light to the Gentiles that thou mayst be my salvation to the end of the earth and then I hope thou wilt not think thy labour in vain Now when the Lord had granted Jesus Christ that
to Joshua Josh 1.5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life What a promise was here to a man Joshua was indeed one of the worthiest warriers that ever was upon the earth and may well be reckoned not only one of but the cheif or most worthy among the nine Worthies of the world seing no man could stand before him nor should in way of opposition all the days of his life Now if the Lord promised such a power unto Joshua and made it good that none should be able to stand before him all the days of his life then who among the children of men shall be able to stand before God The Prophet Malachy speaking of Christs coming Chap. 3.1 saith Behold he shall suddenly come into his Temple even the Messenger of the Covenant But what follows ver 2. Who may abide the day of his coming If there was such a terribleness in Christs coming in the flesh as to the spiritual power and effects of it that the Prophet saith Who may abide the day of his coming O then who shall be able to stand before Christ when he shall come in glory to judge the earth If they could not abide the day of his coming when he came with refiners fire and fullers sope how will they be able to stand before him when he cometh with consuming fire No man can stand before God in any of these four ways First In his own wisdom to plead it out with God If we plead with God our wisdom will be found foolishness and we our selves shall be confounded as fools The Lord saith Job Chap. 12.17 maketh the Judges fools Judges are usually full of wisdom yet God maketh even them fools God in strict sense maketh none nor would he have any made Judges but the wise yet he himself can make the wisest of them fools And if so then there is no standing before God in our own wisdom Secondly There is no standing before God in our own strength or power Our strength is but weakness yea rottennâ—ss to his as the Prophet speaks Isa 5.24 Their root shall be rottenness and there blossome shall go up as the dust Thus it is with all flesh if they stand in their own strength their root which is their strength shall be as rottenness and their blossome which is their beauty shall go up as the dust Thirdly There is no standing before God in our own righteousness to be acquitted accepted and justified There are many deficiencies and flawâ— in our righteousness therefore we cannot stand before God in it there is much unrighteousness in our righteousness therefore we cannot stand before God in it and how righteous if I may so speak soever our righteousness is or may be yet we cannot stand before God in it because he hath appointed another righteousness or the righteousness of another even the righteousness of Jesus Christ for us to stand before him in So then if we would stand before God all these must be laid down we must lay down our own wisdom we must become fools that we may be wise we must lay down our own strength we must become weak that we may be strong and we must lay down our own righteousness and look upon our selves as guilty creatures as condemned persons as cast and lost in our selves we must have nothing but the wisdom and strength and righteousness of God to stand before God in that is we must stand before God by faith God is not terrible to such they may stand before God the poorest sinner may stand before God in the wisdom and strength and righteousness of Jesus Christ Thus we may answer the question Who can stand before me saith God I can stand before thee saith a believer I can stand before thee with boldness being quit of self-wisdom strength and righteousness and looking to Christ Jesus for all How sweet how gracious and how delightful is the presence of God to an humble believing soul to a broken-hearted sinner The Lord saith I will dwell with such a one he shall not only come and stand before me but I will come and sit down with him I will take up my abode in an humble soul in an empty soul Who is able to stand before me saith God None can in their own wisdom strength or righteousness but in Christ we may From hence we may more than conclude Fourthly That there is no standing before God in our sins God is terrible to sinners that is to those who continue in the love and practice of their sins God is of purer eyes than to behold and approve evil David having spoken of those Psal 1.1 that stand in the way of sinners saith at the 5th ver there is a standing for them in the Judgment They that stand in the way of sinners cannot stand at the Judgment-seat of God Job said Chap. 13.16 A hypocrite shall not come before him that is he shall not come with acceptance before God Though hypocrites will thrust themselves into the presence of God yet they shall not come before him though now an hypocrite may come before God in any outward performance yet not with any acceptance and to be sure he shall not come before God in glory and if he shall not come before him how can he stand before him The Lord will even blow him away Only they that fall down before God are able to stand before him We must fall down before God in a sence of our own vileness and wretchedness and then we shall be able to stand before him and to behold his pleased face by an eye of faith A stout sinner shall never stand before him It is said Zech. 3.1 Joshua stood before the Angel of the Lord. He had much ado to keep his standing why because the Devil stood there to resist him and pointed to his filthy garments but the Angel pleaded with the Lord to take away his filthy garments and when they were taken away then he was able to stand before God It is said Zech. 4.14 which is conceived to be meant of Joshua and Zerubbabel These are the two anointed ones which stand before the Lord of the whole earth And as they in the type so all that are Olive-branches that have the pure oil of the Spirit may and shall stand before God We become Olive-branches in Christ having the oil or the graces of the Spirit sent down into our hearts according to the promise Holy and humble souls Olive-branches they that are full of the grace and Spirit of our Lord Jesus shall stand before God but as for man himself that is man in himself in his own wisdom strength or righteousness above all in his sins and unrighteousness can never stand before God If he cannot stand before Leviathan how can he stand before the Lord This is a great Gospel truth given in by himself while he is treating of this sea-monster There is no standing before
me or in his undertaking me about this matter And when that 's done I shall easily and quickly convince him or make him both see and confess that he is a poor weakling that he is nothing or if any thing vile compared with me For if I do but oppose to him the parts powers and comliness of Leviathan he will find himself over-matched Thus I say some conceive the Lord referreth to the former words as promising to him right that should accept the challenge there made and say that he had prevented God or had been aforehand with him Alii non tacerem mendacia ita sumitur ejus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 enim cap. 11.3 Merc. Others give it thus if any man shall venture to answer my challenge I will not conceal his lies so the word by us translated parts is rendred Chap. 11.3 nor his boasting words not the rhetorical ornaments nor the comely proportion of his speech in pleading and arguing with me all which will be found upon trial to be but lies vain flourishes and mear sophistical fallacies But I rather take this verse as a general Preface to that which the Lord intended further to say in the description of this mighty creature Leviathan As if he had said O Job that thou mayst be yet more fully convinced how unable thou art to deal with this mighty fish and mayst therein see yet more clearly how unable thou art to stand before my power who have given both being and power to this creature I shall go on to give thee a more lively picture a more particular narrative a fuller character of him and as it were anatomize this sea monster in all his parts powers and proportions So then in this context and forward to the end of the 32d verse we have the fourth part of the description of Leviathan even by the distinct parts of his body together with the wonderful powers effects and operations that appear in them as acted by that courage stoutness and greatness of spirit with which God have clothed him I will not conceal his parts The Hebrew is I will not be silent about his parts And when the Lord saith I will not conceal nor be silent his meaning is I will fully Meiosis celebrarem ejus membra Drus largely and evidently declare the parts the power and the comely proportion of Leviathan I will view as it were all that is most observable in and about him I will do it exactly not slightly or perfunctorily but like an Oratour declare all his excellencies I will not let slip nor omit any thing that is material or conducible to his commendation So that when the Lord saith I will not conceal he intends much more than he expresseth As the Prophet also did Isa 62.1 when he said For Zions sake will I not hold my peace meaning that he would pour out his heart and make a loud cry in prayers and supplications for Zions sake That 's the import of his words I will not hold my peace As also of those vers 6. Ye that make mention of the Lord or ye that are the Lords remembrancers in the concerns of Zion keep not silence The meaning is speak much for Zion A man doth not keep silence nor hold his peace who speaketh only a word or two But the Lords remembrancers must speak to the full much and often they must urge him with many arguments and plead hard till he bring forth salvation in Zion I urge this Scripture as parallel to the Text in hand where the Lord saith I will not conceal when his purpose was to speak copiously and largely And here the Lord setteth down three things concerning Leviathan which he will not conceal First His parts Secondly His power Thirdly His comely proportion To these three heads all that can be said of Leviathan is reducible I will not conceal his parts or members 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This creature is made up of several heterogeneal parts or members The word rendred parts properly signifieth the bar or bolt of a door as also the boughs of a tree There is a great elegancy in that metaphor because the members of the body in any creature are as so many boughs shot out from the stock of a tree I will not conceal his parts But what are the parts which the Lord mentions or would not conceal I answer The word parts in our language and common speech signifieth the inward abilities and faculties of any man We say such a one is a man of excellent parts or he hath good parts that is he is a wise man an understanding man a well-spoken man But here in this place the word parts notes only the limbs members and organs of the body or the several pieces of the whole compages or frame of the body Of these parts the Lord speaketh in the following part of the Chapter And he speaketh First Of his skin ver 13. Secondly Of his jaws and teeth ver 14. Thirdly Of his scales ver 1◠16 17. Fourthly Of his nostrils eyes and mouth ver 18 19 20 21. Fifthly Of his neck ver 22. Sixthly Of his flesh all over ver 23. Seventhly Of his heart ver 24. All these if not more particular parts the Lord mentions in this Chapter and therefore he might well say I will not conceal his parts Nor his power Parts are one thing and power is another There may be great bodily parts where there is but little power That which maketh parts excellent is when they are full of power or when outward parts are accompanied with inward parts which are the accomplishments of them I will not conceal his power Notum ut 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prore sumatur Drus The Hebrew is The word or matter of his power Master Broughton renders I will not conceal the speech of strength that is the matter of his strength The Hebrew word signifies not only a word but matter or thing I will not conceal the things of his power These powers are expressed afterwards First In his nostrils By his neefings a light doth shine in the former part of the 18th verse Secondly In his eyes They are like the eye-lids of the morning in the latter part of the 18th verse Thirdly In his mouth Out of his mouth go burning lamps and sparks of fire leap out ver 19. Heat riseth out of the vital power of any creature Leviathans heat is so great that it is called fire and from thence smoke goeth out of his nostrils as out of a seething-pot or cauldron ver 20. yea his breath kindleth coals and a flame goeth out of his mouth ver 21. All these expressions shew the mighty heat within him Fourthly In his neck ver 22. In his neck remaineth strength He hath not only a neck but a strong neck Fifthly In his heart ver 24. His heart is as firm as a stone yea as hard as a piece of the nether mill-stone Sixthly Such is his power
elegancy of the Hebrew So then these words shew the great strength of Leviathan A stiff or thick neck signifies both strength of body and stoutness of spirit Naturalists say Qui collum habent grossum fortes sunt imbecilles autem qui illud habent gracile Aristot in Physiognomicis those creatures are very strong that are thick neckt as Bulls c. and they are weak that have thin slender necks The Scripture intimates the stiffness and unyieldingness of mans will to the commands of God by the stiffness of his neck Psalm 75.5 Lift not up your horn on high speak not with a stiff neck that is with a neck that will not bow to the Lords yoak nor obey his commands Humble ones bow their heads to worship God and yield their necks to his will For though to bow down the head like a bull rush for a day be not the Fast which God hath chosen Isa 58.5 for that is but an out-side repentance and they who do so may still remain stiff-spirited and pertinacious in their sins yet the bowing of the head hath in it the appearance of a bowed or humbled heart and a stiff neck is the badge of a proud impenitent one To speak with a stiff neck is to speak arrogantly Hannah in her Song 1 Sam. 2.3 useth this language to the stiff ones of the world Talk no more so exceeding proudly let not arrogancy come out of your mouth we put in the margin let not hardness come out of your mouth that is let it not appear at your mouths that your hearts are hard that your spirits are high and stiff speak no more as if you were Leviathans as if you could not bow your necks 'T is good to have a neck strong to bear but there is nothing worse than a strong neck that will not bow yet the strength of Leviathans neck seems rather to imply his courage than his pertinacy as it followeth In his neck remaineth strength And sorrow is turned into joy before him There are three other readings of these words which I shall name and come to our own Ante cum exilit moeror Jun. i. e. moerore afficit omnes obvios ac si de illis triumphans exultaret moeror effectus ab ea humonitus dictum Jun. First Some thus In his neck remaineth strength and before him danceth fear Several of the learned insist much upon this translation and their meaning is this all that come near Leviathan or within sight of him are afraid all the fish in the sea and all the mariners upon the sea that see him dance or hast away for fear as if fear caused by him triumphing over them danced before them He makes such a combustion by stirring the waters and rolling in them that be frights every living thing he meets with none dare stand him Secondly Master Broughton renders it thus Before him danceth carefulness that is as himself glosseth he takes or hath no care meeting with any fish to feed upon that his taking thought is a gladness He is so strong that he knows he can master all the fish that comes near him and can have prey enough for the taking to satisfie his vast stomack and fill his belly therefore he takes no care for tomorrow before him danceth carefulness Christ saith to his disciples take no thought for the morrow It were well if such carefulness danced before us as Leviathans cares dance before him We say of some men they sing care away and all carking heart-cutting and dividing cares should even dance away before all men The Apostles counsel is 1 Cor. 7.32 I would have you without carefulness as much as to say let carefulness dance before you or put it from you use the means and be not solicitous about successes or issues The moâ—e we live by faith the less we live in care or the more our cares dye and they whose hearts are full of faith cannot but have their heads emptied of cares Some say we have a great family many bellies to fill and backs to cloth how can we be without carefulness Consider one Leviathan needs more food than many families yet he takes no care God provides for him though he know it not and will he not provide for those that know him therefore let carefulness dance before you That 's a good reading for our use and comfort Thirdly Others translate thus before him passeth pennury Faciem ejus praecedit egestas Vulg. The meaning of that reading is wheresoever Leviathan comes he leaves nothing but pennury behind him he devours all before him and all little enough scarce enough for him all the fish he meets with all in the sea he eats them up the sea hardly affords enough to fill his huge belly satisfie his hungry appetite As 't is said of Behemoth he thinks he can draw up Jordan that is all the waters of Jordan so Leviathan thinks he can draw up the sea that is all the fish in the sea so that how much soever he meets with he looks upon it as pennury at most as but enough for him So that this translation Before him passeth pennury may have or bear these two interpretations Either First That he makes all pennury where he comes as it s said of the Turkish wars where the Grand Signiors horse treads the grass will not grow he treads down and spoils all Or as 't is said in Scripture of those enemies The land was before them like the garden of Eden and behind them as a desolate wilderness Or Secondly That he thinks all to be but pennury and scarcity how plentiful soever it is that is before him That which may suffice many is scarce a morsel or a mouthful for him as if all the fish in the sea could not serve him for a break-fast As 't is said of Alexander the Great when he had conquered the known world he was as hungry and sharp-set as ever he looked upon all as pennury and wished there were another world for him to conquer Thus plenty is pennury to Leviathan he is an unsatiable gulf that 's a third reading our own saith Sorrow is turned into joy before him The meaning I conceive 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exultavit Mont. vertetur in laetitiam Pagn Quicquid solicitudinem aliis parit excitat exhilerat ipsius animum Bez. is this Leviathan is so strong and powerful such strength remaineth in his neck that nothing can daunt him or bring down his spirit nothing can trouble him much less terrifie him he fears nothing he fears none and if any object of sorrow present it self to him 't is presently his joy That which hath greatest matter of sorrow in it is to him matter of sport or he makes a sport of it he even rejoyceth in the midst of those things that makes others sad he either makes nothing of them or no such thing of them as they appear to others Sorrow is turned into joy before
Leviathans description is taken by Bochartus as a further proof that the Leviathan here spoken of is the Crocodile whose scales are not penetrable by the force of any weapon whereas saith he the skin of the Whale gives passage to the forcible stroke or thrust of any sharp-edged or sharp-pointed instrument For answer to this I have no more to say than what hath been said at the 15th 16th and 17th verses of this Chapter concerning the scales of Leviathan to which I refer the Reader and shall pass on when I have given three or four hints by way of improvement from the whole First If the Lord hath made a creature that no weapon can hurt then surely the Lord himself is exalted above all hurt from the creature as it is said in another place of this Book Chap. 35.6 If thou sinnest what dost thou against him or if thy transgressions be multiplyed what dost thou unto him that is thou canst not hurt God with thy sin Though men by sin lay at him as with sword and spear though they throw their sling-stones of blasphemy at him they cannot hurt him Gamaliel Acts 5.39 gives warning against this take heed what ye do refrain from these men lest haply ye be found even to fight against God They fight against God who set themselves to do mischief but what mischief soever they do to men or among men they can do none to God their weapons reach him not As Solomon tells us Prov. 21.30 There is no wisdom nor counsel against the Lord so there is no weapon against the Lord Sword and spear and dart whether material or metaphorical are but stubble before him And as the Lord himself is beyond the reach of weapons and the rage of man so are they who are under the Lords protection therefore it is said of the Church Isa 54.17 No weapon formed against thee shall prosper that is it shall not have the intended effect of the Smith that made it as that Scripture speaks nor of the hand that weilds it The sword of him that layeth at the Church of God shall not hold the spear the dart nor the habergeon As none are so much assaulted as the Church so none are so well armed and defended Secondly As no offensive weapon can hurt the Lord so no defensive weapon can shelter us from hurt if under the wrath of the Lord. Though we have got an Habergeon though we have scales or bucklers like Leviathan yet the Lord hath a sword a spear a dart that can strike through them that is through all the defences of the most hardned sinners in the world There is no shelter to be found nor defence to be made against the weapons of divine wrath but only in and by Jesus Christ God is a shield and Buckler a Helmet and an Habergeon for believers against all offensive weapons of men or devils but where shall unbelievers find a shield or a buckler to secure themselves against the offensive weapons of God! Again some in allegorizing this Scripture say that Leviathan is an emblem of the Devil Now though it be a truth that no outward weapon no sword nor dart can terrifie or hurt the Devil yet the Lord hath furnished us with weapons that can pierce the Devil that Leviathan and defend us from his power Eph. 6.14 15 16. The sword of the Spirit the Word of God will wound that old Leviathan the Breast-plate of Righteousness the Helmet of Salvation the Shield of Faith will preserve us from woundings in the midst of all his fiery darts How soon would the Devil that cunning and cursed and cruel Darter and Archer wound our souls to death with his fiery darts and poysonous arrows if the Lord had not given us a shield a breast-plate and an helmet more impenetrable than the scales of Leviathan Lastly This description of Leviathan carrieth in it a fit resemblance of a hardned sinner of a sinner resolved upon his evil wayes Some sinners come at last to such a hardness that they are like Leviathan nothing will pierce them the sword of the Spirit doth not enter them Though you lay at them with all your might in the Ministry of the Word though you cast darts and shoot arrows of terrible threatnings against them they esteem them but straw and stubble sin hath so hardned them that they as we may express it are Sermon-proof threatning-proof yea judgement-proof too as to amendment by them though they are broken and perish under them Let God say what he will in his Word or do what he will in his works they regard it not they laugh at the shaking of these spears As a man that hath armour of proof cares not for sword or spears fears not an arrow nor a bullet so 't is in a spiritual sense with resolved sinners God having as a just judgement for former sins given them a shield upon their hearts as the word signifieth Lam 3.65 which we render sorrow of heart and put in the margin obstinacy that is hardness of heart they then account reproofs threats admonitions the most terrible words in all the armoury of God no more than a straw or rotten wood Woe to these Leviathans to those who harden their hearts against the Word of God Who hath hardned himself against the Word of the Lord and prospered And let all such know that as the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 10.4 The weapons of our warfare are not carnal that is weak dull edgeless pointless tools but mighty through God c. And that though now they prevail not to conversion yet they will prevail to condemnation and that while they go on to sin they are but going as Solomon speaks of the young wanton Prov. 7.22 As an Ox goeth to the slaughter or as a fool to the correction of the stocks till a dart strike through his liver God will have a dart at last which shall enter a dart which those Leviathans shall not count stubble nor find to be so The Lord proceeds to describe Leviathan and as we may conceive to give a further demonstration of the hardness of his scales and skin Vers 30. Sharp stones are under him he spreadeth sharpe pointed things upon the mire Mr. Broughton reads it His underneath-places be as sharp-sheards The word rendred Sharp stones properly signifies the sharp pieces of a pot-sâ—â—â—rd that is stones or other hard things as sharp and pricking as the pieces of a broken pot-sheard We may expound this verse two wayes First As being a proof of the hardness and firmness of Leviathans skin and flesh so hard they are that he can lye down and rest himself upon hard and sharp stones even upon the sharp tops of rocks in the Sea as we lye down upon our beds Sharp stones are under him but he feels them not which may be the meaning also of the next words He spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire That is Leviathan like some hardy man or iron-sides scorns to lye
much faith A few words please God where he seeth much faith First He confesseth Gods Omnipotency I know that thou canst do every thing I know The word notes a certain knowledge such a knowledge as leaveth no place for doubting nor for an uncertain opinionating I know is as much as I am assured As Jacob said to Joseph when he told him Manasseh was his first born Gen. 48.19 I know it my son I know it c. As if he had said I do not lay my right hand upon the younger by mistake but choice I know very well which is the first-born and I know what I do in laying my right hand upon the younger Thus saith Job here I know that thou canst do every thing This great truth is fixed and fully settled upon my heart and I urge my self with all my might now to give thee the glory of it though sometimes under my grievous pains and undue passions I have obscured it and spoken as if I doubted or were not well assured of it I know That thou canst do every thing The word rendred canst do notes two things First Might 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 potuit potestatem habuit potentior fuit superavit praevaluit Id tantum possumus quod juro possumus Secondly Right to do all things For indeed we can do no more than we have a right to do Again It signifies not only a power of doing but a prevailing power of doing or a conquering power a power that overcomes all difficulties and removes all obstacles or obstructions such a power is intended in this word We have it in a proper name Prov. 30.1 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh even the prophesie The man spake unto Ithiel even unto Ithiel and Ucal Under both these names Ithiel and Vcal some conceive Christ is to be understood he is Ithiel which signifies as Emanuel God with us and he is Vcal that is powerful and almighty When the Prophet Jeremiah would shew how strongly that people were bent to sin he speaks to them all as one man Jer. 3.5 Behold thou hast spoken and done evil as thou couldst that is thou hast put forth thy utmost Can thou hast done as much evil as thou canst As here Job saith of the Lord Thou canst do all things So said the Prophet of the people Thou hast spoken and done evil as thou couldst A godly man sins but he doth not sin as he can he doth not lay his utmost strength nor set his shoulders to it but an evil man doth evil as he can he serves his lust as he should serve God with all his might I urge that place only to note the force of the word I know that thou canst do Every thing That is every thing which is fit for and becoming thy Majesty to do every thing which is good every thing which is just every thing which doth not reflect dishonour upon thy name every thing that is not a contradiction to thy self Thus take things of what kind you will God can do them and take things in what degree you will God can do them he can do not only little things but great things yea the greatest things Great and little make no matter of difference with God As if Job had said O Lord I know and acknowledge there is nothing too hard for thee yea nothing is hard to thee and that as thy counsels and decrees are altogether wise and just so thou hast power enough to execute and bring them about Thou canst do Every thing There is no bound to the power of God except his own will God will not do every thing that he can but he can do every thing that he willeth nothing can stop the power of God in doing where his will is to do Thou canst do every thing Or we may take it thus God can do every thing that is every thing that he hath said he will do every thing that he hath engaged himself to do by promise or by prophesie he hath power to do what he hath said or fore-shewed shall be done Thus Job gives glory to God and begins as David Psal 59.16 17. to sing of the power of the Lord as well as of his mercy I will sing of thy power unto thee O my strength will I sing Here Job sings of the power of God I know that thou canst do every thing The words have no difficulty in them only when Job saith here I know that thou canst do every thing it may be questioned Did not Job know this before yea had not Job said as much as this before that God could do every thing In several passages of the ninth and twelfth Chapters he said as much as this and more cannot be said of God We have said every thing of God when once we have said he can do every thing There Job cryes up the power of God together with his wisdom vers 4. c. He is wise in heart and mighty in strength who hath hardned himself against him and prospered If any ask what can God do Job answers He can remove the mountains and overturn them in his anger he shaketh the earth out of its place he commandeth the Sun and it riseth not and sealeth up the Stars he alone spreadeth out the heavens and treadeth upon the waves of the Sea All these are speakings forth of the Almightiness of God and he that can do these things surely can do all things Now seeing Job was there so much upon this point before how is it that here he saith I know that thou canst do every thing as if this were some new matter which he was not acquainted with before or had never uttered I answer it is true Job knew this before but he did not know it before as he knew it now Though he knew the Lords power before and spake of it yet the trouble of his spirit and the anguish of his soul under his sufferings did very much darken him as to this knowledge and therefore when Job saith I know that thou canst do every thing this knowing is not to be understood as opposed to ignorance only as if Job knew this now and did not know it at all before but knowing here is opposed to a lesser degree of knowledge or knowing here imports a higher and greater degree of knowledge than ever he had before concerning the power of God Job spake sometimes before as if he knew little of this great truth and he much detracted from the absolute power of God over all creatures by his complainings especially that he and other innocent ones were afflicted as also by his earnest desire of knowing why he was afflicted being innocent thereby intimating that he was not so well satisfied in the dealing of God with him nor had wholly resigned up himself to the soveraign power and will of God to be disposed of at his pleasure so that in this short confession Job seems to speak more largely
Testament was Repent ye for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand Mat. 3.2 And the end or design of the first Sacrament or seal of the Gospel-covenant is expressed to be repentance Mat. 3.11 I baptize you with water unto repentance yea the first word of the first Sermon upon record which Christ himself preached in person was Repent Mat. 4.17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say repent This also was the substance of the Apostles Sermons when first sent forth by Christ to preach the Gospel Mark 6.12 They went out and preached that men should repent The first word of counsel which the Apostle Peter gave to the Jews crying out men and brethren what shall we do was Repent Acts 2.38 And the Apostle Paul saith that the whole of his work in preaching the Gospel was his testifying both to Jews and Gentiles repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ Act. 20.21 'T is through the Gospel only that repentance is possible And this appears two wayes First Because we have not a liberty to repent or we are not admitted to repent but by the Gospel We find no place for repentance in the Law strictly taken or as opposed to the Gospel The Law speaks thus Gal. 3.10 Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the Law to do them Where we see First the Law requires personal obedience every one must do for himself Secondly The Law requires perpetual obedience every one that continueth not doing Thirdly The Law requires universal obedience every one that continueth not in all things If any one continue not at all times in all things saith the Law or if he fail but once in any one thing he is gone for ever he is cursed The Law doth not say if a man continue not to do all let him repent that admits no second thoughts but claps the curse presently upon the offender If Adam as soon as he had eaten of the forbidden tree had bewailed his sin and said I repent no favour could have been shewed him while under the Law Secondly Under the Law there is no ability given for repentance All the promises of a broken heart and of godly sorrow are appendants of the Gospel This spiritual curse which falls upon the soul sinning under the Law is impenitency for sin Death in sin is the punishment of sin and therefore when Adam had sinned he never gave the least intimation of nor shewed the least inclination to repentance all he did was to hide himself from God among the trees of the garden and to hide his sin from God as well as he could by vain excuses he had not a heart to mourn for his sin nor a tongue to confess it till the Promise came and the Gospel was published and then though his repentance be not mentioned yet doubtless he repented And hence the Apostle concludes Apostates from the profession which they once made of Christ under an utter impossibily of repentance Heb. 6.4 5 6. And the reason why the fallen Angels never repented was because they had no Mediator nor did Jesus Christ take their nature on him Heb. 2.16 Thus far of the first thing in the description of repentance the general nature of it 't is a grace of the Gospel Secondly Consider the seat or subject of it where 't is wrought the heart of a sinner Repentance is heart-work or it is a work upon the heart There repentance began in those converts Act. 2.37 whom the Apostle Peter advised to a thorough work of repentance vers 38. The promise of repentance runs in this tenour I will take away saith the Lord Ezek. 36.26 the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you an heart of flesh When David said Psal 51.17 A broken and contrite heart he means only a repenting heart O God thou wilt not despise As faith is wrought in the heart and with the heart man believeth Rom. 10.10 so repentance is wrought in the heart and with the heart man repenteth Neither a weeping eye nor a confessing tongue nor in case of wrong done to man a restoring hand will be taken for repentance without a broken heart Thirdly Consider the means by which saving repentance or repentance to salvation is wrought 1st the Word 2ly the Spirit The Word of God is the usual the ordinary instrument in the hand that is in the power of the Spirit of God working repentance in the heart of man The word of a Philosopher with all his reasonings the word of an Orator with all his flourishings cannot do it only the Word of God spoken in plainness and simplicity hath strength and efficacy to do it The Word is compared to a fire which melts the hardest heart 't is also in the same place Jer. 23.29 compared to a hammer which breaketh the rock in pieces The Word passing through the ear pierceth the heart Acts 2.27 Now when they heard this they were pricked in their heart And when even the devils Devotionists they that used curious arts burnt their books Acts 19.19 it is said vers 20. so mightily grew the Word of God and prevailed The word of God cloathed with the Spirit hath as to this matter a fourfold operation First to awaken a drowsie soul Eph. 5.14 Secondly to enlighten a dark soul Acts 26.18 Thirdly to convince a gain-saying soul Fourthly to convert a wandring soul Acts 26.18 1 Thes 1.9 Till the soul is awakened it cannot be enlightned till it is enlightned it cannot be convinced till it is convinced it cannot be converted and until it is all this it hath not truly repented For Fourthly as was said in the description first laid down the effect of true repentance is the turning of the whole man from all sin to God All the members of the body the hand the foot the eyes the ears the tongue are turned all the faculties of the soul the understanding will affections are turned from all sin First of what kind soever whether of omission or commission against God neighbour self Secondly of what degree soever little as well as great appearances of evil as well as apparent evils Further as in repentance there is a turning from sin so unto God in the sincere obedience of his whole will We read in Scripture First of Gods returning to us Secondly of our returning to God both are acts of repentance When God returns to us he repents of the evil of trouble brought or threatned to be brought upon us and when we return to God that 's a fruit of our repentance for the evil of sin committed against him Unless our repentance bring us neerer to God we as we say are never the neer for our repentance that is our repentance is not good nor shall we have any good by it The Prophet found Israels repentance defective in this Hos 7.16 They return but not to the most high Some in repenting return only to self
he God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction He was once very much afflicted and now he was very fruitful therefore he called the name of his younger son Ephraim that he might remember the kindness of God to him as often as he beheld or spake to or of that son So Moses called his son Gershom stranger for he said I have been a stranger in a strange Land Exod. 2.22 We find also names given to things as well as to persons by way of remembrance Thus 1 Sam. 7.12 after a great victory obtained against the Philistines Samuel set up a stone and gave it a name He called it Eben-ezar or the Stone of help The reason was for said he hitherto the Lord hath helped us The name of the stone was to mind them of the Lords constant readiness to help them even unto that day So Moses Exod. 17. after that great deliverance from the Amalekites built an Altar and called it Jehovah nissi which signifieth the Lord is my Banner to put them in remembrance how the Lord went forth as a man of War and mightily confounded their enemies There is a prudence to be used in the names both of things and persons We read Gen. 10.25 Vnto Eber were born two sons and the name of the one he called Peleg and why Peleg for in his days saith that Text was the earth divided Peleg signifieth division The whole world which lay before as one common field in his days was divided and cantoniz'd into several Countries therefore his name was called Peleg And as many names have been given from past or present providences so some names have been given as it were by Prophesie with respect to after providences Gen. 5.29 Lamech lived a hundred eighty and two years and begat a son and called his name Noah which signifieth rest Why so not from a providence that was past or present but from what he believed should be For this same said he shall comfort us concerning our work and toyl of our hands because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed Thus much of the names of Jobs daughters as they signified the providences of God towards him and the turn of his state Secondly We may consider these nemes with reference to the personal qualifications or endowments of his daughters and those twofold First their corporal external qualifications Secondly their spiritual internal qualifications which we may well conceive Job had a chief respect unto in giving them these names First He called the names of the first Jemima or Day thereby signifying First the clear natural beauty of that daughter or the brightness of her complexion like the brightness of the day or as if she shined in beauty like the day when beautified by the beams of the Sun Thus Christ spake of the Church Cant. 6.10 Who is she that looketh forth as the morning fair as the Moon clear as the Sun Jobs eldest daughter looked forth as the day she was of a resplendent comeliness and we may well suppose Job who gave her this name had prayed she might have and hoped she would have and doubtless in her time she had not only a beautiful face and a comly feature of body but which is far better a beautiful soul a well-featured disposition of mind much grace and goodness in which sense the Church in the place last mentioned is said to look forth as the morning to be fair as the Moon and clear as the Sun The name Day doth very well shadow both the virgin beauty of the body and the divine unspotted beauty of the soul Secondly he might call her so thereby signifying that as the day is sweet and pleasant so was she both as to her bodily aspect in comeliness and the aspect of her soul in holiness Thirdly say some he called her name Day Vna dies aperit susturit uno dies because beauty bodily beauty they mean is of no long continuance it is but as it were for a day like a flower which a day opens and withers He called the second Kezia or as one of the Ancients renders Cassia signifying spice and perfume to note that she was of a fragrant temper of a winning disposition and conversation Grace and vertue yield the sweetest smell in the nostrils of God and of all good men The Church Cant. 1.3 saith of Christ Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is an ointment poured forth therefore do the virgins love thee These ointments were the precious graces of Christ 'T is so in some proportion with all the godly their ointments the unction of the Spirit poured upon them cast a delightful savour Solomon saith Eccl. 7.1 A good name is better than precious ointment A good name arising from good qualities from grace received and acted is the most precious ointment more precious than all the ointments which affect the sense To be Jemima beautiful in body as the day and not to be Kezia not to have a spirit sweet as Cassia what is it but a piece of pageantry or gilding upon a common post Job called the name of the 3d Keren-happuch or Horn of beauty First with respect to her out-side intimating that she was a great beauty Some say she was called Keren-happuch by an Antiphrasis because she needed not much less used the horn of beauty to make her self beautiful she was even beauty it self Her natural beauty exceeded all that artificial beauty which proud women make shew of by painting their faces She was also a horn of beauty as to her graces and spiritual endowments Thus Job might give his daughters these names not only with respect to the change of his condition but considering the conditions of his daughters both with respect to their bodily beauty and the divine excellency of grace bestowed upon their souls Hence note It is good to give names exciting to vertue and to duty The names of Job's three daughters Day Perfume Nomina bona calcar ad virtutem habent Horn of beauty might stir them up to approve themselves such as their names imported Vertuous names or names of vertue should mind us to do vertuously 'T is also a piece of spiritual prudence and policy to put as the names of excellent things of graces and vertues so of excellent persons such as have excelled in grace and vertue upon our children that they may be provoked to imitate and follow their examples whose names they bear The good wishes and desires of parents concerning children may be silently if I may so speak expressed in their names They who would have their children excel in such a grace or good way may do well to six it in their names Apud nos votiva quasi ob virtutis auspi cium ponuntur vocabula sc Victoris Casti Pii Probi sic apud Hebraeos Micheas Habdias Zacharias caeteraque his similia ex virtutem vocabulo liberis à parentibus
perfection 878 Sight spiritual of Divine truths notes three things 826. Sight of any thing which we much desire pleaseth us much 654. Sight of the eye a clearer evidence than hearing 822 Silence two-fold 754 Sin deprives us of God 140. Great sins hasten judgment 141. A good man may sin often but he will not take leave to sin once 524. Sin heartily repented of is not persisted in 525. Sin dangerous 680. It is a vain thing to sin 685. They who venture upon sin are cruel to themselves 692. No standing before God in sin 696. Sin makes God and many creatures terrible to us 730. Two things shew the greatness of sin 885. Sinners obstinate make war with God 187. Sinners punished with that which is most cross to their lusts 592 Sinning with a high hand what 141 Singing a part of worship an expression of joy 78 Smoak what it is 742 Snow by whom first used to cool his drink 188 Solitude or a solitary life when to be chosen 336 337 Solstices when 127 Soul why mans glory 569 South why the Hawk stretcheth her wings to the South 471. The Allegorical sense of it 471 472 Speaker two things the grace of a speaker 31 Spears of two sorts 762. Spirit a threefold work of the Spirit upon the soul of man 239 Stag or Hart two things observed of him by Naturalists 211 212 Stars morning-stars why so called 76. In what sence stars may be said to sing 78. Three wayes they sing 79. God hath planted a vertue in the stars 238. No man can stop the vertue or influences of the stars from falling upon the earth 239. Two Inferences from it 239 240. Influences of the stars as beneficial to man as their light 240. The stars have their seasons of appearing appointed them by God 247. An Inference from it 248. The stars have a guide 250 Stewards how all are so 28 Stork good and full of pity as her name in the Hebrew signifies 393 Strength great strength needful for great work 367. Great strength may do great work 367. Some have great strength yet not to be trusted with any work 370. How strength may be trusted 370. Three sorts of men to be considered with respect to strength 370 371. A willing mind better than great strength 375. Strength is of God 424. Great strength makes us joyful in sorrows 748 Submission twofold 887. How we must submit even to inferiours whom we have wronged 887 Suffering we have no cause to fear loss by suffering for Christ 952 Sun the light of it wonderfully extensive and diffusive 130. Sun why called the Father of the winds 199. The power of the Sun upon the earth 254. Why the Egyptians pictured a Hawk to represent the Sun five reasons of it 472 Sutableness of any thing to us is the cause of delight 295. 340 Swadling-band of the Sea what 101 Sword hath a terrible face 448. Sword of God any thing that he useth to destroy by 637 T Teaching of God necessary else mans profiteth not 16 820. Gods teaching is effectual for all purposes seven especially 821 Temptation Satan tempts us much to two things 509 Terror good men may sometimes see the terrible appearances of God 532. God will not cease them till he hath brought man to his purpose 532. The terror of God against the wicked 534 728 Thoughts of man all known to God 803. Three Inferences from it 804. Eight sorts of thoughts to be taken heed of 805 Thunder and lightning ordered by God 205. To thunder what it signifieth in Scripture 558. A thunder or mighty power goeth out in a tenfold voice of God 559 560 Time all creatures keep time better than man 118 128. Time weakens the strongest earthly creatures 291 Tongue why called the glory of man 80 569. Tongue hard to be ruled 521 522 Trees some love watry grounds others dry 645 Treasures or Treasuries of any thing what they import 178 179 Trouble hath its time 185. Times of trouble are specially known to and appointed by God 185. God can make a time of trouble either terrible or comfortable 189 Trust what may be given to strength what not 370. Three things required in those we trust with any business 374. Trust in man or in any meer creature a threefold evil issue of it 555 V Vile to be vile notes three things 511. Man at his best estate is vile 512. Man is vile in three respects 513. Four Inferences from it 513 514. The more God reveals himself to us the more our vileness appears to us 518 Visitation twofold 144 Understanding to know iâ— the work of it 57. The understanding is the master-wheel turning all the faculties of the soul 57. Understanding should go before speaking 58. How irrational creatures may be said to have understanding 414 Unicorn what the Hebrew word signifieth 346. Some deny that there is any such beast in the world 347. He is very strong 367. Unicorn by whom and in what resembled 380 381 Union a threefold union or joyning together in one very pleasing to God 914 Unity among the Ministers of the Gosspel how desirable 86 87. Unity a great means of safety 735 Voice of God a tenfold voice of God exceeding powerful 559 560 W War a day of battel and war is eminently a day of trouble 187 Water in the clouds divided to the earth as God pleaseth 203. The Lord orders the waters in four respects 204 Whales cast upon unusual coasts are a warning to them 783 Whirlwind what 11. Three opinions concerning the wâ—irlwind out of which God answered Job 11. Why God answered Job out of a whirlwind 12 13. Wicked men have a title to good things 139. They shall be broken though high and strong 142. They are like the Hawk in three things 474 Wicked who in a large sense who in a strict sense 587 588. The wicked shall come to a sad conclusion 593. God will at last rid the world of wicked men 594. No outward advantage shall secure the wicked from mischief 595 Wilderness of two sorts 207 Will a kind of will in beasts 358. Service should be done with the will 358. A willing mind doth much 375 Will of God the foundation of the earth and of all things 52 53 Will of a godly man against all sin 526 Winds under the c mmand of God 209. The way of the wind a secret 201 Wings of the morning what 129 Wisdom where the seat of it in man 267. Common wisdom is of God 268. Six Inferenceâ— from it 268 269. God makes one man differ from another in wisdom and understanding 416. A great mercy to have wisdom in six things 416 417 Wolf evening wolf why so called 77 Womb what the womb is out of which the Sea issued 96 97 Word of God is and how it is the determiner of controversies 17. Word to be heard with reverence 19. Word of God heard a great mercy 825. Word to be heard with diligence 825. A fourfold work of